Pay With Your Heart

Chapter 372: Benefit Of The Doubt

Dan-Han sat behind his desk as he pondered on a lot of things. There were so many things going on at the same time and some seem to be suspiciously related some how, but he just couldn’t find a link.

A lot of things were hiding under his nose and so many eluded him and he couldn’t even sniff them out, and that truly bothers him. He has to prioritize them so he could sort them out one after another.

But what currently boggles his mind was Ji-Tae’s sudden association with the Su’s. He wondered what was going on there. Looking at the trail of money that had been sent to his secret account, he could tell it was nothing legal. He thought he had Ji-Tae properly supervised when he sent him out of the country, but obviously he was wrong. The boy still hasn’t changed.

The Su family were a moderately influential family in the society, and their company isn’t a small corporation. They had few ventures around the country and abroad, and both their companies had collaborated in at least two projects in the past, if he remembered correctly. But there was nothing going on for now. Or was there?

Dan-Han buzzed his secretary on the intercom who quickly came running. Secretary Chang-wok has been on tenterhooks since the meeting with the board where his boss’ rule has been threatened, but Dan-Han seemed to be awkwardly calm about it, he has been going about his work like nothing has happened.

“Sir.” He bowed.

“What business do we currently have with the Su family corporation?” Dan-Han inquired.

.....

“None, sir.” Chang-Wok replied.

“Are you sure?” Dan-Han asked again just to be sure.

Chang-Wok fell into thoughts for a while before he answered. “Yes, sir.”

Dan-Han nodded. He was somewhat relieved that there was no collaboration between them, because it would be troublesome if there was.

“Have you called for the materials?” He inquired.

“Yes, I have. There have been some delay, but they promised to make the delivery tomorrow.” Chang-wok replied.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes.” Chang-wok nodded.

“And they gave you this information?”

“Yes, sir.”

Dan-Han nodded. “I want to see those materials before they are sent to the site.”

“Okay, sir.” Chang-wok gingerly replied even though he was surprised. Though President Lee was very shrewd with works, he had never personally gone to inspect building materials before. He requested them from the best companies and he delegated their inspection to capable hands, because running an empire like Pk Corps was a tiresome responsibility and the man couldn’t be everywhere at the same time. But again he understood this project was the company’s biggest venture at the moment, and it had attracted a lot of attention and everyone was looking forward to it. And it was also the president’s personal project.

“What else’s on my schedule?”

“You have an offsite inspection in City B, a meeting with the investors on the grand Park project, a meeting with the directors for the new automobile launch, the art gallery opening and also....”

Raising his hand, Dan-Han interjected him. “I want to be home by 6.” He said and Chang-wok clearly got the message. The boss has to return to his ‘wife’ at home.

He nodded. “Yes sir,” before returning to his desk.

Dan-Han looked at the time, it was past lunch already and he hasn’t called Eun-sun to check up on her, so he quickly did.

“Are you resting?” He asked the moment she answered the phone.

“Yes.” Her vibrant voice echoed through the phone.

“Had lunch already?”

“Mmm,” Eun-sun vigorously nodded and the with the smile that lingered in her voice Dan-Han could tell she has indeed eaten. Only food made her that chirpy, especially her black bean noddles. He had ordered Alex to make that for lunch as she hasn’t eaten it in a while.

“Where are you?” He suddenly asked when he listened to the background and it didn’t sound like the bedroom he had asked her to stay. He could tell she has already disobeyed him.

“In... the bedroom.”

“You know that’s a lie, you just stuttered. Where are you?” He asked again, this time his voice sounded a bit stern. It was either she was in the bathroom or in the sitting room.

Eun-sun guiltily cleared her throat before she slowly replied. “In the living room.” Her heart skipped when he suddenly became silent after muttering a mirthless, “okay.”

“I was bored, and I couldn’t stay in the room all day, and Ni-Na’s here.” She hurriedly told him.

“I’ll see you when I get home.” He dismissively said.

“Dan-Han.”

“I’d like to call your friend over for dinner.” He said, avoiding her plea.

“Hei-Ran?”

“Yes.” He replied.

“Is this about the account?”

“Yes. Please, inform Alex to make more dinner for everyone.”

“Okay.” She replied, but before she could say anything else he had disconnected the call. He was angry and she knew it. He was always looking for something to scold her about since this incident and she had just given him a solid reason to.

The moment his call with Eun-sun ended, Dan-Han sent a message to Tae-Ho inquiring if he had found Kwon-Nara, but Tae-Ho called him immediately to report back.

“Have you found her?” Came his question as soon as he answered the call.

“No, boss.” Tae-Ho answered. “I’ve searched every where she could be, and even places she wouldn’t be but she’s nowhere to be found. I don’t think she’s still in the country, boss” Tae-Ho told him.

Dan-Han kept quiet for a while before he replied. “She is.” He was confident that Kwon-Nara was still within the country, there was no way she could escape with all his people looking for her, she was probably hiding somewhere and someone was probably helping her. Probably the person who had sent those two pawns and the ampoule of the poison?

He was to blame for this delay of apprehending her. Had he been collected when the incident happened, he should have figured only Kwon-Nara could be stupid enough to harm Eun-sun the way she did.

“Boss do you think the Chairman might be helping her?” Tae-Ho asked. Father Lee hasn’t hidden his hatred for Eun-sun since he met her, and it wouldn’t be suspicious if he knew something the miss incident, because he had turned a blind eye to an hit called on her before.

“He isn’t.” Dan-Han replied. His father was suspicious for many things but not for harming Eun-sun. The man was stubborn and was unwavering with his decision, but he always kept to his words. He had promised his mother that he would never hurt Eun-sun, but he never promised to like or accept her.

A frown framed his face when he suddenly thought about something. He opened a document on his laptop. It was information on Kwon-Nara’s company. He had done some research after discovering what his father had done by approving Kwon-Nara as an investor in the centenary project.

The company was a small company and he had wondered how it had the sum of money they were willing to invest.

He looked at the name of the company’s shareholders and there it was, a name he had overlooked. Now he knew where the money she was investing came from.

“Where is Ji-Tae?” Dan-Han coldly asked.

“City A.”

“When did he go there?”

“Last night.”

“Go there, and bring me Kwon-Nara, she’s with him.” Dan-Han ordered.

“Boss, how did you know?” Tae-Ho was surprised by the boss sudden command.

How did he know? How could he not know? Clues were right before his eyes but he couldn’t see them. How stupid of him to have thought Ji-Tae has changed even if for a tad bit. He knew he was still reckless and desperately tried to be mischievous, but who knew the boy was turning into something else. His fake, self-given English name which he secretively used as an alias was boldly written on the list of shareholders in Kwon-Nara’s company, and he was the highest shareholder.

That definitely wasn’t a coincidence! Or was it?

“Boss?” Tae-Ho called when the other side of the phone went silent.

“The encrypted call, have they been able to discover who it was?” He was referring to the call he had received after the culprits behind Eun-sun’s incident were sent to him.

“They said it’s impossible to trace.”

Indeed he had thought the same, but he had wanted to try, nonetheless. Nothing ticked him off as much as threats did. He hated been threatened and that person did what he hated the most. Now he was beginning to guess who that person could be, but he really hoped it wasn’t.

“Send someone to find him and check if she’s there.”

“And if she is?”

Dan-Han hesitated. “Let her be. Whatever he’s keeping her for, I want to see.” But for Ji-Tae’s sake he hoped he was wrong, because if his suspicions turned out right, he wouldn’t listen to his parents plea when he puts Ji-Tae down. For the last time he was going to give him the benefit of the doubt, that he has indeed changed and he wanted to be a part of the family.

They were still talking when Tae-Ho received a message from the Lee mansion.

“Boss, Mr Kim is visiting the mansion.” He announced.