Between the lines

Funeral

When she first heard about Bae Ro-na being killed from Joo Dan-tae, she felt sick. Her name, just like Min Seol-ah's, coming out of his disfusting mouth should be forbidden. A monster like him should be in prison if not murdered. But of course that she knew better. She knew the kind of person that he was and so, when she was informed that Oh Yoon-hee was coming back to Korea, she did too. She couldn't allow that psychopath to hurt her. So, when she landed in Korea months ago, the first thing that she did was to check in on Oh Yoon-hee and her family. She knew that she was "married" to Yoon-chul and that Ro-na was supposed to be in the United States when, in fact, she had gone back to Korea as well.

"Mom," Ro-na whispered as she looked around the room. She frowned. She remembered being at the hospital and her mother standing right next to her as she begged her to stay alive. From the corner of her eye, she could see a woman approaching her. She tried to turn her head to the right, but it was too painful. Ro-na's eyes went wide when she saw Shim Su-ryeon walking towards the stretcher. She thought she was dead. What was she doing there?

"Do not speak, Ro-na. You're very weak and you need to save your energy. I know that everything is confusing right now, but I promise you that it will get better soon," Su-ryeon assured her, kindly. Ro-na swallowed before speaking again.

"How?" Ro-na asked her, eyeing her suspiciously. Now that she knew what her mother had done to her, she was scared of what Su-ryeon was planning. Ro-na noticed that her hair was shorter and that her makeup and clothes had changed as well. She seemed like a completely different person.

"Do not worry. I won't hurt you. I knew what Joo Dan-tae was planning, so I decided to step in and protect you from him. I know you have many questions, but all you need to know right now is that you're safe," she explained to her. Ro-na didn't pay her any attention. Her brown eyes were scanning the room as she looked for someone else. Su-ryeon's heart skipped a beat. She was looking for her.

"Mom?" Ro-na asked her, anxiously. Su-ryeon put her hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The girl was getting agitated. Her blood pressure was going high and that wasn't good.

"Ro-na, I need you to calm down. I promise you you have nothing to fear. As for your mom," she paused. Just the thought of Yoon-hee made her knees go weak. She couldn't put into words the storm of emotions that she felt when she saw her two days ago in Hera Palace. Of course she had seen her before, but unlike those others times, Oh Yoon-hee didn't know she was being watched. "She doesn't know that you're here, but once it is safe for the two of you to meet, you will. I need you to trust me. Can you do that?" she asked her putting a lock of her black hair behind her ear. Ro-na eyed her before nodding. Su-ryeon smiled at her. The girl's heartbeats were going back to normal. Su-ryeon cleared her throat.

"There's something I need to do now, but I'll be back in a couple of hours, okay?" Su-ryeon said, glancing at the wall clock. She was about to walk away from her when Ro-na grabbed her hand. "What is it? Do you need me to call the nurse?" she asked her, concerned.

"Joo Dan-tae," Ro-na whispered, looking at her with fear in her eyes. Su-ryeon's blood boiled. There was no way that jerk was getting away with it this time. "Did this to me," she said after a few seconds. Su-ryeon nodded and swallowed. She couldn't show her annoyance. She needed to pull herself together until she was alone. She needed to be strong and calm for Ro-na.

"He will pay for his sins. I can assure you that. Now, rest. You need to get better before you and your mom meet," Su-ryeon replied, clenching her jaw. Ro-na smiled at her and closed her eyes again. She couldn't wait to be reunited with her mom. Su-ryeon looked at her before grabbing her things and leaving the room. She hadn't been mistaken about seeing him exiting the bathroom with a different suit. She didn't just follow Yoon-hee, but also Jan-tae. It was a matter of time before he tried to kill someone. She recalled the moment she saw Ro-na rolling down the stairs and Joo Dan-tae making his move. Her hands clenched. She had wanted to run to Ro-na and take her out of there, but she couldn't expose herself yet. She needed him to play his cards so she could play hers.