58 "Stay Safe Darling"

"I thought you were planning on breaking up with me," Min-Jung said with a pretty pout on her face.

"Why would you think so? I told you to trust me that I was going to resolve everything, didn't I? So, you don't trust me?" Ji-Tae asked with anger.

"That's not it, baby. But you were so reluctant to break up with Nana, and then you were asking me to get rid of the pregnancy, so I naturally assumed that you were fed up and you were trying to push me away," She said, putting her arms around him to give him a kiss.

"I introduced you to my mother and not Nana, didn't I?" He asked, still pretending to be angry as she kissed him.

"Yes, I'm sorry I misunderstood you. I got along really well with your mother. What did you tell her about me? I forgot to ask before now," Min-Jung asked, making Ji-Tae's heart skip a beat.

Was she getting along with his mother? What was that supposed to mean? Did his mother plan on approving the marriage? He would instead marry Jin-A than Min-Jung if push came to shove. At least he could benefit from Jin-A. Min-Jung, on the other hand, was entirely useless to him. Okay, maybe not entirely useless. She was at least useful in keeping him company when he traveled.

"I only told her what an angel you are and how much I love you," He said distractedly.

"Finish up your drink. I have an important meeting after now. I'll drop you off at home and be on my way," He said, pretending to be in a hurry.

She took it all in a single gulp, and they left the office. "My necklace," She reminded him when they got to the car.

"Oh, I almost forgot," He said as he handed it over to her from his suit pocket.

His driver took them straight to Min-jung's house and dropped off Min-Jung. "Stay safe, darling. Call me if you need anything," He said as the driver drove off.

He was pleased with himself. All he needed now was to wait for the result. He brought out his phone to dial Nana's number to remind her about their date, but his mother's call intercepted his own.

What did she want this time around? He wondered. "Hello, mother," He said in a cheerful voice. She wasn't going to ruin his mood.

"Come over to the house immediately. I need to speak with you," She said in the usual brisk manner she used when speaking with him.

"Can't it wait? I have an engagement." He said, thinking of Nana.

"I'm sure you do. Come over to the house right now, don't keep me waiting," She said as she ended the call.

What did she want this time? She always seemed to be devising new means of frustrating him.

"Take me to the family house," He instructed his driver. He had to call Nana to cancel their meeting. He dialed her number, and she picked up almost immediately like she was waiting for his call.

"We are still on today, right?" She asked him before he could say anything.

"I'm very sorry. Something came up urgently. Can we reschedule?" He asked her remorsefully.

"Oh, dear! I guess we will have to reschedule. I hope everything is fine?" She asked in a concerned voice.

"Yes, my mother just asked me to stop by the house immediately," He said, still feeling bad he wasn't making enough time for her.

"I understand. No problem then, do what you have to do. We will see when it's convenient for us both. Do take care of yourself," She said.

"Thanks for your understanding, baby. I miss you," He said.

"No problem, let's talk later then," Nana said, hanging up the call. She knew it was rude to end the call that way, but she didn't want to lie that she missed him when she didn't.

Why was Nana acting strange these days? Maybe she was upset he wasn't giving her much attention. Things were going to change soon. Once he sorted out everything, he would give her his whole attention.

**********

"What is wrong? Did you want to talk to me about something?" Mrs. Kim asked Choi Min-Jun when she noticed he didn't leave after dropping her off.

"Yes, ma." He said, bowing his head.

"You want to talk out here, or would you prefer to speak inside the house?" She asked him, wondering what he had to say.

"I'll rather we go inside so you can sit. I don't want to keep you standing for too long," He said respectfully in a way that made her smile.

She nodded and walked inside the house with him. "Sit down and talk to me," She instructed him and called for one of the housekeepers to serve them drinks.

"I've worked for you for the past two years..." He started. "What? Do you want to quit? Or do you want a salary raise?" She interrupted him with an incredulous look.

"No, no, not at all. A leave," He said.

"Leave? What's that?" She asked him with a frown on her face.

"I mean, I need some time off work. I need to visit my family and take care of a few personal businesses in Seoul," He said.

"Are you saying this because of what I said about Mi Cha moving to Seoul? Can't you delay it until Tan returns? You know very well I can't handle everything alone at the moment," She said with a worried frown.

"There's not much for you to handle. I've sorted out most of the documents in a manner the secretary will easily understand. And if there's anything else, my phone will be available," He said reassuringly.

"Looks like your mind is made up. When do you want to leave?" She asked him, not happy about his decision. He was beginning to feel like family to her.

"A week from now," He answered.

"You made it sound like you were leaving today. Hopefully, Tan will be back before you leave, so I guess it's fine," She said, relieved.

"What about the person I asked you to look into?" She asked him.

"I'll get back to you on that before I leave. One more thing, ma," He said reluctantly.

"Go on, what is it?" She asked in a mild tone. "Will you be kind enough to give me Mi Cha's number?" He asked, not meeting her eyes.

Mrs. Kim looked at him and burst into laughter; he always managed to amuse her. "I'll have to ask her first when I speak with her tonight. If she permits me, then I'll send it to you. Is that all?" She asked, standing up to leave. When he nodded, she bid him good day and left.

She was looking forward to her conversation with Mi Cha, it promised to be very interesting, and she couldn't wait to hear about it.

**********

"What do you want from me? I was only doing my job. I have no more business with you, so please leave me alone," The lady at the other end of the phone told Tan.

"Do you remember our last night together? Do you remember the game we played?" He asked her, knowing she had no idea what it was.

"I don't remember, and I don't want to remember anything. Please leave me alone and don't call me anymore," The lady pleaded.

She was a good actress. It was just unfortunate that her talent was being wasted on this, Tan thought.

"Ok, I want you to listen to something, and after that, I'll leave you alone," He said and played the recorded conversation before she could object.

He and Mi Cha smiled when they heard her gasp of mortification. "I don't understand. Wh---o are you? What's that?" She asked, pretending not to know what she was hearing.

"Are you sure you want to walk that path with me? The person you spoke with earlier wasn't Nana, and it would have been in your best interest to confirm with Min-jung before speaking carelessly with her. Do you know I could get you arrested for this stupid stunt you tried to pull?" Tan asked harshly.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm very sorry. I didn't want to do it," She said, sobbing.

Mi Cha took the phone from Tan. She could tell the lady was going to try to use tears to soften up Tan.

"Hello, I spoke with you earlier. I can't speak for my brother, but I don't care about your apology or sob story. So listen up, you're either going to do things our way, or we will deal with you and Min-Jung. I don't know how much she paid you nor what she promised you, but I can assure you that if you cooperate with us, we will leave you out of this and deal with Min-jung alone. So what will it be?" She asked mercilessly.

"I'll do whatever you ask," She said eagerly.

"Wise decision. Now You're going to tell Min-jung that you managed to convince Tan and that he has given up on his feelings. You must not mention anything else to her," Mi Cha said.

"That's all?" She asked with a frown. She had expected something more dramatic... more wicked.

"Is there something else you wanted to add to it? Of course, that's all. I'm guessing this is a burner phone... don't try anything stupid. Dispose of the phone when we are done, collect whatever Min-Jung pays you, and act as if nothing happened. If Min-Jung so much as suspects we are on to her, I'll find you, and you don't want to know what I will do," Mi Cha threatened and ended the call.

"Were the threats necessary? We already got the evidence we needed," Tan wondered aloud.

"Sorry, it suddenly felt like I was playing bad cop," She said with a wink.