“Daughter, come here.”
Choi Na-kyung’s outstretched arms felt like they were moving in slow motion.
Or was it because she was actually raising them slowly?
Perhaps it was because Ye Sara’s body was more focused on Choi Na-kyung than ever before.
In Ye Sara’s life, Choi Na-kyung was the only one who had shown her any ‘human’ affection since her father passed away.
And Ye Sara, who had given up everything too early and clung only to Choi Na-kyung.
The emotions that had twisted countless times in that process now surged up from deep within her chest.
She took a step closer to Choi Na-kyung.
What she felt was joy.
The relief of finally meeting the family she had longed for.
And endless hatred.
The disgust toward her stepmother, who had ruined her life.
The reason I was able to suppress those emotions last time was because I held Ye Sara’s body tightly and didn’t let go.
Because I thought that if I let those dangerous feelings remain, something terrible might happen.
No, perhaps it was the fear that I might get swept up in that torrent of emotions and lose myself.
But—
But this time, there’s no place to retreat.
In the first place, this body isn’t mine.
It still belongs to a child who has yet to fully bloom.
I had no intention of taking over this body for life and pretending it was mine.
And, well.
I am already dead, after all.
No one had invited me to this world.
I still don’t know how, but I had occupied this body without Ye Sara’s consent.
And, in a way, I was also the one who had interfered the most with Ye Sara’s plans.
I made friends under Ye Sara’s name, formed genuine human relationships, and broke the rules at school.
In the meantime, I freely used what wasn’t mine.
Honestly, I didn’t think about Ye Sara from the beginning.
At first, I just wanted to somehow avoid the ruin that would inevitably come to the owner of this body.
If I hadn’t found that will and changed my mind, I might still be thinking that way.
…No matter how I live, living in this body ultimately means living Ye Sara’s life.
If there is an owner, the right thing to do is return it.
At least, that’s how I was raised.
For a dead person to live someone else’s life is nothing more than regret and obsession.
I looked back.
The three people closest to me in this world were watching me with worried expressions.
I had asked the three of them not to interfere, no matter what happened.
If I stopped midway again like last time, there was a high chance Ye Sara’s memories wouldn’t return.
…Well, I’m not too worried.
Because I believe that those three will treat the real Ye Sara just as well as they treated me before.
As I looked at my three friends, my gaze lingered last on Ha-neul’s face.
Ha-neul looked like she was about to cry.
Ah, did I overdo it last time?
I didn’t mean for her to take it that seriously.
No one knew if what I was about to do would succeed or fail.
“It’s okay.”
I mouthed the words, worried Choi Na-kyung might overhear, and then turned my head back around.
Choi Na-kyung, who had briefly shown a different expression as I looked back at my friends, smiled brightly as if nothing had happened when our eyes met.
It was the expression of a mother who couldn’t contain her love for her daughter.
Or perhaps it was an expression overflowing with sticky, oozing desire.
…If she had found her stepdaughter so lovable, it would have been better if she had been a proper mother from the start.
Feeling the hatred that overflowed from my chest, I thought.
I took another step.
And another step, yet again.
With each step closer, the emotions I felt grew stronger and more intense.
And when the torrent of emotions finally soaked my entire body from head to toe,
I surrendered myself to them.
*
Seeing Sara stagger toward her like last time, Choi Na-kyung felt a brief sense of unease.
When Sara had begged to meet her, Choi Na-kyung thought it was a genuine desire.
However, the Sara standing before her now was no different from the last time.
Sara approached Choi Na-kyung step by step, as if forcing herself to walk.
She even stopped halfway to look at the people standing far off, making Choi Na-kyung feel anxious.
Last time, Sara had walked away in a huff, and Choi Na-kyung had regretted it immensely since then.
But fortunately, this time, Sara did not collapse.
After making eye contact with Choi Na-kyung again, Sara suddenly ran toward her.
Just like she did when she was a child.
With an innocent expression, she threw herself into Choi Na-kyung’s arms and looked up, calling her “Mother”.
Slightly more forcefully, Sara embraced her.
Sara was much taller now than back then.
No longer clinging to her waist and looking up as she did as a child.
Now, Sara’s head reached just below Choi Na-kyung’s eyes.
Her once-short hair had grown long enough to brush against her back.
As Choi Na-kyung hugged Sara’s small back, she could feel her growth through touch.
Sara’s slender figure was still youthful, but she was gradually becoming a woman.
Although she appeared somewhat thin, her waist and hips had developed a distinct shape.
…It was as if she were looking at her from those days.
Of course, it would take a few more years before she fully resembled her, but Sara, with her mixed blood, was growing to look just like her.
Sara, who had buried her face in Choi Na-kyung’s shoulder, slowly raised her head.
Since Sara was shorter than Choi Na-kyung, she had to look up to meet her eyes.
But the distance between them wasn’t far.
“…”
It wasn’t too far for them to silently gaze at each other.
Still, she was not yet there.
She wasn’t quite like her yet, still too young.
But, just a little longer… just a little more time.
Choi Na-kyung slowly raised her hand to Sara’s face.
She gently stroked her soft cheek.
Like she had done in the past, Sara closed her eyes and leaned into her hand.
As Choi Na-kyung’s hand caressed Sara’s cheek, her touch slowly expanded.
Her hand brushed Sara’s chin and touched her lips.
Her lips were soft, without a single crack.
Sara exhaled through her parted lips.
Feeling that warm breath at her fingertips, Choi Na-kyung saw Sara’s lips move.
Those lips, which opened so beautifully—
Through them—
“Mother.”
The word escaped.
“…”
Choi Na-kyung’s hand, which had been caressing Sara’s face, stopped.
It seemed Sara hadn’t even noticed.
“Mother…”
Sara repeated the word once more.
“…”
Why?
Why did she suddenly change her words?
Choi Na-kyung didn’t want to remain just “Mother” to Sara.
That’s why she had deliberately kept her distance and slowly built their relationship.
Even though she longed to be with her, she held back, carefully laying the groundwork until Sara finally said those words she had waited for—
“Mother?”
Sara opened her eyes and looked up at Choi Na-kyung, her large eyes round as if she didn’t understand what she had just said.
“…”
Choi Na-kyung slowly loosened her arms from around Sara’s waist.
She stepped back.
Her mind, which had been clouded just moments ago, slowly started to clear.
Right.
The plan wasn’t over yet.
Sara was still Sara. Not her.
And Sara’s first, her first… could not be wasted so easily.
“I think it’s time for me to leave.”
At those words, Sara’s shoulders shrank.
She responded just like she used to, not like she had during their last meeting.
It was a reaction Choi Na-kyung had seen countless times since Sara was a child.
After all, she had tried to push too far too fast.
She should have taken more time and moved more carefully.
“…”
Choi Na-kyung turned her gaze to the three children who had followed Sara.
The bold-looking girl with her hair tied back.
This child didn’t seem to have much to offer.
No notable background, and aside from her status as a scholarship student, nothing about her stood out.
The blonde girl, whose mixed heritage was clear at a glance with her twin pigtails…
She was the daughter of Lee Won Enterprises, wasn’t she?
It might be necessary to arrange a proper meeting with her family.
And finally—
Yang Hye-in, along with her “successor”.
Only after coming here did Choi Na-kyung learn what had happened at the mansion.
She had only heard snippets while waiting for Sara to come down, but it was enough to get an idea.
…Sara was regaining her sense of self.
When Choi Na-kyung turned her gaze back, Sara was fidgeting with her hands as if she couldn’t believe they were moving.
However, Sara showing strange behavior was nothing new.
“…I will come again on the appointed day.”
At those words, Sara raised her head in surprise, letting out a confused “Huh…?”
Her eyes were trembling violently.
…She must be lost in her emotions over her friends.
This situation must be handled carefully.
Absolutely carefully.
*
Though Choi Na-kyung left, Sara remained standing in the same spot.
Yoo Ha-neul, Lee Soo-ah, and Shin So-hee quickly ran to where Sara was standing.
But upon seeing her condition, they hesitated.
…Up close, Sara seemed a bit off.
She looked as if she had just woken up from a long sleep, clenching and unclenching her hands as she stared at them, as if fascinated by their movement.
Her unfocused eyes shook uncontrollably.
“Sara…?”
Yoo Ha-neul, who had run to Sara first, cautiously spoke to her.
Sara raised her head to look at Yoo Ha-neul.
Her trembling eyes still hadn’t stabilized.
Not just her eyes.
Her hands and shoulders, too.
As if she had seen something utterly terrifying, her entire body was trembling like a leaf.
“I… I…”
“Sara…”
Yoo Ha-neul took a step closer to Sara.
“How… how could this…?”
At those words, her steps halted.
Ah.
So that’s what it was.
That’s what happened.
In that brief moment.
She felt as if her entire world had crumbled.