The Love That Remains

His father doesn't refute his words. Instead, he lays down the terms.

"Let me be straightforward." His father stands up and walks around the table. "I see that you have grown to care about that...thing. I can let you take her as a pet...but you must marry Park Inha and give an heir to the Sung family. You must become a shaman and train yourself. You have to work from the bottom and reach my position before you are thirty if you want to see her live."

"She isn't a thing." Sung Jun closes his eyes and curls his fingers into a fist. He looks like he is going to explode.

"You can play with her until you are satisfied, but she can never have your children. If she gets pregnant, it must be taken care of."

"She.Is.Not.A.Thing!" Sung Jun's voice is low and cold. I cannot look at them anymore. I have seen it all before. But seeing it for the second time doesn't make it any easy. The Wang family was blackmailed by my grandfather. Sung Jun was blackmailed by his father.

The reason is my lineage. Because I am the daughter of infamous Dabria. Because I am part demon. Because I bear the curse of being able to touch the dead. Because they are afraid of what I can become.

The choice was never mine. Nobody asked me whether I wanted to be protected this way. They never talked to me. They left me alone.

"You have another choice." His father ignores Sung Jun and carries on. "You can marry her and give her the respect that you want to give her. If you want her this much, I can be...lenient. If you want to choose her, then you must never contact her until you can take my position when you are thirty. Once you are a president of the council, nobody can stop you from doing what you want. Your words will be law."

I see the effects of his words. I see Sung Jun falling into a trap. The scene changes again. This time, it's only the butler and Sung Jun's father standing in the office.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Sung asks calmly and takes a sip from the coffee cup.

"Master, I have told her that the young master has a fiance." The old butler is troubled. "She has already left, but..."

"But?"

"Miss Fang has lost consciousness in the cab." The old butler creases his forehead. "She was taken to the hospital by our people. They have found out that she is nearly three months pregnant. She hasn't gained consciousness."

Mr. Sung's twists into an ugly expression. "Tell the hospital to get rid of it."

"Master, that child is young master's." The butler pales and speaks uneasily. "Miss Fang is a good lady. I think that..."

"Tell the hospital to take care of it. My grandchild cannot have her blood in their veins. " Mr. Sung grimaces. "She must never have children again. Do you understand?"

"As per your wish, Master." The butler bows his head.

I didn't see this memory before. I don't even have the time to calm myself before the scene change again. It's the same office. Same characters. Mr. Sung and the butler are older this time.

"He will become the president tomorrow," Mr. Sung tells his butler proudly. "Even without my help, he has the majority vote in the council."

The butler is also happy. "Master, your dream came true."

"Yes." Mr. Sung laughs and hugs his butler. Suddenly, his expression turns serious when he recalls something. "Did that thing married Mu Qing?"

The old butler turns white when he hears Mr. Sung. "No, the Fang family broke the engagement."

Mr. Sung clicks his tongue. "The Fang family...there is not enough time now. Get rid of her by tomorrow."

The old butler widens his eyes. "Master, you promised young master that..."

"I promised that I won't bring her to the council or tell Dabria how to get rid of the seal. I promised that I will let him marry her if he becomes the president." Mr. Sung taps the table impatiently. "There is no time. She must die now before he becomes the president. The news shouldn't reach him until he takes the position. Make it look like an accident."

My miscarriage. My accident. All were lies.