Pay With Your Heart

Chapter 377: Signatures.

Eun-sun kept stealing glances at Dan-Han, who was keenly committed to ignoring her even while they had dinner with Hei-Ran. He made small talks with Hei-Ran and asked about her company, but he didn’t utter a word to her.

She watched as he finished his meal and rose to his feet. “Ms. Su, please join me in my office after your meal. Alex will bring you in.” He said while Hei-Ran nodded.

“What about me, Dan-Han?” Eun-sun couldn’t stop herself from asking. Her question halted him as he partly turned and looked over his shoulder.

“I’m sure you can hop back to bed. After all, that’s how you got here.” He said with much insouciance, which Eun-sun had never heard him use on her before. He walked away without caring for her after passing some orders to Alex.

“What have you done now, you stubborn girl?” Hei-Ran flicked her head after Dan-Han had stepped out of sight.

Eun-sun wryly sighed and turned to her friend with a menacing glare. “He doesn’t want to talk to me,” she said as she rubbed on the place Hei-Ran had flicked her.

Of course, Hei-Ran could tell Dan-Han was ignoring her. “I’m not blind, Eun-sun. I’m asking what you did to him?”

.....

“And why do you think it’s my fault? He could have done something wrong.” Eun-sun snapped and stink-eyed Hei-Ran for her bias.

Hei-Ran gave a non-committal shrug. “Well, a few days ago, he looked like he’d die if you as much as winced in pain. So, seeing that same man ignoring you this badly means you’re being your stubborn and annoying self again. Tell me, Park Eun-sun, what did you do to president Lee?”

“Nothing! I did nothing!” Eun-sun firmly replied and threw another glare at Hei-Ran.

“Now, that definitely means something. So tell me, you stubborn brat.” Hei-Ran probed, much to Eun-sun’s irritation.

“You should probably go see him now. I don’t want to talk to you and tell him he can ignore me for all he wants.” She fumingly hissed as she returned her attention to her food, forcefully stabbing the plates and filling her mouth with large forkfuls.

Hei-Ran sighed and chuckled at her attitude. “Don’t think you’ve escaped me. I’ll be back for this, but for now, I’ll go attend to more pressing matters.”

“Bet..ter,” Eun-sun mumbled between mouthfuls. She angrily chewed like she could expend all her frustrations in grinding the food away. Hei-Ran amusedly shook her head and walked away. This was practically a side of her she’d never lose, the gluttonous side. She was always choosing her stomach over everything else.

Alex led Hei-Ran to Dan-Han’s private study, where he was patiently waiting for her.

“Take your seat.” Dan-Han gestured to a seat across his desk.

“Thank you.”

“Is she still there?” He asked as Hei-Ran settled into her seat.

Hei-Ran nodded. “She seems pissed.”

“Let her be. She needs to be taught how to take her health more seriously.” He said while Hei-Ran nodded in agreement. She didn’t know exactly what was going on, but she could agree with Dan-Han on that.

If there was another part of Eun-sun she hadn’t lost yet, it was always being negligent of her health. Staying with that mother of hers, Song-Hee, for so many years had dealt her a lot of bad characters, such as surging on and hopping around with deep bruises and cuts while she worked and carried a half gritting smile while she faked being fine. That was something that had to change.

Hei-Ran was certain that if Dan-Han hadn’t been in her life now, she’d probably be hopping around in an office, working herself to the bone to send money to Song-Hee, who cared little to nothing about her. She was sure Eun-sun still sent her money.

The girl was stubborn, and nothing could probably tame her, maybe, except Dan-Han. He was definitely the right fit for a girl like Eun-sun.

“Did you bring the documents I asked for?” Dan-Han asked, interjecting Hei-Ran out of her thoughts. She nodded and quickly brought out the documents from her file bag and passed them to him.

Dan-Han flipped the files open as he began to study them. “You noticed those discrepancies from here, and they all have to do with the shipping line?”

“Yes,” Hei-Ran replied. “What exactly are you looking for?” Hei-Ran asked as Dan-Han continued looking through the files, page after page. His eyes were filled with intense scrutiny.

“To find a pattern or something that could lead us to whatever is going on,” he replied. Hei-Ran nodded and remained quiet as she watched him attentively study the documents. It wasn’t right to expose company files in this fashion, but she was desperate. She was running out of time, and any help offered at the moment, she’d gladly leap at it.

She was surprised when she received a call from Eun-sun about Dan-Han’s invitation. Initially, she was in doubt because despite Dan-Han being completely enamored with her friend, he wasn’t exactly friendly with her or the others she had seen around him. She had wanted to see him regarding the evidence that involved a member of his household, but she didn’t know the best approach to take. After receiving a call from him to confirm Eun-sun’s words, she couldn’t have been happier.

“Could you describe your cousin to me?” Dan-Han asked, his attention keenly fixed on the documents and not her. He raised his head and glanced at her when he noticed her hesitate, probably because she didn’t know how to answer him. “Tell me what kind of a person she is.” He added.

Hei-Ran slightly cleared her throat. “Erm, A-Yeong is a strong-willed lady.” She started. “She’s very assertive, hardworking, and very competitive with a tinge of a negative vibe hanging around her, which pushes her to do anything to get what she wants. Her assertiveness is a plus as well as a fault.”

“Mmm.” Dan-Han nodded attentively. “Is there anyone she’s close to at the company? Like a strong supporter who could be an ally?” He lifted his head and stared at Hei-Ran, who fell into thoughts.

She shook her head after a while and replied, “No.”

Dan-Han narrowed his brows. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Then what about him?” Dan-Han suddenly inquired, his fingers pointing at a name and signature at the bottom of one of the signed documents, which he pushed closer to her.

Hei-Ran took a quick look at it. “Mr. Yang? He’s one of our directors, and his department oversees shipments. He doesn’t seem quite close to A-Yeong. Why do you ask?” Hei-Ran questioned suspiciously.

“Is this Mr. Yang, perhaps left-handed?” He inquired. His eyes were keenly fixed on Hei-Ran as she tried to ponder about it.

“Yes.” She nodded.

“And your sister?”

“She’s right-handed,” Hei-Ran replied, wondering why the series of odd questions and their relevance to the situation. She craned her neck to peek at the documents he was critically analyzing. Perhaps he could see something she had missed? She had analyzed those documents severally, and she didn’t see anything resulting in asking such questions.

Dan-Han picked two more signed papers and turned them towards her, “Whoever he is, he seems to be good at forging signatures, especially your cousins.” He pointed at two of the signed documents. “This doesn’t look like a right-handed person signed them. And the strokes on this one look too similar to his signature.” He said, tapping at the first document he had shown her containing Mr. Yang’s name and signature.

Hei-Ran pulled the files closer and carefully examined the signatures. This was something she hadn’t done while studying them because she knew A-Yeong’s signature, and she had not thought of the possibility of it being forged. But carefully looking at it now, she could see the difference in the strokes and letters. The difference was subtle, but it was there.

She alertly glanced up at Dan-Han. “Does this mean that-”

“I’m not certain, but he might know something about whatever is going on in that shipping line of yours. He might be directly involved, or he’s also pulling a fast one on your sister. But whichever one it is, I think he’s worth paying a visit. If your sister doesn’t spill, maybe he might.”