“I’m actually feeling a bit hurt. I guess I’ve been trusting and relying on you a lot, boss. I was hoping you might keep me here. But it seems like you’re eager to push me off to my maternal family. Am I nothing to you, boss?”

At that time, Ki Dae Un was not asleep. He had simply missed the right moment to open his eyes.

As he always did when he came in after drinking, he lay down on the office sofa, waiting for the effects of alcohol to subside a bit before falling asleep. Then he woke up to the sound of a woman’s singing mixed with crying. At first, he was startled, but soon realized it was Han Ga Eul’s voice.

When he was about to let her know he was awake, Ga Eul started badmouthing herself. While part of him wanted to hear more, he made a sound to alert her of his presence before she could do anything more embarrassing.

He thought she would leave once she discovered him, but Ga Eul actually came closer. Then she suddenly started pouring out her true feelings. Sleep fled completely, but Dae Un couldn’t open his eyes.

Believing him to be in a deep sleep, Ga Eul freely expressed her circumstances and innermost thoughts.

Ga Eul’s story was disjointed. She was explaining why she was in the office at this hour when she suddenly confessed her anxiety about meeting her maternal relatives.

When Ga Eul mentioned how she had used the money she had saved to pay off her debt to repair her uncle’s restaurant kitchen after a fire and had been in despair for a while, Dae Un nearly opened his eyes in anger.

But at that moment, what troubled Dae Un most was the fact that Ga Eul was too close.

After rambling on for a while, Ga Eul seemed to tire and crouched down next to the sofa. Dae Un felt as if he could feel Ga Eul’s breath on his face. He tried to convince himself it was just his imagination.

Dae Un’s senses heightened. Though he had spent many days with Ga Eul in this space, the feeling of night and darkness was special. There was nothing between him and Ga Eul. If he reached out, he could touch Ga Eul’s face.

His hand itched, but Dae Un couldn’t do it. Not yet, not yet. Though it seemed like there was nothing, there were many issues to resolve between Ga Eul and him.

“Why doesn’t anyone believe me when I say I broke up with Woo Jin? Now, Woo Jin is just a kid who was once a good friend to me. But people say I still like Woo Jin. Do you think so too, boss? That I still like Woo Jin? I don’t. I really don’t.”

Ga Eul’s story had somehow shifted to her relationship with Woo Jin. As Dae Un listened to Ga Eul’s words, the corners of his mouth subtly lifted. Afraid Ga Eul might notice, Dae Un quickly pulled down the corners of his mouth that had risen without his knowledge.

But Ga Eul’s words suddenly stopped. Dae Un squinted, trying to see if Ga Eul had noticed his mouth moving. That’s when he discovered Ga Eul staring at him intently.

“Boss, how long have you been awake?”

Ga Eul asked seriously. He was caught. Dae Un, thinking he could no longer hide that he was awake, opened his eyes.

“What are you doing with the lights off? I thought I was seeing a ghost. I felt my heart shrinking.”

In truth, his heart was racing. Hearing Han Ga Eul say she had sorted out her feelings for Woo Jin.

“Do you laugh when you see ghosts, boss? You heard everything I said, didn’t you?”

Han Ga Eul, as always, doesn’t know when to let things go. Sensing that the interrogation would continue, Dae Un readily admitted.

“I woke up when you were talking about Woo Jin.”

Still, not wanting to embarrass Ga Eul, he didn’t say he had heard everything.

Relying on the courage given by alcohol and darkness, Ga Eul blurted out what she wanted to say.

“Boss, can’t you just hold me back? Tell me not to go to my maternal family’s house.”

“Why? Is there a reason not to go?”

Even Ga Eul thought there was no reason not to go. Rather, there were mountains of reasons why she should go.

“The reason they’re taking Gyeo Ul and me is because they need an heir, right? If we go to the maternal family’s house, we’ll have to live the life they want, and then we won’t be able to live the way we want.”

“Is this how you want to live? Crushed by debt, being a puppet for Director Sun Jae Ho?”

“You knew?”

Ga Eul asked in a trembling voice. She had thought he might know, but hearing it from the boss’s mouth made her feel mortifyingly embarrassed.

“Since when……”

“From the beginning.”

“Did I seem like such a dangerous person? Completely untrustworthy?”

“Yes.”

Ga Eul needs to go to her maternal family’s house. If not, it would disrupt his plans. So Dae Un closed his eyes tightly and cut off Ga Eul’s bridge to return. The anxious Ga Eul needed to know there was no way back in order to move forward.

The merciless verdict was delivered. Tears welled up in Han Ga Eul’s eyes. Ga Eul didn’t hold back her tears. She gave up trying to hold them back. When you can’t stop them no matter what, it’s best to let them flow.

“I must have looked ridiculous all this time. Trying to date with that kind of background. Why did I live like that?”

Ga Eul stood up, staggering. The pathetic one was herself. Not the boss. It was laughable how she had always thought the boss was pathetic. Why did she really live like that? She wanted to live proudly and uprightly despite being poor.

“I reported every conversation you had with Jung Se Hyun to Woo Jin’s father without omission. Goodbye. It seems I have no more work to do here. I’ll pay back the hospital bills as soon as I can manage.”

Ga Eul bowed and walked to the door. Today seemed to be the day she was destined to lose her job. Her body swayed. Ga Eul thought it was the power of the bottle of soju.

“Boss, you’re really cruel. You knew all along but kept your mouth shut, watching what I would do. And now that you think it’s over, that I have no more value as a spy, you tell me you knew everything from the beginning.”

At the door, Ga Eul spat out her last resentment. Then Dae Un strode over, put his hand on Ga Eul’s shoulder, and said,

“You, your value as a spy might be over, but you’re not completely useless. I think I’d be uncomfortable without you, so keep coming until you enter your maternal family’s house. I’ll decide whether you have work to do or not.”

That wasn’t what Dae Un wanted to say. He wanted to say that he was the untrustworthy one. Because he hired her knowing she was a dangerous person who could shake him. But in the end, he said something else and removed his hand from Ga Eul’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t earn your trust all this time.”

Ga Eul bowed once more, then opened the door and left.

Dae Un watched her retreating figure, then rubbed his face hard with his hands. He wanted to hold Ga Eul back and clear up the misunderstanding. But not yet. He hadn’t even started his revenge on his father yet.

It seemed unlikely that he would be able to sleep tonight. Dae Un turned on the lights. As he reached out to lock the door, it suddenly burst open and Ga Eul rushed in. Dae Un, unable to dodge in time, caught Ga Eul in his arms.

“Boss, please tell them I’m not here.”

Seemingly unconcerned about being in Dae Un’s arms, Ga Eul said what she needed to say, then left him at the door and hid behind the partition.

While Dae Un was still bewildered, the office door burst open again. This time, a drunk middle-aged man entered.

“Han Ga Eul, Han Ga Eul! Come out right now! I saw you go in here.”

The man immediately started looking for Ga Eul. Dae Un frowned at the smell of alcohol and cigarettes emanating from him.

“Who are you?”

Dae Un blocked the man as he tried to enter deeper into the office.

“Who are you? Get out of my way. Han Ga Eul, come out right now!”

“I’m the boss here. Why are you acting like this in someone else’s office?”

“Boss? Then hand over Han Ga Eul. Han Ga Eul works here, right?”

“I’m asking who you are.”

Why are there so many drunk men looking for Han Ga Eul? What kind of trouble has she gotten into this time? Dae Un almost smiled.

“Me? I’m Han Ga Eul’s uncle. Hand over Han Ga Eul.”

The man raised his voice aggressively. Dae Un looked at him threateningly. So you’re the one sucking Ga Eul dry. Dae Un was about to grab the man’s collar but stopped himself. It was time to use his head rather than his fists.

He knew Ga Eul had an uncle, but until he heard Ga Eul’s monologue just now, he didn’t know he was such a scoundrel.

That scoundrel has appeared on his own, performing live in front of Dae Un. Dae Un decided to use this opportunity to tie his hands and feet so he couldn’t bother Ga Eul anymore.

“What kind of title is Han Ga Eul’s uncle? Where do you get off causing trouble and demanding we hand over Han Ga Eul? Do you think I have to hand her over just because you say so?”

Dae Un shouted angrily. Han Ga Eul’s uncle hesitated and looked at Dae Un. He didn’t seem to have expected this kind of reaction from Dae Un.

“Get out! I have no intention of putting up with your drunken behavior. I said get out right now!”

Dae Un shouted with all his might. He vented everything that had been piling up in his chest. When the big-built Dae Un shouted threateningly, Ga Eul’s uncle seemed intimidated. His voice lowered considerably.

“Han Ga Eul, it’s no use hiding there. Come out right now! Don’t think I’ll end it here. Do you think I won’t go to Gyeo Ul’s school?”

“Why are you going to Gyeo Ul’s school? I already gave you money to repair the restaurant. What more do you want? I don’t have any more money to give you.”

Mentioning Gyeo Ul was effective. Ga Eul came out from behind the partition.

“You guys used up all my money. You lived well, eating and drinking extravagantly with my money. If your father hadn’t blown away my share, would I be living like this?”

Seeing Ga Eul, her uncle became aggressive again. Dae Un wanted to punch the man who had lured Ga Eul out from behind the partition by mentioning Gyeo Ul.

His hand had already formed a fist on its own. But Dae Un didn’t hit him. He just extended his fisted hand to block the man from approaching Ga Eul.

“Get out of the way. You stay out of this! This is a family matter.”

Ga Eul’s uncle pushed Dae Un’s chest. That’s when Dae Un decided. He would use the strategy he had used on Young Min’s father again. Operation name: ‘Self-sacrifice.’ Dae Un shouted in his mind.

The plan was simple. Take a few hits from Ga Eul’s uncle and then bind him with the law. He intended to make him immobile with both criminal and civil charges.

That’s better than hitting him a few times now. Since he’s caught Ki Dae Un, he planned to make it long and painful.

Dae Un signaled to Ga Eul. Then he mouthed, ‘Record.’

“Hey, Mr. Han.”

Dae Un started provoking.

“Mr. Han?”

“If you’re Han Ga Eul’s uncle, your surname must be Han, right? It can’t be Kim or Park.”

Mr. Han seemed at a loss for words, just rolling his eyes. Pathetic Mr. Han, how pathetic must you be to take out your frustrations on your young nieces and nephews? Dae Un cursed inwardly.

“You young punk, showing no respect. No, forget it. Just stay out of this.”

Mr. Han raised his hand to push Dae Un’s chest again. Dae Un caught that hand and put it down again.

“Respect? You’re the one who talks about respect but didn’t say a word when your brother squandered the family fortune, and now you’re harassing your helpless nieces and nephews for money?”

“What? What the hell are you babbling about, you bastard?”

Mr. Han grabbed Dae Un’s collar. He no longer seemed wary of Dae Un. Seeing that Dae Un didn’t particularly retaliate even after being pushed in the chest several times, he seemed to think Dae Un was all size but didn’t know how to fight. In short, he underestimated Dae Un.

“You’re one to talk, living off your niece’s sweat and blood.”

“What did you say, you bastard?”

Thwack. Mr. Han’s fist connected with Dae Un’s face. In reality, while the sound was loud, Dae Un had turned his head sharply at the moment of impact to deflect the shock.

As he did so, he thought. One hit isn’t enough. For Mr. Han to receive a heavy sentence, he needed to be hit more severely. So he shouted,

“Didn’t you hear me? Living off your niece’s sweat and blood…”

“What do you know?”

Mr. Han’s fist flew again. That fist grazed Dae Un’s fist, which was already raised in guard, and struck his jaw. Although the impact was somewhat reduced because it had grazed his fist once, it still hurt.

For a moment, Dae Un felt enraged. That’s where he hit before. Hitting the same spot twice.

“Weak punch. No impact at all. I see why you only bully your nieces and nephews.”

“You bastard, all talk.”

A fist flew. This time, Dae Un’s lip split and blood splattered.

“Boss!”

Ga Eul screamed and embraced Dae Un.

“What are you doing? Hit me instead.”

Tactless Han Ga Eul. Operation ‘Self-sacrifice’ doesn’t mean you sacrificing yourself. Still, his heart fluttered. Dae Un was touched that Ga Eul threw her fragile body to protect him.

But he couldn’t stay in her embrace for long. Dae Un hurriedly whispered to Ga Eul, who had wrapped her arms around him.

“Call the police.”

Then he pushed Ga Eul away to send her far and shouted.

“Niece…”

He only said the word ‘niece’, but a fist came flying. Dae Un dodged the fist and fell. Then kicks rained down on Dae Un’s body. Dae Un curled up to protect his abdomen and chest as he endured the kicks.

At that moment, Dae Un regretted. This is why you shouldn’t interfere in other people’s family matters.