After Catte entered his father's room, he spoke:
"Dad?" Catte called.
Unfortunately, there was no response. When he approached his father's bed, he saw that his father was asleep from exhaustion. Catte didn't want to disturb him but only wished to speak to himself.
"Dad… I'm sorry… for not being able to help you… I regret it… I really regret it…" Catte said, his voice filled with sorrow.
But sadly, his father did not respond, lying there as if he had already lost his life. Catte held his father's hand and spoke again:
"Dad… what did you do wrong to deserve this? You did good things to support our family…"
He then remembered his past with his father.
[20 years ago:]
Catte and his father lived alone in an apartment while Catte was still in high school. They always did good deeds, such as giving charity and helping their neighbors. Unfortunately, Lucian, Catte's older brother, had discovered their location and immediately headed there.
When he arrived, Catte's father noticed him and said in shock:
"Lucian?! What does he want?"
He quickly turned to Catte and instructed:
"Catte, I need you to stay here. Don't follow me, no matter what happens!"
Catte felt confused, but he obeyed his father's words. After waiting for a long time, Catte took the opportunity to check on his father. As he made his way down the stairs, he saw, from a distance, that his father was being beaten by Lucian.
"Give me back my money, old man!" Lucian shouted.
"Here, take this money…" His father responded weakly, severely injured.
Lucian, unsatisfied with the amount, stomped on his father's foot. His father endured the pain until the arrival of the police. From a distance, he saw Catte watching him with tear-filled eyes. Despite his suffering, he smiled at Catte for the last time.
The police soon arrived and arrested Lucian. Catte ran toward his father, crying.
"Dad!!…" Catte sobbed.
His father could only smile at Catte as he was lifted into the ambulance. Left without anyone to care for him, Catte sought shelter at his best friend Frost's house, who had always been by his side.
[Present Time]
Catte could only cry while holding his father's hand. Meanwhile, Colin, watching from a distance, remained silent, knowing there were no words to ease Catte's pain.
After a long wait, Ruby finally recovered from her injuries. Seeing Ruby healthy again, Catte could only smile while hugging her. Colin felt happy to see Catte cheerful once more.
"So… for now, Ruby has recovered, but she looks like a child who hasn't eaten enough. She can stay in the hospital for a while if you want," the nurse suggested.
Catte accepted the offer and kissed Ruby's forehead before leaving.
"I'm going now, okay? Bye, Ruby," Catte said while waving.
---
[Outside]
On the way, Colin and Catte stopped by a store to buy their necessities. Catte bought stationery and food for Ruby, while Colin purchased items for his workplace.
---
[Catte's House]
As soon as they arrived home, Catte went straight to rest for a while, while Colin began organizing Catte's belongings. After tidying up, Colin started looking for any useful information inside the house. He opened a closet and found an old photo of himself as a child.
Next to the photo, he noticed a hospital bill belonging to Catte's father. Colin remained silent as he read the bill, realizing the severity of the situation. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a book falling from Catte's closet.
Colin immediately went to pick up the book and put it back. However, without realizing it, he had grabbed a diary that contained several sheets of money—money that was meant for Catte's father's surgery. The total amount was $558,086.
[Chapter 14:End]