Pay With Your Heart

Chapter 388: Deal.

Dan-Han had only ended his call with Hei-Ran when a call from his secretary came through.

“Chang-wok.” He curtly called, wondering what had the man so impatient that’d he chosen to ring his phone to the bowels of hell this morning. It was probably the fourth call he had received from him despite being aware he was already on his way to the office.

And he was yet to forget the annoying interruptions he had made by calling twice while attending to Eun-sun, despite knowing his current priorities. He had a morning routine of checking her wounds, changing the dressing, and having her fully prepared to spend yet another boring day in his mansion alone. These were the first must-do of the day, and every other thing be damned. He’d never be in a hurry to leave her side, at least till he knew she had all she needed for the day she spent in solitude, waiting for him to return and make the most of her day as she had hazily said.

‘You returning home is all I anticipate. It makes the highlight of the day.’

It was no intention of his to leave her in solitude, with no one but his laid-back chef, who barely spared a smile or two, but he had no other option. He couldn’t bring himself to hire a nurse because he wasn’t sure the danger around her had been completely averted. The mastermind behind her attack still lived as a free man/woman, trudging the streets of the city, but only for a limited time. He’d never forgive the person who called a hit her, just like he’d never forgive himself for bringing his troubles to her. He knew Eun-sun didn’t appreciate the guilt as she had voiced it out severally, but the guilt was shackled to him as a constant reminder that there was more to his life now. There was a chance at spending forever in happiness and love, and to make it his reality, he’d have to be more vigilant and protective because there was no way in hell he would allow her to get hurt again. So, no, he wouldn’t take the risk of hiring a nurse or anyone he didn’t know.

He’d be damned before he lets another evil eye be cast on her.

If he had his way, he’d bring her along to the office every day, but he couldn’t. He’d put more strain on her leg as if she wasn’t doing a good job at it already.

.....

“Sir, a woman is demanding to see you in the lobby. She claims it’s important, and you might regret it if you send her away without seeing her.” Chang-wok reported, causing a displeased yet curious frown to crease Dan-Han’s face.

‘A woman?’

“Who is she?” He inquired while his mind went on a quick spin, pondering on the several possibilities of who this ‘woman’ could be, but despite all the faces and names that flashed through his mind, none matched the name that came out of Chang-Wok’s mouth.

“Park Song-Hee, Sir.” He replied. “She claims to be miss Park’s mother,” Chang-wok added.

‘Foster mother.” Dan-Han corrected inwardly.

More than surprised to hear her name, Dan-Han was more stunned about her sudden appearance at the company.

Despite the names and faces that had blared through his mind in these short seconds, her name was the last he expected to hear, and the last person he’d had imagined would come looking for him.

He had expected their next meeting to lack every streak of civility because the woman had chosen to be uncooperative, and he had assured her of the outcome if he sought her first. But who knew she’d take the initiative to find him before he did?

It seems she listened to him after all and was probably going to take him on his offer.

“Take her to my office, and keep her there. I’ll be there shortly.” He ordered, his tone sounding firm and urgent. He ended the call before Chang-wok had the opportunity to echo back a response.

He put his phone away and met the gaze of his chauffeur through the rearview mirror, his eyes cold and piercing, slightly stifling the man’s spine. “Drive.” He ordered. “Fast.” Despite his voice coming as a low growl, it instantly prompted the man to instinctively step on the pedal, putting to test the true integrity of the car’s speed limit.

Dan-Han leaped out of the car before it could come to a complete stop. His long legs took large strides putting him in front of everybody else as he strolled across the lobby. Everyone made a path for him when they saw him coming with an unusual look and speed. It wasn’t new to see the president with his indifferent signatory look, but this morning, his face was more frigid -like it had just sent icicles to hell and cast a jinx on whatever party they had been throwing down there. There was some hint of urgency around him, which made people worry if indeed, the rumors of him being kicked out of the company were true.

Several echoes of ‘good morning, Sir’ reverberated across the lobby, but none did Dan-Han respond to, not even with a curt nod. His mind was completely absent from him.

He knew he was unusually in a hurry, but everything regarding Eun-sun put him in a hurry. Even though Song-Hee had willingly come to him – hopefully to give the answer he wanted – he wasn’t going to delay so as not to give her the opportunity to change her mind.

“Where is she?” Dan-Han asked the moment he arrived in the lobby of his office.

“In your office, sir.” Chang-wok promptly answered, pointing towards the door of his office. Dan-Han had barely turned towards the said door when he heard sounds of soft giggles behind him.

He turned, and he wasn’t in the least surprised when Ji-Tae’s presence, smilingly whispering to a female staff who was all blush and smiles -both walking down the hallway and towards his office, greeted his sight.

The girl stilled when she registered his presence, and she instinctively took a step backward, removing herself from Ji-Tae’s side.

“Go..od morning, sir.” She stutteringly greeted and bowed, hoping to hide her face away, but who was she kidding?! Dan-Han’s gaze traveled across their faces before settling on Ji-Tae, who had a sheepish grin.

He paid another look to the girl who had been smiling at Ji-Tae but now shivering with fear.

“Department?” He curtly asked.

“Huh?” Her lashes rapidly fluttered in trepidation. “Strategy, sir.” She answered, her voice coming out in broken bits. She nervously waited for his response which she feared shouldn’t come in the form of a sack letter. She had only been sent to submit a file as instructed by a Senior analyst when she met the president’s brother in the elevator and had foolishly indulged herself in flirting with him. His devilish charm, and dangerous boyish smile, had been too difficult to ignore.

“Get back to work.” Dan-Han drawled out, and she nervously slipped the file in her hands onto Chang-wok’s desk with Dan-Han’s eyes keenly following. She deeply bowed before scampering out of sight.

Ji-Tae chuckled amusedly. “You’re no fun, big brother.” He tutted. “I wonder how you met the little princess? Did you give an ultimatum of date me, or I’ll have hell freeze over you?”

Dan-Han darkly frowned, but his face slowly eased up. He’d consider himself foolish to give Ji-Tae an answer.

“Come back in one hour. I have a meeting.” He sternly told him before turning to Chang-wok. “When I’m ready, get the papers I asked for and join me in my office.” He ordered before turning to his door, leaving Ji-Tae with no other form of explanation, not that he owed him one anyway. He could wait for hours for all he cared.

His days were numbered. He just didn’t know it yet.

Stepping into his office, Dan-Han cast a look at the petite figure uneasily sitting on the sofa in his office. She whipped her head around and jerked to her feet when she saw him standing by the door.

Dan-Han put his bag down and joined her in the sitting area. He took note of how uncomfortable she looked but also of how nicely she had cleaned up. She wasn’t reeking of alcohol, and her pupils weren’t dilated as he registered in all their previous encounters.

For the first time, Dan-Han saw a decent person in her, and he wondered if this was the person she had been before the devil showed her the way to drugs and alcohol -the coping mechanism she had discovered after her marriage crumbled.

How different people fell into different habits when they hit the lowest ranks of their lives or lost what was more important to them. The habits help them go by, suppressing the memory of what used to be the best times of their lives, but it could never take away the pain, so they’d indulge even more, not to purge but to numb the constant reminder of their pain.

Dan-Han wasn’t one to judge because, by God, he wasn’t a good man. His decisions always lingered in the gray areas of life, and sometimes tilted towards the dark, so he definitely wouldn’t judge her. After all, pain could never be understood from another’s perspective because pain itself is subjective. What wouldn’t break one shatters another-everyone with what really destroys them.

Although he wasn’t judging her for falling and succumbing to her habits, he loathed her for treating Eun-sun as the subject of her mystery. For depriving her of a good childhood.

He appraised her with a cold and stoic look.

“Good morning, Ms. Park.” He curtly greeted and gestured for her to take her seat as he took a seat opposite her.

Song-Hee shot him a wary look and tersely nodded in response. She raised her gaze to him, but it darted away when she met those dangerously frigid eyes of his. They reminded her just what kind of person he was and what more he was capable of doing to her.

A thought of regret immediately flashed through her. She regretted the foolish decision to come there. But whether she had come or not, this meeting would inevitably happen, but the circumstances would have been different.

Had she stayed behind, he’d have paid her another visit – one he had promised her she’d regret if he did, so it was either one way or another. And coming might just be beneficial to her, she thinks – only if his deal still stands.

She braced up and slowly raced her gaze to him. “I know you’re a very busy man, so I’d get straight to the point.” She said, her eyes now fully fixed on him.

Dan-Han reclined to the chair and crossed his legs by the knee as he paid her his undivided attention.

“The...the offer does it still stand?” She asked.