Part 13

Five hundred million Won, and she will be yours, forever.

"Jiyeon," Kyuhyun said, gripping the phone tightly, "go upstairs. Now."

"This is it." Tae Hee said on the other line.

Jiyeon wanted to argue, that was obvious. But she obeyed her father. She climbed the back stairs and Kyuhyun did not say anything until he heard Jiyeon's door closed in the distance.

" you, !" Kyuhyun said.

Tae Hee laughed. Kyuhyun suspected he heard the sound of wine glasses clashing on the other line. Tae Hee and Rain had just celebrated their victory.

Again.

"Come on, Kyu." She said. "You're a rich man and ChoKorp is already opened to the public, you'll get richer. You can give five hundred million won just by swiping your ATM."

"It's not about money," Kyuhyun said hoarsely, trying to keep the volume low, just in case Jiyeon closed her door from the outside and overheard their conversation from the upstairs, or over the phone above, intercepting their conversation. " you, Tae Hee. Just you! You know this isn’t about money. How can you–"

"I can always take Jiyeon to Paris if you prefer so," Tae Hee said lightly. "Putting her in a boarding school. Killing you slowly with the pocket money and child support allowance until the entire Cho family buries you in a special tomb. Or we can fix this now. Besides, Jiyeon is not–"

"Tae Hee," Kyuhyun snapped. "Do.not.say.anything." Do not say Jiyeon isn’t my daughter.

"I guess I'll get word from Shim Changmin soon?"

"You'll get word from Changmin soon," Kyuhyun said grimly. There was a strange and empty sound on the phone. Jiyeon must be hearing from another phone in her room, hearing into their conversation.

"Good," Tae Hee said. There again the sound of glass colliding and Kyuhyun heard Tae Hee swallow something. "Oh, and congratulations Kyuhyun. For your wedding, I mean. I hope you're happier with –Ryeowook, right? –than when you were with me."

"Sure," Kyuhyun said flatly. "It would be much happier. Besides, I've never been happy with you."

"Whatever. Make Changmin take care of this quickly, huh? I really want this apartment."

Kyuhyun could not stand it anymore. He hung up. He just stood there for a moment, feeling sick to his soul.

Jiyeon tiptoed down the stairs, looking guilty. "I told you, Dad. She will sell me for a high and reasonable price." She said. "Sign the assets on my behalf. That's all Daddy needs to do."

Kyuhyun put the phone on the table, staring at his daughter. "I won’t hand over your assets. And if you eavesdrop on my private conversation again, I'll punish you. I swear I’ll do it."

"You're just bluffing," Jiyeon said.

"Just try me then." Kyuhyun replied.

"Calm down, Dad." Jiyeon said, advising him. "You're just angry right now. I’m all right. Remember, I've said something like this will happen."

Kyuhyun sighed. The reason could not be denied, but how could a child feel ‘all right' after being sold, like a worthless item? No, Jiyeon needed professional help to overcome this, and maybe Kyuhyun also needed it. "If you wanna stay with me," he said, "there are rules you must obey. Rule number one, you shouldn’t be eavesdropping on my conversation on the phone. Understand?"

Jiyeon face-palmed and then nodded. "Understand."

"Very good."

"But no one has been punished in this house for hundreds of trillions of years."

"There will always be the first, sweety."

"Uncle Siwon and Uncle Donghae will stop you."

"I can handle Siwon and Donghae easily," Kyuhyun said. "So stop if you understand."

Jiyeon threw herself up on her back, pulled her legs, wrapped her arms around her skinny knees. Though their DNA was different, her gaze looked so innocent, purely like a Cho.

"Am I worth five hundred million won for you?" She asked after a long silence.

Kyuhyun poured a warm coffee for himself, walked up the stairs and sat next to Jiyeon. "I'm willing to die for you, Jiy. Is that worth it?"

"Like, if this place fires, Daddy will pierce the fire to get me out, whatever happens?"

"I will."

"If there is a murderer brings an ax in middle–"

"Jiy? Rule number two. You can’t watch horror or thrill movies on TV."

Jiyeon smiled. "Will we go to Seonjae tomorrow and get our clothes, books, and other things?"

"After the wedding," Kyuhyun said, hoping Ryeowook was here so he did not have to sleep alone tonight. Jiyeon did not seem to be hurt at all with Tae Hee's transaction, but not with Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun once married this crazy woman, for God's sake. What would she say about him now?

He’s such a fool, that was it.

And there was no reason for Kyuhyun to change it.

Correction. He did not care at all.

***

Kyuhyun spent the next morning taking care of the last things in ChoKorp, while other employees at the company continued to work as if nothing had happened. As long as people's salaries were going like how it should be, nothing would happen. From what he heard from the gossips that had spreaded, the company would not reduce their staffs, and Kyuhyun did not mean to dismiss Heechul or his studies program.

He was filling the last box when Changmin appeared at the door, with a document clamped to one of his arms.

"Here you go. The man I wanna talk to," Kyuhyun said.

Changmin nodded, entered Kyuhyun's room and closed the door behind him. "Are you sure you will do this?" He asked.

Even though he had other schedules on his mind, Kyuhyun knew, what Changmin meant was his deal with Sungmin. Kyuhyun's conscience was a bit stabbed –he still could not tell Ryeowook that they did not have to get married to adopt Nathan.

"Yes." He heard his own voice. "I’m sure. Take a seat."

Changmin pulled up a chair and put the documents he brought on Kyuhyun's desk. "You're crazy," he said. "You've been going through a broken marriage. Why do you want to repeat it again?"

"Ryeowook is not like Tae Hee," he replied, shocked that he himself denied Changmin.

Changmin raised an eyebrow. "You look so sure. Why?"

Kyuhyun hardened his jaw, then relaxed it again. Sitting in his chair and putting his hand on his head. "I know what I'm doing." He said. "Leave this, at least for now. I wanna talk about Tae Hee."

"Tae Hee." Changmin said with a deep sigh.

"She wants five hundred million won," Kyuhyun said.

Changmin took a deep breath once again. "Of course she wants it. She’s Tae Hee after all."

"I want you to take care of it. I'll get full custody of Jiyeon and Tae Hee gets five hundred million won. She can’t visit Jiyeon, unless my daughter asks for it. With no pocket money when this deal is paid, and no child support allowance."

"Are you serious?" Changmin said in surprise.

"I’m serious. Take care of the letters. I don’t wanna give Tae Hee time to change her mind. You know how cruel that is."

"Five hundred million won." Changmin ran his hair through his hands, whistled in a low tone. "I think Siwon is crazy enough. But you're crazier than him."

Kyuhyun knew all that happened when Siwon paid his ex-wife, Liuwen. But the situation was different, because they were married just for one week and they have no child.

"I wanna raise my daughter," he said.

Changmin looked away, perhaps to make sure the door was closed and said quietly. "Seems like you forget the real problem, Kyu. Jiyeon is not your daughter, not biologically. What if Tae Hee keeps her five hundred million won, then started thinking cunningly. She can use the money to cancel this deal. Unfortunately, so is with Jiyeon’s real father."

"Jiyeon's biological father is dead," Kyuhyun replied.

Changmin sat a little straighter in his chair. "I don’t think you know this."

"I managed to find out." Kyuhyun said. He knew lots of things. He realized one thing when he woke up in his cold empty bed last night. He was not stupid. He would not let Tae Hee get everything she wanted. He had had enough of her. And no one needed to tell him if there was any chance that Tae Hee was planning some things in her stupid brain. He had been thinking about this all night. "Her biological father is Yesung."

“Wh-What?” Changmin nearly shouted. "Ye –Yesung? Sungmin's husband? Kyu, that's a bit of an impossibility. I know you're under stress lately, but–"

"Make this as an adoption." Kyuhyun said.

"Tae Hee can still change her mind."

"She won’t do it. She’ll get a hundred million won when she signs the papers and the rest after the adoption decision has been decided. Her mind is fixated on buying an apartment in Paris, so she'll agree."

"You have to tell Jiyeon the truth," Changmin said. "Besides Tae Hee can tell your poor daughter whenever she wants."

Kyuhyun sighed. "Yeah." He said as if the burden of the whole world was on his back. "I know."

"You should be sure about your theory of Yesung and Tae Hee. If there is a man who suddenly shows up and says Jiyeon is his daughter, you'll go back to the court."

"I've called Jiyeon's doctor in Seonjae. They don’t even need to do a blood test, saliva will prove it. If Jiyeon and Nathan were half siblings, the result would be to confirm the opinion of the judge."

Changmin's face turned pale. "You’ll need Sungmin's permission to do so," he said.

"Not after Ryeowook and I are married, I will be Nathan's legitimate father, I won’t back off." Kyuhyun replied.

"You don’t know any pity, Kyu. Stand back a little–"

"Stand back? I’m done with this," Kyuhyun said flatly. "You're one of the best friends I have, but you're not the only lawyer in the world."

"Kyuhyun. It's me, Shim Changmin. Listen to me."

Kyuhyun took the document on the table, opened it and started reading the terms he had to agree with Ryeowook and Sungmin.

Wedding.

Living under the same roof with Ryeowook in no less than a year.

If they got divorced, Kyuhyun would get custody of Nathan.

Kyuhyun took a pen, found the right place and decorated it with a signature. And then gave the document back to Changmin.

"The discussion is over," Kyuhyun said.

Changmin cursed softly, picked up the document and stood up. "Where is Jiyeon?" He asked.

"Together with Eunhyuk, at the bookstore." Kyuhyun replied. "Why?"

"Oh, I thought you’ve sent her to a Lab," Changmin said firmly. After that, he left, slamming the door behind him.

Kyuhyun should know better that this conversation was over.

Half an hour later Siwon appeared and Donghae was right behind him.

"Five hundred million won?!" Donghae shouted.

"Are you really that crazy?" Siwon urged him.

"Very good, the secret privileges between clients and lawyers are uncovered," Kyuhyun said.

"Kyuhyun," Siwon interrupted, "this is nonsense."

"Why? You gave Liuwen a Hundred Million Won to get her out of your life. With Tae Hee, this is ten times cheaper than the price you gave to Liuwen."

"He will trap you." Donghae said. "She'll take your five hundred million won and Jiyeon, then ruin that girl's feelings late