The next morning.
After finishing my school preparations, I came down to the first floor of the apartment, and there was Yang Hye-in waiting for me.
“Senpai!”
Sohee quickly approached Yang Hye-in, who was standing still like a statue.
“If you had told me, I would have opened the door for you.”
In fact, this was my first time staying in an apartment, so I didn’t really know how other apartments worked. But in this one, you had to either enter a password or dial the number of the unit you wanted to visit to get the door to open.
If you didn’t know the password, it was only natural to just dial Sohee’s unit number and get permission. I didn’t think Sohee’s family would refuse to let someone wait at the entrance for a bit.
“No, I’m fine,” Yang Hye-in said simply, as she slightly bent towards me.
“Did you sleep well last night, Miss?”
In my old house, I was always greeted in the same way before stepping out of my room, so I never had to show such behavior to other people.
It was early in the morning—but maybe because it was early, there were a few people walking around. Everyone’s commuting times would be different, especially since the school I attended wasn’t just any school. But even so, the number of people passing by was not something I could ignore.
And they were all looking this way.
Yang Hye-in was still wearing the same outfit as when she was at the mansion. Of course, she must have plenty of extra clothes with the same design. However, she wasn’t wearing the apron and headband she usually did indoors.
As I recalled, Yang Hye-in always dressed like this when she went outside. Well, Sohee was obviously in her school uniform since she was a student.
But even if her outfit looked like just a black shirt and a slightly long skirt, seeing someone tall and older than me greet politely was apparently quite a sight for others.
“Yes, I slept well.”
My nights these days are always comfortable.
Because someone waits for me within.
Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Yang Hye-in straightened up and returned to her expressionless face.
“Did you come to guide me to school? I can just follow Sohee.”
“Yes, that is one reason, but…”
Yang Hye-in hesitated, glancing around. The people who had been stealing glances at us quickly turned their heads and walked away.
Is it a story that a passerby couldn’t catch a word of?
“Let’s talk while we walk.”
As I said this and started to walk, Sohee quickly moved ahead to take the lead.
Oh, right. I don’t know the way.
*
Listening to the story, it turned out there was indeed a reason for Yang Hye-in to come.
“Your mother came by early this morning?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
So, if I had been a bit slower, I could have faced her right there in the mansion. Just after waking up. Without any preparation.
“…”
‘Soon’ must have been quite serious.
Hearing this, my heart raced a little.
Does my mother still love me?
…Thinking like this means I really am in deep trouble.
If that person had heard this, she would have been extremely sad, yet I couldn’t help but think like this. After reading the memories of the past few months and experiencing many things myself, it’s not like I could erase the memories engraved in my mind for years.
The memories between me and that person, and the memories between me and my friends, cannot serve as ‘substitutes for the memories of mother.’
It’s not just that the childhood memories with my mother are precious.
It was that the two memories are ‘different memories.’
The time that has passed doesn’t return. No matter how much I try to sever family ties, there are things that cannot be changed.
As long as there are memories of my kind mother, I can’t replace them with memories of friends from high school.
I just have to cover that with more and more layers to create memories that are clearer and unforgettable than that childhood memory, and gradually dilute the feelings I have when recalling those memories.
“…But.”
Just then…
“If your mother came looking for me, wouldn’t it be a bit dangerous for you to be here, Yang Hye-in? It would mean exposing where I am.”
I asked in a slightly sharp voice. Knowing my mother’s personality, she might have instructed someone to follow Yang Hye-in and investigate. If they knew I was coming out this morning, she certainly would have done that.
…I still don’t know much about my mother. I don’t know if that was her true self or if there was something else she was aiming for.
However, I was also someone who had watched my mother for a long time.
If my mother was the kind of person who could obsessively rummage through my thoughts, I was sure she would put in some effort to find me.
“Yes, perhaps so.”
“Then can I ask why you followed me like this?”
“Even if I hadn’t followed you, the chairman would have certainly known where you are today. So I thought it was best to deliver the news quickly.”
“…”
In that case, couldn’t I have used the phone? I opened my mouth to say it but ended up keeping quiet.
There’s no guarantee that eavesdropping wouldn’t happen just because it’s a phone call.
I don’t really understand the principle… but I’m sure my mother has plenty of money. If it’s a method that can be used scientifically, there’s nothing that can’t be tracked with money.
Wow, escaping is tough.
“Isn’t there a chance your mother could be in front of the school?”
“The chairman went back to the company because there’s an important matter today.”
“That could be a lie, you know.”
“…”
Cutting ties with my mother is like that. It means I’d sever all ties with her people as well.
Of course, it’s not like those ‘ties’ are anything more than ‘my mother’s people,’ and they wouldn’t listen to me just because I asked them to. I could force them to spill, but who knows how good the quality of the information I’d get from that kind of coercion would be?
If my mother intentionally gave that person false information, then the information I receive would be unreliable.
So I thought it would be better to eliminate ties entirely.
But now that the situation has turned out like this, I find I have few people to depend on.
At least I could have gotten information from Yang Hye-in when she was managing the mansion. But for those people, Yang Hye-in was officially fired and then forcibly reinstated by me. Plus, since she can’t stop the chairman from visiting, they would know my power isn’t that strong.
…Yeah. My life seems just right.
As I pondered a bit gloomily, Yang Hye-in straight up said,
“No, the chairman did not come to school.”
“…How do you know that?”
When I asked back, Yang Hye-in pulled out her smartphone and fiddled with it for a moment before handing it to me.
[I took a bunch of photos just in case.]
A photo sent just five minutes ago.
The sender was Ha Neul.
The photos taken in ultra-wide mode captured various scenes near the school gate. As always, luxury foreign cars had gathered in the morning, and some students were getting out of them too.
“There was no vehicle belonging to the chairman in the photos. At least among the ones I remember.”
“…You remember all of your mother’s vehicles?”
“Yes, it was necessary for work. The chairman has one car for business and another for personal use. As far as I know, he doesn’t have a hobby of collecting vehicles, and there’s really nowhere to get a vehicle at that time of the morning. Even if he rented a car, I would be able to spot its license plate.”
Yang Hye-in explained carefully to me as I gaped in disbelief.
“Also, I know a bit about other executives’ vehicles too. If the chairman had borrowed someone else’s car, there might be a vehicle I don’t know about, but—”
Buzz My phone vibrated in my hand, interrupting her.
Looking back at the smartphone screen, this time a photo came from Sua. It was a photo similar yet different from the one I had just received.
Some of the parked cars were leaving, and some were entering. Again, I could see students getting out.
“At least, with these real-time pictures coming in, I think I can determine whether or not the chairman is coming.”
“…”
Just a moment ago, I said I had no one to lean on…
I guess I need to take that back.
