Ha In stopped by home before heading to the Cheon Ha Group mansion. There was something she needed to bring.

It was a very old employment contract that she had written while kneeling before Hyun Baek Hap at the Cheon Ha Group mansion.

It was called an employment contract, but it was no different from a slave contract.

It was also a contract that bound the young Ha In.

At that time, she didn’t know, but after becoming a legal professional, she saw that the contents were so infuriating that she couldn’t even speak.

The thought that if Je Guk hadn’t taken her out of there, she would still be trapped by that contract, doing menial tasks at the Cheon Ha Group mansion and living like a slave, made her dizzy.

“Hmph.”

Even after a long time had passed, the resentful and unfair feelings did not fade.

Ha In felt her breath rising with the surging emotions and clutched her chest.

It was a symptom that often came up from the time she was at the Cheon Ha Group mansion until now.

“Whew…”

Ha In calmed herself down with a few deep breaths, then copied the contract and left the house.

The closer she got to the Cheon Ha Group mansion, the more her breathing seemed to become labored.

Ha In, who had stopped at the last traffic light on the way to the mansion, even opened the window and took deep breaths.

Recently, there was no such thing, so she thought it was all better, but it seemed not.

Rather than being afraid, she was suffocating, trapped by the trauma of that time.

In fact, Ha In knew it was fear, but she didn’t want to admit it.

Why should she be afraid of them now that she’s a prosecutor? What prosecutor is afraid of criminals?

Feeling pathetic, she bit her molars tightly and urged herself.

‘Cheon Ha In, get it together,’ she repeated dozens and hundreds of times in her mind.

To remind herself that she was no longer a weak child, she looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror.

She had lived a hectic life, afraid of becoming lazy after coming this far.

It was a pitiful life where she had never felt at ease or laughed.

What’s a little suffocation compared to that? She was prepared to die even if she suffocated.

How did she come this far…

As her vision was getting blurry, a honking sound awakened Ha In’s mind.

Ha In opened her eyes wide and moved forward.

Even after passing the last traffic light, she had to go along the road with lush trees for a while.

On the day she escaped from there, she didn’t know how much this road felt like a maze.

She never thought she would come back here on her own feet. She never imagined that she would return as a prosecutor.

She had only thought that if she ever came back here, she would definitely take revenge.

As she was about to enter the fence of the Cheon Ha Group mansion, a security guard came out and stopped Ha In’s car.

Ha In stepped on the brake and stopped the car.

“Where did you come from?”

The security guard came out and checked Ha In’s identity.

“I’m Cheon Ha In.”

“Ah, yes. Please go in.”

As soon as the security guard heard Ha In’s name, he let her pass.

Ha In stepped on the accelerator again and drove the car.

When she arrived in front of the Cheon Ha Group garage, a man was guarding it with anxious movements.

Although it was hazy because he looked too old and skinny, he seemed to be the elderly butler.

Ha In stopped the car and got out.

“Ha In!”

It was the elderly butler. His voice was filled with worry rather than joy.

The elderly butler was someone who knew every little detail of this house. He came out like this to greet Ha In when he heard she was coming.

“Elder.”

It had been too long since they had seen each other, but there was no time to ask about each other’s well-being.

“Why are you here? Hurry up and go back. I’ll say I haven’t seen you. Let’s pretend you didn’t come here.”

From the words telling her to go back before even asking about her well-being, Ha In guessed the atmosphere inside the mansion.

“You’re the same as before, Elder.”

Ha In was relieved that the elder, whom she trusted, had not changed. It was the same in the past.

Thanks to the elder helping her escape, she was able to suffer a little less.

“Ha In, if you go in now, I think there will be big trouble. Go back.”

The elderly butler said it one more time in an earnest voice, but Ha In did not back down.

Rather, the elder’s concern gave her inexplicable courage.

She wanted to show them that she was no longer just a weak little child.

“Where should I go?”

“What are you really trying to do?”

“Don’t worry. Please guide me quickly. It’s already late.”

At Ha In’s words, the elder’s shoulders drooped.

She fully understood his feelings. But it wasn’t something that could be solved by avoiding it.

Even if she ran away now, as long as she didn’t give up on revenge, moments like this would come again.

The elderly butler guided her to where Chairman Lee and Hyun Baek Hap were waiting.

It felt strange that there were parts that retained their old appearance even in the gaps of the mansion that had changed so much.

Ha In, caught in a strange feeling, hardened her resolve even more.

The elder standing in front of the door where they were looked at Ha In.

“Elder, don’t worry.”

Ha In spoke first before the elder could open his mouth. The elder let out a deep sigh and knocked on the door.

“Chairman, the guest has arrived.”

And the door opened.

Ha In took a deep breath that made her shoulders heave. And she entered.

Hyun Baek Hap, who was drinking coffee, glared at Ha In with sharp eyes.

Chairman Lee glowered at Ha In with a half-rotten expression.

Ha In just stood there with a nonchalant expression. She couldn’t bring herself to say hello and ask how they had been.

At that moment, Hyun Baek Hap got up from her seat, strode over to Ha In, and poured the hot coffee she was holding onto Ha In.

“Ugh!”

Ha In was so startled and hot that she flinched.

Hyun Baek Hap slapped Ha In on the cheek.

This humiliating and frightening situation was something she had experienced every day when she was young.

Ha In swallowed hard and suppressed her resentful feelings.

She didn’t want to solve the situation in the same violent way as them.

“In the meantime! Was it fun to hide behind and harass us?!”

Hyun Baek Hap asked in a shrill voice.

Hyun Baek Hap was still the same without any change. But Ha In was not the Ha In of the past either.

Ha In already had a voice recorder turned on in her pocket.

“You must be prepared for the consequences of this action, right?”

Ha In dealt with Hyun Baek Hap with a very cold attitude without wavering.

“You’re so naive! Return our Cheon Ha Group while I’m still asking nicely!”

When Hyun Baek Hap made a fuss about Cheon Ha Group, Ha In just felt exasperated.

“The one who ruined Cheon Ha Group is not me, but you.”

“Wha-what? You?”

Hyun Baek Hap’s surprised eyes looked like they were going to pop out.

“I came to say this.”

Ha In took out the contract she had brought and unfolded it.

Hyun Baek Hap frowned and read the contents written on the paper Ha In had unfolded.

Even reading it again, the highlight was the content that she couldn’t leave the mansion until she paid off all the debts her birth mother owed.

“What’s this, the one who broke the contract is not me, but you!”

“Fortunately, you’re not denying this contract.”

Hyun Baek Hap and Chairman Lee glared at Ha In with an exasperated expression.

“What are you trying to do now!”

“I’m going to take issue with this slave contract made with a minor. If it’s revealed that such a thing happened at the Cheon Ha Group mansion, the company’s image will hit rock bottom.”

Hyun Baek Hap’s mouth half-opened at Ha In’s brazen attitude. Then Chairman Lee also joined in and drove Ha In into a corner.

“You don’t know gratitude at all! How dare you threaten our Cheon Ha Group?!”

Chairman Lee tried to overwhelm Ha In with his threatening demeanor, but Ha In paid no attention.

Chairman Lee snatched the contract from Ha In’s hand.

“You think you can shake our Cheon Ha Group with this piece of paper?!”

Chairman Lee shouted at Ha In, greatly enraged.

Chairman Lee’s hand holding the contract was trembling with anger.

It was going the way Ha In wanted.

To hide the fact that Ha In was a child who worked at the Cheon Ha Group mansion when she was young, she had to shut their mouths.

She had to remind them of something that could be a threat to the two of them.

Ha In was bluffing to hide her shameful past here.

Seeing Chairman Lee snatch the contract while calling it a piece of paper, it seemed that Ha In’s struggle was not entirely ineffective.

Ha In was stiff as much as she could be, but she did her best not to be broken by their momentum.

“I will reveal all the atrocities you have committed against me.”

Ha In made another empty threat. She wanted to hide her past until the day she finished her revenge.

“Who do you think will believe you?! It’s already in the past.”

Chairman Lee denied the contract and tore it to shreds.

“Were they people who cared about such things? You guys.”

“What! You guys?!”

At Ha In’s retort, Chairman Lee’s eyes turned.

“The contract you just tore up is a copy anyway.”

Hyun Baek Hap and Chairman Lee glared at Ha In with an exasperated expression.

“This!”

Chairman Lee grabbed Ha In by the collar. In an instant, Ha In felt suffocated as if her breath was blocked.

Even though Chairman Lee didn’t tightly grip her neck, she felt like she was going to die soon.

The terrifying moments from her childhood suddenly came to mind, pushing Ha In into fear.

“Ugh.”

Soon, Ha In made a choking sound and tried her best to remove Chairman Lee’s hand.

“Hmph.”

She felt like she was going to run out of breath at any moment.

“How dare you! Trying to stand up to me!”

Chairman Lee grabbed Ha In’s collar and tried to lift her up.

“Ugh!”

Even in her fading consciousness, Ha In did her best to break free from his grip.

But she was no match for him in strength.

Ha In felt her vision gradually getting blurry.

At that moment, the sound of the door being flung open was heard.

Ha In was curious about the reason the door was opened, but she couldn’t come to her senses.

“What are you doing now?!”

The moment she heard his voice in her ear, her eyes closed and all the film cut off.