Chapter 187
Chapter 187
As it turned out, Sara's birthday was quite a significant day.
Up until now, no one except Choi Na-kyung had celebrated Sara's birthday. Though, to be fair, the quarterly visits she'd redefined as a birthday never really felt any different.
In fact, from Sara's point of view, it was more toxic than anything. Once her birthday passed, she wouldn't see Choi Na-kyung again until the fourth quarter.
...That isn't going to happen anymore.
...Hm. Well.
Considering I'd gone through that experience, it was only natural. I didn't really want to see Choi Na-kyung again, either. It felt like it would only bring up unnecessary trauma.
Well, anyway.
What I was trying to say was that this fence called 'Choi Na-kyung' was Sara's reality before I became her.
Choi Na-kyung wanted Sara to belong only to her. She went to great lengths to prevent her from ever having to talk to other people, and she almost succeeded.
And, of course, the category of 'people who couldn't meet Sara' wasn't limited to those physically nearby.
With perfect timing, the day after I told my friends about Sara's birthday—today.
As always, I was walking home at a leisurely pace when a rather rare sight caught my eye.
There was a car parked in front of the mansion.
Should I be thankful it wasn't a blue car?
I wasn't an expert on cars, but it was a massive sedan that looked incredibly expensive at first glance. It might have been even pricier than the sedan I used to ride to school for a while.
And next to that sedan stood two people dressed to the nines in suits.
One was young, and the other was much older.
Even at a single glance, it was clear one person was driving this car, and the other was the type who would be relaxing in the back seat.
Though, the fact they were standing side by side outside the car was a bit odd.
And these people were in a standoff with Yang Hye-in, who had come out to the front of the mansion.
They weren't screaming at each other, nor was one side picking a fight or interrogating the other, but I could still feel a kind of competitive spirit in the faces of the people staring at each other.
The young guy, though, was an exception. He looked like he wanted to go home right this instant, his expression somewhat resembling a Sage Time.
Fair enough. Getting caught up in your employer's fight as the driver had to be one of the worst predicaments there is.
...What should I do?
To be honest, just one look told me those people were going to be a massive headache. Even more so than the district office official who'd been visiting me once a week lately, or the cops who showed up last time.
They definitely seemed like they were going to bring up matters related to money.
Or maybe the company's management rights... whatever it was, they were bound to bring up a painfully complicated topic.
...Sara, since it's your money, wouldn't it be right for you to do the talking?
My money is also your money, so of course you have to talk. It's not like you aren't going to spend my money just because you stand there as my representative.
...I couldn't really argue when you put it like that. She was right; I had been blowing through Sara's money without even asking her permission. If that was the case, then I ought to handle at least this much trouble.
"Can you guys wait here for a bit?"
"Uh..."
When I turned to Ha-neul, So-hee, and Su-a, who had followed me, and said that, the three of them looked briefly hesitant. But then they glanced at Yang Hye-in and nodded.
These three hadn't personally witnessed Yang Hye-in smashing a car window with a hammer, but they had heard the story. Especially since I had personally given testimony, I didn't think they'd disbelieve it.
Though it seemed like the image of Yang Hye-in lodged in their heads had gotten a little warped... well, that was a problem Yang Hye-in herself would have to sort out.
I took a deep breath, then walked toward the people occupying the front of the mansion door with the most confident stride I could muster. Some distance behind me, Ha-neul, So-hee, and Su-a slowly followed before stopping at a spot where they kept a bit of distance from those people.
"Yang Hye-in."
I called out, raising my voice a little and letting out the breath I'd been holding.
"Young lady, welcome back."
Yang Hye-in greeted me, her usual unshakable composure conspicuously absent. The people standing and waiting in front of the car turned their heads toward me.
"Oh, Sara! It's been a while."
The older man said that to me.
"...Uh..."
I had tried to come up with a cool retort, but I failed spectacularly.
Because I had no idea who this person was.
Even after checking Sara's memories, I didn't recognize his face.
"It's me. Your uncle In-hyeok."
The man, whose hair was graying, had an incredibly friendly voice for an older person. Not too low, not too high. A voice that sounded like it would be great at giving business presentations.
...He probably did run a business in real life too.
If he was bold enough to call himself Sara's uncle, he surely held a significant role within the group.
But the problem was I had no idea whether this 'uncle' was a real uncle or not.
If he were a real uncle, that would mean this person was a brother of Sara's father—
Nope. My dad was an only child.
—And if he wasn't, guessing his identity became much more complicated.
Sometimes a close older man is called uncle, and in some families, even a second or third cousin a few times removed is called uncle.
"Uh..."
But the issue was, outright asking him was a very awkward thing to do.
I mean, no matter what, you can't just say 'Who are you?' to an older relative.
Normally, if you stood there looking dazed, a nearby parent would subtly whisper who the person was, but Choi Na-kyung was currently on the run.
Then again, even if she hadn't been on the run, she wasn't someone who would stand by Sara's side anyway.
"Well, I suppose it can't be helped. When I last saw you, you were very young."
When I just stared at the man with a blank expression, the gentleman wore a wry smile on his face and said that.
Judging by his face 'alone', this person seemed very nice.
Right. Judging by his face 'alone'.
Choi Na-kyung was also a remarkably beautiful woman, if you only looked at her face. Since coming to this world, I had been definitely learning the hard way that a person's appearance doesn't always match their character.
"..."
I first glanced back toward Yang Hye-in, but—
"..."
It seemed Yang Hye-in didn't know, either.
It made sense. Yang Hye-in came into the picture when Sara was around middle school age, so she wouldn't know relatives met before then. By then, Sara was already isolated from the rest of the world.
Hm.
What should I say?
Asking 'Why did you come?' here seemed a little rude.
I'm fine with it.
Sara made no effort to hide her discomfort.
She always seemed so confident, but she had a surprisingly timid side, so Sara didn't really like meeting new people.
Whatever.
If I could see Sara's face right now, I'd probably see her pouting her lips in dissatisfaction.
"..."
As I stayed silent and just stared up at the man's face, a single bead of sweat formed on the uncle's forehead.
Hm...
Still, I should probably hear him out first.
If there was some trouble at the company, it would carry over into Sara's future. I had no desire to ignore some incident or scandal now, only to watch it blow up a few years down the line.
...Saying this might sound a little arrogant, but the Yujin Group was practically holding the Republic of Korea's economy in its grip.
It wasn't a bank, so its collapse wouldn't send shockwaves through the entire global economy... but in the case of Korea, it would be a different story.
Moreover, considering this world resembled a 'game' setting, who knew what exaggerated plot points might be lurking around. There was no harm in being cautious.
"...Shall we go inside and talk first?"
Only after I said that did the uncle heave a sigh of relief.
Seeing that behavior, he didn't seem like such a calculating man...
Then again, it could all be an act.
*
Those eyes resembled hers.
Of course, the Ye Sa-ra standing before Ye In-hyeok right now didn't share a single drop of blood with Choi Na-kyung. Their aura was similar, yes, but he knew well that was because Choi Na-kyung had subtly been guiding it to be that way.
Though he couldn't pinpoint the exact reason why.
Was it to make Sara appear like her own biological daughter and solidify her standing within the company?
That was something he wouldn't know until Choi Na-kyung was caught.
...For now, judging solely by the stories he'd heard, there was no doubt Sara had been influenced by Choi Na-kyung.
He didn't think that was a good thing. It seemed the relationship with Choi Na-kyung had been severed due to that major incident recently, but originally, the bond between parent and child wasn't so easily broken.
Even if it was a relationship where not a single drop of blood was shared.
He absolutely had to see with his own eyes what Sara, who had been under Choi Na-kyung's influence for so long, was like.
He didn't particularly care who became the head of Yujin Group. He merely hoped that this colossal company, which his family had cultivated for generations, would continue to survive.