Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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…And then, right after that, a nurse came running over and asked us to be quiet, which made the situation a little awkward.
Well, it’s a hospital, and making noise in the middle of the night is not appropriate.
It’s a time when everyone is asleep, and for patients, recovery is the most important thing.
So, we decided to go outside for now.
But the lights in the hospital hallway weren’t completely turned off, so we didn’t get confused or lose our way while leaving.
“So, you’re saying that you were able to follow right after ‘Sara’ was kidnapped?”
At my question, everyone nodded.
Thanks to the precautions we had taken in advance.
We knew Choi Na-kyung had been cornered continuously, so Yang Hye-in had been waiting in front of the school gate, and as soon as Sara was kidnapped, they were able to follow immediately.
Yang Hye-in and So-hee had their own separate phones for work, and thanks to that, So-hee was able to contact Yang Hye-in right away.
“…In this person’s car?”
I asked, looking at the only face here that was unfamiliar to me.
“Th-tha-that’s right?”
The person I made eye contact with stammered, looking slightly scared.
So… was this person’s name Lee Yoo-kyung?
It seemed that this person was the journalist who had been persistently following me since the beginning of the semester.
Though now, it seems she’s no longer a journalist but more like a personal photographer employed by someone.
I turned my gaze to Soo-ah.
Soo-ah, who made eye contact with me, blushed and looked away.
…Well, I wasn’t going to blame her.
Thanks to Soo-ah keeping this person on standby, we were able to accurately gather all the evidence.
This person was probably the only one who captured the moment Sara was kidnapped.
The photo of Choi Na-kyung driving the car, and the picture of me tied up in the back seat, were taken from a very precise angle.
To be honest, if these photos were released on the internet, they’d likely be turned into memes by many people.
…Though if they were turned into memes, it might spark an enormous controversy.
But that person… It’s strange.
Considering they took a photo of me with Ha-neul, making it look misleading and confidently handing it to the newspaper, now they can’t even look at me straight.
They seem much older than Sara, yet they’re using formal speech.
“Where are all the photos you’ve taken so far? Are they in storage?”
I asked just in case.
“Eek!”
They shrieked in surprise.
I slightly furrowed my brow, with a question mark practically floating above my head, and Soo-ah, their employer, spoke up.
“…I’m keeping all of them in my possession for now. The contract includes transferring both the copyright and the usage rights.”
“I see.”
I nodded.
While Soo-ah might not be as wealthy as Sara, she was still set to inherit a company that could easily make it into the top ten in the country.
Hiring a photographer wasn’t something she couldn’t afford.
“Can I ask how you used those photos?”
I had no intention of questioning her for taking photos of me or Sara.
Soo-ah did it out of consideration for both of us.
I don’t think Soo-ah would use a strange photo of me in a weird way.
“That…”
At my question, Soo-ah seemed to hesitate for a moment.
After looking down slightly, she nodded, seemingly having made up her mind.
“I sent them to the Eugene Group’s directors.”
“…What?”
I made a slightly dumb sound because I couldn’t fully comprehend what she just said.
No, everyone present, even the person who took the photos, had a bewildered expression.
No one could grasp the reason why Soo-ah did such a thing.
“…Can I ask why?”
“Yes.”
At my question, Soo-ah nodded once again.
*
“Oh, so…”
Now, I was starting to understand why Choi Na-kyung suddenly tried to kidnap Sara.
In other words, Soo-ah had compiled information about ‘Sara being abused’ and handed it over to the core members of the Eugene Group.
No matter how many shares Choi Na-kyung held, she wasn’t in complete control of the company.
While each of the directors individually held fewer shares than her, they collectively held more than she did.
And even without the directors, if you included the major shareholders within Eugene Electronics, it was impossible for Choi Na-kyung to stand against them alone.
Thus, Choi Na-kyung needed Sara’s shares.
Not just the stock shares, but also the indirect shares that Sara controlled.
Besides, although I hadn’t confirmed it yet, I had already asked Team Leader Han Garam to start acquiring shares for me.
It hadn’t been long, so it wasn’t at a significant level yet, but my shares were steadily growing.
In the long run, they would definitely be threatening.
Until now, Choi Na-kyung probably thought that, ‘of course,’ my shares were essentially hers as well.
I hadn’t met with any of the other directors, and Choi Na-kyung had been deliberately preventing me from meeting them.
She had no way of persuading Sara to be on her side.
Well, considering that Sara had loved Choi Na-kyung up until now, it’s not entirely wrong.
‘…Using the term ‘love’ is a bit…’
…Let’s just call it affection between a daughter and mother.
Anyway, in such a situation, if the fact that ‘Sara is being abused’ was revealed…
No, even if it wasn’t revealed yet, if the directors had already reached such a tentative conclusion…
From Choi Na-kyung’s perspective, the situation would become desperate.
Yes, especially when it comes to ‘money.’
The problem was, Choi Na-kyung wasn’t with Sara for ‘money.’
“So, she thought ‘there might truly be no more opportunities’ left now.”
Exactly.
If she pushed her luck any further, she might really lose Sara for good.
Especially now, the media is incredibly sensitive to this kind of issue.
…Sara’s father had already passed away, but that doesn’t mean there are no relatives from his side.
Legally, if parental rights could be stripped from Choi Na-kyung, there would be plenty of people who could take care of Sara.
Moreover, Sara herself was already trying to break free from Choi Na-kyung.
The combination of these circumstances led Choi Na-kyung to make such a choice.
…Hmm, I don’t feel any sympathy.
Since I’ve experienced it firsthand.
“Yes, so…”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
Before Soo-ah could apologize, I spoke first.
Soo-ah, surprised by my words, looked up.
“Who could’ve imagined that? Even if you’re not blood-related, you’re still in a mother-daughter relationship.”
…Besides, Choi Na-kyung had said several things I couldn’t understand at that time.
She mentioned a past between her and Sara that didn’t exist, or that it wasn’t time yet.
It seemed like there was still something hidden.
I wouldn’t know what that was until we caught Choi Na-kyung.
I pushed those thoughts aside for now and continued speaking to Soo-ah.
“So, don’t feel guilty about it. It would’ve happened eventually, even if it wasn’t now.”
Exactly.
It just hadn’t exploded ‘yet.’
Even if years had passed, when the ‘time’ that Choi Na-kyung spoke of finally arrived, she would’ve definitely done something terrible to Sara.
She had already made her wear a wedding dress several times and had Sara meet her.
…
I shuddered.
Back then, I had only faintly suspected, but now I knew she had been serious.
If things had gone wrong, my first kiss partner wouldn’t have been Sara, but Choi Na-kyung.
By force, too.
That’s not the kind of future I want.
“And, uh… Lee Yoo-kyung as well.”
“Yes!?”
When I called her name, she flinched.
…Oh, now that I think about it, wasn’t Sara’s face intimidating enough to make someone nervous the first time they saw it?
‘…That’s a bit much.’
No, it’s not that she’s ugly.
Sara is definitely pretty.
‘…Hehe.’
…I’ll set Sara’s reaction aside for now.
That was undeniable.
The problem was that even if someone is beautiful, they can still be intimidating.
Sara’s sharp gaze alone was enough to make the other person tense.
And, when you think about the money behind Sara…
If you consider the possibility of ‘what that person might do to me,’ it was enough to make someone freak out.
Besides, even though she took Soo-ah’s request, she had still secretly taken photos of me.
If I felt upset about it, well…
Still, for someone who had taken pictures of the richest teenager in the world, she seemed pretty scared.
…Is that why I didn’t notice?
Because she took them from so far away, in secret?
“You don’t need to be so scared. Thanks to you, we were saved. And, in fact, this situation has also helped clarify things.”
“Y-yes…”
Lee Yoo-kyung visibly relaxed.
Yes, thanks to her, the directors of the company were now fully aware of my situation.
Sara is still a minor and needs a guardian.
Now that Choi Na-kyung is gone, they would surely try to approach me in one way or another.
Among them, could there be someone who genuinely cares about Sara?
Well, that’s something to find out gradually.
I looked at Lee Yoo-kyung and smiled.
The sweat beading on her forehead probably wasn’t because it was hot.