Pay With Your Heart

Chapter 401: Adoption?

Dan-Han patiently waited for A-Yeong to arrive the hospital, and when she did, he could tell she had cried her eyes out all through the night and she looked like she had aged a few years in one night.

“Good morning, President Lee.” She greeted and Dan-Han led her into the car. His eyes didn’t miss her nervous hold over the hem of her shirt or how she rubbed her palms against her jean.

“I’m carrying out a DNA test.” He announced and turned to her when he observed she was staring at him.

She nodded as she ran her palms over the surface of blue jean again. “I know.” She replied.

She had suspected Dan-Han would conduct a DNA test to confirm if her child was truly blood related to him, so she wasn’t in the least surprised.

The man was publicly known for his shrewdness, so she wouldn’t expect anything other than this, and had the case been reversed, she’d also do the same as him. So she couldn’t blame him for having doubts.

And had her daughter not really had the Lee blood in her veins, she still had faith that he’d help her regardless. The man might be known for his ruthlessness, but she believed there was a kind nature inside of him, and even Hei-Ran had said so.

.....

“Thank you for doing this.” She appreciatively told him, while Dan-Han turned to her and nodded.

He signalled the driver to pull the car into the road and head for the orphanage.

He looked at the picture of the seven year old girl that had been sent to him this morning, before passing the phone to Hei-Ran.

“Is this her?” He asked, and A-Yeong nodded. Her eyes glistened at the sight of her baby girl.

“Yes.” She eagerly replied, and Dan-Han retrieved his phone, but her eyes longingly followed the phone and Dan-Han took note of it.

“When was the last time you saw her?” He questioned.

“A little bit over two year.” She told him.

Two years? Dan-Han wondered. That was a long time for a mother to be kept away from her child. He wondered how many times she had seen the child in the space of these seven years.

Despite Dan-Han’s phone being pitch black, A-Yeong kept staring at it. She longed to see the picture one more time. The girl seemed to have grown a few inches but she has lost a bit of weight. Wasn’t she eating well? Had Ji-Tae done something to her child? She anxiously pondered.

Ji-Tae had denied her access to seeing the girl whenever she wanted to. She had discreetly come over to City A to see her a few weeks ago but Ji-Tae had mysteriously intercepted her on her way, just like he had a few times before. He had blocked the airport taxi she had boarded and roughly shoved her into his own car.

That event had more than confirmed he always had eyes stationed on her, and this was the reason she had been overly careful about talking to people about her and her daughter’s predicament.

She swallowed as she turned to Dan-Han. “You’re going to keep her safe, right?” She anxiously asked. She would take whatever Ji-Tae throws at her, do whatever he tells her to do, but she could never see her child get hurt. The circumstance of her birth wasn’t a favourable one, but she’ll never regret it and thus she’ll do anything to keep her safe.

Dan-Han observed the worry and fret in her eyes and he affirmatively nodded to assure her, “I’ll do my best.” He told her and A-Yeong sighed with a shaky breath. She’ll believe him, not just because she had no other choice, but because she wanted to. She had to.

Half an hour later, Dan-Han and A-Yeong arrived the orphanage, but Dan-Han instructed A-Yeong not to get down.

She confusedly looked at him wondering why he was asking her to remain put. Weren’t they there to take her daughter?

“Today, my visit here is under the guise of a benefactor interested in making a donation and giving the kids a nice treat under the name of my family’s foundation and memory of my late mother, nothing else.” He told her when he saw the questions churning in her eyes.

A-Yeong furrowed her brows. “So why-”

“Ji-Tae leisurely keeping her here simply means he has eyes on her. One step into that place and whoever is reporting back to him will put Ji-Tae in the know of your presence.” And that was the last thing he needed. If Ji-Tae knew of both their presences then he’d know sending him to country B was a trap, and he wouldn’t be able to find out whoever was helping him.

Avoiding all this was the reason why he had taken charge of her travel arrangement. To Ji-Tae and whoever was keeping watch over A-Yeong, she was still in her apartment probably lying on the couch.

A-Yeong finally understood what he was trying to do. He was being careful because Ji-Tae was crafty.

“So will I see her?” A-Yeong asked. That was the most important question on her mind. She wanted to see her daughter, know she was fine and catch a glimpse of her beautiful face.

Dan-Han looked at his watch before his eyes darted outside the window and he saw the people approaching the car as well as the buses parked in front of the building.

“At the right time.” He told her. “Did you bring the documents I asked?” He inquired and she nodded, bringing out a brown envelope from her bag.

Dan-Han shoved it back into her hand. “Keep it. When I’m ready I’ll ask for it.” He told her and A-Yeong looked at the envelope. She had a question in mind and she wasn’t certain if she should ask, but she knew she had to.

“This documents... am I going to adopt her?” She asked, when she couldn’t keep her question to herself any longer. It had been twirling in her mind since he told her to bring them and she suspected that was the case.

Dan-Han arched a brow at her. “You don’t want to?” He asked back, as he observed the emotions that flickered through her eyes.

“But... I’m her mother. Do I have to adopt her? She’s my child.”

“Who you haven’t claimed in seven years, or seen in two years.”

“But I have her birth certificate, and I didn’t stay away intentionally! Ji-Tae wouldn’t let me see her.” She blurted out as she hurriedly tried to fish out the birth certificate from the documents in the envelope.

Dan-Han could understand what she was saying, but she clearly wasn’t aware of the situation she and her child were in, and what Ji-Tae had done behind close doors. He had done a lot of investigations and made a lot of calls last night. The situation she was in was a tricky one and it was all thanks to Ji-Tae.

“Your parental rights to her have been terminated due to willful failure to support.” He spoke up and A-Yeong suddenly stiffened. She unblinkingly stared at him as she tried to understand what he meant by her parental rights had been terminated.

“W..hat do you mean?” She stuttered out. “I... pay for child support.” She always did, so what was he trying to say?

Dan-Han sighed as he pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. How was he to explain to her that she was no longer recognized as a parent of the child and this was all Ji-Tae’s doing.

He sighed again before opening his phone. He scrolled through in search of a document he had been sent last night. It was a legal document approved by the court for dissolution of her parental rights over her child.

“Whatever child support you paid never got here and I believe you know why.” He said as he passed her the phone.