Eun Ah titled the glass up and let the cool liquid run down her dry throat. She had excused herself but Woon was still out in the living room waiting to tell her more.

Her mind was in shambles and she barely had a second to collect herself before more gets thrown on her.

"Love?"

She turned around and saw Yongguk looking at her in concern. She gave him a weak smile that crumbled the minute she tried it on. Slowly her eyebrows creased and her lips turned down as tears filled her eyes. She rubbed her face in irritation. She was just so confused. She couldn't get her mind to settle down and it was making her body hurt.

How was she expected to feel? All she could do was get angry, sad and freeze in her spot. Her body wasn't providing anymore emotion.

Yongguk moved the minute he saw her fake smile and stood in front of her as tears fell. She slowly wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face to his chest. He held her tight as she cried. It wasn't a loud, wailing cry but rather a silent one with small sniffles and quiet tears.

She' didn't want to talk just yet. She just wanted someone to know that she as confused and hurt. She just wanted him to be there. And he was.

He always was.

When she composed herself, she pulled away and looked up at him.  They shared a long look before he bent down and pressed his lips against hers. It was a soft, innocent, reassuring kiss that reminded her that he'd always be there for her.

She pushed up on her tip toes and sighed at the sensation. It helped empty her mind and dull her senses when he slowly moved his lip with hers. He kissed her carefully making sure to not move forcefully, gently coaxing her closer to him with his lips.   

He was the best remedy for everything.

He pulled away and gave her a small peck before wrapping his arms around her, swaying slowly from left to right.

"It's going to be okay, love. You're going to be okay."

Eun Ah whined and hugged him closer, "I can't do this Yongguk. I don't think I'm strong enough to hear the rest. I just was to collapse. I can't take anymore, it's driving me insane."

There was a beat of silence before he spoke to her.

"I know this is hard, but you are strong. You are undoubtedly the strongest person I know. You know I wouldn't force you to do anything but I don't want you questioning your past for the rest of your life, love. I'll be right here the whole time."

"It's just that, how could I have not known so much about my own family? My own parents? It's like they are completely different people than I thought they were."

"But you still love them?" He asked softly into her hair.

"Of course." She mumbled into his shoulder.

"Even though your mom was engaged to Ryu?"

Eun Ah hesitated for a moment before she spoke. "Yes."

"Then, that's all that matters because it was more than obvious that they loved you more than anything. They kept their past hidden because they wanted to protect you. Their past was exactly that, their past, but you were their present and future. Why would they linger on that when they have all they could want with you?"

Eun Ah softened a fraction and inhaled his scent. His words imprinted in her brain and she couldn't help thinking about how far the two of them had come since their first meeting.

They were like new people.

"You're a changed man, Bang Yongguk. Do you remember the first time I talked to you about my parents? You ordered me to stop feeling guilty. Your ordered me."

He smiled and pressed his face to the top of her head. "Don't you see? That's what you do to me Mrs.Bang. You make me a better man."

"You mean a softer one?"

Yongguk snorted loudly, "Think what you want, but you are one of the best things that happened to me in a really long time, Hwang."

Her grip around him tightened, feeling herself slowly getting stronger, "Me too. You have this annoying ability to make everything better."

 Yongguk kissed her forehead and gave her a tender look. "Ready to go back in there?"

She gave his hand a squeeze with a slow nod and let him lead them back into the living room, in front of Woon who had been waiting patiently for their return.

"So my mom was a member of Ryu's Clan and was forced to marry Ryu before she met my dad, who was there as an undercover cop." She said, her voice straining as she took a seat.

Woon gave her a sad smile and nodded. Eun Ah the urge to run away but just let out a deep breath instead.

"Then what?"

Woon shifted in his seat and sighed, "Well, once your parents had fallen in love with Eun Yong, Ah Min started talking to her about leaving Ryu's Clan for good. He wanted to get her away before she got married. However, Eun Yong already wanted to leave, she didn't need convincing. She wanted to defect from the gang and run away from Ryu. Thi--This is where I ruined it. This is where I killed you. I didn't know that your father was planning on running away with Eun Yong. Your father way staying with the gang for longer than his assignment needed and he cut off communication for a few days so we got worried. As it turned out, Eun Yong was pregnant with Ah Min's child. Since it was so early, Ryu didn't know, but at the time, neither did I."

He took a breath before continuing, "We ambushed the headquarters and in the process, Ah Min and Eun Yong's identity and intentions were exposed. It was a bloodbath, but your parents survived. However, Ryu found out that Ah Min was a cop and that Eun Yong was planning on running away with him. He was furious, but because of all the police officers at the scene, his first priority was to escape. But he still held a vendetta against them. He was betrayed and wanted revenge."

"What did you do?" She asked with an unforgiving sneer.

Woon hung his head in shame, "I was too caught up in trying to take him down that I didn't realize the consequences of ratting out your father. I put a target on his back."

Eun Ah felt her fists clench and just wanted to clock him across the face.

But that wouldn't help.

That wouldn't bring her parents back.

"We sent them both into Witness Protection and flew them off to Japan, but after a few months, the circumstances changed and they were allowed back into Korea because Ryu 'reportedly' left to the states. We had to keep them off the map, but Ryu has eyes everywhere."

Eun Ah shut her eyes in pain, her voice trembling, "So the accident..."

"Ryu had finally tracked down your parents and were sending threats to hurt you. He wanted to destroy the thing that was created from the love that he could never get. As long as you were alive, he was going to be after you. Your parents wanted to protect you. They wanted to save you, so they confronted Ryu who said he wanted to make a deal, but the whole thing was a trap and that's how they ended up in that car, in that condition. He somehow fudged the documents to say that your father was drunk driving and pulled my intial report, which suggested foul play, off the files."

"Ryu went to those lengths?" Eun Ah said with poison and hatred seeping out of every syllable.

"Ye--"

"It was your fault though." She said dully.

Woon's eyes widened and looked at Yongguk who only stared back with dead, empty eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?! I don't need your concern now. I needed your concern when dangerous, blood thirsty men where after me and my family. I needed your concern before my parents sacrificed their lives for me! I'm not going to accept your apologies just so that you can sleep better at night."

Woon let the impact of her words hit him in the chest. After keeping this secret for all her life,  he deserved worse than this.

"My parents died because you were selfish and put yourself before the safety of others. They died for me but none of that would have happened if you left Ryu alone. My