“That’s right! I’m telling you I don’t know. I didn’t see her face. That’s the most important part!”

Feeling relieved, Han Ba Ha took a deep breath inwardly and smiled at Doo Na. If Doo Na had seen the face, she probably would have pestered her about it all day long.

Just thinking about it made cold sweat run down her spine and it was terrifying.

“What? You didn’t see the most important part?”

“Ha…… That’s right. But the Vice Chairman just stood there watching her from behind until she left! It was totally romantic.”

At Doo Na’s fuss, Han Ba Ha’s facial muscles twitched as she clenched her fist with all her might, trying to maintain composure.

If she got caught here, it would be over.

“Huh? Senior…… Why does your coat look similar to the one that woman was wearing?”

Of all things, she had to have sharp eyes.

Of all things, she had to have a loud voice.

At Doo Na’s words, the gazes of people around them fixed on Doo Na and Han Ba Ha. Han Ba Ha’s face was about to turn red.

“Sa, say something that makes sense. If someone hears, they’ll think it’s re…… real. Doo Na.”

She spoke in a whisper, gritting her teeth while poking Doo Na’s side. Doo Na seemed to acquiesce to Han Ba Ha’s intense reaction, then tilted her head.

“Is that so? It doesn’t seem like it.”

“Ah! Doo Na, did you send that file I told you to do last time?”

At Doo Na’s continued suspicion, Han Ba Ha hastily changed the subject, turning her head. As lies beget lies, Han Ba Ha quickly changed the topic, afraid of making a mistake somewhere if she continued pretending not to know.

“That? Of course I did. I sent it to your email, senior.”

For the rest of the morning, due to Doo Na’s chatter whenever she had free time, the topic of “Woo Tae Un’s woman” subtly reared its head and quickly rose to become the hottest topic of conversation for the entire department.

“Senior, let’s go eat.”

“Is it that time already? I’m too lazy to eat. Do you want to go eat first?”

“Senior, that’s why you’re so thin. Come on, hurry.”

Even in the cafeteria she was dragged to, among the many topics, the story of Woo Tae Un came up as another side dish. Throughout lunch, Han Ba Ha’s heart raced, afraid of being caught, and because she ate while being cautious, her stomach didn’t feel good.

“Ha…… How nice. Another person is leaving like this.”

“……Are you done eating? Let’s go quickly, Doo Na.”

Han Ba Ha covered Doo Na’s chattering mouth and grabbed her arm as they left the cafeteria.

“So that movie…”

Whenever there was a brief gap, at the sound of “Vice Chairman” being mentioned again, Han Ba Ha deliberately changed the subject, chattering more than usual to alleviate her anxiety.

“Senior, isn’t that Cha Hi Ra over there?”

The lobby they entered was bustling with people looking in one direction without moving. That unpleasant murmuring finally caught up to Han Ba Ha.

“You’re right. I wonder why she’s here?”

Wearing sunglasses and exuding an actress’s aura, Cha Hi Ra was leaning against the information desk, waiting for someone.

Han Ba Ha didn’t think much of Hi Ra’s appearance, she just wanted to quickly go to the office with Doo Na because her stomach wasn’t feeling well.

“Senior, does it look like Cha Hi Ra is coming towards us or is it just my imagina……”

Slap-!

Upon spotting Han Ba Ha, Hi Ra strode over with her long legs and slapped Han Ba Ha’s cheek. Han Ba Ha was stunned by the sudden turn of events.

Han Ba Ha’s slapped face turned to the side, and her gaze fell on Hi Ra’s ringed hand.

Han Ba Ha’s cheek reddened from the slap, and her lip burst, beading with blood.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

It hurt.

The cheek that had been slapped after a long time stung. She couldn’t understand why Hi Ra was doing this. She couldn’t fathom why Hi Ra was tormenting her like this.

A bitter, fishy taste of blood lingered on her tongue, and her cheek, slapped without knowing why, was gradually swelling.

“What am I doing? Did you just ask what I’m doing?”

The employees surrounding Hi Ra and Han Ba Ha began taking out their phones one by one and started filming the two. Han Ba Ha was worried about Doo Na, who was standing there dazed, and Doo Na, who had been beside her, was so shocked she didn’t know what to do and suddenly disappeared somewhere.

“You…… I told you to stop hanging around, didn’t I?”

“No. What on earth……”

A box passed through Han Ba Ha’s mind.

She hadn’t even contacted her.

She thought that was consideration for Cha Hi Ra.

Whatever Cha Hi Ra had done to her, she didn’t want to be involved anymore. From the moment she decided not to push Woo Tae Un away, she had been gradually reducing the frequency of thinking about Lee Han.

But why?

It’s not like she could throw it away.

“Cha Hi Ra, I understand you might have some misunderstanding, but…”

“Misunderstanding? Did you just say misunderstanding?”

“Ha……”

“I told you to stop showing up, didn’t I! Why do you keep hanging around! Why do you keep shaking up someone who’s already struggling! Just disappear. Please!”

Hi Ra, seemingly unable to contain her anger, shouted with a reddened face and reached out towards Han Ba Ha again, but Doo Na blocked her path.

“Stop it!”

“And who are you? Why are you butting in!”

Hi Ra, having crossed the threshold of excitement, was irritated by Doo Na blocking her way and took off her sunglasses, looking Doo Na up and down.

“I said stop it! If KH finds out about what happened here, it won’t be good for you either, Cha Hi Ra.”

“Ha……? Are you not going to move aside?”

When Doo Na still wouldn’t move, Hi Ra pushed her to the side. Doo Na fell to the side helplessly from Cha Hi Ra’s sudden push.

“Hey……! Cha Hi Ra!”

Han Ba Ha shouted at Hi Ra while helping Doo Na up. Only Han Ba Ha’s voice echoed through the first floor, and behind her, security team members who had noticed the commotion approached Hi Ra, grabbing her excited arms and pulling her back.

“Let go of me. Are you not going to let go?”

Once again, she was the villain.

Numerous cameras surrounded the three women, filming them. After Doo Na stepped in, no one else came forward to stop it. They were gradually becoming characters in a makjang drama.

“Please stop now. Don’t you see the cameras rolling?”

“I begged you like that! You think you’re something because that person is protecting you? I told you to disappear!”

When Han Ba Ha spoke, glaring fiercely at Hi Ra, Hi Ra cried out even more as she was dragged out of the lobby.

Even that sight seemed unfair. Cha Hi Ra, the female lead in trials, and Han Ba Ha, the fox-like supporting actress pretending to know nothing.

In the midst of numerous cameras, Han Ba Ha was the fox-like supporting actress pretending to know nothing.

“Ha……”

No tears came.

The situation was so sudden that not a single tear fell, and she couldn’t even feel angry. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say she had missed the timing to get angry. In a situation where everything was out of sync, Han Ba Ha lost focus in her eyes, and her legs trembled.

“Let’s go, senior.”

Leaning on Doo Na, who came to her side and supported her after dusting off the dirt from falling, Han Ba Ha returned to the office.

“I’m sorry, Doo Na.”

Many things had changed.

Woo Tae Un wished time would pass quickly.

Should he ask to go home together today as well? Was it too greedy to ask for more after just commuting together once?

Woo Tae Un, who had always received all sorts of grumbling and nagging from Woo Joon, saying “You know this level is workaholism, right? Please let me go home!”, was now waiting for the end of the workday after meeting her.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Should I at least ask?”

He missed her.

Woo Tae Un found it strange how he became nervous and even timid when standing in front of Han Ba Ha. It felt like he wasn’t in his right mind, unable to control himself. He felt unfamiliar with himself, like a boy experiencing love for the first time.

How long had it been since they parted? He missed Han Ba Ha so much.

He sent a message to Han Ba Ha while sitting in his office after lunch, but his phone remained silent. It was well past the time she would have replied normally, and memories he didn’t want to recall tormented Woo Tae Un.

“Could she be sick again? Ha…… If it were my usual temperament, I would have gone right away. Woo Tae Un has changed a lot.”

Woo Tae Un got up from his seat and looked out the large window in his office. As he realized once again how he was changing in the quiet office, laughter burst out.

With his phone firmly grasped in his hand to contact Han Ba Ha who might arrive at any moment.

Knock knock knock.

“Come in.”

Even at the sound of someone entering, Woo Tae Un kept looking out the window. Woo Joon looked at Woo Tae Un’s back, wondering how to bring up and detonate this time bomb of an issue.

The silence in this office felt like the calm before the storm to Woo Joon.

“Director Jang, it’s difficult, too difficult. Right?”

“Pardon……? What do you mean? Do you have difficulties too, Vice Chairman?”

“I have my own difficulties too. So, Director Jang, did you clear your evening schedule?”

Woo Tae Un, still unaware of anything, muttered as if in a good mood. Continuously uttering words he couldn’t understand, Woo Tae Un looked at Woo Joon.

“Yes. I’ve cleared the schedule.”

Now he had to force his lips to move, even if they didn’t want to. Woo Joon took a deep breath, looking into his eyes, and continued speaking.

“And I have something to tell you, Vice Chairman.”