Affectionate Obsession - Chapter 34

Left alone, Yeonjeong still couldn’t collect herself. The stories she’d heard through Sera filled her mind, refusing to leave.

She couldn’t believe it.

How could she believe that Yeonhee, her own daughter Yeonhee, had married a man she didn’t know for money to save her?

What’s more, the fact that she had done such a thing without consulting her at all shattered Yeonjeong’s world.

“I, I what…?”

Yeonhee, what have I done to you?

Tears welled up in Yeonjeong’s eyes. She couldn’t even let out a sob.

Yeonjeong clutched the blanket tightly and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to believe what she’d heard from a third party, not Yeonhee, but she couldn’t help but believe it.

Because the woman who had been in the hospital room with her just moments ago resembled Yeonhee so chillingly.

Her face was so alike that Yeonjeong couldn’t dismiss the woman’s words that she had stood in for a wedding she didn’t want to do as mere nonsense.

The woman exuded an aura of wealth. As she said, if the woman truly was the daughter of a major conglomerate, she could have easily paid Yeonhee enough money as compensation for marrying in her stead.

And Yeonhee…

Her daughter Yeonhee was a daughter so foolishly kind that she could choose that money to save her mother.

Yeonjeong let out a heavy sigh. It felt as though the puzzle pieces that hadn’t quite fit until now were finally slotting into place perfectly.

The sudden transfer to a VIP room, the chemotherapy she couldn’t even dream of affording, not to mention all the tests and treatments. The reason for it all was, in the end.

“You traded your life for my mother’s life.”

Yeonjeong’s voice, filled with sorrow, trembled violently. Her hands, already gripping the blanket with all her might, began to shake as if in a seizure.

Yeonjeong’s shoulders heaved. An unfathomable grief poured out.

Then, at some point, even her sobs began to subside. But amidst the momentarily calmed emotions, a disturbing groan began to mix in. Her breathing also grew ragged.

Yeonjeong tried to hold onto the blanket as if it were her lifeline.

But she was helpless.

Overwhelmed by the terrifying wave of sleepiness, Yeonjeong could do nothing but fall to her knees.

Yeonjeong’s body went limp in an instant.

Simultaneously, the machines surrounding Yeonjeong began to emit a chillingly monotonous beeping at a rapid pace.

“Ah, sir. Korea University Hospital. Quickly! Please, please, go faster!”

Yeonhee pleaded with the taxi driver, her face wet with tears.

The taxi driver seemed startled by her appearance, but perhaps sensing the urgency, he quickly pressed the accelerator.

Though the car sped off, Yeonhee couldn’t keep her hands still for a moment.

She felt like she was going mad with anxiety.

‘Hello? Auntie. What’s wrong?’

－Yeonhee, is it possible.

‘Yes, please tell me.’

－If I’m mistaken, I’m truly sorry, but I’m asking just in case.

‘Yes, Auntie. What is it? Please speak comfortably.’

Miyeong couldn’t bring herself to speak. A premonition of something terrible began to creep in from there.

Surely not. This sudden wave of unease must just be her imagination.

Yeonhee tried to dismiss it, but her gaze kept drifting to the shattered glass fragments.

－…Where are you right now?

Miyeong’s follow-up question was far less significant than Yeonhee had anticipated.

It felt as though all the strength drained from her body because of it.

She had been that tense.

Yeonhee managed a late laugh and said lightly,

‘Where else? I’m home. It was just a simple question, why hesitate so much? You surprised me, thinking something big had happened.’

－Ha, so it wasn’t you, right? It wasn’t? Then who was that woman? No, setting that aside, how can she look so much like you? Huh?

But Miyeong’s voice, which followed immediately, made Yeonhee’s body stiffen once more.

Yeonhee stared blankly at one spot for a long time. Miyeong’s words hadn’t registered immediately.

However, after Miyeong’s voice repeating “looks just like you” about three or four times, Yoon Sera’s face flashed in her mind.

After that, she couldn’t clearly recall how she had managed to speak with Miyeong on the phone.

All that remained was the memory of urging Miyeong on, unable to hide the fear that was rapidly overwhelming her.

And then…

‘Ah, Auntie. Quickly. You need to go to the hospital room quickly, hurry!’

－I was already feeling uneasy, so I was pacing anxiously in the hospital lobby. I’m on my way to the room now. Don’t worry too much, Yeonhee. It hasn’t been long since you left, surely nothing major could have happened in that time! Oh my goodness! Yeonjeong! Yeonjeong!! Yeonjeong, snap out of it! Why are you doing this all of a sudden, really!!

Only Miyeong’s voice, filled with shock, echoed in her ears.

From that moment, Yeonhee rushed out of her house and got into a taxi.

The scenery outside the car window blurred past, but Yeonhee felt impatient that the car couldn’t go any faster.

Why hadn’t she thought of visiting Yeonjeong today?

Yeonhee clasped her hands together, tears streaming down her face.

If there was a god, she had vowed to cause trouble just once, but that resolve had long since vanished.

Yeonhee prayed earnestly to God.

Please, let nothing happen to Yeonjeong. Please, let me meet Yeonjeong safely when I get out of this taxi.

And if even that was not granted to me. Then, please, grant me just enough time for a final farewell.

Yeonhee prayed and prayed, wishing to reach her destination as quickly as possible.

The hospital began to appear in the distance.

Just then, Yeonhee’s phone, which had been silent, began to ring.

Junhyeok dashed across the hospital lobby.

He didn’t even have time to park, leaving his car at the entrance and running straight in.

－Junhyeok, what do I do? What should I do? Sob.

Yeonhee, who had vehemently refused to let him send someone, had she cleaned up the broken glass without getting hurt?

Junhyeok only wanted to know that.

He had only called because he was curious about that, but as soon as the call connected, he heard Yeonhee’s sorrowful voice.

－Junhyeok, Mom, sob… Mom seems to have collapsed. What do I do? What should I do? Really, really, if by any chance Mom, if by any chance, sob.

Junhyeok had never heard Yeonhee cry so heartbrokenly before.

He had seen her cry often recently, but never this much.

The Yeonhee he heard on the phone sounded as if she were on the verge of gasping her last breath.

That alone was more than enough reason for him to spring into action.

He had rushed to the hospital without a second thought, but the idea that Yeonhee was inside the same building made him even more anxious.

He felt an urgent need to get to Yeonhee, even by a minute or a second.

Junhyeok got into the elevator as quickly as possible. At the same time, he tried to calm his mind.

He had to. Yeonhee must be completely out of her mind right now.

The elevator stopped, and Junhyeok moved his legs quickly.

He had come as Yeonhee had said, but Yeonhee was nowhere to be seen.

Junhyeok looked around from where he stood. No matter how much he searched, he couldn’t find a trace of Yeonhee.

A sigh escaped him.

Just then, a faint crying sound, familiar yet strange, began to reach him.

There was no need to hesitate.

Junhyeok quickly followed the sound. And finally, Yeonhee came into view.

“……”

He was only a short distance from Yeonhee, close enough to reach her. Yet, Junhyeok couldn’t bring himself to approach her.

It was because of a voice he suddenly heard.

Junhyeok instinctively hid himself in the corridor that opened to his right.

“Yeonhee, calm down for a moment, okay? Mom will be alright. So, stop crying. You’ll collapse too if you keep this up.”

It was the voice of a caregiver he had seen once before. She was doing her best to comfort Yeonhee, but Yeonhee’s crying showed no signs of stopping.

He felt an overwhelming urge to rush to Yeonhee and hold her tightly in his arms.

But Junhyeok still couldn’t step out in front of Yeonhee.

It was a strange feeling.

Even though Yeonhee was crying so desperately so close by, he felt he couldn’t go to her yet.

He felt like he had to do something else for Yeonhee by hiding here.

No matter how many times he thought about it, holding Yeonhee seemed like the most important thing right now. But.

“Sigh, I’m a sinner, I’m a sinner. Even though she looked exactly like you, I didn’t recognize you and left my post…”

The reason for that strange intuition came flowing through Miyeong’s voice.

“I’m sorry, Yeonhee. I truly thought it was you. I thought something was strange, but then a woman who looked exactly like you appeared and hinted that I should go out, so I had no choice but to leave. Ha, even so, I should have called you right then and there. I’m truly sorry, Yeonhee. I’m truly sorry.”

Junhyeok let out an involuntary gasp.

A woman who looked exactly like Yeonhee.

There was only one person that phrase could refer to.

Yoon Sera.

That woman had finally caused trouble.

Junhyeok clenched his jaw, putting all his strength into it. An indescribable rage began to surge.

He was a man who always worried about keeping Shin Yeonhee from crying, no matter what.

If possible, he wanted her to only smile, and he wanted to give her anything he could to achieve that.

But.

“Yoon Sera, you’ve finally done it.”

Junhyeok gritted his teeth and forced himself to move his feet, which had stopped dead.

His toes pointed in the direction opposite to where Yeonhee was crying.

Junhyeok hid himself in a nearby emergency exit. Without a moment’s delay, he pulled out his phone.

The ringing didn’t last long.

As soon as he heard the other person’s voice, Junhyeok stated his purpose.

“Secretary Kim, it’s me. I have something urgent to handle.”

－Yes, CEO.

“The corruption data related to RM Foods that we secured yesterday and today.”

He had intended to leave Yeonhee’s decision entirely up to her.

He had planned to respect whatever choice she made.

But now that things had come to this, he was certain it wasn’t an issue to be left to Yeonhee.

They were the ones who had made an irreversible choice.

Therefore, at this moment, there was only one thing he could do.

“Release it along with the Bonheur issue.”

To retaliate with the best method, by any means necessary.

Junhyeok intended to show them exactly what that retaliation looked like.

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