The police station was eerily quiet as I followed Inspector Kang into a private room. The click of the door shutting behind us seemed to echo, amplifying my anxiety. I had been anticipating this moment, but now that it was here, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face the truth.
Inspector Kang sat down and motioned for me to take a seat. His face was grave, and I could see the weight of what he was about to reveal in his eyes.
Kang: “Jimin, what I’m about to tell you is difficult. But you deserve to know the truth.”
I swallowed hard, my throat feeling tight. “Please, just tell me. I need to know.”
Inspector Kang leaned forward, his expression heavy with sorrow. “After your mother’s death, I started my own investigation before you even came to me. Your father’s behavior at the funeral was unusual—he seemed distant, and there was an underlying tension I couldn’t ignore. I decided to look into the circumstances surrounding your mother’s death.”
My heart pounded in my chest. “What did you find?”
Kang’s voice was steady but filled with regret. “Your mother’s death... it wasn’t an accident. Your father and his secretary covered it up. It was murder.”
I felt my breath catch in my throat. “What do you mean? How did she die?”
Kang continued, his voice heavy with the weight of his words. “I spoke with people who knew your family well, workers. Many were initially too afraid to come forward because of your father’s influence. But over time, I gathered enough evidence. Your mother discovered your father’s affair with his secretary. They argued intensely, and the confrontation turned violent. Witnesses, who were too scared to speak up initially, said that your father struck your mother with a vase during the argument. When he realized what he had done, he panicked. The secretary suggested staging it as a car accident to avoid suspicion.”
My grip on the table tightened, my knuckles turning white. “No... This can’t be true. My father wouldn’t—he couldn’t—” Even as I protested, the painful truth began to settle in.
Kang’s eyes showed deep sympathy. “I wanted to be sure I had all the facts before I brought this to you. I interviewed former employees and acquaintances who had stayed silent out of fear. Their accounts, combined with the evidence I’ve collected, confirm that this was a cover-up. I needed to tell you before taking the case to the authorities.”
Tears filled my eyes, but I fought to stay composed. “So all this time... my father was living a lie. And my mother... she suffered alone.” My voice cracked under the weight of my grief.
Kang’s hand rested gently on my shoulder. “She loved you deeply, Jimin. She wanted to protect you from the truth. But now you deserve to know what really happened.”
---
FLASHBACK:
Jimin’s POV:
My flight landed in Seoul earlier than expected. The cool night air hit my face as I stepped out of the airport, but I barely felt it. All I could hear was my father’s voice: “Your mother… she’s gone, Jimin. It was a car accident.”
When I got to the home, I saw my father waiting for me in the living room. His face was streaked with tears, his eyes red and empty. The sadness was clear on every part of him.
Jimin: “Dad, what happened? How could this happen?”
Dad's voice is breaking and full of pain, “It was a terrible accident. We were just driving home, and the car went off the road. Your mother didn’t make it.”
Seeing my father’s deep grief made my heart ache. I couldn’t help but feel unsure.
Jimin: “But Mom was always so careful. Are you sure there’s nothing more to this?”
Dad holding his chest as if he was in physical pain, shook his head slowly, “Jimin, I wish I could tell you more. It was a freak accident. I can’t believe it either. I don’t know why it happened, but that’s all I know.”
Jimin: “I need to understand. Why did this happen? Was something wrong?”
Dad's voice almost whispered, looked away with tears streaming down his face, “I don’t know, Jimin. I wish I had answers. All we can do now is accept it and try to move on.”
Feeling the weight of his sorrow, I nodded, even though I was still troubled, “Okay, Dad. I just... I need to come to terms with this.”
Dad's shoulders are shaking with quiet sobs, “It’s so hard, Jimin. I feel like I’m losing a part of myself. We need to stay strong for each other.”
I accepted what my dad told me, seeing the depth of his pain. His genuine sadness made me hold back my own doubts, even though they still lingered.
-----
Present Time: : At his apartment
Jimin pov:
Jimin sat in the bathtub, the water rising around him as he sank deeper into it. He stared at the rippling surface, his mind racing with the harsh truth he had just uncovered.
“So that’s why it was so easy for him to move on and marry someone else after Mom died. I was such a fool to believe he was genuinely heartbroken. It was all just an act” the words coming out in a pained whisper.
The water was cold against his skin, but he barely felt it as he continued to talk to himself, "I thought my father’s grief was real. I thought he was suffering just as much as I was. But it was all an act, a facade to cover up his true disgusting awful nature."
I felt a wave of disbelief.
“He acted like he was grieving, but it was just a show. He moved on so quickly, like Mom never mattered. How could I have been so blind?”
Tears mingled with the water as he sank lower, trying to hide from the overwhelming feelings of betrayal and hurt.
“I thought he loved Mom enough that he’d never forget her. But now I see it wasn’t true. He didn’t really care. I was too wrapped up in my own sadness to see that he was just pretending.”
As the water rose around him, Jimin felt a deep sense of loss and anger. The bath, meant to be a place of solace, now felt like a trap, holding him captive in the painful realization of his father’s deception.
"It's my fault"
"I shouldn't have abandoned her with that monster"
"I was so selfish for wanting to escape from that toxic house"
"If I hadn't left Korea, maybe my mom would still be alive"
"It's all my fault; I was so selfish"
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