Pay With Your Heart

Chapter 361: Her Turn To Wait

Seeing her awake has been the only desire of his heart since this horrid incident occurred. Having her wrapped in his arms again, and bathing under her sweet breath was all he had prayed for, but finally having her there with him fully awake, Dan-Han felt nothing but anxiety and fear – anxiety and fear of her blaming him for all that happened to her. Because this wouldn’t have happened, had he not been in her life.

Laying still by her side, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He couldn’t stop staring into her hazelnut eyes. Those eyes lighten up his days and made him want to bask under the glory of her gaze every day of his life.

Dan-Han didn’t know how much he missed hearing her voice, seeing her eyes and having her smile at him until she finally woke up. He couldn’t believe he had almost lost having this moment again. Now he truly understood how fleeting life could be. One minute someone could be here, the next they were not.

Had he lost her, those moments at his office would have been the last he would ever have had of her? That would have been so cruel and unfair to him.

He looked away from her.

Eun-sun frowned at his action. “What’s wrong?” She curiously asked, but he shook his head, his face still turned away from her.

“Look at me.” She said while trying to reach for his face.

.....

He stopped her. “You should rest.” He said, but he instantly jerked up and turned to her when he felt her move.

“What are you doing?” He scowled, but Eun-sun had her intent gaze fixed on his face, and her frown dissipated like smoke.

She moved her uninjured hand and touched his face. “Are you crying?”

“No.” He denied it as he tried to help her lie still.

“Lies, president Lee.” She wiped under his eye and caught the drop of tear that threatened to fall from it. She cupped his cheek.

“I scared you, didn’t I? I’m sorry.” She apologized. Her heart beating hard with guilt.

“Why are you apologizing?” He should be apologizing to her, and not the other way round.

“Because I have to.”

He removed her hand from his face and kissed the back of her palm. His eyes were closely fixed on her pale face and her slightly parched lips. “No, you don’t.”

“I...I” He stuttered. “I should be the one apologizing to you.”

His grip over her hand slightly tightened. “I don’t want to lose you, Eun-sun. I’d die if I lost you.” His voice broke in a way that pricked Eun-sun’s heart.

Oh, dear!

Eun-sun felt her heartbreak when she heard his depressing and broken voice. She has never heard him speak that way before.

“Dan-Han, stop saying that. You won’t die, because I’m not dying.” She assured him, but he shook his head and kissed her palm again.

“I thought about how I didn’t get enough time with my mother, or a chance to tell her how much I loved her. And I didn’t want that to happen again. We were apart for so long, and I just got you back, I was scared I messed things up again.”

“Shh... I’m not leaving you, Dan-Han. Not now or ever.” Eun-sun told him, as she tried to hold back her tears. Seeing Dan-Han like this, and hearing him speak this way was shattering her heart.

He tightly held her hand and apologized. “I’m sorry.” He said as a tear fell from his eyes. “I’m sorry for not protecting you well. I should have-”

“Hey,” Eun-sun cut him off. She couldn’t stop her tears from falling either. “Come here.” She beckoned him closer and made him lay his head on her chest where she slowly coaxed him.

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing. I’m not leaving you, Lee Dan-Han. Never. Who would marry you and save the world from dealing with a terrifying man like you? No one will take you, except me.” She gently patted his hair. “Sleep a bit, I’ll still be here when you wake up.” She comforted him. She knew he had more to say, but she wanted him to rest. She knew what she meant to him because he meant that much to her, so she understood he had been trying to be strong for her.

“You have to eat.” He tried standing up, but Eun-sun wouldn’t let him.

“Just close your eyes for a while. Ni-Na isn’t back.” She patted him.

Seeing Dan-Han cry wasn’t something she had expected. She wasn’t sure she had ever seen him cry before. She kept patting him till she felt his slow and even breath on her chest.

“Lee,” she whispered but the only response she got was the exhaling sigh that rolled past his lips.

She trifled him over and she felt he looked a bit more emaciated than he did when she last saw him in his office. How bad was he treating himself because of her? It was just three days, Lee Dan-Han. She inwardly scolded.

Eun-sun’s eyes darted towards the door when Ni-Na walked in with a small bag of food. Ni-Na was surprised to her brother peacefully sleeping on Eun-sun’s chest.

She sighed in relief as she broadly smiled. “At last.”

“He didn’t sleep at all?” Eun-sun inquired, she softened her so as not to wake him up.

“Barely an hour each day. And he did that while sitting by your side.” Eun-sun felt the heaviness in her heart grow as she looked at him.

“Are you comfortable with him on you?” Ni-Na was worried about the injury on her stomach, and her dislocated arm.

Eun-sun smiled, “Even in his sleep he would be careful.” This she was certain of. She could swear he wouldn’t move a muscle because he was subconsciously aware of her injuries.

“I guess you can’t eat now.” Ni-Na placed the food on the side table.

“I’ll wait till he wakes up. I guess it’s my turn to wait on him.” She smiled while Ni-Na tried to stifle her giggle. She admired their love.

Ni-Na left to give them some privacy while Eun-sun accompanied Dan-Han in bed. And she was right about him. He didn’t move a muscle till he finally woke up.

He was surprised when he realized he had fallen asleep on her. He tried getting off her quietly but she woke up too.

He apologized and quickly climbed off the bed.

“I shouldn’t have-”

“You looked like you needed it, and why did you wake up so soon?” She frowned at him, as she stifled a yawn.

Dan-Han looked at the time. It was more than an hour. That was long enough.

“What if I had hurt you? Did I hurt you?” He worriedly asked while Eun-sun shook her head, but he didn’t believe her. He checked underneath her gown to see the wound before sighing out in relief.

He was about to get them something to eat when Eun-sun showed him the food Ni-Na had brought. Dan-Han took it to the cafeteria and heated it.

She smiled at him as he fed her, but the man was oddly quiet. He was acting strange.

She paused and looked at him.

“What is it?” He asked.

“That man, did you catch him?” She inquired.

“Yes.”

“Where is he?”

“Handled.”

By handled, he meant, dead? Seeing the sudden frigid countenance on his face, Eun-sun knew that was what he meant, but she wasn’t scared. She has always known Dan-Han wasn’t an ordinary man, and she had seen him kill a man for her before. Also, she knew for him to remain at the top of the business world for five years, controlling several sectors of the economy, he had his hand in places she didn’t want to think about.

She nodded in understanding, even though she wasn’t happy, he might have killed someone because of her, again.

“Do you know why someone would want to kill me?” She suddenly asked while he resumed feeding her. He paused for a second before he continued feeding her, but Eun-sun didn’t miss his reaction to her question.

“Who?” She asked.

“Let’s not talk about that now.” He scooped another spoon of soup into her mouth, but Eun-sun refused it. She could see the way his body responded with guilt and fear.

“Who?” She pressed.

“I’m not sure.” He told her.

Eun-sun narrowed her eyes at him. “Is that right?”

“Yes.” He lied. Of course, he was convinced Kwon-Nara was behind it because the drug used was something only she could get from her father’s research lab when such substances were banned. The ampoule had his lab name on it. For a moment he had shared a minute possibility that maybe someone else could have done this, but after her sudden disappearance in the past three days, he was even more convinced that she was the culprit. But he wasn’t sure he could tell her this.

“Dan-Han why do I feel you don’t want to tell me.”

“I don’t want to.” He outrightly told her.

“Why?”

“Because-”

“Because this happened because of you, right?” Eun-sun asked.

“Babe-”

“Someone tried to kill me because of you, isn’t it?” She asked.

Dan-Han ashamedly lowered his head and replied, “Yes.”

“And this is why you’ve been apologizing endlessly and quivering in fear?”

Dan-Han looked at her from under his lashes and nodded. “Yes,” before lowering his head again.

“Okay.”

Dan-Han raised his head to her. ‘Okay?’

“Eun-sun,” He called, making her look at him, but he said nothing.

Eun-sun sighed after being silent for a while. “President Lee Dan-Han, when I agreed to be in love with you, I agreed to accept everything that you are. Cold, overbearing, dangerous, loving, caring and possessive. I accepted you for who you are, with all the danger signs that came with you and your position. And I trust you to always be here for me, just as I will always be for you. I know you’re scared I’ll blame you for what happened, and yes I do.” She paused when more fear flickered through his eyes.

She tried not to chuckle. “Dan-Han, I came to this relationship with my eyes wide open, and I knew what was at stake for me. You have enemies, and I don’t think you’ll never run out of them, and I’ll never run of them because I’m with you. There’ll always be business rivals who’ll do anything to defeat you, and there’ll be ladies who’d do anything to get you, and Dan-Han, all these are normal. We’ve agreed this relationship will be a bumpy one, and if I blame you for every obstacle we meet, then am I deserving of what we share? So why are you wallowing in self-guilt and fear? You didn’t hurt me, someone else did.”

.....

“But it was because of me.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Eun-sun, you won’t-”

“Leave you?” She asked and he nodded.

“Dan-Han, I don’t know why you’re feeling insecure. It is strange. My man is a national tyrant, this I know, so if I didn’t leave for that, I don’t see why I’ll leave you now. So stop being this way, because I’m not leaving you even if you beg me to, and this is the last time anyone will ever bully me again.”