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Seo Na Ra stood at the window of the room, and it was apparent that the little girl had just cried, her face wet. She found her father's car just arrived in the yard, the man got out and rushed into the house.
Earlier, the nanny kept telling her employer that Seo Na Ra ran into the middle of the road. Even though she was, very scared-the woman still had to confess, especially since Uncle Wo Rim kept asking why Seo Na Ra was crying in the car on the way home.
"Where's my daughter?" The man walked hurriedly through the many things in the big house while the maid and the nanny were silent in front of Seo Na Ra's room. "Why are you standing there? Did something bad happen to Seo Na Ra?" He was so panicked, the way he looked at the nanny was ruthless, but he couldn't shed his emotions for now.
"Seo Na Ra is inside, Sir," said Aunt Chen, a woman in her forties with a black apron on her body, nudging Jang Ha Kyung-Seo Na Ra's nanny.
Jang Ha Kyung bent down and apologized as much as she could, her voice trembling, the woman crying.
"I was very negligent, sir. I'm sorry, but please don't fire-"
"Appa." The creaking of the bedroom door was heard, accompanied by Seo Na Ra's soft voice. The little girl was even still wearing her school uniform, and she smiled lazily at her father. "Why did you come home? Did I make you worried?"
"Of course, I'm worried about you, Na Ra-yaa. Are you okay?" The man in his early thirties immediately knelt and hugged his daughter. "I'm terrified that something bad will happen to you, so don't do anything dangerous again, child."
Seo Na Ra nodded. "I'm sorry, Dad."
Seo Kang Ho released the hug, and their hands touched Seo Na Ra's face. "You have to promise all that because I can't exchange you for anything, understand?"
The little girl nodded again and smiled. "I promise."
"Sir," said Jang Ha Kyung. "Actually...." She seemed afraid to speak, especially when Seo Kang Ho turned to her. The man's gaze was very intimidating. If it wasn't for Aunt Chen and Seo Na Ra, would Seo Kang Ho have gone berserk on her?
"Say it, Ha Kyung," Aunt Chen ordered. She had already heard everything before Seo Kang Ho returned from his law firm office.
"What's going on? Don't stall for time," Seo Kang Ho said.
Jang Ha Kyung looked at Seo Na Ra momentarily, then back at Seo Kang Ho, who stood up while holding his little daughter. "Seo Na Ra thinks the woman who helped her is her mother, and she keeps calling her mother."
"But, she is indeed my mother." Seo Na Ra quickly snatched. "Aunt Jang Ha Kyung doesn't believe it because she never met my mother, but I did."
Seo Kang Ho looked calm, and he was still silent, then invited his daughter into the room, talking for about five minutes there before coming out and closing the door.
"What do you mean? Seo Na Ra's mother passed away a long time ago. Didn't you know that too? I've already shown you her picture," Seo Kang Ho said passionately. He had already handled three clients' problems at the office, so Kang Ho hoped there would be no new problems at his house.
"I don't think Jang Ha Kyung talked about the late Ms. Lee. She insisted on telling me that there was no resemblance between them." Aunt Chen spoke up.
Jang Ha Kyung nodded. "That's right, Sir. The woman Miss Seo keeps calling 'Mother' bears no resemblance to the late Miss Lee, I still remember the face from the photo you showed me, but it's not her."
"Besides, Miss Lee couldn't have come back to life, could she? Her grave isn't in Korea," said Aunt Chen.
"Then who are you talking about?" Seo Kang Ho was confused.
Jang Ha Kyung shook her head. "I don't know, Sir. But it seems like Ms. Seo is keeping something. She accidentally said she tore up a photo and kept it without your knowledge, then called that woman something like ...." She tried to remember something.
"Like what?"
"Ms. Cassandra. That's right, Ms. Cassandra. Ms. Seo calls her that. Is Ms. Lee's other name Ms. Cassandra?"
The man frowned. He didn't overreact and just stayed silent, thinking about something.
"Forget about this matter and take care of Seo Na Ra properly. I still have to return to the law firm's office because many things need to be done." Seo Kang Ho ended it, and he just left without explaining anything to the two women of different ages.
"He's always mysterious," said Jang Ha Kyung after her employer's figure was no longer visible.
Aunt Chen chuckled and touched Jang Ha Kyung's shoulder. "Follow his wishes and forget about today's troubles. You don't want to see that man running amok, do you?"
"No, I still want to work at this place."
"Then, just do your job. I'll take care of the other parts. Take good care of Miss Seo." Aunt Chen stepped aside.
"Okay, forget about today's problems, forget about today's problems, forget about today's problems." Jang Ha Kyung continued to chant that no one can touch a big thing, so it's better to stop and forget.
***
A spring night in the middle of April, around ten o'clock, Seo Kang Ho had just returned from his job as a lawyer.
Upon arriving at the house, Seo Na Ra's room received the most attention.
The man approached the room, touched the knob, and pushed it slowly. The room was well-lit, and Seo Na Ra was already asleep in her bed.
As Seo Kang Ho approached, his loafers tapping on the wooden floor were soft and regular. He stopped at his daughter's bedside.
There were several picture frames on the walls of this room, but they were all dominated by the faces of Seo Kang Ho and his daughter. There were no adult female faces there-as if only those two humans would continue to live.
Seo Kang Ho exhaled. His eyes looked sad. He sat on the edge of the bed and muttered, "What's with Cassandra in this place? And what are you hiding from your father for, child?"
Behind the calmness that he always shows in front of many people, Seo Kang Ho is still a human being, and since hearing the explanation from Jang Ha Kyung this afternoon, his work at the law firm office was quite disturbed. He lost focus and daydreamed a lot.
"Is your little daughter starting to grow up so that something you shouldn't know is part of your secret, Na Ra-yaa?" He bent down to gently kiss Seo Na Ra's forehead. "Now, I'm inquisitive about what you're hiding."
***