Chapter 87 - A Last Wish

Jiwon stared at the girl in front of him. He did not take a good look at her all two years ago but she was quite...pretty? He felt his cheeks heating up a little.

The girl in turn, looked at him curiously. 

"Umm...Grandpa Kwon summoned me," she informed him. "My name is Jung Mirae."

"I-I am Kwon Jiwon," he introduced himself. "Grandfather is being checked by the doctor right now. We will have to wait till he comes out."

Mirae slightly nodded. She felt a little awkward standing in front of Jiwon. She was well aware of the fact that Jiwon was with her parents when they died. Even though she did not blame him for the accident, it still felt strange to see him under these circumstances.

Jiwon, on the other hand, was conflicted. He felt guilty for hiding the truth from her and that he was partially responsible for the death of her parents. If only he was not so stupidly stubborn that night...

"I've heard that he took you under his care," he said in an attempt to ease the tension in the room.

"Yes," she replied. "Grandpa Kwon has been very kind to me. Is his condition really that bad?"

"It's getting worse," Jiwon said. "I've never seen him like this. For some reason he always seemed so…"

Jiwon fumbled for a word. It was true; he never saw his grandfather in such a helpless state before.

"Strong?" Mirae finished the sentence for him.

"Yeah," Jiwon replied. "He always seemed very strong." 

Another awkward silence fell. Mirae was fidgeting. She needed to ask him something.

"Umm…" she started. "If you don't mind, may I ask something?"

"S-sure," Jiwon said, dreading her question.

"I don't know if you are aware of this or not, but I am Sung Sohee's daughter," she stated.

I know, he thought but did not voice it out loud. Instead, he donned a nonchalant expression. 

"I want to know…" she hesitated. "I want to know if that incident really was an accident or not."

She had put her queries out straight. All these years, Mirae just did not want to believe that her parents' death was a mere accident. Her father was a careful driver. Moreover, she herself was pretty well versed with the anatomy of a car. The angle of the hit and intensity of the accident was off. It seemed to her that their car was deliberately hit but no matter how many times she asked questions, no one was giving her any proper answer.

Only Kwon Jiwon knew the truth. She needed answers from him.

Jiwon read her suspicions in her eyes. She was not convinced that it was an accident. But what will happen if she finds out the truth? Will she, too, venture on a path of revenge? Was that what Ms. Sohee would have wanted?

"Your parents' death," he started. Mirae held her breath to listen to his next words. He looked right into her eyes.

"Was my fault," he stated. Mirae stared at him in shock. She expected a simple yes or no but his words left her speechless.

"W-wha-?"

"That night, I snuck out of the school to attend a friend's party," he narrated. "Even though Ms. Sohee had explicitly asked me not to attend, I did not listen to her. Ms. Sohee found out and together with President Jung, she set out to fetch me. They found me and forced me to go back with them. On our way back to the school...the truck hit our car and…"

He trailed off. No matter what the circumstances of their deaths were, it was his own fault. Living with the memories of that night, should be his burden alone. Not hers.

Mirae was unable to comprehend his words. Despite Jiwon's cold exterior, she felt as if he was punishing himself for this. She knew how proud her mother was of Jiwon and he was her favorite student. It was hard, listening to his words about how he was responsible for her parents' deaths.

He looked pained and conflicted. There was a lonely aura around him, as if he put himself on exile, far away from everyone. Just like her mother had described him once. 

Before she could open her mouth, the Butler barged inside the room.

"Master Jiwon!" he exclaimed. "Your grandfather…"

Jiwon rushed towards the stairs to his grandfather's room. Mirae followed him in urgency. They entered the room, to find Grandpa Kwon, doubling in pain as he vomited blood out of his mouth. 

"Grandfather!" Jiwon held the old man and helped to straighten him.

"He's getting worse," the doctor who was attending on Kwon Jinhyung informed him. "I'm afraid he won't survive the night…"

Mirae looked in shock. The man whom she knew for such a long time, used to be strong and stood tall like an Emperor. But now, he was frail and thin. Huge chunks of his hair fell off due to the intense chemotherapy sessions and his eyes were blood red. His once smooth skin was pasty and gaunt, making him look deathly.

"Grandpa," she whispered as she rushed to his side. Seeing his weak self made her want to cry.

"Grandpa…" she sobbed as she stroked his skin. In his delirious state, he turned towards her. 

"Mirae…" he moaned. "You're...here…"

He held out his hand which she took. "I'm here," she assured him with tears in her eyes. "I'm here."

"I...need to talk to the two of you…" Grandpa Kwon insisted feebly. Jiwon, who was holding the old man's other hand, turned to Butler Shin and the doctor.

"Leave us," he ordered. Startled, the two of them obliged and left the room.

"Jiwon...Mirae…" the old man addressed to them both. "I don't h-have much t-time."

Mirae squeezed his hand. Her tears would not stop. Jiwon, on the other hand, held back his own tears. All he could do was to make his grandfather's last moments to be as peaceful as possible.

"My children…" the old man went on. "I can't bear to leave you two all alone...So would you two heed to this...dying man's last wish?"

"What can we do for you, Grandfather?" Jiwon asked, his voice shaking. It took him all his willpower to not breakdown. 

"Grandpa…" Mirae whimpered.

"W-will you two…" the old man took a deep breath. "Will you two...get married?"