Pay With Your Heart

Having made up his mind about going on this trip with his mother and Eun-sun, Dan-Han spent extra hours at the office. If he was to leave the company for a few weeks, he had to set everything in place before leaving. He was neck-deep at work when his phone started ringing.

Looking at his phone screen, he was slightly surprised to see the caller's number on display. 'Strange', He reasoned to himself.

This was one call he had anticipated for months, but it didn't come, and he had somehow convinced himself that he might not be receiving this call, but it seems he was mistaken after all.

After few seconds of hesitantly staring at his phone, he finally picked the call.

"Hello, big brother," That ever joyful voice came chirping through the phone. He had always wondered how she managed to remain so joyful.

"Hello, Ni-Na." He replied in his ever so boring and aloof voice, letting her know she was calling at the wrong time, as usual.

"Pfft, I see you're still as boring as ever." She scoffed. "Long time no talk, big brother. Did you miss me?" She asked, going back to her chirpy self.

"What do you want now?" Dan-Han outrightly asked, ignoring her childish ranting. He wasn't cut out for beating around the bush, and she knew it.

"Why do you always think I want something?" She asked back with an upset tone, but Dan-Han was unfazed, as he knew the kind of person she was. A trickster.

"Don't you all want something?" He sighed. Either they were making direct favours or telling him what was best for his life. Always asking him to do something for their selfish interest, of course. All except his Eun-sun.

Ni-Na chuckled at his words, "It seems you're having a hard time there."

"And I don't have all day." He hissed over the phone, making Ni-Na smile. She loved it when he was stressed. Stressing him was the boon of her life, and she wouldn't let it go for anything in the world! How she missed doing this.

"Okay, I won't waste your time." She said and paused before continuing again, "I'm done with school, and I want to come home."

'As expected.'

"So? Why are you telling me?"

"Stop acting up; you know why I'm calling. Tell your uncle, my father, to give my passport back or help me get a new one." She said, her tone revealing her level of frustration and desperation,

"And why me?" Dan-Han cocked a brow, even though she couldn't see him.

"Because he listens to you. You're the head of the family. Everyone listens to you, so please help me." She pleaded. Her voice was shaky, almost as if she was about to cry, but Dan-Han knew better.

Ni-Na was frustrated with being treated as a child in the family. For heaven's sake which 20-year-old adult gets their passport ceased by their father? She was an adult, for Pete's sake, but she was still being treated like a teenager....why??!

Ni-Na was the only female child of the Lee family, born by the eldest member of the Lee family, Dan-Han's uncle, who lives a secluded life abroad with her mother. Her stupid and incapable brother was being groomed/punished by Dan-Han at one of the third class countries for embezzling company funds. That brother of hers was not one to be proud of. She was as good as having none.

"I can't help you, young lady. I'm not your parents, and I can't interfere with how they raise you. You're still a child."

"I'm not a child! I'm twenty, and I'm tired of staying here. I want to come back home, and I want to work at the headquarters with you to groom me. Please help me." She pleaded earnestly. "Big brother, please. I promise to be in my good behaviour and treat sister-in-law nicely."

"Sister-in-law?" Dan-Han asked in shock. Who told her that?

Understanding his surprised tone, Ni-Na giggled, "Aunty sends me mails, and she also sent a picture of her too," She said in an accusing tone, silently nagging Dan-Han that he had failed to check up on her.

She drew in a short breath and continued, "I wanted to call, but I couldn't till I finished my final exams, the stupid school with their stupid rules! But anyway I must say my sister-in-law is beautiful. You guys would make a beautiful couple, and you'd definitely make beautiful babies." She chirped and giggled happily.

Beautiful babies?

An image of a cute little princess with round hazel eyes, and dark fluffy hair, firmly hugging his thighs and blinking her big round eyes at him like a cute little puppy, came to mind. His lips curved into a big smile at the thought of that.

"Big bro!" A sharp voice blared through his ear, pulling him out of his musing.

"I'll call him." Dan-Han absentmindedly agreed, making the girl shriek excitedly. She couldn't believe it worked; she was sure going to thank her aunt later.

"Thank you. I love you." She tweeted before ending the call. Dan-Han chuckled at her childishness. He lolled back onto his seat as he thought back to the mini version of Eun-sun he had just thought about.

Thinking about it made his heart swell, and for some reason, he had the urge to want to pursue that dream right away.

Good heaven, he was sure going to marry that girl.

....

Hei-Ran and Eun-sun's apartment.

Eun-sun laid on the bed as she thought about a lot of things, beginning from Dan-Han's condition to the person Mrs Lee had said she'd introduce her to. From how she had sounded on the phone, it seemed to be someone important, making her slightly nervous.

She had met a lot of people since she met Dan-Han and, and not many of them liked her, which was beginning to make her feel uneasy. She had met father Lee, and the man has certainly shown his distaste for her since the first day he laid eyes on her, and she could tell that this little strain must have been stressing the woman out. She didn't want to add one more person who'd dislike her or disrespect her because of her background.

A dry and derisive chuckle escaped her mouth when she thought how Dan-Han's father would react when he finds out that she actually wasn't from a poor home but that she was actually an orphan. That would be disastrous.

Maybe she should agree to Dan-Han's condition of letting him find her parents.

Despite her several attempts to avoid having that conversation with him, that man had somehow found a way to corner her. But she had to admit that she was a bit curious to know who they were, but she was also afraid.

Afraid of getting rejected again. Afraid of knowing the reason why she was easily given away. She was afraid of seeing someone look at her with so much disgust and regret, especially from those she was supposed to call family. She would be dejected if someone treated her that way again.

After all no one wanted to be called cursed by their own parents. So what was she going to do?

Find them and discover another set of monsters or say no and forever live with the regrets of not knowing who her true parents are.