Pay With Your Heart

Chapter 123: Match-maker

“Isn’t that your brother?” One of the girls asked, her eyes gazing ahead to the couple standing not too far off. Ga-Yeon looked towards the direction the girl was pointing at, and so did all the girls.

They were all stunned to realize it was truly Jinhai, and what was more surprising was that he was standing with a girl.

One of the girl snapped her neck towards Ga-Yeon and asked, “I thought you said he went home? What is sunbae doing here?” They were all surprised to see him there. It was an unimaginable sight.

Ga-Yeon was equally as surprised as they were. “I don’t know” She replied absentmindedly, her eyes still locked to the couple standing in front of each other. Jinhai had just dropped her off a whole ago, and he hadn’t mentioned anything about clubbing or meeting someone either. But who was that girl? Is she the girl he likes? Her eyes widened at that thought.

She watched as Jinhai grabbed the hand of the girl who was about to walk away. She was gazing at them with scrutiny.

“Ga-Yeon is she his girlfriend?” Another of the girl asked in a full gossipy tone, when she noticed how Jinhai held the girl’s hand, and also the way she was frowning at him.

“Are they fighting?” The girl asked again, while another replied. “It seems so. But they are in a club so why should they fight here? That’s so not Cool” She pointed out, while the others nodded concurrently. Ga-Yeon rolled her eyes inwardly when she heard them. Did she mention why she didn’t want any of her friends for her brother? This was it, they were all gossip...but it was cool hanging out with them.

.....

Her eyes gazed back at her brother and the mysterious lady beside him. Her brows creased when she noticed the way he was looking at her. Looking at her brother she noticed he looked far from his usual self. Right now he had a cold and weird look on his face. What’s with the stoic look on his face? Was he trying to scare at the girl? She wasn’t imagining things right? Ga-Yeon didn’t understand what was going on.

But thinking about her plan of getting him a girlfriend and putting him off her back, a sly smile appeared on her face as a light bulb flicked in her head. Her friends looked up at her when she suddenly stood to her feet.

“Are you going there?” They asked.

“Hmm, and none of you must follow me, or forget about me paying the bills” She threatened before they could ask if they could tag along....yeah, they were that crazy, but she still loved them. She knew they had a knack for intruding into issues that didn’t concern them, just like she was about to do. But he was her brother, and there was nothing wrong in helping him get his girl.

She always knew she’d be a matchmaker so why not now?....hehehe

She once again glared at them threateningly before walking away.

....

Hei-Ran was shocked when Jinhai grabbed her hand and stopped her from walking away. She had to admit that her boss’ attitude was getting out of hand. She had let him do whatever he wanted with her, letting him over work her, but it seems that has gotten into his head and he must now be assuming that he could now lord over her life.

“Mr Song-” She tried speaking when Jinhai spoke up, “Don’t go on a date” He said out those words almost in a pleading and desperate voice. He couldn’t bear it anymore. Who was he kidding with the ‘chaperone’ nonsense. He knew if he continued with his dumb and stupid charade, he wouldn’t be able to stop her and he’d definitely get her angry, but the worst of it all was that he was going to lose her.

Hei-Ran scrunched up her face in confusion as she looked up at him. Why did he just say? He was going to stop her from going on a date too?, okay not that she really had one, she still didn’t know why she had said that in the first place.

She had thought he’d go away and not stall her by asking about her health, that’s why she had lied, but who knew it was going to be the other way round. Him sticking to her and wanting to tag along.

Jinhai noticed the way she was looking at him with annoyance and he felt his heart skip a beat. His heart was racing frantically and he couldn’t calm it down.

It was hard keeping his feelings from her all these years. He had tried all he could to prevent her from going on a date, and keeping her to his side without telling her how he felt about her. He couldn’t count how many times he had moved his business meetings to weekends just so he could keep her occupied during the weekends and now this? She was finally going out on a date with another guy, so what happens to him? He has been having a hard time trying to keep his feelings cool and not scare her or overwhelm her with them, but he was still going to lose anyway. So what was the essence of all he had done?

“Mr Song-”

“Please don’t go” He said again, this time his was a bit firm than it was before. Though the music in the club was loud but she could hear him perfectly. She looked at him with fluttering eyes. Why was he suddenly acting weird? Fine, he has always acted weird, but right now this was a different kind of weird.

Did her boss just say ‘Please? And why the hell was he looking at her like that? Why was he asking her not to go on a date?

Hei-Ran was feeling creeped out. Her eyes darted towards Eun-sun who’s patient was thinning out. If not for the fact that Hei-Ran has always been weary of her boss, she’d have walked away and left them there lone ago. She was tired of standing and having different lascivious eyes of men checking her out.

She returned her gaze back to Jinhai who was still holding to her hand and was still looking at her in a very uncomfortable way.

Hei-Ran opened her mouth to say something, but only one word could come out, “Why?” She asked confusedly, but her tone was soft. If Jinhai wasn’t paying rapt attention to her he wouldn’t have heard her.

‘Why?’

Jinhai didn’t know if he should tell her why. Why he didn’t want her to go on a date, or why he has been acting like a weird guy and pretending like he wasn’t in the least attracted to her when he had madly been in love with her since the first day he interviewed her for a

her job, or why he has been clinging onto her since that day till now?

Which why was she referring to, because he had the answer for all of them, but he just was too scared to say it out. He was scared because she might quit her job and leave him, just like had heard her say to her colleagues at work a month after she started working with them.

He remembered when he had overheard her say, “If my boss likes me and he tells me about it, I swear I’ll quit my job and run away. I can’t have a corporate romance, it destroys the work ethics and nobody gives you the due acknowledgement you deserve. They always see you as the boss’ woman and I’m glad boss Song isn’t like that’ Those were the exact words which had driven him into this madness. Those words had made him sheath his feelings for her.

Right now he doesn’t feel like he can keep up anymore. He wanted to say it out, so she’d know how he felt about her and why he doesn’t want her on a date. Slowly he opened up his mouth to say, “Be-because I like -”

“Hey bro” Ga-Yeon chipped as she suddenly appeared in front of them, interjecting Jinhai’s words. Hei-Ran who was trying not imagine what she thought he was about to say, snapped her head towards the chirpy voice.

Jinhai was surprised to see his sister standing in front of them. Wasn’t she supposed to be with her friends? How could she have spotted him in such a place? Jinhai couldn’t help but notice the mischievous look on his sister’s face, but before he could say something, Ga-Yeon was already standing in front of Hei-Ran with an excited smile.

“Ah, you must be my brother’s girlfriend” She said with a fake excited voice, but the smile on her face was very much geninue. “I knew you were going to be so pretty” she added before turning to look at Jinhai, “Bro you really made a good choice” She praised giving him thumbs up.

Hei-Ran was beyond startled, her eyes were fully widened and her eyeballs were ready to fall off, while her eyelids kept fluttering. Eun-sun who was standing by the side couldn’t help but chuckle when she noticed Hei-Ran’s expression.

Jinhai cringed in embarrassment when he heard what his sister just said. “Ga-Yeon!” He growled but the girl didn’t mind him, rather she took Hei-Ran’s hand from Jinhai’s and held both her hands. Hei-Ran was dumbfounded, she didn’t understand what was going on. How and when did she become his girlfriend? Did he lie with her to his family too? She lowered her eyes to her hands in the girls hand.

“Tell me what’s your name?” Ga-Yeon asked.

“Hei-Ran” Hei-Ran replied absentmindedly before realizing what she had done.

“That’s beautiful” She complimented. “Hei-Ran we’ve been dying to meet you, and now that I have I can tell the whole family that you’re indeed real and not my brother’s imagination-”

“What?” She snapped when Jinhai pulled her hand but she stubbornly moved her hand away. “Sister Hei-Ran, I can call you sister right?” She asked with expectant eyes but continued before Hei-Ran could give her response.

“We’re going to be close I know it. That’s why I want to invite you for grandfather’s birthday next Weekend. You’ll come right?” She asked, but again she continued without waiting for Hei-Ran’s answer. “Hei-Ran can I take your picture?” She asked. Hei-Ran’s mouth hung open as she stared at the girl in front of her confusedly. What’s going on??? And before she would know it, the girl had let go of her hand and a white light flashed on her face, with a chuttering camera sound.

‘What just happened?’ She asked herself. ‘Did she just have her picture taken?

“What’s did you do?” Jinhai was the one to ask first, in an angry tone. The girl turned to him defiantly and said, “I just took a pics of Hei-Ran for the family, since you won’t bring her”

“Give me that?” he demanded. Ga-Yeon was embarrassing him.

“No!” She declared before looking at the speechless Hei-Ran. “Sister Hei-Ran promise to come to Grandpa’s party okay. he’d be happy to see you” She said, before Jinhai manhandledly pulled away, leaving the stupified Hei-Ran.

Eun-sun who has been treated to a family drama, couldn’t help but burst out in laughter, as she walked closer to Hei-Ran.

“Little Ran, you’re finished” She said before bellowing out another round of laughter.