Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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The next morning.
After finishing my preparations for school, I went down to the first floor of the apartment, and there Yang Hye-in was waiting.
“Senior!”
Seeing Yang Hye-in standing as if she had turned into a statue, So-hee quickly approached her and said,
“If you had told me, I would have opened the door for you.”
Actually, it was my first time staying at an apartment like this, so I wasn’t sure how other apartments worked, but for this one, it seemed you had to either enter a code or press the number of the unit you were visiting and get permission for the door to open.
If you didn’t know the code, you could just press the number for So-hee’s unit and get permission.
It wasn’t like she was staying long or planning to stay there, and I couldn’t imagine So-hee’s family would refuse if she said she would wait briefly in front of the door.
“No, it’s fine. I’m alright.”
Yang Hye-in only said that much to So-hee, then bowed slightly to me.
“Did you sleep well last night, miss?”
Back at the house I lived in, we received this greeting before leaving the room, so there was no need for others to see this.
It was still early in the morning—actually, maybe because it was early, I could see people passing by here and there.
The time for people to go to work or school would differ, especially since the school I attended wasn’t just any school.
Still, even so, there were quite a few people passing by, and their numbers weren’t negligible.
And they were all looking this way.
Yang Hye-in was wearing the same clothes she always wore at the mansion.
Of course, she probably had many spares of the same design.
She wasn’t wearing the usual apron and headband that she wore indoors, though.
Looking back, Yang Hye-in always wore that kind of outfit whenever she stepped outside.
So-hee, of course, was wearing her school uniform since she was a student.
Even if the outfit just looked like a black shirt and a slightly long skirt, having someone taller and older than me greeting me so politely must have looked quite odd to others.
“Yes, I slept well.”
Lately, my nights were always peaceful.
Because I had someone waiting for me in my heart.
Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Yang Hye-in straightened her back and returned to her expressionless face.
“Did you come to guide me to school? I just need to follow So-hee, though.”
“Yes, that’s partly the reason, but…”
Yang Hye-in trailed off and glanced around.
The people who had been glancing over flinched and quickly turned their heads, going on their way.
Was this a conversation that even passersby shouldn’t overhear?
“Let’s talk while we walk.”
When I said that and started walking, So-hee hurried ahead to lead the way.
Ah, right.
I don’t know the way.
*
After hearing the story, I understood why Yang Hye-in had come to see me.
“Mother came by early this morning?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
So, if I had been just a little later, I could have faced Mother at the mansion.
And that would have been right after I woke up.
Without any preparation.
“…”
It seemed she truly meant it when she said she would come “as soon as possible.”
Hearing this made my heart race a bit.
Did Mother still love me?
…To think I still had such thoughts made me realize I must be deeply troubled.
If that person knew I had these thoughts, they would have been terribly saddened.
But I couldn’t help it.
Even after reading the memories from the past several months and experiencing so much myself, I couldn’t erase the memories etched into my mind for years.
The memories between me and that person, and the memories between me and my friends, couldn’t replace the memories with Mother.
It wasn’t just because the childhood memories with Mother were precious.
It was because those memories were “different.”
Time that has passed doesn’t return.
No matter how much you try to sever it, there are unchangeable parts in family relationships.
As long as I had the memories of the kind Mother from my childhood, the memories with my friends in high school couldn’t replace them.
I could only cover over those memories, again and again, to create more vivid and unforgettable ones, slowly lightening the emotions I felt when recalling those childhood memories.
“…By the way.”
However,
“If Mother came looking for me, isn’t it dangerous for you to be here, Ms. Yang Hye-in? Wouldn’t that reveal where I am?”
I asked sharply.
If it were Mother’s personality, she might have ordered someone to follow and investigate after Yang Hye-in.
If she knew I was coming out in the morning, she would surely have done that.
…I still didn’t fully understand Mother.
I didn’t know whether the way she treated me was genuine or if she had some other intention.
But I had been the one to watch Mother all those years.
If Mother were so obsessively prying into my thoughts, she might very well exert that much effort to find me.
“Yes, that’s possible.”
“So, can I ask why you’re following me?”
“Even if I didn’t follow you, the chairwoman would have found out where you were by the end of today. I thought it was more important to deliver the news as quickly as possible.”
“…”
I was about to ask why she didn’t just call, but I closed my mouth.
Just because it was a phone call didn’t mean it couldn’t be overheard.
Though I didn’t know the details, Mother surely had enough money.
As long as it involved scientific principles, there was nothing money couldn’t trace.
Escaping was turning out to be quite difficult.
“Isn’t there a chance Mother might be waiting in front of the school?”
“The chairwoman had an important matter and returned to the company right away.”
“That could be a lie, though.”
“…”
Cutting ties with Mother meant something like this.
Severing the connections I had on her side.
Of course, the “connections” I had were “Mother’s people,” and it wasn’t like they would do what I asked.
I could try threatening them for information, but who knew how reliable that information would be.
If Mother had given them false information, then whatever I got would be inaccurate.
That’s why I thought it would be better to cut ties unilaterally.
But now that things were like this, I realized I didn’t have many people to rely on.
At least while Yang Hye-in was managing the mansion, I could have formally gotten information from the subordinates.
But to them, Yang Hye-in had already been fired and then forcibly reinstated by me.
On top of that, she couldn’t even stop the chairwoman from visiting, so they probably knew my power wasn’t as strong as it seemed.
…Right.
My life had hit a perfect low.
As I started feeling a little down,
“No, the chairwoman is not in front of the school.”
Yang Hye-in firmly said.
“How do you know that?”
When I asked, she pulled out her smartphone from her pocket, tapped it briefly, and handed it to me.
[Just in case, I took overall photos and sent them.]
The photo had been sent only five minutes ago.
The sender was Ha-neul.
The pictures were taken using a wide-angle mode from the front gate of the school.
Like every morning, luxury foreign cars were gathered, and among them, there were cars where students were getting out.
“The chairwoman’s car is not in the photo. At least not among the ones I remember.”
“…You remember all of Mother’s cars?”
“Yes, it was necessary for work. The chairwoman has one car for business and one for personal use. As far as I know, she doesn’t have a hobby of collecting cars, and there aren’t many places to get a car at that hour. Even if she rented one, we could identify the license plate.”
Yang Hye-in explained slowly to my gaping expression.
“I also know some of the cars used by other executives. If the chairwoman borrowed someone else’s car, there might be one I don’t recognize, but—”
Just then, the phone in my hand buzzed again.
I looked at the screen, and this time, Soo-ah had sent a picture.
It was a bit similar but different from the one sent earlier.
Some of the cars that had been parked had left, and new ones were coming in.
Again, I could see students getting out of the cars.
“At least, with these real-time photos, we can determine whether or not the chairwoman is coming.”
“…”
I had just said there was no one I could rely on…
But now, I’d have to take that back.