Chapter two: The Secret in the Backpack
1059 Words
The hospital corridor was unusually quiet.
Jae-hyun stood outside the emergency room with his arms crossed, his expression colder than ever.
But his mind was a complete mess.
Five years.
Five years since he had last seen Seo-ah.
Five years since she disappeared without a word.
And now, a little boy had appeared at his gate claiming to be his son.
Min-jun.
Jae-hyun glanced through the glass window.
The boy was sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed.
A nurse was checking his temperature.
He looked so small.
So innocent.
And yet, somehow, he had turned Jae-hyun’s perfectly controlled life upside down in a single night.
Mr. Park approached quietly.
“Sir.”
Jae-hyun turned.
“Did you find her?”
Mr. Park hesitated.
“We found the woman.”
Jae-hyun’s expression changed.
“Where is she?”
“She was found unconscious inside a taxi about three streets away from the mansion.”
“Is she alive?”
“Yes.”
Jae-hyun released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
“But…”
“But what?”
“The doctor says she is in serious condition.”
Jae-hyun’s jaw tightened.
“What happened?”
“They believe she collapsed from exhaustion. She was also severely dehydrated.”
Jae-hyun looked toward the emergency room.
“Can I see her?”
“The doctor hasn’t allowed visitors yet.”
Jae-hyun said nothing.
His eyes fell on the small blue backpack lying on the chair beside Min-jun’s bed.
Something about it bothered him.
He walked over and picked it up.
“Was this with the boy?”
Mr. Park nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
Jae-hyun opened it.
Inside were a few children’s clothes, a small toy car, a half-empty bottle of water…
and an envelope.
Jae-hyun pulled it out.
There was no name on it.
Only one sentence.
OPEN THIS ONLY IF I AM GONE.
His fingers tightened around the envelope.
“Sir?”
Jae-hyun stared at it.
Then he opened it.
Inside was a letter.
His eyes moved across the first line.
Jae-hyun, if you’re reading this, then something has happened to me.
His expression darkened.
He continued reading.
I know you hate me. You have every right to.
But there is something you don’t know.
I didn’t leave you because I stopped loving you.
Jae-hyun’s breathing became heavier.
He continued.
I left because your family threatened me.
His eyes stopped.
“The Kang family…”
Mr. Park looked at him.
“Sir?”
Jae-hyun kept reading.
Your father told me that if I refused to leave you, he would destroy my family.
I was young. I was scared. And I believed him.
Jae-hyun’s hands began trembling.
He had always believed Seo-ah abandoned him because she wanted money.
His father had told him that she had chosen another man.
That she had never truly loved him.
That she had only been interested in the Kang family’s wealth.
But this letter told a completely different story.
Then he reached the final paragraph.
There is one more thing you need to know about Min-jun.
Jae-hyun’s eyes widened.
He is your son. But he is also the reason your father wanted us separated.
Jae-hyun stopped breathing for a moment.
“What does that mean?”
He quickly read the rest.
But there was no explanation.
Only one final sentence.
Ask your father what happened five years ago.
The letter slipped slightly from Jae-hyun’s hand.
His father.
Kang Tae-shik.
The chairman of Kang International.
The most powerful man in the family.
The man who had controlled Jae-hyun’s entire life.
Jae-hyun slowly folded the letter.
“Mr. Park.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Call my father.”
Mr. Park hesitated.
“Now?”
“Now.”
⸻
Two hours later
The doors of the hospital opened.
An elderly man walked into the corridor surrounded by two bodyguards.
His name was Kang Tae-shik.
The moment he saw Jae-hyun, his expression changed.
“What are you doing here?”
Jae-hyun stood.
“You knew.”
His father’s face remained calm.
“Knew what?”
“About Seo-ah.”
Silence.
“And you knew about the boy.”
Tae-shik’s eyes moved toward the sleeping child.
For the first time, fear flashed across his face.
It lasted only a second.
But Jae-hyun saw it.
“You knew,” Jae-hyun repeated.
Tae-shik looked at his son.
“Where did you get that information?”
Jae-hyun stepped closer.
“Answer me.”
His father sighed.
“Jae-hyun…”
“Is Min-jun my son?”
Silence.
Jae-hyun’s eyes turned cold.
“Is he?”
Finally, Tae-shik spoke.
“Yes.”
The world seemed to stop.
Jae-hyun stared at him.
“You knew?”
“I knew.”
“For five years?”
“Yes.”
Jae-hyun clenched his fists.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
His father looked away.
“Because you couldn’t be allowed to have that child.”
Jae-hyun’s voice dropped.
“Why?”
Tae-shik didn’t answer.
“WHY?”
The shout echoed through the hospital corridor.
Min-jun stirred in his sleep.
Jae-hyun immediately lowered his voice.
His father looked toward the child.
Then he whispered,
“Because that boy is not the only heir.”
Jae-hyun froze.
“What?”
Tae-shik’s expression became serious.
“There is another child.”
Jae-hyun stared at him.
“Whose child?”
His father looked directly into his eyes.
“Yours.”
Jae-hyun’s blood ran cold.
“That’s impossible.”
Tae-shik shook his head.
“No.”
He looked toward the sleeping Min-jun.
“There are two children.”
Jae-hyun couldn’t speak.
His father continued.
“And one of them has been missing for five years.”
At that exact moment, the emergency-room door opened.
A doctor rushed out.
“Mr. Kang?”
Jae-hyun turned.
“Yes?”
The doctor’s expression was grave.
“The woman you brought in has regained consciousness.”
Jae-hyun took a step forward.
“Can I see her?”
The doctor nodded.
“But she keeps asking for one thing.”
“What?”
The doctor looked at him.
“She wants to see her son.”
Jae-hyun glanced at Min-jun.
Then back at the doctor.
And for the first time, he realized something terrifying.
Seo-ah hadn’t brought Min-jun to him because she wanted help.
She had brought him because someone was coming for the boy.
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