Chapter 26 - The Shattered Mirage and Unveiled Pasts

The soft, golden morning sun rose sharply over the Seoul skyline, cutting beautifully through the apartment windows [Ch. 44]. Kim Seo-ah was already awake, her heart floating on a euphoric cloud as she hummed a soft melody inside the quiet kitchen. Moving with absolute, meticulous care, her long fingers carefully arranged a beautifully packed breakfast box for Dr. Choi Hyun-woo, intending to erase his overnight night-shift exhaustion entirely [Ch. 38, 43]. Just as she was preparing to leave for the hospital, Ma Ha-rin woke up, yawning as she rubbed her eyes. Spotting the elaborate setup, Ha-rin curiously asked where she was heading, and upon hearing the answer, she excitedly exclaimed, "Wait! I am coming right along with you!" Both girls hurriedly got ready together, while Kim Junu slung his jacket over his shoulders, stating, "I'm heading over to manage the café myself today [Ch. 39]." With their plans locked in, the sisters headed straight out to flag a taxi for the university hospital, while Junu departed for his shop [Ch. 29, 43].Meanwhile, across the city, a massive family storm violently shattered the peaceful morning layout of Mr. Choi Sun-woo's luxury penthouse [Ch. 44]. The heavy double doors of his master bedroom flew open with a loud click, and his strict Grandfather aggressively shook his shoulder to wake him up, leaving Sun-woo completely shocked [Ch. 44].Sun-woo sat upright in pure disbelief, his chest heaving as he frantically tried to process their sudden appearance. "Grandfather... Father... what on earth are you doing here in Seoul? How are you even inside my apartment without notice?"His Grandfather slammed the tip of his heavy wooden cane flat against the floorboards with a loud, resounding thud. "I am here because my corporate meeting was scheduled in this sector today, Sun-woo! And on top of that, your Grandfather specifically needed to meet your build and discuss some highly critical family matters, which is the exact reason why we arrived at your doorstep without a single warning code! But where on earth is Hyun-woo?! I have fired a massive number of phone calls straight to his mobile line all morning, but his stubborn brain completely failed to answer a single ring! Where exactly is your younger brother hiding today?!" [Ch. 44]Sun-woo swallowed hard, trying to compose his flustered features under the strict parental gaze. "Grandfather... he doesn't stay with me in this apartment. Because his surgical department frequently assigns him to grueling, unpredictable late-night shifts, he strictly resides inside his own private apartment flat located right next to the hospital complex to save transit time [Ch. 21, 44]."His Grandfather's brow furrowed heavily, his face turning an angry crimson as he pointed his heavy walking cane [Ch. 44]. "I don't care a single bit about his clinical logistics! Go drive down to his hospital right now and drag Dr. Choi Hyun-woo straight to my presence this very minute!"Sun-woo initially tried to object, but the exact microsecond his eyes locked onto his Father's terrifyingly strict, commanding gaze, his words froze instantly [Ch. 44]. Realizing his defenses were entirely compromised, Sun-woo relented, muttering, "Alright... I am going down to fetch his build right now," and departed for the hospital corridor.A short while later, Mr. Choi Sun-woo arrived at the pristine university hospital wing, marching straight into the private orthopedic cabin. Dr. Choi Hyun-woo was sitting completely exhausted behind his desk, his white doctor's coat slightly wrinkled after his grueling, 24-hour overnight night-shift duty [Ch. 38, 43]."Dr. Choi Hyun-woo!" Sun-woo scolded him fiercely in a harsh whisper, leaning over the desk panel. "What on earth is wrong with your brain?! Why on earth do you even carry an expensive smartphone device inside your pocket if your hands completely fail to use it for communication?! Your line has been entirely unresponsive all morning!"At that exact same milestone microsecond, Kim Seo-ah and Ma Ha-rin stepped inside the sliding glass doors of the bustling hospital lobby, carrying the breakfast box [Ch. 26, 43]. As both girls started walking down the central ward corridor toward Hyun-woo's private cabin, an elderly female patient—the exact same auntie who had shared the adjacent bed partition next to Kim Junu during his recovery cycle—came shuffling forward down the tiles [Ch. 17, 29].Spotting her familiar face, Seo-ah politely approached her side, a warm, respectful manager smile breaking across her features as she inquired, "Oh, Auntie! How exactly is your physical health today? Did the clinical board officially grant your discharge paperwork logs, and did you get your discharge?"While Seo-ah remained behind near the lounge counter to chat with the old lady, Ma Ha-rin adjusted her purse strap and walked a few steps ahead down the corridor lane toward the door frame of the main office [Ch. 43]. But the exact microsecond her boots reached the threshold entrance of the private cabin, she stopped dead in her tracks, her ears relentlessly straining to capture the voices vibrating through the door gap.Through the glass blinds, her sharp vision spotted Mr. Choi Sun-woo and Dr. Choi Hyun-woo standing close together, locked in a highly comfortable, familiar, and intense brotherly conversation [Ch. 21, 41].The exact second her vision took in their synchronized gestures, a wave of pure horror hit her brain as the deep, burning suspicion she had felt yesterday morning inside the aesthetic Seoul café officially turned into the absolute truth! Her mind replayed the exact microsecond her eyes had accidentally darted toward Sun-woo's mobile phone wallpaper under the lights [Ch. 42, 43]. Back then, she had desperately convinced herself it was a my visual illusion—but looking at them now, there was zero doubt [Ch. 43]. They were real, biological brothers!Inside the room, Sun-woo adjusted his charcoal suit, his tone full of protective anxiety as he broke the news [Ch. 41]. "Hyun-woo, pack your files fast, our Grandfather and Dad have officially arrived in Seoul! They are waiting for us, and we mandatory need to head home immediately.""yes, alright, fine... I will come with your build, bro," Hyun-woo sighed heavily, standing up to shed his white coat. sun woo paused for a brief microsecond, his brow furrowed as a wave of deep, protective worry hit his handsome features. "But hyun -woo... my heart is under a massive amount of stress right now. Yesterday on that cafe , my brain was explicitly gathering all its masculine courage to pull Ma Ha-rin aside and tell her the absolute truth about our past days... but loose mouth ruined the entire layout [Ch. 39, 40]! hyun think about this and saying yes I am feeling so incredibly anxious .because Do you honestly think Kim Seo-ah's mind will ever understand or forgive my character if her lips find out the data that we are biological brothers, and that we have a hidden childhood connection?!"The exact milestone microsecond the words "past connection" and "biological brothers" hit her ears, Ma Ha-rin could no longer control the explosive shock inside her veins. She abandoned all her stealth and violently, aggressively kicked the heavy cabin door completely wide open, marching straight into the room light as she shouted at the top of her lungs!"WHAT ON EARTH DID YOUR MOUTHS JUST SAY?!" Ha-rin screamed through her teeth, her face turning pale white with pure anger. "A childhood past connection?! You two are biological brothers?!"Both Choi brothers froze completely like literal stone statues, their executive composure shattering into total, absolute terror as their dark eyes locked onto her furious form [Ch. 44]."Lower your vocal cords down, Ha-rin, please!" Dr. Hyun-woo requested softly in a flustered whisper, holding his hands up to ease her temper. "The clinic floor is fully operational to the patients!""Don't your hands dare tell my face to be quiet right now, Dr. Hyun-woo!" Ha-rin snapped fiercely, crossing her arms tightly over her chest as she glared at their faces. "What exactly were you two speaking about?! And if you are real biological brothers, why on earth did your mouths hide this massive family link from our lives?! Why on earth did you both pretend to be strangers while tracking our hearts?! Why did you hide it from us?!" [Ch. 21]Hyun-woo took a deep, ragged breath to steady his racing pulse, stepping forward into her circle with an expression of pure, raw seriousness. "Ma Ha-rin, please... listen to my words carefully. We both were genuinely, truly about to tell your faces everything today. I am deeply sorry, Ha-rin. The absolute truth is that Sun-woo and my build are real biological brothers, and yes... we are the exact same two unknown neighborhood boys who used to watch over your playground steps during our childhood days in the old province. And the exact same unknown boy who used to constantly hover around Kim Seo-ah's path back then... that anonymous kid was strictly my build all along [Ch. 39].""What?!" Ha-rin's voice hit a high-pitched frequency of total, absolute disbelief, tears of anger stinging her eyes. "You two are those playground unknowns?! What on earth do your mouths even mean by that layout?! If you both knew everything, why on earth did your brains keep this a total secret from our lives until now?! Dr. Hyun-woo, your professional brain has absolutely zero idea about the deep, crushing weight of emotional guilt Kim Seo-ah has been carrying inside her heart all these years! She genuinely tortures her own thoughts every single night, thinking she broke that innocent neighborhood boy's heart by rejecting his confession back then! After you suddenly vanished into thin air back then, Kim Seo-ah continuously blamed her own self for your disappearance, carrying a mountain of sorrow while searching for your face in the city... and your build just sat here playing clueless games with her love [Ch. 26, 39]!"Right at that exact, catastrophic split-second microsecond, the heavy cabin door was pushed wide open a second time.Kim Seo-ah stood right at the threshold entrance frame. She had finished her conversation with the auntie, and upon opening the door, the shocking conversation hit her ears. Her face turned completely pale white, her dark eyes filled with a sudden wave of intense, heartbreaking agony, and her fingers trembled violently as the packed breakfast box slipped from her grip, hitting the floorboards with a dull slap. Fresh tears of profound betrayal welling up instantly inside her eyes, she stared directly into Dr. Choi Hyun-woo's paralyzed, horrified face."Dr. Choi Hyun-woo..." Seo-ah gasped, her voice cracking with raw, piercing pain as she choked the words out through her tears. "I completely, utterly hate your existence!"Turning firmly on her heel, she fled from the cabin terminal, her long strides carrying her sobbing frame down the sterile hospital corridor at full speed."KIM SEO-AH!!! WAIT!!!" Dr. Hyun-woo screamed in absolute, frantic terror, his heart completely shattering as his protective instincts took over.