For the first time, Hae Joo felt that she didn’t need to calculate the depth of her emotions and wanted to settle down.

She leaned into Do Jun’s large embrace, feeling a warm scent emanating from him as he instinctively pulled her closer.

In the early morning, Hae Joo squinted at the sunlight streaming through the window.

She reached for the other side of the bed, but it was empty.

“He’s gone.”

On the bedside table, there was a note Do Jun had left.

It contained direct, very Do Jun-like words.

[Dash] It was good.

A smile spread across Hae Joo’s lips.

It felt like the burdens that had been weighing on her soul were being lifted one by one.

For the first time, she felt genuinely happy.

Before heading to the shooting location, Hae Joo called Jin Han.

It wasn’t out of newfound courage.

It felt like unfinished homework, so she took a deep breath.

Jin Han’s subdued voice came through the phone early in the morning.

[Dash] Yes, Hae Joo.

“Have you been well?”

[Dash] So-so. I heard from Hyun Seong. Your sister’s matter has been settled, right?

“It might just be the beginning.”

[Dash] It’ll turn out fine.

“Director.”

[Dash] Yes.

“I’ve always been grateful to you.”

Jin Han, realizing what Hae Joo was about to say, let out a pained sigh.

[Dash] This is the first time I’ve liked someone this much.

“Director.”

[Dash] I’ve regretted not confessing first, over and over.

“…….”

[Dash] It seems too difficult to clear my heart overnight.

“…….”

[Dash] So, even if it’s uncomfortable for now, I hope you can wait.

“Yes.”

[Dash] Do well in the shooting.

Hae Joo felt she had overcome a major hurdle.

She went to the shooting location with a lighter heart.

Do Jun, respecting Director Kwak’s request, postponed suing Choi In Ho.

Instead, he added charges against Yoo Ra, who was now in prison for fraud, and Kyung Ae, who had fled to the Philippines.

The lawsuit detailed the abusive torment Hae Joo endured growing up.

With all the evidence gathered, Yoo Ra was in despair.

There was someone persistently visiting her, even though she kept refusing.

“Is it Reporter Choi In Ho again? I won’t meet him.”

Thanks to this, even though Yoo Ra was caught, the media remained quiet.

If Choi In Ho ignited the fire, it would spread quickly, but it wasn’t easy.

Yoo Ra didn’t want to become a national criminal.

For now, she hoped to beg Hae Joo for leniency to reduce her sentence.

“I… would like to write a letter to my sister.”

About 5 weeks into her imprisonment, Yoo Ra wrote her first letter to Hae Joo.

Not knowing Hae Joo’s home address, she sent it to the agency.

However, the letter never reached Hae Joo; it was torn up by Jin Han.

As time passed, the season neared the end of summer.

Last week, Do Jun went on a business trip to Singapore, and Hae Joo was practically living on the shooting set, working even on weekends.

“Nuna, are you very tired?”

“A bit recently.”

“Should we go to the hospital?”

“There’s no time for that. Let’s just sleep early tonight or something.”

Fortunately, the shooting was progressing smoothly, and the Jeju shooting was expected to conclude in two weeks, much earlier than anticipated.
Despite focusing on enduring, Hae Joo strangely felt that her physical condition was off.

“I’m feeling sleepy again, Hyun Seong. Why is this happening?”

Eventually, she took a nap in the van while others were busy filming.

Then, she suddenly remembered something she had been too preoccupied to think about.

“I missed that day.”

Hae Joo realized that her expected menstrual cycle had already been overdue for over a week.