Chapter 60
Chapter 60
And, surprisingly, nothing major happened over the rest of the weekdays.
Of course, just because nothing major happened doesn't mean nothing happened at all.
Maybe it was because we'd seen how the Student Council President reacted earlier, but the Disciplinary Committee Member didn't make any further moves against us. Occasionally when our eyes met in the hallway, she'd startle, spin around, and flee at a brisk walk....She doesn't need to go that far.
Did she hear the whole awful story from the Student Council President?
Actually, I wasn't even sure if the Disciplinary Committee Member appeared in the original story at all. At the very least, she hadn't been on the main screen where the major characters were drawn. So it was hard for me to guess what she was thinking.
Whether she was a genuinely good character who felt ashamed after learning the truth, or whether she was feeling fear at what the President had done.
Truthfully, she didn't seem like someone who would feel fear. If she was, she wouldn't have gotten angry with me and considered sending me to the Disciplinary Committee back when she was still operating under that one-sided misunderstanding.
...Well, I still couldn't fully understand the actions of even the three characters who appeared in the original story, so of course I had no clue about anyone beyond them.
The attitude of the maid, Yang Hye-in, had shifted subtly as well.
Before, Yang Hye-in had always maintained a cool and composed demeanor in front of me, but lately, every time our eyes met, she would subtly avert her gaze. A few times, I even saw her eyes tremble.
It was understandable that she was shaken.
A lot was riding on this, since the Chairwoman would truly be arriving soon.
The Chairwoman of Yujin Group, Choi Na-kyung.
Ye Sa-ra's adoptive mother, the person who had thoroughly shattered Ye Sa-ra, was coming.
And in the Chairwoman's eyes, the maid Yang Hye-in, who had been quietly helping me, would clearly be a thorn in her side in many ways.
The incidents that had happened recently... well, most of them had been caused by me, but from the Chairwoman's perspective, she'd think they happened because Yang Hye-in failed to keep me under control, or because she let me run too far off the leash.
There was no way Yang Hye-in, who was directly involved, hadn't considered the same things I had.
...A job with an annual salary of 500 million won might look like a very nice position on its own, but it was also a trap that was hard to escape. A person who had worked as a maid would have difficulty finding another job after quitting.
Of course, with the money she'd saved so far plus her severance pay, maybe it would somehow add up to enough to last a lifetime... but Yang Hye-in was still young. Having to spend the rest of her life without any sense of fulfillment might be a bit overwhelming from the perspective of a diligent person.
I'd considered rehiring her myself, but I decided to revisit the idea when the time came. Even though Yang Hye-in was the most trustworthy person among the servants, I still couldn't trust her one hundred percent.
And... as might be obvious, Ha-neul, Lee Su-a, and Shin So-hee had also changed the way they treated me, just a little.
"...Hey, you guys."
It was now Saturday of the second week of March.
The three of them, gathered at the mansion from early morning, were clinging tightly to me.
They weren't just clinging to my arms. Ha-neul and Lee Su-a were each glued to my side, their arms wrapped around my waist, and Shin So-hee was pressed flat against my back. Even though I was sitting on the sofa, she would have had to be in an incredibly awkward position to hug me from behind, but Shin So-hee held that pose.
We were heading into mid-March now, and the weather was such that you could say winter was nearly over, but it was still chilly outside. In fact, the heating efficiency in this mansion was extremely poor, unless it was a room that was constantly in use, like my room or the dining room. No, to be honest, it was more accurate to say that even my room only stayed warm by ignoring the poor efficiency and pouring money into the heating bill.
So while the guest room wasn't that warm since the heating had only just been turned on, my body was already growing damp from the body heat of the kids wrapped around me.
"There's still plenty of time until the Chairwoman gets here."
The time the Chairwoman said she'd arrive was 11 a.m. Right now, it was only a little past 10.
"If we start clinging then, it'll look awkward. So that's a no," Ha-neul said, cutting me off flatly.
"I'm thinking the same thing."
Shin So-hee's words came from above my head.
"......."
Lee Su-a just held me without a word.
"No, that's not what I..."
Just as I was about to argue, the guest room door opened.
"Young lady."
I started to turn my head and nearly buried my cheek in Shin So-hee's chest. Fortunately, I realized before I'd turned all the way and just barely managed to stop in time.
I felt less like a chaebol daughter and more like an incredibly corrupt official or some villain who uses a hypnosis app. Not that it felt bad, but it was really hard to stay within bounds in a lot of ways.
"...You need to change your clothes before the Chairwoman arrives."
"Ah, just a moment—I'm a bit sweaty..."
I answered that way, thinking she was referring to my clothes being damp with sweat, but Yang Hye-in shook her head slightly and spoke.
"...No. The Chairwoman sent an outfit. As always, when you meet with the Chairwoman, you must wear that attire."
......There was an outfit like that?
Was that person, the Chairwoman, the type who was insanely particular about appearances?
Thinking about it, it did seem plausible. There was a cliché, after all, that villains of this sort were often extremely concerned with their looks.
After hearing my conversation with Yang Hye-in, the kids glanced at me and let me go. The parts of me that were damp from sweat suddenly met the cold air and felt incredibly cool, though they also felt clammy.
I felt a little sorry toward the three of them, who'd deliberately swallowed their embarrassment to act this way, but I was also a little glad to be able to change before meeting the Chairwoman.
"Yes. In that case."
I got to my feet.
*
"...Young lady."
In the changing room that had been set up nearby for me to change, Yang Hye-in called out to me.
"Yes."
I answered, expecting she'd simply brought the clothes, and then—
"If I may... what do you think of the Chairwoman?"
—she asked a question I hadn't expected at all.
"......."
I think the Chairwoman is a villain. No way to justify it.
Even if the Chairwoman had truly done all this for Ye Sa-ra's sake, she was still a villain. Whether it came from good intentions or was something she hadn't fully thought through, the fact that she could do such unreasonable things without batting an eye meant that the Chairwoman, too, was not normal.
But I couldn't say that freely in front of Yang Hye-in.
I also couldn't say the opposite, either. I didn't really know what Ye Sa-ra normally thought.
At best, I'd read a single will. Ye Sa-ra had written that she loved the Chairwoman, but I didn't know whether that was sincere, or whether it was a final desperate attempt to inflict even the smallest wound on her.
"......."
So I chose not to answer.
"......."
Fortunately, Yang Hye-in didn't speak to me again, either.
She just silently took down the non-woven suit cover that had been hanging on the wall.
*
"......The Chairwoman really told you to put this on and wait?"
When I looked down at the clothes I was wearing and asked, Yang Hye-in dipped her head slightly and answered.
"Yes, that is correct."
And she'd demanded I wear an outfit like this every time we met.
I didn't ask again. Because if I asked again, it would be tantamount to admitting that my memory wasn't normal.
I simply fell silent and looked at my body reflected in the full-length mirror in the changing room.
The 'me' reflected in that full-length mirror—no, Ye Sa-ra—
was wearing what could only be called a 'wedding dress,' no matter how you looked at it.
Of course, it wasn't long and trailing like a real wedding dress. Thinking positively, it was an outfit that could easily be worn at the wedding of a progressive young couple from a progressive family.
...Or the sort of thing you'd only see in an illustration selected as a fetishistic outfit for a cosplay shoot, or in a heroine photobook the author releases in the middle of a harem manga.
A white, tube-top dress.
The fabric was a slightly lustrous white like a wedding dress, with a moderate amount of frills that added a touch of elegance. The design fully exposed the shoulders and the neckline, but since Ye Sa-ra had a small chest, that part was less a cleavage and more just a slight swell.
The skirt length, maybe a little shorter than a school uniform?
Fortunately, the heels weren't very high.
"No bouquet?"
It was a thoughtless joke I tossed out, but I was slightly surprised when Yang Hye-in gave a bitter smile.
Yang Hye-in opened the changing room door.
Outside the door, several servants were waiting. And then,
"Young lady. The Chairwoman has arrived."
...The servant standing closest bowed politely and said that.
*
Despite having summoned all three of the kids, the Chairwoman didn't look at them at all.
She didn't even glance toward the sofa where the three were sitting. She simply stared at the door I would enter through; the chair she sat in was even turned to face it.
This was my first time seeing her in person, not in a photo.
The first thing I felt upon seeing Yujin Group Chairwoman Choi Na-kyung was, 'she's beautiful.'
How old was Choi Na-kyung, anyway? I didn't think she was as old as I'd imagined. People often called her a young executive on the internet.
Her well-groomed wavy hair was swept to one side and tucked behind her ear. Well-maintained black hair flowed softly down her back.
She wore a simple dress: a black, sleeveless dress with a simple design and no decorative frills at all.
She was sitting in her chair, but upon seeing me enter the room, Choi Na-kyung rose to her feet.
And looking at me, she stretched both arms out wide.
"My daughter."
Upon hearing those words, my heart—
Ye Sa-ra's heart, went ba-dump.
Once, twice, three times...
The more my heart beat, the louder the sound grew.
"My lovely daughter."
A sweet voice.
Now the sound of my heart was so loud it made my ears ring. My field of vision narrowed drastically. I couldn't see anyone beside me; all I could see was Choi Na-kyung right in front of me—that woman alone.
"Come here."
I thought to myself.
Why was I like this right now?
Perhaps the reason I could even have this thought was because I wasn't 'Ye Sa-ra.'
If it were me, my true self, what would I have felt seeing Choi Na-kyung?
Truthfully, it was possible I wouldn't have felt any particular emotion. Maybe after talking to her I'd think she was a disgusting person. But I didn't have enough information about her to feel any kind of emotion toward someone I was meeting for the first time.
The emotions I, myself, would feel toward Choi Na-kyung were, at most, some repulsion, anger, and rejection.
Meaning my heart shouldn't be pounding this hard.
My foot—
No, Ye Sa-ra's foot, stepped forward one pace.
And only then was I able to understand what was happening.
This emotion I was feeling right now.
This feeling, felt separately from the repulsion, anger, and rejection, this thing that surged up from my heart—
A childish feeling that wanted to run right over and be held in those arms—
And the extreme hatred that wanted to run right over—
wrap my hands around her throat and strangle her, wildly claw at that beautiful face, tear her body apart and kill her—
Those were probably not my emotions,
but the emotions of Ye Sa-ra.