Chapter 102
Chapter 102
The next day, the atmosphere at school completely turned around.
The biggest change, naturally, was among the students.
In truth, it was less that they'd been paid off to act that way on purpose, and more that they had been keeping their heads down on their own. Which meant they were perfectly capable of shifting their attitude based on their own judgment.
Given how Choi Na-kyung had veered off the rails and physically hurt someone, I did wonder if this was a little too reckless... but I decided to trust what Nam Da-un had told me.
The problem was, there wasn't a shred of evidence to back up the rumors going around. Some might call that a clean cover-up... but how, exactly, would that even work?
"So you think it's all a lie?"
"That's right."
I let those thoughts spill out while talking openly with So-hee and Ha-neul during class.
Yes, this world wasn't the Republic of Korea I used to live in; it was a dating sim. But the society that functioned here was no different from the one I came from.
The more money and fame a person held, the more the media shone a light on them, and the more the public demanded moral perfection. Not that those same people paid more than a speck of attention to public opinion; that was the same as my old world. Still, even that speck of attention made certain things absolutely off-limits.
Rape or sexual assault? Sure, that could happen. Those incidents were easy enough to bury completely with enough money on the inside.
But the victims of those crimes usually weren't people in prominent social positions. They were far more likely to be ordinary, pitiable people—easy enough to process and make disappear.
But wiping out an entire mid-sized company, not just some small business, and taking down the family on top of that? While inflicting major damage on Yujin Group as well?
Morality aside, the shareholders would never have stood for it.
In a capitalist society, the most terrifying thing was capital itself, and the people who moved it. A company's stock price was high because people rushed to buy its shares, and because those shares were limited.
If there had been conclusive evidence that the chairwoman had personally dismantled an entire family, no, even just a single solid rumor to that effect, the stock price could have absolutely swung.
A 3,600-trillion-won company wouldn't exactly vanish, but a chairwoman's head could roll quite nicely.
Well, Choi Na-kyung was technically Yujin Electronics' largest shareholder on paper, so she wouldn't be ousted that easily. Still, it would be more than enough to push her into a backroom retirement. Even if a single person holds nearly nine percent of the stock, the people holding the other ninety-one percent aren't ever going to sit quietly.
And it's not as if there was no replacement for Choi Na-kyung anyway.
"So I think the rumors are probably pretty exaggerated. Honestly, there haven't been any new victims since then, right?"
"Good point."
So-hee nodded.
"After all, we're perfectly fine right now."
Ha-neul nodded too, agreeing with me.
Exactly.
Even knowing something is 'impossible,' people keep right on doubting the possibility. Even knowing it's a baseless rumor, the back of their minds still imagines it could be true, and they shrink back, telling themselves there's no harm in being careful.
The classroom remained quiet.
No one in our class had stepped up and addressed me openly yet. But the atmosphere itself had undeniably changed.
They no longer ignored me as if I 'didn't exist.' Instead, they treated me like they had no idea how to treat me.
They'd move out of the way when I passed, and they'd answer if I asked something. They were just still too afraid to keep a conversation going.
That's exactly why I was having this conversation.
Right in the middle of class.
What I was saying was only speculation.
But 'speculation' coming from the 'person directly involved' carried a fair amount of weight. Like how every time a major incident erupts, the media seeks out an expert to ask what will happen next.
Though to be fair, I couldn't exactly call myself an expert given that it hadn't even been six months since I entered this body.
"You there."
The moment we talked so openly during class, the teacher reacted.
Unlike before the disciplinary committee was convened, the teacher looked right at us and responded clearly.
Though the teacher's shoulders did give a slight flinch when I glanced back.
Yes. The teachers couldn't ignore us anymore either.
Because the money they took was just too blatant. And because they no longer knew what I'd do if they kept ignoring me.
Of course they couldn't say a word after they'd seen me strut in with a suitcase stuffed full of cash, tossing around tens of millions of won while asking them not to ignore me.
Not that I had any intention of going money-to-money with Choi Na-kyung, but I didn't need to let the teachers know that. Letting them stay scared worked to my advantage.
Still, I couldn't just let it go entirely. At the very least, word of the current situation couldn't reach Choi Na-kyung's ears.
"No talking during class."
Which was why the teacher was telling me that with beads of cold sweat dotting their forehead.
Only now did they want to pretend they had some teacherly authority? If they'd tried that before I dumped water on their head, it might have actually carried some weight.
No. The moment they took bribes, from students or parents, their teacherly authority and everything else went right out the window.
Should I talk back?
I considered it, then decided to rein myself in and just straighten my posture.
Well, I'd already accomplished about half of my plan anyway.
Now all I had to do was accomplish the other half.
*
Maybe it was because of all these events piling up, but time flew by.
In reality, aside from the disciplinary committee hearing, nothing terribly major had happened.
Hmm. On second thought, maybe it's more accurate to say that life became pleasant enough to make time slip by, rather than the events themselves making time pass.
The students who'd ignored me at school began dwindling fast. A few still gave me the cold shoulder, but it probably wouldn't take long before even they ended up talking to me.
The outside admits, the ones who'd been singled out as the perpetrators that day, made a point of greeting me whenever we crossed paths. If anyone's expressions were brightest when they saw me, it was those kids.
Judging by the looks on their faces, those bundles of cash they'd walked away with had helped quite a bit.
Money really is great.
The teachers couldn't ignore me either. They couldn't bring themselves to be overly friendly, and a few of them somehow still had the nerve for some passive defiance, but I was confident that wouldn't last long.
I mean, their jobs were on the line.
Though they did take the money, so it's not like they'll starve.
Still, these reactions weren't bad. I might not qualify as a full-blown Catharsis Addict, but I was definitely the type who, given the choice, preferred to see the people who tormented my favorite characters suffer.
Admittedly, Ye Sa-ra was a character I'd only felt a fierce empathy for after coming over to this side... but what does that matter.
And just like that, a few days passed in the blink of an eye.
Then the weekend came back around.
On Saturday, I made all my preparations and waited for Choi Na-kyung.
After all, she'd visited on a Saturday last time too. And if Choi Na-kyung truly wanted to see Ye Sa-ra, I figured she'd come as early as possible.
Not that my preparations amounted to much of anything.
"Should I wear that outfit again this time?"
When I asked, Yang Hye-in shook her head.
"No. I believe that will not be necessary."
Right?
My plan was to tear up every single rule Choi Na-kyung had set. There was no need for me to play along with her script anymore.
So I simply washed up like usual, put on my most-worn school uniform, and waited for Choi Na-kyung.
...But Choi Na-kyung didn't come.
No contact either.
"...Looks like she isn't coming today."
When I muttered that, the girls waiting with me nodded.
It wasn't just Su-a and So-hee—Ha-neul had come too. She'd even packed a bag like last time, radiating an energy that said she was ready to stay through tomorrow if needed.
"Shall I contact her?"
"No."
I shook my head at Yang Hye-in's question.
To be fair, my arrangement with Choi Na-kyung was simply 'the weekend' with nothing else specified. That meant she could show up Saturday morning or Sunday evening and still not be breaking any promise.
I had no way of knowing whether this was some kind of psychological game, but honestly, I didn't have much reason to rush someone I didn't especially want to see.
If she was hoping for a reaction, letting myself get drawn in would just make me look ridiculous.
"She'll come today or tomorrow, I suppose."
When I answered like that, Yang Hye-in gave me another quiet look. Not for very long, but still.
Come to think of it, hadn't they said Yang Hye-in was the one who found my will and showed it to them?
I'd have to set aside time later for a private talk with her. Starting with why she searched my room in the first place.
There was still no light shining from Yang Hye-in's face.
Going by her actions, she clearly harbored goodwill toward Ye Sa-ra. But since the light still wasn't there... that meant the light's criteria went beyond simple goodwill. Recalling how Son A-reum's face had glowed, there had to be a specific trigger, and I still wasn't sure exactly what it was.
...Honestly, if I wanted to properly figure out even a single thing, I needed Ye Sa-ra's memories.
Maybe I'd be able to learn something by tomorrow.
*
As if she was determined to play some drawn-out push-and-pull game, Choi Na-kyung kept me waiting all through Sunday as well. She finally visited the mansion at 8 p.m., long after dinner was over.
Like the day before, I went down the stairs wearing my school uniform. Behind me walked the three friends I'd made since coming here.
If I said I wasn't scared, I'd be lying.
That viscous, cloying feeling I'd felt the last time was an emotion I'd never experienced in my entire life.
A swamp of emotion that felt like it would bury me right underneath it, or drag me straight in, if I let my guard down for even a second.
But this time, I had to face that emotion head-on.
To try and find Ye Sa-ra, who might be hiding somewhere inside it.
After descending the stairs, I stopped in front of the reception room and steadied my breathing for a moment.
"...I will open the door."
Yang Hye-in spoke after waiting a moment, as if offering consideration.
I nodded.
Yang Hye-in grasped the door and pushed it open, revealing the back of a woman standing within.
Choi Na-kyung turned to look at me at the sound of the door. Whether it was just my imagination, she seemed a little more drawn and gaunt than the last time I'd seen her.
"...Chairwoman."
"Yes, daughter."
The instant I heard that voice, Ye Sa-ra's viscous emotions began seeping out from my heart.