Pay With Your Heart

Chapter 244 - Relief

Eun-sun could hear her heart beating in her ears, her blood felt stilled as she stood frozen to the ground. She waited for something to pierce through her but nothing came. Was being shot supposed to be painless? She...she was supposed to feel some sort of pain right? Then why does it feel like nothing happened?

It felt like forever as Eun-sun stood still to the spot, but it had only been seconds. Seconds that felt like an eternity. She wasn't sure if she should open her eyes. 

Slowly she fluttered her eyes open, peeking through her dark eyelashes, she looked down to see a bullet wound with blood oozing out but there was nothing. Her eyes fully opened and she examined herself well and luckily she was still intact. She hasn't been shot!

Wait, but what then was that gunshot she heard. Eun-sun didn't know why her heart picked up pace once again as she slowly raised her gaze to look at the spot where her assassinator had been standing moments ago. Her eyes widened and she staggered backwards when she saw who was standing ahead of her with a gun in hand.

'Da... Dan-Han?'

She looked at the body sprawled on the floor, and her body stiffened. Was he dead? 

Her gaze travelled back to the man standing over the body and she couldn't believe it. How had he gotten there? 

Eun-sun jolted when she suddenly felt someone's hands on her arms. 

"Are you okay?" She heard the person ask. She was once again shocked when she saw who it was. 

"In-Ha?" Her voice was small and soft, almost as if in disbelief. 

"Yes, pumpkin. Are you hurt?" He asked again with a frantic voice as he carefully looked over. Eun-sun glanced at him while he looked at her with panicked eyes. She shook her head and slowly muttered, "I'm fine." 

"Sure?" He asked again while she nodded her head.

Letting go of the breath he didn't know he had been holding, In-Ha pulled her into a tight hug. 

"You scared me Eun-sun," his voice was full of relief as his grip around her tightened even more. 

Eun-sun wanted to tell him she was also scared out of her mind but she decided to keep mute and simply hug him back as her body was still quite shaken up. 

In-Ha exhaled deeply as he patted her hair while they maintained that hugging position. His breath had been caught all the way here. When Dan-Han received a call that a gun was being pointed at her, he felt his heart stop at the time. He didn't know if it was the speed at which Dan-Han drove or the thought that Eun-sun might be shot even before they got there that made his heart freeze. But holding her in his arms right now, he couldn't be more grateful. He was finally at ease.

Dan-Han sighed when he saw the both of them hugging each other like that. He looked at Eun-sun with careful eyes ensuring she was okay before glancing back at the dead body lying in front of him. He removed the cap from the man's head and he saw his face, it did not look familiar. But something else caught his attention, he bent down and examined the tattoo on the man's neck. His eyes darkened when he recognized it.

The nerve!

He looked over at the man by his side, Tae-Ho, his right-hand man.

"Tae-Ho, find them all and end their clan." His tone was chilly and dangerous. Tae-Ho knew that the boss was in a rage. He had expected this reaction from him. When Dan-Han had earlier requested him to watch over her, he knew she wasn't a usual person. As a matter of fact, from the day he summoned them to that house because of her, everyone knew that their boss had taken a liken to the small woman and whoever was stupid enough to look for trouble was seeking death, and death they shall have just like this mercenary that had been hired to murder the little woman.

Dan-Han had known the source of the perpetrator because of the unique tattoo. It was unique to a small clan of mercenaries who were hired by elite people to carry out their dirty deeds, but it seems tonight was going to be the end of the clan.

Tae-Ho nodded his head as he turned to carry out his orders. It was going to be a long night as the whole city will be raided. A blood bath was going to ensue.

Tae-Ho, who was about to leave, paused when the man's phone started ringing. Dan-Han reached for it from his pocket and he saw an anonymous number calling. He had a feeling about it, so he picked up. 

He didn't say anything as he waited for the person to speak up first.

"Hello, is she dead?" He heard a voice say from the other side of the line. His eyes darkened when he recognized that voice. That annoying voice wasn't one he could easily forget. He clenched his hand tightly to contain the anger burning in his veins.

"No she's not, but you'll be." He replied in a deathly tone before hanging up the call. 

Tae-Ho silently shuddered when he saw the murderous aura emanating from his boss, the temperature plummeted but he maintained a calm expression. He was used to seeing the boss like this, but the chilly feeling was something different.

Dan-Han turned to Tae-Ho, "Call Chang-wook, I want Choi Corps bankrupt by morning. And that brat...." He paused as he looked at Eun-sun who was now looking at him. He sighed and slowly let go of his clenched fist before glancing back at Tae-Ho, "Teach her a lesson." 

"Yes boss," Tae-Ho bowed before walking away.

Dan-Han stared at Eun-sun and In-Ha before slowly sauntering towards them. He was a bit nervous as he walked towards her. He had just killed someone before her eyes. Was she going to get scared of him now? Dan-Han was still pondering about this when he saw her rushing towards him.

"Dan-Han," She called out as she pounced into his embrace. Her hand went around his waist and hugged him tightly, she buried her face on his chest. She couldn't believe she'd have missed seeing him again, or hugging him again.

He let go of the breath he didn't know he had been holding, as he hugged her back. He felt relieved having her in his arms. He could imagine how frightened she must have been. She was a strong girl but having a gun pointed at her was something he suspected she hadn't experienced before. 

Trailing his hand through her hair he spoke in a soothing voice, "You're safe now love," before placing a comforting kiss on her forehead.

Shaking her head, she stuttered, "I–I thought I wasn't going to see you again." 

She was worried about not seeing him when she was in danger? Sweet lord!

"Not a chance honey. Not a damn chance." He told her as he hugged her more tightly than before.

Dan-Han's gaze fell on In-Ha who was looking at them with an uncomfortable look in his eyes. He understood that look, but there was nothing he could do about it. This was probably how things were going to be till he got rid of his feelings for his woman. He had almost felt jealous when he noticed how In-Ha was worried for Eun-sun, but he couldn't let himself dwell on that. As a matter of fact, he was somewhat grateful that she had someone other than him that cared for her. But he also felt sad for In-Ha too. He was going to keep pining for someone he could never have. How sad.

He looked back at the petite woman who was slowly removing her head from his chest. She looked behind him when she saw two people carrying the body of the man that had just been shot. She knew he was dead. Dan-Han had once again saved her life.

Dan-Han also looked behind and he saw his men taking care of the mess. He didn't want her around the scene, so he scooped her into his arms and said, "Let's go home." 

____________

Hey, guys...

I'm so sorry it's been a while. It's been a challenging month for me. I've been critically sick at a point I felt I was going to die, but God came through.

I just got my last round of treatment, so I wanted to drop this chapter with you guys. I know many of you bought privilege, I'm really sorry, I'll work hard to make it up to you guys. I want to say a big thank you for all your patience. And to all those that prayed and checked up on me, I'm eternally grateful.

I love you all.