Chapter 168 - Renewed Vengeance

KJ was sitting by Mirae's bed, watching over her. She had been unconscious for over a day. The doctors had assured him that she was in a deep sleep due to the mental and physical exhaustion she had to endure. 

"Mr. Kwon?" 

He looked up to see a nurse. "Please fill out this form," she said holding out some papers. 

"What are these?" he frowned. 

"Since Ms. Jung here had a miscarriage, the hospital needs to keep records of the unborn fetus' parentage," the nurse explained. "That the operation was done with the consent of a guardian." 

KJ took the form and glanced through it. 

"This requires the name for the baby's father," he pointed out. 

"Yes," the nurse said. "If the father is not around, then Ms. Jung can sign it when she wakes up." 

KJ looked back at Mirae's sleeping form. Looking at the form might make her more agitated when she wakes up. 

"I'll… I'll fill it up," he finally said. He signed his name on the papers and handed it back to her. 

The nurse took the file and headed towards the reception. She kept the file on her desk and began to work on other paperwork. 

"Excuse me, nurse," a middle aged man approached her. "My wife's urine bag is leaking. I tried to call the doctor but there was no one to attend to her. Please, could you assist us?" 

"Where is she?" the nurse asked. 

"Room four hundred and one," the man replied. The nurse stood up and went to the back office. As soon as she was out of sight, the man took out a camera and grabbed the file from her desk. 

Skimming through it, Dongsik found what he was looking for. He clicked a few pictures and put the file back before leaving the desk. 

"Here you ar-" the nurse was saying as she came out, holding an urine bag. But the man was gone. The nurse looked through her things if anything was missing but found nothing out of place. She shrugged and went back to her work. 

…. 

Hyun Jung was in Somi's room. Even though she had a massive seizure, the doctors were able to treat her on time. She had gained consciousness quickly and was shifted to a VIP room.

"Somi…" Hyun Jung started. "It's not the right time. But I still want to ask you."

She did not say anything but kept on staring at her wrist which had a saline pipe attached to it. 

"Was it him?" Hyun Jung asked. "Was it Teppei who…"

Somi felt her body go cold at the mention of that name. Her hands were getting clammy and she was shivering in fright. Hyun Jung noticed her reaction and quickly retracted.

"You don't have to say anything," he said. "Just rest. I'll ask the doctor to give you a sedativ-"

Her breath was getting shorter and she was unable to speak. Instead, she simply nodded. Hyun Jung rushed out to get a doctor. In a few seconds, he returned with a doctor and a nurse. Somi was panicking as herr whole body began to shake.

"Check her pulse!" the doctor exclaimed, trying to hold Somi down as she shook in fear. The nurse immediately went to work, checking Somi's pulse and injected her with a sedative. Slowly, Somi calmed down and her body became still as she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

"What happened?" the doctor demanded from Hyun Jung.

"I...I asked her about her trauma," Hyun Jung admitted. He felt really ashamed for asking her this question when she was in such a critical state of mind.

"Please refrain from asking her these things!" the doctors said crossly. "Her mental state is very fragile. You will have to get her treated first. Let her ease into revealing her trauma. If you ask her like this, she will only get worse!"

"I understand, Doctor," Hyun Jung said apologetically. "I am sorry."

The doctor gave him a stiff nod and exited the room. Hyun Jung's attention drifted back to the unconscious Somi. He could not bear to see her in this state. His heart ached to comfort her, to take away all her sadness. But the scar that man inflicted on her was too deep. Nothing can cure her wounds.

However, this did not deter Hyun Jung. He would make sure that man paid for his sins. With his life.

….

Mirae stirred. The effects of the medicine were beginning to wane off. She opened her eyes only to be blinded by the bright light. Her head felt heavy due to the sedatives. Slowly, she tried to move her muscles which were sore. 

KJ, who was by her bedside, leaned forward.

"Mirae!" he called out. "Can you hear me?"

She could not make out his voice amidst her drowsiness. She tried to remember where she was. 

"Mirae," KJ probed her.

"M...st...ach...urts…" she mumbled.

"What?" KJ asked.

"M-my...stom...ach…"

KJ realized what she was trying to say.

"Does your stomach hurt?" he asked.

She nodded bleakly. KJ felt his throat go dry. She still did not realize what happened.

"Can you sit up?" he asked. "Should I help?"

She nodded weakly. KJ put his right hand behind her back and gently tried to help her sit up. Mirae's body was still sore, so she struggled a little to sit properly. KJ tucked some pillow behind her to give her some support to lean back against.

Mirae felt drowsy but flashes of the previous night were popping up in her head. She remembered shooting at…

"Where is he?" she demanded, trying to take heavy breaths. "Where is Ash Park?"

"He escaped," KJ replied reluctantly. "Let's discuss all this later. You need rest-"

Mirae grabbed his hand and held it firmly. "No," she insisted. Even though she was heavily sedated, she was still determined to know the truth. "Did...did he really betray us? Were his words a lie? Tell me KJ. Tell me!"

KJ hesitated. What can he tell her? How can he even tell her the truth?

"You know the truth already, Mirae," he finally said. He looked straight into her green eyes. "We were all betrayed by him."

Mirae did not say anything. Her eyes were hollow and lost, as if they had lost all meaning. Suddenly, she burst out laughing.

"I was so so stupid," she laughed. But amidst the laughter, her eyes were watering up. "I actually believed he was being forced to work for the Cartel! I believed that boy from all those years ago, was trapped in a world he didn't want to be in…"

"Mirae…" KJ said, his voice full of concern.

"I blindly believed his lies and even saved him!" Mirae exclaimed. "I followed my heart for once...only to be betrayed...I feel like an idiot! All for what?"

"You loved him," KJ stated quietly. It was true. She had given her heart to a person who stomped all over it.

"But it wasn't enough to change him," Mirae said sardonically. "He still betrayed his best friend. He cheated the person he claimed to have loved...he tried to kill us…"

"There is one more thing," KJ said in a small tone.

"What more did he do?" she asked. An ominous feeling was creeping up in her heart as KJ gave her a somber look. He was debating with himself, whether to tell her or not.

"He...killed someone," KJ revealed. Mirae's eyes widened in shock.

"Who?" she whispered. "Who was it?"

KJ did not say anything but took her hand. Instead of gripping it, he placed her hand on her stomach. Mirae was confused but slowly started to realize what he was saying.

"He...he...killed…"

"You were a few weeks pregnant," KJ stated in a sad tone. "The fall you took coupled with the mental breakdown...it couldn't survive…"

He felt Mirae's hand slipping away from his. Her lips trembled as she struggled to stop a scream coming out of them. Her eyes were in shock as she tried to digest the news.

"You're...you're lying…" she denied. "You're just joking, right? It's not true...it's not…"

She grabbed his collar and shook him violently. "You're lying!" she shrieked tearfully. Tears were falling from her eyes as she vehemently denied the truth of his words. 

KJ looked away from her. He could not bear to face her. He blamed himself for her predicament. The state she was in...it was his fault. 

If only he had not changed the timeline...If only he could change it back…

"It's true," he whispered. 

"No...no…" she repeated over and over again. "No...NO!"

A wail escaped her lips as she cried her heart out. Her sobs tortured his ears, tearing into his soul and shred it to pieces. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his arms, trying to comfort her as she bawled her heart out.

He held her tightly against his chest, counting all the teardrops she shed, listening to each and every one of her cries. His ears recorded her agony and the memory of her grief was etched into his head. Every drop of tear she shed was a stab to his heart. But beneath that pain, lay a thirst for revenge. For the first time in many years, KJ renewed his desire for vengeance.

The Cartel took away all his loved ones and yet KJ had been quiet. He had once ventured onto the path of revenge and lost everything. But now, he could no longer ignore his true goals.The girl he held onto meant the world to him. The irreplaceable loss she suffered fueled his dormant desire for retaliation.

And the first one to face his wrath will be Ash Park.