Forgiveness
Choi Minwook's eyes widened in disbelief, the unbreakable mask of indifference he had worn for decades finally cracking. His mind reeled, struggling to process the impossible—his son, long thought dead, was standing right in front of him. For a moment, it felt as though time itself had frozen, the low hum of the air conditioning the only sound that filled the room.
"Jaehyun...?" Minwook's voice, usually commanding and unwavering, trembled with a mix of shock and disbelief. His eyes searched his son's face, desperately trying to uncover some sign that this was an illusion, a cruel trick. But there was no mistaking the sharp jawline, the cold, piercing eyes. His son—alive.
Jaehyun held his father's gaze without flinching, his own eyes darkened by years of bitterness and hardened resolve. "You remember me, don't you?" His voice was steady, controlled. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
Minwook rose sharply from his chair, the motion almost desperate, as if trying to escape the reality crashing down around him.
He turned his back to Jaehyun, staring out of the window toward the vast cityscape. His hands clasped behind his back, knuckles white with tension.
Below them, the world continued in oblivious chaos, unaware of the storm brewing in that room—a storm of buried pain and unspoken truths.
"But how?" Minwook's voice was barely above a whisper, disbelief cracking his composure. "I searched everywhere for you… for years. I never stopped looking. I thought you were—" His voice broke, the weight of guilt seeping through his usually cold demeanor.
He turned to face Jaehyun again, his expression a mixture of shock, disbelief, and something deeper. Guilt—raw, consuming. He took a step forward, struggling to regain his composure. "If you survived… why didn't you come back? Why did you let me believe you were dead?"
"Why?" Jaehyun's voice cut through his father's words like a blade, sharp and unrelenting. His body tensed as he stepped forward, matching Minwook's advance with a burning intensity. "Do you really think I could just come back?" He moved closer, his gaze locking onto his father's, unyielding. "Do you have any idea what it was like? To watch my own mother—your wife—tell me to run, while she fought off the men who were sent to kill us?"
Minwook flinched at the words, the impact of his son's pain striking him like a physical blow. His face paled, but he said nothing.
"I lost her, Father," Jaehyun continued, his voice cold and filled with years of controlled rage. "I lost my mother. Your wife. The woman who meant everything to me. And where were you? You weren't there. You didn't protect her. You failed."
The silence between them was thick, suffocating. Choi Minwook, a man who commanded one of the largest underworld empires in the world, a man feared by many, stood speechless before his son.
"I swore that day," Jaehyun's voice dropped lower, laced with years of suppressed pain. "That I would never feel that powerless again. I didn't come back because I refused to be the caged son, protected like some helpless prince. I built something of my own—an empire. A name so powerful, so feared, that no one would ever dare to touch me again."
Jaehyun let out a bitter laugh, his eyes never leaving Minwook's. "Do you know what I felt after Mother died? I hated you. I blamed you for failing to protect her, for letting her die. Every time I thought about returning, the rage consumed me… I was terrified that if I came back, my hatred for you would be too much to bear."
He paused, his voice softening as years of bitterness began to dissolve. "But I'm here now because I've finally let go of that anger. In the end, you're still my father. No matter what happened, I know you loved her… and me."
Choi Minwook, always the calm, collected mastermind in every situation, was now at a loss. He had faced enemies, betrayals, and countless challenges, but nothing in his life had prepared him for this. His own son—alive, standing before him—revealing a truth far more devastating than any battle or loss.
Jaehyun's voice softened, though the edge of bitterness still lingered. " Now i won't be your weakness anymore Father. After all these years, I've built the power to protect myself, to ensure that no one ever dares to harm me—or what's dear to me—again."
Jaehyun's final words lingered in the air, a quiet, unspoken promise of forgiveness after all these years—a bridge slowly being rebuilt between father and son.
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Outside the Office
The tension between Castle Holdings' bodyguards and JH Group's CBU remained thick, an uneasy silence settling over the room. Ma Hakyoung approached Han Taehyung, his expression unreadable. "It's been a while, Taehyung."
Taehyung's gaze was cold, unwavering. "Yes, Hakyoung. I see your younger brother is still as troublesome as ever. Trying to threaten our Chairman," he added, his voice icy.
Ma Joongyoung scoffed, taking a slow, deliberate step forward. "And what are you going to do about it?" he taunted, his eyes challenging.
Before Joongyoung could get any closer, Hakyoung stepped in, placing a firm hand on his brother's chest. "Behave yourself, Joongyoung," he warned, his voice tense with restraint.
Director Kim's eyes narrowed dangerously as he stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of the knife concealed in his suit. His voice was as cold as steel. "You've already threatened the Chairman once. Do it again, and it'll be the last day you walk this earth."
The room was charged with hostility, bodies tense, poised for confrontation. But just as the atmosphere reached a breaking point, the office doors swung open.
Both Chairmen stepped out, their presence alone enough to cut through the rising conflict, forcing everyone to fall silent in an instant. All eyes turned toward them, the tension diffusing, though the undercurrent of unease remained.
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Im wanna put this story on hold and write about another. It still Castle but The person will be reincarnated as Kim Shin's Uncle. He will have the same abilities.
Choose 1 to continue the story or choose 2 for the new story in the comments.