CHAPTER 27

On that night Mr. Park picked up Catherine from Matthew's house. She tried to protest but Mr. Park promised her that he won't go on with the wedding until Catherine finished her studies. It calms her as well as Matthew coz it will take her a year before she graduates, which means they have a lot of time to make a plan to stop the wedding from happening.

Catherine finally gave in and went home together with her father. Mr. Park was relieved that he finally persuaded her daughter to go home. He let Catherine go to the car first then face Matthew.

"Matt, I'm warning you, I don't want this thing to happen again." He warned.

"When did I listen to your warning, anyway I never did ever since. You know me, I do what I want and no one can stop me, even you." Matthew said, chuckling.

"This is different, my daughter is involved here, and I won't let it pass if you don't listen to me." He warned again then left. Matthew just chuckled then sat back on his couch, then burst into laughter. "You can't stop me, and that Joseph, I like him, " he murmured and burst into laughter again.

***

It was a normal day for Andrew, he was inside his office, and reading some paper reports. For The past few days, they don't have any news from Xander's spy and it bored him. He wants action and not to sit inside his office. He sighed then put the paper he was reading above his table, then stood up grabbed his jacket, and headed out of his office.

"Andrew, where are you going?" Daniel asked when they met in the hallway.

"Home, tell the others to go home after they are done with their work." He said.

"Okay, but why are you going home early, you're having a date?" Daniel teased walking beside him and grinning. Andrew hissed glaring at him.

"Have you finished your work already? if not go back, and don't waste your golden time annoying me." He exclaimed.

Daniel snorted, and lightly punched his shoulder. "Old man." He teased then ran back inside. Andrew just shook his head and headed to his car. He unlocked his car then got inside, and drove off.

He stops at the place where he finds peace, after a tiring day of his life, at the cemetery. He stepped out of his car and headed to the grave of his parents and brother, then sat there just to kill time before he went home. He pulled some weeds that were growing on the five tombstones.

"Mom, Dad, Matthew, I'm here again, how are you there? I bet you're having fun living there together. I hope I can be with you guys too, it so sad here being alone." He whispered sadly. But he was startled when someone sat beside him. He looked to his side and he saw a familiar guy sitting one foot away from him while looking ahead of them.

"Are they your family?" He asked.

"Hmm! why are you here by the way? You're Catherine Park's bodyguard right?" Andrew asked.

" I'm here to visit my family too, and I'm not her bodyguard anymore, his father fired me." He answered.

"Okay," Andrew answered.

"Are they your parents and brother?" He asked.

"Yes," Andrew answered.

"What happened to them, why did they die on the same day?" He asked pretending he didn't know, but deep inside he was just holding his anger.

"They were killed," Andrew answered.

"Oh, the same with my parents they were killed too." He said.

"Oh really," Andrew whispered, holding the tears in his eyes.

"My parents were killed before my eyes, how about you?"

"The same with me, and my brother. He died because of me because I left him." Andrew said a tear fell from his eyes that he quickly wiped off.

Matthew gritted his teeth. " What a bastard brother you are."

"Huh?" Andrew asked not hearing him clearly.

'Nothing?" He answered. "Why did you leave him anyway, you should take him with you, maybe he is still alive now," Matthew said between gritted teeth.

"I doubted it," Andrew whispered. Matthew quickly shifted to his position and looked at him.

"You doubted it, if you cared for your brother you shouldn't have left him there alone," Matthew said between gritted teeth. Andrew looked at him when he sensed anger in his voice, and he saw it in his eyes. He was furious.

"Are you alright?" Andrew asked. Matthew quickly diverted his eyes away from him. "I'm just saying that, if you didn't leave your brother there, at least both of you are together. If you die, you'll die together, if you'll live, you'll live together. I'm sure your brother wants it more than to be left alone in fear." Matthew said his fist balled beside him.

Andrew lowered his head to hide his tears. "I left him, not because I wanted to. I left him because I wanted to save him. I left to ask for help, but when I'm making a call, someone saw me, I was only seven years old at that time, and I can't fight back against the man that was holding me, he beat me, he slammed me unto the wall like a rag doll, then... he took a deep breath before he continues. "He shot me, here, here in my heart." He pulled his shirt up and showed Matthew the scar that was still there. "See this, this is the scar that the bullet caused, then he kicked me." Andrew took a large intake of air and then exhaled it.

"I'm really scared at that time, not for myself but for my brother. I prayed that even if I die I hope they can't find Matthew where I left him."

A lump rose in Matthew's throat, making it hard for him to breathe. He tried to push the lump down his throat, but it kept raising. He wanted to cry and hug his brother tightly, and tell him that he was safe, that he was alive. What he heard from his brother shocked him. All these years he believed that he abandoned him, and forgot him that day, that he only saved his own life. His tears slowly formed at the side of his eyes, but he blinked them away and continued to listen to his brother.

"I tried hard to go back to my brother, but I can't move anymore, my breath slowly leaving me, but I tried to call him but no words came out from my lips, my sight slowly fading away, but tried to stay awake, but no matter I tried it no avail, coz everything around me turned dark, and I don't know what happened after that. But I remember the scorpion tattoo of the guy that shot me, and it was engraved inside my mind." Matthew quickly hid his left wrist where his tattoo was, behind him.

Andrew clenched and unclenched his jaw then harshly wiped his tears using the back of his hand. "I only woke up one week later and I don't have the chance to see my parents and brother's face, coz they were already buried here, that's what I know, but later on, Gen. Choi my adopted father told me that there's no body buried on this grave, they only made up this grave."

"What? What do you mean nobody was buried here?" Matthew asked, confused.

Those bastards set the house on fire before they left, but I was lucky that they were able to rescue me before the house turned into ashes, but Mom, Dad, and Matthew .... he paused and took a deep breath again, they turned into ashes like our house." Andrew took a large intake of air holding his tears to break down, but his tears fell from his eyes. He wiped it off but it kept falling.

Matthew's fist balled beside him, he tried hard not to break into tears in front of his brother. His hand slowly raised and wanted to give a comforting pat on his brother's shoulder, but he quickly retrieved it when Andrew quickly looked up, wiping his tears.

"I'm sorry to act like this in front of you, I don't know why I felt comfortable telling you about my life. Actually only one of my friends knows about this and no one else, but with you, I can say it all comfortably, even though you were this cold, emotionless, and an ass, sorry for my words but I find you like that." He chuckled sadly.

"It's okay, I'm happy to know that you're comfortable toward me, coz no one was. Actually, I don't have lots of friends. People always felt scared of me because I'm cold, and an ass." Matthew said, chuckling too.

Andrew smiled. "You know what, if Matthew was still alive, he might look like you, that's why when I first saw you, I found you look familiar because you look like him, you both have the same eyes. I miss him so much." Andrew whispered sadly, then looked ahead of them.

"Matthew is so sweet and has a warm heart. He was so dependent on me in everything he did. He always hugs me every time I leave and comes back from school. He always says "I LOVE YOU brother" then gives me a bear hug and kisses me on my cheek. I missed his nonsense question every second, I missed seeing him pouting, I missed his nagging if I ignored him, I missed his good night kiss... I miss him so much, everything he did. I really missed him."

"You know what Matthew might look like if he were still alive... he smiled wiping his tears then looked at Matthew beside him, but his smile vanished when he saw him in tears.

"Are you crying?" Andrew asked, smiling.

"Huh!, No!! why should I cry." He lied and wiped his tears.

Andrew chuckled, men also cry." He whispered. "Now I know that you're not heartless like I thought," Andrew said and ran his finger on the tombstone of his brother.

"Brother, I miss you too, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for hating you all these years, I was blinded by my wrong belief. But I can't leave where I am now. If I leave, you, and I will be in danger. It is better that you'll continue to believe that I'm dead so that your life will be out of danger, coz If ever Mr. Park found out that you're still alive, he will kill you, I'm sure of that, But don't worry starting today, I'll always here beside you, no matter what happened. I'll protect you brother. Now that I'm strong enough, It's my turn to protect you. Just stay where you are and I'll do everything." Matthew thought while looking at his brother sadly.

"Brother, can I hug, and kiss you, like the old times?" But no word came out from his lips. Andrew turned to him and reached out his hand for a handshake.

"Can we be friends, I felt comfortable around you," Andrew said smiling. Matthew smiled, and with his trembling hand shook his brother's hand, but he was shocked when Andrew pulled him into a hug.

"I felt like hugging Matthew," Andrew whispered to him. Matthew raised his hand to hug him too but Andrew quickly pulled out from the hug smiling, then patted his shoulder.

"Remove that cold aura around you, I'm sure you'll find a lot of friends if you do." He smiled.

Matthew wanted to cry, like in the old times, every time he was touched by his brother's words he always cried and hugged him, but it was different now, he needed to be strong, and everything that he felt he should hide it to himself so that everything will stay the way they are.

He took a large intake of air and stood up, " I have a great time talking to you Inspector Choi, but I need to leave, I hope we can do it again."

Andrew also stood up, "Matt I know that we just got to know each other, but can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?" Matthew asked.

"Mr. Park, I found out that he's the one who murdered my family." Matthew stiffened. "Can you tell me where I can find him?"

Matthew lowered his gaze. "Why do you want to know where he was? You want revenge?" He asked and looked into his eyes. Andrew stared back at his eyes full of rage.

"Yes, I've been looking for him for a long time. I already prepared myself for him, If ever I find him I will kill him no matter what, even if I die I don't care, coz I'm only living because of my revenge."

"I don't know." He lied. "Your revenge will do nothing to you, you should forget it," Matthew whispered. Andrew chuckled sadly then turned his back to him.

"You're not the one, that his whole family was burned to death. You don't know how it feels every night that you were haunted by your nightmares, that's why it was easy for you to say that I should forget it." He said through gritted teeth.

"I understand you, I know how it feels when your whole family is killed, I know it all brother." Matthew thought.

"I'm sorry," Matthew whispered.

"It's okay," Andrew whispered back.

"I'm sorry that I can't help you with Mr. Park, I don't know where he was."

"It's okay, coz I feel that sooner or later I can still find him."

"I need to go." Andrew nodded his head not looking at him. Matthew quickly turned his back on him and the tears that he was holding streamed down his face. He made his way to his car, and let all his tears out.