Chapter 30: The reconciliation

Late in the Evening

The lights were dim, save for the soft glow of the desk lamp. Lee Minseok sat in his high-backed chair, a cup of tea cooling untouched by his hand. His assistant's words from earlier echoed in his mind.

"It appears Kang Daeho's daughter is quite taken by your son, sir. Their team looked into Minjoon's background shortly after the concert… possibly following that public confession."

Minseok leaned back with a quiet sigh, tapping a finger against the porcelain cup.

"So, Minjoon finally went and did it," he muttered. "Told the world about that girl."

Despite the scandal it had stirred in the media, Minseok couldn't help the faint smile that tugged at his lips. His son had always been headstrong. Just like him in his younger days. But more than that, Minjoon had finally followed his heart, even if it meant turning his back on the life his parents had built for him.

He picked up the family registry file on his desk, an updated document from the assistant. It detailed Kang Daeho's background: Chairman of K Group, one of the oldest family-run conglomerates in the country. Powerful. Traditional. But by no means unreasonable.

Minseok nodded to himself. A marriage alliance between the Lee family and the Kang family would be far from a bad idea. It would stabilize their own position, perhaps even elevate it. And Daeho's daughter, for all her infamous temper, had a sharp mind and was known to be heavily involved in philanthropic causes.

He closed the folder with a quiet thud.

"It's not the worst match," he said aloud to the empty room. "But I wonder... does Minjoon even remember her from that party?"

He stood, crossing to the window that overlooked Seoul's glittering skyline. His expression turned thoughtful.

"Perhaps it's time Daeho and I had dinner."

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At Minji's Apartment in the Afternoon.

Minji had just finished drying his hair when his phone buzzed softly on the bathroom counter. The screen lit up:

(Mom) calling…

He stared at it for a second.

His heart fluttered with a complex mix of warmth, guilt, and longing as he can't remember last time he had heard from her since his with fallout with the family, three years ago.

Their last conversation still echoed in his memory like a closed door she refused to open again.

"Why would you choose a life like this? This world isn't kind to people like you. It breaks them, Minjoon."

He used to hate her for those words. But tonight, all he felt was a dull ache.

A child's ache.

The phone kept ringing.

He answered it just as it was about to go to voicemail.

"Hello?" he answered, voice cautious.

"Minjoon-ah," came the warm, familiar voice of Kim sohee,

" how have you been?" She asked.

Hearing the question "how are you" it stired up nostalgia, comfort, and a sudden flood of memories as he got reminded of the last time they've spoken which was the new year, as he couldn't go home to celebrate because of a tight and busy schedule.

And here comes silence as a tear slipped down his eyes still remembering her words Three years ago that night, his father's voice roaring behind him, echoing through the marble halls of their home.

"You're throwing away everything for what?.....some stage lights? You think the world is fair to boys like you? Idol? That's not a career!..it's a circus."

Minji had kept his head down, dragging the suitcase with trembling hands, the wheels thudding softly over the tiles like a goodbye.

She'd followed him to the door. Quiet. Watching.

Then her voice came out low, barely audible, but firm.

"No mother would ever want the kind of treatment going on there for her child. Not in this world. It doesn't care if you break."

He didn't look back.

But he carried those words with him, enjoying the journey at first but now it's packed between the layers of stage makeup and rehearsed smiles where this geniue love can hardly ever be felt.

"So… it was you."

He froze.

She didn't need elaborate, for he knew exactly what she meant. She must've heard it. The concert. The confession. Maybe from a friend, maybe from some gossip thread passed around her circles like cheap wine.

"I heard it from people," she added. "A friend of mine sent the clip. They said... an idol went and announced he was in love."

Minji closed his eyes.

He exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. That was me."

A pause. Then a soft laugh echoed through the line, light and nostalgic.

"You reminded me of your father," she said, voice filled with warmth. "He was just like that when he confessed to me. Bold and reckless… but with so much love in his eyes."

Minji blinked. "Appa?"

"Mhm," she hummed. "Back then, my family was small. Artists, musicians, people who lived on passion, not money. When I met your father, his world was so… different. Influential. Demanding. His parents didn't approve of me."

Minji sat on the edge of his bed, listening quietly as she continued.

"But he still chose me. Fought for me. And look at us now. We struggled, yes. But we built this family, Minjoon. We built it together."

Silence settled for a beat before she spoke again more tender now.

"When I saw you standing there on stage… choosing your heart over everything else, I saw us again. And I was proud. So proud."

Minji's throat tightened. He hadn't expected this support. Not so openly. Not so soon.

"I thought you'd be mad," he whispered.

She chuckled again, soft and honest. "Your appa probably is. He always has a plan. But me? I know what love looks like in a world that rarely lets you choose it freely."

Minji smiled, wiping at his eye quickly before the tears could fall.

"Thanks, omma."

"Just take care of her, alright?" she said. "If you're going to walk this path, don't let her walk it alone."

"I won't."

"Good. And Minjoon?"

"Yeah?"

"She's very pretty. But I saw more than that in her eyes. She grounds you. Don't lose that. When can I meet her, I can't wait to see my future daughter in law"

His voice cracked when he finally answered, "You want to meet her?"

There was the softest sound on the other end, a breath, maybe a smile he couldn't see.

"She's important to you. I could hear it in your voice, even after all this time. So yes... I want to meet the girl who gave you the courage to speak."

Minji pressing the back of his hand against his eyes.

This was the woman he remembered. Stern and loving, yes. But never cold. Always watching from a distance, loving him the only way she knew how.

"I'll ask her," he said, voice barely a whisper. "But thank you... for wanting to."

"You're still my son, Minjoon."

"That never changed."

And for the first time in a long, long while, he believed it.

The call ended gently, leaving Minji staring at the screen with a full heart and a clearer mind.