Charlie"s eyes were cold as she watched Mr. Park"s back. There was a slight shiver in the butler"s shoulders, and he had difficulty maintaining a placid expression. His wife had overheard the entire conversation inside, and she watched her husband with a blank face as he didn"t register her presence and walked away with Ben.Her own heart was still.
She held a slim file in her hand, and Byeong"s leave was her queue to enter the room. Charlie was a frank woman, she rarely felt the need to tend to people"s superfluous emotions. She had a fair idea of the Chairman"s own feelings after his conversation with her husband, and it seemed to her like not too bad a time to complete her task and do away with the matter.
Indifferently, and in a manner that was calm and unnaturally composed, she walked to the door. Then she knocked slightly, waiting for the Chairman to notice that she was there.
Simon was standing a few steps away from the doorstep, but he recognized Charlie"s signature knock. It was always firm, and she tapped thrice and in sync. Exactly twenty seconds later, she would tap the door twice more. Looking up, and forcing his face into extreme nonchalance, the Chairman nodded at the woman.
Charlie"s broad frame entered through the doorway. She didn"t have even a hint of her usual gentle smile. It was a mask she always kept up, but those who knew her best knew that she was not someone to be messed with. The old woman worked like a double edged sword – she was fascinating enough to make one want to trust her, but she was sure to leave a cut if someone she protected was endangered.
Simon knew how fiercely Charlie protected Jimmy. The old Hunter had no doubt believing that she would go against even him, knowing full well she would lose, if the circ.u.mstances involved Jim. And though she didn"t meddle her business with family, she loved Jimmy like a son and would transcend that line for him anytime.
The chubby woman, who forever exuded delicacy and warmth, was right then a stern mom. She didn"t greet the Chairman – she simply handed over the file to him and said plainly, "Eshni"s current details. She"s here. She"ll show up soon."
Simon had already forced the calm in his demeanour. He took the file, nodded at her without expression. A frail shiver, however did run down his arm"s as he held the file and looked at it with havoc in his eyes.
"Thank you for your work," he said automatically.
Charlie nodded back. Then giving the old Hunter a peculiar look, she said, "You know what you"re doing, right sir?"
Chairman shot her a sharp look – they weren"t exactly friends. He answered her in a curt nod. Mrs. Park wasn"t done.
"You should know I was the one who investigated Miya"s background the first time around, sir. I don"t understand how I went wrong. Kasu was supposed to be her real name. Not an alias for Kang Sung."
"It"s complicated."
"And who is at fault?"
"No one."
"If you"re defending your wife again, sir, I have to say – Miya is bad news. I don"t understand why you all are so keen on keeping her around! With all due respect, Chairman, half the trouble right now would go away if you withdrew your lousy condition of Jim staying married for a year."
The Chairman looked at the woman, at the edge in her eyes, and at the fire that was her mouth. She couldn"t hold back – and Simon admired her in some ways. But she overstepped too many boundaries. And the only reason he held back was because she and Park had brought up both his children, when him and Eshni both weren"t around. He couldn"t hold her fierceness to protect Jim against her – it was now her natural right.
Sighing, he gathered his patience and said, "Nothing would change if I did that. Jimmy loves the girl."
Charlie was quick to dismiss, "It"s frugal. Attraction at best. It"ll pa.s.s. Jim is strong."
That amused the old Hunter.
"You should know better Charlie" he almost smirked to himself, "You gave up your career for love."
"Because Byeong and I have a history, we"ve known each other since teens! Jim and Miya, it"s just outrageous desire."
"Charlie…" Senior Hunter"s voice was a sigh, "Jimmy met Miya thirteen years ago at the Freemans house. I met her when she was five. She was key when I believed I could be a good father to my little girl. Eshni knows her too – in fact, Miya took a bullet for my wife. Are you sure you want this girl to be let go?
She"s been involved with our family even before we could have pointed out she existed."
That stunned the old woman, and Charlie Swan Park stared at Senior Hunter in disbelief, her mouth tightly shut.
Three hours had pa.s.sed before Miya woke up again.
She was once again feeling stronger and right in her head, but once she had flashbacks of herself and the chainsaw and kerosene oil, she wasn"t too sure. In fact, she remembered babbling to Mr. Park, and even calling him Granny Kai.
The girl almost hit her head.
She didn"t quite recall what else she had babbled on to the man, but she did remember mentioning a baby cobra. Miya wanted to cry right then.
Pulling herself up rather forcefully from the bed, Miya was already sulking when a familiar big hand patted her head. She looked up in distress.
Jim was smiling lightly.
"A chainsaw to chop off b.a.l.l.s, missus? Really?"
He lowered his body and kissed the top of her head. His tone held mild amus.e.m.e.nt. Miya blushed.
She stared at her crossed legs, and twiddled with her thumbs.
"I must have scared Mr. Park with that," she said softly.
Jim chuckled, "Yeah… he was positively horrified."
Jimmy had brought with him a bowl of soup, and he sat beside Miya with poise as he stirred the liquid and blew on the soup.
"You must be hungry," he said.
The atmosphere between them was comfortable, and yet awkward and somewhat tense.
Miya nodded, "Are you alright? You look like you"ve been through h.e.l.l."
"I have."
The two simple words struck Miya and her heart thumped. The entire possibility of Jimmy and the ring – of the boy from twenty two years ago raced in her mind, and she was once again stunned.
"Miya?"
Jimmy had been saying something when he noticed the wife"s cla.s.sic lost-in-her-own-world expression. He called out to her thrice, then finally shoved a spoonful of the soup into her mouth. Miya gobbled in awe.
Something about her face disoriented Jimmy, and he himself was lost. He had no idea what she was thinking, but the look she gave him was so intense, it was as if heat crawled up his skin and made him shiver and blush at the same time.
What was up with her?
It must be the drugs again.
While Jimmy forced spoonfulls into her mouth, Miya kept on staring at him as if she was looking at the moon. Her heart was heavy – and it was joyous, thrilled but threatened at the same time. When she couldn"t handle the array of emotions toying with her heart, she stopped Jim from feeding her, took the spoon from his hands and shoved a spoonful of soup into his mouth.
"You eat," she said rather distractedly, staring at him again.
Could it be true? The boy from all those years ago…
"Miya, hey – I –"
Jimmy protested, then gave up, and finally revelled in the joy of being fed by the missus. She seemed normal right then, and she wasn"t excessively angry or in rage. He informed her of Ben going to school – which made her sulk. Jim was amused to see how Ben had reacted the same way too, for it was Jim who had finally convinced the child to go to school.
"It was his first cla.s.s test," Jim explained, "I didn"t want him to –"
Miya heard the details, registered the important parts, then ignored Jim"s talk. She was lost in her fascination of him again, and the more she looked at him, the more she thought he resembled the boy she had met all those years ago.
Her heart beat with the rapidity of thunderbolt striking the sky. She could hear the crash out loud in her ears. Jim was still speaking when Miya finally kept away the bowl and dashed at the man.
Jim froze.
The small girl was still sitting cross legged, but she had leaned over and was now hugging his waist. The act surprised Jim, as Miya"s hold around his torso grew tighter by the second. He sat up straight, in wonder and instinctively drew a hand through her hair.
"Miya?" His voice was soft.
Miya didn"t speak for a long time. Finally, after minutes that seemed like hours, she looked up at Jim, never letting go of his waist. Jim was taken aback by how gentle, deep – almost l-loving her gaze was.
"Come with me," she pleaded quietly.
Jim"s gaze was drawn to her eyes – to that smouldering black, that still had hints of green. He nodded without a thought, "Where to?"
Miya embraced him tighter, then buried her face into his stomach again.
"I want you to take me to your sister"s grave." Her words were quiet.
They deafened Jimmy.