That low and deep voice again.

Baha, who found this situation humiliating due to that detestable voice, glared fiercely at Chairman Han with a reddened face.

“Chairman, is this why you called me? What are you doing? Even if I said I’m getting married. This seems disrespectful to the person I brought, and to Miss… Cha Hi Ra in front of me.”

Her voice began to tremble more and more.

She hadn’t expected it to go this far. It was just a household she didn’t want to come to, but now she truly hated it to her core.

Baha was furious at Lee Han for just silently watching the situation, and deeply embarrassed in front of Tae Un beside her.

“Sit down.”

“Where did the Chairman who valued manners so much go? Why? Did you want to play family again with everyone gathered like this?”

“…”

“Then you should have only called family members, not people who are like family!”

Baha shouted at Chairman Han with her fists clenched.

Even though Tae Un was nobody to her, she felt so sorry to him for coming and making time for the first time.

She made another useless vow to never set foot in this place again.

“I’ll be going now.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Baha left the house alone like that and walked.

Her vision was blurry.

Moisture, whether raindrops falling from the sky or tears falling from her eyes, made Baha’s vision hazy.

“Hic…”

Another woman beside the person she loved.

Originally that spot next to him was Baha’s place. But now that she had confirmed with her own eyes that it was no longer hers, her heart felt more painfully torn than ever before.

Seeing another woman by his side made her chest tighten painfully as if she couldn’t breathe.

“Do you love him that much? Am I invisible to you now?”

It was Baha’s only weakness.

There was a time when she lived anxiously, fearing that the fact she was an illegitimate child of the Tae San family would come to light.

Did Lee Han, who had seen everything by her side, reveal that weakness?

Or was it Chairman Han who spoke of it?

It didn’t matter who said it now.

What mattered was that he didn’t say anything when Baha was crying out in front of him.

“Hic…”

It was truly the worst.

Today was the worst day of Baha’s life.

“Why… are you doing this! Why! Why are you doing this to me!”

Baha stopped walking and collapsed, bursting into tears.

“I’m… family. I am…”

There was always one scene she dreamed of.

Baha’s dream was to marry the person she loved and have a warm meal with their families gathered, laughing together.

But today, that meal looked so similar to the scene Baha had dreamed of, if you excluded Baha and Tae Un, that watching it from the side made Baha feel even more miserable.

“What did I do so wrong…! Hic.”

The falling rain struck Baha and bounced off.

Baha sat there crying and crying.

She had no strength to stand up, nor did she want to. She just sat there curled up, crying.

“…Baha! Han Ba Ha!”

Tae Un, who had been searching for Baha, stopped his car and ran towards her with an umbrella as she sat crying in the rain.

He was running without even realizing it.

“Hic… I’m sorry.”

“…”

Tae Un silently held the umbrella over her.

Knowing his back was getting wet, he didn’t even care as he shielded her from the rain for a long time.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. It’s so embarrassing, isn’t it? Sniff… I told you it would be embarrassing.”

“I’m fine.”

He wasn’t fine.

He was angry.

As he realized and saw with his own eyes Baha’s position in that household, Tae Un’s anger rose at this wretched family, and when Baha, who knew nothing, was trembling in shock, his anger rose towards Chairman Han, her biological father.

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry.”

Baha kept repeating the same words without lifting her head.

What a pitiful woman.

As Tae Un watched Baha’s slender shoulders shake as she cried, his heart ached sharply.

“Tell me now. Say we should stop. I’ll let you go.”

Tae Un’s anger rose again at Baha’s words, and he threw down the umbrella and pulled her to her feet.

“Han Ba Ha.”

Tae Un gripped Baha’s arms tightly and looked at her with fierce eyes, while Baha looked back at those fierce eyes with eyes full of sadness.

If she said to stop, he would let her go.

That’s what they had agreed on from the beginning.

With just one word from you, I was ready to let go.

“…”

“At times like this, just say it. Ask me to stay by your side! Just say it! Stop pushing me away and just tell me!”

What a foolish woman.

This woman who kept pushing everyone away except Lee Han, Tae Un found her so foolish yet irritating.

Even after being treated like that in that house,

Even though there was no one by her side,

This woman who kept pushing others away grew on him more and more.

“Hic… Waaah…!”

At Tae Un’s words, Baha burst into louder cries.

Was it okay to say that?

Was it okay to ask him to stay by her side?

Wouldn’t that just be her own selfish desire?

Despite Tae Un’s words, Baha couldn’t bring herself to say it and just cried and cried, while Tae Un tightly embraced the endlessly crying Baha in the rain.

Though it was cold rain falling in a cold season, Tae Un’s embrace was warm.

[This is the timeline separator]

Tap tap tap.

[Have you arrived at work?]

There was no reply.

Tae Un kept tapping his silent phone with his finger. She was a woman who never contacted first, but would respond when Tae Un reached out.

But now there was no contact from her at all.

“Vice Chairman, are you expecting a call?”

“Uh… no?”

“You look really anxious right now.”

That’s right.

Tae Un felt rather uncomfortable being caught by Woo Joon, but he couldn’t hide it.

‘Miss Han Ba Ha, don’t think about anything and go home and rest well.’

‘…I’m so sorry about today.’

Tae Un couldn’t get Baha’s expression as she got out of the car out of his mind, and he felt like he was going crazy with worry about her.

This is why he wanted to go to work together.

When she was out of sight, he worried all day, and only felt at ease when she was within view.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Very much so.”

“Haa… Director Jang, since I’ve been found out, can I ask you something?”

Woo Joon blinked at Tae Un’s words.

“Of course!”

“What should I do about a woman who keeps pushing me away?”

Tae Un muttered seriously to Woo Joon as if drawn to something, then flinched.

“Ah. Let’s pretend you didn’t hear that.”

“Really? Then shall I leave?”

“No, you’re leaving right away? Ahem… Director Jang, can you check if Miss Han Ba Ha has come to work?”

“Pardon?”

Woo Joon blinked again at Tae Un’s words.

Tae Un has been strange lately.

He was someone who never engaged in personal conversations. Though I thought I was closest to him, there was one thing I felt while staying by his side.

He doesn’t let anyone get close.

A person who is close yet distant.

That was Tae Un.

But since coming to Korea, he’s been making personal requests more frequently. As soon as he arrived, he pulled in Miss Han Ba Ha’s department for no reason to the inauguration ceremony, and now he’s even checking if she’s at work.

I couldn’t help but blink.

“Director Jang?”

“Ah…! I’m sorry. Just a moment. I’ll go check and come back.”

“No. Check here.”

“…Pardon? Yes!”

Tae Un couldn’t even bear waiting, and Woo Joon diligently fiddled with his phone in front of such a Tae Un.

Tae Un looked out the window while holding his phone, trying not to let Woo Joon see the anxiety that was already fully exposed.

“Vice Chairman, Miss Han Ba Ha is out sick today and didn’t come to work.”

“Haa…”

Tae Un let out a deep sigh.

He should have known.

It wasn’t just a brief moment in the rain.

Even though he had belatedly shielded her, that day was too cold and too difficult for her frail body.

It would be strange if she wasn’t sick.

“Reschedule all of today’s appointments.”

[This is the timeline separator]

It hurts

Both her heart and body hurt so much.

‘Stop pushing me away and just tell me!’

Yesterday she cried for a long time in Tae Un’s arms in the rain as he angrily said that.

She was about to give up everything and say it. She wanted to say it.

Ask him to stay by her side.

She really wanted to be selfish just once.

Baha forcefully swallowed the words that had risen to the tip of her tongue and just cried like that in the rain.

“Haa… my head.”

Baha clutched her endlessly ringing head and just lay there under the blanket.

I wonder if the Vice Chairman is okay. I don’t know. My head hurts too much.

She wanted to stop thinking and just sleep.

She was so exhausted.

Ding dong-!

Baha ignored the suddenly ringing doorbell, furrowing her brow as her head rang even more. Her whole body felt as heavy as a water-soaked cotton ball and she didn’t want to move.

There was no one who would come, and if it was Roo Mi at the doorbell, she would call.

If it was him, there would be no need to ring the doorbell.

Ding dong-!

“Haa… who on earth is it.”

At the continuously ringing doorbell, Baha got up and walked step by step towards the door.

As Baha opened her eyes and stood up for the first time, her vision spun.

Her whole body had no strength, and she just wanted to collapse right there.

Ding dong-!

“Okay, okay.”

How impatient could this person be?

At the urging doorbell, Baha stood there frowning and let out a sigh.

As if her skull wasn’t already ringing enough to kill her!

She wanted to shout, but due to her voice not coming out, she had to be satisfied with screaming internally.

Click.

As Baha opened the door, Tae Un was standing in front of it.

With a very stiff expression. No, with a very worried expression.

“Vice… Chairman?”