mr. ceo > EN- || HEEJAKE [✓]

chapter 27 - madness

The hospital room's door swung open abruptly, revealing Yurim, Jake's mother, with her husband following closely behind. Both wore expressions of deep concern, and upon seeing Jake lying unconscious on the hospital bed, Yurim's eyes widened with sheer horror.

"Jaeyun!" In a state of considerable distress, she let out a startled cry and hurriedly made her way to Jake's side, her hands instinctively covering her trembling lips. Her entire body was trembling with fear, anxious about Jake's fate. Would he survive?

Tears began to flow down her face as her husband gently placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and drew her nearer to him. "My dear Jaeyun..." She sobbed, uttering his name once more.

However, to their surprise, they had not yet realized that there were already individuals present in the room. "Excuse me, Miss Yurim," a deep voice gently called out, belonging to a gentleman named Ni-ki. Yurim felt a wave of apprehension as she gazed at Jake's unconscious form resting on the hospital bed.

There was a brief pause as she disregarded Ni-ki's call and tightly clenched her fists while gritting her teeth. "What the fuck happened to my son?" she inquired sharply, her voice filled with intensity as tears flowed down her face.

Ni-ki nervously swallowed as he gazed at the ground. Iseul and Yeji regarded him with concern while Heeseung maintained an inscrutable expression. The atmosphere shifted from mournful to daunting, all because of Yurim's presence in the room.

Ni-ki released a tremulous breath and cleared his throat. "I take full responsibility for not adequately safeguarding him, Miss-" His words were abruptly interrupted as Yurim expressed her frustration. "You're well aware of this, so why did you fall short!?" she exclaimed, pivoting her entire body towards Ni-ki.

Ni-ki remained silent as Yurim approached him, the sound of her high heels echoing on the cold marble floor. "Did you believe I was joking when I employed you to be one of Jaeyun's bodyguards?" She whispered angrily, her eyes fixed on Ni-ki's head as he kept his gaze lowered in shame.

"I explicitly instructed you and Jungwon to ensure Jaeyun's safety. I compensated both of you for this purpose. So, why is he now unconscious in this room?" She exclaimed loudly, her hand pointing towards Jake's motionless figure on the hospital bed, while still maintaining her intense gaze on Ni-ki.

"Honey, that's enough-"

"Tell me, Nishimura Riki!" She let out a startled cry as her lips trembled, tears flowing down her face. Ni-ki swallowed nervously and remained silent, his gaze fixed on the ground in a state of embarrassment.

"Could you please tell me!?" She raised her voice again, prompting Heeseung to sigh and approach Ni-ki. He came to a halt in front of Ni-ki, causing the younger boy to look up at Heeseung with a startled expression.

Upon locking eyes with Yurim, Heeseung noticed a sudden transformation in her gaze from sorrow to intense animosity. Yurim couldn't help but grit her teeth and tightly clench her fists upon seeing Heeseung. "Lee Heeseung.." In a low voice, she softly uttered his name, her tone infused with undeniable animosity.

There was a brief moment of silence as Heeseung respectfully took a deep breath and humbly bowed 90° degrees to Yurim, causing her to be taken aback. Perplexed, she furrowed her eyebrows at the unexpected gesture.

"It is not Ni-ki's fault, miss. I am solely responsible for failing to properly care for my partner," Heeseung apologized, maintaining his formal bow towards Yurim, who expressed her frustration with a groan and a disapproving click of her tongue.

However, just as she was about to express her dissatisfaction, Heeseung promptly dropped to his knees, causing Yurim to close her mouth in surprise and widen her eyes. Heeseung took a deep breath and then placed his forehead on the ground in front of Yurim, expressing his utmost sincerity.