Pay With Your Heart

Chapter 395: Not By Choice.

A-YEONG’S APARTMENT.

Hei-Ran silently watched A-Yeong as she sobbed even after Dan-Han left. She buried her face in her palms, and her shoulders trembled as endless tears trickled down her face. Hei-Ran was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say. A myriad of questions was spinning through her head, but she could only stare dumbfoundedly at A-Yeong.

A-Yeong and a child? That was unbelievable.

She would never have thought something like this would be revealed out of her silly quest for vengeance or whatever had prompted her to start this in the first place.

It was one thing to hear about drugs and ammunition but another about a child.

Hei-Ran felt a heavy feeling in her heart when she saw how badly A-Yeong kept crying. It didn’t seem like she was going to stop.

Not sure what to do, Hei-Ran slid off her seat and lowered herself to the ground next to where A-Yeong was seated. She sighed as she put an arm around her, drawing her close till her head was rested on her shoulder. She anticipated some resistance, but surprisingly nothing came. A-Yeong willingly leaned in as her body continued to tremble, and her tears dampened Hei-Ran’s shirt. Hei-Ran had never seen A-Yeong cry like this. If she remembered correctly, she had never seen her cry at all.

.....

Hei-Ran kept hugging and patting her till she finally got a grip of herself, her sniffing sound filling the space of the living room. They remained in that position till A-Yeong slowly pulled away, her nose running with snort and her eyes blaring red and sore.

“I...” Her lips moved to say something, but Hei-Ran rose from the floor and sauntered into the kitchen. Minutes later, she returned with a cold glass of water which she wordlessly passed to A-Yeong, who shook her head either out of sheer stubbornness or embarrassment, neither of which Hei-Ran cared about.

She bent down and forcefully placed the glass in her hand with a glare playing in her eyes.

A-Yeong gazed at her and received it when she saw the look in Hei-Ran’s eyes. She slowly raised the glass to her lips and took a sip of it, the coldness lubricated her parched throat, and she suddenly felt grateful. She placed the glass by her side while Hei-Ran returned to the space she had been seated.

They both sat in silence till A-Yeong hoarsely spoke up.

“I know you want to ask me-”

“Yes, I do, but only if you’re up for it,” Hei-Ran interjected her. An awkward air of silence swept across the room as both ladies stared at nothing in particular.

“I met him eight years ago.” A-Yeong started taking Hei-Ran by surprise. She took a glance at her from the corner of her eyes. She had not expected her to speak up, but Hei-Ran felt grateful she did. She didn’t need to ask who she was talking about, so she listened and encouraged her with her silence.

A-Yeong continued. “It was my final year, and I had gone with my coursemates for a few business and economic seminars in some underdeveloped country. It was a rare opportunity having some top sharks in the industry gathering in one place, President Lee had also been there for one of the conferences, and I didn’t want to miss it.” She said, her voice sounding low and calm, her eyes lost and distant like she was reaching for the memory in her head.

“During one of the recess periods in one of the conference meetings, I met him. He walked in carrying some dark air around him that was compelling enough that you wouldn’t want to look away. At first glance, I could see the danger and cunny flare in his eyes, and I knew he wasn’t good for me even as he flirted with me. Warning bells went off in my head, whispering to me to run, but he was relentless, and I was yielding. He had this dangerous smile on his face that made me feel conflicted.”

She paused, and Hei-Ran turned to her, hoping she wouldn’t stop now. A-Yeong managed a soft chuckle when she saw Hei-Ran’s face.

She turned away and continued staring ahead like whatever she was talking about was before her eyes. “He invited me for drinks, and even when I knew I shouldn’t be familiarizing myself with a man like him, I agreed. A few drinks resulted in another invite, and during all the days of the seminar in that country, we flirted hard, and there was no slowing down. He sometimes acted suspicious and strange. He’d excuse himself to take a few calls, but I was too lost to read meanings to the danger signs. I don’t know how he did it, but I kept falling hard. Maybe it was the streak of danger around him that pulled me in and had me falling in too deep.”

“I heard he could be quite a charmer when he wants to,” Hei-Ran stated.

“And don’t forget creepy too,” A-Yeong added.

“I guess you only saw the creepy part after he made you squirm.”

A-Yeong turned towards her with tightened brows, but she eased up and amusedly chuckled.

“I guess you’re right.” She smiled. It was indeed true that she got to know who Ji-Tae really was after the short-lived flame between them was finally put down.

“So, what happened after you got pregnant?” Hei-Ran asked, knowing she must have discovered her pregnancy after their little stint.

“After the conference, we met a few times, and I thought I got something good going, but nothing could come from Ji-Tae.” She paused and sadly sighed. “I desperately wanted to tell you about it, but I suddenly discovered I was pregnant before my trip to your school.”

Yeah, the last trip they had planned out before graduation, and Hei-Ran had been anticipating A-Yeong’s arrival, but there had been no show. Hei-Ran remembered it well.

“I told him about it. Not because I was expecting him to take responsibility or pressure him into marriage, but because I felt he had the right to know. I wasn’t stupid to think Lee Ji-Tae was madly in love with me, so I didn’t expect much. But what I didn’t expect was the disrespect and embarrassment I got. He was cruel to me, and he spoke rudely too.”

“Then why did you keep the baby?” Hei-Ran almost snapped, wondering what had prompted her to keep the baby of such a man and subjecting herself to so much pain. She wasn’t an advocate of abortions, but Ji-Tae, or whatever his name was, has shown he wasn’t deserving of the kindness of having a child with A-Yeong.

A-Yeong’s eyes turned misty as she tried to defend herself. “I tried getting rid of it. I booked an appointment, but I sat on the bench, wondering what my actions would bring and the cost of it. I wasn’t bold enough to pull through, nor could I tell anybody about it. I guess I wasn’t brave as you all thought.” She let out a derisive sigh as she tried to hold back her tears.

“I felt disappointed with myself, and I knew grandfather would feel the same, as well as... you.” She turned to Hei-Ran, who was staring at her with a look of surprise.

“I knew how we spoke about running the Su empire together, but there was suddenly a child inside of me, and I knew I failed everyone. I didn’t know the next step to take or the next turn in my life. It was as if I had missed the big plan that was laid out for my life, and I completely felt lost and helpless. Not being able to get rid of the baby I....”

“You left.” Hei-Ran thoughtfully uttered. “That explains the missing year.” She could finally make sense of things.

“Yes,” A-Yeong affirmed with a nod. “I didn’t know what to do, so running away seemed the best option at the time. After graduation, I traveled to a small island that was very isolated. I lived alone and had the baby with the help of a few natives there. Several times I tried calling home, calling you, but I couldn’t bring myself to. Whenever I closed my eyes, I could picture the disappointed look you all would give me, so I held on to my plan till I had the baby.”

“So how did he know? How did he find out about the baby?” Hei-Ran questioned, wondering how the child he didn’t want had suddenly become a weapon in his hands that he was using to control A-Yeong.

Hei-Ran noticed the way A-Yeong’s eyes had once again turned heavy with tears which threatened to break out, but she tried fighting them back.

She shook her head as her voice croaked. “I don’t know, Hei-Ran. I dropped her at an orphanage so I could return but not without clear instructions of not giving her away. I couldn’t bring myself to give her away because I wanted her to be a part of my life, even though adoption had been the plan from the get go. I sold my chateau to support the orphanage and have them agree to keep her, at least till I was ready. But one month after I returned, I got a call that the orphanage had been involved in a fire accident and all the kids had been taken to different orphanages which could accommodate them, and my daughter had been brought to City A, courtesy of a generous benefactor. I made a quick trip there to check on her, but I was shocked when I saw Ji-Tae there holding the girl with a creepy smile on his face.

“I wasn’t surprised how he got to know. He is a Lee, after all, but what surprised me was when he gave me an ultimatum to either help him receive a certain cargo or never see my daughter again. He promised it would be a one-time thing, and he threatened to take her away if I didn’t comply.” At this point, tears were already streaming down A-Yeong’s eyes.

“I didn’t know how he could up with that, and I didn’t want to imagine what he’d do to her. She was my child. A child he didn’t want, and I alone made sacrifices for. I had wanted to give her up for adoption, but throughout the pregnancy, she grew on me. Her small kicks and moves kept me awake most nights, but they comforted me. The thought of seeing her face kept me going despite all the loneliness and hardships. I told myself I would earn the family’s trust again before telling everyone about her so I could bring her home, but Ji-Tae....” she choked. “He got to her first and cornered me.”

She sniffed and wiped the tear that rolled down her cheek.

“I couldn’t ask for help, especially when I began to know the kind of man he was and what he was into. I had no choice, Hei-Ran. It was either I helped him, or he took my child away.” A-Yeong blurted out her last words as her body again began to tremble with tears. She pulled her knees up and covered her face with her hands.

Hei-Ran also found her eyes misty as she watched and listened to her. She knelt beside pulled her close, hugging her very tightly.

Hei-Ran couldn’t begin to imagine all the pain A-Yeong had to go through. Staying away from her family and having a child alone in a strange place must have been overwhelming for her, and being threatened for the past six years by a monster was something that must have shattered her.