Pay With Your Heart

Chapter 448: His Child.

Ki-Jun stared at the paper in his hand with perplexing thoughts and overwhelming emotions coursing through him at the same time.

He was overwhelmed, and his hands which held the paper, wouldn’t stop trembling as he read those lines that confirmed his child was indeed alive and well, over and over again.

Wait! His child was alive?! His widened eyes darted to the doctor, who seemed just as confused as him and would love to ask what was happening. The man had been more than confused when Ki-Jun requested a DNA test as he was aware he had no biological child of his own save his adopted child.

“Sir?” The man called when it seemed he had missed what Ki-Jun had said to him, but again he was now lost in his thoughts as he stared back at the paper.

“This is real. She’s alive.” He muttered to himself, but the doctor had clearly heard him.

‘How is this possible?’ Ki-Jun mused.

“Chairman Sir,” The doctor cautiously called, and Ki-Jun snapped his gaze to him. There was a myriad of emotions in his eyes; shock, surprise, as well as confusion.

.....

“Do you mind me asking who this person is?” The doctor cautiously asked, unable to keep his curiosity to himself. He had served the Kim family since they moved to country F, and this was something he was completely lost about.

Ki-Jun glanced at the paper one more time before staring back at him. “My daughter.” He whispered out, his words sounding incredulous to him. He had one daughter, Mi-Cha, but now he had another. One born from his own loins. The child he had thought dead, mourned and buried was suddenly miraculously alive.

How was it possible? How did a child he and Sena buried suddenly show up 25 years later alive? These were a few of the questions spiraling in his head.

Lee Dan-Han. He urgently had to see him. That boy had some explanations to give.

“Sir, I don’t understand.” The doctor said confusedly.

“I also do not understand because this is too surreal,” Ki-Jun replied, hurriedly propping up to his feet and folding the paper away. He hastened towards the door but suddenly stopped when he remembered something.

He turned around to the doctor. “Not a word of this to anybody, do you understand?” He warned, and the man nodded with understanding.

“Yes, sir.” He echoed back, and Ki-Jun hurried out of the office. He whipped out his phone and immediately dialed Dan-Han’s number as hustled to his car, but there was no reply.

He dialed again, and just when he thought there’d be no answer, someone picked up.

“Lee Dan-Han.”

“Good afternoon, sir.” A female voice came from the other side of the phone, and he immediately recognized it.

Ki-Jun was caught in the moment. It took a while for him to realize she was repeatedly saying ‘hello’ to him as he had kept silent for too long.

Ki-Jun couldn’t believe he was talking to his child right now. This was his child.

He just couldn’t believe it.

Ki-Jun recomposed himself. “Good afternoon. Where is he?” He asked in an awkward tone, suddenly feeling conscious of himself.

Eun-sun looked to Dan-Han, who was grimly speaking to someone through his laptop. “He’s having a meeting. He said he’d call you back.” Eun-Sun told him.

“Oh, I see,” Was all Ki-Jun could say. Silence lingered after his reply, he didn’t know what else to say, but he could tell she was still on the line. He wondered if she knew that she was his child. Did Dan-Han tell her?

Just like he thought to himself, similar thoughts also ran through Eun-sun’s mind. She couldn’t imagine how strange it would be to call someone other than the person she had always known, father.

Dan-Han had finally told her all she needed to know, and she had to admit she was scared. Not just for herself but him and Dan-Han as well.

She was still in thought when his voice came through the phone.

“How have you been? Have you been enjoying your stay?” He softly asked, and Eun-sun nodded even though he couldn’t see her.

“Yes. It’s nice here. The sky is always blue, and there’s a sea outside. It all looks beautiful, and I can’t stop staring at it.” She honestly replied, but she bit her tongue when she realized she might have rambled a bit too much.

“Then you should ask him to bring you over. There’s a lake here in our residence. It’s beautiful too.” Ki-Jun told her. “You should come,” he said with a definite tone like he wanted nothing else but her to come.

She should come? Eun-sun didn’t know why but the invitation made her feel weird. She had spotted the lake and the peacocks that walked around the greeneries. They looked beautiful, and she would love to see them too.

“I... I’ll ask Dan-Han.” She replied, struggling to stop her voice from sounding too awkward.

“I’ll ask him to bring you. Sena would be happy to see you again.” Ki-Jun said, and he felt his words had a double meaning to them. Sena would love to have her around as she already seemed fond of her, but she’d be more ecstatic when she heard the truth.

Eun-sun didn’t know what next to reply, so she kept quiet, and as if Ki-Jun understood or felt the same, he said, “I’ll call him again.”

“Okay,” Eun-sun replied before he disconnected the call.

Ki-Jun stared at the phone long after the call had ended. Questions like how she was alive once again raced through his mind. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened twenty-five years ago. Had someone tampered with his child?

He wondered how Sena would react to the news. She’d probably faint as she would be shocked out of her mind. She wouldn’t be able to believe it all. He also couldn’t believe it.

He couldn’t wait for Dan-Han to return his call and tell him everything he knew about this. He wanted to know what had happened as soon as possible.

If he had his way, he’d be heading to Dan-Han’s hotel room right now, but he’d wait.

Ki-Jun returned to his car. He pulled out the result and looked at it one more time. His eyes fixed on it for a while before he folded it away and started for home.

He was barely a few minutes from the residence when he saw Mi-Cha by the road standing over the bonnet of her car, looking distressed, and he quickly pulled over.

“Mi-Cha?” He called with concern, and as if the girl had seen her savior, she sighed in relief.

“Dad.” She called almost in a teary voice as she hugged him.

“Why are you standing alone by the side of the road? Why didn’t you call home?” He asked with a mild frown as he pulled away from her and looked at the car.

Mi-Cha wearily sighed, knowing he was upset and was trying not to scold her because, severally, he had warned her never to stay at the side of the road if her car ever broke down. “The car just stopped. I don’t know what happened.” She tried to explain.

“Still, you should have called the house to send a car to pick you up while someone fixes it. Don’t wait at the side of the road again, especially when it’s this lonely.” He looked around them, and his frown deepened.

It was a five-minute drive from where they stood to their residence, but there were barely any houses on that route as it was all private areas, and most houses were just isolated like theirs.

“I’m sorry. I thought I could spot what was wrong with it.” She explained apologetically.

Ki-Jun sighed. “Pick your stuff and lock up.” He told her, and Mi-Cha did as she was told while he closed the bonnet and walked with her to his car.

Mi-Cha had a look of surprise on her face when he occupied the driver’s seat, and she realized he had driven himself.

“You went out alone?” She asked with surprise.

“Yes,” Ki-Jun replied, and Mi-Cha blinked as her eyes slightly widened.

“Wow. It’s been a while, dad.” She dramatically exclaimed, and he smiled.

“Yeah, it’s been a while.” He smilingly replied. He hadn’t driven himself for quite a while. Not that he was incapable of it, but Sena wouldn’t stop nagging him about how it was unsafe racing against youngsters who were reckless while driving. It wasn’t as if he indulged in some racing competition when he drove himself out. But she was just too much.

“What did mum say?” Mi-Cha curiously asked, still surprised that he had driven out by himself.

Ki-Jun hesitated. “Well, she didn’t see me leave, but I hope to live through the night without being scolded.” He smiled, and Mi-Cha laughed, knowing the impossibility of that statement, and she was sure he knew it too. He was definitely going to get a good scolding.

She strapped on her seat belt as he turned on the ignition. “Where did you go to? Bought anything?” She looked at the back seats with a smile which quickly disappeared when she discoverd there were take-out bags as usual. She grumpily glanced at him, and he chuckled at her childish ways.

“I rushed off to get something done.” He said, and he immediately remembered the test result lying between them. He picked it up and furtively tried to slip it into the center console compartment, but Mi-Cha’s eyes caught it, especially the hospital logo.

She observed how he surreptitiously tried to hide it away, and she wondered why and what he was hiding. Did he go to the hospital?

“Dad, did you go to the hospital?” She asked, staring at the center console to inform him she had seen what he was trying to hide.

Ki-Jun was slightly taken aback by her question. He hesitated in his response as he wondered how he would answer that.

“Yes, I did.” He truthfully replied.

“Why? Are you sick?” Mi-Cha asked with worry and concern, and that unsettled Ki-Jun even more.

“No, I’m not.” He replied, not wanting to lie even though he had thought about it. He didn’t want to unsettle her.

“Then what was that you just kept there?” She asked, darting her eyes towards the center console.

Her question flustered Ki-Jun. He racked his brain for what to say as he couldn’t let anyone discover this until he met and spoke with Dan-Han, especially Sena. He didn’t want anyone breaking the news to her when he didn’t have all the answers she would need.

He was about to reply when Mi-Cha’s phone suddenly rang, and he heaved a relief in his heart.

“It’s mum.” She said before answering the call.

It seemed Sena requested her to come home because she replied, “Dad and I are at the gate. We’re driving in.”

Ki-Jun looked at her after the call, hoping she wouldn’t remember anything about what they had been talking about.

“Mum said uncle Yong-Gun is around, and he’s waiting for us,” Mi-Cha told him, and he nodded. He wasn’t sure if she had forgotten about it, or she didn’t just want to press him for it. Whichever it was, he was grateful.

He drove into the residence, and when he pulled up, he spotted Sena and Yong-Gun at the entrance, obviously waiting for them.

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