Chapter 82 - How lonely I was without you?

Im Jihoon tosses the cigarette on the ground and crushes it with his foot after Do Sejin leaves. He is exhausted from overnight works. He stretches his arms. Just then, he receives a mail on his phone from an unknown sender.

He checks the mail and frowns deeply. Anyone would look at it suspiciously if they see a hotel's address. This looks like one of those escort services spam.

He makes a call at his home before turning the car around.

[Honey, are you coming?]

"Sorry, darling. There are new leads. Sleep early, ok?"

[Okay, I will see you tomorrow. Don't overwork yourself to death. Take care.]

"You too."

He reaches the hotel. It's the same one where Noe Kyung Hee died. So, the message cannot be from a scammer. With his one hand in his pocket, dressed in a typical white shirt and black trousers, thick-framed spectacles on his straight nose, he makes his way to the room.

He knocks once. Nobody answers him. He turns the knob and walks inside.

Ahn Hana is sitting on the bed with one leg over the other. She's dolled up prettily as if she's on a date or meeting her love. Im Jihoon furrows his brows slightly, creases showing up on his forehead. He closes the door behind him and walks in front of her. He stares at her for a long time before asking, "Lawyer Ahn, what is the meaning of this?"

"I received a message." He makes some distance between them and leans back on the wall, gazing at her with his dark eyes. "Are you the sender?"

She taps her chin. "I am, but that message wasn't for you. It was meant for Hong Yi Hwan."

Hong Yi Hwan. That name. Nobody has called him for nearly 26 years.

He takes off his glasses and puts them into this pocket. He straightens his posture. There is a smile on his face that doesn't match the dark menacing look in his eyes. As his personality changes, there is a large contrast to his appearance. Even in the same white shirt and dark trousers, he looks like someone powerful and captivating, unlike Prosecutor Im Jihoon who had a nerdy and justice seeker personality.

When he speaks, even his voice is not exactly the same. It's magnetic, unattached, and deep, unlike Prosecutor Im who would speak with a smile or concern. It seems like everything about him has changed in a blink of an eye. Even his wife won't recognize him.

"Hana, my dear, you have taken too long to remember." He steps toward her. She gasps when he grabs her hair in rage. "Did you know how lonely I was without you?"

"Oppa, I am sorry." Tears form in her beautiful eyes. "Forgive me once."

"I have forgiven you a lot of time." He tightens his fingers in her silky hair. "You broke your promise You said that you would only love me. But, your heart has been crowded with your parents, your dog, Bo Ji Won, Jung Kwang-soo, and then, Do Sejin. I could forgive you for others. Why did your heart love someone else the way it should have loved me?"

"I wavered for a moment." She doesn't try to fight him. Heaving her ċhėst up and down, she looks at him with such raw emotions. "I am sorry for taking too long to come back to you. I only love you. There is no one else. I love you, Oppa."

At the age of 11, he left with his parents and siblings. Fate had other decisions for him. On the way, they met with an accident with a bus. When he woke up, he was suffering from temporary amnesia. They didn't know who he was. They sent him to the orphanage. After a few months, a wealthy family adopted him. At the age of 15, he remembered Hana. His name was already Im Jihoon. He didn't have any feeling for his younger sister who also survived. He never sought her. He wanted Hana. When he looked for her at the age of 18, she already forgot him

He observed her for years, tempted to kill her for changing and breaking her promise. He waited to see if there was some hope. At the age of 19, he killed his adopted parents who wanted him to become a businessman and made it look like an accident. He sold everything and funded the money while pursuing law. Even without formal education, he easily cracked the bar exam to become a prosecutor. He wanted to know law because he knew that it suited him more. When he heard her making the decision to become a prosecutor like him, he knew that he couldn't let her go.

It was a long and slow plan. At this moment, he knows that it was all worth it.

"Oppa..." She sighs when he hurts her. "Do you hate me for forgetting?"

Hate her? Never. He might become angry, but he would never hate her. He presses his lips on hers, kissing her tenderly before embracing her with a need. There is no need to hide and watch her from afar anymore. His Hana is back.