After sending the police and government officials away, we sat down again in the reception room.
Naturally, there was not a single staff member present except for Sohee and Yang Hye-in. Although everyone seemed to be watching my reaction, I just couldn’t trust any of them.
In fact, I wasn’t even sure how much I could trust Yang Hye-in either, but since the police looked so stiff, it seemed to be because of her, so I let her stay.
Of course, there were some big issues on my side too. It seemed that the official had picked up on the ridiculous situation Sara had created.
Thanks to that, I had recalled a problem that I hadn’t been aware of until now, so at least there was that.
The problem was that Choi Na-kyung, whom I hadn’t touched yet, might be harassed by those people. This situation was definitely not going to be resolved with just one encounter.
…And even if my feelings for Choi Na-kyung weren’t that deep, Sara’s feelings for her were quite profound and dark.
Unless I went right to Choi Na-kyung, they wouldn’t be openly revealed, but in the depths of Sara’s heart, she still referred to her as ‘mother.’ This was also the reason Sara didn’t want to meet Choi Na-kyung anymore.
If this matter continued, no matter how much the police tried to prevent it, Choi Na-kyung might still try to reach out to me.
However, those things weren’t what was happening right now. I hadn’t properly answered the official yet, and naturally, the official was merely speculating that something had happened, without any solid evidence or testimony.
Moreover, what I could provide was only testimony but not evidence. It would be hard to face punishment with just testimony without material evidence. It might just irritate Choi Na-kyung for nothing.
For someone like Choi Na-kyung, it was obvious she would use extremely expensive lawyers. If there was no clear material evidence, she’d slip away like a mudfish.
“…So, what exactly happened?” I asked while sitting down.
Surely, when I went up to the room with that official, the police’s atmosphere wasn’t that tense. They had just seemed a little surprised by the mansion’s size; there was no reason for them to be angry.
But when I came down with the official, they sat there with tense expressions, tightly closing their mouths. They kept that serious demeanor even until they left.
At my question, Ha Neul, Sohee, and Sua silently looked at Yang Hye-in. It seemed they thought it wasn’t their story to tell.
Following their gaze, I shifted my eyes to Yang Hye-in.
“What happened?”
At my question, Yang Hye-in hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth heavily.
“…I testified about the things I did in this mansion.”
“The things you did in this mansion?” I frowned and thought for a moment.
She certainly wouldn’t be introducing her position and duties. The police wouldn’t make such serious faces for that. She wasn’t a communist coming to stab a bourgeoisie in the belly.
…Rather, it would be her testimony about the literal “things Yang Hye-in did in this mansion.”
…And the things Yang Hye-in had been doing in this mansion were…
“Haah.” I sighed deeply and rubbed my face.
“…So, you’re saying that the police… Yang Hye-in confessed to ‘child abuse’ that she committed in this mansion?”
At my words, Yang Hye-in quietly nodded her head.
Unlike her usual self, Yang Hye-in looked extremely tense. If the situation hadn’t been like this, I would’ve been utterly surprised to see such a human expression on her face. I’d never imagined she would show such emotion before.
…Yeah, and the ‘image’ I had of her was deeply embedded because Yang Hye-in had been Sara’s direct maid for the past three years. She was one of those who watched a young child slowly deteriorate over three years without taking any action, ultimately leading her to take her own life.
Why, then, would someone like her suddenly confess to the police?
…I had a rough idea.
Yang Hye-in had been gradually changing since I entered Sara’s body. Emotions that she used to hide were starting to show more, and her actions were primarily for Sara.
I didn’t quite understand how a person could change so suddenly.
Perhaps seeing me, who was much more emotional than the original Sara, had allowed her to empathize. Before that, she might have thought of Sara as merely a puppet.
“Why? Why now?” I asked, a hint of irritation in my voice.
It was natural for someone who did wrong to be punished. Whether it was punishment according to the law or resolved through personal conversation, having the will to recognize one’s wrongs was something I could view positively.
That was the reason I had been holding back from getting rid of Yang Hye-in up to now.
If she thought she should be penalized according to the law, I could respect that. But isn’t it proper to apologize to the victim first?
Yet, to act so suddenly like this…
“Actually, I…”
As I was seething inwardly, Yang Hye-in opened her mouth.
“Even right after I was fired from here, I tried to do something similar.”
“…”
I thought about what she might have been doing after she quit, and it seemed she might have gone to the police station.
Did she really want to relieve herself like that?
I swallowed the words that were about to come out.
In this matter, I wasn’t the aggrieved party. I had never personally suffered at Yang Hye-in’s hands. It was Sara who had been neglected. If anyone were to blame Yang Hye-in, it should have been Sara, and if there was to be an apology, it needed to be received by Sara, and if there was forgiveness, it should also come from Sara.
…
Sara hadn’t said a word for a while now.
“So you’re saying this has been something you’ve been thinking about for a long time?”
I asked to confirm.
“…”
Yang Hye-in couldn’t bring herself to answer.
Sure, if it was something she had been thinking about ‘for a long time’, there was no reason for her to act now.
These thoughts must have only emerged after she met me.
That’s why I felt even angrier.
In the end, Sara had been someone who had received no care from anyone until now.
…
Sara still said nothing.
No, no one sitting here was able to say a word.
*
Ultimately, the atmosphere became extremely awkward because I expressed my frustration over the sudden twist of events.
Perhaps because it was the first time I had shown such an attitude, Ha Neul, Sohee, and Sua only watched my facial expressions until nightfall. I was lost in my thoughts.
Meanwhile, Yang Hye-in seemed to regard my attitude as reasonable while remaining calm, which only made me angrier.
Of course, it’s good if someone realizes their wrongdoing and can apologize. There aren’t many people who can think deeply enough to repent and clear their sins.
However, I didn’t know what to do with someone who just thought about it and felt relieved alone.
I knew too well.
The one who was truly angry was not the one who was the aggrieved party, and I had no right to rebut her words.
So, I felt even more anger because I could only watch from the sidelines.
…I should just go to sleep.
As I lay on the bed, suppressing my anger, Sara whispered softly.
Talk to me.
…
If I fell asleep like this, I would have to see Sara’s face, huh?
I didn’t know what I would say.
In the end, I was someone who had tried to give everything up, leaving Sara behind.
I had thought I could now live normally without any worries and had felt relieved, preparing to leave.
Thinking that Sara would gladly accept everything I had left behind.
I made connections at will with Sara’s body and recklessly used that estate.
…Perhaps I was so angry precisely because I was projecting myself onto Yang Hye-in.
Hey.
As my thoughts kept rolling over, Sara finally spoke in an annoyed voice.
Just go to sleep already.
“…”
At that, I closed my eyes, which had been looking up at the ceiling.
*
“What are you doing acting like that?”
I wasn’t sure how long I had my eyes closed.
I probably hadn’t fallen asleep easily.
After a long time of keeping my eyes shut, I finally drifted into sleep, only to find Sara, looking dumbfounded, hands on her hips and gazing up at me.
In the dream, I had the same looks as Sara, but somehow I appeared a bit taller than her because her image was reflecting on me. As a result, whenever we stood facing each other, Sara always had to look up at me.
The way she looked up at me with her eyes wide open was cute. Although the feelings I had while looking at her face weren’t as calm.
“Um…”
Sara seemed to want to say something but bit her tongue; instead, she pressed her forehead with her finger and held something back.
“Haah.”
Then she sighed heavily, clearly for me to hear.
“So stop acting like that.”
I thought she had finally calmed down, but her voice still carried a significant edge to it.
“What? Creating connections as you please? Spending my money as you like?”
At Sara’s words, I nodded my head. Seeing my actions, Sara clenched her fist with a furious expression, then dropped it back down quietly. After brushing her hand down her chest, she murmured,
“Wait, Sara, let’s calm down.”
Then she sighed deeply again.
“You.”
Looking up at me again, she continued.
“Have I ever complained about the money you’ve spent or the things you’ve done? Have I ever said anything when you made friends without my permission or asked why you wasted so much money?”
“…No.”
“Exactly!”
At my answer, Sara seemed to burst with anger.
“Of course not! Because there’s no complaint! You think I look like someone who would silently hold grudges against you?”
I shook my head.
Even though Sara didn’t say it outright, she never hid the feelings she experienced. If something unpleasant happened, she made it obvious that she was displeased. Before I arrived, she hadn’t expressed her emotions much, which had concerned me, but at least the Sara who talked to me was fully lively.
“Right.”
Now, it seemed Sara was satisfied with my response and nodded.
“If what you were doing truly displeased me, I wouldn’t have kept quiet like this. I trust you enough to hand my body over to you.”
While saying that, she poked my chest repeatedly with her finger.
Then suddenly,
“Uh, huh?”
She jumped back in surprise.
After several steps backward, she looked at the finger she had just used to poke my chest.
…Oh dear…
Seeing such a reaction made the troubling thoughts I had just a moment ago seem irrelevant.
