Hyunjin called his uncle to my house, he told him he needed to sort some matters for the wedding. His uncle accepted to come, although he sounded hesitatant on the phone.
He arrived within 20 minutes, seems like he was working some things out at the company.
He eyed me suspiciously, but I don't think he knows who I am, since he never saw me before. He lives in the US, taking care of the other company, and before that, he lived with Hyunjin's mother there, maybe he's heard my name, but doesn't know my face. He came for the wedding only.
"Uncle, please sit down."
"Hyunjin, I think your wedding and business matters need to be discussed in private." He said, looking at me.
"No need, she can stay." Hyunjin sat in front of him, I stood by the stairs, but close enough. We had a plan.
"Okay then." Still looking at me, "what is it?"
"It's been long since mom passed away."
"In deed, I miss her." He sighed. This guy could get an acting award actually.
"You told me she was ill, right?"
"She had cancer."
"What type of cancer?"
"Lungs."
"Advanced?"
"Yes."
"How come nobody told me before?"
"What do you mean?"
"I never got to say goodbye to her. You called me when she was already gone."
"She didn't want you to worry about her, since she was absent for three years, she thought you'd be upset with her for that."
"Why would she think that only for three years? We were together for 16 years before she left, and everything was fine."
"What's your point?"
"I'm just curious, she never called me during the years she was gone, only sent money. Nobody ever told me she was sick, and I couldn't say goodbye."
"Hyunjin, I'm so sorry we kept that from you, but it was her request."
I noticed the man was moving excessively, nervous, throughout the conversation. He couldn't stay still, his hands especially. He couldn't help but to look at me from time to time, and look everywhere around him.
"I have a request for you, uncle."
"Anything, tell me."
"Call her right now, I want to speak with her."
His face changed immediately. He was even trying to tear up before, but as soon as that sentence left Hyunjin's mouth, he frowned.
"Hyunjin, are you okay?"
"I'm totally fine." Hyunjin leaned closer to the table, and took out his phone, sliding it all the way to his uncle. "Dial her number."
"Hyunjin, she's not-"
"I know she's alive."
Now his uncle's expression changed to fear and nervousness, his hands were trembling, and he couldn't look at Hyunjin in the eyes. He was tearing up, but those tears were pure guilt.
"S-she p-passed a-awa-"
"Stop lying." Hyunjin slammed his hands on the table, standing up.
"Why? You're her brother. What did you do to her?" He sat again, trying to calm himself down. I still didn't move.
"I- I can't." His uncle cried.
"Uncle, I'm giving you a chance to tell me without doing anything. You tell me and I'll keep you out of it, I promis-"
"I'm sorry!" He cried out loud. "I had to protect my family!"
Hyunjin frowned at him, then looked at me confused. I took a step closer, and became part of the conversation.
"Sir, if you tell us, we'll keep you safe from anything."
"I don't even know who you are!" He yelled at me.
"She's with me." Hyunjin grabbed my hand with his.
His uncle looked at me once again, and frowned.
"You're that girl..."
"What girl?" Hyunjin asked.
"The one your father wanted to keep you away from."
"My father can't decide who I'm with."
"Your father has always decided over others, hasn't he." He lowered his head.
"Uncle, we're deviating from the main topi-"
"I'll tell you." He said, defeated. We both sat down, and listened to him.
"Four years ago, your mom told me she was coming to America to work on a business opening over there. I gladly offered her my home, she stayed with us.
Everything seemed to be running great, she was an amazing businesswoman. Within 2 months, she managed to establish the actual company."
"Wait... so the company existed over there before I arrived?" Hyunjin frowned.
"That's...right. Your father told you another story, right?"
Hyunjin nodded.
"That man... no one ever liked him. Your mother was the only one who thought he had something special. I don't know if she tried to change him within the years, but nobody in the family wanted her to marry him."
"Anyways" his uncle continued,
"One night, I overheard your mom fighting with him on the phone. They were discussing the earnings from the new company, along with some other business matters. Seems like your mom had a different vision of the company than your dad.
She said something about giving it a different approach, but he disagreed. You may think that a company that sells jewelry can't be that complex, but it is.
Their fights became regular, almost every night. There were days were they fought day and night. Eventually, she said she didn't want to run the business anymore, to which he reacted euphoric. That was all his plan, to move her out of the way, since her vision was different from his.
However, she worked so hard for everything, that she wasn't planning on leaving empty handed. She told your father she'd take half of the earnings, as if it wasn't for her, the company wouldn't have succeeded abroad. She wanted that money for you, so you could use it to study and accomplish what ever you wanted. At first, her dream was for you to run the company with her, but after seeing what you father really behaved like, she regretted it, so she wished for you to do something else."
I noticed how Hyunjin started to get angry at his father. That man is seriously awful, and he took away from Hyunjin what he loved the most.
"But how come mom didn't contact me during those years? And my dad kept blaming me because she didn't come back." Hyunjin said.
"Those were lies.
Your mother's plan was to go back to you, and divorce. She wanted to take you away and live the two of you only.
Your father had contacts everywhere, so he found out about that eventually. But it wasn't because of you guys leaving that he got angry, it was because of the money she said it belonged to her.
He didn't want to share the money. He wanted to take full control of it, but your mother opposed every single time."
"So...?"
"So... he threatened me and my family."
"What for?"
"He told me to kick her out of my house, and to secretly sell all her belongings. I had to throw away her passport, her documents, and all the money related, give it to him.
I will never in my life forget the look she gave me the day I told her she had to leave, and the face the made when she realized all of her things were gone.
Of course I refused at first, but your father threatened to hurt my wife and kids, if I didn't do as he told me, and I didn't want anything happening to whom I cherish and love the most."
Hyunjin looked at me, as if he felt those words for me, as if I was the one person he treasured the most.
"Uncle... where is she? Where did she go?"
"She lives in New York."
"How come she never reached me..."
"Your father threatened her as well."
"How?"
"He told her never to comeback, or to reach you. And if she did, he'd hurt you too. And that was it for her, since you're her entire life. Believe me, Hyunjin, she's trying to protect you from him."
"And I assume you told me she passed away for me not to look for her..."
"That's another thing I was threatened for. Your father has my whole family terrorized. I'm so sorry, Hyunjin, I'm so deeply sorry, for lying."
Hyunjin stood up abruptly, but put a hand on his uncle's shoulder.
"Thank you, for telling me truth. This will help me a lot."
"For what?"
"To confront him. I'm quitting the company, and most importantly" he grabbed my hand once again, "I'm not marrying."
"Uncle, leave, leave right now. Don't say anything to anybody, pick your things without him noticing and leave, go back to your family, to mom too.
I'll make sure to fix this, and I'm sorry for everything that man has done to you."
His uncle stood up, convinced to do as Hyunjin said.
"One more thing" Hyunjin stopped him.
"Tell mom to wait for me."
His uncle smiled, apologized again to him, and left.
"You got it?" He asked me.
"I did, but I don't know how are we going to use this without troubling your uncle." I took out my phone and stopped recording.
"Don't worry, he said my father threatened him several times, so he won't be guilty of anything." He said as I handed him my phone.
"I'm going to end all of this now."