Chapter 20

Holding a bouquet of flowers in her hand, Tiffany watched as the group of people, dressed in black, slowly broke away & left, leaving only Jaejoong, Mr. Kim & herself. She saw many people go up to Mr. Kim & offer their deepest condolences, only to be pushed away with a smile or a simple ‘Thank you for your concern’. Her heart lurched. She hated to see Mr. Kim like this. He was like this once before when Jaejoong had gotten into the car crash. As one thing comes, another leaves. Why does life have to be so cruel? Why couldn’t it be nice & simple?

He caught her glance & headed towards her, “Tiffany, I must return to the office now. I have a lot to do. As I was rummaging through Minseo’s belongings, I found a letter that had your name written on it. I don’t know when or why she wrote it. Perhaps you could drop by the house later on. I gave the letter to Bora. If you ask her for it, she will give it to you. Jaejoong can take you home if you had like.” He hid his feelings well but she could still feel his pain. She embraced him & took his hand.

“Uncle Kim, I know that you are going to miss auntie Kim a lot. I can’t say that I know exactly how you feel but I can tell you that I know what it feels like to lose a loved one. As a child, I never had the chance to confront you. You would either be in your office or you would be in your room. I always wanted to know you.” She looked into his eyes as the droplet of tears slid down her cheeks, “I had no father figure in my life. I didn’t know what it was like to be loved by a father until you came along. Over the years, I came to love you as my own father. You treated me like I was your daughter. It moved me greatly. You have been strong all your life. Never did I see you cry. I’m asking you now as a daughter to let things go. For once in your life, let things be. You don’t need to be strong for us anymore. We are the ones who should be strong for you.” He looked at her & smiled.

“You know, you always knew me best. I’m lucky to have such a loving, intelligent, pretty girl as an assistant & as a daughter. I promise you that I will let things go as long as you too, let things go.” She gave him a puzzled look, “I know that you love Jaejoong & I know that Jaejoong loves you. You are hiding something from him. Don’t. If he loves you, he will accept you no matter what happens.” Without waiting for a reply, he made his way down the steps & into the Mercedes.

She didn’t know what to say. She always thought she hid it well. Mr. Kim was right. She should tell Jaejoong but now wasn’t the right time. In another couple of weeks, she would try & explain it to him. An arm suddenly came around her slender waist, surprising her.

“Are you alright, Tiffany? You don’t look so well. Did my dad say anything to upset you?” She could tell he was worried. For reassurance, she gave him a peck on the cheek & smiled.

“No, of course not. I’m just not feeling well. I think it’s because I missed breakfast this morning.”

“Well, I’m going back to the house for lunch. I had love for you to join me. In fact, I have something to give you.”

“I supposed I could do that but o