Deceit | Vincenzo Kdrama | Jang Han Seok

Chapter 12

Solmee had followed Han Seok out of Choi Myunghee's office. 

The woman had been waiting patiently for the two to finish, sat casually on a chair in the Wusang Lounge. 

She spots the two and gets up from her seat.

With a smirk Solmee grabs Han Seok's lapel and plants her mouth on his in a chaste kiss.

"I looking forward to our next date." She smiles, wipes her lipstick from his mouth with her thumb and turns around to leave without looking back. Solmee wiggles her fingers at Myunghee as she passes.

Han Seok narrowed his eyes wondering what she was planning.

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After an 8 hour surgery, Solmee headed to the breakroom to make herself some coffee. Han Seo had bought her an expensive blend that was much better than the crappy coffee the rest of the doctors lived off-Solmee couldn't stand the stuff and always complained whenever someone tried to be kind in making a mug up for her.

A doctor from anaesthesiology approached her as she picked up her mug. "Doctor Kim, a few of us are having  dinner once our shift is over, care to join?"

Normally Solmee would have denied the invitation, unless she was in a good mood or she needed something from them, like info or an alibi. She was neither in a good mood or in need of an alibi, but still she found herself agreeing to drinks after the shift.

Why?

Because this doctor was one of Choi Myunghee's puppets.

She recognised him; or his eyes rather- those eyes belonged to the puppet that had dropped Choi Myunghee's business card in her hand that one evening.

The fact that he was inviting her for drinks now, when he never had before made Solmee realise that Choi Myunghee was actually giving her some people to play with. She wanted to laugh, had she decided to listen to Solmee's demands because she thought Solmee had a relationship with Han Seok? If that was the case, then perhaps Solmee could use him to get more from Myunghee in the future.

The woman was clever though Solmee had to admit. No one would think anything unusual of a group of hospital staff frequently getting together. 

Solmee smiled and nods. "Sure, I'm always hungry."

Solmee went to visit her foster father in the hospital during her rounds. She had been too busy to spend any proper time with him, but she needed someone to vent to and when he was a psychiatrist it had been his job to listen to people do those things. When she was younger she'd never voluntarily shared anything with him, but now that he couldn't speak, she supposed there really was no harm in it.

He was awake when she entered the room, and she tutted as his eyes rolled to the other side of the room. He wanted to avoid looking at her.

"Tch. I know you hate me for making you like this, but it's only temporary. A lot less temporary than death and that was the original plan."

"It's your own fault anyways. I would have killed you but you had to go and make me care about you a little bit."

He still doesn't look at her.

Choi Myunghee had wanted him dead.  Solmee was pretty sure he had worked for Choi Myunghee, supplying her with information to help her rise in the ranks, until the woman had decided he had outlived his usefulness. Maybe he had also known some secrets of Choi Myunghee's that she didn't want leaked to anyone.

Solmee remembered the day of the incident very vividly.

 Solmee had been having a very good day, she'd just been hired as a Surgeon and Dr Kang her foster father had told her he would take her out to drink and celebrate. Solmee had been excited because he'd never drank with her, or wanted to do anything with her really, there was always work as an excuse. Ever since she had told him she wanted to be a surgeon he had become a lot more pleasant. He had bought her books and equipment to study and practice, called her every day to tell her he was proud that she was doing good for once.

He even cooked her dinner sometimes and made her packed lunches to take to the hospital during her residency. She kicked up a fuss pretending she hated it and he was a terrible cook and she would lie and say she gave the food away to another resident or that she wasn't hungry and then later she'd sneak and eat the food he'd left in the fridge for her. Things were going sort of okay, then Choi Myunghee had ruined everything. She had sent a puppet to the University Hospital Solmee was working at during that time, and the puppet had given her Choi Myunghee's orders to kill him. A test of loyalty the woman had said when Solmee had called her to complain. Of course the witch would wait until Solmee thought about maybe trying out calling the man dad instead of Dr Kang.

Later that even she turned up to his office to meet him before celebrating, just as they had planned.

Dr Kang logged off his computer and stood up.

"Are you ready to go?"

"I was thinking we could sit and have a little chat first." Solmee says, perching on the patients couch. 

He furrows his brows, but nods since it was extremely rare for her to want to talk-extremely rare as in she'd never asked to do so before.

He rolls up his sleeves and sits down . "Okay let's talk. What do you want to talk about?"

"My diary."

She takes the little red book out of her pocket. "You should read it." Solmee rises from the couch and drops the book in his hands. 

Dr Kang was the one who had given it to her and told her to write in it what she couldn't tell anyone else, that she should let out what troubled her into that little red book to make her head and heart feel lighter.

She had jokingly told him one day that she'd write about all the people she killed. Dr Kang had let out a hearty laugh, but then realised later on that she hadn't been joking.

He opens the first page, and as he flips through Solmee watches his expression, perched on the edge of the couch, arms folded as she knocked her kneecaps together. His eyes widen, narrow, then frown. She watches his face change as he comes to learn more about her. 

He stops part way through, perhaps overwhelmed, or perhaps he had realised where the night was going. A deep heavy breath leaves him.

Solmee flicks a hand. "Keep reading till you get to the very last page."

The last page was an unfinished entry, "Today is the day I kill my father."

"You finally called me father." He grinned. His eyes are a little teary. How bittersweet the moment was.

Solmee shrugs.

 Dr Kang starts laughing.

"I should have expected this."

He had been trying to get Solmee to stop killing-even going so far as to confront Choi Myunghee and try to threaten the woman to stop making Solmee kill for her. 

And this was what it had come down to. 

Choi Myunghee was going to make Solmee kill him now.

In a way he supposed he deserved it. He had originally adopted her under the guise of helping her but had only ended up using her really, when he actually had started to help her properly it was too late.

"You don't have to do this Jihyeon."

Solmee pouts. "But I do."

When Solmee stands he becomes frigid. Fear. 

"How are you going to do it?"

Solmee shrugs. "I'm going to put sleeping pills in your last drink so when you go to sleep you won't wake up."

He nods. Atleast she was thoughtful enough to make it painless. It still hurt his heart that she was going to do it though.

"I tried to be a good dad, I tried to discipline you, I tried to get you to do what I wanted and I failed. I failed because I love you."

"You're just saying that because you think it's what I want to hear." She frowned and inhaled deeply.

"It's true. I love you. I love you like you're my own flesh and blood."

"Stop saying that." She curled her hands into fists.

Breathing heavily she started to pace.

"Jihyeon-" 

"Shut up." She hisses. "I need to think."

"Do you really mean it?" She says after a few minutes. "What you said.... do you mean it or are you just saying it because you're going to die."

"I'm going to die so I might as well tell you now or I'll never get the chance to will I?"

Solmee bites her lip, drawing blood. She let's out a shaky breath, raking her fingers through her hair and scratching her head.

"I don't want to do it." She admits finally. And she definitely couldn't now that he had told her these things.