The Price of Love

Chapter 9: Responsibility

Jin

The company car dropped me off in front of the hospital as if I were a celebrity. Mina had arranged everything, so I just had to follow along. I was grateful that I was picked up at the airport and taken to our family's home first. I was able to wash up and change my attire.

I made my way to the private wing of the hospital, to the room number that the secretary had texted me. I took a deep breath and went through the door.

My father was in bed with several machines hooked up to him. I tried not to flinch at how small and frail he looked. It had been six years since I'd seen him, but it seemed he had aged double those years. His once-full head of dark hair had gone almost completely gray, and his skin looked thin and pale. Even his once-formidable shoulders looked small. I took a few steps toward him before I noticed the person sitting on a chair facing away from me.

At the sound of my footsteps, she turned. It was Micha, my stepmother. Her almond-shaped eyes became wide as she recognized me. Immediately, those same eyes left my face and traced every inch of my body. I smirked at her then turned away, ignoring her.

"Well, the prodigal returns," she said. Her scarlet-tinted lips curled in a sneer.

As I got closer, I noticed the wrinkles around her eyes and her mouth that were more prominent than the last time I saw her. The caked-on makeup just made her look older than she was.

"Hello...mother," I hissed coldly.

She examined my body again. "You look good. Really good."

"I know," I replied, not meeting her gaze. I was looking at my sleeping father, wondering if he could hear our so-called conversation.

"Do you have nothing to say to me?" Micha asked in a honeyed voice. She stood up from her chair and smoothed out her tight dress that was in a style too young for her.

Without turning my face, I shifted my eyes to hers. "You look old. Really old."

"How dare you! Who do you think--"

"How is he?" I interrupted her.

"If you think I'm going to just--"

"I'll find the doctor," I cut in again. I spun on my heel and walked out the door.

Twenty minutes later, the doctor had explained that the heart attack was mild, but that changes would have to be made to my father's diet and daily activities to prevent another, stronger heart attack that could be devastating or even fatal. He would be kept in the hospital for a few more days while they finished running tests. The doctor made sure to emphasize that my father's high-stress lifestyle needed to change immediately.

I nodded at his recommendations even as I wondered how I could convince a man driven by his business pursuits to scale back. It was like asking him to stop breathing. I headed back into his room, girding myself to fend off Micha's assaults.

"You know," she began as soon as I made my way to my father's bedside, "this wouldn't have happened if you'd taken up your responsibility as his son and heir and carried more of the burden at Kim Worldwide. He cannot keep doing everything by himself."

I looked up at the ceiling with an annoyed air. "Yes, I know. And that's what I intend to do, so I don't need to hear anything more from you."

"Seokjin," she continued. "You've lived without a care in the world these past few years, never once thinking about your father or what he might be going through."

"Being married to you I can imagine he's been going through a lot," I mumbled.

She bristled. "Look, what happened in the past is...in the past."

"Nothing happened," I said sharply, glaring at her. "Say nothing more in the presence of my father. Don't make me tell you again."

I could sense her outrage, but at least she stayed silent. I knew my father could no longer carry the burden of KWI by himself, and I knew what I had to do even if I had no desire to do it.