Capítulo 16: Blood Is Thicker Than Water
A month after Jay's awakening. Seoul, South Korea.
In the middle of Gangnam was a huge 50 stories-tall skyscraper. The entire tower consisted of the headquarters of the AG Group, one of Korea's two most powerful companies.
It was the middle of the day and the higher-ups of the group were having a meeting on the 43rd floor.
"... To this effect, I think we should delay buying out the land until we ascertain with absolute accuracy the gain to loss ratio."
"Nonsense! We've been doing this for an entire semester how long are you going to stall this for?"
"That's right, how could..."
This scene had been going on for a while and Ha-Yoon Aslan's patience was now wearing thin.
"That's enough." she cut the board members off, "We'll do as Mr. Kim says, delay the buy out. Meeting adjourned."
Having said so, she didn't bother with their protests and got out of the room, two previously immobile bodyguards now flanking each of her sides.
They took the elevator up to the 50th floor, and stopped in front of an office.
"Wait here." she said before she knocked and came in when she heard the appropriate response.
She closed the door behind her and respectfully bowed to the person sitting at the desk.
"Father." she said.
The man was dressed in a simple suit that did nothing to hide his regal air. Man-sik Aslan was 63 this year and his hair had long since become grey, however no one would label him old. If it wasn't for the weariness between his brows, he would appear even younger.
"You're here? How was the meeting?" he looked up and asked, his voice gentle.
Ha-Yoon sighed and sat on the nearby couch. "Terrible. Those men are so indecisive they're giving me a headache."
Man-sik chuckled. He looked at this stubborn daughter of his. Ha-Yoon had turned 30 recently, but she could pass for a college girl as would testify the throngs of suitors she had. However... she simply refused to marry. She wouldn't even date.
He thought of something and asked "How... is he?"
Ha-Yoon looked at her father with a mix of worry and sympathy before responding.
"Since he woke up a month ago, he has been doing better. He's in Switzerland undergoing physical rehab right now..." she paused a bit before adding with a smile, "He's more handsome than oppa."
Man-sik laughed out loud before shaking his head and bitterly smiling.
"Sigh, this old man, I, never thought there'd be a day I'd resort to stalking in order to know how my grandchildren are doing. Did you send Henri Escoval the money?"
"I sent him a last time payment, he said he would give it to the hospital as a final donation."
Man-sik nodded, "He's a good man. Really. It's a pity he's too stubborn, roaming the world all the time. He should take care of his daughter. Look at me, I've driven my only son away and your mother has been blaming me for it, now she barely talks to me and when she does we end up fighting. Last time she even hid my sleeping pills to spite me!"
Ha-Yoon remained silent and stared outside the window. She still remembered how her brother had left, and how stubborn her parents had been back then, but time...
Time took care of everything, and she knew they now deeply regretted but were too ashamed to reach out to their son and his family.
They had hired a P.I so that they could still be part of their life, and knew everything about them. Helen the wife, Lou the little girl and... Jay, who had been in a coma for so long.
At first her parents had been unrelenting, but when Jay was born, they had started wavering.
When he had his accident, they had been horrified and when Lou was born... Ha-Yoon's mother had cried.
The more she received pictures of her adorable granddaughter and her still bed-ridden grandson, the more she thought back to how Lee had left. And the more she did so, the more she started to push the blame towards her husband.
They were fighting almost everyday now and Min-sik would come more often to his office in order to escape the suffocating feeling he got when he went home.
Ha-Yoon sighed, she got up and turned to her father. "I'm going home, mom will probably worry if you sleep in your office again today, so father you should also come back." having said so, she made for the door.
"Yoon'ah... Your father has learned his lesson. So don't make the mistake I made and give up your happiness for material gains... Whether your surname is Aslan or the one of your future beloved's, this old man will leave AG Group to you."
Ha-Yoon froze and started trembling.
"Hm..." she answered, her voice hoarse, before hastily walking out.
Watching her, Man-sik sighed. Of course he knew of his daughter's worries; she thought she was never good enough, so from young she had aimed to surpass Lee in her father's heart. That silly child, thought that since she was a woman she wouldn't have a chance, but she still fought for it.
Man-sik got up and walked towards the wide glass windows. Maybe if it had been 10 years ago he would have still held the same mindset, but now...
He bent his head down and looked at his weathered hands. He could change the lives of thousands with these very hands however... He'd never been able to even hug his grandchildren once with them.
Those kind of hands, even if they could pluck the stars, what was the point?...
***
Outside, Ha-Yoon had asked her bodyguards to leave and was sitting her back to her father's office door.
She could hear him suppressing his sobbing and each hiccup tore at her heart like a knife. Her parents had money and power, more money than they could ever spend and enough power to call the rain and clouds in Korea but... they were miserable.
Hearing the pitiful sounds of her father, Ha-Yoon felt her own eyes becoming blurry.
"Oppa... You idiot..." she muttered.
She waited until she had composed herself before getting up and leaving, a new resolve now fueling her.
She had made a decision. Since her parents were born on the same day, before their 65th anniversary, she would definitely let them hold their grandchildren.
Even if she had to resort to kidnapp- ahem, enticing them.
She made her way to the elevators where her bodyguards were waiting, and they took it to the entrance.
Wherever she walked, people would bow in deference, she was the daughter of the chairman but it'd been a long time since anyone had addressed her as such.
Getting out of the building, her chauffeur opened the car's door and respectfully greeted, "CEO."
She nodded, took a last peek at the building behind her and got in, "Let's go home."
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