It had been a week since Il Woo's encounter with Jisoo. The short meeting had left the thoughts inside his brain more jumbled than ever.
He glances over at the peaceful form of his sleeping wife and son.
He knew that doing the right thing would jeopardize the lives of two of the people he loved most in this world. His loving wife and young son who he had fought so hard to protect.
But at this point he knew that he couldn't hide everything any longer. He had owed the Kims too much. Jisoo had been willing to help his family even though they had been complete strangers. It was all thanks to her that Jaehyun was still alive.
She was Jaehyun's savior.
And he knew that he couldn't repay her by staying quiet. He was willing to sacrifice his life if it meant that he was doing the right thing. He no longer cared about what might happen to him and his family. He was indebted to Jisoo, and it was time that she knew the truth.
The truth about everything the night that her parents were murdered.
•••
Jisoo currently sat across from Il Woo. The CEO had only received a call from him that morning asking to meet with her.
Sensing the urgency in his voice, she agreed to meet and invited him over to her house.
Jennie was spending the day with Chaeyoung and Lisa. Despite her offering to stay with Jisoo, she had assured the younger that she would be fine on her own.
Jisoo glances up and notices how nervous Il Woo looked.
She clears her throat and urges him to speak.
Jisoo: You said you needed to tell me something. Is it related to my parents?
Il Woo nodded solemnly, feeling ashamed for all of his wrongdoings.
Il Woo: Before I start... I just want to say how deeply sorry I am towards you. I understand that after I finish, you will be angry, furious even. And I am willing to accept whatever you may choose to do with me.
Jisoo stares at the elder in confusion as she waits for him to continue.
Il Woo: I... I had wanted to tell you this a long time ago. But because I was afraid for my family's safety, I couldn't bring myself to.
Jisoo: Then what made you change your mind?
Il Woo let's out a deep sigh as he blinks back the tears that we're starting to form in his eyes.
Il Woo: I was already consumed with so much guilt before because of how much pain I had caused you and your family. There wasn't a single night where could go to bed without being haunted by nightmares. But after finding out that you were the one who had saved Jaehyun's life, I just couldn't bare to do you anymore harm.
Jisoo looks at the man before with pity. Although she didn't know what he had been lying to her about, she knew that no matter what it was, she wouldn't be able to hate him.
The man before her was only doing what he had to do in order to protect his family. He was no different from her.
Jisoo: Tell me what you wanted to tell me.
Il Woo wipes away the tears that had managed to trickle down his face as he recomposes himself.
Il Woo: It wasn't really Jennie's father that had killed your parents.
Jisoo: W-what?
Il Woo: It's true. He was also just a puppet used in Seungri's evil plans.
Jisoo took a moment in order to process everything she had just heard. She couldn't decide if whether she should believe the elder man's words. For the past few months her life had been an entire rollercoaster.
She had been told from one thing, to the next, to end up finding out that it had been a lie. Who was she supposed to believe. All of it was driving her mind to insanity.
Jisoo: Tell me the whole story. Why didn't Jiyong deny killing my parents when I had confronted him? Why did he accept all of my accusations?
Il Woo: Because he too was fooled into thinking that he did kill your parents that day.
Jisoo: I don't understand.
Il Woo: On the day of the accident, Seungri had planned out a conversation that was intended for Jiyong to hear. Without knowing the full details he had rushed off to warn your parents about Seungri's plans. However the reason your parents had driven off the cliff that day wasn't because of Jiyong. It was because Seungri had ordered someone to destroy the brakes on their car—
Jisoo: Which was intended to make it seem like it was Jiyong who forced them to drive off the cliff.
Il Woo nodded.
Il Woo: And because Jiyong didn't know that there was a problem with the brakes on your parents' car, he too had thought that he had killed them. It was all perfectly planned out by Seungri.
Jisoo looked up towards the ceiling to stop her tears from falling. Her fists clenched tightly as her whole body shook with anger.
With a resentful scream she slammed her fist onto the table, breaking the glass in the process.
Il Woo gasped at the result of Jisoo's injured hand.
It was covered in blood with glass shards from the table still embedded into her fingers. But despite the mess of it all, the latter's face remains emotionless.
Il Woo: Jisoo... your hand...
Jisoo ignored the elder man's worry and looked up into his tired eyes.
Jisoo: Will you... help me take down Seungri?
Il Woo remained silent in which Jisoo took it as him refusing her offer.
Jisoo: I promise you, that I will do everything in my power to ensure yours as well as your wife's and Jaehyun's safety. I need to stop Seungri, but I can't do it alone.
The elder man stared at Jisoo with sorrow filled eyes before breaking down into a crying mess.
Il Woo: How can you still trust me...? After everything that I've done to you...
Jisoo returns the elder a warm smile before placing a comforting hand on his.
Jisoo: Because I understand why you did it. At the end of the day we're both only doing the best that we can to try and protect those we love. I can't blame you for lying to me when I would do the same exact thing for Jennie.
At Jisoo's words, Il Woo completely broke down. In tears of guilt and gratitude. He took a hold of Jisoo's grasped hand and held it tightly in his own before giving her an assured nod.
Il Woo: you have my full cooperation Jisoo-shi. Just let me know what I need to do.
•••
When Jennie came home that night, she was met with Jisoo's huddled figure upon the couch.
Saddened by the sight, she makes her way over and wrapped her arms around her wife before giving her a soft kiss.
Her attention suddenly shifted towards Jisoo's injured hand that was now wrapped with a bandage.
She releases a gasp as she gently caresses Jisoo's hand.
Jennie: Jisoo what happened to your hand?!
Jisoo shook her head as she tries to reassure Jennie.
Jisoo: I'm fine Jendeuk-ah. Just a little injury.
Jennie ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
Jennie: I'm tired of that Jisoo! You're not fine! God damn it, you're dying! And... and I can't do anything about it! So for once in your life could you just let me worry about you?! You're always there for me when I needed you, but yet you always shut me out when you're hurting.
Jennie reaches for Jisoo's injured hand.
Jennie: Please don't shut me anymore Jisoo-ah. Let me be there for you like you've always been there for me.
Jisoo remains silent as her head drops down to look at Jennie's hand placed on hers. Slowly she gives the latter a gentle squeeze signaling her compliance.
Jisoo: My hand hurts. And it was bleeding a lot too.
The older girl glances up at Jennie and looks into her eyes.
Jisoo: Can you please re-bandage it for me Jennie-ah?
Jennie gazes at Jisoo softly as she tenderly picks up the latter's hand and nodded her head. The younger girl gets up to go grab the first aid kit.
She returns a few moments later and settles back down next to Jisoo.
It only took a couple of minutes for Jennie to fix up and bandage Jisoo's poorly treated hand. As she finished, she lifts the older's hand up and gives a soft kiss.
Jennie: All better.
Jisoo returns Jennie a grateful smile as she tucks a strand of hair behind the latter's ear.
Jisoo: Thanks Jendeuk-ah.
Jennie smiles and looks down as she looks at her's and Jisoo's grasped hands. After a while, she glances back towards Jisoo.
Jennie: What happened during the meeting Jisoo? How did you hurt your hand?
Jisoo lifts her head up to meet her eyes with Jennie's worried ones, and gives her a small smile of comfort
Jisoo: It went well.
Jennie scrunches her face up in confusion at Jisoo's reply.
Jennie: Then why are you so sad Chu? Your hand too?
Jisoo heaves out a sigh as she blinks away her tears.
Jisoo: It's because I was angry at myself. We've wronged your father Jennie-ah. He wasn't the one who killed my parents... It was all a lie. Seungri... he-he played us all.
Seeing Jennie's disbelieved expression, Jisoo went on and explained everything that had been discussed between her and Il Woo.
At the end of the story, Jennie was left with fresh tears of happiness brimming within her eyes.
Jennie: So... my dad is... innocent?
Jisoo nodded.
Jennie smiles, a real smile filled with happiness. She bursts into tears of joy at the revelation that her father was not the murderer of Jisoo's parents.
However, her smile eventually fades at the sight of Jisoo's guilt ridden face.
She reaches for Jisoo's hand and intertwined it with hers.
Jennie: None of it was you fault Chu. You didn't know.
Jisoo shook her head.
Jisoo: Even if it is so. I still wrongfully accused your father. I... I almost killed him Jennie. I almost killed your father.
Jennie: And I'm sure that my father will understand. He too was fooled into thinking that he had killed your parents remember? It's not your fault. I still love you.
Jisoo glances at Jennie with a pair of broken eyes. A pair of eyes that had been through so much in her life. It broke Jennie's heart to see the strong willed and cheerful Jisoo look so lost and broken.
She scoots in closer to her wife and wrapped her arms around the older girl.
Jennie: I love you Jisoo. I should've said it before, but I do love you. I love you so much, and nothing you do could ever change that.
Jisoo smiles as she leans down to give Jennie a kiss on her head.
Jisoo: I love you too Jennie.
•••
Il Woo turned on the recorder in his phone before making his way into Seungri's office, his script already carefully rehearsed.
Seungri spins around in his chair at the sound of the door. He smiles widely as he comes face to face with Il Woo.
Seungri: Il Woo-ah! So good to see you! You've come bearing useful information to me I hope.
Without hesitation, Il Woo immediately spoke.
Il Woo: It seems as though we were wrong about Kim Jisoo. She doesn't fully know the truth about your crimes, she was only suspecting you of them, hence the hidden camera. The girl still believes that Jiyong was the one who killed her parents.
Seungri nodded along as he listened to Il Woo talk. Once the younger man was finished, Seungri raises a questioning brow at him.
Seungri: You are a hundred percentt sure that she has no idea?
Il Woo nodded.
Il Woo: From your illegal dealings to you being the real murderer of her parents, Jisoo knows nothing of it.
Seungri: And the documents I ordered you to find?
Il Woo: Those were all destroyed 4 years ago as you had requested. There was none that I could find.
Seungri glances up as he nodded approvingly towards Il Woo.
Seungri: I'm glad that you have come to your senses and finally cooperate with me Il Woo. You see this makes both of our jobs easier?
Il Woo releases a disgusted scoff.
Il Woo: I am only doing this for the sake of my family.
Seungri waves off the younger man's words as he rises from his seat. He makes his way to the door before opening it wide open and gestures for Il Woo to leave.
Seungri: That will be all Il Woo. You are free to go. Rest assured I will keep my promise and leave your family out of it.
Il Woo gazes at Seungri suspiciously as he tries to figure out what the latter was planning. He didn't know if whether he could trust the CEO's words. Slowly, he rises from his seat and walks towards the door.
Turning towards Seungri, Il Woo spares him one last glance before making his way out of the office. As soon as Il Woo had disappeared out of sight, Seungri smiles to himself before slamming the door shut.
He makes his way towards his desk as he picks up his phone and calls for Hanbin to come in. Now that he was sure that Jisoo knows nothing of his crimes, he must get rid of everything that can lead her to suspect him once again. And in order for him to do that, he must get rid of Kim Jiyong once and for all.