Pay With Your Heart

One thing Mrs Lee has come to realise from life was that the last moments of one's life swiftly and irretrievably slips away, leaving the people left behind in complete shock and regrets – regrets of not making the right decisions of being with their loved ones while they were more than just a memory. This was an unexplainable fact of life. Her utmost wish at the moment was to ensure that no one lived with regret after she was gone. 

A melancholic smile crept on her face as she watched everyone from where she stood, especially her son, who was helping Eun-sun out of the car. He had an unusual smile plastered on his face. Seeing him like this has been her wish for a decade - to have her son love someone just like his father loves her. To have that person in his life who'll bring light and stability.

It was just unfortunate that she might not see more of their time together. Would it be wrong of her if she asked for more time? She absentmindedly scoffed at that thought.

She couldn't be greedy now.

It was indeed true that death brings particular greed to cling onto life because the last moments of one's life are when the perfect things start rolling in.

"Why are you crying?" Her husband asked with concern as he whipped out a handkerchief and gently wiped her tears dry.

Not realising that she had been crying, she sniffed and flashed him a small smile, "I'm just happy seeing our son being happy." She said, making father Lee glance in the direction she was staring at.

His brows narrowed when he saw Eun-sun walking by Dan-Han's side; her arms hooked around his.

"You promised." Mrs Lee reminded him when she saw the cold eyes at which he was staring at Eun-sun. He looked at her and hissed out irritably.

"Be nice." She warned before revealing a sweet smile towards the approaching couple.

When Eun-sun spotted Dan-Han's father with his wife, her grip around Dan-Han's arm suddenly involuntarily tightened, causing Dan-Han to look at her, he understood her worries. "Don't bother about him," He told her.

Bother about him? She wouldn't bother about him had he been someone else, but no, he was the father of the man she loved. So how could she not be worried?

Gently rubbing his hand on hers, which was buried in his palm, he led her towards his parents,

"Father, Mother," He bowed, but the woman ignored him and pulled Eun-sun closer to her.

"Thanks for coming, my dear," She said, gently rubbing on Eun-sun's chin like a mother who was fond of her child.

"Thanks for inviting me." She humbly replied.

Her eyes wavered to the man standing by her side. "Good morning, sir," She nervously greeted with a bow. Eun-sun had to admit that she was always nervous around this man.

Had she known that he might be embarking on this trip, she probably would have declined the offer. She wouldn't want anything that might put Dan-Han or his mother in a bad spot. She has had her fair share of a dysfunctional family, and she wasn't ready to cause chaos in another.

A small moment of silence reigned as all eyes were suddenly glued to father Lee, who was staring at Eun-sun with a bland expression.

After a short reign of eternity, he finally replied, "Good morning."

Though his response was forced, Eun-Sun was quite surprised to hear him reply to her greeting. She had expected him to ignore her greetings as usual, but surprisingly he didn't.

'What side of the earth did the sun rise from today?' She thought, her eyes surreptitiously looking at Dan-Han, who had already figured out what was going on, seeing the way his mother was smiling approvingly at his father.

"Where's she?" Dan-Han asked.

"Who?" Father Lee and Mother asked simultaneously.

"The person we are waiting for," Dan-Han replied. Mrs Lee's eyes widened when she realised who he was referring to.

She looked over her shoulders to Jae-Hyun and In-Ha, who were about to board the plane. She didn't need anyone to tell her that Jae-Hyun must have told him about the woman, which meant he might know about the investigation.

"She's on her way here–" She paused when her eyes fell on the car that had just stopped on the tarmac.

"She's here." She said, pointing her chin to the car.

....

INSIDE THE PLANE

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Jae-Hyun couldn't stop himself from asking any longer. He has noticed In-Ha's countenance in the last ten minutes, and he looked strange, not to talk about the fact that he has been a bit more taciturn for a few days now.

"Hey Kang In-Ha," He slightly jabbed him by the side, jolting In-Ha from his train of thoughts. He cocked a brow at Jae-Hyun, silently asking him, 'what?'

"You've been mopping. What's wrong?" Jae-Hyun asked with concern hinted on his voice while In-Ha sighed resignedly.

"It's nothing," He dismissively replied before looking outside the window again, but Jae-Hyun didn't believe him; the look on his face meant more than nothing causing him to follow his line of sight.

"Which of them are you thinking about?" Jae-Hyun asked when he finally realised where In-Ha's gaze was fixed.

In-Ha turned to him with eyes drawn in slits, "What do you mean?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

Jae-Hyun looked outside the window to the group of people standing outside, "Aunty or Eun-sun, which is it?" He asked, returning his gaze to In-ha, who lolled back on his seat defeatedly.

Letting out a sigh, he replied, "Both, I guess."

"But I thought you were letting her go?" Jae-Hyun inquired, making In-Ha sigh again.

"I thought so too, but–"

"But what?" 

In-Ha didn't miss the slight stiffness in his voice, but he replied, "I thought I could...I mean, I tried to, but I don't know anymore." A sheer look of frustration was boldly etched on his face. Jae-Hyun could tell he was truly struggling.

"What do you mean? what are you trying to say?" Jae-Hyun gently asked.

"I'm not trying to say anything. But haven't you realised that life could be fleeting? The future is so uncertain that anything could happen, and we could die without saying or doing the things we should have done." He paused and looked outside the window again, his eyes zeroed on that petite being wrapped in his friend's arm while Jae-Hyun paid rapt attention to him.

"We could miss telling that one person what we felt, and we might die without knowing what their response might be. It could be positive, and we can never know." Something unfamiliar glimmered in his eyes, and Jae-Hyun did not miss it. His eyes furrowed deeply at his friends' odd words.

What was he trying to say?

"What are you trying to say?" Jae-Hyun asked confusedly.

"What I'm saying is, just like mother, I don't want to have any regrets. I want to tell Eun-sun how I feel.." He declared, leaving Jae-Hyun completely stunned.