Chapter 200
I’m Sorry
“Young Master, Ms. Choi Mi-ri is here to see you.”
While the entire nation was in an uproar over the Juseong family incident, Yu Yeon-seo was lazing about in a hospital room as spacious as a decent-sized house. He’d turned off his phone, annoyed by the constant calls from people asking how he was doing.
He had temporarily cut himself off from the world, falling asleep and waking up in a repeating cycle. He stared blankly into space, lost in thought, and the breeze coming through the window made him feel a little better. Modern people are too attached to their phones.
“…Choi Nam-yun’s daughter?”
“Yes. She insists on seeing you. What should I do?”
Even though Yu Yeon-seo’s condition had stabilized and he was well enough to receive visitors, his family hadn’t come to his room. They probably needed time to think, just like me. And they must be busy with work.
Instead, Lee Tae-gyeom and Im Seung-hyeon took turns looking after him. In fact, the two of them were practically living in Yu Yeon-seo’s hospital room.
“Let her in.”
At his approval, Im Seung-hyeon opened the door and led Choi Mi-ri inside. Yu Yeon-seo sat up to greet her.
“Ah, hello. Mr. Yeon-seo, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
With trembling hands, Choi Mi-ri offered a flower basket and some fruit juice. Lee Tae-gyeom took them from her and set them aside. Yu Yeon-seo studied her complexion. She looks sicker than the person who’s actually hospitalized.
“You shouldn’t have.”
“It wouldn’t be polite to come empty-handed.”
Yu Yeon-seo gestured for her to sit down.
The reason her father, Choi Nam-yun, had died was because Min Seong-cheol had left a suspicious phone call for Park Gyeong-seok. Apparently, Park Gyeong-seok, feeling Min Seong-cheol closing in on him, had planned to track down and eliminate everyone involved in Lee Hui-seo’s murder.
‘I should meet Min Seong-cheol at least once.’
Min Seong-cheol, who had obsessively longed for the Lee Hui-seo he had killed, saw Yu Yeon-seo on TV, triggering the dark emotions lurking within him.
The man still believed Yu Yeon-seo was his son, his only kindred spirit.
To shatter that hope, I need to meet him and break his delusion… Should I do it after I’m discharged? The time for some petty revenge is approaching.
“So, what brings you here?”
“There’s something I absolutely had to tell you in person.”
Taking a small, deep breath, Choi Mi-ri bowed deeply.
“I... I’m so sorry.”
For what? Yu Yeon-seo furrowed his brow. Having missed their chance to leave, Im Seung-hyeon and Lee Tae-gyeom also stared at her, wondering what she was talking about.
“…Is there any reason I should be receiving an apology from you, Ms. Choi Mi-ri?”
Choi Mi-ri wiped her tears with her sleeve. She had been in shock after hearing the news.
The problem wasn’t that her father’s killer had been revealed. She couldn’t sleep, knowing her father had been an accomplice to murder. And the reason he had to do it was because of her chronic illness.
“Because of my father… I must apologize on his behalf for the terrible things you’ve gone through…”
Yu Yeon-seo stared blankly at the top of Choi Mi-ri’s bowed head before bursting into laughter.
“Ah, sorry.”
Choi Mi-ri could only watch Yu Yeon-seo, who had suddenly erupted in laughter, unsure what to do. He reassured her and helped her straighten her posture.
“This is a first.”
“Pardon?”
“I said, it’s the first time I’ve received an apology for that incident.”
Park Gyeong-won always avoided his gaze, and Yang Hong-sik insisted until the very end that he knew nothing. As for Min Seong-cheol, with his twisted beliefs, he probably thought he did the right thing. And Park Gyeong-seok… I heard he screamed that it was all his grandfather’s fault, didn’t he?
“Were those bastards who were directly involved so incapable of saying that one simple word, ‘sorry’? They played hard to get until the end…”
Making me, a third-generation chaebol heir, use the word ‘expensive’—those guys are really something else. My dictionary has the word ‘cheap,‘ but not ‘expensive’.
“But I never expected to get an apology from someone who has no reason to apologize.”
Muttering self-deprecatingly, Yu Yeon-seo’s body still shook with lingering laughter. Then, he let out a long sigh.
“Well, I’ll accept your apology. Though I’m not sure what you did wrong.”
“But…”
“Ah, that’s enough. I’ve accepted your apology, so you can leave now. Don’t be a bother.”
Yu Yeon-seo waved his hand, signaling for Im Seung-hyeon to quickly show her out. As Im Seung-hyeon led Choi Mi-ri out of the room, he knew Yu Yeon-seo was deliberately acting nonchalant. It was his way of saying, ‘I’m fine with what happened, so you should be too.’
“I don’t know why it’s always the good people who suffer.”
Though he subtly included himself in that statement, Lee Tae-gyeom couldn’t bring himself to object.
“…You’re right.”
“Right? It’s so strange.”
From the moment he regained his memories until recently, Yu Yeon-seo had blamed himself for his mother’s death, constantly wondering what would have happened if he hadn’t guided Min Seong-cheol that day, endlessly tormenting himself.
Choi Mi-ri probably felt the same way. If I hadn’t been sick, my father wouldn’t have gotten involved in a murder, and this tragedy would have never happened. She shouldn’t think that way. Because it wasn’t her fault.
‘Though it took me a long time to realize that.’
He suddenly thought of his cousins, Park Yu-jeong and Park Seon-woo. Especially Park Seon-woo. Since his face is well-known, he’ll probably attract a lot of stares and finger-pointing. He was already getting a lot of flak for being a MyTuber who relied on his ‘golden spoon’...
“…Still no word from Seon-u?”
“No, sir. I understand he’s been staying home for a while. He’s also closed his MyTube channel.”
I wonder if he’s digging himself into a hole all alone, like Choi Mi-ri and I were. Yu Yeon-seo added ‘meet Park Seon-woo’ to his to-do list for after he was discharged.
After seeing Choi Mi-ri off, Yu Yeon-seo traded jokes with Lee Tae-gyeom and read a book Im Seung-hyeon had bought for him.
He made a comment—‘This book would make a great drama’—only to get an earful for thinking about work even here.
“Have you been resting well?”
Just as another peaceful day was drawing to a close, Park Geum-ju arrived at his hospital room without any notice.
“You’re here?”
Im Seung-hyeon and Lee Tae-gyeom quickly excused themselves, leaving the two of them alone. An awkward silence filled the air. As Yu Yeon-seo tried to sit up, Park Geum-ju hastily stopped him.
“Don’t get up. You’re a patient.”
“I’m all better now. I could actually go home right away, but…”
He had readily accepted his grandfather’s plea to just rest quietly and not wander outside, since it wasn’t a good time. If he hadn’t, he was afraid his grandfather, not him, would be the one lying in a hospital bed due to high blood pressure.
“Yes, your grandfather can be quite overbearing.”
Park Geum-ju smiled faintly and sat in the chair beside the bed. She studied her grandson’s complexion.
“You look better than I expected.”
“Are you okay, Grandmother?”
She couldn’t help but fall silent at his sudden question. Park Geum-ju opened and closed her mouth, choosing her words carefully. Yu Yeon-seo waited patiently for her to continue.
“Yu-jin suggested we create a memorial space for her on the anniversary of her death next year.”
“Mother did?”
It was unexpected news, but surprising in its own way.
“Yes. It was very thoughtful of her… We were so preoccupied we hadn’t even considered it. What do you think?”
“…I think that would be nice.”
Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of his biological mother’s death. Choi Yu-jin had apparently said she hoped many people would commemorate and remember her.
In the past, because of the disgraceful incident of her supposed suicide, the funeral had to be held quietly and modestly. A young Yu Yeon-seo, suffering from seizures, had been unable to stay at her wake.
“Your father agreed too. He said he would release her copyrights.”
“Really? That’s great.”
People will remember Lee Hui-seo once again.
Yu Geon-min wanted his late wife to be remembered not as a victim of a tragic incident, nor as the daughter-in-law of a chaebol family, or someone’s wife and mother, but simply as Lee Hui-seo—a name that would leave a lasting impression on everyone. Just like in her entertainment career, when she had debuted like a comet and swept across generations.
Yu Yeon-seo felt grateful to Choi Yu-jin for planning this. I need to make up for being so cold to Mother all these years.
“Actually… looking back, there’s something I need to apologize to you for. It’s late, but.”
I’m getting a lot of apologies today. Is it some special occasion? Yu Yeon-seo had a good idea of what his grandmother was about to say, but he feigned ignorance, playing coy.
“For what?”
“For how poorly I treated you.”
Park Geum-ju still vividly remembered the small hand reaching out for help, crying that he kept seeing his mother. She regretted not holding him in her arms when he was younger. By the time she came to her senses, the grandson she had turned away from had grown two hands taller than her, and she could no longer easily embrace him.
“I know I had my own mental struggles because of that incident, but that can’t be an excuse.”
“…”
“I’m sorry. For pushing you away when you were a child, for turning my back and telling you not to bother me. All of it. It was my fault.”
Yu Yeon-seo gazed at his grandmother, who was forcing the words out, yet whose sincerity was palpable.
“Grandmother, do you know someone named Choi Nam-yun? The one who was switched with Min Seong-cheol.”
“…Yes. I’ve read the details of the case.”
“His daughter came to see me.”
Seeing her grandson change the subject, Park Geum-ju thought she had no hope of being forgiven for her actions and resigned herself to it.
“She wanted to apologize to me on her father’s behalf. Isn’t that funny? The actual culprit said nothing.”
When you think about it, Park Geum-ju, who had been pointed at and blamed for Lee Hui-seo’s death, was also a victim. Why do we have to be like this, when the ones who actually committed the crime are someone else?
“To be honest, it was a little sad. But…”
There was a time when he agonized over how to treat his grandmother, but now, it was all okay. He was past the age of being hurt just because his grandmother had turned a cold shoulder. Thanks to Park Geum-ju and Park Jeong-ho’s help, they were able to catch the culprit quickly.
“It’s been long enough to forget everything, hasn’t it?”
Putting everything else aside and looking only at this moment, the first thing he noticed was Park Geum-ju’s sincerity. Not an apology to lighten her own burden, but that of an ordinary grandmother who was purely and helplessly sorry.
“…Thank you for forgiving me.”
“Still, the scars aren’t completely gone, so you’ll have to compensate me.”
“Just say the word. This old grandmother will do anything for you.”
Her grandson’s playful banter lightened her mood, and Park Geum-ju let out a small laugh. For a long while after, they sat in silence, but it was no longer the awkward atmosphere from before.
Lost in thought, Yu Yeon-seo carefully spoke up.
“If you don’t mind, could you introduce me to a good therapist?”
Catching Park Gyeong-seok hadn’t resulted in a dramatic ‘Ta-da! I shall now banish the trauma, auditory hallucinations, and visions from my mind!’ kind of change. That feeling had only lasted a few days.
It was a problem that had dragged on for a full 24 years. Catching the culprit had brought him some relief, but the problem didn’t just disappear. Sometimes, his heart would pound abnormally, and he would break out in a cold sweat.
Yu Yeon-seo considered this a relatively normal reaction. As long as there were no visions or voices… it was bearable, but he still needed treatment.
“Yes, I’ll find you someone good.”
Seeing him trying to get better brought tears to Park Geum-ju’s eyes.
After Park Geum-ju left, at an hour when everyone else was asleep, Yu Yeon-seo sat in his bed without lowering it. The hospital room door opened quietly, and seeing the person who entered just as cautiously, Yu Yeon-seo smiled as if he’d been expecting him.
“You’re here.”
“…You were awake?”
“I had a feeling it was about time for you to show up, hyung.”
Yu Eun-ho gave an awkward smile and approached his younger brother. The brothers clasped hands, almost like a high five.
“How are you feeling?”
“Hmm… I don’t know. You?”
“Me neither.”
Unable to define the feeling with words, the two of them sat there blankly for a long moment before bursting into laughter at the same time.