“Why are you still there?”
shivers in surprise
A being that had not properly followed my orders—no, to be precise, one that had ignored me—was still there, a presence that had disrupted the world I, Choi Na-kyung, was slowly building.
[…Since I was fired, the lady personally rehired me.]
“Is it Sara…?”
Hearing that, Choi Na-kyung fell silent.
…How could Sara…?
Yes, I knew something had changed. I heard there was news in the papers and that problems were arising at school.
But the newspaper article contained nothing but a photo and a brief explanation. It was not something I could meddle with carelessly. Rumors about her were already spreading.
I had been thoroughly investigating that ‘friend,’ thinking that I would have to separate them someday.
The situation at school was no different from the issues in elementary school. Sure, the more grown-up Sara was acting a tad more cunning, but the fundamental problems remained unchanged. If the teachers were paid more, everything would sort itself out.
…Even when I heard Sara was ‘hanging out’ with other girls.
At that moment, I wanted to rush out immediately, but I held myself back.
Because the one Sara loved, the only one she could love, was Choi Na-kyung.
In the end, my impatience messed things up once, but from now on, I could slowly fix it.
But then.
Sara had moved in an entirely unexpected direction.
My heart began to race faster and faster.
Where did I start to lose track? How much do I actually know?
The fact that the staff in the mansion hadn’t contacted me during this situation meant that Sara had almost completely taken control of the mansion. Whatever the means used.
Did she run out of money? Should I have invested even more?
…No.
No matter how much money I poured in, if Sara found out that ‘that place’ was ‘hers,’ we would keep seeing the same things happen again.
No, that’s not the issue at hand.
The current problem was Yang Hye-in, who I was talking to right now.
Sara had called in Yang Hye-in. Yang Hye-in had returned to Sara, despite my warning.
Choi Na-kyung was convinced it wasn’t simply a money issue.
“…So, what is the purpose of this call? Were you planning to give me a warning?”
Once the line got this serious, it wouldn’t be easily overlooked again. I knew very well it was wrong to respond like this. What I had learned over my years sitting in this position was that I must not show even a sliver of my feelings to my opponents. Even that brief moment would give them enough time to find weaknesses.
[No, that’s not it.]
But regardless of whether Choi Na-kyung showed her feelings or not, Yang Hye-in continued in her business-like tone.
Her attitude was different from the one she had when she was looking at me in the car.
[The lady wants to see you.]
“……”
At those words, my mind went blank.
Before I knew it, I had stood up. I must have kicked the chair back without realizing it.
…Thankfully, no one was in the chairman’s office.
[Lady Ye Sara said she wants to meet you, so please make an appointment.]
Those were words I had never heard before.
No, actually.
To be precise, it might not be correct to say ‘never.’ I had heard it a few times when Sara was very young.
And even after she grew up, I had received reports from the staff a few times that she missed me very much. That she wanted to meet.
But Sara had never directly said it like this before.
She had never sent someone to call and ask to make an appointment to meet like this.
My heart raced. It was racing as fast as when we first made plans to meet outside the hospital, not inside.
Yes, I had waited for this.
I had waited so long for this.
I was right.
I wasn’t wrong.
But I needed to be cautious.
Yes, calm down.
Choi Na-kyung took a small breath to ensure she wasn’t heard.
[…….]
Yang Hye-in seemed to still be waiting for Choi Na-kyung’s response, saying nothing.
Thinking coldly, that last meeting had gone too far. My impatience had caused me to break the promise of meeting every quarter. Of course, I always wanted to see Sara—her appearance—but I had been enduring it. I wanted her to look only at me.
I wanted to make everything she is mine.
That was the true desire of Choi Na-kyung.
Because of that, when she called me ‘Chairwoman,’ wasn’t I overwhelmed with joy? Wasn’t I happy when I expelled my fiancé by my power?
Yes, there’s only one person in the world who will love you.
Just the two of us should be enough.
I had waited for so long. Now she was finally—
—No, no. Not yet.
I barely managed to stop the runaway thoughts of Choi Na-kyung.
Not yet. Sara—she wasn’t complete.
After all, she had troubled her way out of Choi Na-kyung’s control and had been doing various things. I was happy to hear she wanted to meet, but if I wasn’t careful, she could slip through my fingers into someone else’s hands.
When I came back to my senses, my breathing had become a bit rougher.
In that sense, it was fortunate that Yang Hye-in was the one on the line. At least this wasn’t the first time she saw me in this state.
As I relaxed my left hand, I noticed my palm had a few nail marks from being clenched so tightly.
“…Is that so?”
Choi Na-kyung replied in a flat tone.
[Yes, that’s correct. What would you like to do?]
What would I like to do, huh.
Originally, Yang Hye-in’s phrase wasn’t supposed to be that. It should have been, “What should we do,” not “What would you like to do.”
Choi Na-kyung stared hard at her palm as she answered.
“Then, proceed with that.”
The last time, since Sara rebelled, the meeting had ended far too soon. It wound up being much shorter than the usual prearranged meetings, so it seemed best to supplement it a bit to recover to the usual level.
And I’d have to be more careful when we meet next time.
From this point on, I needed to be far more careful. There weren’t many cards left in my hand.
[Yes, understood. Then let’s proceed—ah.]
Once again, that was not a sound to be made by Yang Hye-in.
She was said to be a thoroughly trained professional maid. I had heard she had been trained to never blurt out exclamations, no matter the situation.
A small clattering sound came as if she was blocking the receiver with her hand. And beyond that, a faint human voice could be heard.
…Wait, is she talking to someone else while I’m on the phone?
The surprise outweighed the annoyance.
[…Chairwoman.]
After a brief wait, Yang Hye-in called Choi Na-kyung.
Her voice held a slight hesitation.
“Go ahead.”
[The lady wants to speak to you directly, even if just for a short while.]
“……”
For a moment, Choi Na-kyung couldn’t respond.
“What reason?”
She asked shortly. If she spoke any longer, her feelings might bubble up uncontrollably.
[…She wants to hear your voice.]
“……”
Choi Na-kyung was silent for what felt like ages.
“Then, proceed with that.”
And finally, that’s all she could say.
*
“…Um…”
I was about to say “Mother,” but I hesitated and ended up changing my words.
“Chairwoman?”
[Yes.]
A mechanical, almost expressionless voice came through the phone. It was slightly different from the gentle voice I’d heard last time we met.
…Is this person really in love with Sara?
No, it has to be true. I was almost sure of it.
Even if it weren’t, right now, I had no other way to proceed. I had to help Ye Sara recover her memories.
There was a phone in the mansion. I could contact her through my smartphone or Yang Hye-in’s contact, but I deliberately chose to make this call from the mansion, believing it would be quicker to receive a response.
It was amusingly peculiar, given we lived in a time where everyone had touch screen smartphones, still using a dial phone like something from the past. It was fitting as an interior decoration piece.
Fortunately, listening to her voice didn’t bring out any other peculiarities other than my face flushing and my heart racing.
No, wait, maybe that in itself was enough to be considered peculiar.
“…I miss you.”
Trying to capture Choi Na-kyung’s heart as much as possible, I said that. I could see slight stiffness in the expressions of the four people watching me.
[…….]
Choi Na-kyung didn’t respond.
“Can we meet next weekend?”
[…….]
Still no answer.
If this went on, I would truly wonder if my thoughts were incorrect.
I took a deep breath and spoke once more.
“Please…”
[…….]
As I was thinking, “Now is there still no answer?”
[…Yes.]
Finally, the other party answered.
[Can I come over that day?]
“…Yes.”
I answered.
After a moment of silence, the call suddenly disconnected.
As I carefully placed the receiver back, the four people who had been watching me up to that point came closer.
“What happened?”
Sohee was the first to speak.
“She said she would come over this weekend.”
“Did you hear the exact date and time?”
Yang Hye-in asked calmly.
“…No.”
Choi Na-kyung didn’t elaborate.
Last time, she had come on a Saturday. But there was no guarantee she would do the same this time.
Choi Na-kyung visited Sara once every quarter. The visit was scheduled for the 1st of the month when a new quarter began. Naturally, it couldn’t always be on a weekend. The time she would come wasn’t even set… so I had heard from Yang Hye-in.
“Well then, I guess we need to wait all weekend.”
Ha Neul said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Yeah, we’ll be together then.”
Sua chimed in next to her.
That was indeed a reassuring statement. These three people I met in this world were the only ones I could completely trust.
But at the same time, I felt worried.
I would have to put on an act in front of Choi Na-kyung. I might even have to wear that wedding dress-like outfit I wore last time.
…Would those kids be able to stay quiet when they saw me like that?
However, as if they knew exactly what I was thinking, the three of them smiled warmly at me.
…Yeah, worrying won’t get me anywhere.
Somehow, I have to struggle to move forward. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to stay afloat.
