Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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I felt suffocated, and just as I was about to lose consciousness,
Bang!
A loud sound rang out, and my eyes shot open.
Choi Na-kyung was still sitting on top of me, covering my mouth and nose with her hand, and her face filled my vision, making it hard to understand what was happening, but I clearly heard that sound.
A heavy object hitting something hard.
Even Choi Na-kyung, who was facing me, flinched at the sound.
“What the—”
Choi Na-kyung looked in the direction of the noise, toward the driver’s side window—
Bang!
Again, something slammed against the glass.
A sharp, unsettling crack followed.
“Ah…!”
Choi Na-kyung screamed as if she saw something outside the window and quickly stood up, but—
Bang!
It was already too late.
I didn’t hear a shattering sound, only the noise of something cracking, breaking, and then fragments scattering.
But it was enough to know that the window had shattered.
I heard something tapping on the car door, followed by pieces falling, and then a click, probably the sound of the car door opening.
The air, which had been still moments before, suddenly became cold.
“Mmmph!”
With all my strength, I cried out.
If that could even be called a cry.
“How the hell—!”
“Chairwoman.”
It was a voice.
Not Choi Na-kyung’s, but someone else’s voice.
And they were addressing Choi Na-kyung as “Chairwoman.”
Could it be someone she knew?
I hoped so.
If a stranger was breaking into the car, that would be even scarier than Choi Na-kyung.
In an instant, Choi Na-kyung’s hand left my face.
“What the hell are you doing!?”
“Do you even know what you’re doing right now, Chairwoman?”
Choi Na-kyung shouted angrily, but the other person didn’t seem to care at all.
“P-Please… help me…”
I managed to speak, gasping for breath now that my mouth and nose were no longer covered.
My voice felt buried beneath my heavy breathing.
My head was foggy, and my vision blurred.
No.
I couldn’t lose consciousness yet.
I had no idea who the other person was.
They could be a stranger, or worse.
What if they saw the car stopped and thought to rob it after seeing Choi Na-kyung was alone?
Who knew?
I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision, but Choi Na-kyung’s body blocked my view.
Despite the chaos, the other person seemed to hear me clearly.
“Yes, Miss.”
Even in this situation, their voice was calm.
Just moments earlier, they’d been swinging something heavy at the window.
“I’m here to help you.”
And with that unchanging voice, I felt a strange sense of relief.
Even though I had been thinking that I couldn’t completely trust this person until now.
“…Yang Hye-in…?”
“Yes, it’s Yang Hye-in.”
And after a brief pause,
“As your personal maid, I’m here to resolve this situation.”
She seemed to be speaking to Choi Na-kyung, though it also felt like she was talking to me.
*
What Yang Hye-in saw was Choi Na-kyung pressing her hands over Sara’s mouth.
Even though Choi Na-kyung was the one doing something terrible, strangely enough, she seemed frightened as she looked at Yang Hye-in.
Like someone scared.
Of course, Yang Hye-in wasn’t dressed in her usual maid uniform today.
She was wearing pants for easier movement, and a thick coat, despite the warm weather, in case she got hit.
Sweat trickled down her back since she’d been outside without air conditioning.
She had no intention of hurting anyone here.
It was true that Choi Na-kyung had done something bad, but punishing her should be Sara’s decision, not hers.
Yang Hye-in was just here to silently follow and assist.
So, she quietly went about clearing the shattered glass from the window with the crowbar in her hand.
She tapped the remaining glass until it broke completely, swept the shards away with the handle of the crowbar, and then twisted her body to reach her left hand into the car.
“You… who the hell are you!?”
Choi Na-kyung screamed in a near panic.
“What are you doing here!?”
“I’m here to protect my employer.”
Yang Hye-in replied calmly.
When she first started following the car, she had been scared.
She didn’t know what Choi Na-kyung was planning.
She had heard rumors that Choi Na-kyung was being pushed out within the company, but she hadn’t expected it to explode like this.
When someone explodes in this way, you can never predict what they’ll do next.
Sara was the same.
No matter what Yang Hye-in predicted, Sara had always gone beyond that.
That’s why she had feared Choi Na-kyung might drive off the cliff, start a fire in the car, or pull a “Let’s die together” stunt.
But fortunately, it seemed that Choi Na-kyung’s love for Sara was genuine.
Thanks to that, Sara was still safe, at least for now.
…No, was she really safe?
Yang Hye-in had heard sounds as she approached the car.
It sounded like one of the windows hadn’t been fully closed, allowing her to hear loud shouting from outside.
Choi Na-kyung was demanding answers, asking why Sara hadn’t looked at her, why she hadn’t returned her love.
Because of that, Yang Hye-in was a little anxious.
What if, just what if—
What if Choi Na-kyung had already hurt Sara before getting her into the car?
“….”
But even then, Yang Hye-in didn’t have the right to judge.
She had already committed so many sins against Sara herself.
Click.
As she lifted the handle with her left hand, the car door opened.
“Chairwoman.”
Yang Hye-in leaned into the car and spoke.
“Please come outside.”
“….”
To prevent Choi Na-kyung from suddenly lunging for the driver’s seat, Yang Hye-in crawled into the car.
She felt shards of broken glass under her knees, but thankfully, the thick pants protected her from any pain.
As she moved past the driver’s seat toward the space between the driver’s and passenger’s seats, Choi Na-kyung pressed herself into the corner of the car.
“How… how did you get here…?”
“Chairwoman.”
Choi Na-kyung was still holding tightly onto Sara.
Even though she could have opened the back door and run away, she remained there, clinging to Sara, showing just how much she was still attached to her.
“It’s over. There’s nowhere left to run.”
“No!”
Choi Na-kyung screamed desperately.
“It’s not over yet! I’m still here, and Sara’s still here!”
Choi Na-kyung pulled Sara toward her with all her strength.
“S-Stop…”
Sara… or perhaps ‘Sara,’ said weakly, but Choi Na-kyung kept dragging her closer.
Click, the sound of the back door opening.
It seemed Choi Na-kyung had opened it.
“….”
Yang Hye-in brushed her hands clean and then reached out to grab Sara’s arm.
“Let go… can’t you let go!?”
Choi Na-kyung pulled Sara with all her might.
She was stronger than she looked.
Had she been working out?
“….”
Without saying a word, Yang Hye-in climbed into the backseat.
Sara’s body didn’t move.
Though Choi Na-kyung was gripping Sara’s armpits with both hands and pulling, Yang Hye-in held onto Sara’s sleeve with one hand and her uniform at the waist with the other, firmly keeping her in place.
“Urgh…”
Sara groaned in pain as she was stuck between the two of them.
“I’m sorry. Please endure for a moment.”
Yang Hye-in said, as she climbed closer to Choi Na-kyung, almost crawling over Sara.
“Why, why, why does everyone do this to me!”
Choi Na-kyung was nearly hysterical.
“I waited so long, for so long! Why do the ones who show up later always take away the people who matter to me like this!”
You waited the wrong way.
…That thought crossed Yang Hye-in’s mind, but it wasn’t her place to say.
Choi Na-kyung was at a loss.
The back door was open, but the moment she let go of Sara, she’d lose her.
On the other hand, if she didn’t let go, Yang Hye-in would get to her.
Choi Na-kyung knew that Yang Hye-in had received at least minimal self-defense training.
It was meant to give her enough time to protect Sara if all the security guards were incapacitated.
And then there was still the crowbar in Yang Hye-in’s hand.
Even as she climbed over Sara’s body, she hadn’t dropped it.
Holding onto Sara’s clothes and the crowbar simultaneously, Yang Hye-in continued advancing with a blank expression that looked like something out of a horror movie.
“….”
Choi Na-kyung gritted her teeth.
After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath,
She finally let go of Sara.
At the same time, she pulled her body back as far as she could.
Thud!
In her rush to retreat, she tripped and fell backward with a dangerous sound, but quickly pushed herself up off the ground.
The plan was completely ruined.
She had to escape now.
…Even if it meant leaving Sara behind, there would be another chance.
As she kicked off her high heels, Choi Na-kyung made up her mind.
Yes, she had waited so long.
Just a little more.
Just a little more waiting was all it would take.
In the end…
In the end, if Sara was by her side, she would forgive everything.
Choi Na-kyung thought of nothing else as she dashed out of the car.