A Dominant Family Name
───────────────────────────────────

The envelope was sealed. It had been sitting on the hospital stand for multiple weeks before Jia woke up from her coma. She saw it, but she never opened it. It sat there for longer than it had to. She refused to touch it, knowing it was from Jiyong and knowing he had transferred her to another hospital with a new identity for a reason. Jiyong wouldn't do such drastic things and then vanish out of the blue for nothing. She only imagined the worst, and it was true.

Finally, the week before Jiyong's trial, she opened it and read it.

"Jia, my lovely Jia. I'll keep this short and sweet, even though I know you hate such things, being a writer yourself. You never leave things to the imagination, but I will. Sometimes it's for the best. I don't know what will happen to me. I'm leaving this letter just in case I can't see you if you one day wake up. Honestly, I don't know if you'll ever read this letter, but I still need to say this. I met the infamous Kang Eunha the other day. To keep it short, she's nothing like what she portrays to the public. She told me to kidnap someone so that she could hurt her, maybe even kill her. You haven't met that someone and I don't know if you ever will, but her name is Byun Ara. We formed a bond, and I really enjoyed her company, but I guess that didn't matter to Eunha. She told me to kill her. She slid me an envelope with cash and manipulated me to do it. If not, she would hurt you. She knew about you and the accident, so I grabbed the money and left. I didn't kill her, though. I went straight to you and used that cash to transfer you out and change your name. Trust me, Jia, this was the best I could do. Tomorrow morning, I will be gone. I transferred my money to your bank account and even deposited the remaining money Eunha gave me. I know she's following me, so I can't stay for long. If you ever read this, please publish this letter, or better yet, turn it in. Make it known. Please take care, Jia. I won't be there to protect you from now on. Please forgive this stupid brother of yours. I love you and always will."

+

During the short break, Ara went outside with Jimin to get some fresh air. The tense atmosphere left him with an urge to grab a cigarette as he reached into his pocket and turned to Ara. She immediately knew what he was reaching for and glared at him.

"Only one," he pleaded as he softened his eyes, looking at her. "When we're done with all this, I promise I'll quit. You have my word. I won't break my promise."

Ara chuckled and pecked his lips before she said, "I'll wait for you by the door. Don't worry about me."

He smiled as she walked away. She had reassured him she would be fine, but the testimonies from before had left her so disturbed that she felt sick to her stomach. How can someone be so cruel? So obsessive—so unbothered by killing someone? Even Sunggyu felt disturbed by the murder of Byun Haneul so much that he couldn't do it again. It kept haunting him. But Eunha? She wasn't even bothered by the fact that she had caused Jiyong's death with her own hands. To her, it was a necessary casualty—one he could've avoided had he done his job properly.

"Ara?" a man asked in front of her. Her mind was too distracted to realize that Jungkook was trying to get her attention.

"Jungkook? I thought you weren't coming. Weren't you at work?"

He nodded as he chuckled. "Yeah, I was in Busan. I stumbled upon someone very important. Well—not stumbled, but contacted. Her name is Jang Jia. I knew it as soon as I read her name on a document. She's Jiyong's sister."

Ara's eyes widened, hearing such words. Jia never crossed her mind since the day Jiyong mentioned her name at the cafe. She had completely forgotten about her. Now, Ara wondered about many things. Does she know? Does Jia know that Jiyong is dead? Does she know he was murdered? What happened to her? Is she okay?

"I know you're wondering many things right now, but all you need to know is that she's safe where she's at," Jungkook said. "She was in a car accident months before Jiyong passed away. During her coma, she was in the Kang Hospital most of the time until she was transferred to another hospital. That was when Jiyong disappeared. She woke up recently, and she's aware of what's happening."

Ara sighed for a moment. She couldn't dare imagine losing someone so precious to her while being completely unconscious. She couldn't even imagine how his sister must have felt when she heard about her brother's death. Jia, on the other hand, had accepted her brother's death right when she received a call from JJ Inc. She never contacted them, but the representative she was supposed to meet told her someone had contacted them and that they couldn't reach the person again. Jiyong knew what to do with her book very well. He knew she wanted to publish it, and knew JJ Inc. was the perfect publishing company. He knew how much his sister dreamed of having her book reach the world, and he wanted to make that happen for her.

"Is she okay?" Jimin asked as he walked back to Ara. "I heard the conversation on the way here. I knew about the accident his sister had, but Ara said Jiyong never told her much about it. He never said the accident was very serious."

"He didn't want to mention it," Ara said. "I guess he didn't want to worry me or reveal so much about his private life. I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted to talk about it, mainly with someone he had just met. He barely revealed much about him."

Jungkook nodded. "It actually was supposed to be fatal. It was really a miracle that she woke up. The doctors say she might not be able to walk anymore but to give it some time. She's under another name. For her safety, Jiyong had her transferred to another hospital and changed her name before Eunha and Sunggyu found him."

At that moment, Yoongi approached them and said, "We should start heading back inside. Hoseok said there's still more left."

The others followed him back inside, and the trial began once again. There was one last piece of evidence left to be presented before the court, and Hoseok had it. He walked to the monitor screen and projected a letter on the board, leaving Ara confused. Hoseok had already presented all the evidence there was. All except for a letter he had kept a secret until the very end.

"Your honor, this letter was faxed to me by the deceased's sister, Jang Jia, who recently woke up from a coma and is currently hospitalized in Busan. Her brother transferred her to the hospital under a different name in order to protect her from any harm during the time he disappeared, as he feared the defendant would follow through with her threats. I can't reveal the new identity, but she contacted my office this morning and sent this letter."

All eyes faced the screen as everyone in the courtroom tried to read what it said. Everyone was on the edge of their seats. Even Jungkook was in shock with the letter, as he had seen it on the table in the hospital room, but he never gave it much thought. He didn't think it would be significant.

"This letter was written by the deceased before he disappeared and left it to his sister, hoping that one day she would wake up from her coma and reveal the truth. The truth about Kang Eunha. How she made Jiyong choose between his lover, Ms. Byun Ara, or his sister, Ms. Jang Jia. He couldn't harm either of them, so he parted ways with Ms. Byun as he transferred his sister to another hospital to ensure both of their safety. He knew it would have detrimental consequences toward him, but he did it regardless because he knew he couldn't hurt the people that meant the most to him."

Hoseok turned to face Eunha and walked over to her as he continued to read fragments of the letter. He then said, "Ms. Kang, did you order Jang Jiyong to kidnap Byun Ara with the intention of harming her?"

Eunha scoffed and looked away from him. Her silence was powerful, but Sunggyu was having enough of it. He turned to Hoseok and responded, "Yes, she did. I was there. Everything happened just as the letter stated. She wanted to eliminate Ara because she was a disturbance during her engagement with Mr. Park. Jiyong couldn't do it. I figured he wouldn't. When I saw him take the envelope full of cash, I knew he wouldn't do it either way. He was smarter than Eunha. He saved his sister even if it ended up hurting him. Either he would get his sister killed or Ara, and he couldn't stand either option. He loved Ara, and I saw it in his eyes. He wouldn't have been able to hurt the person he loved. I understand how that feels."

Jimin felt uneasy hearing such words. It hurt him knowing a man was murdered so unjustly by his own fiancée. He felt perturbed by the fact that he was engaged to someone so evil who caused such harm to everyone else but him. However, he was also thankful to Jiyong for never wanting to harm the woman he loved—the woman they both loved. He felt sympathy for Jiyong and his urge to protect the people he cared for. Regardless, it didn't matter what he felt. Everything had started because of him—because he had engaged a woman as despicable as Eunha. A woman who seduced him and crawled her way into his heart just to break it into pieces. A woman who couldn't tolerate her maid's presence and attempted to do everything in her power to destroy her—all because her fiancé had welcomed another woman into his home.

That same day, the verdict was given.

"Kim Sunggyu, for conspiring with the defendant Kang Eunha in the crimes of murder and the illegal use of drugs, I sentence you to twenty years in prison. For attempting to flee the country, you are sentenced to ten years in prison. You will serve these sentences consecutively, totaling thirty years in prison. For having admitted to the crime of murder in the reopened case of Byun Haneul's death, you will be sentenced in its respective trial. The prosecution may use the testimony from this court as evidence."

Sunggyu sighed and hid his face behind his hands. The sentence was not eternal, but it wasn't over. The reopened case of Byun Haneul's death would lock him away for good, and he knew it. It was all a planned murder that he had executed and admitted to. For the rest of his life, he would remain behind bars—unless death came to him first.

"As for you, Kang Eunha. For the unlawful killing of the victim, Jang Jiyong, I sentence you to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. For the assault and abuse of Kim Sunggyu and Jang Jiyong, you are sentenced to an additional fifteen years. For having drugged Kim Sunggyu and the illegal possession of drugs, you are sentenced to an additional thirteen years in prison. Finally, for conspiring to commit murder, you are sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. In addition, you are required to compensate the deceased's family for their emotional and financial losses. This court holds you fully accountable for your actions, which have caused irreparable harm to many lives. Court is adjourned."

The judge stood up and walked off as Eunha sat in complete silence. The only thing heard were the flashing cameras of the press. Kang & Co. was about to lose everything. Eunha had already lost everything—her fiancé, her company, her freedom.

Ara felt a small spark light up inside of her. She felt relieved. Jiyong had gotten justice. Jia would be compensated for her loss even if she couldn't care less about the money she was about to receive. Not even all the money in the world could make her forget about her brother's cruel murder. The money would just be bothersome. It was a simple reminder of her brother. Here, take it. We're sorry for your loss, but have some money in return. Not even all the money in the world could fix a grieving soul.

Jimin turned to face Ara as he smiled and said, "We should head out before the reporters—"

"Ms. Byun, how do you feel about the judge's verdict?" one reporter interrupted.

"Ms. Byun, what was your relationship with the victim?" another one asked. Cameras started flashing, this time directed at Ara's face, blinding her.

Jimin rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand. He stood up and said, "For the sake of your job, I advise you not to ask any further questions. If this continues, I'll have to consult Ms. Byun's lawyer, who, coincidentally, is also her brother. Please, excuse us."

He fixed his suit with his free hand and took Ara away from the reporters. The flashes and the questions continued, but none of them said anything. The reporters wanted the exclusives on Ara's relationships, but they wouldn't get it.

Eunha was losing greatly. All her money was flowing down the drain. Her millions of dollars were gone in the blink of an eye. All the money she worked so hard to gain and maintain had abandoned her hands; all the time she had spent trying to collect more money had gone to waste. For every bill she paid, she caused someone extreme harm. For every thousand she wasted in heels and purses, she felt ecstatic. For every thousand—even million—she was forced to give away, her soul cried for help.

Her gorgeous heels were gone, her luxurious purses were gone, and her expensive cars were gone. Her red Mercedes Benz and white Aston Martin were now government property used to pay back the victims. Other than that, she had nothing under her name. All she remained with was her father's family name. Kang. Kang Eunhyuk was still her legal father—hence, she was still a Kang, which meant a lot. It meant everything. It was the last piece of dignity she had left. She was a Kang, and she would never be a Kwon. Kwon meant nothing to her, but Kang had everything—the estates, the company, the money.

Money was so powerful. It took lives, but it brought lives. It caused harm, but it caused happiness. It brought pain, but it also brought pleasure. It meant power, and suddenly, it meant nothing—absolutely nothing.

+

Right after the court trial, Hoseok returned to his office to gather his belongings before heading home. When he opened the door, he noticed an envelope on the floor. He looked at it, confused, but walked closer to it and picked it up. Certainly, it wasn't the envelope he had received from Jia because he carried it in his portfolio. However, the fact that someone had slid it underneath his door intrigued him. Even more, the contents of the envelope.

He closed the door and left his portfolio on the table. He removed his suit jacket and placed it on the chair before he opened the envelope and the letter inside. As he read, he loosened up his tie and smirked. As he reached the bottom of the letter, he noticed a phone number on the corner and immediately grabbed his phone from his pocket. He dialed the numbers and placed the letter down as someone answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Hwang Taeho?"

───────────────────────────────────
• 2700 •