"Okay. I'll send them in right away," Mr. Kim replied before hanging up.
"It's better you leave on your own than be forced out," Kiera said with a smile. She then sat down close to her father, ignoring the others in the room.
"Let's go," Ji-Won said to her children as she headed toward the door.
"No, this is absurd. Hey! You were denied, right? Let me put it more clearly — you were abandoned. It's only right that you leave," the young boy said confidently.
"Jung-Woo, let's go. Your father will handle this," Ji-Won said, frustration flickering in her eyes.
For the past few days, her husband Jung-Sik had been restless. He had requested to see Jung-Ha Kiera and told her he would fight with all he had if Kiera came to see him. As a wife, Ji-Won could only hope her husband survived this battle. If Kiera was indeed the key, why refuse to let her in?
"Never mind, stay. I'll make sure to teach that mouth of yours a lesson," Kiera said coldly to Jung-Woo while scrolling through messages on her phone.
"What makes you so fearless? My big brother is second only to my dad!" Jung-Cha yelled, realizing Kiera had no right to be here.
"Okay, we'll see," Kiera replied, her voice icy.
Bang! The door was suddenly pushed open, and three hefty men entered the room.
"Miss Jung-Ha, we were instructed to take orders from you," one of the bodyguards said respectfully but confidently.
His eyes scanned the room, searching for the real Jung-Ha. He had special instructions: this woman was the long-lost child of Jung-Sik and the key to his survival — someone not to be trifled with.
"I am Jung-Ha Kiera. This is my father, his wife, and their children. I'm introducing them so they understand their positions mean nothing right now. Especially that one," Kiera said, pointing sharply at Jung-Woo.
"The mother and daughter have agreed to leave, so all you need to do is ensure they do. I don't want them near this room. As for that one," she pointed at Jung-Woo again, "take him away. And silence his mouth — I'm sure he'll be running it a lot once you get him out."
Two bodyguards escorted Ji-Won and Jung-Cha out while the first guard charged at Jung-Woo.
"I don't want to hurt you, but you heard her. Let's go," the guard said.
"You must be crazy! You think I can't call bodyguards? Get out!" Jung-Woo shouted.
The guard, eager to follow Kiera's orders, slapped Jung-Woo and dragged him out.
As Jung-Woo was pulled away, he shouted, "You have no right to do this to me! Abeoji! Abeoji! Abeoji!"
Kiera glanced at her father, a flicker of worry crossing her face. The noise had attracted some nurses, but she had assured them it was nothing, and they left. Still, her father remained motionless.
Then it hit her.
Is he dead? she thought.
She tapped him gently. "Sir? Sir! Jung-Sik, Jung-Sik," she called, but there was no response. Instinctively, she yelled, "Father!"
Tears streamed down Jung-Sik's face. He opened his eyes and whispered faintly, "Jung-Ha."
Kiera looked at him expressionlessly. She had called him by many names before, but he never responded. So why "father" now?
"Did you pretend not to hear everything that happened?" she asked, her voice cold.
"Yes," he said faintly, "and I have to say, you were very brave. I never thought my daughter would be this way. You take after your mother indeed."
Through his eyes, Kiera saw he was dying. She held herself together and said,
"Daughter, daughter — who gave you the right to call me your daughter?" Tears streamed down her face. She could no longer hold it in. She had bottled it up for twenty years, and it had done her no good.
"What did I do to hurt you so much? What made you look at me and deny me without batting an eyelash? Do you know how hard it was growing up without a father? I cried every time I heard my friends brag about the things their fathers did for them — yet you were here, being the father you never were to me but to your other children," Kiera cried with anger.
Jung-Sik could not meet her gaze. He looked down and said, "I didn't deny you without a thought. Evidence was presented to me, and to make matters worse, your mother never denied any of it. It was hard for me..."
"Keep my mother's name out of your mouth! She's the victim here! You denied me — what does she have to do with it?" Kiera shouted.
"No, no, Kiera. She had an affair with another man. There were photos of her kissing him in a hotel. I was furious but might have calmed down if she hadn't admitted it so emotionlessly. I would have understood, because that same day, fake news circulated that Ji-Won and I were together in a hotel room. I was also at fault, but I was sorry for it. She wasn't. In anger, I signed the divorce papers, convinced you weren't my child. Over the years, I realized everything that happened was my father's scheme," Jung-Sik explained.
Flashback
"Let's go to the hospital, Ji-Won," Jung-Sik urged.
Ji-Won had a small burn on her left hand from spilled boiling water at her office. It looked serious, but she insisted on going to the hotel first to change.
She had just finished a business meeting with Jung-Sik when the accident occurred. Jung-Sik heard her scream from outside and rushed into her office.
He insisted on taking her to the hospital, but she refused. "I need to go to the hotel to get something and change. After that, I'll go to the hospital."
Naively, Jung-Sik agreed and drove her to the hotel.
When they arrived, Ji-Won asked him to come inside. He refused. "I'll wait outside."
"I'll need help unzipping my dress, please. I'm in pain," Ji-Won said, forcing fake tears.
Out of sympathy, Jung-Sik entered and helped her unzip her dress. Suddenly, she turned, and they both fell onto the bed — her on top of him.
"I'm sorry, I think you should go now," Ji-Won said, smiling sheepishly.
Embarrassed, uncomfortable, and guilty, Jung-Sik stood. "You rest. I'll call a doctor for you," he said, heading out.
Meanwhile, Ji-Won called Jung-Su on her phone. "Abeoji, I'll send you the video and photos. I look forward to being his bride," she said before hanging up.
"With guilt, I took the first flight home. But I was in Australia, and it would take time to reach Korea. Upon arrival, my father called and told me what was trending on the news. I was terrified, but he said your mom and I were both cheaters. Before then, he had shown me fabricated evidence proving you weren't my child. I didn't want to believe it, but it was convincing, and your mother avoided long conversations with me. This broke me, and I missed your third birthday party. I wanted to come home and resolve this — to see your mother deny these accusations wholeheartedly, but she never did. She asked me to sign the divorce papers. Jung-Ha, I was torn apart. Not a day went by without thoughts of you and your mother," Jung-Sik said, pausing to look at Kiera.
She was soaked in tears. He held her hands and wiped what he could from her face, but she pulled away and asked, "How did you find out the truth?"
Jung-Sik took a deep breath and explained.
Flashback
At the reception of Jung-Sik and Ji-Won's wedding, Ji-Won excused herself, leaving Jung-Sik sitting alone.
After waiting thirty minutes and seeing no sign of her, Jung-Sik grew worried and left the reception hall searching for her.
He called her name with no response. Then, behind a large tree near the reception, he saw two people talking seriously.
As he looked closer, he realized it was his bride and his father. Not wanting to interrupt, he listened.
"I regret everything, Abeoji. Why did you want me? I've cheated on him before," Ji-Won said.
"We've always loved you. You were the first person he loved, and I know you still love him. Instead of whining, be thankful to the Jung family. We got rid of that Carolyn," Jung-Su replied, tapping her back, but she moved his hand away.
"I know I was desperate, Abeoji, but can you blame me? I came to you for advice, and you devised this evil plan. I live with the guilt. I can't look him in the eye," Ji-Won said with tears in her eyes.
"Ji-Won, enough. What do you want to do? Confess everything? Then all your efforts will be for nothing. He's been down because of Carolyn and her daughter, but you lifted him up. Don't make him hate us," Jung-Su said, lowering his voice.
"Fine, but what did you do to Carolyn?"
"Haha. It's more about what she did to my family. I planned to kick her out since I met her, but she smartly got pregnant. I thought the baby would make my plans easier, but she was too clean — Jung-Sik's child, faithful and obedient even when my wife made her life hell. Since she was so clean, I decided to dirty her. I faked DNA tests and arranged for a man to get her into a hotel room with cameras to get compromising pictures. I duplicated the plan — one for you, one for her. But Carolyn was too careful. Then her evil daughter destroyed Jung-Hyun's left eye, so I decided to frustrate Kiera's life. You know mothers protect their children, so she left Sik, but there were no strong grounds to do so. That's when all my plans came together. She was such a good actress," Jung-Su laughed, then suddenly stopped as Jung-Sik, soaked in tears, entered.
"Jung-Sik! I was joking. None of this is true," Jung-Su said, hands trembling.
"Abeoji, I believed you. How could you do this to me? How could you send my daughter away? Carolyn was my choice, Abeoji. I followed your decisions all my life. Why couldn't you grant my wishes for once?" Jung-Sik cried, veins bulging with rage.