Chapter 110: Feelings Of Empathy

So as to not alert the opponent of his intentions, Min-Jun was careful to maintain a calm and polite appearance on the outside. 

"Yes, I am indeed her brother. I believe there has been a misunderstanding regarding this matter. Am I right to believe so?" He asked calmly, raising an eyebrow.

"Y-yes...I… I mean... No... I… I don't... Know..." 

While his mind was trying to assimilate the new information, Ji-Won stupidly stumbled on his words.

"I just find this all too… shocking." he added in an undertone.

'So he is not her boyfriend, but her brother? Then, that means I was mistaken… this entire time… I was wrong… to think that he was her… her boyfriend…' Ji-Won sluggishly accepted the idea in his head.

As if reading Ji-Won's mind, Min-Jun continued to speak bluntly. 

"You believed I was her boyfriend, didn't you, Director Kang?" 

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I did believe that." Ji-Won blurted out honestly, astonishing even himself. 

"What caused this misunderstanding? Was it because of the way she has me saved in her contacts?"

"That was partially the reason." Ji-Won replied slowly, scrunching up his eyebrows in concentration. 

He seemed to be hypnotized by Min-Jun's assertive demeanor, which caused him to speak truthfully. 

But despite still being unable to fully shake off the astonishment he was feeling, Ji-Won was beginning to be slightly more aware of the implications of his words. 

All of a sudden, he felt worried. 

Would admitting to everything this easily make him look bad in Min-Jun's eyes? Would the young man think of him as strange?

'But then again, what does it matter to me how this person sees me or what he thinks of me?' Ji-Won added a silent afterthought. 

To Ji-Won's surprise, as well as relief, Min-Jun didn't seem to be particularly bothered by all this.

On the contrary, the young man had a look on his face that clearly stated he wasn't surprised one bit by Ji-Won's confessions.

At that moment, Min-Jun unexpectedly sighed, brushing a hand through his dark brown hair. The strands got ruffled, but he didn't seem to care. His eyes traveled along the corridor, towards the room where Su-Jin was now lying unconscious. 

When his voice finally came out, it sounded both sad and helpless.

"I told Su-Jin to change that name a thousand times, but she is too stubborn to listen. Whenever I bring up the subject, she always gets angry and refuses. To be honest, that's actually how my parents used to call me when I was very small. In their eyes I was their 'little man'."

Min-Jun paused, sucking in a deep breath before continuing. 

"The last time I saw my father, he took me in his arms and gave me a mission. He told me to watch over the house and take care of my sister. [Because that's what men do. They protect the ones they love.], he said. I was six at the time, so I merely thought that being a man and protecting someone sounded cool. I felt important and proud. Little did I know that I will really have to take on this role, even before I could barely understand its real meaning."

Reaching up to here, Min-Jun eventually stopped talking. His gaze became deep, as he continued to stare in the direction of Su-Jin's hospital room. Something flickered in his eyes, causing their light brown color to seem darker.

Ji-Won, on the other hand, stared at Min-Jun in stunned silence. 

After listening to the young man's words, his mood had become complicated. Forget not knowing what to say, he didn't even understand what he was feeling at the moment. 

Whether he felt sympathy, pity or something else it was difficult to say.

And as if that wasn't enough to give him a headache, another string of thoughts cropped inside his befuddled mind.

Was he really just confused about learning the truth? Or was he, in fact, feeling relieved knowing that Min-Jun, whom he thought was Su-Jin's boyfriend, was actually her brother? 

Without warning, Ji-Won felt his heart beating faster. A sense of excitement mixed with apprehension took hold of him, causing warning signals to go off inside his brain. 

As a consequence, he immediately decided to back away from this dangerous train of thoughts.

Shaking his head slowly, Ji-Won pushed aside everything else for the moment. There would be enough time to ponder over these matters once his mind cleared up.

With that resolution made, Ji-Won pulled something out of his pocket. Taking a step closer, he raised the object at Min-Jun's eye level. 

"What about this?" Ji-Won asked quietly. 

"This…" Min-Jun's eyes widened. "How come you have it?" 

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The expression he wore clearly expressed his utter shock at finding that object in Ji-Won's possession.

Glancing strangely at the ring, Ji-Won replied truthfully.

"The other day we had a sports event and Miss Park lost her necklace in the field. She didn't notice until nighttime. Even after searching for it, she couldn't find it. Someone…" 

Ji-Won hesitated for a moment, not knowing exactly how to continue. 

In the end, he chose to bend the truth a little. Telling half-truths might save him from an unpleasant recollection.

"Someone else found the necklace and gave it to me. I was planning on returning it to her today, but the accident happened before I was able to do that." Ji-Won smiled sadly. "At that time, she said it was very important to her, so I thought… Also, previously I saw you were wearing a matching one. I mean, they look like couple rings to me…" Ji-Won finished awkwardly. 

Shock and confusion flickered in Min-Jun's eyes. For a second, he didn't know what expression to make. He felt like laughing and crying at the same time.

'With such a wild imagination, this Director could easily write a book full of angst and romance. But… I guess it can't be helped. Anyone looking at these rings would probably think the same as him. Especially if they already had their minds set that we are a couple.'

As he silently mused over the situation, Min-Jun felt his feelings soften. With his lips curving into a smile his expression also changed. It was a soft, yet slightly sad mien. 

With slow, almost hesitant movements, Min-Jun pulled out his own necklace from under his shirt, holding it up for Ji-Won to see.

"You were not far from the truth, Director Kang." Min-Jun said, glancing between the two silvery objects. "These are our parents' wedding rings. After they died we each took one and decided to wear them as pendants. Su-Jin took our mother's ring, while I took father's." 

Pausing once again, Min-Jun took a deep breath, before continuing to speak slowly. 

"It might sound silly, but doing this helped us feel closer to them. While wearing these rings, we felt as though they were still here, watching over us."

A deep silence fell between the two men. The atmosphere soon filled with sadness and emotion, as both of them got absorbed in their own thoughts.

In the end, it was Ji-Won who spoke first. His deep voice travlled through the space between them, slowly pulling Min-Jun back to the conversation.

"It's not silly. Wanting to grasp tightly onto those people you love and cherish the most, even after they are gone, trying whatever means possible to not forget them… I can understand that and I don't think it's silly. On the contrary, I admire it, for brave are those who continue to remember, not those who choose to forget just because it's painful." 

Ji-Won felt his voice cracking under the strain of his own sorrow, so he stopped talking. But it was already too late.

Despite Ji-Won's best efforts at maintaining a calm and collected appearance, Min-Jun could very well hear the quivering emotion in the other man's voice. Using his keen sense, Min-Jun easily grasped the underlying meaning behind Ji-Won's words.

"You speak as if from experience." Min-Jun pointed out with his usual frankness.

Despite being called out on it in such a blunt manner, Ji-Won wasn't angry. On the contrary, he was suddenly seeing Min-Jun in a very different light. 

This young man seemed very mature for his age. 

From what he could see, Min-Jun's temperament was cool and composed. Compared to other youngsters of his age, who only knew how to have fun and eat their parents' money, this person really seemed as though he could take care of himself, as well as others. 

Independent, strong-willed and blunt to the point of rudeness… that was the way Ji-Won could describe the Park Min-Jun that stood in front of him.

Apart from all those things, though, Min-Jun was also Su-Jin's younger brother. He was her family, the only one she had left. 

Moreover, he was also an orphan, just like him. 

At that moment, Ji-Won felt an unprecedented pull towards this pair of siblings. It was a feeling unlike anything he had ever felt before towards another person. As though there was a strange connection between the three of them, forcing them to cross paths and binding them together in a whirlpool of events.

Recalling Min-Jun's words just now, Ji-Won showed a rare smile. For some reason, he felt that he could be honest with this person.

"Just like you said, I know how that feels. Wanting to feel closer to someone you lost... I understand that feeling very well." Ji-Won said quietly. 

He stopped for a moment, gazing down at the gleaming ring. Then, after careful consideration, he slowly pushed the necklace towards Min-Jun.

"Can you please give this to Miss Park? Since it is very important to her, I am sure she will feel better if it were in her possession when she wakes up."

Min-Jun took the necklace, but instead of looking at it, his eyes brushed over Ji-Won's face.

Their eyes met and, once again, the two men wordlessly stared at each other. 

After what seemed like almost a minute, Min-Jun asked another shocking question.

"Director Kang, do you like my sister?"

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