"I am Hye Kyo, the daughter-in-law of the chairman of Kim Corp. If you are still unfamiliar with who I am, let me introduce to you my other identity: I am the mother of Jennie. Today, I stand before you because I have something I want to say."
"It seems the rumors are true. The Kim Family really does have big news to reveal..."
"If she is the daughter-in-law, then that must mean she is the rumored mistress."
"Wasn't it revealed previously that Jennie's mother is a mistress?"
The reporters below the stage were deep in discussion because the secret that was about to be revealed had sparked their interests. After all, Jennie was involved.
Jennie had gone from being a model to an actress and every step took place in front of the media. Even today, she was still the center of attention even though her mother was the one that was standing in front of everyone.
"I've been called a mistress for many years now, so over time I've already gotten used to this nickname. I've always felt that keeping a secret for the sake of a loved one is worth it because everyone has their own story. But, I've recently realized, by accepting this fate, I've brought a whole world of pain to my daughter."
"She debuted at 17-years-old and has never asked the Kim Family for a cent. As a result, she went through many struggles to get to where she is today. But recently, because of me, she has had to feel shame; I feel extremely sorry towards her," Hye Kyo said in seriousness as she tried her best to magnify her voice so everyone could hear it.
"In that case Ms. Hye Kyo, are you here to make an apology?" one of the female reporters immediately asked.
"No, I'm not here to apologize..."
"I'm here to clarify something."
"Because if I don't speak up now, there is no guarantee that my daughter won't continue to be schemed against."
As soon as these words left her mouth, the media were in shock.
It was too obvious what she was referring to; it seemed, she knew who the culprit behind Jennie's recent accident was.
"It sounds like you know who planned the accident on the set of 'Hidden Expert'."
"Oh my God..."
"I know who it is, but I have no evidence. So, the only other thing I can do is stand before you all today and tell you I am no mistress..." As Hye Kyo spoke, her voice trembled. "Today, I will be revealing the entire truth."
"My husband's first wife was not the heiress of Zhongheng Enterprise, Liang Fengqing. His first wife was..." At this moment, Hye Kyo was interrupted by her friend. She had received a phone call from Elder Kim.
"Do you want to pick it up?"
Hye Kyo looked at the media and back at her friend. In order to prevent herself from backing out, she stood firmly on the stage. Just before she picked up the phone, she said to the media, "Please wait two minutes while I take an important phone call."
She then picked up the phone and greeted Elder Kim.
"Hye Kyo, I heard about the press conference you are holding."
"Father, sorry...but Nancy has hurt Jennie too badly this time. I can no longer tolerate it. I must let Jennie know that the three siblings are the actual children of a mistress. Jennie and I have endured too much, I don't want to endure anymore..."
"I won't blame you. If you want to reveal it, then go ahead, I also want to hear about it," Elder Kim replied in a low voice. "I simply hope that you won't say it in a way where it would hurt the other two innocent children."
"If not for them two, I would have announced it long ago." After speaking, Hye Kyo hung up the phone and handed it back to her friend. She then continued what she was doing, "Sorry everyone, let's continue."
To help the reporters better understand the situation, Hye Kyo gave a brief update on the status of the Kim Family. The Kim Family had always kept their secrets tightly under wraps, so the media had no interest in them until recently when Jennie was revealed as the child of a mistress.
"How do you plan to prove your innocence, today?"
"I can't believe a mistress won't admit to being a mistress!"
"Liang Fengqing isn't even around anymore. No matter what you say, you can't verify it!"
The reporters bombarded her with doubt.
These words were perhaps the same thoughts that were running through Nancy's mind. She definitely thought Hye Kyo was shameless. How dare she talk so loudly in front of the media without feeling embarrassed.
"Who said there's no way to verify it?" Hye Kyo pulled out an old marriage certificate, a family photo and a few small items from her bag. She then showed each one to the media, "This here, clearly shows the time and date that I got married to Joong-ki. And here, this shows when he married Liang Fengqing. As you can see, I married Joong-ki 6 years prior to her."
"I also want to reveal that Nancy is not the eldest grandchild of the Kim Family. In fact, I also had a son: Jennie's older brother, who unfortunately passed away from Pneumonia at the age of two."
"All of you must be curious how and why Joong-ki married two women, right?"
"It was because, at the time that we first met, my grandfather started him off as an entry-level staff for training. When we first met, I had no idea of his true identity. We ended up getting married on impulse without notifying our parents."
"However, my life turned into a nightmare after my son died. I was suffering from so much grief that I was often ill. During this time, Joong-ki secretly met with Liang Fengqing and had two children with her. He then intended on getting a divorce with me, but then, I suddenly fell pregnant with Jennie."
"After giving birth to Jennie, I discovered he had been having an affair. So, that was when we officially filed for a divorce." After speaking, Hye Kyo pulled out some divorce papers. Again, the date and time were clearly marked.
"A while after our divorce, Liang Fengqing ended up passing away while giving birth to her third child. At this time, Joong-ki suggested for Jennie to reunite with her family. So, for the sake of my daughter, we ended up moving into the Kim Family home."
"However, it was only afterwards that I discovered...I had suddenly become known as a mistress..."
"It turned out, while Joong-ki was maintaining a marriage with me and pretending to be a poor entry-level worker, he had held a fancy wedding with Liang Fengqing using his wealthy identity. And it was only after we got divorced that they officially got registered."
"This is the reason why Nancy is 29-years-old, but her parents haven't even been married for 25 years."
"Joong-ki begged me not to reveal the truth because he didn't want his other three children to realize their father was a jerk. So, to prevent them from getting hurt, I ended up enduring all the misunderstanding."
"I thought, as husband and wife, it was best to cherish what we had. Everyone makes mistakes at some point in their lives, but no matter how big a mistake he made, it was already in the past. But, only now do I realize I can't ignore the pain my daughter has suffered..."
"She is a legitimate child!"
"Jennie did not marry Lisa as a mistress' daughter!"
...
At this moment in time, faced with the dirty reporters and the black hole of cameras, Hye Kyo laid her 20 plus years of secrets on the table.
She was no longer afraid of being embarrassed.
Between her daughter and husband, she had already chosen the wrong side for too many years. Now was the time to put everything back in order.
"I hope the media can stop insulting my daughter by calling her the daughter of a mistress. I, Hye Kyo, am the legitimate wife of Joong-ki, and my daughter Jennie is his legitimate child."
"If you are still doubtful, I can lend you the evidence...none of this can be forged."
"I would also like to make a vow. From now on, I won't let anyone hurt my daughter again."
The media snapped frantically at the stage with their cameras; they wanted to capture every little detail of Hye Kyo's facial expressions.
Who would have thought, the Kim Family had such a scandal.
And who would have thought, this was the true story behind Jennie's birth...
As for Hye Kyo, no one expected she'd finally reveal all her husband's wrongdoings for the sake of her daughter...
"Ms. Hye Kyo, by making this revelation today, are you not afraid someone will come looking for revenge?"
Faced with the reporter's question, Hye Kyo sneered as she wiped her tears and replied, "The fact that I am standing here in front of you today means that I was already prepared for the family to fall apart. I want my daughter to stand tall and proud. From now on, no matter if she's walking on the runway or acting in a film, she can hold her head high knowing her mother has never done anything shameless."
"Revenge? As long as my daughter leads a good life, I'm not afraid of revenge."
"So, thank you everyone for attending today."
After hearing her response, the reporters broke out in discussions.
"The internal battle in the Kim Family must be so bad that Jennie's situation has forced Ms. Hye Kyo to speak up."
"When Jennie fell, I thought it had something to do with competition within the industry. But, if it was actually done by someone in the Kim Family, I can understand why Ms. Hye Kyo decided to step out and protect her daughter. After all, this incident could have taken her life."
"That's right! In fact, this Ms. Hye Kyo has been much too generous and forgiving. If it was me, I could never endure so much for the sake of someone else's children, let alone push my own daughter away."
"Regardless, the truth has now been revealed and everyone knows Jennie is the truly legitimate child. It seems, Ms. Hye Kyo will need to be cautious of revenge from both the Kim and Liang family now."
Revenge...
She wasn't afraid of revenge.
In this lifetime, Joong-ki betrayed her once and she betrayed him back, so weren't they even?
"Hye Kyo, I never knew you had it so tough," her friend sighed as she patted her on the shoulder, "It's good that you've revealed everything. I'm sure Jennie will understand..."
After revealing everything, Hye Kyo felt like her heart had been torn out of her chest. She didn't know how she ended up leaving the stage, she simply saw Joong-ki appear at the doorway of the hall. But...as soon as their eyes meet, she looked away.
She didn't want the Kim Family no more, she just wanted her daughter...
The two women quickly left the hall and headed to their room with the assistance of security. However, as soon as the door closed, Hye Kyo emotionally collapsed.
"Keeping this secret for so many years has really been tough on you," her friend comforted as she wrapped her arms around her and gently patted her on back. "Since you've already made your decision, you should continue moving forward bravely. Things aren't so bad, you still have your daughter and your son-in-law."
"Let me go wash my face..." Hye Kyo pulled away from her friend's embrace and stumbled into the bathroom. Even though her friend was worried, she knew she had to give her some personal space and time to recover.
However, 10 minutes passed, but the bathroom door remained closed...
Her friend hesitated for a moment before she decided to get up and check on the situation. But suddenly, a succession of frantic knocks echoed through the room, followed by Jennie's voice...
"Auntie Xiao, open the door..."
Xiao Jie was in shock as she ran straight to the door and opened it.
In the doorway stood Lisa and Jennie. They were both so tall that people couldn't help but look up at them.
"Your mother's been in the bathroom for a while. I am a little worried."
Jennie took a glance at the man behind her and Lisa quickly responded by giving Jisoo a phone call. 2 minutes later, the hotel manager appeared with a room card and handed it to Jennie.
Jennie used the card to open the bathroom door and entered. As soon as she walked in, she saw Hye Kyo sitting beside the bathtub. She almost broke down in tears if not for the man behind her giving her strength.
"Mom..." Jennie called softly.
Hearing this, Hye Kyo slowly glanced over. As soon as she saw Jennie, tears rolled out of her eyes, "You're finally willing to call me that."
Jennie slowly walked over to Hye 6 and knelt down in front of her. She then held her icy cold hands, "I've been a bad daughter."
"No, you haven't done anything wrong. You've remembered everything your mother has taught you." Hye Kyo took a deep breath. She had missed her daughter; she had wished to hear her call her 'mom' for a very long time.
"Then, let's not speak of this again. What's in the past is in the past. From now on, let's live happily together."
"No...I still need to help you get back what you deserve," Hye Kyo shook her head in refusal. Originally, she had already made a decision to do the worst thing she could, but if she was to disappear forever, who was to control the people from the K Family? "You are a legitimate child of the Kim Family, you don't need to lower your head to anybody. Mom was too selfish in the past. As a result, you were put through so many years of pain."
"Now, I've thought everything over clearly."
"I no longer plan to avoid the Kim Family. In fact, I will take back everything that belongs to us."
"You like to act, right? Continue doing what you're doing. As long as you and Lisa are happy, mom will be happy." Hye Kyo cupped her hands around Jennie's face and continued, "If Nancy wants to harm you, mom won't allow it. So...I will become the head of the Kim Family home!"
"I was too weak in the past. From now on, I will protect you..."
In the midst of this moment, Jennie felt like she had been punched in the heart.
Over the years, she had never been nice to her mother. Who would have thought that she had suffered so much.
"But..."
"This is your mother's decision. As her daughter, you should respect it," Lisa pulled Jennie into his arms and wrapped her in his warm embrace, "She has her own wishes to fulfill..."
"Lisa's right," Hye Kyo wiped away her tears and stood up. She then took a couple steps towards Jennie and Lisa and declared, "From now on, you not only have your husband. You also have mom."
Jennie's tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her mother. As for Lisa, he found himself wrapping his long arms around the two women.
"That's enough. How old are you? If the media catches you crying like this, your image will be destroyed...after that, no matter how good your films are, no one will watch it," Hye Kyo teased.
"Jennie, mom feels safe leaving you in the hands of Lisa, but there is one important thing I haven't done yet." As she spoke these words, her eyes looked confident and firm.
She had finally understood something.
To truly protect Jennie and allow her to do what she enjoyed, she had no choice but to fight for power within the family.
Nancy: the true daughter of a mistress. It was time for her to step down from the position of Acting President!
"Elder Kim just called. He asked you all to return to the Kim Family home," Xiao Jie said to the trio as she stepped into the doorway of the bathroom.