It was pitiful.

As Ba Ha frowned, Tae Un wore a worried expression and stroked her face again. He cooled her warm, swollen red cheeks with his large cold palms.

“I’m not forcing myself to smile……”

I was grateful.

I was grateful for him who came running in one step, who came running without thinking of anything else. Despite his words not to smile, Ba Ha tried to smile even bigger. She wanted to show him she was fine and ease his mind a little.

Perhaps her feelings were conveyed.

Seeing Ba Ha smiling and saying it doesn’t hurt anymore, Tae Un burst out laughing.

“Shouldn’t we apply some medicine? Want to go put on some medicine? Let’s go.”

Tae Un said, looking at Ba Ha’s lips that had split and bled again from smiling. Feeling his gaze on her lips, Ba Ha turned her face to look for tissues on the desk out of embarrassment.

“No…… Really, I’m fine……”

“Um…… Senior? Vice Chairman? What exactly is this situation……”

Doo Na asked, breaking the world of just the two of them as soon as her eyes met Ba Ha’s. Ba Ha’s face, already red from intense emotions, turned even redder as she felt everyone’s gazes fixed on her and Tae Un.

Tae Un chuckled at Ba Ha’s reddened face, then stood up and bowed his head, patting Ba Ha’s head as she sat.

“Hello. I am Woo Tae Un.”

He said, looking directly at the people staring at Ba Ha and himself. How could any employee of Daehan Group not know him? After finishing his greeting, Tae Un gave Ba Ha a brief eye smile, then looked straight ahead again and spoke.

“I apologize for the late introduction. I am the man Ba Ha said she was marrying the other day.”

Stunned by Tae Un’s sudden declaration, Ba Ha looked at him with surprised eyes, and so did the others. They too seemed stunned, with no reaction.

“I’m not sure what misunderstandings Cha Hi Ra has, but I have no intention of letting this go. I hope you all won’t misunderstand Ba Ha either, knowing this.”

This was the best option.

Tae Un thought this method was best. As soon as he finished speaking, some of the people who had been murmuring about her were divided into those who lowered their heads in embarrassment and those who now held their heads high saying, “See? I told you so.”

Among those people, Tae Un reached out his hand towards Ba Ha, and Ba Ha took his hand with a faint smile.

“Ah…… Everyone, may I make one request?”

At Tae Un’s words, the noisy office fell silent once again. Ba Ha tried to stop him, not knowing what he would say, shaking the hand she was holding, but Tae Un looked at her with mischievous eyes.

“What request?”

When no one answered Tae Un’s question, Doo Na took the lead and asked him back.

“I would appreciate if you all treat Ba Ha the same as usual. If you suddenly treat her too formally, I’ll be in trouble.”

Tae Un said, without letting go of Ba Ha’s hand until the end.

“Actually, we kept it a secret because we were worried about this atmosphere, but somehow it turned out like this. Please. I’ll get scolded.”

“Vice…… Chairman!”

Making an excuse about scolding he had never heard, Tae Un revealed his feelings, half joking and half sincere. As he finished speaking, the heavy atmosphere lightened considerably, and Tae Un squeezed her hand more tightly.

He didn’t want to let go.

“Well, in that sense, may I take Ba Ha out for a moment? It seems like the right time for me to get scolded.”

At Tae Un’s words, the office instantly filled with laughter. I was grateful. So grateful for him who went this far, abandoning his usual cold demeanor within Daehan and his position as vice chairman, speaking in the best way to protect one woman.

As Ba Ha looked at Tae Un with a reddened face, Tae Un whispered softly in her ear.

“We’ll do the scolding outside.”

I first saw you here.

Tae Un took Ba Ha up to the rooftop where he had first seen her.

If this place used to be a space where Ba Ha shed tears, now he wanted it to be a space where she could rest, and when she recalled memories of the rooftop, he wanted to be in those memories.

“Are you really okay?”

“I’m really fine. You came for me, Tae Un.”

This time, not Ba Ha alone, but Tae Un sat with her in the place where she used to cry. A gentle breeze blew, and Ba Ha’s hair fluttered in the wind. Tae Un gazed at Ba Ha’s profile.

Seeing Ba Ha’s face looking much better, Tae Un finally felt relieved and felt the wind together beside her.

“It’s time for scolding, right? I’m sorry. For acting on my own.”

“It’s okay. I know. That it was the best method. It was a clean lie, wasn’t it?”

A lie, huh.

Tae Un looked at her smiling as she spoke and thought.

Why not make it the truth instead of a lie?

“I should be the one apologizing to you, Tae Un. Causing you trouble for no reason.”

“We can make it not a lie.”

Her heart, which had vowed not to believe in his love, gradually opened up and decided not to push him away anymore, and now an uncontrollable signal rang in her mind.

“When I see you, I become strange.”

“……”

“You always talk about things I find difficult as if you don’t even care.”

“What’s difficult about it? I’m just loving you as my heart leads me.”

What would happen to us if I ignored this signal?

“Thank you, Tae Un.”

“Let’s get married. You and me.”

Ba Ha choked up at Tae Un’s words.

It was the second proposal. His words, which felt different from the first time, made Ba Ha’s heart flutter, and this situation of always hiding, the sincerity he conveyed, made Ba Ha’s heart flutter.

“I couldn’t think of anything else. Even though we were in the same building, I couldn’t just stay still after hearing that. I couldn’t bear it.”

“……”

“To think the woman I like went through something like that, telling me to stay put was torture. I wanted to check right away. If you were okay. If you weren’t crying again.”

He spoke sincerely.

“I want to be the closest person to you. If anything happens to you, I want to be the first one you contact, and I want to be your top priority in everything.”

“Tae…… Un.”

“So let’s get married. I like you very much. Han Ba Ha.”

I didn’t want to regret.

I didn’t want to hurt him again by ignoring this signal that kept ringing loudly in my head and pushing him away. Just at this moment, following my heart. For the first time in my life, I wanted to be selfish.

“……”

I pondered how to answer his words. Though I knew it was a selfish grip, I wanted to hold on. I wanted to believe in love again.

“Tae Un……”

“Ah, no…… Wait, I think I’m being too hasty. Later……”

I felt sorry.

I felt sorry for him avoiding my gaze without even hearing my answer.

I must have made him like that.

“Look at me. Tae Un.”

I wanted to change.

Before he could finish speaking, Ba Ha grabbed Tae Un’s necktie with one hand. She looked at his face up close without taking her eyes off him.

“……”

“……”

In an instant, the cold air warmed up to the point where they could feel each other’s breath, and Ba Ha slowly shifted her gaze from his eyes to his lips, raising one corner of her mouth, just like their first kiss.

Tae Un’s eyes widened in surprise at Ba Ha’s actions, but as a smile spread across his face, he pressed his lips against hers.

There was no one around, and in this space, there were only Tae Un and Ba Ha.

This space, which had always felt stuffy, now added one more memory with him.

Tae Un grabbed her waist as she sat and pulled her closer, accepting her provocation. Feeling each other’s breaths, they kissed more persistently than ever before.

“Haa…… Wait, I have something to say.”

Ba Ha said, exhaling a heated breath. She was so grateful for him who always expressed himself. Compared to herself who always thought things were difficult, Tae Un was always the same. He stood by her side tirelessly.

So now she wanted to say, of her own will, that she wanted to be by his side, together with him.

“Later, I said let’s do it later.”

Ba Ha slightly pushed him away, trying to separate their lips from the persistent kissing. Tae Un, seeming unsatisfied despite her pushing hands, held onto Ba Ha’s waist without letting go and tried to press his lips against hers again, but she turned her head away to avoid him and said.

“Let’s. Let’s do it! Marriage!”

“What…… did you say? What did you just say?”

Ba Ha smiled brightly at Tae Un. It was the most comfortable smile since meeting him, and the happiest-looking smile she had shown.

Tae Un paused at her response and his face instantly turned red.

“Can you say it again?”

“You didn’t hear? Then what should I do, should I take it back?”

“Just once, just one more time, please say it again. Ba Ha.”

As Ba Ha resisted, embarrassed to say it again, Tae Un’s face now seemed to show desperation. Why did he look so adorable?

She whispered softly in his ear.

“Let’s really do it. Marriage. Let’s get married. Tae Un.”