Once Love Begins - Chapter 18. Part 2

Chapter 18. Part 2

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I blinked them back, not wanting to cry in front of everyone. But in the silence of the early morning, with only my grandfather’s photograph for company, the ache in my heart felt unbearable.

“…Alright,”

I agreed, knowing deep down that this was not the time to demand answers. My grandfather had to come first.

“Go inside and rest for a while,” he said, draping a jacket over my shoulders, though I hadn’t even noticed as he came closer.

“…Grandfather…”

I began, my voice trailing off. I had heard that he had stayed by Grandfather’s side. I stared down at the floor, my thoughts heavy.

“He’s at peace. Don’t worry,” he reassured me.

I remained silent, struggling to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

“If you want to cry, don’t hold it in. There’s no one around,” he added, his voice wavering slightly.

When I turned to look at him, I noticed that his eyes were red and his expression was tense.

“Are you… crying?” I asked.

“I’m not crying,” he replied, though it was clear that he was close to tears. He sat beside me, reaching out to gently stroke my hair, a gesture that felt too familiar, too comforting.

I pushed his hand away.

“Get some sleep,” he said softly.

“I’m fine,”

I said, brushing off his concern.

He didn’t say anything more, but the silence between us felt heavy, filled with everything unspoken.

“When did it start? If the inheritance plans are already finalized, that means Grandfather knew, right? How long has he been unwell?”

I asked, hugging my knees as I turned to look at him. His face, thinner than before, seemed sharper, but other than that, he hadn’t changed. Just as I had been living my life, so had he.

“He visited me about a year ago. Asked me to take care of you,” he said.

The mention of a year ago made my heart feel heavy. If I had known that Grandfather would leave so soon…

“Take care of me? I don’t need that. I’ve been fine on my own,” I retorted.

“And the company?” he asked.

I froze, my hands, which had been smoothing my mourning skirt, now still.

“Your grandfather’s legacy will be torn apart if you let it fall into the wrong hands. Are you okay with that?” he pressed.

The thought of the company my grandfather had worked so hard to build being destroyed made me feel sick. I had left him too lonely, and too burdened, while I selfishly pursued my happiness. I couldn’t let his life’s work be ripped apart.

I shook my head, unable to accept that fate.

“No… I won’t let that happen,”

I whispered, more to myself than to him.

“…And the divorce?”

I asked, still trying to make sense of why it hadn’t happened. Grandfather had said he would handle it.

“Divorce isn’t an option,” he replied, but before I could ask why, our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of more mourners.

I felt lost, unable to grasp what was happening or where things were headed.

When I stood up, he reached out to support me, but I pushed his hand away. His hand dropped limply to his side, and for a moment, his shoulders seemed to slump in defeat.

The funeral proceeded smoothly, and as per Grandfather’s wishes, he was laid to rest in the family burial ground in Suwon.

After saying my final goodbyes, I felt an overwhelming sense of heaviness in my chest. Exhaustion washed over me, making my eyes burn and my legs weak. He had stayed by my side throughout the entire funeral, and now, he gently held my arm to steady me.

“Let’s go home,” he said quietly.

“…Home?”

I repeated, the word catching me off guard. The thought of returning to the place that had once been our home felt surreal and distant.

“Yes, home,” he confirmed softly.

I wondered which home he meant. Surely, our old newlywed home wasn’t still there. I had so many questions, and so many things I wanted to clarify, but I was too tired to care. All I wanted was to sleep.

The home he spoke of turned out to be Grandfather’s house.

As we walked through the garden, I had to stop several times and clench my teeth to keep from collapsing. The garden was as it had always been, meticulously tended, as if waiting for my return. It made my shoulders shake, the love and care Grandfather had put into keeping this place just the way I liked it.

Once inside, I fell to the living room floor, unable to hold myself back.

“Hng… Hng… Hnnng.”

I covered my mouth with my hands and tried to stop myself from crying, but it was no use.

At the funeral, with so many people around and even journalists taking pictures at the gravesite, I hadn’t been able to cry. But here, in Grandpa’s house, the reality that he was gone hit me like a ton of bricks.

This house, filled with memories of him, made the loss unbearable. The weight of it all came crashing down, and I finally allowed myself to break.

He sat down beside me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, gently patting my back while murmuring words of comfort. I cried in his arms, really letting go, crying until I was exhausted.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly.

I couldn’t find my voice, so I just nodded. He reached out to touch my swollen eyes with a concerned expression, but I turned my head away, embarrassed by how vulnerable I had been. I busied myself with fixing my hair, trying to regain some composure.

Crying had brought some relief to the heaviness in my chest, though the weight of everything still lingered.

“Your relatives will be coming tonight,” he mentioned.

I froze, the thought of those wolf-like relatives invading this house—filled with memories of Grandfather—made my stomach churn. This place was sacred to me, and the idea of them coming here felt like a violation.

I bit my lip, glaring at him.

“It’s about the inheritance. The sooner we handle it, the better,” he explained.

As I nervously chewed on my lip, he reached out to stop me from hurting myself further.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything,” he assured me, his tone steady and reassuring.

Even though his words were meant to comfort me, I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of fear and frustration. The last thing I wanted was to deal with the chaos that was sure to follow, but at least he was here to shoulder some of the burden.

The warmth of his hand as he gently stroked my hair made me close my eyes, trying to hold on to the small comfort it offered.

***

“Get out of here!” 

“Who do you think you are!” 

“You think we’ll just sit back and take this?”

What began as a solemn gathering quickly descended into chaos. When it became clear that there would be no crumbs left for them, the relatives, who had put on a facade of grief and dignity, showed their true colors.

They spread out across Grandfather’s living room, screaming and throwing tantrums like spoiled children, hurling sharp words filled with venom.

“He must have done something to the old man while he was bedridden. There’s no other explanation!” 

“Exactly! He wasn’t even blood-related, and yet he’s the one who gets everything? It doesn’t make sense unless there was some foul play involved!”

I sat on the sofa, back straight, watching the scene with a pale face. I looked at each person, noting how their once-masked greed had now become fully visible. It was frightening to see how human greed could be so insatiable. These people, who already lived comfortably, were now hungry for more, driven by an insatiable hunger for my grandfather’s wealth.

It was at that moment that I realized just how deep their selfishness ran, and how little they cared for anything other than their gain.

The accusations against him were absurd, especially considering that he did not need Grandfather’s wealth – he was already an incredibly wealthy man in his own right. But that didn’t stop my relatives from ganging up on him, trying to find any excuse to take something from him. Their desperation was palpable, like vultures circling a carcass, hoping for any scraps they could get.

I stared blankly at the floor, my face devoid of expression, trying to process the chaos around me.

“The will concludes here, with additional documents left specifically for Mr. Cha Kang-Jae and Ms. Ha Yeon-woo,” the lawyer announced.

The room erupted into murmurs and complaints. My relatives crowded around the lawyer, demanding explanations, begging him to find something—anything—that had been left to them.

I was as shocked as they were when the will was read. Grandfather had left him all of his property and stocks. The revelation had left me in a daze, struggling to understand why Grandfather had made such a decision.

“The reading of the will is over, so I’d appreciate it if everyone could leave now,” the lawyer continued firmly.

His words, though spoken politely, carried an underlying command that left no room for argument. The relatives, still grumbling and casting angry glances, began to file out of the room, realizing there was nothing left for them to fight over.

As they left, I remained where I was, trying to make sense of it all. The fact that Grandfather had entrusted everything to him weighed heavily on my mind. There was so much I didn’t understand, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of being completely overwhelmed by it all.

When he gave a slight nod, the black-suited guards who had been waiting for the signal rushed into the room. They grabbed the protesting relatives and dragged them out like unruly animals, ignoring their screams and threats that they wouldn’t let this go.

*And what if they don’t?*

I thought bitterly, the corners of my lips curling in a mirthless smile.

I still couldn’t fully grasp Grandfather’s intentions. What had he been thinking, leaving everything to him? It wasn’t surprising that the relatives reacted the way they did, though their greed and desperation were still hard to swallow.

“…Can I sleep now?”

I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as I held the envelope the lawyer handed me, containing whatever last words or instructions Grandfather had left for us.

I was utterly exhausted, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me, and all I wanted was to collapse into bed.

“Of course. Go up and rest,” he replied gently.

I wanted nothing more than to escape, to find a faraway hotel where I could sleep without his presence looming nearby. But even that seemed impossible with how exhausted I felt. When I stood up, my legs shook and he quickly stepped forward, offering his arm for support.

I pushed his arm away, though not harshly.

“I’m fine,”

I insisted, trying to maintain some semblance of independence.