Pay With Your Heart

497 Not Responsible

Seeing the cops before him and Kwon-Nara’s dismembered body behind, Dan-Han knew this was nothing but a trap.

A huge trap was set for him, and he had stupidly fallen into it.

Knowing there was nothing to say, especially at that moment, he surrendered himself to them and requested a call to his lawyer as he’d require one.

Dan-Han deemed himself stupid for ever underestimating Ji-Tae. He had underestimated him just too much.

He was a fool for seeing him as a lost child who needed to be corrected.

He clenched his hand into a fist as he was questioned about something he didn’t know about.

But would Ji-Tae really go this far just to win over him?

“President Lee,” His lawyer greeted him with a bow when he met him in the investigating room.

“Where’s my girl?” Was the first question he asked the moment the man sat down in front of him.

.....

“In the car with your sister.” The lawyer replied.

“Is she crying?” He was sure she was.

“She’s holding up.” The lawyer replied, and Dan-Han sighed. He was sure something like this would be too much for her to bear.

He hated the thought of her crying. He has always hated it.

He straightened his face and looked at the lawyer with seriousness. “The first thing I want is her safety. If I’m being framed for this, he might also want to hurt her to get at me. I want Tae-Ho—” He paused when he remembered the unusual thing about Tae-Ho not picking up his call.

Tae-Ho and his team had been closer to the address, but somehow he had gotten there before him, and he had not answered his calls.

“Where is Tae-Ho?” He inquired.

Dan-Han scowled when he observed the despondent shift on the man’s face. He didn’t have to be told that Tae-Ho might have been attacked.

“Is he alive?” Dan-Han asked.

“Yes, but he lost an arm.”

Dan-Han’s jaw clenched with ire, and his eyes darkened with rage.

“And the rest of the men?” He darkly questioned.

“Lost a few, sir.” The man answered, and Dan-Han felt his blood boil.

“I want you to find Ji-Tae. Turn the country upside down if you must, but find him and get me out of here as soon as possible!”

The man’s brows furrowed as he stared at Dan-Han. “You think he’s behind this?” The lawyer questioned.

“Yes.” He firmly replied. “Find that animal, and get me out of here. I’ll see to his end after this.” Dan-Han drawled, and the man nodded.

He wasn’t a fan of putting down family members, but Ji-Tae had proven he was no longer a member of the family, and on that note, he was going to put him down even after he got sent to jail.

“What have the police found?” Dan-Han asked as he tried to think of a way out of the situation.

“A murder weapon and a chainsaw.”

“Let me guess, my fingerprints are on it?” He was certain it was because if he were to execute this plan, he’d make sure there was no way out for whoever was at the receiving end. He’d lift prints and plant them where they could be seen.

“Yes.” The lawyer replied, and Dan-Han hissed as he brushed his hand through his hair. He wasn’t exactly fazed about this situation because he was certain he’d get out of it unscathed and everyone behind this setup would pay with their lives.

Too bad for Kwon-Nara, she had met up with an early demise, else he wouldn’t have spared her either.

He hissed again as he lolled back on the seat. “There’s no need to check my dashcam or the CCTV. I’m certain they’ve already been altered. It would be a waste of time.”

“Tell Tae-Ho to stay off and get himself treated. Compensate the families of those whose lives were lost and if there were any bodies from the other side, start your investigation from there. And check the scene of the attack. I’m sure Kwon-Nara’s apartment must have been perfectly cleaned out for any evidence to be left behind.” Dan-Han instructed.

“And what about her?” The man asked, and Dan-Han’s countenance changed.

He pushed his hand through his hair, slightly pulling at it from the root. What was he to do with Eun-sun?

He’d keep her there with him if he could, but that was impossible. He wouldn’t even let her step a foot inside.

The last time she had been in a holding cell, he had almost lost his mind, and he didn’t want her in there again.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds as he pinched the space between his brows.

He sighed deeply before peering at the man. “Send her home with her parents. She mustn’t stay alone or go anywhere without protection.”

“But she insisted on seeing you.” The lawyer informed, and Dan-Han hesitated, almost yielding to his desire to see her too.

“Tell her I’m fine, and she dare not starve.” He warned.

“And what about your father? He asked—”

“He knows what to do,” Dan-Han blandly replied, abruptly cutting him off.

Bailing out Dan-Han was impossible as he was a suspect for first-degree murder and would only be let out on bail if evidence suggesting he wasn’t the suspect was submitted.

Eun-sun hurried towards the lawyer when she saw him walking out of the precinct. Ni-Na, her parents and Jun-Sun followed suit.

“How is he? Can I meet him now?” She eagerly asked.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t.”

“I can’t? Why? I...I just want to see him. I

just want to know if he’s okay.”

The man wearily looked at her. “President Lee is fine. I can assure you that.”

Assure her? She didn’t need his assurance. The only assurance she needed was seeing Dan-Han with her eyes.

“But...” She desperately wanted to see him. She was about to press further when Father Lee spoke up.

“He’s not going to see anybody, is he?” Jun-Sun asked. If anyone knew his son very well, then it was him. At least he knew the side of him he had personally trained.

He was certain Dan-Han not seeing anybody, including his precious woman, was not a result of not being able to but because he chose not to.

The lawyer anxiously looked at Jun-Sun and then at Eun-Sun, who was keenly looking at him, and he didn’t know what to say.

“President Lee handed out instructions for everyone.” He replied instead, and Father Lee nodded in understanding.

“How can we get him out? Is there anything we can do?”

“I’ll investigate, and hopefully, we can get something to reveal the real perpetrator. There must be something.”

“I’ll also call for a private investigator. I want my son out of there as soon as possible, and as for that boy...” He paused and tightly clenched his jaws. “Let’s find him first, but for now, we should head home.” He said, and Eun-sun looked at him with alarm.

She didn’t want to go home. All she wanted was to see Dan-Han.

Why the hell would he not see her?

“I’m not leaving until I see him.” She vehemently declared as she tried to fight back the tears streamed from her eyes.

“Unnie, stop crying. Let’s listen to uncle and just head home.” Ni-Na told her, but she stubbornly shook her head.

“Listen to her, honey. I’m sure Dan-Han will be fine. Insisting to see him won’t do you any good. Let’s go home and find a way to get him out of there.” Her mother said as she pulled her into a hug.

Eun-sun dropped her head to her mother’s shoulder as heavy tears fell from her eyes.

All she wanted was one break. One very long or maybe a short break.

They needed a break from all these consistent issues and battles, and just when she thought they could finally be together, something crazier happened.

When was all this going to end?

Ki-Jun patted her back as they tried to placate her.

He peered at his friend, Jun-Sun, who was blankly looking at Eun-sun.

He couldn’t tell what was going on in his mind, but he could guess the man wasn’t happy.

Dan-Han was his only son and immediate family. If this case was to go awry, he could be spending his whole life in jail.

He walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. “He’ll be fine. Whatever you need, tell me, and we can collectively ensure that he’s released.” Ki-Jun assured him.

He had been gravely pissed with him earlier this morning, but not anymore.

No matter how angry he was at Jun-Sun, he could never extend it to his godson.

There was no need for anger when their kids were both involved and were in love with each other.

They were all set out to leave when Ni-Na’s parents arrived in the company of a man which Jun-Sun recognized as Ji-Tae’s hand man.

His eyes flared up when he saw his brother and the man.

“Where’s that bastard?!” He vividly demanded. “I’m gonna kill him myself.” He roared.

“Jun-Sun, calm down!” His brother said, but Jun-Sun stared at him murderously.

“Bring that stupid boy, else I’m going to do something we’ll all regret.” He snarled.

.....

“There’d be no need for that.” His brother replied.

“Then where is he?” Jun-Sun demanded, and his brother signaled the man behind him to step forward.

The man quickly bowed to Jun-Sun and Ki-Jun, but all he got was Jun-Sun’s hard scowl. “Where’s that animal?!” He roared.

“Sir, boss Ji-Tae is currently in the hospital.” The man announced, and Jun-Sun turned to the lawyer.

“Inform the police. We’ll pick that animal up even if he’s on life support.” He said, but Ji-Tae’s mother quickly stepped forward.

“Ji-Tae didn’t do it!” She cried, and Jun-Sun turned to her with a hard glare.

Of course, no parent would want to admit their child was capable of such a heinous crime, but he knew...they knew what Ji-Tae was capable of.

Seeing his disbelief, she continued. “He said Ji-Tae had been sick for a while now. And as soon as the meeting concluded, he started bleeding from his nose. They had taken him to the hospital, and he had passed out there. He had been unconscious since, and he had been at his side. So there was no way he could have killed her and been at the hospital at the same time, and with him being unconscious, he couldn’t have given an order.

“I know Ji-Tae is a bad child, but he wouldn’t go this far to hurt his cousin. Brother Jun-Sun, please, don’t hurt my son.” She earnestly pleaded.

Jun-Sun narrowed his gaze as he listened and looked at her.

He shifted his gaze to his brother for confirmation, and the man affirmatively nodded. “We’ve called the hospital, and they confirmed Ji-Tae has been there during the hour of the murder. So there’s no way he could be responsible.” He explained.

Jun-Sun and his family looked at each other with confusion, most especially Eun-sun.

She stepped away from her mother’s arms and asked the question on everybody’s mind.

“If Ji-Tae isn’t responsible, then who is? Who killed Kwon-Nara?” She questioned.