Deep Rooted Secret

"He is too young, sir!" Taewon protested. "He is only nine years old!"

"I don't want to do this either," Kwon Jinhyung admitted. "But yesterday's incident made me realize how weak my grandson is. He needs to fight back."

"Sir, what he needs right now is a proper childhood," Taewon pressed. "If you prepare him to be your heir, you're doing the same thing you did to your son!"

No matter how much respect he had for Kwon Jinhyung, Taewon still did not forget what happened with Sungmin. Sungmin was his best friend and Taewon was a witness to the father-son feud. Sungmin resented his father for putting so much pressure on his shoulders from a young age. He did not want to be the heir to the old man's crime syndicate and wanted to get out of that web until he finally succeeded.

"You promised," Taewon reminded him. "That you won't put Jiwon through the same thing you made Sungmin went through."

"You think I don't remember?" the old man bellowed, slamming the table with his fist. "I remember what I did to my son! At that time, I thought I was right and I was doing it for the family! But I know it was my selfishness. And...and it was my selfishness that killed my son and his wife…"

Taewon froze.

"What do you mean?" he demanded. "They died in a car crash, didn't they?"

The old man gave him a sad look, internally debating what to say.

"It wasn't a car crash," the old man finally said. "It was murder."

It took awhile for Taewon to sink in that information. "Impossible," he whispered. "They died in a car crash. I saw their bodies myself! It was a…"

"Hit and run?" the old man scoffed sarcastically. He clenched his fists. "It wasn't a hit and run. That car belonged to a hitman hired by the Santa Maria Cartel."

Taewon was shocked. The Cartel was owned by an unknown leader. No one knew who it was and where the Cartel came from. But they quickly gained momentum among the underworld gangs and are a dangerous opposition to the Kwon family. However, so far, they have shied away from attacking their opponents directly. 

"How long have you known?" Taewon gritted his teeth.

"Since their deaths," Kwon Jinhyung revealed. "I had their accident investigated. They were trying to kill Sungmin and his family. Luckily Jiwon escaped death because his mother shielded him. But…"

"And you hid this from all of us?" Taewon asked him furiously. "Even from me? His best friend?"

"I did not know whom to trust!" the old man argued back. "Someone was spying on us and supplied information to the Cartel. I did not know whether to trust you or not!"

"And now you suddenly trust me?" Taewon scoffed.

"Taewon I've always trusted you," Kwon Jinhyung insisted. "But I just didn't want to burden you with the truth."

"So now you're raising Jiwon as your next sacrificial lamb! Isn't it obvious that he will be targeted next?"

"Which is why we have to train him!" Kwon Jinhyung reasoned. "Yesterday he was bullied by his sister. Tomorrow, when the Cartel will come after him, he won't be able to fight back! He needs to grow up to be a strong person."

"But then you're taking away his choice," Taewon countered. "What if he doesn't want to be your heir? What will you do then? Try to force him like you did with Sungmin?"

His expression was furious. "You made a promise to yourself," Taewon repeated. "That you will let Jiwon decide his life for himself. Why are you so hellbent on breaking it now?"

"I am honoring my promise," Kwon Jinhyung said. "I said that I will train Jiwon so that he can learn to protect himself. After that, he can decide his own fate. If he doesn't want to be the next head of the family, then I will let him live his life in peace. But till then, I will have him trained."

Both men looked at each other. Taewon disagreed with the old man's tactics but he also knew that Kwon Jinhyung was a man of his words. If he said he'll let Jiwon decide his own fate, then he meant it.

"If you have already decided it, then I am no one to object," Taewon finally said. "However, as Sungmin's best friend, I would like to personally oversee his training."

"Actually, I asked someone else to take that responsibility," Kwon Jinhyung remarked.

"Who?" Taewon frowned.

"Your beloved wife," Kwon Jinhyung said. "Sung Sohee."

"Sohee?" Taewon asked in surprise. "She agreed to do this?"

"Yes," Jinhyung replied. "I personally requested her to train my grandson at her academy."

Even though Sung Sohee retired from the military, she still ran an academy to train youngsters in mixed martial arts. At home, she was a caring wife and a loving mother. Outside, she was a fearsome trainer and a ruthless fighter. Under her mentorship, Jiwon will be able to protect himself from the Cartel's clutches.

"I trust that Sohee will be able to guide Jiwon in the right direction," Kwon Jinhyung said.

"I'm sure she will," Taewon smiled. The old man put his worries at bay. Sohee will train the child well.

"I will take my leave then," Taewon excused himself. "I apologize for my rudeness earlier."

"Do not fret, Taewon," the old man shrugged him off. "You're like a son to me. You have all the right to reprimand my decisions."

The old man reached over to Taewon and gave him a hug. "I trust that my Jiwon will be well taken care of by your wife. I'm entrusting him to her."

"She will," Taewon promised, hugging him back. "I'll be off, sir," he said, letting go. He bowed down in respect before leaving.

As Kwon Jinhyung bid goodbye to his visitor, he was unaware of the invisible guests behind him.

KJ and Jade held their breaths at the new revelations. Jade looked up to see KJ was shell-shocked. The latter was completely frozen as he tried to absorb the secrets which were coming out.

"KJ, are you alright?" Jade asked in a worried tone.

"M-mom...d-dad…" KJ mumbled. Suddenly, he bent over in pain. He was clutching his heart, writhing in agony as he felt an immense force trying to rip his chest open.

"KJ?" Jade cried. "KJ, stay with me! KJ!"

But KJ kept on screaming, tormented by the sudden energy sucking out his soul.