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Title: Il sangue non e acqua
Series: 빈센조/Vincenzo
Characters: Vincenzo Cassano/Park Joohyeong, Oh Gyeongja, Hong Cha-young
Summary: Regardless of whatever happened between them all these years... the fact that they were mother and son doesn't change, does it?
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"I only came to tell you that no one will be visiting anymore."
The words just came out from him without thinking. Even though he didn't actually come to see her today to say just that.
His mother seemed disappointed after hearing what he just said. Which was strange, to be honest. Because from the way Lawyer Hong had told him, his mother sounded like she didn't like to have Lawyer Hong coming to see her weekly. Since the late lawyer would always try to convince her to appeal for a retrial.
Yet, from what he saw, his mother seemed pleased to have someone coming to visit her...
"You should... try to get your friends and family to help you."
It's been so long... he could barely remember it. But, he used to wonder about it. Don't his mother have anyone else besides him? Any other family members... or friends? What about his real father? Why did she leave him at the church back then? Was it really because she didn't have anyone else to depend on?
"I don't have anyone."
Did his mother really mean it? Did she truly believe that she had no one that she could ask for help?
"Don't you have a husband? Where is he? What about your children?"
A part of him wanted to hear her saying it aloud. That even if she didn't have anyone else to seek help from, she still had him. Even if she didn't want him to know that she had ended up like this after leaving him behind all those years ago.
Was that so hard for her to admit?
Yet instead of doing the things that he hoped she would do, his mother kept insisting that she had no one—not even a son—who could come over to help her.
xxx
"All that we can do now is administer painkillers."
"How long does she have?"
"It depends on her will to live, but I'd say a few days. If she has a family, you should tell them as soon as possible."
When they got the call, it alarmed him so much that he almost blurted out that Oh Gyeongja was his real mother in front of Cha-young and Mr Nam. And it took him a lot, to not just violate every single traffic laws in Korea just to get to the hospital at record time.
And looking at his mother being put onto the life support machine, it hurt his heart a LOT!
He thought her illness was really not so bad. He thought that it was still possible for his mother to recover her health and overcome this illness the way she did many years ago. He thought that his mother's illness was not really as bad as it had appeared. Like last time... she had acted like she hasn't been in great pain!
But who was he kidding? Lawyer Hong did tell him last time that his mother's cancer was at the last stage.
"If you were curious, you should've asked your mom yourself."
Why won't his mother say anything?
He didn't dare move a muscle as he continued staring at the prone form of his mother. Cha-young started talking about requesting a stay of execution for his mother and all that jazz but he wasn't really feeling like he wanted to pay any attention to the things she said to him. All that he could really pay attention to though... was the beeping of the life-support machine attached to his mother, indicating that she was still alive. That sound of constant beeping at a regular interval... was providing him with a strange comfort.
As it used to be... when he had waited by his foster parents' bedside. When he was at Fabio's bedside after he became bedridden. Before all of them passed away.
At the sight of his mother gradually gaining consciousness, Vincenzo let out the breath he never knew he held as he let himself relax. Cha-young walked closer towards his mother's bedside once she noticed that his mother had finally awakened.
"Are you okay, Ms Oh?" said Cha-young, as she started to introduce herself to his mother.
At hearing his mother greeting Hong Cha-young cheerfully, Vincenzo couldn't help feeling a sudden surge of anger towards his mother for giving him such a scare without warning. His mother started looking at him before sighing.
"I thought, I'd never see you again."
He couldn't believe that his mother could still be so calm, after what happened to her. After what 'almost' happened to her!
"You should've told them if it was this bad."
"I didn't say anything... because it was bearable. I'm sorry for worrying you."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could his mother... if she HAD been in so much pain, still insisting that she was fine despite having to endure such pain silently by herself? What did she really mean that the pain was BEARABLE for her? How could it be so bearable that she ended up collapsing from the strain of the illness at least TWICE?
A lump has started to form in his throat as Vincenzo struggled to swallow it back down.
Was this what Lawyer Hong meant before... about how his mother treated this pain and illness as her punishment for abandoning him in the past?
"We're going to request a stay of execution," Cha-young's voice suddenly broke into his chaotic thoughts as she continued talking, "Once they grant it, you should be able to get treated right away."
"I have... no money to receive treatment."
Vincenzo took in a long breath to stifle his anger.
"I'll take care of that."
"I don't want to be indebted to anyone..."
"Ms Oh!" he snapped. That's it! He HAD enough! "Just do as I say!" he almost shouted at his mother.
As he turned his eyes towards Cha-young, he belatedly realized what he had just done. He might as well announce to the world that he was Oh Gyeongja's son as of this moment already. But no... he can't. This was not what he intended.
With Cha-young and his mother still staring at him silently without a word, it felt too hard for him to remain standing before them. So he just turned around and left, without bothering to explain to Cha-young why he did what he did.
It was just too overwhelming!
xxx
In an idealistic world, he should be able to confidently say that he was his mother's son. In an idealistic world where Fabio hadn't been the boss of the Cassano family, he might be able to proudly claim Fabio... as well as Marco and his wife as part of his foster family. In that idealistic world, he'd probably just be a simple guy who happened to be fostered by some rich Italian couple (and later by a relative of that couple) and no one would really bat an eye over that fact.
Yet in reality, things weren't that pretty. Even if he had done a lot of charitable deeds and honorable works, it doesn't change the fact he was still the Cassano family's consigliere who had his shares of doing some dirty work against their rival families. And as much as he did a lot of good at the moment, fighting off such a corrupt and notorious company like the Babel Group; it doesn't change the fact that he'd also done so many illegal things in the past, including murder.
So...
Can someone like him, still be able to proudly step forward in front of his own mother... and confess that he was her long lost son? Can he even proudly show himself to her... while being constantly aware that he would need to hide a part of himself, from his mother?
If his mother knew that by sending him away and letting him be adopted by an Italian couple; that would've paved the way for her son to end up being one of the highest-ranked mafia members in Italy, what would his mother feel? She already blamed herself for abandoning him while he was very little and signing away her parental rights on him to get him adopted by some strangers... so what would she do once she learned that her son inevitably got involved in an organized crime group?
Those concerns had always floated at the back of his mind whenever he considered the idea of wanting to become close to anyone... and it was those concerns as well that made him back off from the idea. So as much as he wanted to tell his mother who he really was, he didn't dare to do it in order to keep his mother safe. To keep her from feeling even more guilty for things that were beyond her control to know or to expect to happen.
So should he be content with things as it was? Even when he couldn't tell his mother who he was, he could still do as much as taking care of her wellbeing now. Things should be fine as it was...
...right?
Series: 빈센조/Vincenzo
Characters: Vincenzo Cassano/Park Joohyeong, Oh Gyeongja, Hong Cha-young
Summary: Regardless of whatever happened between them all these years... the fact that they were mother and son doesn't change, does it?
---------------------------------------
"I only came to tell you that no one will be visiting anymore."
The words just came out from him without thinking. Even though he didn't actually come to see her today to say just that.
His mother seemed disappointed after hearing what he just said. Which was strange, to be honest. Because from the way Lawyer Hong had told him, his mother sounded like she didn't like to have Lawyer Hong coming to see her weekly. Since the late lawyer would always try to convince her to appeal for a retrial.
Yet, from what he saw, his mother seemed pleased to have someone coming to visit her...
"You should... try to get your friends and family to help you."
It's been so long... he could barely remember it. But, he used to wonder about it. Don't his mother have anyone else besides him? Any other family members... or friends? What about his real father? Why did she leave him at the church back then? Was it really because she didn't have anyone else to depend on?
"I don't have anyone."
Did his mother really mean it? Did she truly believe that she had no one that she could ask for help?
"Don't you have a husband? Where is he? What about your children?"
A part of him wanted to hear her saying it aloud. That even if she didn't have anyone else to seek help from, she still had him. Even if she didn't want him to know that she had ended up like this after leaving him behind all those years ago.
Was that so hard for her to admit?
Yet instead of doing the things that he hoped she would do, his mother kept insisting that she had no one—not even a son—who could come over to help her.
xxx
"All that we can do now is administer painkillers."
"How long does she have?"
"It depends on her will to live, but I'd say a few days. If she has a family, you should tell them as soon as possible."
When they got the call, it alarmed him so much that he almost blurted out that Oh Gyeongja was his real mother in front of Cha-young and Mr Nam. And it took him a lot, to not just violate every single traffic laws in Korea just to get to the hospital at record time.
And looking at his mother being put onto the life support machine, it hurt his heart a LOT!
He thought her illness was really not so bad. He thought that it was still possible for his mother to recover her health and overcome this illness the way she did many years ago. He thought that his mother's illness was not really as bad as it had appeared. Like last time... she had acted like she hasn't been in great pain!
But who was he kidding? Lawyer Hong did tell him last time that his mother's cancer was at the last stage.
"If you were curious, you should've asked your mom yourself."
Why won't his mother say anything?
He didn't dare move a muscle as he continued staring at the prone form of his mother. Cha-young started talking about requesting a stay of execution for his mother and all that jazz but he wasn't really feeling like he wanted to pay any attention to the things she said to him. All that he could really pay attention to though... was the beeping of the life-support machine attached to his mother, indicating that she was still alive. That sound of constant beeping at a regular interval... was providing him with a strange comfort.
As it used to be... when he had waited by his foster parents' bedside. When he was at Fabio's bedside after he became bedridden. Before all of them passed away.
At the sight of his mother gradually gaining consciousness, Vincenzo let out the breath he never knew he held as he let himself relax. Cha-young walked closer towards his mother's bedside once she noticed that his mother had finally awakened.
"Are you okay, Ms Oh?" said Cha-young, as she started to introduce herself to his mother.
At hearing his mother greeting Hong Cha-young cheerfully, Vincenzo couldn't help feeling a sudden surge of anger towards his mother for giving him such a scare without warning. His mother started looking at him before sighing.
"I thought, I'd never see you again."
He couldn't believe that his mother could still be so calm, after what happened to her. After what 'almost' happened to her!
"You should've told them if it was this bad."
"I didn't say anything... because it was bearable. I'm sorry for worrying you."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could his mother... if she HAD been in so much pain, still insisting that she was fine despite having to endure such pain silently by herself? What did she really mean that the pain was BEARABLE for her? How could it be so bearable that she ended up collapsing from the strain of the illness at least TWICE?
A lump has started to form in his throat as Vincenzo struggled to swallow it back down.
Was this what Lawyer Hong meant before... about how his mother treated this pain and illness as her punishment for abandoning him in the past?
"We're going to request a stay of execution," Cha-young's voice suddenly broke into his chaotic thoughts as she continued talking, "Once they grant it, you should be able to get treated right away."
"I have... no money to receive treatment."
Vincenzo took in a long breath to stifle his anger.
"I'll take care of that."
"I don't want to be indebted to anyone..."
"Ms Oh!" he snapped. That's it! He HAD enough! "Just do as I say!" he almost shouted at his mother.
As he turned his eyes towards Cha-young, he belatedly realized what he had just done. He might as well announce to the world that he was Oh Gyeongja's son as of this moment already. But no... he can't. This was not what he intended.
With Cha-young and his mother still staring at him silently without a word, it felt too hard for him to remain standing before them. So he just turned around and left, without bothering to explain to Cha-young why he did what he did.
It was just too overwhelming!
xxx
In an idealistic world, he should be able to confidently say that he was his mother's son. In an idealistic world where Fabio hadn't been the boss of the Cassano family, he might be able to proudly claim Fabio... as well as Marco and his wife as part of his foster family. In that idealistic world, he'd probably just be a simple guy who happened to be fostered by some rich Italian couple (and later by a relative of that couple) and no one would really bat an eye over that fact.
Yet in reality, things weren't that pretty. Even if he had done a lot of charitable deeds and honorable works, it doesn't change the fact he was still the Cassano family's consigliere who had his shares of doing some dirty work against their rival families. And as much as he did a lot of good at the moment, fighting off such a corrupt and notorious company like the Babel Group; it doesn't change the fact that he'd also done so many illegal things in the past, including murder.
So...
Can someone like him, still be able to proudly step forward in front of his own mother... and confess that he was her long lost son? Can he even proudly show himself to her... while being constantly aware that he would need to hide a part of himself, from his mother?
If his mother knew that by sending him away and letting him be adopted by an Italian couple; that would've paved the way for her son to end up being one of the highest-ranked mafia members in Italy, what would his mother feel? She already blamed herself for abandoning him while he was very little and signing away her parental rights on him to get him adopted by some strangers... so what would she do once she learned that her son inevitably got involved in an organized crime group?
Those concerns had always floated at the back of his mind whenever he considered the idea of wanting to become close to anyone... and it was those concerns as well that made him back off from the idea. So as much as he wanted to tell his mother who he really was, he didn't dare to do it in order to keep his mother safe. To keep her from feeling even more guilty for things that were beyond her control to know or to expect to happen.
So should he be content with things as it was? Even when he couldn't tell his mother who he was, he could still do as much as taking care of her wellbeing now. Things should be fine as it was...
...right?
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