Worlds Apart - Taekook - Book 2

Chapter 248 - Defences

The brothers are shown to a room where Han-Shik waits for them. He's standing by the window engrossed in something on his phone. He looks up when the three people enter the room and the nurse bows before leaving the brothers alone. The room is a confusing mix of hospital versus hotel and it's only the jacket slung over the well made bed that tells the brothers this is where Han-Shik sleeps when he stays at the hospital... one thing that ticks the truth box.

"Is there any change?" Kyong asks first.

"Nothing positive. How was your flight?"

"It was okay." Jungkook responds.

"Is she here?" Kyong asks.

"Who? Eomma?"

"Yes..."

Han-Shik walks closer to the middle of the room, "No... I told you I'd got rid of her."

"That doesn't mean that she wouldn't be here." Jungkook says.

"You might not trust me or my word but I haven't lied to you. She's gone home. The doctor told her that Ryan needed to sleep and she should come back in the morning..." Han-Shik acts out the scene with gestures of his hands and animated expressions, "... she did her usual 'I cannot go home and leave my husband', the doctor wished her goodnight and then she left once staff had gone."

Jungkook shakes his head in disbelief but he's relieved. Kyong also shakes his head. He'd been speaking to Jara a lot recently about his mother as they pieced together all the lies and stories she'd told.

"At least she's gone." Kyong adds.

"Does Ryan know that she goes home but makes out that she stays?" Jungkook asks.

"Yeah. I told him because I'm sick of the dramatics and I don't want him to suddenly forgive her and fall for her shit on his death bed."

"Does she know we are coming?" Kyong suspected the answer was no as he doubted that she would've gone home and missed the opportunity to perform.

"No. I rarely mention you. I work under the assumption that she knows I'm in touch with you. She might not know but I don't trust that. It's better to work this way."

"She knew where I was for six years and didn't tell you two so that's a sensible assumption." Jungkook states.

"Was that a compliment, Kook? Holy shit! I'll mark this on my calendar."

"That'll be the last compliment." Jungkook says.

Kyong sighs, he wondered how long it would take? The only bright side is that Han-Shik hadn't brought up anything negative about Taehyung yet and he hoped it stayed that way. "Are we five years old? Can we please remember why we are here?" Kyong adds, "Well?" when the response he gets is both younger brothers rolling their eyes.

"I'll take you to Ryan then." Han-Shik bites. He is so conflicted about the fact that his brothers obviously don't trust a word he says. Emi told him that he needs to hang in there and time will work in his favour if he continues to be honest. There are certainly times when he gets frustrated because he doesn't think he should have to prove himself so much, yet that's what he needed to do if he wanted a relationship with his brothers.

"Has anyone else visited?" Kyong asks.

"Yeah. His lawyer and some of the people he works with. Ho-Joon is here most of the time but you know what he's like, he's like a stone statue around Eomma. Ryan has had some video calls and phone calls but he tires quickly."

"Ho-Joon is still around?" Jungkook remembers the man who he used to think was more like a bodyguard than a business colleague. He often saw his stepfather and Ho-Joon in cahoots and there was a part of him that had an irrational dislike for Ryan's right hand man.