LOVE IS NOT OVER YET JIKOOK

Chapter 24: nostalgia

"Father," He had said thus making the man, sitting in the middle of the vast room furnished with lavished yet mundane-designed materials, acknowledge his presence.

It had been a long time since he went here, since he started to subject himself to his father's whim to counter his resolve of cutting him off on all his resources.

"Dean." The man stood up from his seat and sat on the couch in front of his table as he gestured for his son to sit across him. "It's been a long time since I saw you, son."

"I don't know how long it has been, father. After all you were the one that drove me out of here."

"Are you still mad at me, son?" His father had gone softer on his tone, feeling really guilty of what he did but with a clear mind and strong resolve, it was the only plausible decision that he could end up with, for his son.

"I was," Dean spoke, capturing the handle of the teacup with his fingers as he sipped his tea. "But I've come to light on why you decide to do so, I'm not dumb, father. I used to act like one but that was to spite you. After all, the moment mom left, you forgot you were a father."

Dean had engaged into bad things and bad decisions, with power and money on his reach, he had used his resources towards maximum in order to forget the pain of losing his mother, also, in order to forget losing his father who was still alive.

He drank, he smoked, and he stopped going to school. Heck, he was on the verge of doing drugs but then before he could even grasp one of those things, the image of his mother came to mind and latched on his conscience - he couldn't bring himself to use drugs because that was throwing away the life that his mother had carried for so long and given him.

It was a fvcking tragedy, how his mother died and also instead of the grief of losing the woman they love drive them closer than ever, it only drove them apart to the point that Dean had stopped to acknowledge he had a father.

"I know, son." He said despite his attempt to sound reserve, his voice cracked at the word son. It's been so long. He had failed as a father and he had failed his late wife. Losing her was like losing the only light he had in the middle of the darkness. It made him lost everything; made him grow crazy at the nothingness and loneliness. It made him unable to see his son and how he's not the only one suffering because as much as he had lost a wife, Dean had lost his mother.

He had drown himself in work, focused on the company in order to forget the pain of losing his love, that he had passed on the duty of taking care of their son to a bunch of people hired for money. He had passed his own son to maids and butlers and failed to see him grow.

"So what have you understood?"

"That you did that so I would snap out of my senses and think of what a mess my life had been. I was spending money left and right, thinking I could do everything as long as I have money and power in me. I was a wild child, wasn't I? You weren't able to tame me. That's why you had me work there,"

His father had seen the mess his life had become and blamed himself for it, he had an epiphany of straightening things out and be a father for his son. After all, everything he had worked hard for would be nothing in the end if he didn't have his son. He had to save his son before it comes to the point that he can never be saved.

Without any other option, he chose to be separated to his own son.

He gave Dean an ultimatum.

That if he didn't fix his life soon, he won't be able to get anything he's bound to inherit. Dean would lose the company and everything.

He made Dean become independent and start earning his own money and he'll work without showing his own background, everything he needs he had to work hard for and pay hard for. And if he gets fired at the job he had in the café, it was over for Dean – nothing. He'll get nothing. It was hard to be separated from his son but it was harder to see his son losing himself in the mess he had brought himself.