The house was silent when Taewon entered his mother's room.
Yumi was already asleep, her small breaths steady, wrapped under the blanket.
Taewon quietly sat beside his mother for a while. Mrs. Kang gave him a faint smile before speaking.
"Let's go outside. Sit in the lawn with me for a bit."
They walked out together into the cool night air.
The Kang family lawn was quiet,
Neither of them realized Jihyun was also wandering nearby, restless, unable to sleep.
Taewon broke the silence.
"Mom you wanted to talk about something?"
Mrs. Kang nodded slowly. Her voice was serious.
"Taewon-ah, I heard something. Promise me you'll tell me the truth."
"Sure, Mom," he replied firmly.
"Did you give your shares to the Han Group?"
Taewon's eyes hardened. He looked straight at her.
"Yes, I did."
Mrs. Kang exhaled, her face tightening.
"Your father is furious. He's coming back in a few days. You know how he'll be,
Taewon he'll go even further with you than he did with Taemi and Taesung."
Taewon shook his head, cutting her off mid-sentence.
"I don't care anymore, Mom. I did what I thought was right."
"Taewon"
"No," his voice was firm but not disrespectful.
"This time, I'm standing my ground.
I'm doing it for you, for Yumi, for Jihyun, and for my siblings. No matter what, I won't bow down to Dad again.
I'm not disrespecting him
I'm just fixing what he destroyed."
From behind the hedges, Jihyun froze.
He had been about to turn back, but Taewon's words stopped him cold.
Shares? Han Group?
What is he talking about?
Then Taewon's voice carried again.
"I don't care even if I lose everything. For me, Jihyun and his family come first."
Jihyun's heart jolted.
Me? My family? What shares ,
what deals? His mind spun with suspicion.
Mrs. Kang's tone softened but was worried.
"But Taewon, how will you handle Jihyun when he finds out?
He'll be devastated completely broken.
Your father's plan, his mother's condition
Do you really think Jihyun can endure this? Can you even hold him back?"
Taewon's jaw clenched.
"Mom, in my whole life, I've only ever put my family first. But now"
his voice lowered, almost trembling,
"now I'm giving more to him than anyone else. For the deals, for the fight
I'll do anything."
Jihyun's chest tightened. His thoughts twisted into anger.
Deal? Deceive?
Is he planning to sell me off?
What is he hiding?
Taewon's next words struck deeper.
"How is auntie her condition"
Mrs kang replied slowly but sad way
"Before I came back, I visited. Her condition is worsening.
She's losing consciousness.
The doctors say her chances of falling into a coma are high. Her cancer
it's at the last stage."
Jihyun's entire world collapsed.
He clutched his chest, the pain unbearable. Tears blurred his eyes.
Before he could stop himself, he rushed forward, his voice breaking.
"You liar!"
Jihyun grabbed Taewon by the collar, shaking with rage.
"Tell Me my mom what?"
"You all lied to me! Take me to my mom
now! Right now!"
His fists hit Taewon's chest as sobs poured out.
Mrs. Kang hurried to him, patting his back.
"Jihyun-ah, wait, listen to me"
He turned to her, his face soaked with tears.
"Auntie, why?!
Why is everyone playing with me?
Why is everyone lying?
I'm not a child anymore!
Just take me to my mom please…"
He collapsed on the floor, crying like a broken child, leaning against Taewon's legs. Taewon's hands trembled, his own chest burning. He looked at his mother, his voice thick.
"Mom please go inside. I'll handle him."
"Taewon"
"I said I'll handle it." His eyes were firm.
Reluctantly, Mrs. Kang left.
Taewon crouched down, gripping Jihyun's wrists, forcing him to look up. His voice was rough.
"Jihyun. Just hear me out for one second."
Jihyun's face was flushed red, his eyes burning with fever.
His glare stabbed through Taewon's chest.
"Don't lie to me anymore,"
Jihyun whispered, his voice trembling with anger and heartbreak.
"I'm not lying this time."
Taewon's voice cracked as he pulled him into a tight hug.
"Your mom she has liver cancer. Last stage. It happened too fast within a month.
The cancer spread unnaturally, growing at a speed no one expected.
"We...We sent her to Japan, hoping surgery could stop the roots, but after the operation, they came back even faster.
It caused multiple organ failures.
She's losing consciousness,"
Jihyun's body froze in his arms. His vision went dark. The unbearable truth shattered him completely.
And he fainted.
"Jihyun!"
Taewon caught him instantly, panic flooding his face.
He carried him inside and laid him gently on the bed.
Mrs. Kim rushed in with water.
They tried everything, but Jihyun wouldn't wake.
Desperate,
Taewon called the doctor. After checking him, the doctor spoke gravely.
"Don't let him walk tonight. Don't give him any more shocking news. His condition is fragile depression, anxiety, even worse could follow. Keep him calm. Give him his medicine."
After the doctor left,
Taewon sat beside Jihyun, holding his cold wrist in both hands. He pressed his lips against it, his eyes overflowing.
Mrs. Kang placed a hand on her son's shoulder.
"Taewon-ah, don't break down. You need to be strong for him."
"That's why I didn't tell him before,"
Taewon whispered, his voice breaking. "Since the day I found out I've been lying to him, pretending nothing's wrong.
I curse myself every day.
He has no one who's honest with him not even me."
Mrs. Kang pulled him into a mother's embrace.
"It's his right to know. No matter how, it had to come out. He needed to be prepared."
(After a while)
Mrs. Kang stepped out. Harin was waiting.
"How's Jihyun?" she asked softly.
"He'll be fine tomorrow," Mrs. Kang sighed. "Go rest, Harin."
When everyone left, Taewon finally sat alone on the couch.
For the first time in years, he let himself cry his chest breaking apart.
"Jihyun you're everything to me. I'm not deceiving you. I just didn't want to see you like this.
This was the fear I carried all along. I'm not strong enough to watch you fall apart."
His tears wouldn't stop.