Reborn: The Unexpected Twist

"This might sound far-fetched, but honestly, I didn't know about you. I knew that Sihyeon gave birth to you, but I did not know of her connection to Lee family." 

Yoojoon looked down on the ground; The happiness from earlier disappeared from his eyes, and it was replaced with deep sadness. Jinhee did not speak a word; She did not know what to say.

His expression seemed extremely genuine, but trusting him solely because of this would make her a fool. People, who lived in her world, could easily fake such emotions.

Sooah appeared at that moment, and placed a glass of orange juice and plate with two Beniimo tarts on the table. After that, she sat beside Yoojoon and gently rubbed her hand over his shoulder.

Jinhee's eyes stared at Sooah inquisitively. How is she so welcoming towards her husband's illegitimate husband? Definitely, there was some motives behind it.

"Your mom and I were stepsisters; Her mother married my father. Nonetheless, both of us were really close. I got engaged to Yoojoon back when your mother was in United States. We got engaged due to the sake of our family, and it did not hold any meaning for us," Sooah explained— longingness could be noticed from her tone.

Yoojoon added, "After the engagement, I left to United States, and that's where I met your mom. Both of us fell for each other, and the matter of me being engaged slipped my mind. 

I didn't mention about that to your mother; That's the biggest mistake I did, and I regret it until now. When both of our family members announced that Sooah and I'll be marrying soon, Sihyeon came to know of it.

She was completely broken; I saw her crying her heart out to me. No matter how many times I tried to explain, she didn't listen. Without informing me, she left the house one day." 

Tears fell down Yoojoon's eyes after finishing those words. An inexplicable wave of sadness hit Jinhee. Why were the women in her family so unlucky when it came to love affairs?

"Before her death, I received a letter from her, and that's when, I got to learn of your existence. But I didn't know where you were, how you looked like, or what your name was. I tried searching for you, but I couldn't. Everything I tried ended up in a dead end." 

Tears continuously dropped down Yoojoon's eyes as he stated, "Although it might be hurt or probably not even possible, please try to forgive me for my absence, and all the sufferings you had to go through because of that. 

I'm sorry, my dear, that you had to go through all that. Even though I can't fix everything, from now on, I'll be there for you and you can count me in. Can you accept me, not as a father if you want but someone you can rely on?"

It seemed that Min Yoojoon had investigated on her. Watching how tears fell down his eyes, Jinhee had the urge to wipe them away, but it was too soon for her to be tender hearted.

She needed to think carefully before making a decision; Doing something in hurry will only make her regret later on.

°°°

Walking by the beach, events about today consumed her mind. The cool breeze made her eased down her tensed mind. Everything that happened was too sudden, and she needed time to absorb all that within her.

She was glad that Min Yoojoon or Sooah weren't rushing and gave her space to think about everything. Contrary to her initial thoughts, instead of being aloof with her, they were being very much welcoming. This was something Jinhee dreamed to be there in her family.

Nonetheless, this made harder for Jinhee to come to a conclusion. If Yoojoon and Sooah were rude to her, although she would've been hurt, she would reach into a final decision easily.

However, that was not the case. They were enthusiastic over having Jinhee as a part of their family and even left the final decision up to her wish. Not even a hint of forcefulness was shown by them. Both the joy and sadness on their faces appeared genuine.

'If only Taehee was here. She would have made me decide about the matter faster.'

Shaking her head, Jinhee drove away that idea from her mind. She had decided to cut off Taehee from her life, so now, she can't be dependent on her. 

Learning to be independent was what she needed to do currently. Surely, if she thought enough and properly, she'll be able to figure something out by herself. 

Raising her head up, Jinhee forced a little smile on her face and looked forward. That's when a scene caught her eyes, and she let out a gasp before rushing towards the scene.