Chapter 77
Chapter 77
The first one to speak had been me.
Lately, that thought kept surfacing in Lee Su-a's mind.
But it was Lee Su-a who had been the first to speak to Sara.
At the middle school graduation ceremony, she had worked up the courage to approach Sara and take a photo with her. That picture was probably the only photo Sara took that entire graduation. She couldn't print it out, she couldn't let her father find out, but Lee Su-a still kept it carefully tucked away in her smartphone.
Sara didn't even appear in the graduation album. Every day at school, Lee Su-a had often seen Sara sitting way off in the distance, but she had never once seen Sara actively take part in a major school event. Even if Sara had wanted to participate, though, it probably would have been impossible. She was treated like someone who didn't exist.
How could someone who didn't exist join field days or school festivals?
Even so, Sara always came to school. People said she caused trouble now and then when she was in elementary school, but at least the Sara who had entered the edge of Lee Su-a's field of vision was always there.
Except for the school trip, maybe. She didn't remember seeing her then.
The missing photo in the graduation album was probably because Sara hadn't shown up for the photo session, either. They took individual graduation photos, sure, but there were also group shots with classmates.
...Come to think of it, maybe Lee Su-a had never truly understood what Sara was going through.
She had believed that no matter how much someone was ostracized or excluded, if they approached people with courage, people would accept them. That was what had actually happened in her own case, after all.
But even that had its limits.
The friends who had been close to Lee Su-a started treating her a little awkwardly once they heard the rumors that she was hanging around Sara. At first, they would still talk to her. They would answer when she spoke.
But as the rumors spread further, as they crossed from being hearsay into confirmed fact, and as Lee Su-a started bringing up Sara during conversations, the kids around her instantly distanced themselves.
When she tried talking to them, they flinched or pretended not to notice. When she walked beside them, they subtly widened the distance.
It didn't take long for Lee Su-a to end up isolated in class.
...Sara had been enduring that kind of situation for years already.
Lee Su-a was sure she herself never could have—
—Ah.
Right.
That was it.
Sara hadn't been able to endure it, either.
She had left a suicide note so full of that suffering and had obtained pills. Thinking about what Yang Hye-in had said, maybe she really had swallowed them.
But even that, even running away from the world, had failed completely. And only then had Sara apparently resolved to change on her own.
...Whether the reason really was simply that she wanted to live happily, even if for only a week, she still wasn't quite sure.
But still—
"Alright, then please go ahead and start your duties right away. If any of the servants don't listen to you, tell me. If I go chew them out, things should work out one way or another."
"...Understood."
Did the Sara who spoke to her former maid with such a casual expression really still intend to give up on life?
At least outwardly, Sara had been brimming with energy lately. Whatever she did, she was so motivated, as if the thought of dying had never crossed her mind. Aside from what had happened in front of the Chairwoman, the Sara Lee Su-a had seen with her own two eyes always seemed full of the will to live.
If Sara's mind had changed, then why?
"...Uh."
When Yang Hye-in kept bowing and showed no sign of straightening up, Sara looked a little flustered.
"I think it's okay for you to stand up now."
Only after Sara said that did Yang Hye-in raise her head.
"......."
A brief silence. It wasn't an awkward silence. There was just a warm gaze watching Sara and Yang Hye-in. Lee Su-a didn't know the details of their relationship, but at least from the outside, it looked like an ideal master-servant bond.
The way they worried about each other and relied on each other even in hard times; it was a lovely sight.
"Well."
Sara, however, didn't seem particularly fond of having the atmosphere turn that way. Then again, with Sara, the things she did were often a little different from what she was thinking. At school she confidently stirred up chaos and wasn't the least bit embarrassed about it, but she seemed to feel self-conscious when she did something embarrassing in front of her friends or when their attention turned to her.
Maybe that was because Sara was, to that extent, aware of the people here. Lee Su-a secretly felt pleased by that attitude.
"Is the meal ready?"
"I will go and check."
When Sara changed the subject in a somewhat awkward tone, Yang Hye-in answered. Then, with that characteristically elegant stride, she moved toward the dining room.
"It's almost dinnertime anyway, so couldn't we just go and wait?...yo?"
Maybe she'd gotten too used to using casual speech with each other in the room a moment ago, because So-hee dropped the formal tone with Sara and then hurriedly tacked on a "yo."
"...If you're going to do maid work, at least act properly like a maid."
Maybe her energy had drained a little, because instead of throwing it back the way she had earlier, Sara used polite speech like she had with Yang Hye-in. Of course, it wasn't a serious tone, just a deflated one, as if she was already worried about the days ahead.
"Oh, don't be so strict. No one can do a job perfectly on their first day."
"You probably shouldn't be the one saying that."
So-hee had been grinning ear to ear ever since a moment ago.
No, what had her so happy? Lee Su-a didn't exactly not know the reason. If she were allowed to stay by Sara's side 24 hours a day herself, she would definitely be wearing that exact expression, too.
Watching the two of them, Lee Su-a caught sight of Ha-neul biting her lip.
Did she wish she could act that way too? She probably did. Whenever So-hee sprinted ahead at full speed, Ha-neul was the type to come chasing right after. Except right now, she was probably just sorting out her thoughts a little because of the suicide note she had seen on Saturday. Or perhaps she was being cautious, trying not to pile too much on Sara all at once.
...But still, Yu Ha-neul would probably start running again soon, too. She was just looking for the right method. Once she knew what to do, she had the drive to act on it immediately.
"Su-a."
At that voice, Lee Su-a gave a start. When she turned her head, the others had already moved a few steps away from her and were looking in her direction.
The one who had called her name was Sara.
"Let's go eat."
The face that said those words with a faint smile was so, so beautiful.
"...Okay."
Lee Su-a nodded and hurried after them.
This time, she would make sure she didn't fall behind.
*
...By the time she got home, the sky had already gone completely dark.
Then again, even though it was March, the days still weren't long enough. It wasn't actually late enough to say she'd come home terribly late. The truth was, both her parents were busy, and Lee Su-a was an only child. No one was going to worry just because she got back a little late. The housekeeper lady was there, but as long as Lee Su-a sent her a text ahead of time, she wouldn't scold her no matter what time she came in.
Maybe it was just that she wasn't interested.
It was a little past eight o'clock.
By this hour, there weren't many people walking around the neighborhood where Lee Su-a lived. But with CCTV everywhere and police patrolling regularly, it was probably safer than any crowded area.
She stopped in front of a gate that towered far above Lee Su-a's height—above even a massive wall that might have cost as much to build as the price of a fairly nice house.
She placed her finger on the authentication device beside the bell, and in less than two seconds, the gate unlocked.
It might not be on the level of Sara's mansion, but Lee Su-a's house was still a place that fully deserved to be called a manor. It could never compare to the Yujin Group, but Lee Su-a's family also ran a "group" of its own.
...Though if you wanted to get technical, the history of the enterprise alone was far longer than the Yujin Group's.
She walked through the garden, which smelled of fresh grass. The old dog Choco seemed to have already fallen asleep. Lately, its joints hadn't been so good, and it had even been too lazy to go out for walks.
Lee Su-a walked toward where Choco was. The narrow lawn in front of the house had a stone path for easy walking, but Lee Su-a deliberately stepped off it and onto the grass. For some reason, she felt like doing that.
Crunch, crunch. She walked across the soft grass and stopped in front of Choco's house. The old dog was curled up inside, asleep.
She crouched down and stroked his head.
Choco must have woken up, because it slowly lifted its head and licked Lee Su-a's hand a few times. Then it rested its chin back down.
"......."
Feeling like she shouldn't disturb him anymore, Lee Su-a stood up.
"Young miss."
Just then, she heard a voice calling her from behind.
When she turned around, the housekeeper lady was standing there.
She thought she had told her she'd be eating dinner out.
Had she gotten confused? As she was having that thought, the lady spoke.
"The Chairwoman is calling for you."
"Ah...."
Even without hearing anything more, Lee Su-a felt like she knew why.
*
"......."
Unusually home early, Lee Su-a's father silently laid a newspaper on the desk.
No, on a second look, it wasn't a newspaper. It seemed to be a printout of an online article.
And printed on that paper was a picture of Lee Su-a clinging to Sara.
It wasn't just Lee Su-a. On the other side, there was So-hee, and even Ha-neul, who had outright pulled Sara into a hug.
The four people captured in the photo looked so happy.
Her father let out a deep sigh and sat down in his chair. Then he gestured with his hand toward the chair across the desk. Lee Su-a walked over without a word and sat down.
Her heart was pounding. Until now—no, not until now. Rather, until the graduation ceremony, Lee Su-a had never disobeyed her father. It wasn't that he had been harsh with her. It was just the way Lee Su-a's personality was.
After that, though, the same couldn't exactly be said.
"Will you explain?"
So Lee Su-a explained. Surprisingly, once she opened her mouth, she was able to keep talking, calmly. Taking a picture with Sara at graduation. Staying together ever since they enrolled. Going over to her house and sleeping over one night, eating together, working out together.
By the time she finished the story, she had actually grown more composed.
Her father, who had been listening for a long while, let out another heavy breath and rubbed his face.
"Su-a...."
For a time, he couldn't continue.
"Have you forgotten what I told you?"
That was what he asked.
"No."
Lee Su-a shook her head.
"...There is a reason we must protect our family business. Your great-great-grandfather founded it and, fighting against foreign influence, built it into a major enterprise. It funded the independence movement at one point, and even after independence, it has contributed greatly to society."
"I remember."
"...And yet, you do this...?"
As if the words couldn't find their way out, her father gestured again at the paper. She looked down at it once more.
"......."
Lee Su-a was silent for a long moment.
"Su-a."
Her father spoke again. As if pressing for an answer.
"Dad."
Lee Su-a opened her mouth.
"Yes. Go ahead."
Lee Su-a thought for a moment. Was she really allowed to say this?
...What would Sara have done?
She remembered the moment Sara faced the Chairwoman. Sara had taken a few steps toward the Chairwoman, as if unable to resist, but in the end, she had stopped in her tracks. She had collapsed onto the floor, but she had succeeded in defying the Chairwoman's words that had been trying to brainwash her. If what was written in the suicide note was true, Sara had both hated and loved the Chairwoman, and yet, she had managed to cut through those feelings and seize what she wanted.
That wasn't to say her father was the same kind of person as that Chairwoman, of course.
...But at the same time, the reason her father was saying things like this right now was probably because of that Chairwoman.
Lee Su-a looked down quietly at the paper on the desk. Who had taken this photo? What on earth had they been thinking, turning it into an article? The article's content wasn't anything special. It just dryly described what was in the photo. Yet, somehow, Lee Su-a felt like she understood what the article was really trying to say.
And strangely enough, the article's intention happened to be the very story Lee Su-a wished for. A story that might be impossible to ever come true.
...If it were Sara, what would she have thought when she saw this article?
She probably would have been satisfied, even. Because Sara had a personality that gladly stood up to her circumstances.
"...Dad."
"Yes, Su-a."
"Has our family business always done the right thing? Is that why we have to protect it?"
"Yes, it has. We never bent under foreign pressure. We kept going. That is why we must protect it."
His voice was gentle, almost coaxing.
"In that case, Dad."
Lee Su-a clenched her teeth and raised her head.
And she thought.
And finally, she gave voice to what she was thinking.
"Because of someone else's pressure, unfairly ostracizing and tormenting one child, that is clearly wrong."
...If it were Sara, that was definitely the answer she would have given.