When Hyunbin brought the bonsai to Kim Jiyang's room, Kim Jiyang was about to sit down on the sofa with the help of a maid.
He was put on IV drips almost every day for the past few days and seemed out of energy and quite weak. He did not even have the strength to get up by himself.
Hyunbin had already gotten on the phone with Doctor Li earlier to understand the situation. Kim Jiyang was in a bad way, or maybe it was also because of his bad mood that the effect of his recovery was minimal.
Kim Jiyang did not like hospitals and would not go to the hospital unless it was his last resort. Hyunbin knew why this was the case. He heard that his mother had passed away during a difficult birth at the hospital, so Kim Jiyang resented the hospital a lot.
"Are you feeling better today?" Hyunbin put the bonsai onto Kim Jiyang's bedside cabinet so that he would be able to see it whenever he looked up.
Kim Jiyang sat down on the sofa. He inhaled strenuously, then said a little weakly as he waved for the maid to retreat, "Feeling much better. If you're busy, you don't have to come back. I know you don't like how the atmosphere at home is like either."
The maid knowingly bowed and then retreated, closing the door.
Hyunbin walked up to Kim Jiyang and sat down on the sofa across him. He poured Kim Jiyang a cup of water.
Seeing the lonely expression on Kim Jiyang's aged face, Hyunbin felt bad too. He said with a frown, "Work is alright. You should let the maids bring you out to walk around more. The scenery in the backyard is quite good and will be helpful for your recovery. Breathe in some fresh air and maintain a brighter mood."
"I know my body well. I'm afraid that after my fall this time, I won't be able to keep holding on. You don't have to worry too much. Life and death are up to fate. I'm happy to be able to reach this age of mine," Kim Jiyang said calmly. Although his aged voice sounded very relaxed and there was not much struggle or sadness, the more he acted like this, the sadder it made Hyunbin feel.
He did not know what he could say to console him. After some thought, Hyunbin said, "You will live long."
Kim Jiyang smiled as his trembling hand reached up to the table and lifted the cup. However, just as he picked it up, he spilled the water all over himself. He could not even hold the cup steady.
Hyunbin quickly got up and walked over, helping him to lift the cup and bringing it to his parched lips. Kim Jiyang held the cup with two hands before he could steady it and drink some water with much difficulty.
When Hyunbin saw this, an aching surfaced from his still heart. He looked at the bonsai that he had just put on the bedside cabinet, and then at Kim Jiyang, who was like a flickering candle in the wind.
"I know my own body. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on for long. When I leave, you might be able to live better. I know that all these years, you've been very considerate about me," Kim Jiyang sighed and passed Hyunbin the cup to put back onto the table. He looked at him with dimmed eyes., "Haven't you been resentful of me all these years?"
"That's not true." Hyunbin sat back down.
"I can see for myself the love between you and Ye-Jin. Both of you are such stubborn people. Now, maybe it was my fault, so you should resent me," Kim Jiyang lamented. The heaviness that had accumulated for a long time in his heart was suddenly relieved at that moment. "All these years, you've been tired out from your persistence. If you want to be freed of that right now, I won't stop you."
When he heard Kim Jiyang, irony crossed Hyunbin's steadfast expression. He looked like he was laughing at himself. "How do I be freed? I've long fallen into a ghost town and have no way out. This life has just been wasted away. How else can I be freed?"
Kim Jiyang's expression darkened while his aged eyes were looked apologetic. "I should've stopped them back then. I thought that they didn't have any ill intentions, but after the thing happened, I noticed that something was not quite right, so I made up for it."
When he said this, Kim Jiyang suddenly sighed. Then, he calmed himself down for a while before slowly reaching into his pocket and taking out a bunch of keys. Gently, he put them on the table in front of him.
"Inside the safe is the roll of film I managed to get. The password is you and your mother's birthday. Your mother should have none of it. Destroy it, then they won't be able to threaten you anymore. As for what you want to do after this, do as you wish. I'll come up with a way to help you divorce Chaerin. If you want to go look for Ye-Jin, then go."
Kim Jiyang closed his eyes weakly. Even speaking for a while made him feel weak and worn out. He breathed in and then continued, "I know you've been spending a lot of effort looking for this thing all these years. Now that you have it, the threat's removed too. How you should redeem yourself after this, I can't help you."
When he heard Kim Jiyang, Hyunbin's sharp gaze fell onto the bunch of keys before Kim Jiyang. Surprise lit his eyes. "How did you get it?"
Hyunbin knew how well Sun Yeong had hidden these things. He had looked for 20 years but still could not get it.
"After Jennie signed that contract to transfer her shares, I hired someone to follow her. Earlier, I managed to get the password to her safe, and indeed, I found those things as well as the proof of yours and Krystal's DNA compatibility back then."
When this was mentioned, Hyunbin's eyes darkened.
How could he forget that between them there was still a shred of evidence that could not be erased? Krystal!
He lowered his head sadly as he stared defeatedly at the bunch of keys. There was a sudden sorrow in his heart. Many times, he had imagined how their lives could have been, yet he still dared not imagine the hope of having her again. He dared not fantasize the scene of the three of them happily together again.
Hyunbin did not say anything, but the loneliness and bleakness could not be concealed on his handsome face. He lowered his head silently and let the heartache spread all over him as he closed his eyes. After a long while, he opened them and returned to his previous calm.
"Now that the children are all grown up, you two should plan for yourselves. You can't just live the rest of your life like this. I've also endured till this moment before... before I understood... that life is short. I just... I just hope that you can live well. Otherwise, I won't pass on peacefully..."
Kim Jiyang's aged voice held a helpless sigh. "If only back then, if the two of us had persisted, maybe everything would've been much more peaceful... Otherwise..."
Kim Jiyang did not continue. When he saw Hyunbin remain silently, his energy waned and he muttered something about being tired.
YOU ARE READING
The Most Loving Marriage In History: Master Manoban's Pampered Wife Book 2
Romance"Missus, time to fulfil your duties!" Lisa demanded as he pulled Jennie closer with his arms intimately wrapped around her waist. It was a meticulously planned feast for the powerful. Her fiancé had knelt down on one knee and proposed to her sister...
