Chapter 296 - Loyalty?

Dan-Han was surprised to see her sleeping in a crouched position waiting for him. He had watched her for a while before waking her up. His brows twitched when he saw how emaciated she looked. He had the urge to scold her but he tried not to. What was she doing to herself? Why was he even bothered about her? She had been mature enough to help his mother keep a secret, she should also be mature enough to look after herself.

He felt a rush of anger surge through him when he remembered her sins, but his heart swayed when she stumbled backwards out of the excitement of seeing him. He remembered every time her eyes lit up at the sight of him, the way she hopped into his arms like he was her haven, smiling and laughing to every word he said, crying in his arms as she could only be vulnerable with him. He sighed inwardly as he pushed those thoughts out of his head.

He had noticed her when she watched him at work, sneaking a peek when she heard he was passing by, but he had feigned ignorance to it all.

When he had coldly asked her why she was there, he had seen the way her lips quaked with hurt. Her every action, every blink of her eyes had not escaped him. He saw the way she bit her lips to hold back her tears.

Silly girl! She could never fool him with those brazen moves of hers. He could see through her, through every emotion that flickered through her eyes. He didn't know why he had invited her to his mother funeral, but it felt like the best thing to do at the time. He knew wherever his mother was, she'd want her to be there when they laid her to rest.

"Park Eun-sun. You stupid girl." He cussed as he watched her from the rearview mirror. She was still standing there watching him as he drove off. She was stupid for doing this to them. For breaking his trust. Maybe she wasn't the stupid one, maybe he was the stupid one. Her words, 'I miss you,' still reverberated inside his head. Should he have said something to her?

She hurt him so badly, but here he was feeling bad for her when she should be the one feeling bad for how she treated him and not the other way round. He had helplessly chased her, gave her his heart, fought for her and bared himself to her, but what did she do?

His grip over the wheels tightened as his anger returned. He floored the pedal and zoomed out of sight.

Dan-Han had only driven into his compound when he saw In-Ha standing by the door. Why were they all waiting for him? He hissed as he parked his car. He looked at the man through the windshield before stepping out of the car.

Dan-Han strolled past like he had not seen him, but In-Ha followed him into the house.

"Dan-Han." He called as he followed him to the bar. Dan-Han picked up a bottle of wine and poured himself a glass while In-Ha keenly observed him.

"What do you want?" Dan-Han finally asked after several seconds of ear-piercing silence.

"Dan-Han, you should forgive Eun-sun, she's hurting. I know what she did-"

"Not she. What you all did." He interjected.

In-Ha nodded. "Yes, what we did was bad, but come on, are you not being too hard on her? She made a mistake, but what she did, she did from a place of love for you, and your mother. We both know, she'll never hurt you intentionally. She loves you."

"She loves me?" Dan-Han scoffed as he gulped down his wine.

"Yes," In-Ha replied.

"Didn't you know that when you kissed her? Kissing her in my presence and my father's?" His voice was tight and so was his knitted brows.

In-Ha swallowed. He didn't know how to respond to that. He also didn't know Dan-Han's father had witnessed that. "Dan-Han, I'm sorry. I-" He lowered his head apologetically.

"You must have kissed her from a place of love, I suppose?" He asked, his eyes darkly staring at him. A derisive chuckle rumbled out of his chest as he watched his 'friend'. He had asked himself over and over if In-Ha had not kissed Eun-sun, would his father have picked up a fight that morning? He had just been opening up to Eun-sun when this bastard came to mess things up. Maybe she'd be alive even though he'd still be in the dark about her health status. What's this partly In-Ha's fault or was this how it was meant to be?

"I must have been a fool to you all. You all must have been having fun when you saw me helplessly watch my mother die? It must have been funny right?"

"That's not true." In-Ha refuted. "No one wanted your mother dead. No one wanted to keep it a secret away from you. We all begged her to tell you, and she promised she would. It was not in our place-"

"Not in your place?" Dan-Han scoffed. It wasn't in Eun-sun's place to tell him, and it also wasn't in his place to tell. How ridiculous!

"What is in my place when I helped you after your mother died?" He asked taking a step towards In-Ha. "What is in my place when I saved you from marrying that bitch?" He slowly approached him causing In-Ha to take retreating steps. "Was it in my place when I watched over your family business? Kept an eye on your father, and his vixen of a wife while you lived abroad? Was it in my place when I acquired your mother's company, kicked your father out and gave it back to you? Was I ever obligated to do all these for you?" In-Ha was tongue-tied. Dan-Han glared at him with dead cold eyes.

"Da-"

"I thought as much." He hissed with scorn. "You all talk about loyalty when you lack the true meaning of it." He walked back to the bar and poured himself another drink which he gobbled down in one go.

"Get out of my house, and go be with her if you so wish. You all deserve each other." He hissed.

"You don't mean that do you?" In-Ha frowned at him. He knew he was angry and they deserved whatever punishment he ditched at them, but he shouldn't say that.

Dan-Han stared at him with deadpan eyes. "Have you not always been in love with her? Well, I'm done, and that's your chance. So get out of my face." He growled as he smashed the glass on the ground.

In-Ha nodded as he looked at him with pathetic eyes. "When you're much sober, you'll regret giving her away.." He warned and walked away.