Mr. Lee

42.

Heeseung knocked. 

Specifically on a door he didn't particularly ever bring himself to go near, considering the person on the other side wasn't one of his favourite persons over the years. But, Jaeje had already bordered her plane by now and it was time for Heeseung to follow through with his promise. Starting with the roots.

"Son?" his father confused gaze greeted him as the older man finally opened the door, not that he could blame him, he hadn't wanted much to do with his father over the years. 

"Are you busy?" he asked, wondering how he was going to get this conversation to the point he wanted.

"No come in" His father opened the door wider, still confused yet not willing to let whatever opportunity this was slip by.

"I didn't come here for random chit chat, so the sooner I hear what I want the sooner I leave" Heeseung immediately spoke as he went to sit down.

His dad sighed, but otherwise said nothing and went to sit in the seat next to his son.

"From the beginning" Heeseung stated as his dad sat down.

"Excuse me?" his dad asked confused.

"My mother, I want the plain truth, no side-tracking no 'It was a difficult decision' I want to know from the very beginning why me and my mother had to live in a shoebox, why I was the only one allowed to be here, why the situation was so bad I found my mother dead in her home. I deserve the truth, and quite frankly I think I would have turned out to be a less shitty person if I had the courage to ask for the truth years ago, so the stage is yours" Heeseung went on.

It was something that had needed to be discussed many years ago, that they all knew, but no one had been ready to bring up something buried long ago. Heeseung thought that all this while he had no need to know the truth, but looking back at it, not knowing was his excuse to do all the horrible things he had, the little comfort behind everything he had done to himself and the people around him.

"Your mother and I met back when we were still studying at Seoul National University, she had been on a full scholarship and worked as a tutor to earn extra cash and I was the spoilt brat who needed to get his grades up or else I would be kicked out, even though I was already in my final year. One thing led to another and soon with your mothers help I had graduated and had gone abroad to further my studies,

By the time I had come back to Korea to take over my father's company I already had someone waiting for me so we could be married, your stepmother. Sometime prior to our wedding your mother had reached out to me and told me about you, I knew my parents would rather drown in the pacific than get me married to a woman with nothing to her name, and your mother in no way wanted to be out of your life, knowing very well your grandparents would never let you see her again, so we kept you hidden. 

I had made the stupid mistake of leaving the phone I used to contact your mother unlocked one night when I was working late in my study and forgot it there, your stepmother had walked in to see your mothers call coming through, immediately thinking I was seeing someone else outside our marriage she voiced her concerns to your grandmother, and all hell broke loose. She did some digging and found out about you and had ordered for you to be brought here immediately. 

Your mother had been resistant and refused to give you up so easily, so life had quickly become even more hellish than it already was for the both of you. Your grandparents saw to it that everything your mother worked for up until that point had been rendered useless. They had brought her down to her lowest point in life where she saw no other way to provide for you than handing you over to me.

Leaving you with me had been the final straw for her, she spiraled into depression, and I had really, I swear-" His father's voice had choked up, Heeseung didn't need to overthink to know what happened next.

"I had tried my best to make sure she got to see you even though it was once in a while, I was a coward who couldn't stand up to his parents, letting myself believe if nothing else I could make them agree to visitations once in a while, but for the bigger part I had let them continue to torture her despite the fact she had already given you up, they wanted her to have absolutely nothing to do with you and I." The despair in his father's voice now gave Heeseung a tight feeling in his chest, he knew what was coming, the only part of this story he knew of.

"I regret leaving you at her doorstep and running of because I couldn't face her after everything, I had put her through, I regret making you have to see that horrific sight, I regret everything Heeseung, I am so sorry" his father's head was now bowed, not having the courage to look up at his son.

Heeseung allowed the silence to come over them as he stared out the window showing a clear view of the night sky. He was probably expected to start lashing out and asking why his father had to be such a damned baby and let his parents destroy an innocent life for nothing more than their pride and arrogance, he could start asking why his mother had simply given up and decided the best thing was to just kill herself and leave Heeseung alone to grow up the way he did.

But where would that lead him?

His mother was still dead, his father couldn't go back in time and do things differently.

Heeseung couldn't go back either, so all he had now was this knowledge and no way of using it.

He stood up and walked to the door.

"Son-" his father called out as he opened the door.

"I came here tonight because I'm ready to move on and stop using my childhood as an excuse to make my life and the lives of the people around me difficult. I suggest you move on too." 

He walked out the door, slammed it shut and didn't look back.

A/N: Guess who's back from the dead! I graduate next week and I'm so relieved I might just cry. Hopefully I can get back into my usual routine of posting at least 3 times a week, though this book is running its last days. Thank you all for being patient and remembering I would never abandon my books. Stay safe till next time <3