It was quiet.

When Tae Un handed a handkerchief to Ba Ha who was crying, Ba Ha, startled by the handkerchief that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, stopped crying abruptly.

Though she had cried freely in a place where people rarely pass by, realizing that someone might have been watching her cry made her too embarrassed and ashamed to even lift her head, keeping it lowered.

“Is someone bullying you in this company?”

“It’s not like that… *sniff*”

Tae Un sat down on the ground to meet Ba Ha’s eyes, but the more he did so, the more embarrassed Ba Ha became, raising her knees and curling up tightly, burying her face even deeper to hide it completely.

“Then why are you crying like this?”

“……”

What could she say?

The man who admitted to the scandal today was actually my boyfriend.

I dated that person for 7 whole years.

I still love that man.

No, she couldn’t say anything at all.

It wasn’t something she could ramble on about to a man whose name she didn’t even know. And Ba Ha knew well enough that if she did speak, she would just appear to be an overzealous fan of Lee Han. She just wished Tae Un would pretend not to see her and pass by.

“Take it.”

When Tae Un poked Ba Ha’s arm, who remained silent, offering the handkerchief she hadn’t taken again, Ba Ha reached out her hand while keeping her head buried and accepted the handkerchief.

“It seems like you can’t get up because of me, so I’ll go. Stop crying.”

Seeing Ba Ha peeking out just her hand, Tae Un found it both ridiculous and cute, becoming more and more curious, but seeing her at a loss, he chuckled, got up, and dusted off his clothes.

“Handkerchief! Th… Thank you.”

“Stop crying and let’s go. Lunch break is almost over. I’ll go first.”

After Tae Un left, Ba Ha raised her head and looked at the well-ironed handkerchief he had given her.

“Why…! Why am I thinking of him again! Why…!”

Even looking at the handkerchief given by a man whose name she didn’t know, Ba Ha’s mind was once again filled with thoughts of Lee Han. Overwhelmed by thoughts of Lee Han that engulfed her in an instant, Ba Ha tightly grasped the handkerchief Tae Un had given her.

She didn’t want to think about it, and tried to think it was different.

She tried to think it was different from the crumpled tissue pieces he would come and give her whenever she cried in that big house.

Every day was like hell.

Young Ba Ha lived each day, suppressing her breath, for 5 years from the moment she entered the Taesan family. Only 2 years remained until she turned 20, becoming an adult. Ba Ha, who was 18, was just waiting to become an adult as soon as possible.

When that time comes, she would definitely leave this wretched house. She would live as just Han Ba Ha, not as a hidden daughter with no relation to Taesan.

She had endured with this determination.

Rip-!

“Where do you think this is!”

“Elder brother, you did this, didn’t you! Why are you throwing this away! Why! You know this is a memento of my mother, and you deliberately threw it away, right? That’s it, isn’t it?”

“Watch your mouth. Who’s your elder brother? What? Memento? Your mother?”

“……”

“Please stop saying such nonsense! There can be no trace of that woman in this house! Just you alone is enough to drive me crazy! Shut your mouth.”

“Hey…! Han Do Joon!”

Han Do Joon.

The eldest son of the Taesan Group and Ba Ha’s half-brother. Such a filial son, he had tormented Ba Ha every single day since she entered this house. Using the excuse that he knew full well what Ba Ha’s existence meant to Mi Ran, he bullied her every time he saw her.

Ba Ha knew too.

Probably, every time Mi Ran saw her, her pride crumbled, and every time she saw Ba Ha growing up to look exactly like that woman hidden behind Chairman Han’s back who had betrayed her, it seemed like she was having a nightmare.

“Sob… Mom… I… miss you. Take me with you…”

Ba Ha cried endlessly in hiding. She wanted to die. She missed her mom so much, but she also resented and hated her mom for leaving her behind.

The fact that she had no power yet and had to stick to this damned household that didn’t even treat her as a person made Ba Ha even more miserable.

“Are you crying here again?”

Someone held out a crumpled tissue next to Ba Ha who was crying.

It was Lee Han.

As soon as Ba Ha saw his face, she burst into tears even more. Like a wronged and pitiful child who bursts out crying as soon as they see someone they think is on their side.

Looking at Lee Han, Ba Ha cried even more pitifully.

“Waaah…! Elder brother!”

“Ha… Ba Ha, why is your face like this again?”

Lee Han seemed to know the reason without needing to hear her answer.

The reason she ended up like this.

Looking at Ba Ha’s face with a burst lip bleeding from being hit by Do Joon, and her cheek swollen and red, Lee Han let out a deep sigh.

Where on earth was there a place to hit this small and frail child that he hit her every single day.

Lee Han cupped Ba Ha’s cheek with his cold palm, and Ba Ha sniffled, feeling even more pitiful at his touch.

“Han… Do Joon… sob.”

“…I’m sorry.”

He was a kind person.

Lee Han who always apologized, saying there was nothing he could do. He was such a pitiful and kind person. She knew well enough that as the child of an employee living in that house, of course there would be nothing he could do, but still, to Ba Ha, Lee Han was the only man she could lean on in this house.

His existence took up such a large place inside Ba Ha.

Ha… That’s a place where people don’t even come, I shouldn’t go near there for a while.

Ba Ha came down from the rooftop and fidgeted with the handkerchief for no reason. How should she return this handkerchief? Because she had curled up tightly in embarrassment, she hadn’t even seen his face, and of course, didn’t know his name or anything else about him.

Where should she look for that person?

“Han Ba Ha! Where’s Han team leader?”

Park manager looked around the office with a fully made-up face and fiery eyes, searching for Ba Ha. Ba Ha, with her mind thinking about Tae Un and her hands fidgeting with the handkerchief Tae Un had given her, hadn’t opened her ears enough to hear Park manager calling for her.

As Park manager’s voice echoed throughout the office, Doo Na, who was next to Ba Ha, started to look around nervously, rolling her eyes.

“Se, senior! The manager is looking for you right now!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Doo Na reluctantly elbowed Ba Ha and spoke in a low voice, and at Doo Na’s touch, Ba Ha finally came to her senses and heard Park manager raging, so she hurriedly stood up.

“Yes…? I’m right here?”

“Come in right now!”

Seeing Park manager, who was known for his usually even temper and politeness, shouting in anger with a reddened face to this extent, Ba Ha was certain of one thing.

It definitely wasn’t good news.

As Ba Ha felt the eyes of the team members in the office fixed on her, her face reddened for a different reason than Park manager’s as she stood in front of the door to Park manager’s office.

Knock knock knock.

“Manager, did you call for me?”

“Come in!”

As Ba Ha opened the door and peeked her face in, Park manager threw a file of documents onto the desk and spoke. His face was still red, not having cooled down, and he looked at Ba Ha with a terrifying expression. At the sight of Park manager like this, Ba Ha shrank back involuntarily, lowering her head and avoiding his eyes.

“Han Ba Ha, where have you been daydreaming since yesterday?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Yesterday you were bouncing around by yourself, and today you look like you’re about to die! What’s going on with you?”

At Park manager’s words, Ba Ha was stung and couldn’t even make an excuse.

Yesterday, wanting to leave work right on the dot to see Lee Han, she had rushed to finish her work. It was a fact she couldn’t even make excuses for, and of course, there might have been things she missed.

Well, today was needless to say.

“Ha… Han Ba Ha. I think bringing you into our department was the best thing I’ve done.”

“……”

“Let’s get our act together again. Okay? It’s not like you’ve only been working at the company for a day or two.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

It was pathetic.

What good did she think she’d see by going around like that all day yesterday, gaping like an idiot? She felt so ashamed and disgusted with herself for letting personal matters distract her from work and causing trouble even to the superior who had trusted her.

It was truly pathetic.

“Go home. Take a half day off and clear your head before coming back.”

“No. Manager, I’m sorry. I’ll get my act together. I can do it.”

“You…! Just listen to me. There’s no rush, so take a half day off and if you’re sick, go to the hospital! Tomorrow’s the weekend, so rest well and if you’re still like this next week, then you’d better be prepared.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Get out. I don’t want to see you anymore. Get out. Quickly.”

Park manager waved his hand along with his words to leave. At the sight of Park manager like this, Ba Ha’s head dropped automatically, and she left the office with her head still lowered.

As soon as Ba Ha came out of the office, she let out a deep sigh and stood in front of the door for a while. She needed time to collect these emotions that kept welling up at all times.

“Senior, are you okay?”

Doo Na was already by Ba Ha’s side.

Ba Ha, who had puffy eyes from the morning, disappeared in the middle of eating and reappeared with red eyes again, and even got publicly scolded by Park manager, so Doo Na was worried.

Ba Ha gave a bitter smile to Doo Na who was worried about her, feeling embarrassed and ashamed.

“I’m fine. The manager told me to take a half day off.”

“That sounds good. Senior, you look really unwell today. Go home and rest quickly.”

Ba Ha returned to her desk, hastily packed her bag, and left the company.

Outside the company, the sun was shining brightly, but the cold wind made it chilly. Even though the cold wind hit her whole body, this stuffy heart still felt stuffy.

Ba Ha tightened her coat and moved her steps to see the person she wanted to see most at this moment.

Ha… He’ll definitely say something. I’m scared. I’m scared.