Pay With Your Heart

496 Foreboding

All efforts to find Kwon-Nara and Ji-Tae proved abortive after several hours of searching for them, which truly irked Dan-Han.

A pensive look hung on his face as he fell deep in thoughts. He didn’t understand why Ji-Tae and Kwon-Nara would even do something like this.

A few possible options were running through his mind, but none of them seemed plausible.

This couldn’t just be done with the endpoint of wanting him to marry Kwon-Nara, as that would not be beneficial to Ji-Tae, except his father was involved and had made a deal with him.

And neither would they get anything out of blackmailing him.

The only thing that made sense was that they would do something to the baby, and pin it on him, thereby creating a scandal.

If Kwon-Nara was to lose the baby, she could say he forced her, which would be scandalous. It could result in him losing his seat at the company and Ji-Tae getting his lifelong dream.

If that was the plan, they didn’t have one because he’d save them the trouble of killing Kwon-Nara himself, and every plan he had on redeeming that bastard cousin of his had therefore ended.

He’d take no pity on him anymore.

.....

Henceforth, he’d see Ji-Tae as an enemy and not a little boy who had lost his way.

He picked up his phone and redialed his father’s line for the umpteenth time, and this time he finally picked up.

“I missed your calls.” Father Lee casually said through the phone.

“I guess you’ve seen what’s currently trending. Are you behind this?” Dan-Han sternly questioned, but his father’s reply did not come as quickly as he had expected.

“No, I’m not.” He replied, but Dan-Han didn’t believe him.

“You want me to think you don’t have a hand in this?” He lividly asked. His father has always schemed behind his back simply because he didn’t like his choice of partner, so how did he expect him to believe he had no hand in something that could result in leaving Eun-sun?

Father Lee sighed exasperatedly. “Look, I know you have every right to suspect me, but this isn’t me. I did help her to return to the country, but that was because Ji-Tae suggested it. He said she’d be useful to make you leave that gi... Eun-sun.” He corrected himself before making the mistake of addressing her with the name Dan-Han didn’t like.

“I only made the deal because you weren’t seeing reasons, but I never planned to take things this far, especially when it could have a huge backlash on the company.” He explained.

“So you’re trying to say Ji-Tae used you.” Of course, that was the case.

Did he not warn his father to be careful of the boy? He had categorically told him to cut off whatever deal he made with Ji-Tae, but he wouldn’t listen.

Yes, he still had his spunk, but times had changed, and the rules he knew in his youthful days were no longer applicable. There were far more vicious opponents these days, and he had told him that.

“He didn’t use me. I didn’t know he’d go this far.” Father Lee argued.

“Ji-Tae might be the master planner, but you and your stubbornness brought this problem on me.”

“I’ve been looking for them.” Father Lee told him.

“And you better find them!” Dan-Han growled and ended the call.

Eun-sun cautiously peeked at him from the door where she had been observing him. She had overheard him speaking to his father, and she was somewhat relieved that he had no hand in this.

She slowly pushed open the door and stepped into the study.

Dan-Han looked over the moment she walked in. “Done with dinner?” He asked, and she nodded.

“You didn’t eat much, I suppose?”

“You didn’t eat all.” She told him, and he sighed.

“I’m not hungry.”

Of course, he was, but he couldn’t just bring himself to eat. Eun-sun knew he was too angry to do so.

He had locked himself up in his study since they came back from the office and had been brooding ever since.

There was no doubt he was angry, but he didn’t have to overly stress himself out over things. She was equally worried why something like this was happening to them right now, but she was more worried seeing him like this.

She slowly walked over to him, and he stretched out his hand, which she received. He pulled her to sit on his thighs.

Eun-sun trailed her hand across his brows and the length of his face as he looked up at her. “Dan-Han, can you relax for a minute? You’ve been here for hours. Why don’t you try and eat something and rest? We’ll look for a solution by morning. And hopefully, by morning, they’d both be found.” She told him.

Dan-Han silently looked at her. He could see the worry for him in her eyes, and he wondered why she had more concern for him than the situation on ground and what it could mean for their relationship.

It wasn’t going to mean anything. He wouldn’t let anything happen, so there was no need to ponder or talk about it.

He hooked his hand around her waist. “There’s only one thing that would take my mind off things at the moment.”

“Really? What’s that?” Eun-sun asked with interest, as she was all ready to do whatever that was.

Dan-Han’s eyes glistened as they peered at her. He lowered his eyes from her face and looked at the white night dress she had on. He slightly tugged on the rope at the top and undid the first button, revealing her fair smooth chest.

He kissed the part of her skin open to him, “This could take my mind off things. I want you. It’s been so long.” He said as he undid another button.

Eun-sun stopped his hand by grabbing them and looked at him with incredulity. “Dan-Han,” She called with disbelief.

She couldn’t believe he could think of something like this in such a situation, but before she could voice her opinion, he placed her on his desk and slipped his hand under her gown.

Dan-Han leaned towards her and kissed the crook of her nape, and slowly teased her ear. “You don’t know how I wanted to rip those pants you had on back at the conference meeting and bend you over the table.”

Eun-sun shifted uncomfortably on the table as she struggled with her will, which was slowly failing. “You....you wouldn’t have done that.”

Dan-Han kissed her shoulder and then her collarbone. “You can dare me, and we will surely have another meeting tomorrow morning. ” He threatened, and Eun-sun clamped her mouth shut.

Her head tilted sideways to grant him access to continue with whatever he was doing at her neck while she fought back a moan.

“I want a baby, but I only want one from you, Eun-sun. I want a little princess that looks just like you, or maybe a son with your eyes, whichever way they come.” He whispered into her ear and kissed her.

Eun-sun shared that same fantasy, and she wanted nothing other than that. She didn’t know how this pregnancy issue would affect them or how she should respond to it, but she was certain she wanted Dan-Han’s child too.

Eun-sun had slowly begun to respond to Dan-Han advances when his phone suddenly rang.

“Your... phone,” Eun-sun muttered between rasped breaths.

“I’ll call back later.” He replied as his fingers worked fast to undo her dress, but Eun-sun shriveled away.

“It could be important. Take it.” She pushed him off, and he cussed under his breath.

He sighed and glared at her as he picked up the phone. He scowled when he realized it was an unknown number.

“Who’s this?” He growled into the phone, but the response he got tensed him up.

“Da... Dan-Han... Dan-Han, help me.” A voice cried with distress.

Eun-sun watched as his face darkened grimly.

“Nara?” Dan-Han called out, recognizing the voice as hers. “Where the fuck are you?!” He acridly demanded.

“The apartment.” She panted out

“What apartment?! Why did you post such rubbish?!” He questioned.

“Ji-Tae, he made me do it. He threatened he’d kill me if I didn’t. I...I was stupid to believe him, but Ji-Tae, he’s crazy. Dan-Han, please help me. I’m at the 12th apartment at the Coastal residence. Help me, and I’ll testify against him. I’ll do whatever you want.” She desperately pleaded.

“Is the pregnancy real? Is it mine?” Dan-Han asked. That was what he was more concerned about.

His face darkened even more when she answered, “Yes. Ji-Tae sent me to the clinic, and he burnt down the lab. Please help me.” She begged, and the call instantly ended.

“Hello? Nara?!” He called, but the call had disconnected.

“Who was that? Was it—”

“Yes.” He coldly answered as he grabbed his car key and a gun from a hidden compartment on his desk.

“Where are you going?” Eun-sun called after him with panic as he hurried towards the door in long strides.

“I’m going to get her, and I’m going to find that bastard myself.” He growled, but Eun-sun gripped his sleeve.

She didn’t know what exactly was said on the phone, but she had heard Dan-Han’s side.

“Dan-Han, don’t go. Why don’t you call the cops? Or rather, send that scary guy... Tae-Ho. You don’t have to go by yourself.” She panickly told him.

Dan-Han looked at her and kissed her cheek. “I’m not going alone. I’ll call for a team, but not the cops. I’ll be back soon.” He told her and rushed down the stairs, but Eun-sun wasn’t comfortable with things.

She had a foreboding feeling in the pit of her stomach as she watched him leave.

Dan-Han hopped into his car and dashed off. He called Tae-Ho and instructed him to meet him at the address Kwon-Nara had given him.

But on arrival, Tae-Ho wasn’t there yet. Dan-Han dialed his number as he strolled into the condominium, but he didn’t answer.

He kept dialing Tae-Ho’s number as he looked for the apartment number till he found it.

Tae-Ho not answering his calls was strange, but seeing the door of the said apartment ajar and blood on its handle was even more strange.

He pulled out the gun from under his belt and stepped into it, but the moment he did, he was struck dead with shock because lying before him was the mutilated body of Kwon-Nara, completely dismembered.

“What the-”

He instantly turned around to leave, but behind him were cops putting guns at him.