“What are you talking about! Are you crazy? Going there!”

Chairman Lee burst out in anger. Hyun Baek Hap froze and held her breath.

“Hoo… I’m not angry at you. Don’t misunderstand.”

Chairman Lee was particularly weak to her tears. Hyun Baek Hap looked at Chairman Lee with eyes brimming with tears.

“No, Chairman. It’s not that I don’t understand how you feel.”

Hyun Baek Hap soon let her tears fall, and Chairman Lee’s expression crumpled along with them.

“I’m sorry for yelling.”

Chairman Lee was more sensitive than Hyun Baek Hap had thought. But it was a relief that he was still on her side for now.

“I’ll have to resort to any means necessary. Tolerating their rise won’t last more than a day or two. Who’s the Prosecutor General right now?”

Hyun Baek Hap almost blurted out the Prosecutor General’s name.

Her active involvement in external affairs was a secret from Chairman Lee.

She had already tried to intervene as much as she could, but it didn’t reach the current Prosecutor General.

The previous Prosecutor General was already her person, but the current Prosecutor General, who had a bad relationship with him, did not budge at any lobbying.

Moreover, he was a person with a very different nature from the previous Prosecutor General, so attempts to sway his heart with bribes could backfire.

Hyun Baek Hap wanted to say this, but swallowed the words.

Since Chairman Lee didn’t know about her active external activities, she had to keep her mouth shut and play innocent.

“Chairman, you look very unwell today. Why don’t you wash up quickly, and what shall we do about dinner?”

“Tell them to prepare some alcohol. I don’t feel like eating.”

Chairman Lee must have been upset, as he gulped down the alcohol hurriedly as soon as it was served.

Hyun Baek Hap let Chairman Lee get drunk. She refilled his glass as quickly as he drank.

“You should quietly go abroad and lay low for a while until things settle down. Like that time.”

Hyun Baek Hap flinched and studied Chairman Lee’s face.

She wondered if he was saying this because he was drunk. The words “like that time” sounded quite ominous to Hyun Baek Hap.

But since Chairman Lee was blatantly telling her to leave, Hyun Baek Hap was rather grateful.

Hyun Baek Hap hurriedly packed her bags before Chairman Lee changed his mind.

They said to avoid the downpour, and she believed that if she got through this crisis, good days would come again as if nothing had happened.

Even after doing all sorts of things, she had lived better than anyone else in the world, so it was strange to be anxious.

But after packing her bags, Hyun Baek Hap found out she was banned from leaving the country.

“Chairman.”

Hyun Baek Hap, whose future had turned pitch black, blankly called out to Chairman Lee.

“Why, why are you calling me like that? Is there a problem?”

“I’m banned from leaving the country, remember?”

At those words, Chairman Lee’s shoulders twitched angrily.

“How the hell is this situation unfolding!”

Chairman Lee hurriedly called the chief secretary. It was news that he had failed to bribe the Prosecutor General due to his stubborn personality.

Hyun Baek Hap, who had also failed to flee abroad, began to feel increasingly anxious.

And Chairman Lee said he could not respond to the prosecution’s request to appear, citing his illness.

* * *

Ha In received a reply that Chairman Lee would not appear for the summoning investigation.

Ha In had no expectation that Chairman Lee would quickly face reality, but if he acted like this, she couldn’t sit still either.

There was a way to call Lee Je Ni first instead of Chairman Lee.

At that moment, Gang Jun was just returning to the office.

“Prosecutor Choi.”

“Yes.”

Ha In got up from her seat and approached him. Gang Jun looked at Ha In, wondering what was going on.

“Chairman Lee says he won’t come for the summoning investigation.”

“Ah…”

It wasn’t something to be greatly disappointed about. There was no reason for the head of Cheonha Group, one of the largest conglomerates, to come running just because he was called.

“I’m talking about Lee Je Ni.”

Before Ha In could finish her sentence, Gang Jun shook his head.

“Sunbae, don’t even say it. Everyone says she’s a stubborn fool they’re seeing for the first time.”

Ha In could tell without hearing the rest of Gang Jun’s story.

Ha In’s hellish life began when Lee Je Ni and Hyun Baek Hap returned to the Cheonha Group residence after living abroad.

There were so many things that Ha In had to take responsibility for because of Lee Je Ni.

Ha In vividly remembered the expression on Lee Je Ni’s face as she took pleasure in watching Ha In suffer to death.

“I’m going to try summoning Lee Je Ni.”

At those words, Gang Jun tilted his head.

“Lee Je Ni is currently bedridden in the hospital. One of the people she assaulted died, two are in critical condition, and three suffered minor injuries. Even those with minor injuries are receiving outpatient treatment, but Lee Je Ni has been hospitalized.”

Well, of course. They say a person is about to die when they change.

Ha In calmed her uneasy stomach and calmly assessed the situation.

“You were right, sunbae. You think Lee Je Ni will give a fatal testimony against Hyun Baek Hap, right?”

Ha In nodded.

“But right now, even the police investigation isn’t progressing because Lee Je Ni is out cold. Well, they say the shock was so great that she’s unrecognizable. What else?”

“Even if Lee Je Ni is lying down, how long can she stay like that? If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to make her get up. What about the drug test results?”

“It came back positive, but she’s insisting that it’s a mistake and demanding a retest. She told the police to get lost and bring at least a prosecutor.”

At that, Ha In laughed inwardly.

“I guess she doesn’t know what grade of civil servant a prosecutor is. It might not be a bad idea to go see her depending on the situation.”

If Lee Je Ni saw Ha In, she would probably shake off her illness and jump up.

Ha In was curious to see what expression Lee Je Ni would make upon seeing her. However, revealing herself to Lee Je Ni right away might not be of much help to Ha In.

It wasn’t too late for Ha In to step in directly after Lee Je Ni had sufficiently shown that she was a crazy bitch.

“Can we proceed with the summons?”

Ha In asked, looking at Gang Jun.

“If you’re going to handle it, sunbae, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“I was hoping you would take on Lee Je Ni’s summons, Prosecutor Choi.”

For the first time, Gang Jun hesitated at Ha In’s suggestion. He even looked troubled.

“I think I need to refine my plans in more detail since Chairman Lee’s summons investigation fell through.”

Gang Jun nodded in understanding, but still showed a worried expression.

“Don’t worry, Prosecutor Choi. I’ll make all the preparations this time too.”

“Yes, thank you, sunbae.”

Thanks to her diligent junior, Ha In was able to solve many problems with ease.

* * *

Returning home from work, Je Guk felt deflated when he didn’t see Ha In. Seeing her after work had become a habit for him.

Today, he had especially been waiting for Ha In.

He had managed to procure a bath additive that was said to be good for cold hands and feet with great difficulty. But not seeing Ha In made him feel sad.

Was she still working? It was already late by the time Je Guk returned home.

Je Guk also knew about the news regarding Chairman Lee. Ha In was probably late because of that.

It would be nice if she asked for his help, but knowing Ha In’s personality, she probably thought she had already imposed on him too much and wouldn’t seek assistance.

Je Guk spent time in the study waiting for Ha In. Even after his shoulders became stiff from waiting, Ha In was still nowhere to be seen.

Maybe she wasn’t coming today. Just then, his phone notification rang. It was a notification that Ha In’s car had arrived.

He got up from his seat to greet Ha In and went out to the garden.

Ha In was walking towards the house, looking exhausted.

“Ha In.”

At the sound of Je Guk calling her, Ha In raised her head.

Ha In approached him with quick steps.

“It’s cold, were you waiting?”

“I was waiting.”

Je Guk took Ha In’s hand and entered the house.

“Change your clothes and come to the bathroom.”

“What?”

“I’ll prepare the water for a half-bath.”

“What?”

Ha In’s questioning voice grew louder and louder.

The sudden mention of a half-bath sounded scarier than being told to sleep over.

“Why are you so surprised? I heard there’s a bath additive that’s good for cold hands and feet. I had a really hard time getting it. Soak your body for at least 10 minutes.”

Ha In’s eyes widened. The fact that Je Guk was preparing the bath water for her was embarrassingly awkward, making her ears turn red.

“No, I’m fine.”

Je Guk took Ha In’s other hand. It was icy cold.

“No, this won’t do for me. You didn’t even come on the scheduled day for treatment. Shouldn’t I at least do this much for you?”

Unable to resist Je Guk’s words, Ha In decided to take a half-bath with the precious bath additive.

Je Guk turned on the hot water in the large bathtub and dissolved the bath additive.

A sharp scent rose with the steam. When the water was about two-thirds full, Ha In came in.

Ha In stood there hesitating.

“Just smelling the scent makes me feel like my body is unwinding.”

“Yes.”

Ha In couldn’t bring herself to tell Je Guk to leave and stood there blankly.

“Our Ha In, seeing your face requires constant waiting. Wash up and come out. I’ll be in the study.”

After Je Guk left like that, Ha In let out the breath she had been holding and slumped her shoulders. She took off the clothes she was wearing and stood in front of the bathtub.

There was even a glass of wine prepared, who knows when.

The water mixed with the bath additive seemed to give off an aurora-like glow.

Ha In tapped the water surface with her toes. After dipping one leg deep, she immersed her body.

Stirring the water with her fingertips, the pleasant scent spread even deeper.

“Ah, it’s so nice.”

It felt like blood was circulating evenly throughout her body. As she felt drowsy, her body naturally leaned back.

The bathtub was so cozy that it seemed okay to take a nap like this.

She had planned to just see Je Guk’s face and leave today, but it seemed she would have to impose on this house again today.

Even if she shook her head thinking “No,” sleep washed over her.

Ha In’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier. After blinking a few times, she soon fell asleep.