It was cold.

When Ba Ha quietly looked out the window again, silence filled the car once more. The air inside felt even heavier and colder than before.

“I’m sorry. I thought it didn’t matter who saw us.”

“……”

“And I thought if I pushed a bit, we might get closer. I don’t want to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. I didn’t realize you would be this uncomfortable.”

Hearing Tae Un’s sincerity, Ba Ha regretted the words she had just said.

Could she have phrased it more nicely instead of speaking that way?

Ba Ha felt sorry towards Tae Un who was apologizing.

“Vice Chairman, you don’t need to apologize. I just need some more time.”

Tae Un understood Ba Ha’s words. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t hurt, but that hurt was only slight, very slight.

Knowing there was an unimaginable amount of time between Lee Han and Ba Ha, this level of barrier didn’t even scratch Tae Un.

“I was too hasty. Tomorrow, Ba Ha can go to work alone.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Well. I learned something again today. Don’t rush things. That’s enough for me. I’m satisfied.”

Tae Un smiled gently at Ba Ha’s darkened expression, trying not to make her feel guilty.

With his considerate words, the atmosphere became much more comfortable and the awkwardness quickly disappeared. When Ba Ha turned her head to look out the window again, the scenery still looked cold and chilly, but it felt a bit warmer than before.

“Oh right. What did you really do with Min Seok that day? Do you know how surprised I was?”

“That Min Seok again. Why do you keep asking about Min Seok?”

Tae Un furrowed his brow at Ba Ha’s question, disliking her mention of Min Seok more than her earlier “uncomfortable” comment. Tae Un pouted his lips and grumbled as if for show.

Seeing yet another side of him, mischief quickly sparkled in Ba Ha’s eyes.

She felt a strong urge to get back at Tae Un who kept flustering her.

“Well~ I went out expecting to see him but didn’t that day, so I’m curious. Are you jealous right now?”

“Jeal…ous? Ah, I think that’s right. Yes.”

Tae Un said nonchalantly while driving and looking ahead.

He didn’t seem flustered at all.

It was different from what Ba Ha had expected.

“What…?”

“Can you say it again? I said I think it’s jealousy.”

Ba Ha’s face turned bright red, feeling like she’d been caught off guard again by Tae Un’s ready admission.

Looking back, what always flustered Ba Ha wasn’t his teasing. It was his straightforwardness in showing everything as it was that flustered her.

This time too, thanks to Tae Un, it felt like Ba Ha had been caught off guard instead.

“…Are you always this intense about everything?”

“I dislike doing anything halfheartedly.”

Ba Ha immediately understood Tae Un’s words and couldn’t help but smile, the corners of her mouth lifting.

“Vice Chairman, please let me off here.”

“Here? Isn’t this too far?”

“It’s fine. I’ll get off here!”

“Alright. I’ll contact you.”

A distance that would take at least 20 minutes to walk.

On a day when the wind still blew cold. Ba Ha got off far from the company.

Tae Un watched Ba Ha walking ahead with a bitter feeling.

The cold temperature of this season felt like the temperature between Ba Ha and himself.

This far distance felt like the distance between Ba Ha and himself.

But it was okay.

As time passes, winter will go and spring will come.

As time passes, the coldness will disappear and only warmth will remain.

As time passes, the distance between us will also become that much closer.

The weather was chilly.

Arriving at the company after cutting through the cold wind, the warmth inside contrasted with the outside, bringing a red flush to Ba Ha’s face.

She had been thinking the whole way.

Was she too harsh with her words?

Though Tae Un acted like it was fine, the heavy atmosphere in the car earlier still lingered in Ba Ha’s mind.

She should have just made up an excuse. She shouldn’t have said it like that.

The entire way to the company, Ba Ha felt uneasy.

“Senior, senior!”

“Hello Doo Na. Why are you so excited this early in the morning?”

Seeing Doo Na’s enthusiastic greeting, Ba Ha couldn’t help but smile.

“Senior, want to feel this? My heart is pounding so much.”

As Doo Na pointed to her chest and made a fuss, Ba Ha shook her head with a smile still on her face.

“What happened to get you like this? I don’t think you’re this excited just from seeing me in the morning, what is it?”

“Aw, seeing you is one of my joys too, senior~”

“Save your sweet talk.”

Ba Ha responded to Doo Na’s joke with a joke of her own.

Thanks to the cute Doo Na, Ba Ha was able to momentarily stop the thoughts in her head.

“No lie! Senior, you know how the Motors model is changing this time?”

“Yes. So what?”

“The rumor going around is that now…”

Beep beep-!

Ba Ha frowned at the phone ringing, interrupting Doo Na’s words, and hurriedly covered the phone on her desk with her hand.

“Senior, who is it that’s making you act like that?”

It was Chairman Han.

Ba Ha couldn’t hide her flustered state as someone who had never called this early, someone who clearly knew she would be at work at this time, was calling.

“It’s nothing. I’ll go take this call for a moment.”

Ba Ha headed towards the emergency exit where it seemed quiet, with a stiff expression.

With the phone continuously vibrating in her hand, Ba Ha kept sighing while looking around.

There needed to be no one around.

“Hello.”

– I heard from Chairman Woo.

Hearing Chairman Han’s words, Ba Ha furrowed her brow and let out a bitter laugh.

Was this all he called so insistently for?

Was this why I ran all the way here to hear this?

– Aren’t you tired? You never listen properly the first time.

“Ha… Why are you blaming me for that? Forget it, just leave me alone now as you promised.”

– Promise? What promise are you talking about?

Ba Ha’s frown deepened at Chairman Han’s words, truly starting to get angry.

“You said you’d let me go.”

– I didn’t say I’d let you go, I just canceled telling you to come back and live in this house. Even if that was the case, you’re the one who ruined our deal.

“……”

– Han Ba Ha, I told you not to act on emotions. Tsk.

Ba Ha’s face turned bright red as the memory of her agitated state that day flashed through her mind.

This flush coloring her face wasn’t from the cold morning wind, but from being struck by Chairman Han’s words.

“…Why did you call?”

– Come in together this week.

“I don’t want to.”

– How can you talk back so much after causing trouble! And do you not know what day it is this week?

I know.

How could I not know? How could I possibly not know?

That damned birthday of yours.

Wouldn’t it be harder not to know?

“Whatever day it is, why do I have to go to that house with that person?”

– Then do you think it makes sense not to meet even once when you’re going to be family?

It was absurd.

Ba Ha twisted her mouth at the word “family” shamelessly coming from Chairman Han’s lips, anger boiling inside her.

Since when were we family?

“I’m really curious, doesn’t Dr. Jang say anything?”

– What?

“It really seems like you’ve gone senile, you should go see Dr. Jang.”

– Ha… Han Ba Ha, stop acting up.

“I’ll stop acting up! Please just leave me alone. I did everything you told me to do. That’s! Enough! Please leave me be.”

Only Ba Ha’s voice echoed loudly in the empty emergency stairwell.

Ba Ha took deep breaths from the rush of agitation.

– …Then get married quickly.

“Ha…! I’ll take care of it myself. I’m hanging up.”

She was disgusted.

Ba Ha hung up the phone irritably and let out a deep sigh.

It felt like she was being punished for treating Tae Un badly.

This was truly the worst.

A light rain was falling.

Instead of warm sunlight, the sky was dripping unpleasant raindrops, and only the sound of rain bouncing off umbrellas could be heard around.

It was a rain that matched Ba Ha’s bad mood about setting foot in this house again.

“Ha……”

Tae Un and Ba Ha arrived in front of Chairman Han’s house, and Ba Ha stared at the door with a stiff expression, sighing heavily.

How ugly a scene would unfold?

Ba Ha had many worries before even crossing the threshold.

He probably hasn’t seen anything like this before, right? Such a dysfunctional family.

Ba Ha worried that he might be too shocked.

“Vice Chairman, I told you before, right? That I’m not a rich young lady who grew up loved.”

“You did. And I said I’m not interested in young ladies who don’t know the ways of the world.”

At Tae Un’s words, Ba Ha’s face broke into a faint smile as she recalled the moment Tae Un showed up instead of Min Seok.

She hoped this smile would remain even after leaving that house.

As soon as Ba Ha smiled, stray thoughts invaded her mind again and sighs kept escaping her lips.

“Ha… I’m about to be very embarrassing in front of you, Vice Chairman. As much as I hate to admit it, this is where I grew up.”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? If this is embarrassing, what should I do?”

Tae Un calmly spoke to the increasingly nervous Ba Ha as if this was nothing.

“If your thoughts change after we leave this house, will you tell me right away?”

Tae Un looked at Ba Ha, puzzled by her words. Ba Ha’s eyes were filled with bitterness, and her faintly smiling face was full of loneliness.

“Then I’ll let you go, Vice Chairman.”