Pay With Your Heart

Dan-Han felt his heartbreak into a thousand pieces when she held him like that and wished for death while crying sorely.

"Don't say that" Dan-Han rebuked her words as he held her tightly against himself, burying her head on his broad chest. While Eun-sun's grip on his shirt tightened more as she painfully shook her head.

"No, it's what I deserve" she cried.

"Eun-sun stop saying that. You don't deserve to die. Why would you ever say that? He asked.

"Beca... because I'm dirty. I'm so dirty Lee" She sobbed even harder this time as she tried to pull away from him, but he held her closer and tightly against his chest.

Why does she feel dirty? Dan-Han asked himself then he suddenly realized what she was referring to. When he realized it, he quickly held her shoulder and tried pulling her away from him, so he could look at her face.

"Hey, listen to me nothing happened last night" He hurriedly explained, but she cut in as she vigorously shook her head while she cried harder.

"You don't know that. You weren't there. He... He"

Dan-Han cupped her face to hold her steady so she could look at him but she kept on crying.

"I was there, that man didn't get to touch you. He didn't do anything to you. I didn't let him touch you" He told her.

"Huh?" Eun-sun hitched when she heard him. Her eyes flew to look at his face while tears rolled down her cheek. She looked at him confusedly, trying to understand what he was saying.

Seeing her in a daze, Dan-Han used his thumb to wipe her tears.

"He didn't touch you, I'd never let anyone touch you like that. You don't have to worry about that" Dan-Han told her.

"He...he didn't touch..." She stuttered in disbelief. Dan-Han shook his head, "He didn't. I promise you" He assured her.

Eun-sun looked into his eyes as he spoke, and she could tell he was saying the truth, but again she asked,

"He didn't really.."

Dan-Han stopped her by pulling her into a hug,

"He didn't. No one would dare touch you" He said assured her again, while he ran his hand through her hair comfortingly. Eun-sun didn't know how she felt in her heart after hearing that. But she was sure the feeling gushing through her was mostly of relief and something else she didn't know.

"Shhh, stop crying. Your tears are making me sad" 'and murderous' He really wanted to go kill that idiot and if possible her mother for making her cry this much.

Eun-sun's shoulders trembled as she kept crying. She cried so much she didn't know when she wrapped her hand around Dan-Han while kept crying her heart out. There was so much pain mixed with relief in her heart and she couldn't stop herself from feeling them.

Dan-Han's heart skipped when she hugged him tightly. He tried to control his pounding heart while he comforted her. After staying in that position for a while, he observed she had stopped crying and her breath was now steady.

"Eun-sun" She called her softly, but she didn't respond, rather she murmured some gibberish and rubbed her face against his chest.

From her actions, he could tell she was sleeping. 'She cried herself to sleep huh?' He hissed in his head. She had passed through a lot last night, and yet this morning she had also cried badly.

Dan-Han was about to lay her down when he heard a knock on the door and Jae-Hyun poked his head in.

"Good morn.." His words got stuck in his throat when he saw the scene before him. He was surprised to see them like that. He arched an inquisitive brow at Dan-Han but the man sent him a death glare making Jae-Hyun almost jump out of his skin.

"Sorry" He muttered and quickly closed the door.

"Why was he glaring at me like that? Wasn't he the one who called me to check on his beloved? Mtcheew...What a bully" He scratched the back of his head as he walked away with a sulky face. A smile broke on his face when he remembered how close Dan-Han was with the girl, and how she was hugging him in her sleep.

"Mother will be happy to hear this" He cheered in his mind as he whipped out his phone to give her a call.

.....

Dan-Han lowered Eun-sun on the bed. He brushed her hair off her face and used his finger to trail her face.

He hissed out.

She looked so peaceful and beautiful while she slept. Behind her tough exterior was a fragile and vulnerable girl, who deserves all the love and care in the world. Scratch that! All his love and care, and henceforth he was going to shower her with all his love and attention.

He lowered himself and kissed her cheek.

"I'll never let anyone hurt in this life or the next. Not even your family"

He sat down next to her, he wanted to leave and make a call to Chang-wok but he did not have the heart to. She could wake up and who knows if she'll cry again.

For the first time, he sent a text. He asked Chang-wok to clear off his schedule and get him so fresh clothes as well as bring some food for them. He was sure she'd wake up soon and would be hungry.

....

Secretary Chang-wok soon arrived with all that his boss had requested.

"Ehh boss, is Ms. Park going to be fine?" He carefully asked while Dan-Han nodded his head as he signed the documents Chang-wok had brought for him to sign.

"Attend the meeting with the development team, and send me the minute. Also, inform her director to approve a sick leave" He commanded.

"Yes sir" Secretary Chang-wok nodded. He looked at his boss with bewilderment. His boss was really going to skip work for the first time to stay in the hospital and cater for a woman? This was unbelievable.

The devilish boss was soon going to become a woman slave.

"Here you can leave" Dan-Han dismissed him the moment he finished signing. Chang-wok quickly received the documents and disappeared out of sight.

He was already at the door when he remembered something important.

"Boss, erm....your mother called" He pursed his lip after saying that first part.

"What did she say?" Dan-Han asked Without even looking at him because he was busy checking if she was cold again.

"Errmm" He hesitated.

"What did you tell her?" Dan-Han changed his question. This stupid secretary of his was just a bloody informant for his mother.

"I told her–you were –here"

As expected of an informant.

"Consider your salary slashed. Get out" Dan-Han ordered. Chang-Wok's eyes almost fell off due to fear and shock, but he hurriedly ran out of the room, before the demon boss takes the whole salary.

Dan-Han wasn't against his mother seeing her, as a matter of fact, he likes how happy she was with his mother but he just wasn't sure if Eun-sun would be comfortable with his mother knowing about what has almost happened to her, and how her biological mother had treated her.

He was sure she'd be uncomfortable, and he didn't want that. And trust his mother to go overboard with everything.

 ********

Hei-Ran who had barely had enough sleep due to continuous worry for her friends whereabout – even though some mysterious guy had called her last night to inform that Eun-sun was alright, but t that wasn't enough to calm her down –woke up the blaring sound of the ringing bell.

She grumpily rolled off her bed and walked to the door. She blinked rapidly when she saw who was standing outside her door so early in the morning.

"Mr. Song? You're here early" She said in a sleepy voice as she tried to stifle a yawn. She had barely slept last night. She stayed up till past midnight and had even wakened between intervals to dial Eun-sun's number all to no avail.

Eun-sun had informed her about hanging out with a friend and had promised to come back before she arrives from her date with Jinhai, but she had come back to an empty apartment and Eun-sun had not returned neither had she been able to contact her.

"You call this early? Have you bee–" Jinhai's speech slurred when he saw the tired look and dark circle on Hei-Ran's eyes.

"What happened to you? Did you not have enough sleep?" Jinhai asked with concern.

"Are you sick? Should I take you to the hospital?" He rambled out, while Hei-Ran shook her head.

"I'm fine"

"Then why do you look like this?" Jinhai asked worriedly, his eyes looking her over.

"My friend has not been home since last night, and I'm worried," Hei-Ran said as she walked away from the door to go look for her phone so she could dial Eun-sun's number again. This was really unlike her. And she had a bad feeling about it.

"Your scary friend?" Jinhai asked.

His words made Hei-Ran pause and glare at him, "Call my friend scary one more time and I'll break up with you" She glared, making Jinhai gulp nervously. She was really cranky this morning.

"I'll help you find her" Jinhai hurriedly declared.