Blood Brothers (Love is Fair in Love & War)

Chapter Thirty-Two

"You wanted to own her despite your knowledge of our relationship! I love her, but you didn't give me that chance or us, for that matter, to discover on our own if that Love is still there! You're a hypocrite, a liar! You are but a selfish, cunning, despicable person!" after having said this, Hyun-ki struck Hwan's face with his closed fist, and his nose went bleeding.

Hyun-Ki went back to the ER to check on Rielle. She's up now, sitting on the bed's headboard, waiting for Hyun-Ki. She was sniffling when Hyun came to her.

"So, you're awake now; how are you feeling, Sweetheart?" Hyun-Ki caressed Rielle's hair.

"Please take me home, Hyun. I want to go home now." Rielle pleaded.

"You are still under observation, so Dr. Chua confines you here until tomorrow. He wanted you to undergo a CT Scan of your brain, too, so rest for a while; I'll come back this afternoon. I have to attend to some papers to document and sign, but it won't take me long. I had you admitted to a private room so you can have complete rest. Would that be okay for you, Rielle? I'll have Louie call your mom so she won't get a chance to worry." Explained Hyun-Ki.

"No, I'd be the one to call up mom so she won't think otherwise or fear why I am in a hospital. Let me do the explaining, okay? Rielle gave a forced smile, and Hyun-Ki gave a light pinching on Rielle's cheek and stood to leave. The nurse aide helped Rielle sit in the wheelchair, and Hyun-Ki took and brought her to the room. As soon as she was in bed, Hyun-Ki kissed her forehead and left.

"Hello, Mom; I am here in a hospital for an executive check-up to comply with the company's policy for our annual medical requirement. I will be home tomorrow, so nothing to worry about, okay, Mom? Rielle thought this was a better way to keep her family from worrying.

As soon as Hyun-Ki arrived at his Office, he advised Rielle's staff to oversee and take care of her present work because she was indisposed today, and if there were immediate things to handle, they let him know to resolve them. Hyun-Ki doesn't want Rielle's staff to know what's going on at this time to protect her from inevitable rumors that may spread around. Then he asked Hwan Chul to see him in his Office to discuss the incident.

When Hwan Chul came in, Hyun-Ki immediately talked to him in their language so no one could understand what was happening between them. Hwan Chul is in the mood for an argument with his brother.

"You have known about Mari, do you, Hyeong?" Hwan accused his brother of lying to him, pretending and keeping a secret about his Mari.

"Don't you think you're making it worse for her if you found out about it earlier, Chul? I am just protecting her because she knows nothing of her past, and I was looking for ways to do what is best for the three of us!" Hyun-Ki was indignant and agitated.

"No, I don't believe you! You're nothing but the self-centered, selfish, and jealous brother I ever had!" Hwan Chul sneered at Hyun-Ki while pointing his finger at him.

"You wanted to own her despite your knowledge of our relationship! I love her, but you didn't give me that chance or us, for that matter, to discover on our own if that Love is still there! You're a hypocrite, a liar! You are but a selfish, cunning, despicable person!" after having said this, Hyun-ki struck Hwan's face with his closed fist, and his nose went bleeding. Rielle's secretaries were shocked and nervous hearing the two brothers yelling at each other and seeing Hwan bleed after their boss punched him.

"This is all you got, huh, Hyeong? You still got the nerve after betraying me? I lost my respect for you, and you don't deserve it! We are through! But I am not done yet; you'll see!" Hwan threateningly expressed his ferocity toward his brother and left his Office floundering.

Hyun-Ki was lonely and shattered. As he avoided a rift between himself and Hwan, he could no longer hold his anger over his brother's hurtful accusation and anxiety about an imminent war between them. He left the Office early to help himself cool down. But while driving back to the hospital, he was still angry and could not hold himself to subside. He parked his car along a dirt road, descended, and started kicking a big sturdy tree with all his might until his energy was low. He sat on the ground, weeping and cursing in a language he only understood. He sat down there for how long he didn't care. He loved his brother more than he loved himself. And even if he was the son of his mother's lover from her discreet affair with a man who almost ruined their family. His dad forgave his mom because he knew he was also at fault for neglecting her, but despite that, Mr. Myeong Han took the son and owned him as his. And because he had no brother and wanted to have one, he accepted Hwan, too, and treated him as his brother. His mother's blood and his are one. He loved Hwan Chul and protected him. And now, where is this going? He paused his thoughts, trying to put his scattered senses together. A little longer, he subdued his emotions, got up, fixed himself, and went back to driving.

He came to the Office of Dr. Chua to confirm Rielle's schedule for her CT Scan.

"I am waiting for you, Mr. Han, because Miss Gabrielle requested her release, and she said she's getting bored already." Hyun-Ki smiled timidly, and he gave the signal to proceed. He came to Rielle's room to accompany her to the CT Scan Room. After that, Rielle waited for the result. Hyun-Ki pushed her wheelchair back to her room.

"You seemed quiet today, Love. Is there something I should know?" asked Rielle with concern, looking at Hyun-Ki straight in his eyes.

"No, nothing at all. Maybe I am tired of many things, nothing I can't handle." Hyun-Ki was controlling the thoughts which may give him away, so he looked the other way.

"Don't worry, Love; I'll be with you in the Office tomorrow and help you with your workload." Rielle was giving Hyun-ki a comforting caress. Thirty minutes later, both returned to Dr. Chua's Office to discuss Rielle's CT Scan.

"Our radiologist will analyze Rielle's CT Scan so that you will know the result after 24 hours. That will be the time I can discuss this with you of the result, so in the meantime, try to avoid stress, Rielle, okay?"

Rielle got out of the hospital, and Hyun-Ki told Rielle he wanted to spend more time with her.

"Do you want us to see a movie, perhaps? Suggested Rielle.

"We can streamline on television if you like the idea because I want us to be alone together, Rielle. I want to cook for you too." Hyun-Ki stared at her with a pleading look.

"Well, if that's what you want, why not? Are we stopping for some ingredients you need for your recipe?" was Rielle's cheerful question.

The lovers were in the kitchen preparing the ingredients they had bought from the supermarket. Rielle was cutting an apple into pieces to add to the green salad she was preparing when Hyun-Ki stood behind her, holding her hand with the knife she was using to cut the apples.

"This is the way to slice the apples," Hyun-Ki got closer, his chin on her shoulders, and Rielle felt ticklish at the way Hyun-Ki was holding her. She loosened her grip on the knife and touched Hyun-Ki's neck to reach to kiss his cheek. Hyun-Ki turned her around to face him, and as he was about to kiss her, Rielle grabbed a fistful of the grapes near her and put it in Hyun-Ki's mouth, teasingly and giggling at his astonishment. Rielle got loose of his grip, and both were in a state of fun when the doorbell rang.

Hyun-Ki wondered who was by his door, thinking of that person's nuisance distracting their fun together. And when he answered the door, he was surprised!

"What are you doing here, Hwan Chul?" Hyun-Ki whispered a curse with squinted eyes.

Showed a bouquet on his face, retorted, "I'm here to surprise you. I want to deliver these roses to Mari or, shall I say, Gabrielle?" uttered Hwan Chul and forced himself inside.

Rielle was once more shocked and nervous about Hwan Chul's aggressive behavior. She flinched with her right hand on her left chest, her fingers crumpling her shirt, and could not utter a word.

Hyun-Ki saw Rielle's nervous reaction that he pulled Hwan Chul back and, with eyes hardened at him.

"What are these roses for, huh? Look at her. Was she happy to see you, or doesn't it look like you're trying to scare her? Are you doing this on purpose to confuse and hurt her emotionally?" Hyun-Ki retorted.

"I have no meaning to do that; I just want her to remember me through these roses she usually receives from me whenever I'm at fault!" Felt sorry for his impulsiveness and continued, "I want to help get her memory back, Hyeong! I can't stand this!" Hwan stirred.

"By scaring her?" lips twitched and muttered, "You're not thinking, Hwan. You're just making it worse. Impulsive thinking is oblivious! Go home, namdongsaeng!" pushing Hwan Chul out of the door. "Think before you leap! That's my advice, go!" was Hyun-Ki's last word.

Hyun-ki locked his door and ran to Rielle. "I'm sorry for my brother's reckless motive, Rielle." he wrapped her in his arms tightly, showing concern and protectiveness.

"I – I want to go home, Hyun, please bring me home, now?" all Rielle can utter.

Hyun-Ki brought Rielle to his car, buckled her up with the car seatbelt, his face touching Rielle's, and whispered, "we're okay, right Rielle?" and Rielle nodded meekly with a faint smile. As they were on the road, Hyun-Ki kept on taking glimpses of Rielle, which made Rielle conscious of Hyun-ki's glances, and at last, Rielle gave her a sweet smile. Hyun-Ki took her hand and kissed it but kept on twisting her fingers. When Hyun-Ki took a glimpsed of her again, a bright light from the headlights of an oncoming car took Rielle to a flash of deep oblivion, so frightening and horrible that in a high-pitched tone, her scream put Hyun-Ki in a sweat, cold and terrifying experience making him scared of his wits. He almost lost his brake by slowing the car's motion that he almost lost control of but stopped it relentlessly by the road. Rielle was trembling and shivering with fear. She uncontrollably wept that Hyun-Ki seemed so nervous and helpless to prevent her from attracting passers-by. In a while, the hazard lights on Hyun-Ki's car got the attention of a police car patrolling the highway. The police officer looked closely at the driver's seat and found them in a troubling situation. The police officer knocked on the window and inquired about what trouble had gotten to them.

Hyun-Ki explained, "my fiancée had a nervous breakdown because she thought we were about to be hit by an oncoming car because its headlight flashed brightly on us and she felt blinded by it. She had trauma on this kind of incident, Sir, so I'm sorry if my parking disrupted you?"

"Do you need to be escorted to the hospital, Sir? I am willing to provide assistance to escort you, Sir?" offered the officer. Rielle showed her face and waved at him to make the officer see that she was all right.

"No, thank you, but we just came from the hospital, and we're on our way home. Thank you for the assistance, but I'll be driving off now." Hyun-Ki declined and started the car's engine.

"You know, Rielle, you almost scared me to death." Uttered Hyun-Ki. "You must be hungry because we did not eat the food I prepared because of Hwan Chul's sudden unexpected visit. Should we try to have dinner in a restaurant somewhere before I bring you home? Waiting for Rielle's response, she was still in silence.

"I want to go home, Hyun. I do not have the appetite to eat." Rielle said sheepishly. Hyun-Ki was worried but did not insist, and both remained quiet until she came home.