"Do I have anything I forgot?"
"You can just come by and take them, Kai."
"Nah, this house gave me nightmare." Kai said teasingly. Seunwo just shove him the last bag while the guy laugh.
Kai had finally purchased a house in the neighbourhood since his reason in being there was solely Leira. Now that she left, they both felt the emptiness.
"Will you be okay bro?"
"What now?" Seunwo sighed leaning to his doorframe watching Kai load his bags in his car.
"You had Leira taking care of your health before and last time she was out of reach, you collapsed." Kai said pointedly. Seunwo chuckled lightly.
"I stopped working overtime so you don't have to worry, bud."
"You fixed your time yet you made her leave. Gah, talking about it makes my blood boil. Get over her quickly."
"You said that already." Seunwo clenched his jaw briefly. Kai smirked.
"Daily reminder, Han Seunwo."
"Aight." Seunwo turned inside his house and Kai called out.
"Thanks for your hospitality man. Come by my house later with Taejin. Its been awhile since we talked."
"Yeah."
::
"Why are you doing this?"
"I already said that I will not hold back."
"Runa, she is your daughter. How could you do that?" Mr Kim said sighing clearly not fond of what his ex lover's doing to his daughter. Wushin however sat silently without intervening.
Mr Kim had schedule the meeting with Runa regarding multiple news going out targeting Leira. The restaurant that located at the well known tower really bring back the memories he had with her.
Ryu Runa, the woman in her mid thirties leaned back to her seat with a smug face. Her red lipstick made her almost looked like the antagonist in every tv drama. Bright blonde hair flow down to her collarbone, tight black dress with a pair of killer heels. As if its not intimidating at all.
Mr Kim felt pity for the woman he once loved. Her eager to achieve money heaven in life had changed the girl once a sweet, caring person to someone who would even sacrifice her own daughter to get what she wants.
He was just finally moving on with the death of his wife that day when he met her. His first love during college days. Wushin was just a small boy at that time. He knew he needed someone to be a mother figure to his son and someone by his side.
After the sudden pregnancy, he was sure to marry her right away and proposed but who would have thought that in the next nine months, he would found the newborn baby in front of his door with a note attached to the basket. Since then, he had raised the baby like a full parent, fully taking responsibility.
"Give me what I want and I will back off." Runa said clearly unfazed.
Mr Kim looked away, snapping out of his thought. He know now that she can be cunning and willing to do anything. Leira is clearly at stake.
::
"Defer?"
"Yes for a few months it seems. I have to deal with some emergency family issues. It's fine right? I would totally get it if you decided to find someone else-"
"Not at all. I'll be happy to welcome you after you're done. There's always a spot for you, Miss Leira. It's no rush. "
"Thank you Prof, that means a lot." She said genuinely touched.
"I hope to hear from you soon."
The call ended with Leira sighing tiredly.
"Do you want me to join?" Hwiyun asked as he pulled up at the entrance of the VIP restaurant. He caught a glance of the haughty woman inside that his friend had showed him before. Leira simply shook her head.
She had just landed in Seoul and found Hwiyun already waiting for her as promised. Instead of going home, she went straight to the fancy restaurant when she receive the meeting news from her father's assistant.
Hwiyun drove her there without uttering any questions because he knew that she will tell him eventually.
"I rather not allow my mother see you, Hwi. I would not forgive myself if I let you get tangled into my problems."
"Just call me if you need help. I will bring the whole gang out to fuck shit up." Hwiyun said seriously making Leira burst to her first laugh that day.
"Thanks man, you're the best." She grinned, fist bumping her twin.
Stepping down his audi R8, Leira walked into the restaurant without a second thought. The only thing she had in mind is facing her mother head on. As she struts in the restaurant, the customers and even the workers paused until they finally realized that they're staring.
She was clad in long sleeved button up fitted wool shirt with A-line leather skirt that reached her thighs and a pair of high rise buffalo chunky sneakers, tanned skin due to the sun in Brazil, her skin glows making her look different from the people in Seoul. Her straight long hair flow just above her waist, swaying side to side as she walked to the receptionist.
If anything, she came back looking even more ethereal from before.
Baffled by the beauty, the waitress didn't even get to ask for her reservation when Leira beat her to it.
"Kim. There." Leira said nodding at her father that was seated just a few walk from her spot. Her father waved her over and the waitress just bowed respectfully after knowing that she's the daughter of the restaurant owner.
"Oh my beautiful daughter!" The mid age woman said as soon as she saw her daughter walked to their table with an unamused look.
She pulled her into a warm welcoming hug but Leira just stood there with hands on the side of her not wanting to hug her mother.
"You certainly has my genes." Runa said running her fingers down Leira's hair as they sat down. Leira found herself chuckling darkly.
"So you do know while you released all the bad talk about me?"
"Leira."
"So what did she proposed?" Leira asked when her dad warned her. The question made them tense. Wushin still sat silently.
"Marry Kai."
"Oh for god sake." Leira cursed.
"Marry him and give the shares you got from him to me. Thats all and I will leave you alone." Runa said without a hint of any remorse.
"After all you have done to me and you had the audacity to ask me to obey? Are you crazy?"
"Stop talking to me like that, you insolent child!" Runa slammed her hands down the table making everyone attention turn to them.
Wushin held back Leira's hand when she was about to stand up and leave. He shook his head subtly making Leira bit the the inside of her cheek.
From her perspective, even her dad didn't know what to do.
Fixing her hair briefly, Runa calmly continued.
"Like I said on the phone and to them just now, I will stop at nothing and will do anything to make your life miserable, Kim Family. That release? Its just the tip of the ice. Don't want to give what I want? I will bring you and your company to the grave with me."
Seeing the look on her father's and brother's face, Leira felt like her breathe caught up in her throat.
::
"It's the heartbreaker!"
"Chae shush. Hey hyung." Dohyon said greeting the male. Chae pursued her lips annoyed.
"Yon." Seunwo nodded at them.
He was just about to exit the convenience store when Chae called him. They walked pass each other and he was about to get into his car when he heard her again.
"Have you heard about her? She's not leading a perfect life after all right?"
"Chae-"
"No he has to know this. He made that excuse without even thinking about her feelings." Chae said when Dohyon tried to stop her.
Seunwo turned to them before sliding into his suv. Chae sighed exasperately in frustration. Dohyon just pull her back into the store. They both heard what the doctor said.
"I regretted that."
::
Putting down the things he bought at the store on the counter, he looked around his empty house.
Throughout his years of living inside the house alone, never did he bother with the emptiness. Then Leira came into his life. Every now and then, she would welcome him back with a smile on her face.
Seunwo spotted the book that Leira always read while waiting for him.
"Shit." He cursed, sitting on the arm rest and closed his eyes.
This was the time, he had regretted that he didn't express his love more to her.
If he had known this sooner, he would tell the world how much he loved her.