FACE-OFF | PJM

Chapter 17

Joo Hyuk sighed, the memories of that time weighing on him. "That girl had ulterior motives, Jimin. She wasn't just an innocent young girl; her life was complicated. I'm not sure if she genuinely liked Taemin, but she was involved with another man, a married one. When your grandma discovered this, she couldn't allow Taemin to be with her. But because she was so protective of him, she didn't want to burden him with the truth. It was his first time falling in love, after all."

Jimin processed the information, trying to piece it all together. "So, Grandma wanted to handle it on her own?"

Joo Hyuk nodded. "Yes, she offered the girl money to leave Taemin. At first, it seemed like the girl agreed to leave him, but then she changed her mind. She claimed to be pregnant and said she couldn't abandon Taemin. Initially, she didn't know about Taemin's connection to the Park family, but once she found out, she refused to leave him. It became clear that she had ulterior motives. However, your grandma was a strong-willed woman, and she didn't give up easily. Taemin found out about this, and your grandma confined him to the house, not allowing him to leave."

Jimin's thoughts raced back to that period. "I remember Taemin asked me to find her and told her he wanted to take her away..."

"Did you find her?" Joo Hyuk inquired.

Jimin shook his head. "No, she had already moved out of her parents' place by then. After two days, she committed suicide. Taemin was devastated."

Jimin's gaze grew more intense. "Did Taemin know she was pregnant?"

"I can't say for certain, but I believe your grandmother suspected that the child wasn't Taemin's," Joo Hyuk explained.

Jimin furrowed his brow. "Do you know who the man with her was?"

Joo Hyuk shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't. You might want to speak with Uncle Wang; he served the Park family for many years and likely knows more about those events."

"Okay, I'll do that," Jimin replied.

After their conversation, Jimin checked the time and realized it was still early. He decided to drive to Uncle Wang's house. Since the Park residence had been taken over by Taemin, Uncle Wang had retired and now lived a quiet life, looking after his granddaughter. Jimin had visited him before when he returned from Singapore, but he hadn't asked about Taemin's first love during that visit.

After Jimin arrived at Uncle Wang's house, the old butler was initially startled but quickly composed himself. He nodded in acknowledgment. "Madame and Master asked me to handle those matters. I have a good memory, of course I know who it was."

Jimin leaned in, his curiosity piqued. "Who was it?"

Uncle Wang sighed and replied, "Park Jae Kyung."

"Park Jae Kyung?" Jimin repeated in surprise.

Uncle Wang continued, "Master thought it was an outrageous scandal because Taemin fell in love with Jae Kyung's mistress. She was only twenty at that time, and I heard she had been his mistress since she was around fifteen or sixteen. Jae Kyung is a dishonorable man, he likes to play around with younger girls. Yoona was just one of them."

Jimin's expression grew more solemn. "Dad said she was pregnant?"

Uncle Wang nodded gravely.

Jimin's brows furrowed as he absorbed this information. "Whose kid was it?"

Uncle Wang sighed sadly. "It was Jae Kyung's child."

Jimin's eyes widened in shock. "So it wasn't Taemin's?"

Uncle Wang nodded solemnly. "That was the reason your grandparents really opposed their relationship. Jae Kyung knew that Yoona had control over Taemin. Moreover, Master and Madame also intervened on this matter. He didn't want to go against them, so he just abandoned her. Then she put all her hope on Taemin, since it was her only choice left. But Taemin didn't know any of it; he thought she was innocent, but she actually wasn't. Master and Madame hid the truth from him because they didn't want to see him hurt by his first love. They preferred him to blame them instead."

Jimin was left speechless, trying to process the complexity of the situation and the pain that must have caused Taemin.

Jimin continued to press for answers, his curiosity mixed with a growing sense of sadness. "Since she had control over Taemin, then why did she commit suicide because of Grandma and Grandpa?"

-

A/N: Just a quick clarification for any confusion:

Uncle Wang worked as a loyal employee for Jimin's grandparents, so to him, the heads of the household were Jimin's grandparents.

"Master" referred to Jimin's Grandfather, who was the head of the Park family.

"Madame" was Jimin's Grandmother, the wife of the family's head, and a mistress of the household.

Joon Min, the young heir of the family, was affectionately known as the "little Master" because Grandma had high hopes for him. She even favored Joon Min more than Jimin, seeing him as the future of the Park family.

Park Joo Hyuk, Grandma's only son and Jimin's father, was commonly referred to as Mr. Park by the household staff, as they were mostly his parents' employees.

Jimin is also called Mr. Park. After Grandma's passing, Jimin assumed the role of the family's head, making him the master of the Park household. His wife, Y/N, was addressed as Mrs. Park and served as the mistress of the family.

Grandma held strong, old-fashioned beliefs regarding family background, especially when it came to the Park family's heirs, Joo Hyuk and Jimin. She was unwavering in her commitment to ensuring that the Park family remained the leading family in the city, and she had a strict preference for individuals with noble lineage. Y/N, being from a chaebol family, was a perfect match in Grandma's eyes.  The Song family had once been a powerful family before Y/N father's mismanagement led to its downfall.

However, Grandma had a soft spot for Taemin, who had endured hardships since childhood. This empathy for his difficult circumstances was the reason she allowed a girl from an ordinary family to date Taemin, making an exception to her strict family background criteria.

Indeed, Grandma's actions may have seemed ruthless, but she was driven by a deep sense of duty to protect and preserve her family's legacy and status. In her eyes, safeguarding the Park family's position was of utmost importance, and she was willing to take decisive actions to ensure that outcome.