Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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“Ah, that’s right!”
‘Sara’ came to her senses and shouted.
“The conversation we were having wasn’t like this!”
But the ‘atmosphere’ that had dominated the room just moments ago didn’t dissipate easily.
Everyone in the room was looking at her with pity, perhaps interpreting ‘Sara’s’ attitude in a certain way.
‘Sara’ didn’t particularly dislike the attention.
Since she had lived almost isolated from the world after the age of nine, she didn’t mind the interest others showed in her.
Maybe it was because her emotions and memories were mixed with those of that person in her consciousness, but losing that sensation felt even more terrifying now.
Perhaps it was because those emotions had been given to her by that person, making them even more precious.
—But this wasn’t the conversation she had wanted to have right now.
“Uh, but until just now, that’s what we were talking about.”
So-hee asked.
“No, I was just explaining because you guys didn’t understand the situation!”
‘Sara’ spoke as if frustrated.
“I didn’t ask her for help just to come here and keep talking about this. I came out to try to resolve this situation in my own way.”
“…This situation…?”
“Yes, the situation you caused.”
After answering Yang Hye-in, ‘Sara’ finally realized she had stood up.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she sat back down and continued.
“The story you told those police officers… it’s not really a problem.”
“…”
Everyone in the room looked puzzled at ‘Sara’s’ words.
Even So-hee and Ha-neul, who were sitting next to her, as well as Soo-ah and Yang Hye-in, looked slightly confused.
“Honestly, I don’t care about that. What does it matter to me if someone gets punished or not? Even if a few police officers make a fuss or a government official raises an issue, my mother will handle it somehow.”
“So, to make sure that doesn’t happen—”
“If it doesn’t happen?”
‘Sara’ sharply cut off Yang Hye-in’s words.
“If it doesn’t happen, and all those who were reported for ‘abusing me’ get the punishment they deserve, and I receive some compensation, do you think I’ll be happy? Will I feel better?”
“…”
Yang Hye-in couldn’t say anything to ‘Sara’, who asked the question with a furrowed brow.
“Think about it. If I really wanted to take someone down, I could. The person inside me might hesitate over various things, but I’m not like that. Compensation? Do you think that would be ‘compensation’ from my perspective? Does pouring a cup of water into a lake change the amount of water? Well, maybe it could be a cup of water.”
With an exaggerated sigh, ‘Sara’ continued.
“Even if I got it, it wouldn’t be as much as what I get paid here.”
“…”
Everyone in the room felt like they had been drenched in cold water after hearing ‘Sara’s’ words.
Coming from the ‘victim’ of the situation, her words carried a different weight.
If ‘Sara’ had wanted an apology or had wanted to correct the situation, it would have been a different story.
But what came from her mouth was something entirely different.
“Hey, ‘Sara’.”
After a moment of silence, Ha-neul was the first to speak.
“I understand that’s how you feel… but then, can you tell me why you switched places?”
‘Sara’ wasn’t saying she wanted to ‘deal with things’ in this situation.
She was saying she didn’t want to deal with it.
But it wasn’t something Ha-neul could just ask outright.
For ‘Sara’, this body was originally hers, and she had only been giving way to the newer Sara.
The problem was that she needed Ha-neul’s help to switch consciousness, but it wasn’t a big deal for ‘Sara’ to reclaim the body.
Still, until now, ‘Sara’ had yielded her place without much expression of her own will.
She had barely even spoken to the others, only really communicating as Sara.
This was the first time that ‘Sara’ had revealed her identity with a clear purpose.
But what she had to say wasn’t what they expected, so the message wasn’t getting across properly.
“I came out for only one reason.”
As if understanding their thoughts, ‘Sara’ continued.
“That person… the Sara you all know, felt guilty.”
“Guilty…?”
The kids were even more confused at ‘Sara’s’ words.
“‘Do I have the right to forgive them in Sara’s place?’, ‘Is it okay for me to enjoy everything while using her body?’, ‘Is it wrong for me to let Sara face that person while I reclaim my memories?’… Honestly, it’s so annoying how much she overthinks. I gave up the body quietly so she could live as she wanted, not to burden her with guilt over every little thing.”
Though she spoke as if it were an unbearable bother, ‘Sara’s’ expression seemed fond, as if she was recalling something lovable.
“Anyway, that’s why I came out. ‘I’m the one who should receive the apology’, and ‘I’m the one who should forgive.’ I don’t care about resolving the incident itself. What matters is that I’m okay with it, and that she believes it’s true.”
After saying that, ‘Sara’ looked around at everyone in the room.
“So, I need you all to cooperate with me. Including you, maid.”
It was a selfish and yet selfless reason.
*
The conversation continued after breakfast.
‘Sara’ had said that skipping a meal wouldn’t matter, but when Ha-neul pointed out, “It’s the body Sara made healthy for you…” she reluctantly grumbled and joined the others in heading down to the dining hall.
No particular conversations took place during the meal.
In fact, Ha-neul’s suggestion to have breakfast was for that reason.
They all needed time to sort out their thoughts.
…Or maybe they just wanted to delay things.
Ha-neul had sensed something in So-hee’s behavior that morning.
So-hee didn’t seem to care which Sara it was.
She simply liked Sara because she was Sara, a pure and simple expression of emotion.
But Ha-neul couldn’t think that way.
So-hee’s expression was that of someone who loved another person, and Ha-neul knew it was right.
Life is unpredictable, and you can never know how the person you love will change.
That change could be positive or negative.
One could get hurt in a serious accident, or be afflicted with something like dementia decades later.
So-hee’s declaration of ‘I love you’ encompassed all of that, expressing the will to continue loving Sara no matter what happens in the future.
Of course, relationships often change for less extreme reasons.
Just as Ha-neul had come to know things about Sara, she would likely come to learn things she didn’t know about her.
Maybe she would discover habits she didn’t like, or find that Sara liked different foods than she expected, or realize that she liked things Sara didn’t, and vice versa.
In the end, it had only been a little over a month since Ha-neul and Sara met.
No matter how close they were, there were still parts of each other they didn’t know.
Would she still be able to love Sara after experiencing all of that?
That thought scared her.
Because in her mind, she was already dividing Sara’s two personalities as if they were ‘different people’.
While thinking such thoughts, the meal ended.
Breakfast at Sara’s house was usually something light like toast, so it didn’t take long.
In the end, delaying things hadn’t worked as well as Ha-neul had hoped.
*
“Alright, so what should we do first?”
Back in the room, ‘Sara’ spoke as if resuming the conversation.
“First, it’s got to be that.”
She looked at Yang Hye-in, who had followed them back to the room.
“Let’s just get the apology out of the way.”
The way ‘Sara’ said it made it seem like she wanted to get an annoying chore over with.