It hurt.

The first thing that came to mind when seeing this house was, of course, Lee Han. It was a place where I had received much comfort from him, and a place where I had received much affection from him.

The happy memories I had in this house were now becoming memories I didn’t want to recall, memories that only hurt my heart when I remembered them.

Now I hated everything in this house.

I hated myself for giving my heart to Lee Han, and I hated myself for still thinking about him.

“Ha……”

I thought the saying that first love can’t be fulfilled didn’t apply to us, but it was true.

Our love ended in vain.

If I had known it would end like this, I wouldn’t have loved Lee Han.

The end of first love hurt Ba Ha too much.

“Ha……”

Ba Ha stood motionless in front of the large door of Chairman Han’s house. She hated going in so much. Why did she feel like she was getting smaller every time she saw this house, even though it wasn’t a threshold she had only crossed once or twice?

Ba Ha hated how she shrank as soon as she stood in front of the door.

She hated this house that reminded her of how she had struggled and endured, and now she really wanted to escape from this house.

There was no reason to come, not even the slightest desire to come anymore.

“I hate it. Really.”

Ba Ha sighed just before pressing the doorbell.

Why did they keep calling her to this house where no one liked her and it was full of people who disliked her? Thinking of Chairman Han, whom she couldn’t understand, Ba Ha’s brow furrowed involuntarily.

How much more emotional exhaustion would she have to endure in this house?

How much more would it hurt when she left this house?

Ding dong−!

“It’s me.”

Ba Ha took a deep breath like a general going into battle and pressed the doorbell, and soon the door opened.

As she crossed the threshold, the thought of just going home now tormented her mind, but thinking of Chairman Han who would nag her until she came back was even more dreadful.

“Young lady, you’re here?”

“Yes. Have you been well, ma’am?”

As soon as she entered the house, Ba Ha smiled brightly at Mrs. Kim, the housekeeper who welcomed her.

Everyone else avoided the young Ba Ha, not even pretending to see her, afraid of displeasing Mi Ran, the mistress of this house, but Mrs. Kim was different.

She was the person who secretly took care of Ba Ha, who felt sorry for her as she stubbornly stood up to Do Joon’s bullying every time, as if losing to him was worse than death.

She was a very grateful person to Ba Ha.

“What do you mean, it hasn’t been that long since we last met… They’re all sitting over there.”

“Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for. My goodness… Why do they keep calling you here.”

Mrs. Kim mumbled softly. Mrs. Kim felt too sorry for Ba Ha, who was still trapped in this house.

“I know. Why don’t they just let me go? Right?”

When Ba Ha responded to that small mumble, Mrs. Kim looked at her and smiled. Her eyes and smile were full of sympathy as she looked at Ba Ha.

“Sit down.”

Following Mrs. Kim’s words, as Ba Ha entered the living room, Chairman Han, Han Do Joon, and Kim Mi Ran were all sitting there. Seeing the whole family sitting together except for herself, Ba Ha felt it again, though she had always known it.

That she was not a true member of this family, but an outsider.

“……”

As expected, they don’t even greet me. How like the Chairman. So like the Chairman.

Even though Ba Ha’s footsteps were getting closer and closer, Chairman Han didn’t even look at her, nor did he give her a warm greeting.

“What’s the matter this time?”

Ba Ha, wanting to leave this house quickly, asked Chairman Han without even sitting down, but Chairman Han leisurely drank his coffee without even answering her question.

“Ha……”

What on earth could it be to call everyone like this?

Seeing Chairman Han, who seemed unlikely to say anything until she sat down, Ba Ha sighed expressionlessly and plopped down on the sofa.

“What kind of child are you, not even greeting an adult when you see one?”

As expected.

It was a house where no one welcomed her. Ba Ha, seeming used to it, didn’t greet any of the family members either.

As if she were an invisible person, she didn’t even glance at Mi Ran and Do Joon, and only addressed Chairman Han who had a purpose. Mi Ran, feeling ignored, spoke mockingly as her insides twisted more and more.

“Then what kind of parents don’t even greet their child who has come after a long time?”

“You…!”

Ba Ha was not affected by Mi Ran’s sudden attack.

With her years of enduring in the Taesan family, this was too light for her.

“Quiet! Can’t you stop? What are you doing with your young child!”

Angry at the sight of them growling at each other as soon as they met, Chairman Han, feeling his head throb more and more, slammed down the coffee cup he was drinking from and shouted.

“Ha…?”

As Chairman Han scolded even her in front of Ba Ha, Mi Ran let out a hollow laugh and her face reddened with shame, trying hard to suppress her rising anger as she put strength into her burning eyes.

“Father! You should only scold that girl! Not mother! It’s not like she said anything wrong!”

Watching Mi Ran’s reddened face from the side, Do Joon felt irritation surge towards Chairman Han, who was indifferent to his mother.

“Han Do Joon, where do you think you’re butting in. Shut that mouth.”

As Do Joon glared at Chairman Han and embraced Mi Ran as if to show Ba Ha, Chairman Han stared at Do Joon with cold eyes and warned in a low voice.

“…I’m sorry.”

Han Do Joon cowered at Chairman Han’s warning and avoided his eyes, but Ba Ha looked at the angry Chairman Han, pouting her lips and shrugging her shoulders as if she had done nothing wrong.

“Han Ba Ha, you too, take it easy.”

Chairman Han frowned at Ba Ha’s behavior and warned her too, but Ba Ha was different from Do Joon.

“What did I do? So tell me quickly. I don’t want to stay in this house for long either.”

Ba Ha, who wanted to leave this house quickly but didn’t want to lose, talked back without backing down an inch, and Chairman Han sighed and clicked his tongue as he looked at Ba Ha.

“Ha… Han Ba Ha, how long are you going to stay out?”

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“You don’t think it makes sense for a Taesan person to not be in Taesan, but to be in Daehan Group, do you?”

The arrow Chairman Han shot hit Do Joon first and then was flying towards Ba Ha.

Ba Ha found it funny that Chairman Han was suddenly trying to act like a father, and she didn’t want to turn her efforts to leave this house into bubbles with just one word from Chairman Han.

To leave this house, she had studied like crazy until she was 20, and after turning 20, she worked part-time jobs like crazy to leave this suffocating house. And because she didn’t want to set foot in Taesan, she joined the rival Daehan Group.

It was a kind of rebellion, if you could call it that.

That she didn’t want to be involved anymore. That she wanted them to let her go now.

It was Ba Ha’s timid struggle.

“Ha…… Please just say what you have to say. Don’t beat around the bush.”

“You… rude…! Are you telling me to just sit still while looking at that?”

As Chairman Han said nothing even at Ba Ha’s curt attitude, Mi Ran pointed at Ba Ha and spoke, her face reddened, panting alone.

Ba Ha, regardless of Mi Ran’s appearance, looked irritatedly at Chairman Han who was suddenly saying strange things.

“Can’t you be quiet! Ha… Han Ba Ha, come back home. And get out of Daehan right away.”

“Chairman! What on earth…!”

Ba Ha, who had been expressionless until now, glared at Chairman Han with sharp eyes and shouted.

When her mother was alive, he rarely visited, and after bringing her to this house, he often ignored Ba Ha as if she were a non-existent person. He was a person who didn’t say anything even when she said she was leaving this house.

That person was Chairman Han, who claimed to be her father.

She found it absurd that Chairman Han, who had been so cruel and cold to her, was now telling her what to do.

“I refuse!”

“Do as I say. Ah… and I saw the news about that Han guy. When did you used to be crazy about him, well, nothing in this world is eternal.”

At Chairman Han’s seemingly mocking words, Ba Ha’s body instantly filled with anger and began to tremble.

What do you know. You can’t even imagine. How dare you keep talking when you don’t even know what that person meant to me.

She wanted to say this so badly, but Ba Ha’s throat was getting choked up, and she had to hide that she was getting emotional.

The moment she shed tears, moved by his words, Ba Ha would lose this fight.

“Have you gone senile?”

“Han Ba Ha. Can’t you fix that way of talking? Stop messing around and do as I say.”

“No. I can’t do that. You want me to crawl back into this house that doesn’t even treat me like a person? I’d rather die!”

There was only one sound heard in this spacious house. Only Ba Ha’s voice, speaking without stopping in a trembling voice, echoed. Only her voice, crying out as her emotions intensified, filled this house.

“You seem to keep forgetting, but you’re a Taesan person whether you like it or not. And get ready for matchmaking. Now that that guy is gone, there’s no reason you can’t get married, right?”

“Ha…… Our Chairman has really gone senile. No matter what I say… Since when have I been a Taesan person?”

“You really have a way with words.”

“You shouldn’t have made me talk like this! Matchmaking? Can you handle it? What will you do if I go out and start blabbing?”

“What?”

“The image of Taesan known to the world is all a lie! The daughter of Taesan you know is actually an illegitimate child! Not hidden away because she’s too weak and precious as the rumors say, but……”

Slap−!

Chairman Han struck Ba Ha’s cheek as she cried out. Ba Ha’s head turned from his strike and she shed tears.

“I’ve raised you this much, now it’s time for you to pay back.”

There was nowhere to retreat.

There was nowhere left to retreat, nowhere to run away to. Ba Ha had no one she loved by her side, and in this house, there was no one who cared for her, no one who shared her sorrow.

She had nothing.

Would there be anyone who would be sad if she made this crazy decision? Han Do Joon snorted and laughed at the sight of Ba Ha trembling and shedding tears, and seeing this, Ba Ha screamed out of a more choked feeling.

“Fine. But I can’t guarantee what kind of words I’ll spout with this mouth. So don’t expect too much!”