March 2014, Damyang
Fragrance of jasmine flowers spread across the garden made the one watering plants dizzy with happiness. The warm breeze, tethering of small butterflies and bright sunny day marked the beginning of summer.
Park Heejin, who happily watered her beloved plants, looked around the garden with a smile of satisfaction on her face. It was the garden she grew herself, every leaf on that land was brought up like a child by Heejin.
"Oh, what is that rumbling there? Did a cat walk into the shrubs??", a sudden movement in the thick jasmine plantation nearby, made her curious. Heejin walked there, peeping inside those dark green shrubs. She stretched her hand inside, and a warm skin feeling made her take back the hand quickly. But determined, she again reached her hand inside and this time, pulled out the trespassers out of the shrubs. Heejin shocked at the look of that child, around 10-12 year old little boy, covered in bruises all over his skin. His scattered dry hair, red swollen eyes, ripped dirty clothes broke her heart into pieces. Although she pitied his condition for a moment, she was also stunned at his sparkling black eyes telling her, that he had experienced the worst in his life and yet survived all along
"Are you hungry, dear?" Heejin's voice was soft with concern as she extended a hand of kindness.
Will you allow me to help you wash up before eating?", the kind hearted lady asked him patting on his head. He looked at her in disbelief, it was first time ever he had heard that sweet tone, first time ever someone asked for his permission.
"Hmmm!", he nodded again with joy.
"Come with me", Park Heejin held his shoulders firmly and took that child inside her bungalow. She made him sit in the guest bathroom, lowly helped him wash himself up with lukewarm water and soap. Dried his drenched hair with towel, and cleaned his wounds using antiseptics, covered them with bandaids.
Park Heejin, cooked simple porridge for him, knowing that he's been hungry for a long time and couldn't digest any heavily seasoned food. Her long brown hair flowed down her waist as she worked in the kitchen, being stared by that little boy sitting at the dining table.
"Why are you staring at my hair?, she chuckled.
"It looks similar to my mother...", the poor child replied.
"How could she leave you alone like this? Where is she?", Heejin asked as she placed the bowl of porridge on the dining table.
That boy remained silent for a few minutes, not uttering a single word, looking blankly at the bowl of steaming porridge.
He picked up the spoon slowly, and ate his first meal in a while. Tears flowed down his eyes which still remained blank, he touched the wet face with his fingertips, first time experiencing what it meant to be happy and devastated at the same time
Curiosity piqued, Heejin gently probed, "Where is she? Why did she leave you alone like this?"
For a moment, silence hung heavy in the air as the boy grappled with his emotions, his gaze fixed on the steaming bowl before him.
With a solemn nod, he began to eat, tears mingling with his meal—a poignant blend of happiness and sorrow.
"Are you crying, dear? Is the food not to your liking?" Heejin's concern was palpable, her own emotions stirred by the boy's tears.
"No, everything tastes wonderful when you've been hungry for so long," he replied softly, his words tinged with gratitude.
As Heejin observed the boy, she couldn't help but contrast his presence with the absence of her own son, Hangyul, who had remained distant despite her efforts to reach him. Now, with her husband gone and her mother-in-law departed to Jinhae, she found solace in the company of this unexpected guest.
"Do you like this house?", she asked eyeing him in curiosity.
"Do they call this building a house?", he replied back.
Heejin chuckled at his innocent face, "Yes, wanna stay here with me, if you have nowhere to go?"
That little child, who had never seen this kind of building from inside, was covered with wounds and dirt a while ago, now after looking at himself, experiencing a moment of happiness first time in his life, didn't hesitate for a second to nod his head in 'Yes'.
"Great!! Let's start with your name first!! What is your name, dear?", Heejin clapped her hands in joy.
'Name'... what is that... he remembers that few friends he played with, when he was a three-four year old child, had their own names... whereas, his own mother never called him by any name... she never really talked to him... he faintly remembered her calling him as the misfortune of her life... until now he never thought about having a name... anyways he didn't go to the school like normal children... why would he need a name? His father, from whom he had escaped, never even bothered to name him... why would he...
"Don't know...", he said and remained quiet for a long time.
Heejin's heart broke looking at his sad face, his lost eyes, not even knowing his own identity.
"That's not an issue, I'll name you."
"I like one name though... but someone already has the same..."
"It's okay, many people can have the same name. Tell me, what is it?"
"Siwoo"
"Surname?"
"My father's surname is Hong..."
"Good. From today, your name is Hong Siwoo. Don't forget it. I'll register it soon.", Heejin took away the empty bowl from Siwoo's side and walked inside the kitchen smiling at him.
"Why are you helping me?", he asked with innocent eyes
"I'm not helping you... I'm a bit selfish... trying to run away from my loneliness...", Heejin said smiling with a tiny of sadness flashing in her eyes
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July 2017, Damyang
"How was your monthly evaluation, Siwoo? You seem to enjoy working with this tutor," Heejin remarked, flipping through her adopted son's test papers.
Hong Siwoo had been home tutored since the age of twelve, having never set foot inside a traditional school. Despite this, his exceptional talent and rapid cognitive abilities propelled him through the curriculum at an astonishing pace. Within just three years, he had advanced to the level of high school studies. Park Heejin, who had taken in the homeless child, sometimes found herself daunted by his extraordinary intellect. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was nurturing something formidable, something dark... She had witnessed his bouts of violence, yet there was an enigmatic allure about him that drew her affection like a magnet. She longed to shower him with all the maternal love she possessed, and Siwoo, in turn, seemed to reciprocate that love a hundredfold.
During one of his biology lessons, when the tutor delved into various taxonomic classifications, Heejin had casually mentioned her fondness for Geumgang bell flowers, lamenting that she had never had the opportunity to cultivate them in her garden due to their rarity. Without hesitation, her son vanished for two days, leaving Heejin in a panic, only to return with an uprooted plant of her favorite flowers. In a fit of anger and worry, Heejin scolded him for his recklessness, berating him for risking his own safety. Yet, as she held him tightly in her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks, she failed to notice the blood trickling from the roots of the plant...
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February 2019, Seoul International Airport
Seoul International Airport
"Are you sure you'll take good care of yourself, Mother?" Siwoo's concern for his mother weighed heavily on his mind as he prepared to depart for his further studies in Australia.
"Of course, dear! I'll go live with your grandmother in Yangyang," Heejin reassured him, her smile masking the pang of sadness in her heart. She watched her son, dressed in the brown leather jacket she had personally customized for him, preparing to embark on this new chapter of his life.
"She's your mother-in-law, not my grandmother. She's always seen me as nothing more than a street dog," Siwoo remarked bitterly as he shouldered his bag, readying himself for emigration.
"What does it matter what she thinks? You are my son. I've raised you," Heejin replied, her voice trembling with emotion. "Promise me you'll return as a successful business graduate. I want to see you working for Phoenix Group one day," she added, tears glistening in her eyes.
Siwoo hugged his mother tightly, knowing that this farewell marked the beginning of a new journey, filled with both excitement and uncertainty. With a heavy heart, he bid her farewell, his determination to fulfill her wishes burning brightly within him.
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December 2019, Yangyang Beach
The moon cast its silvery glow upon the beach, bathing the sand in a shimmering luminescence. Amidst the tranquil night, the serenity was abruptly shattered by the piercing sound of a car engine and the glare of headlights cutting through the darkness. Figures emerged from the vehicle, their steps adorned with red shoes as they descended onto the sandy shore.
"Chaewon-ah, is it not an odd hour for a stroll on the beach?" Heejin questioned her younger sister, taken aback by their unexpected visit to her in-laws' house. Kang Chaewon and their brother Park Danny had appeared without warning, insisting on a nocturnal walk after dinner.
"Noona, this is the perfect time for important discussions," Danny interjected, persuading his older sister.
"Very well, if you say so, Danny," Heejin chuckled at her siblings' peculiar request. As she reminisced, a sudden thought crossed her mind. "Oh, it reminds me—I'll be visiting your hospital tomorrow."
"Why? Hangyul is doing well!" Chaewon exclaimed, puzzled by her sister's unexpected visit.
"I'm bringing him back home. I trust you've provided him with the best treatment over the past five years," Heejin explained, her voice tinged with determination. "Despite the tragic circumstances of his father's death, Hangyul's behavior had become a danger to our family. However, it's time for him to return. After all, he is the heir to the Phoenix Group. Soon, Suhyeon Omeonim will step down as chairwoman, and I need a suitable successor to take my place, so that I can succeed her..."
Heejin's words trailed off as she stared out at the crashing waves, her thoughts consumed by the weight of her responsibilities.
"Who informed you of this?" Chaewon's voice cut through the silence as she approached her sister, her gaze piercing and suspicious.
"It's not a matter of being informed; it's been decided and documented officially since Hangyul's father's passing," Heejin replied, turning to face her younger siblings. Unbeknownst to her, they had never regarded her as a true older sister; to them, she was always merely a step-sibling.
Before Heejin could comprehend their betrayal, a sharp knife sliced through the air, narrowly missing her face. With a gasp of shock, she stumbled backward, feeling the sting of the blade against her skin as blood trickled down her cheek.
"PARK CHAEWON!!", she screamed in pain
"It's no longer Park Chaewon, Unni... I am no longer your little step-sister," Chaewon declared coldly, her eyes glinting with malice.
"Why are you doing this, Chaewon? Was this your plan all along? Danny?" Heejin's voice trembled with betrayal as she attempted to comprehend the unthinkable.
Before she could react, another knife slashed through her silk gown, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Overwhelmed with pain and shock, Heejin sank to her knees, her strength waning with each passing moment.
"Why... Danny... how could you..." Tears streamed down her cheeks as she confronted her brother, her heart shattered by his betrayal.
"That was your mistake, Noona,"
"Well that was your foolishness, noona", Danny sneered, his voice devoid of remorse at his sister groaning in pain.
"How are you so stupid, Heejin... you really thought Hangyul killed your husband?", Chaewon graced an evil smile on her lips while kneeling down the sand and clutching on her sister's chin.
The pain on Heejin's face turned into shock, her eyes went blank at the upcoming revelation.
"We just took a bit of advantage of his sociopathy... huhh...", Danny said as he took out a pen and paper from his jacket.
"You want him out? You want him to return?? Sign this single sheet... and your son will be free off my mental asylum..."
"You really think... I would do that... you bastard!!!", Heejin threw away the pen in Danny's hand with all her might.
""You wench!!!! You're on verge of death, and still you got the nerve to test my patience?", Chaewon seized her by the hair, dragging her mercilessly toward the icy embrace of the sea.
"Kang Chaewon !!! Stop!!! Don't act hastily!!!", Danny ran behind her in a frenzy
"You assholes!!! both betrayed me!!! You destroyed my family!!! But I'll never let you take away the Pheonix group from Jeong Suhyeon!!!!", Heejin continued venting her anger even though she was being drowned in ice cold, salty water, went up her mouth and nose, as her evil step sister dipped her head inside the water.
"Our father always saw me as a daughter of his mistress, treated me and Danny as the rugs of his big rich business family! You always pretended to be a kind older sister, and still married me to Kang Minseok, knowing he was a widower! He had a daughter from his died wife!!! You knew what kind of monster he was, yet you pushed me into that hellish mansion!!! Do you know how many times I've been raped on by that beast? How could you know? You were busy enjoying your sweet family life after marrying the person you loved... No... I can't let you live a happy life anymore... Yes, I've turned myself into a monster too... So what? One day I'll rule over the drug business, I'll use this power of being the mayor's wife... And One day your Pheonix group will be mine!!! And you know what? You won't see that day... Because you're gonna die... now!! this moment!!!!"
With a final, brutal blow, Chaewon smashed Heejin's head against a nearby rock, the sound of impact drowned out by the crashing waves. As darkness enveloped her, Heejin's last thoughts were of her beloved son, Hangyul, and the life she had fought so hard to protect.
Chaewon stepped back slowly, unable to utter a word until she hit Danny's chest who stood behind them the whole time
"Danny, why didn't you stop me?"
"She had to die anyways... We still have the heir in her hands... and I'll make sure he never remember his real identity..."
Both the sinister siblings left their dead step sister lying down in the water, driving the car away from the beach. Park Heejin, lied there silently , her head on the rock, blood dripping down in the water, the waves struck her wounded body. Freezing wind made her body with cold. Suddenly, footsteps splashing water approached her body,
"Mom!!!! Mom!!!! Wake up!!! Open your eyes!! Mommmm!!!!", a weeping voice fell over unconscious ears.
"Mom I know you're not dead!!! I can hear your heart beat!!!", those strong hands lifted up her body and rushed towards the car frantically. The next moment, the engine was started, Heejin could feel the speed of that car as slowly she regained the consciousness. With extreme difficulty she opened her eyes, trying to look at the driver's face.
"Siwoo... Si-", she mumbled in pain.
"Please stay alive, Mom.. please hold on to your life... For a few moments...for me... for your own son... You have to survive...", Hong Siwoo desperately pleaded his mother.
"This Yangyang beach will witness my revenge, this sand will pay for my mother's blood... The one who made you like this will face my wrath..."
Hong Siwoo said as he glanced at the running coastline of Yangyang, as he drove past it.
Park Heejin, who was once a saviour of Siwoo's life who escaped from his cannibal psychopath father... Now, that same hidden adopted son was her saviour... who would change the trajectory of all the lives connected to Pheonix group of industries and serial killing case