Suho sat in his cabin, shoulders squared, eyes fixed on the screen as numbers and reports blurred into obedient order. Work obeyed him. It always did. Focus was the only place his mind felt quiet.
Then his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and answered immediately.
"Yes. Any updates?" he asked.
"Not yet, sir… but there is another piece of news," the voice replied.
"What is it?" Suho asked, already alert.
"Mr. Kang tried to commit suicide."
The world tilted.
"What?" Suho stood up abruptly.
"Yes, sir. He survived and is currently in the hospital. Mrs. Kang is with him. His business was badly affected after the accusations against their children. He was almost bankrupt. Yesterday, their two major production factories were seized by the bank. He likely couldn't take it anymore. And tried to end his life by mixing poison into his whisky," the man explained.
Suho's heart began to race, sharp and violent. Guilt struck him like a sudden blow.
"Which hospital is he admitted to?" he asked urgently, grabbing his coat.
The man gave him the address.
"Alright. Keep me updated," Suho said, already rushing toward the elevator.
At the hospital, Suho rushed to the reception desk.
"Mr. Kang… which room is he in?" he asked, barely able to hide his urgency.
"Room number 406, sir," the receptionist replied.
Suho moved quickly toward the room. But the moment he stopped in front of the door, his heart sank.
Mrs. Kang sat on a small chair near the bed, her posture hollow. Her face was drained of life, dried tear tracks staining her cheeks. Her eyes were swollen and unfocused, fixed on her husband lying unconscious before her.
Mr. Kang lay still on the hospital bed, tubes and drips attached to his fragile body. An oxygen mask covered his face, his breathing slow and labored. The steady beep of the monitor echoed like a reminder of how close they had come to losing him.
Suho stepped inside quietly, taking in the scene.
Mrs. Kang sensed someone behind her and turned. The moment she saw Suho, her expression hardened. Tears filled her dry, swollen eyes.
Suho's chest tightened at the sight of her. Without a word, he went to her and pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly.
"Suho...!" She broke down in his arms.
All the pain she had carried for a year poured out at once. Her sobs were raw, broken, filled with humiliation, isolation, and grief. Accusations against their children had turned their lives into ruins. Society had shunned them. Friends had vanished. Doors had closed one by one.
A year had passed.
No trace of Hauen.
Hyunwoo remained in jail. Trial after trial dragged on, but nothing reached a clear conclusion. Hyunwoo kept changing his statements every time he appeared in court. The endless uncertainty had completely drained the old couple.
Mrs. Kang clutched Suho and cried her heart out for several minutes, releasing all the pain she had been holding inside. The sound of her sobbing made Suho's eyes sting.
"I'm here, Ommonim," he said softly. "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."
Just then, the doctor entered the room. Suho straightened but did not let go of his mother-in-law.
"Hello, Mr. Kim," the doctor greeted him, recognizing him immediately.
"How is he, doctor?" Suho asked.
The doctor let out a slow sigh. "For now, he's out of danger. But if he hadn't brought to the hospital immediately, we would have lost him. He consumed rat poison mixed with whisky. He also appears to be suffering from clinical depression."
The doctor's voice turned serious. "He needs constant care. Otherwise, his severe drinking habit and depression could cost him some serious health issues or maybe his life."
Suho listened carefully to everything the doctor said. His heart ached as he realized what his in-laws had been through. How could he have been so careless? In his own pain, he had almost forgotten that they were suffering far more than he was.
"I'll take care of him, doctor. Thank you for saving his life," Suho said sincerely.
"It's my duty, Mr. Kim," the doctor replied with a small smile. "You're welcome."
"When can I take him home?" Suho asked.
"He needs to stay under observation for two more days and undergo a few medical tests. We'll inform you about the discharge," the doctor explained.
Suho nodded. The doctor checked a few readings on Mr. Kang's monitors before leaving the room.
Suho looked at Mrs. Kang, pain tightening his throat. "I'm sorry, Ommonim," he said, voice low. "I failed as a son-in-law. I was so lost in my own pain that I forgot you were out here suffering far more than me."
He bowed his head slightly. "But from now on… You and Appa are my responsibility. I will take care of you both."
Mrs. Kang looked up at him, eyes red and trembling.
"Why would you do this for us, Suho?" she asked brokenly. "Our children ruined your life. We are ashamed of them. We don't deserve your kindness. What they did… we are paying for it. Maybe we deserve this for giving birth to them."
His heart clenched hard.
Tears slipped rapidly down her face.
Suho's heart clenched painfully.
"Whatever happened, the truth still isn't out," he said softly but firmly. "And I'm not cruel enough to punish you for their actions. You gave your daughter to me. I loved her, and I believe she loved me genuinely, too."
His voice softened. "You both are not less than my parents. I respect you. I care about you. What your children did is not your fault, and you don't deserve to suffer for it."
He held her gaze. "From now on, you are my responsibility. You'll not suffer anymore for what your children did. I'll not let that happen anymore."
Mrs. Kang looked at him, her lips trembling. For a brief moment, her crying face reminded him of Hauen. The resemblance struck him so deeply that he couldn't bear it.
He pulled her into his arms again, holding her tightly, silently promising what his heart had already decided.
No matter what the truth revealed, he would not abandon them.