RIGHT HERE | Jung Wooyoung

TEN

YUQI

It was a quiet Friday night. Haewon was out of town for work, leaving me alone at home. Bored and restless, I decided to do some online searches about someone I'd been curious about for a long time.

flashback

"Haewon. I have a question. How did mom and dad actually die?" I asked, sipping on a cup of hot tea.

Haewon sighed deeply, clearly holding something back. "Well... Mom died in a car crash. As for dad, after the crash, he disappeared. The police assumed he died, but I always had a feeling he might still be alive. But... we'll never know for sure."

"I see," I replied, trying to absorb the weight of her words. "You and San never really talked about it. Thanks for explaining. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight." I finished my tea and headed to my room.

***

"Choi Jonghan... I can't find anything!" I screamed frustratedly, letting out a groan as I scrolled through pages of irrelevant information.

Just then, an ad popped up for a small business called "At Jonghan's!" Intrigued, I clicked on it and found a list of employees and managers, along with some personal details. One name caught my eye.

"Choi Jonghan. 48 years old, single, three kids, boss."

3 kids and single...?

My heart raced as I dialed the phone number listed.

"Hello? This is Mr. Choi. How can I help you?" His voice was unsettlingly familiar.

For a moment, I was too shocked to respond. "O-Oh, hello. Are you Choi Jonghan?"

"Yes, that's me. What can I do for you?"

I took a deep breath. "I have a personal question. Did your wife die in a car crash about ten years ago?"

There was a long silence at the other end. "Y-Yes... How do you know that? Do I know you?"

"And... do you have three children? Two daughters and a son?"

His voice grew tense. "Are you stalking me? Is this some kind of sick joke? How do you know about my wife and kids?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "Because I might be one of them, dad."

I heard him gasp, and I wondered if I'd been too blunt.

"No, no, no... Haewon?" he stammered.

"The other one."

Another pause. I could almost feel the shock through the phone.

"Yuqi... How did you find me?"

"Haewon told me what happened. She said you just disappeared after the accident, and everyone assumed you were dead."

"I... I didn't want to ruin your lives. That's why I stayed away."

I scoffed. "That's not a good enough reason to leave your kids without parents. But it doesn't matter anymore."

...

"Hello?" I asked into the silence.

I could hear him crying on the other end. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. You didn't deserve to grow up without parents. I was a coward for leaving. I'll come over first thing in the morning to talk, face-to-face."