âOuch!â Dan-Han winced when he received a hard smack from Eun-sun after the call with his father ended.
âWhat was that for?â He demanded with a glare.
âThatâs for being stupid, Dan-Han.â She clunked at him, agreeing with his father calling him stupid. Funny how they finally had a middle ground on something, which was approving Dan-Hanâs stupidity.
âYou know he hates me. Why are you making matters worse?â
Dan-Han raised a brow at her, âMaking matters worse?â He asked back as if oblivious to what she was saying.
âYes,â Eun-sun firmly replied, hitting him on his arm again.
Dan-Han was only infuriating the man and giving him more grounds to hate her and not want her for him. Though sheâd like to feign ignorance of the manâs attitude towards her, she couldnât do that forever because she knew being with Dan-Han had to come with his approval.
.....
They both needed his blessings if they were ever to stay together, happy and with no worries.
Dan-Han shrugged as he rubbed his arm. âSo heâll hate you more.â He pointedly told her, but he chuckled when her hard glare turned murderous, and she rolled away from him. His hands reached for her and pulled her close before she could get away.
âI was just kidding.â He said and pelted her cheeks with soothing kisses to placate her. His arms tightened around her as she struggled to get away from him.
âYou shouldnât joke with something like that.â She seriously told him. âIf your father doesnât approve of me, then how will you-â
âHeâll definitely approve of you.â He said, cutting her off while Eun-sun raised a brow at him.
âBecause of who my real parents are?â That was the main reason heâd do that, and she was certain that was what Dan-Han referred to. Because other than the close relationship her real parents surprisingly shared with him, they were people of real standing, something Dan-Hanâs father had always told her she lacked. For some reason, this made Eun-sun feel weird in her stomach.
It wasnât that she didnât want Dan-Hanâs father to stop with his stubbornness and dislike for her, but she didnât want him to accept her because of a background she hadnât had all her life but had only recently discovered.
She wanted him to accept her for who she was â for her personality, morals, values, achievements and especially for the fact that she loved Dan-Han irrevocably. Those things should be more important than who her parents were and who they were not.
Dan-Han shook his head and replied to her question. âNo, because Iâll threaten to resign and disown him.â
âDisown him?â Eun-sun chuckled. Why did that sound funny?
âYou are joking, right?â She asked amusedly. She was sure he was.
âIâm not.â He firmly declared, his face turning somber to sell his words to her, and Eun-sun turned to observe him.
Her gaze narrowed at her. âAre you being serious?â She asked with incredulity.
She didnât think he was. And she definitely knew he wasnât when his eyes crinkled at the side, and a smile lit his face.
âOf course, I wonât. I definitely wonât do that.â He declared, and Eun-sun rolled her eyes at him.
âOf course, you wonât. You donât want to be poor like a prodigal child.â She irritably hissed.
Dan-Han bellowed in laughter, wondering why she was suddenly hating him when she seemed worried minutes ago.
He smiled and kissed her temple. âNo, I wonât be poor because you have money to take care of me. And secondly, I can just meet your parents to write me a check so I can break up with you. Isnât that what rich parents do when their kids date poor people?â
âLike your father gave me a check?â Eun-sun stink-eyed him and hissed irritably.
Dan-Han rupt out in laughter again. âMy father is very stingy. Heâd rather kill you, buy a cheap coffin, and bury you somewhere.â He amusedly replied.
Eun-sun narrowed her eyes at him. He was enjoying this, wasnât he?
âYouâre having fun with this, arenât you?â She irritably asked, and Dan-Han pecked her lips, stealthily evading her question.
He tightened his arms around her and pressed his forehead against hers. âIâm not worried about money or anything because I can easily build up my company if I want to. But I canât make such a decision because I canât leave my responsibilities behind. Iâm not such a person.â He told her, and he believed she knew that already.
âBut believe me when I say heâll approve of you soon enough. One visit from your mother will set him in the right place. Two people my father and yours are most scared of are the women they married. And it seems Iâm about to make the same mistake. One Iâll happily do ten times over.â He hurriedly added his last words when she tried raising her head to stare at him.
âYou know, thinking about it now, I think I finally understand why you are scary.â He hissed
âHey! Iâm not scary.â Eun-Sun refuted, her hands agreeing with her words as she smacked his arms again. Dan-Han didnât know if he was to cry or laugh, but he chose the latter.
âOf course, youâre not, love. Youâre my cute baby, angel.â He said amid laughter, but that only made Eun-sun frown harder at him because she knew he was teasing her.
She softly sighed as she thought about his last words. âCan you tell me about them?â She softly asked, and Dan-Han knew who she was talking about.
He pulled her closer and rested his chin on her head, taking in the lovely scent of her hair. She had made his interest in lavender heighten during their time together. He reeled in his distracting thoughts and focused on answering her question.
âYour mom â aunt Sena, you can say sheâs one of the most amazing women on earth...â He started.
Eun-sun patiently listened as he told her about the most incredible couple he had ever met aside from his parents, how they had so much love and warmth to give and how theyâd grieved the supposed loss of their child.
Eun-sun found her emotions spiral as she listened to him. Hearing him say such amazing things about them, she felt a bittersweet feeling in her heart.
She had parents who had her but wanted nothing to do with her, while she had another, despite not having her in their life and thinking she was dead, loved her. There was something unstable with life, she thought. It was weird and confusing.
âSo whatâs going to happen now?â She asked after listening to him.
âAbout what?â Dan-Han asked back, not entirely sure what her question was about.
âEverything,â Eun-sun replied. âAbout this evil uncle and his schemes. If heâs going to hurt them, as you said, then I donât mind them not recognizing me. Iâll be happy knowing theyâre alive and well and that they didnât give me away because they didnât want me.â
Dan-Hanâs brows pulled together at her words. He slightly pulled away and looked at her face. âThen what about them?â He thickly asked.
Hearing the hardness in his voice, Eun-sun promptly sat up.
âWhat do you mean?â She wondered why he sounded angry over what she had just said.
âDo you think theyâll be okay with just knowing youâre alive after so many years and not having you in their lives? You expect them to just be okay with what you just said?â He sternly asked
âI...â Eun-sun stuttered, still wondering why he sounded upset and made her sound like a villain.
Dan-Han intently stared at her. âI know where you are coming from, but if this was our child and something like this happened, would you agree with what you just said?â He asked. âWould you want to lose out on another opportunity of being with your child?â
â...â
âExactly what I thought.â Dan-Han hissed with mild annoyance. âKnowing you, youâd turn the world upside down to keep your second chance with your child, so why are you asking something different from those who had been distraught at the thought of losing you? Not that I want to upset you, but I find your words selfish.â He outrightly told her, and Eun-sun silently stared at him as his words looped in her head.
She agreed he was right, but she hadnât meant to sound selfish with her words or anything. She believed he understood her worries. She just didnât want to lose any other person from her life and especially not on her account.
Was it so bad not to want them dead? She might not have them the way sheâd want to, but sheâd love to go to bed each night with the safe knowledge that there were people who loved her, and they were all fine and alive.
She bit her lips as she kept staring at him, unsure of what else to say to him.
Dan-Han sighed when he saw the change in her disposition. He sat up and beckoned her to come closer. âCome here,â He said, and Eun-sun inched closer even if she didnât want to at that moment.
He made her sit on his thigh and held her chin up. âLook, Itâs not that I donât understand your worries and fears, but this has far exceeded leaving that man be. If Mi-Cha is truly his plan of taking what belongs to your father, he wonât let you be because heâll see you as a threat to his plans. Even if we attempt to do things the way you want, he knows your father will not leave you empty-handed. Heâd split his wealth between you, and thatâs something he wouldnât want.â
Eun-sunâs brows thoughtfully pulled together. âBut how will he get the properties from her even if sheâs to receive everything? Or is she aware of his plans?â Eun-Sun curiously inquired. That was something she had been thinking about.
She couldnât think of any other way for the man to take anything from Mi-Cha, except he had intentions of killing her.
âI donât know.â He honestly replied. He had also thought about it, but he also didnât know. The whole thing was a mess in and out.