Chapter 170
Chapter 170
......And shortly after, a nurse rushed over and shushed us, leaving us all a bit awkward.
Well, it's a bad idea to make noise in a hospital, especially this late at night. It's sleeping time, and for patients, recovery is paramount.
So, we decided to step outside for now.
Still, the hospital corridor lights weren't all off, so we didn't have to worry about getting lost on our way out.
"So, you're saying you were able to follow almost immediately after 'Sara' was kidnapped?"
At my question, everyone nodded.
It was thanks to the preparations we'd made in our own way.
We knew Choi Na-kyung was being cornered, which was why Yang Hye-in was waiting in front of the school's main gate. They were able to give chase the moment Sara was taken.
Yang Hye-in and So-hee had separate employee phones, and thanks to that, So-hee followed Yang Hye-in right away.
"......In this person's car?"
I asked, looking at the face of the only person here I didn't recognize.
"W-Well, y-yes?"
When our eyes met, she stammered back with a somewhat frightened expression.
So... was her name Lee Yu-gyeong?
Apparently, she was the journalist who'd been persistently hounding me since the beginning of the semester.
Well, I guess she's not even a journalist anymore, but more of a privately hired photographer now.
I turned my gaze to Su-a.
When our eyes met, Su-a blushed and looked away.
......No, well, I wasn't trying to blame her. Thanks to Su-a having this person on standby, we were able to get a precise look at all the evidence.
She was probably the only one who captured the moment Sara was kidnapped. The photo of Choi Na-kyung driving and me tied up in the back seat was taken at an exquisite angle.
Honestly, it was the kind of angle that would become a widely used meme if it leaked online.
......Though, if it became a meme, it would probably cause an enormous controversy in its own way.
But that person, how should I put this, for someone who brazenly handed a misleading photo of me and Ha-neul over to a newspaper, she can't even look me in the eye.
She looks a lot older than Sara, too, yet she's using formal speech.
"Where are all the photos you've taken so far? Are you keeping them somewhere?"
I asked just in case,
"E, Eek!"
and she flipped out.
As I furrowed my brows slightly, a question mark practically floating above my head, Su-a, being that person's employer, spoke up.
"......I'm keeping all of them for now. The contract transfers both the copyright and the usage rights to me."
"I see."
I nodded.
Su-a might not be as rich as Sara, but she was still the heir to a company that ranked among the top ten in this country.
She'd at least have enough money to hire a photographer.
"By any chance, can I ask how you used those photos?"
I had no intention of interrogating her about taking photos of me or Sara. Su-a must have done it with our best interests in mind; I don't think she would take salacious photos of me and use them in some weird way.
"That's......"
Su-a seemed to ponder my question for a moment. With her head slightly bowed, she looked at me and then nodded once, as if steeling herself.
"I sent them to the directors of the Yujin Group."
"......Huh?"
Unable to fully grasp what she meant in that instant, I ended up letting out a slightly stupid noise.
No, everyone present, even the photographer, wore a dumbfounded expression.
It was because we couldn't quite figure out why Su-a would do such a thing.
"......Can I ask why?"
"Yeah."
Su-a nodded once more at my question.
*
"Ah, so that's why......"
I felt like I was finally beginning to get some idea of why Choi Na-kyung had suddenly tried to kidnap Sara.
What Su-a had done was compile the fact that 'Sara was being abused' and hand it over to the core of the Yujin Group.
No matter how much of a stake Choi Na-kyung had, it wasn't enough to completely dominate the company. Each individual director's shares were less than Choi Na-kyung's, but combined, they naturally outweighed hers.
And if you factored in the major shareholders of Yujin Electronics who weren't directors, the point was that Choi Na-kyung could never stand against them alone.
Therefore, Choi Na-kyung needed Sara's shares. Not just the shares in name, but the stakes Sara indirectly held as well.
Moreover, although I hadn't checked properly yet, I'd already asked Team Leader Han Ga-ram to buy up shares. It hadn't been that long, so it wasn't a drastically meaningful amount yet, but my stake was steadily growing. In the long run, it was threatening enough.
Until now, 'naturally,' she must have considered my shares and Choi Na-kyung's to be essentially the same. I'd never met the other directors, and Choi Na-kyung had deliberately kept it that way. You could say there was no way to persuade Sara to side with them.
Well, considering how much Sara had loved Choi Na-kyung up to this point, that wasn't exactly wrong.
......Calling it love is a bit......
......Then, let's just call it the affection a daughter has.
Anyway, if the fact that 'Sara was being abused' got out under those circumstances.
No, even if it didn't get out publicly, if there was already a 'provisional conclusion among the directors that this was the case'.
Choi Na-kyung's position would become incredibly precarious.
That is, when it comes to 'money'.
The problem was, however, that Choi Na-kyung hadn't been acting as Sara's mother just for the 'money'.
"So, she thought 'I might really lose my chance now.' That person."
Exactly.
If she were pushed any further from here, she might truly end up being separated from Sara. Especially since the media these days is incredibly sensitive to these kinds of things.
......Sara's father had already passed away, but there was no law saying he didn't have any relatives.
If they could legally strip Choi Na-kyung of her parental rights, there would be plenty of people willing to take Sara in.
On top of that, Sara had been trying to get away from Choi Na-kyung.
All these compounding circumstances were what led to Choi Na-kyung making that choice.
......Well, I don't particularly feel sorry for her.
Since I'm the one who was actually on the receiving end of it.
"Yeah, so......"
I beat her to the punch, before Su-a could apologize to me.
Startled by my words, Su-a quickly raised her head.
"Who would ever imagine you were thinking like that? Even if they aren't blood-related, they're still mother and daughter."
......Besides, back then Choi Na-kyung had said several things I still don't know about. She talked about a past that never existed between her and Sara, and kept saying it wasn't time yet.
It feels like there's still something hidden.
What it is, I won't know until I catch Choi Na-kyung.
I pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and continued talking to Su-a.
"So you don't need to feel so guilty. It would've blown up someday even if it wasn't you."
That's right. It just hadn't blown up 'right away.'
Years could have passed, and when Choi Na-kyung's "time" came, she would have definitely done something awful to Sara.
She'd already forced her into a wedding dress and made her meet with her several times before that.
.......
I shuddered.
Back then, I'd only had a vague inkling, but now I knew she was serious.
If things had gone wrong, my first kiss wouldn't have been with Sara, but with Choi Na-kyung. By force.
That's not really the future I want.
"And, uh... you too, Ms. Lee Yu-gyeong."
"Yes!?"
The moment I called her by name, the woman freaked out.
......Ah, come to think of it, Sara's face is intimidating enough to make first-timers nervous.
......That's a mean way to put it.
No, I'm not saying you're ugly.
Sara is definitely pretty.
......Hehe.
......Let's put aside Sara's reaction for a moment.
This was a fact nobody could deny. The point is, a person can be beautiful and scary at the same time. Sara's eyes were sharp enough to make anyone tense just by glaring.
And considering the money behind Sara.
If you thought, 'I don't know what this person might do to me,' it was plenty reason to freak out.
Besides, even if Su-a commissioned her, she still took photos 'without my knowledge.' If I decided to take offense, well.
But, for someone who took photos of the richest teenager in the world, she seemed a bit too timid.
......Is that why I didn't notice her? Because she was taking them secretly from too far away?
"There's nothing to be so scared of. I'm alive thanks to you. And if anything, things have become clearer because of this situation."
"R-Right......"
Lee Yu-gyeong's expression visibly washed over with relief.
That's right. Thanks to her, the company directors now have a clear understanding of my situation.
Sara is still a minor and needs a guardian. Now that Choi Na-kyung is gone, they're probably trying to approach me in some way.
Will there be anyone among them who truly worries about Sara?
Well, that's something I'll find out over time.
I looked at Lee Yu-gyeong calmly and smiled, a grin spreading across my face.
The beads of sweat forming on her forehead probably weren't because she was feeling hot.