Ha In felt too ashamed to face Lee Je Guk.

She admitted that she had been in sync with him all this time, but then suddenly rushed ahead on her own.

Moreover, after suffering this humiliation, she had no excuse even if she had ten mouths.

Somehow he found out about this place, and her wounded pride made her feel like she was going crazy.

Her stinging face and aching wrists didn’t bother her. However, the pain in her chest made it difficult to breathe.

As Ha In sat there in a daze, something cold was placed on her cheek.

Ha In flinched and lifted her head. Je Guk had put an ice pack on her face.

“It hurts.”

Ha In looked at Je Guk, who was gazing at her with pitiful eyes.

Then she slowly shook her head from side to side. At that, Je Guk’s brow furrowed.

“Ha In.”

With her feelings deeply hurt, Ha In remained silent without responding.

“I won’t tell you not to seek revenge. But more than that, I want you to be happy.”

Those words were more frightening than being choked to the point of suffocation.

There was no way this world would just let Cheon Ha In be happy.

“What are you thinking so hard about? You need to tell me so I know.”

Again, Ha In shook her head without a word.

Shutting her mouth when something upsetting happened was Ha In’s long-time habit.

Je Guk removed the ice pack from Ha In’s face. Then he stood up from his seat with a deflated expression. He set the ice pack down on a shelf.

Ha In, thinking he might be angry, kept her head bowed while watching his reaction. She felt sorry for becoming a burden to him.

Je Guk spoke in a disappointed voice and turned away from Ha In.

Ha In lifted her head to look at him. She was suddenly afraid at the sight of his back.

“I’ll get going. Rest.”

The moment Je Guk was about to take a step, Ha In grabbed the sleeve of his clothes.

“I… did wrong.”

The words “I did wrong” blurted out of Ha In’s mouth. She was afraid Je Guk might leave.

Those words could stop his footsteps, but they couldn’t lift his mood.

“What did you do wrong?”

Je Guk’s heart ached at Ha In’s attitude. He didn’t understand what she did wrong or why she was trembling.

“Just… everything.”

Dejected, Ha In blamed herself for it all.

“Ha….”

Je Guk let out a deep sigh, then took Ha In’s hand that was gripping his sleeve.

Ha In was startled by his touch, but its warmth wasn’t unpleasant.

“Look at me and speak.”

At those words, Ha In lifted her head.

“Don’t stare into space like that. You should look people in the eye when you speak. Where are you looking?”

It was hard for her to meet his gaze. She wanted to handle this matter without Je Guk knowing, but now that she had botched it, all that remained was a feeling of guilt.

“Please look at me. Hmm?”

Ha In mustered up her courage and looked at Je Guk.

Knowing the outcome of her reckless actions was miserable, she thought she would now get a proper scolding.

“No, Ha In. You did nothing wrong. It’s all my fault.”

It was an unexpected statement. His gaze held sincerity.

“If I had acted a bit more nimbly, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt, physically or emotionally. I’m sorry.”

Soon Ha In’s eyes lowered again and moved slowly from side to side.

“This is how I truly feel. So can’t you also be honest with me?”

He was always sincere.

Even when Ha In felt worthless, he showed her sincerity, and even when she tried to use him, he was sincere. It was the same now.

It wasn’t that Ha In didn’t know he was always sincere, she was just clumsy at expressing herself.

‘Knock knock’

There was a knock at the door.

It seemed the examination results were out. She was grateful it broke the current atmosphere, even like this.

The medical director greeted Je Guk and approached Ha In. Ha In nodded in greeting.

“I came to give you the test results.”

“Yes.”

The medical director checked the chart and tilted his head.

“Not a single item falls within the normal range.”

It was unsurprising. That’s why she got called back for re-examination every year at her annual check-up.

“Ah, yes.”

Ha In replied casually, but Je Guk’s expression darkened as he stood behind the medical director.

The medical director calmly explained Ha In’s health condition and the state of her bruised face.

He told her to take the prescribed medication well and apply the ointment properly.

“Also, was this the first time you experienced hyperventilation or nausea like today? It wasn’t from a head injury severe enough to lose consciousness or a stomach issue.”

Ha In’s eyes wavered, flustered by the medical director’s question.

She had listening ears present, so it was hard to be honest. She didn’t have to mind Je Guk, but strangely she was conscious of him.

“Yes.”

Ha In hesitated, then lied.

Her medical records were private information anyway, so she comforted herself that it was forgivable to not be fully honest about this.

The medical director tilted his head at Ha In’s answer.

“I recommend you also get an examination in the psychiatry department.”

“Yes….”

Ha In replied weakly. She didn’t ask about this and that.

She knew to some extent about the symptoms herself, and if she discussed it in depth here, Je Guk would find out everything.

She didn’t expect the medical director to change the atmosphere like this.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Instead of the dazed Ha In, who had become like a mute person who ate honey, Je Guk responded.

After the medical director left, the atmosphere became still again.

“You heard the director well. Tomorrow you’ll get a psychiatric exam too before being discharged.”

He was taking care of her even though she must already be in a daze, so Ha In just felt grateful and apologetic.

“Director.”

Ha In called out to Je Guk and looked at him.

She wanted to ask what happened with the matter of his CEO position. It was something Je Guk could be sensitive about.

“The CEO position….”

“Don’t change the subject. You’ll do as I said tomorrow.”

Je Guk cut off what Ha In was trying to say.

“You worry about me, but I can’t worry about you?”

Ha In made a disappointed expression.

“How can you compare yourself to me, Ha In?”

Not understanding what Je Guk meant by those words, Ha In felt even more hurt.

“How can you take care of someone else when you can’t even take care of your own body?”

There was nothing incorrect in what he said, so Ha In couldn’t respond.

“I’m doing fine. I’m healthy. What’s the big deal even if I step down as CEO of Cheonha Group?”

Contrary to Ha In’s worries, Je Guk showed a relaxed attitude.

“Don’t think about anything else and focus on your health. Self-care is also a skill.”

Je Guk looked at Ha In with a worried expression.

Embarrassed by the thought of how she must look to him, Ha In avoided his gaze.

“Get some rest now. Will you be okay alone?”

Ha In nodded.

“I’ll come early tomorrow morning.”

Ha In was surprised to hear he would come early and looked at him.

“What? You think I’m saying that because I’m worried you’ll leave the hospital without getting an exam?”

“Yes, you know me well. Indeed, you’re smart.”

Je Guk picked up his outer garment and checked that the IV fluid was dripping well. Then he looked at Ha In again.

Ha In wanted to ask Je Guk to stay with her.

She didn’t want to be alone, perhaps because her body ached. But she had no justification to ask Je Guk to spend this night together.

Ha In had no flexibility and didn’t know how to exaggerate her condition.

Je Guk left the hospital room.

Left all alone, Ha In lay down and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.

Perhaps due to the medication, she felt drowsy. She wished someone’s warmth, not the medicine, could relax her tense body.

It would be nice if someone patted her shoulder and said, “Ha In.”

Being alone at night was a natural part of Ha In’s daily life, but today the loneliness felt particularly painful.

Thinking it was better to succumb to the medication than suffer from loneliness, Ha In slowly closed her eyes.

“Mom….”

The word that flowed from her lips as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Je Guk couldn’t head straight home after leaving Ha In’s hospital room.

Some unknown heavy feeling held back his footsteps.

He walked to the Sunhwa Medical Foundation Children’s Garden.

It was a space his mother created for child patients.

In the center of the garden was a large fountain, and around it, magnificent landscaping unfolded all year round.

The chilly air brushed past Je Guk’s nose.

What if his mother were still alive?

An idle imagination engulfed Je Guk.

Usually, he would try not to think such thoughts, but today he didn’t want to do that.

It meant he was tired.

If his mother were alive, she wouldn’t have let his father become this broken.

Also, Ha In wouldn’t have experienced such things at the Cheonha Group residence.

“Ha….”

It was all a futile assumption.

Reminding himself that he had to make unrelenting efforts to not repeat the regret of failing to protect his mother, Je Guk regained his reason.

Now that Ha In’s identity was exposed, Hyun Baek Hap would look for every opportunity to threaten her.

He had to protect her.

But strangely, his feelings for Ha In kept turning into more than just concern.

Je Guk worried if Ha In was sleeping well.

He wavered about going back to the hospital room to check on her, but refrained from doing so in case he disturbed her.

“Whew….”

Thinking of Ha In in pain made his heart ache.

This was also a very strange thing.

He knew himself very well that he wasn’t the type to become excessively absorbed in someone, so the emotions he felt now were very unfamiliar.

When he called out “Ha In” and she would open her eyes wide like a wary stray cat, then soon shrink back – that also tugged at Je Guk’s heartstrings.

When would she smile brightly in response to him calling her “Ha In”?

Je Guk genuinely wanted Ha In to be happy.

After the revenge she desperately wanted was over, he hoped she would forget everything that happened at the Cheonha Group residence and live happily.

Cheon Ha In, she was someone who left a deep impression.

To the point where he wanted to see her again, even though he had just seen her a moment ago.