“You can do the right thing and protect the family business.”
Lee Soo-ah said that to her father.
“Is this ‘right thing’ you’re talking about getting close to Ye Sara?”
No.
Lee Soo-ah only answered inwardly.
She didn’t want to just be close.
She wanted to be a little closer and stay with her for a long time.
She wanted to become like her.
…And she hoped Sara would become like her too.
That’s what she thought.
But of course, she couldn’t say that openly.
Her father was a good man.
Her mother was the same.
Though both were often too busy to see, they knew how to spend the time they had joyfully and happily with their daughter.
But, Lee Soo-ah’s parents were both somewhat conservative.
Was it because they ran one of the oldest companies in Korea?
Or because they had ancestors who were respected, even if they weren’t the best in Korea or the world?
Both her parents wished for Lee Soo-ah to continue the ‘bloodline’.
Of course, they had never said it outright.
It wasn’t a special topic that needed to be discussed openly anyway.
It was just something that came up occasionally in conversation—comments like, “When our Soo-ah gets married and has children one day…”
Lee Soo-ah had thought that was only natural.
She used to think that.
As her father said, continuing the family business was important.
Lee Soo-ah also didn’t want the company to disappear.
But as long as it didn’t disappear, there was no need for her to take it over herself.
Her parents were conservative, but they weren’t the type to oppress others.
They didn’t discriminate against homosexuals or anything like that.
In today’s world, such actions could shake a company.
Lee Soo-ah didn’t believe her parents were that close-minded.
That’s why even if the person she liked was a woman, her parents wouldn’t necessarily oppose it.
However, they would probably still quietly hope she married a man.
That’s right.
Two women can’t have children.
It’s a world where same-sex marriages are allowed and same-sex couples can adopt children, but those adopted children don’t carry their ‘bloodline’.
She had uncles and aunts, but her parents would want to pass the company on to Lee Soo-ah.
That thought weighed on her, even when she was younger and didn’t like anyone.
…But even so, she couldn’t just let the family business disappear on a whim.
Sara would never let that happen.
“Yes, that’s what I think.”
Lee Soo-ah spoke calmly.
Her heart, which had been beating a little fast, slowly calmed down as she spoke.
It was only hard to think about at first, but once she started talking, her nerves eased bit by bit.
Her father just sat quietly, as if waiting for Lee Soo-ah to finish speaking.
“…Do you know exactly what situation Sara is in right now?”
“No, I don’t.”
The answer was immediate.
“Then why did you tell me not to get close to Sara?”
“That’s because…”
Her father started to speak, but then paused.
He closed his eyes as if contemplating and sat there silently for a while.
Tapping the desk lightly with his fingers, he finally let out a deep sigh and opened his mouth.
“I heard that the chairwoman, Sara’s stepmother, personally gave a warning.”
‘I heard something like that.’
For a moment, Lee Soo-ah doubted her ears.
Was her father really cooperating in ruining a child’s life based on mere rumors?
…If that were the case, Lee Soo-ah would also be partaking in a rumor whose truth she didn’t even know.
Her chest tightened as if someone were squeezing her heart.
“No one said it directly. I just pieced together the rumors I heard from here and there. But there were certainly significant incidents that supported those rumors.”
Her father said this while rubbing the back of his neck.
“A few years ago, there was a fairly successful mid-sized company that disappeared without a trace. Since it supplied goods to a large company, the large company it was associated with also took a huge hit. Numerous subcontractors linked to that mid-sized company went bankrupt all at once. It was a huge issue.”
“…How is that connected to Sara?”
“The son of that company was close to Ye Sara.”
“…”
Lee Soo-ah’s mouth slightly opened.
“That’s not all.”
Before Lee Soo-ah could say anything, her father continued.
“It’s not just that one incident. Even before those kids became close, Ye Sara had already started becoming isolated. And there was a ‘rumor’ that someone was leading that isolation.”
Again, it was a ‘rumor’.
“According to that ‘rumor’, a huge donation was made to a school foundation where the children of wealthy families attended. Whether the child went to school or not, they were marked as present, and even if they didn’t take exams, their tests were automatically graded, allowing them to receive above-average scores.”
“…”
“And if anyone got close to that child, someone would definitely destroy them. The method was usually money. It wasn’t just the son of that mid-sized company. There were a few other families that served as examples even before that. Children of a company president smaller than the mid-sized firm. And,”
Her father let out another small breath.
“Surprisingly, one of the companies that that mid-sized firm supplied was a Eugene Group company… or so the rumor goes.”
He looked directly at Lee Soo-ah and said,
“Yes, there’s no proof. Someone thoroughly hid everything. They likely silenced those who knew, threatened, maybe even blackmailed them. If they had enough money to buy off every person, it would have been easy. That’s why it’s just a ‘rumor’.”
Lee Soo-ah’s father leaned slightly toward her, lowering his voice, as if someone might overhear.
“She took the risk of dealing a fatal blow to her own group’s company just to eliminate that mid-sized company. And during that process, all sorts of terrible things happened… or so the ‘rumor’ goes. The president was kidnapped, beaten until all his limbs were broken, and his wife disappeared while shopping, only to return three days later, beaten and naked. Someone set fire to their house, thieves raided their warehouse, and the company’s most critical secrets were leaked. They found the culprit, who boldly claimed to have acted alone, went to prison, and later enjoyed a luxurious life with sudden wealth… or so the ‘rumor’ says.”
Then he leaned back in his chair and sat quietly.
“It’s said that the only one who came out of that family unscathed was the son who had been close to that girl. As for why only that boy was unharmed, opinions are divided. Some say it was so he could live, constantly looking at his ruined family… or so the rumor goes.”
“…But.”
At last, Lee Soo-ah spoke.
“But even so, our company is big, isn’t it? It’s not even related to that company’s industry. Besides, such methods might work on one person, but they would surely fail if tried on many…”
“Soo-ah.”
Her father sighed softly.
“The important thing is not just that the company disappeared. What’s important is that all those terrible things that happened during the company’s downfall could happen to people around that child as well. If something happened to you, I don’t know if I could remain sane.”
“Ah…”
Upon hearing that, Lee Soo-ah could say no more.
Her heart, which had calmed down earlier, began to race again.
From tension.
And from fear.
The confidence she had when she first spoke was slowly dwindling.
“This is a ‘warning’. And the more a person has to lose, the more effective such warnings are. It’s not a warning meant for everyone. It’s a warning aimed at those who get close. It doesn’t say, ‘You will definitely suffer’, but rather, ‘Even I could be hurt’, instilling fear and preventing anyone from approaching that child.”
Including us.
Though he didn’t say it aloud, Lee Soo-ah felt as if she had heard those words.
“…No.”
But even after hearing that, Lee Soo-ah said so.
“Soo-ah.”
“No matter what, there must be a way.”
“I’m not saying there’s no way. I’m saying there’s no reason we have to be the ones to do it.”
Attempting it could result in unknown harm.
“No, I have to do it.”
Soo-ah clenched her teeth.
The fear and tension didn’t subside in the slightest.
Her heart was still pounding.
But even so, she had to do it.
Because she was one of the few people who had gotten close to Sara.
And because she was one of the few who had learned a secret no one else knew.
“I have information.”
“Hmm.”
Seeing that Lee Soo-ah wouldn’t back down, her father looked at his daughter intently.
“Is that so? Then can you tell me what that information is? If it’s information that could help you, I’ll allow you to stay by her side.”
“…”
Lee Soo-ah thought for a moment.
Was it really okay to tell her father this information?
It wasn’t because of the importance of the information.
She just wondered if it was right to share Sara’s personal information so freely.
‘…Alright, I’ll leave out the part about the letter and the sleeping pills for now.
Instead, I’ll tell him what I saw with my own eyes.’
With that decision, Lee Soo-ah looked straight into her father’s eyes and began to speak.
And she shared her plan.
Leaving out the most important part.
*
In the end, she wasn’t allowed to go out.
She had expected as much.
But that didn’t mean she had given up on what she had decided to do.
Lee Soo-ah’s room was on the second floor.
She opened the window and tore off the curtains.
Using a method she found online, she tied them together to make a rope.
The rope seemed to be well-made, but the problem was that Lee Soo-ah didn’t have the strength to climb down with it.
Fortunately, she landed on the grass, and the noise wasn’t loud.
Her left side, which hit the ground, got slightly scraped, but it wasn’t bad enough to stop her from walking.
Choco, who had been sleeping, lifted his head and looked at her.
Lee Soo-ah walked over to Choco and stroked his head.
“I’ll be out for a while.”
The old dog weakly licked Lee Soo-ah’s hand.
“When it’s all over, I’ll come back.”
The old dog rested his chin on her hand and looked up at her.
She didn’t know what he was thinking.
Soo-ah stood up.
Carefully, so her footsteps wouldn’t make a sound, she walked toward the door.
She quietly opened the gate and slipped outside,
Then started running.
To where Sara was.