"You tell me, omma," Suho said quietly, eyes fixed on his mother. "Do you think Appa loves you?"
The question fell like a stone into still water.
"Stop speaking nonsense, Suho," his father snapped at once. "Your mother is precious to me. She has never brought disgrace to this family. Since the day she married me, she carried the Kim name with dignity and grace."
Suho turned to him slowly. A faint, incredulous smile curved his lips.
"Ohh, that's why you love her," he said. "Because she never caused trouble. Because she never dragged the Kim name into the mud."
His father glared. "What are you trying to say?"
"Let me ask you something, appa." Suho's voice got serious. "If Omma were ever trapped in false accusations, if she were blamed for something she never did. If the family name got stained because of her… would you have stood by her?"
Silence.
"Or would you have left her?" Suho continued, eyes burning. "Erasing everything you felt for her. Marrying someone else. Pretending she never existed."
"Suho—" his father growled.
"I'm fed up, appa." Suho's voice rose, sharp with pain. The restraint he had carried for years finally cracked.
The room stiffened.
"I'm fed up with everything," he said, not hiding it anymore. "With all of you."
His father stared at him, stunned.
"I'm tired of obeying you all like a headless chicken," Suho continued. "Killing myself slowly every time just to meet your expectations. Just to not hurt you all."
He breathed sharply. "I can't do this anymore. Not with Hauen."
His lips trembled. "And what did I get by obeying you all?" he asked bitterly. "Betrayal? Hatred? Pain?"
His voice cracked, but he didn't stop.
"Did you hear that, Appa?" Suho's voice trembled, sharp and raw. "Did you hear what your sister said?" He pointed toward Daehyun, whose head hung low, shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
"She admitted she tried to kill me," he continued, disbelief bleeding into rage, "because her son was ignored… and I was given more attention."
"What is my fault here?" he demanded. "Did I ask to be born into this family? Did I ask for attention? Did I ever ask any of you to make me the Kim heir?"
His voice broke, but he pushed through.
"I asked for none of this," he said hoarsely. "Never."
"And yet I paid for everything," His voice rose, raw and broken.
"I went through that accident. I lost my child. I was disabled for months. I went through emotional breakdowns, heartbreak, humiliation… everything."
His chest heaved.
"What did I not go through?" He laughed bitterly through tears. "Tell me," he yelled, anguish echoing through the room.
"And what is my fault? For existing? For being born into this family?"
No one spoke. No one could.
Suho swallowed hard, his voice dropping, wounded and exhausted.
"Because of that accident," he said quietly, "I lost my child. I lost my legs… I was paralyzed."
He looked at his father, eyes glistening. "Do you know how hard it was for me, Appa? Physically? Emotionally?"
"Did you ever stop to think how I was doing?" he asked. "How was I surviving each day?"
Silence answered.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "You all abandoned me emotionally, even while standing right beside me."
"You all got busy with your work," he continued bitterly, "as if I was already useless. As if my life had no future anymore."
The words fell heavy, crushing, leaving the room breathless in their wake.
"But Hauen was there," Suho said, his voice dropping, heavy with truth. "Every single second."
Suho's voice softened as he spoke, the sharp edges of anger giving way to something deeper, something aching.
"She was there with me… cheering me on, building me again, gathering my broken pieces when I couldn't even look at myself," he said. "She breathed life back into me. She gave me hope."
He looked around the room, his gaze sharp now.
"Do any of you even know my journey?" he asked quietly. "Did any of you ever call me… just to ask how I was doing? Genuinenly?"
Silence.
He gave a hollow smile. "No," he answered himself. "If it was about business, about work, about profit… only then you called."
His throat tightened.
"It was Hauen," he continued. "Every time. She saved me. Protected me. Loved me. Cared for me without asking for anything in return."
"Today, I'm standing on my own legs because of her. And now, a small inconvenience happened because of her, and you all are asking me to leave her?" he questioned.
His eyes darkened.
"Why can't you see that she is the victim?" he demanded. "Why can't you understand that she was trapped in false allegations even after proving her innocence?"
His voice cracked.
"Why can't you see her sacrifices?" He questioned again, "If it wasn't for her, I would still be in that wheelchair. Lost. Hopeless. Useless."
He let out a short, humorless laugh.
"You want me to take over this empire now?" he asked. "You think I'm capable?"
He chuckled again.
"When I was under treatment, paralysed, didn't everyone decide to replace me from Mirae? Because everyone thought I wouldn't be able to handle it anymore?"
His eyes flicked toward Haraboji. "And even Haraboji couldn't defend my capability in front of the board."
Silence pressed in.
"But you know who did?" Suho said softly. "My Hauen."
His voice didn't waver. "She stood up for me and defended me in front of every single one of them. She trusted in my ability when no one else did.
The room stayed frozen. No one spoke.
Suho let out a quiet, almost weary chuckle and looked at his father.
"You know what, Appa?" he said calmly. "You all love me, praise me, acknowledge me… until I act according to your expectations."
His eyes darkened. "The moment I fail to fit into that mould, everything disappears."
His expression softened, almost tender.
"But Hauen isn't like that. Her love is selfless. Unconditional. She trusts me when I feel useless. She believes in me even when I don't believe in myself."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"That faith of hers… it makes me love her more. It gives me courage. Strength. Peace."
He looked at them without fear.
"And if you think this is just affection, confusion, or that I'm emotionally lost… then yes," he said plainly. "I'm lovesick."
"For her."
The words hung heavy in the air.
"And as I said that night," he continued after a pause, "between everything and Hauen, I will always choose her."
"Again and again."
"Without regret."
"I hope you understand this someday." He took a deep breath. "And now… please let me go."
He took a step forward.
Suddenly, his mother stood in front of him, blocking his path.
"No, Suho," she cried, voice breaking. "Don't go."
He looked at her, concern flickering through his pain.
"Please let me go, Omma," he said gently. "This is the only solution to all the misery and pain in this house."
Her voice shook as she asked, desperate, "Are you really leaving your family? Are you leaving your mother? For that one woman?"
He smiled faintly, sadness lining his eyes.
"Even after everything I've explained," he said softly, "you still think Hauen is just a random woman."
He met her eyes. "That's the problem, Omma."
"Until you don't understand my feelings… my pain, until you don't stop seeing me only as an obedient son, you'll never understand my decision."
"Or my love for Hauen."
"No matter how many times I explain," he finished fearlessly.
He glanced at his watch, "It's time for me to go, Omma," he said softly. "I'm sorry if my choice hurt any of you. Please take care of yourselves."
With that, he turned and started walking away. Two steps in, he stopped.
"And Yuna imo…" His voice was calm, but it carried weight. "Please don't hide Minho's child from the family anymore."
The words landed like a final crack of thunder. He did not wait for answers, did not look back. He simply walked out of the house, leaving behind stunned silence and a family frozen in shock, staring at the space where he had just been.