Secrets and Lies

40.

Night had fallen by the time she was released. The cool summer air wrapped itself around her as she headed home. To call anyone was impossible due to the fact that Yixing had thrown her cell phone to the ground and thus caused it to break. However, that was not the only thing that'd gotten destroyed that day. Her jacket had, too. On the contrary was Jiyoo only glad to be alive. For a second had she actually thought that Sohwan would've pulled the trigger, which she probably would have done if it hadn't been for Kris. The older boy was still a fucking mystery to her. He'd already stated more than once that he could kill her, but then, why hadn't he let Sohwan finish the work for him?

The thought of going home didn't appeal her the slightest, especially not after what Kris revealed. Her father's company, had it really gone bankrupt or had the boy just tricked her into believing so. It wasn't like Jiyoo knew how such a paper should look like,therefore could she not compare it to the real deal. But what if it was true. That the company no longer existed.

The girl felt uneasy upon the thought of her father involving himself with gangsters, yet again. She couldn't help but to think about Daehyun's father at the mention of gangsters. The old man was one, at least according to Kris. Maybe she could try and ask him. If he knew anything then he would have to tell her. There wouldn't have been any reason to warn her otherwise.

Without better judgement she headed for the hospital, and that despite that it was a just bit past midnight. But Jiyoo wouldn't be able to wait. Not after everything that'd happened. Things seemed to take place every single day and this had to come to an end. How, she had no idea. But the girl knew that her father would have to end it somehow. The way he was putting several lives at stake terrified Jiyoo. The older male needed to give back the money he had stolen, that's if he had stolen any. The girl couldn't,as she stepped on the bus, stop wondering how long it'd been going on. Had it taken months or years to accomplish?

"Blood may be thicker than water. But it the end will everyone lie to survive." Kris words echoed in her mind. He couldn't be one to trust, yet, she found herself in doubt. It wasn't like her father hadn't lied to her before. Jiyoo was more than used to the old man's lies. None of them were reliable sources. However, Kris had actually saved her life whilst her father had risked it. Blood didn't seem to matter when it came to money. It became obvious that trust was something you couldn't even take for granted within family.

"Miss, you can't be here right now." all the nurses she passed by said the same thing. It wasn't like Jiyoo didn't know about that, it was just that she didn't care. The girl had to know more about her father and what he was up to, and the only one who could help her with that was Daehyun's father. Someone she truly hoped was still there, waiting for the boy to wake up. She wouldn't know what to do otherwise, especially since her own father would probably not tell her anything. Why would he when he'd hidden everything from her.

With much care did she enter Daehyun's room. The machine that kept him alive created a feeling that was unbelievable to describe, it scared her actually. How one, with such ease, could just end the boy's life. "Jiyoo?" her gaze shifted to the man seated in the couch, the bags under his eyes told her that he'd been awake for quite long.

"I know I shouldn't be here but there's something I need to ask you." the older male stared at her in concern, he'd already spotted the red marks around her wrists, "who did that to you?" on instinct did Jiyoo try to cover up the evidence of the torture she'd been put through. It didn't work though, as the man asked a second time. The girl did honestly not know whether she was supposed to reveal everything or not. So, instead of answering the question did she ask him one of her own, "my dad, is it true that he's been stealing money from a gang?" it wasn't even certain that Daehyun's dad knew every single detail.

In fact, Jiyoo had no idea why the other male would know in the first place. It didn't make sense that her father would bluntly state that he would steal money. The man heaved a sigh, "I don't know everything. But I do know that he made a deal with the biggest Seoul gang. However, that was several years ago when the company of his began to go downhill." Jiyoo's eyes rounded in surprise and horror. Years, did that mean that all the money they'd been living on was money he'd stolen?

"But why?" it wouldn't be the end of the world if his company got bankrupt. He could've just gotten another job. Of course would the luxury life they lived need to come to an end, but money wasn't everything. At least not to Jiyoo. "I bet there's a lot of things that made him do it. But the main reason I guess, was because he didn't want to look like a failure in front of you and Ahri." he could risk his own daughters lives, but didn't want to be seen upon as a failure. How on earth did that make sense?

"That doesn't even make sense. He's been putting me and my sister's life at stake because of money." Jiyoo was beyond irritated and hurt. The situation truly showed the character of her father, and how much he seemed to care for his children. "That's why I sent Daehyun." her heart sort of froze at the sentence. But she couldn't really comprehend the meaning of it though.

The old man must've seen her confused expression, "Daehyun came to Seoul to keep an eye on you and Ahri, to make sure that none of you got hurt." she felt close to tears, as all the memories of when she'd treated him badly came to mind. It was a wonder that he'd stayed by her side for so long. The pain he must've carried around was something she wouldn't have been able to endure. Plus,the fact that the boy had left everything familiar, even his family, behind, just to help was overwhelming. "Why did he even agree on doing something like that?He obviously knew that he would have to leave everything behind." it was also an ordeal Jiyoo wouldn't be able to handle. To move to a place where she knew no one and where everything was unfamiliar.

"Believe it or not but your father saved my life once. In other terms, he made sure that my son wouldn't have to grow up without a father. Daehyun took the incident very hard and promised to repay your father for saving my life. However, everything changed when he got to know that your father was putting you and your sister at risk. So, instead of helping him did he focus on making sure that you two were safe." Jiyoo had, without even knowing it, begun to cry, and so had Daehyun's dad. The new information created a guilt so unbelievably strong that she couldn't stop crying. If only her father knew how much pain and suffering he'd caused.

"Will you tell me now, who hurt you?" the topic was one he weren't going to let go that easily, especially since he'd, just a few hours prior, gotten to know that the police had found yet another body. Jiyoo was hesitant though, she wondered what would happen if she indeed told him about Kris. The older boy had inflicted so much problems, but if it hadn't been for him then she would've also ended up being killed. On the contrary did the girl doubt that Daehyun's dad would track him down and finish him off.

"Kris, he's apart of the Seoul gang that my dad stole the money from." Jiyoo noticed quite instantly that she shouldn't have revealed anything. "So they know who you are?" something with the way he asked scared her. Did it really matter that much whether they knew, "yes, well, sort of. Only Kris and a girl named Sohwan." the man couldn't help but to feel immensely bothered, Sohwan, the girl was the daughter of the gang's leader. "Stay here and don't go anywhere." Jiyoo watched him dissapear out through the door, his cell phone tightly clutched in his hand.

She walked over to the side of the bed once the door shut close completely, "you really are stupid," Jiyoo had a hard time understanding all the things he had been put through. But mostly was she angry at herself, as she knew that she'd created a lot of the suffering. "But so am I, and I'm really sorry for everything." the girl let her hand slid into his, and that before she leaned over and carefully pressed her lips to his pale cheek. "However, I do admire you." Jiyoo gave him one last glance, as she then turned on her heel and headed for the door. Daehyun's father had told her to stay, but she had to talk to her father before he, along with Jinkyung and Ahri, left for Italy the coming day.