Seo Ha tightly closed her eyes, curled up her whole body, and covered her head with her hands.

At that time, she was 14 years old. After school, she got off the academy shuttle. Parents often came out to greet students returning home late.

Seo Ha trudged home alone, leaving behind all the children going home with their parents.

Around that time, Seung Ae frequently left the house empty and abandoned Seo Ha.

Coming home to find no one there was commonplace, and the house was a mess. At the time, Myung Hoon worked at a construction company and always stayed in the provinces.

Seo Ha waited for Seung Ae to come back, now or later.

At 14, she still needed her mother’s care.

However, Seo Ha couldn’t even complain to her mother.

That day, Seung Ae was home for once.

Unaware that Seo Ha was coming, Seung Ae was on the phone with someone in a coy voice.

“Mom.”

Even when Seo Ha called, Seung Ae just glanced at her once before focusing back on her call.

That day, Seo Ha tried to cling to Seung Ae’s clothes and throw a tantrum.

But Seung Ae irritably shook off Seo Ha’s hand, finished her call, and hastily put on her coat.

“Mom, where are you going?”

“You don’t need to know. There’s rice and stew over there, so eat on your own. You can manage that at 14, right?”

Seung Ae waved her hand as if annoyed.

Seo Ha persistently clung to Seung Ae.

“Mom, I want to go with you. I’m scared to be alone.”

“No, what’s there to be scared of? Just eat, watch TV, and go to sleep. Mom will be late, so let go.”

“No. Mom.”

“What’s wrong with this child, really.”

Seung Ae scrunched up her face. She pushed Seo Ha away and went out of the house. Seo Ha hurriedly followed after Seung Ae, but Seung Ae had already gone down to the first floor just as Seo Ha reached the elevator door.

Seo Ha quickly pressed the elevator button.

She stamped her feet impatiently before barely managing to get in the elevator.

Though riding the elevator alone was scary, she wanted to follow her mother because being left alone at home was even more frightening.

But suddenly the elevator shook, made creaking noises, and stopped.

As if the power had been cut off, even the interior lights went out, leaving Seo Ha alone in pitch-black darkness.

Seo Ha was so shocked that she forgot there was an emergency button.

“Mom! Help me! Mom!”

Seo Ha screamed until her voice went hoarse, but no one came. Consumed by fear and terror, Seo Ha cried until she finally collapsed from exhaustion.

When Seo Ha woke up, a lady from the first floor was wiping her face with a wet towel.

“Are you awake? Oh, student, are you alright?”

Seo Ha, overcome with sadness and relief, grabbed the lady’s clothes and cried for a long time.

After that incident, Seo Ha’s fear of darkness became so severe that she couldn’t sleep at night without the lights on. It took her over a decade before she could barely ride elevators again.

But Seo Ha still avoided taking elevators as much as possible. The reason she lived on the second floor of a villa was also because of that trauma.

Yet here she was, trapped in an elevator again.

As darkness engulfed her, Seo Ha felt suffocated and feared she might die.

Seo Ha, in a state of panic, felt like she was losing her mind. Her fingertips grew cold, and she had an eerie sensation of being sucked into the floor. Her heart pounded, and she broke out in a cold sweat. Her whole body was frozen.

At that moment, she felt a familiar warmth and scent enveloping her.

“Try to breathe. It’s okay.”

A low, reassuring voice resonated. It seemed to cut through the darkness, surrounding Seo Ha and protecting her from fear.

The large, warm hand that was hugging Seo Ha firmly cupped the back of her head. Her trembling body gradually calmed down in the warm, familiar embrace.

“Take deep breaths and focus on your breathing.”

“Haa. Haa.”

Seo Ha slowly inhaled and exhaled, following Tae Kyung’s words. Her fading consciousness began to return to reality.

Tears welled up in Seo Ha’s eyes. The echoes of her younger self’s voice gradually faded away.

“Breathe again. Slowly. Inhale through your nose, and exhale through your mouth. Hmm. Whoo.”

“Hmm. Whoo.”

As Tae Kyung slowly guided Seo Ha to take deep breaths, she followed his instructions like a child, breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly.

As he did so, Tae Kyung whispered in Seo Ha’s ear that everything was okay, as if reciting a mantra.

“It’s okay, it’s okay… Don’t worry. Don’t be afraid. It’s alright. People will come soon to get us out.”

“Hic, hiccup…”

As her breathing stabilized with the deep breaths, she began to feel the true nature of the fear that had paralyzed her.

The memory of her younger days.

That day that had become a trauma, binding her.

Seo Ha tried to swallow her bursting tears as she listened to Tae Kyung’s voice, but it was difficult. Tae Kyung continued to stroke Seo Ha’s back with a gentle hand.

As if urging the fear blocking her throat to subside.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s fine even if it’s dark. You’re safe. I’ll protect you. I’ll protect you no matter what happens.”

How long had they been like that? Seo Ha gradually began to find stability.

Tae Kyung’s embrace was warm and cozy. Inside it, the small child who had been crying began to be comforted and stop crying.

The darkness that had enveloped the child gradually faded away.

Seo Ha surrendered herself to Tae Kyung. Like a baby bird protected in its mother’s embrace.

The two were rescued from the elevator faster than expected.

“Are you alright?”

A 119 rescue worker was waiting in front of the elevator.

Seo Ha, drenched in cold sweat, nodded as she came out, almost clinging to Tae Kyung.

Tae Kyung calmly put Seo Ha in an ambulance and headed to the hospital together.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Tae Kyung called Myung Hoon to explain the situation.

− Oh my, that could have been terrible. Thank you. How can I ever repay this debt to you, Teacher Han.

“Please don’t worry too much about Seo Ha. I’ll take good care of her today and bring her back as soon as she’s discharged. Is Min Joon okay? It might be good to tell him that his mother went on a business trip, as he might be worried.”

− Min Joon is fine. He’s such a mature child. Please take good care of our Seo Ha.

“Yes, sir. I’ll do my best to care for her.”

Tae Kyung ended the call with Myung Hoon and sat next to Seo Ha, who was receiving an IV drip.

Seo Ha had fallen asleep while receiving an IV with a sedative. He gazed intently at Seo Ha’s peacefully sleeping face.

In just a few hours, her face had become half its usual self. Her pale face shone even whiter in the moonlight.

As if she wasn’t of this world, like an illusion that would disappear if touched.

Tae Kyung held Seo Ha’s hand.

Seo Ha’s hand twitched, and her eyelids fluttered.

“Tae… Kyung oppa?”

“Yes, it’s me. Looks like I woke you up. I’m sorry.”

“…It’s okay.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Much better.”

Seo Ha answered in a weak voice, as if her energy was depleted. Tae Kyung looked like he was about to cry.

This weak appearance of Tae Kyung, known for being cynical towards people, was reserved only for Seo Ha.

“Why do you look like that?”

“What about you?”

Seo Ha gave a faint, distorted smile at Tae Kyung’s words.

Tae Kyung couldn’t bring himself to say that he had been afraid of losing her.

A few days ago.

Yoo Na came to Tae Kyung’s company. She had come to find him herself because he rarely agreed to meet her.

“Welcome.”

“It’s been a while. Is Tae Kyung inside?”

“No, he’s in a meeting right now.”

“I see. Then I’ll wait inside.”

Yoo Na flashed a haughty smile as she turned the doorknob of Tae Kyung’s office.

She entered comfortably as if it were her own office and looked around. Then, an envelope on Tae Kyung’s desk caught her eye.

“Are there still people who send documents in paper envelopes?”

Yoo Na unconsciously looked at the sender’s name on the envelope.

And for a moment, Yoo Na felt a chill and had an ominous feeling.

The sender’s name was that of a college senior she knew well, who ran a genetic research institute.

What kind of document would Tae Kyung need to receive by registered mail from this senior?

Yoo Na’s curiosity grew increasingly.

Could it be that he had done a DNA test with Kim Seo Ha’s child?

Yoo Na’s suspicion gradually turned into certainty.

Yoo Na quickly stuffed the envelope into her bag.

She sat on the sofa, biting her nails. She wasn’t sure if secretly putting Tae Kyung’s document in her bag was the right thing to do.

What if she opened it and there was nothing significant?

Just as Yoo Na decided to put the document back on the desk, she heard Tae Kyung’s gruff voice.

“What are you doing here?”

Feeling annoyed at Tae Kyung’s cold treatment, Yoo Na felt a surge of displeasure.

Whatever this document was, she decided she needed to check it herself.

“It’s not like I’ve come somewhere I shouldn’t, Tae Kyung.”

“It’s not somewhere you should be either.”

“This weekend, my father said he wants to see you.”

Yoo Na made up a story. Even if her father Chul Wook called, Tae Kyung wasn’t the type to readily show up.

“I’m sorry, but it would be better if I don’t see him right now.”

“Isn’t it too impolite when our father wants to see you?”

Yoo Na, though her pride was hurt, had anticipated Tae Kyung’s reaction and replied while hiding her emotions.

Tae Kyung was unfazed by Yoo Na’s reproach.

Instead, he rejected Yoo Na’s request with an even more plausible excuse.

“He’s your father. Now that your father has stepped forward as a presidential candidate, how would it look to others if I met him? Don’t make me the shrimp whose back breaks in a fight between whales. Please refuse on my behalf.”

“…. No, you should support our father. Shouldn’t you become a whale too, not a shrimp?”

“I have absolutely no intention of doing that. Just let me live as a shrimp. I’m not interested in being a whale. And please don’t come here anymore.”

“That’s not going to happen. We’re going to get married. I’ll head back for today. I’ll try to talk to my father.”

Even if she said this, Tae Kyung wasn’t the type to show up at such an event.

Yoo Na ignored Tae Kyung’s wishes. She turned and left, leaving Tae Kyung behind.

Clutching her bag tightly.

Yoo Na hurriedly returned to her home. She closed and locked her room door.

After barely catching her breath, she clutched her pounding chest. Carefully, she opened her bag and took out the envelope.

She smoothed out the crumpled envelope with her hands.

Just in case, she carefully opened the envelope and took out the paper inside.

Yoo Na covered her mouth when she saw the contents written on the paper.

“Oh!”

This was clearly the name of Kim Seo Ha’s son.

“This, Tae Kyung shouldn’t know about this. He absolutely must not. He needs to keep thinking it’s someone else’s child.”

Yoo Na’s hands trembled. Nothing else came to her mind.

Only the fact that she had to hide that Min Joon was Tae Kyung’s biological child.