The Hidden Woman - Chapter 38

“What will Miss Han Ba Ha do now?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

After a deep kiss, Tae Un spoke while feeling the wind, still holding Ba Ha’s hand, and Ba Ha looked at him from the side.

“Everyone knows now.”

“That’s right. What can we do about it?”

“I’m sorry. At that moment, I couldn’t think of anything else.”

As Tae Un kept apologizing, seemingly troubled, Ba Ha smiled faintly and gently leaned her head on his shoulder.

It wasn’t as big a deal as expected.

Considering how much she had worried about others’ gazes and been frightened in advance, it was better than expected. It wasn’t as bad as she had worried. Nothing happened.

From now on would be the start, but with Tae Un by her side, she felt she could get through it well.

“Still, thank you. So does this mean I’m officially revealed as the vice chairman’s woman now?”

Ba Ha chuckled and squeezed his hand that was holding hers. She expressed her feelings indirectly, saying it was okay and he didn’t need to say more.

“No. It’s that I’m revealed as Han Ba Ha’s man.”

His words touched Ba Ha’s heart. She liked the lingering feeling he gave her. Ba Ha found herself liking Tae Un more and more, as he always seemed to be one step ahead, waiting for her beyond what she expected.

“Then can we commute together now?”

“Tae Un, don’t tell me you’ve been thinking about only that since this morning?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You don’t know. How long I’ve been waiting for this day.”

The temperature between them slowly changed.

A relationship that used to be awkward just meeting now shared the same excitement.

The man who seemed cold and gruff before now grumbled beside her, and that sight started to look increasingly lovable. Ba Ha looked at Tae Un with a bright smile and met his eyes.

“When you look at me like that, it gets hot again. Can Han Ba Ha handle it?”

As Tae Un slowly approached Ba Ha, she blushed at his playful words, let go of his hand, and abruptly stood up.

“I’ll handle it, handle it next time! I’m going in first!”

“You’ve arrived.”

Tae Un’s expression as he seemed to be coming from parting with Ba Ha looked completely different from earlier. Beyond being stiff, there was not a single expression on his face. Woo Joon bowed his head towards him as he walked towards the office.

‘…And the employee that Miss Cha Hi Ra struck has been confirmed to be Han Ba Ha.’

He had been a man overflowing with composure.

He was always a man overflowing with composure to an irritating degree when by his side. The sight of him rushing out as soon as his words ended was a side that even he, who prided himself on knowing him better than anyone in this company, had never seen before.

He had thought wrong.

It was a face devoid of composure, an expression he had never seen before.

That expression of his,

That action of his

It bewildered Woo Joon.

‘Are you okay? Does it hurt?’

He met eyes with a woman kneeling and sobbing. When Woo Joon silently watched the two from behind him, his gaze was so gentle. He was surprised once again that a man could make such a gentle expression, and surprised again that a man in love with a woman could change to that extent.

‘…Seems like it’s time for a brief scolding.’

They looked happy.

Among the many expressions he was seeing for the first time, their happiness stood out the most. Tae Un finished speaking and raised Ba Ha by the hand, and the two exchanged glances. Although Ba Ha had said she had no feelings for him, Woo Joon seemed to understand.

That they were gradually looking in the same direction.

‘Director Jang, don’t follow.’

His voice returned.

When he tried to follow behind him, Tae Un spoke, and his voice became cold again. He could tell. He could guess how much anger he was suppressing now. Tae Un had been holding back his anger over and over, holding the hand of the woman he loved who had been crying for a while beside him, out of consideration for her.

“Director Jang, come in for a moment.”

Tae Un stopped in front of Woo Joon, who was bowing his head to greet him, and left words to come in before entering the office.

How should he repay her?

How to make you, Cha Hi Ra, regret?

Tae Un sat down, placed his interlocked hands on the desk, and rested his forehead on them. He wanted to make her regret deeply.

So that she wouldn’t even think of crossing the line again.

Knock knock knock.

“Come in.”

Woo Joon swallowed hard as he saw him sitting there. He couldn’t help but swallow at the heavy atmosphere of the office and his expression full of anger.

“Director Jang, the video footage showing Han Ba Ha’s face today should not remain on any portal sites, not even one.”

What could be more important than this?

He didn’t want her to be hurt. He didn’t want her face to be floating around all over the portal sites, to suffer unwanted privacy invasions again, and to be pointed at with fingers unrelated to the truth.

Ba Ha was the most important.

“Yes. I’ve already given instructions earlier.”

“Thank you.”

Then what would be most important to Cha Hi Ra?

Family? Money? Or that acting profession that makes you shine more? Or is it that man you said you loved?

The ranking among these wasn’t important to Tae Un.

Because he intended to take it all away.

“As of today, Cha Hi Ra will be killed in all matters related to Daehan.”

“What? To that extent…”

“To that extent? What do you think Han Ba Ha is, Director Jang?”

He flinched.

His eyes were like those of a predator in front of its prey. He couldn’t help but flinch at the pressure he was exuding. Without saying many words, without uttering a single curse, Tae Un’s eyes were saying everything.

That he had been tactless again.

“Well, that…”

“Han Ba Ha is now the person who will be by my side. Knowing that, how much more do you think I should endure and be considerate towards someone who has crossed the line?”

“I’m sorry.”

He couldn’t hide his expression. The reddened cheeks and torn lips still flashed before his eyes, irritating his nerves, and the sobbing with small shoulders shaking in his arms was too vivid.

“Director Jang, how many things are currently related to Daehan and Cha Hi Ra?”

“First, she’s active as the exclusive model for Daehan Textile’s S Fashion, and for the project currently being pushed, the couple of Lee Han and Cha Hi Ra is being discussed as models for Daehan Construction, as far as I know.”

“How much time is left on the S Fashion contract?”

“About 6 months remain.”

“Contact them. We’re going to terminate the contract. Tell them to prepare the penalty fee.”

Cha Hi Ra, I don’t intend to warn you with just a penalty fee. I don’t plan to do much just to get rid of you alone. From now on, I’ll just open the floodgates so that everything that happens will allow you to collapse on your own.

Because you, yourself, will fall to the very bottom.

“What? Right away?”

“Is there a problem? Use today’s incident as a pretext to terminate the contract. And let it slip to Chairman Cha’s ears too, though I suppose KH will try to step in.”

“…”

“Contact Jung as well. Tell him to squeeze out everything he can from the contract clauses, though the penalty will obviously come out of Chairman Cha’s pocket.”

“Yes. I understand.”

No matter how much he vented, his anger wouldn’t subside.

Compared to what Cha Hi Ra had done so far, this much was a lenient treatment from Tae Un’s standpoint. He wanted to repay everything Ba Ha had suffered, slapping her cheek the same way and splitting her lip the same way.

Knowing he couldn’t do that, Tae Un was just doing what he could.

“Ah… that sounds good. Director Jang, let’s release an article too.”

He should have done it earlier.

He thought that quietly watching from the side was the best thing for her. He thought that was the way to quietly pass by without stirring up the existence of Lee Han for her.

He thought that just staying quiet without provoking Cha Hi Ra was the better path for you.

How foolish.

“An article about power abuse. Perfect. With that personality, there must be more than one or two victims. Find them. We’ll use that as a pretext to cut off everything related to Cha Hi Ra.”

“An article about power abuse?”

“Why. It’s common, right? Common, but infuriating because it’s so common. Originally, the most common things work best. Even KH won’t be able to do anything about it. The moment they try to cover it up, the chaebol title will devour them even more.”

Woo Joon was startled by his words.

“Director Jang, from now on, find staff who have been abused by Cha Hi Ra. Find them and quietly leak it.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Bury her in that industry. So she can’t act up anymore. She’ll probably come to her senses when she’s trapped alone in that big cage. Though it seems she’ll sink on her own.”

He had no intention of avoiding it.

He no longer had any intention of avoiding the fight that had come to him first, nor did he want to avoid it. He had no thought of letting go of the prey he had bitten once. As Tae Un raised one corner of his mouth without his eyes smiling, Woo Joon got goosebumps seeing Tae Un’s face like that.

“Ah, this should stay just between us. There won’t be another incident of it reaching Han Ba Ha’s ears, right?”

“…”

“Well then, let’s see. Which will Chairman Cha choose between his immature youngest granddaughter and KH? I’ve been too nice. All this time.”

One person was enough.

There’s no need to be a good person to everyone, right? It was enough to be a good person to one person. It was enough if he was a good person to Ba Ha. He would be satisfied if he remained a good person only by her side.

“And let’s give that bastard Lee Han a call. Tell him to have a meal with me.”