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47.

"How's he doing?" Renjun asks without looking back. 

Jieun takes a seat next to Renjun on the benches. "We're yet to know how Taeyong oppa's condition is." She lets out a deep sigh. "He's still anxious but at least now he's not suppressing it."

Renjun wordlessly nods. He gives Jieun a side-glance. "Taeyong oppa?" The corner of his lips lifting up slightly at her choice of words.

Jieun crosses her arms. "Excuse me, what do you find funny about that?"  

Renjun shrugs. "It's just interesting. The big-shot detective everyone's scared of, is just an oppa to you." Jieun opens her mouth to say something, but Renjun quickly adds. "That explains why he was so caring towards you."

"Hey, he is a caring person. He's just really dedicated to his job." Renjun raises his eyebrows and Jieun pouts. "Okay and a bit rough around the edges. But so are you." She mutters the last part, hoping Renjun doesn't catch it, but he does. 

Renjun doesn't comment but Jieun senses that he wants to say something, so she allows him to take his time. The two sit in silence till Renjun breaks it by placing a small toy walkie-talkie in her hands. "I was not always like this." She looks at him questioningly, but his gaze remains fixed on the toy.  

"When I was 5 years old, I had a friend named Kim Woobin. He was my best friend." Renjun pauses, carefully choosing his next words. "Do you remember how my dad was said to have passed away in a supposed accident?"

Jieun nods. Renjun's shoulders drop and he almost shrinks in his chair. "He was driving Woobin home that day."

 An unease creeps up in Jieun's heart and the walkie-talkie in her hand suddenly feels heavier to her. Renjun leans his head against the wall as he continues recollecting. "That accident... Woobin also passed away in that."

"Renjun..." Jieun immediately places her free hand on his shoulder and Renjun leans sideways, his head now resting on her shoulder. 

"Jieun he- Woobin was the one who protected you and Jisung that day."

"What do you mean? Surely Woobin wasn't-"

"It's true. I saw it in Uncle Jongin's wallet. It was Woobin's photo, Jieun." 

Jieun audibly gasps, her fingers clenching the toy in her hand like it could physically take away the wave of pain that was coursing through her. "I'm- I'm so sorry- I-" 

Renjun shakes his head. "I did not tell this to blame you, Eun." He covers her hand that was holding the toy walkie-talkie with his own. "I just wanted to show you why I find it difficult to open up to others."

He raises his head, forcing Jieun to face him using their clasped hands. "Look at me." When she refuses to, he urges her by leaning in slowly. "Please look at me Jieun."

Jieun finally raises her eyes to meet Renjun's. The weight of the information Renjun just shared returns and Jieun almost instantly looks away but Renjun gently presses her hand with his.

"It's not you and it's not me. Their actions or deaths were not in our control Eun." Renjun gulps. "All these years I thought, if only Woobin hadn't known me, hadn't been my friend. He would've lived had he not been close to me."

Renjun brings his other hand to caress Jieun's face. "But you made me realise that we are not responsible for things that are not in our control." He tucks back a strand of her hair. "He was the closest person to me after my father." 

Nostalgia takes over Renjun's features and his voice turns into a whisper only the two of them can hear. "He cared enough to protect you. That makes you an even more precious person to me, Eun." 

~~~

"Are you feeling better?"

Eunbi smiles. "I have seen my son's face now, so I am feeling great!"

Jungwoo gives a half-hearted smile which immediately catches Eunbi's eye.

"What happened son?"

Jungwoo sinks down on the chair by Eunbi's bedside. "Mom..."

Eunbi hums, an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. Jungwoo brings out the bloodied wallet from his pocket and places it in Eunbi's lap. He glances at her to see her reaction and Eunbi does not disappoint him. He sees the look of recognition and fear in her eyes.

 "I don't think there's any better way to say this-"

"Don't."

"Mom, you need to know-"

"He's left us too, hasn't he?" Tears trickle down Eunbi's face as she takes the wallet in her hands. She runs her hand over the object, as if reliving every memory with her husband.

"This wallet, I had gifted it to him on our 1st anniversary." Smiling through her tears, she scoffs a little. "Can't believe he was still using it."

Jungwoo's own heart wrenches once again upon realising once more how much his father loved him and Eunbi.

He silently gestures Eunbi to open the wallet and when she does, she squeezes her eyes shut. Her fingers unknowingly tracing the family picture. "Just once, just one last time..."

Jungwoo could feel his mother's pain because he too wished for the same thing. Just one week back, it was his parents' 26th anniversary. Thanks to the serial killer mayhem, neither did his parents celebrate nor did they as a family, get to spend a moment of happiness one last time. 

Jungwoo pursed his lips. All he remembered was being bitter to his father, even when Jongin tried to show his love. He especially recalled his last time seeing Jongin, when Jieun was injured and was in the hospital. He had been cold and distant to his father the entire time.

"He really loved us didn't he?" Jungwoo asks Eunbi in a defeated voice.

Eunbi sniffles harshly. "He never stopped Jungwoo. We were the ones who turned away. And I'm sorry for that." She reaches for Jungwoo's hand and holds onto it tightly.

"I should've resolved this sooner. Maybe then... maybe then things would have turned out different."

Jungwoo doesn't respond. He accepts his mother's apology, because he knows that it wasn't all her doing. His own blind anger and resentment had an equal role to play.

"Do you think he knew how much he meant to us?"

Eunbi smiles wistfully. "Why else did he listen to our taunts throughout the years. He knew."

Too much crying in this chapter. And that was definitely not planned.

Jongin the husband, the father, the detective and the mentor you were. You will be missed by all the characters. 😭😭😭

Also the youngest son turned out to be Renjun's friend. What in the name of twisted fate. 

At this point the entire universe is saying, Renjun and Jieun were destined to cross paths.