Whether it was from crying too much, the alcohol kicking in, or both.

Ha Jun was in a dazed state, not even knowing where she was or how she got there.

All she could feel was the warmth of the man holding her tightly, and the gentle vibration from his palm patting her back.

Right now, Ha Jun was being comforted by Yi Hyun.

The man named Kim Yi Hyun was more skilled at comforting than Ha Jun had thought.

“It’s okay. You can forget everything. Just think about the comfort I’m giving you.”

Yi Hyun’s gentle voice swirled around her ears like a dream.

And this warm comfort was quite effective. At least in this moment of being comforted, all of Ha Jun’s painful memories faded away.

How much time had passed like that? When Ha Jun, who had fallen asleep as if fainting, came to her senses, it was bright outside the window.

Ha Jun, lying in the middle of a large bed, blinked while blankly staring at the ceiling.

“Where… is this?”

“My house.”

At Yi Hyun’s voice, Ha Jun turned her head to the side. Yi Hyun, wearing a roomy white shirt and light beige linen pants, was looking at her with a neat appearance.

The moment she saw him leaning casually against the open door with his arms crossed, hazy memories from the night before flashed through her mind.

As the moment of being held in his arms and comforted like a child came to mind, Ha Jun’s face turned bright red. Embarrassed, she pulled the blanket over herself and bit her lower lip hard.

At that moment, a heavy weight pressed down on her over the blanket.

“I really don’t want to do anything, but why do you keep getting cuter? This is troublesome.”

Cute! What? Where?

Ha Jun squirmed at the embarrassing words she had never heard before, even as a child. It was truly fortunate that her face couldn’t be seen under the blanket.

“Get off me.”

“If you show me your face.”

“…Fine.”

When Ha Jun reluctantly agreed, the weight pressing down on her disappeared obediently.

Erasing the emotions from her face that would surely have been strangely contorted, Ha Jun slowly lifted the blanket and raised her head.

Towards Yi Hyun, who was standing in front of the bed looking down at her with sparkling eyes like a child looking at an interesting toy, Ha Jun asked with a sigh.

“Is it your hobby to pick up drunk women?”

“Don’t you think I picked you up because it was you?”

Ha Jun, who had been quietly looking up at Yi Hyun’s face as he laughed lowly as if amused, bowed her head deeply.

Picked up because it was me, what does that even mean…

Her cheeks felt like they would burst into flames at Yi Hyun’s unexpected words. But fortunately, her expressionless face hid this unfamiliar confusion well. Ha Jun soon raised her head with a normal blank expression.

However, contrary to her outward appearance, her heart was in turmoil.

Why does he keep making me assign meaning, what does this man think of me?

“And you didn’t seem too drunk at the foundation anniversary, or yesterday. Wait, you…? Could it be that your drunkenness doesn’t show?”

“…”

“A poker face that’s maintained even when drunk… Hah, I never thought of that.”

The man shook his head as if truly dumbfounded, but even that looked handsome. Surprisingly so.

Ha Jun didn’t know if it was her eyes or her head that was wrong. Somehow, her palms felt tingly and itchy.

Bzzt- Bzzt-

At that moment, as vibrations started ringing from somewhere, Yi Hyun’s gaze immediately turned to Ha Jun’s bag on the floor.

“That thing was whining and crying all night.”

“Ah…”

Yi Hyun picked up the bag and took out the phone inside, handing it to Ha Jun. The caller was, of course, Jae Sook.

Ha Jun slowly blinked her large eyes. Should she answer this or not…

Even though she knew Jae Sook would keep calling until she answered, her fingers hesitated because of the man in front of her.

After hesitating for a moment, Ha Jun looked up at Yi Hyun standing in front of her.

“I’m going to take this call.”

“Go ahead.”

“…”

“You want me to leave?”

“…Yes.”

“Alright then.”

Yi Hyun moved obediently. After closing the door and leaving the room, he didn’t move further and just leaned against the wooden door.

Eavesdropping on someone else’s call was also something Yi Hyun would never do normally.

But Yi Hyun was too curious about that woman. The moment his ear almost touched the door as he tilted his head slightly, a voice louder than Ha Jun’s rang out from inside.

“Hel-”

– Where the hell are you and what are you doing that you’re not even crawling home!!!

Before she could even say hello, the voice screaming and yelling burst through the receiver and resonated loudly in the room as if on speakerphone.

– Are you just leaving now? After I raised you, you eat your father and now you don’t even know gratitude? Crawl back here right now!! I’ll talk to President Kim again, so go do as you’re told and bring back the money! If you don’t, I won’t let you off easy!! I’ll put up posters in front of your company calling you a murderer who killed your father and do a one-person protest!!

Jae Sook’s malicious screams painfully pierced Ha Jun’s heart. In an instant, her ears went numb and her vision turned stark white.

Ha Jun gritted her teeth. Her reddened eyes felt burning hot.

As Jae Sook said, because she had killed her father, she had been living like she was dead all this time.

Because she was originally indifferent, because she was originally insensitive, she had been forcefully suppressing things saying it was okay, it was fine, but now at this moment it felt like all those things were suddenly poking out like an awl in her pocket, stabbing her entire body, making her heart ache.

Her lips parted unknowingly, spilling out the words that had been pooling in her heart.

“Money…, will it be okay if I give you money?”

The painfully suppressed question burst out from her blocked throat. Then curses came through the receiver once again.

– Money? Did you just say money? Do you have something hidden away? You bad girl! You see me and Seo Hyun struggling but you hide money? Hey! Come running right now!! No, first send the money to my account and then come running. Huh~ You’re really two-faced!

“How much should I give you… How much for you to… let me go?”

– Oh my, look at how she talks. Did I put a leash on you? You killed my husband and you’re paying for that sin!! How much? You’re asking how much? Even if you bring me 10 billion won, my husband won’t come back! You know that!!!

Who decided the price of that sin? Once again, her heart tightened painfully.

“Then… what should I do?”

– What else? Go to President Kim right now and beg, or find a way yourself! Wait, but how much money do you have? Where did it come from? Did you win the lottery or something?

Just as Ha Jun was about to say something again, Yi Hyun burst through the door and snatched the phone, throwing it to the ground.

The old, worn-out phone hit the floor with a sharp sound and shattered.

“I’ll buy you a new one. Change the number too.”

“What are you doing?”

“What about you? Why are you listening to such nonsense?”

Jae Sook’s screams that were loud enough for even Yi Hyun to hear clearly while leaning against the door, Ha Jun’s finely trembling voice in response.

Yi Hyun couldn’t ignore it and ended up intervening in Lee Ha Jun’s affairs.

Because the woman in front of him bothered him so much,

“…You’re right.”

“Why do you live like this? Did she catch your weakness? Or did you commit some unforgivable sin against her?”

“…I wonder.”

“Hah, are you talking about someone else? Don’t act so frustrating and talk properly. Why are you just taking this!”

“…”

“This is driving me crazy, really.”

Yi Hyun was dumbfounded.

Why is this woman so calm about her own misfortune, why does she go this far for a woman who doesn’t even seem to be her real mother, he just couldn’t understand at all.

“Why on earth do you live like this? Hm?”

At the muffled voice filled with frustration, Ha Jun looked up at Yi Hyun with clear eyes.

That’s right. Why do I live like this?

“You’re curious about why I live like this?”

“Yeah. I’m curious. What kind of incredible story there must be for a person to live so frustratingly like this. I’m dying to know.”

At Yi Hyun’s words, Ha Jun lowered her eyes.

Right, it must be the first time he’s seeing something like this.

But Ha Jun couldn’t say anything. Even what she had shown this man so far was enough to make her feel ashamed.

Ha Jun got up from the bed and bowed slightly to Yi Hyun, who was standing crookedly in front of her with his arms crossed, looking down at her.

“Thank you for yesterday. I’ll be going now.”

“You’re leaving? Don’t tell me you’re going back to that house?”

“…Yes.”

“This is ridiculous. Are you in your right mind?”

“I don’t expect you to understand, Director. This is my private life.”

Who in the world would understand? Ha Jun’s cruel wounds, her deep guilt, the things she had lost because of it.

Ha Jun tried to leave the room, passing by Yi Hyun. But Yi Hyun immediately grabbed Ha Jun’s arm.

“Wait. You can’t just leave like this.”

“Let go of me.”

“No, I need to know why Lee Ha Jun’s life is in this state. I can’t stand not knowing things I’m curious about. I won’t let you go unless you talk.”

“…”

Yi Hyun stared intently at Ha Jun, firmly gripping her wrist as if he had made up his mind. Ha Jun, who lowered her head to avoid his burning gaze, let out a small sigh.

This man has made up his mind now. He won’t back down.

With her eyes lowered, Ha Jun thought.

But is there any reason to struggle to hide it? He’s already seen the worst of me.

Maybe if I just spill everything to this man, this feeling of being all choked up will ease a bit?

Yeah, since he’s so curious…

Having made up her mind, Ha Jun raised her lowered head to look at Yi Hyun. With her usual expressionless face, she quietly opened her mouth.

“I’ve never told my story to anyone in my life until now.”

“That’s good. Tell me now. I’ll listen to everything.”

Yi Hyun’s eyes shone. The corners of his mouth lifted crookedly with the composure of a victor.

Looking at Yi Hyun like that, Ha Jun suddenly thought. Does this confident and amazing man have any secrets? If he does, what kind would they be?

The thought was fleeting and there was no pause in the question. Ha Jun’s lips moved without her realizing.

“Do you have any secrets you can’t tell, Director?”

“Me?”

“I’m curious now too.”

Ha Jun stared intently at him, just as Yi Hyun had done.

“…”

It was an unexpected attack.

If the conversation goes this way, do I have to tell her something too?

After thinking for a moment, Yi Hyun opened his red lips.

“I don’t eat beans.”

Beans…

“Is that your secret, Director?”

“Yeah. It’s a secret. No one knows.”

Looking at Yi Hyun speaking confidently, Ha Jun lowered her eyes.

Right, I was going to talk anyway, what does it matter if it’s beans or carrots.

Ha Jun calmly raised her eyes to look at Yi Hyun in front of her. Though she had already made up her mind, her lips hesitated for just a moment before slowly opening.

“I’m a child born out of wedlock. The daughter my father had with another woman before he got married. My mom only found out she was pregnant with me after breaking up due to opposition from my father’s family. My mom was poor. We lived a hard life. I was always alone in a dark semi-basement room waiting for my mom to come back from work, and when I was 6 years old, my mom passed away.”

“She didn’t seem to be your real mother. I expected she was your stepmother.”

Ha Jun silently looked at Yi Hyun. And he finally read it in Ha Jun’s eyes.

It’s your turn.

“What is this, some kind of twenty questions game?”

Ha Jun still didn’t answer, just looking into Yi Hyun’s eyes. Looking at Ha Jun like that, Yi Hyun had to make up a non-existent secret.

“Hah, fine. Actually, I’m afraid of bugs. Especially ones with lots of legs.”

As if a bit embarrassed by this, Yi Hyun’s ears turned slightly red as he offered this trivial secret confession, and Ha Jun unknowingly opened her mouth slightly before quickly returning to her expressionless face. Then she slowly began to speak again.