The Sweetest Thing

Miracle vs. Threat

**disclaimer: may include inaccuracies regarding family laws etc.
**cw: mention of de*th

The mood has completely made a turn now that Joshua, Jeonghan, Jeonghan's mother, and a new gentleman are in the private office of Jeonghan's mother. The happy noise that could be heard at the veranda of their restaurant previously has long been silenced. There is not a single person who wants to start the conversation - each trying to gauge and grasp the situation.

Jeonghan's mother was seated in her chair hands both clasped while leaning in front of his table, head lowered and eyes closed. Across her standing upright is the new guy that seeked for her to have a private conversation. Standing there in a suit, hair gelled back neatly, one could tell that this is a person in a position of authority. Finally, the two friends are seated at the couch located at the right side of the office, avoiding any eye contact with the guy, still holding hands and trying to be as close to one another. They were neither looking at Jeonghan's mother nor the guy.

The man cleared his throat that made all the people in the room looked at him. If he was clearly asking for attention, he definitely succeeded.

"I think we have been waiting for quite a little while on who's going to start talking so let me break the ice for all of you..."

"Now, I won't beat around the bush but let me introduce myself first." The new guy fixed his necktie in a manner like he wants to intimidate the people in the room. "My name is Jerome Kim, Executive Assistant of Mr. Antonio Hong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hong Empire, Inc."

The mention of the surname and the company confirmed Joshua's worries since this guy's arrival. This made him weak in the knees even when he's sitting down. He even grasped Jeonghan's hand tighter which the latter has understood.

Knowing the situation in the minutes to come, he caressed his thumb over Joshua's hand to somehow ease and calm him down. Although Jeonghan himself knows what's going to happen, he doesn't want to look fazed, especially when he knows his friend needs him the most right now. While he is wary of the guy's presence, he doesn't let himself get intimidated by him. He just continued to listen to what he has furthermore to say.

"So as you may have known, one of your guests, Mrs. Elizabeth Hong, legal wife of Chairman Hong, has already left this hotel, leaving behind an almost a week's worth of lodging and meal charges. She also irresponsibly left here her son, Joshua Hong, without any prior notice. Should you be interested, we will assist you in finding her location as soon as possible to have her be punished under the law. However, to relieve you from all that stress, Chairman Hong, in the goodness of his heart, would like to pay everything that Mrs. Hong and Young Master Joshua has spent during their stay here until today.

Disgusting, Joshua thought.

He hasn't seen his father yet, but the way his assistant talks in front of him and how he speaks so highly of him doesn't impress him. Rather he's starting to feel more obnoxious at the thought of him. Still he doesn't react because he doesn't want to miss any details presented by assistant.

"And at the same time after paying all the debts that the Chairman's wife, or ex-wife rather, has incurred, I have been instructed to fetch Young Master Joshua here and bring him back home to his rightful place in Hong Residences," the executive assistant turned his attention to Joshua upon mentioning this.

"His father had not seen him ever since he was taken away by his mom. He has searched for long and now that we finally found him, he'd like to bring him back home, where he truly belongs."

At this point, Joshua could not take it. He stood up, freed up his hands from Jeonghan's and curled them both in a clenched fist.

"Stop with all these pretense! My mother left my dad cause he was horrible. And I need not to know him to confirm this truth. You're saying my father has searched for me? He never really wanted me. He just want to get back at my mom to get a revenge from leaving him. Stop lying and tell me where my mom is!"