“Step on it faster!”
Sohee, sitting right behind the driver’s seat, shouted that.
“I’m pressing as hard as I can!? It’s hard enough just going uphill right now!”
It was true that the car was the one struggling, not the driver. The four of them were in a small car, while the one they were following was an expensive-looking vehicle. It was no surprise that catching up would be impossible on the winding mountain road.
“Sigh…”
“Wait, be careful! Everything in there is worth more than this car!?”
As Sohee, sounding exhausted, slumped in her seat, the woman in the driver’s seat was startled.
“…What the heck is in there?”
“Of course, cameras and lenses. Though I may look like this, I’m a reporter.”
“You said taking photos was your main job, and the articles were just a purpose.”
“That’s how it is; you have to make a living.”
The woman who identified herself as a reporter sighed deeply and continued to drive.
“But you don’t need to worry so much. We’ve got the position pinned down. Thanks to that… maid or whatever.”
I heard that after Chairwoman Choi Na-kyung left, Yang Hye-in jumped right in after her. And Sohee was able to track Yang Hye-in’s position. So even though they were a bit slow, this car wouldn’t completely lose the Chairwoman’s car.
Yoo Ha-neul, Sohee, and Sua all seemed a bit relieved as they slumped in their seats.
“Still, that maid is incredible. Thinking of tracking down her former employer’s car like that.”
“Her current employer is in that car, you know,” Sohee reminded.
“Yeah, thanks to that, I’m able to follow that car. I’m grateful for that.”
The phrase “grateful for that” might sound sarcastic at first, but the bright expression on her face made it clear she was sincere.
“…Looks like you’re in a good mood?”
When Sua, sitting in the passenger seat, shot a glare at the so-called reporter,
“Of course, I’m in a good mood… not! I’m furious! I mean, kidnapping a little girl!”
The latter part of her statement was definitely said in an acting tone.
“….”
In the meantime, Yoo Ha-neul remained silent. She just stared out the window, slightly shaking her legs, looking uneasy.
“….”
The car fell into a moment of silence.
“Ahem.”
The self-proclaimed reporter cleared her throat, seeming a bit uncomfortable, but the mood that had settled didn’t easily brighten up again.
“…Uh, don’t worry too much. There are cars following closely nearby, and it doesn’t seem like they’re about to do anything rash since they’re taking her tied up.”
“….”
That statement only made the atmosphere heavier.
“…Ugh, I really shouldn’t talk.”
She said that and shook her head, staring straight ahead.
The winding mountain road was lined with steep climbs.
All they could see while climbing were just trees.
“Man, they’re really getting away.”
“Where are we now?”
It wasn’t just a simple few minutes of driving. It had already been an hour and a half since they left the school. Yang Hye-in said she wouldn’t lose track, since Sara was in the car, and she’d focus on simply following, which is why this car was keeping a leisurely distance behind the two cars.
“We just crossed over from Gyeonggi-do into Gangwon-do.”
“Gangwon-do…”
“Are they trying to hide out somewhere? If that’s the case, Incheon would be better.”
The driver tilted her head in confusion, but no one could answer that.
Chairwoman Choi Na-kyung was a pretty challenging person to figure out.
Her face was well known, and she had put her face out there for product promotions. She looked young for her age and was beautiful, so she drew a lot of people’s attention.
But aside from that, it seemed like she didn’t really meddle in management. Based on her past articles, the results weren’t so great.
“….”
Moreover, somehow, Yoo Ha-neul’s father was also feeling pressure from that woman.
She was definitely not a good person. At least that’s how they saw Chairwoman Choi Na-kyung. She isolated her daughter from the world and had her follow only herself.
If it wasn’t for Sara, ‘Sara’ would have continued to spiral into a pitiful state, far from the three people here.
…No, she probably wouldn’t have even met them at school. She might have already died.
Yoo Ha-neul hated that woman.
The ‘Sara’ Yoo Ha-neul met was definitely not a bad kid. She was a bit stubborn, and her way of thinking was somewhat twisted, but she could return love when loved, wanting to enjoy fun things and eat tasty food.
Though it seemed like she didn’t care about those things, looking at it from a step back, one could easily see things she failed to grasp.
‘Sara’ wasn’t fond of vegetables. While she always picked on food, she’d pick out only the meat and push vegetables like bell peppers or onions far away.
That was completely different behavior from Sara, who always tried to eat everything served to her. Of course, both had their likes and dislikes, but Sara was more determined about food preferences.
Both Sara and ‘Sara’ didn’t particularly care about what they wore. If they didn’t have clothes to wear, they’d just put on their school uniforms, entirely ignoring fashion trends, not even considering learning about it. But if one had to nitpick, ‘Sara’ seemed to prefer skirts, while Sara preferred pants.
Comparing family to family made it hard to see the differences; the differences in food, clothing, and lifestyle were completely distinct…
Yet, ultimately, ‘Sara’ was just like Yoo Ha-neul, a child who felt emotions and liked people. Though they were in an extraordinary situation, she wasn’t any different from ordinary kids in the end.
She was merely hiding her emotions to protect herself and putting up defenses.
What would that woman think about ‘Sara’ right now…
She couldn’t dare to imagine how scared ‘Sara’ was.
“Ah!”
As her thoughts ran wild, Sohee suddenly shouted from beside her, making Yoo Ha-neul flinch.
“What’s wrong?!”
“The car stopped!”
Sohee, nearly hanging over the driver’s seat, was pointing forward with her finger. There was her work smartphone hanging there instead of the navigation.
Indeed, the distance that had been getting longer until just a moment ago was now decreasing little by little. It meant that the car had stopped or at least slowed down.
“Ah, wait a second.”
Almost simultaneously, a different smartphone in Sohee’s pocket rang. She rummaged through her school uniform pocket and pulled out her phone.
The screen just said “Senior.”
“Ah, Senior!”
Sohee immediately answered the call as soon as she saw the name.
“Yes, yes, yes! Understood!”
The call was brief.
“What was that about?” Yoo Ha-neul asked after Sohee hung up.
“They said the car has stopped. It seems that my senior didn’t notice we were following. I guess it was easy to track since there’s only one road.”
Hearing that, everyone sighed in relief.
“Great, so we just have to follow this road now?”
The reporter said that and stepped on the gas harder.
“I can’t let someone else get this exclusive story before me. Buckle up, everyone. I’m about to speed up.”
Was it reassuring or frightening?
Yoo Ha-neul thought for a moment before deciding that frightening was the right word, looking at the rapidly shaking car, and quickly checked her seatbelt.
*
“….”
Seeing the blue sedan come to a complete stop, Yang Hye-in narrowed her eyes.
She had contacted Shin Sohee immediately, but it still seemed like those people had quite a distance left to follow. Perhaps they wouldn’t find them that quickly.
There was only one road. Formally speaking, it was a two-lane, so if she blocked the way, Chairwoman Choi Na-kyung’s car wouldn’t be able to pass. But if Chairwoman Choi Na-kyung was worried about such things, she wouldn’t have kidnapped her adopted daughter in broad daylight outside the school.
She was careless.
Chairwoman Choi Na-kyung appeared to be just an ordinary woman in build. No matter how light Sara was, she hadn’t thought about whether she could carry that body.
No, more than that, she hadn’t considered that she would try to kidnap her daughter.
That’s why she could only be shocked to see Sara through the car window as Chairwoman Choi Na-kyung exited the school.
What she had been waiting for in the car was indeed a divine move.
“…”
Chairwoman Choi Na-kyung slowed the car down. Since she had been keeping back a bit, there was still some distance left between her car and Choi Na-kyung’s vehicle.
What to do now?
If she parked behind, Chairwoman Choi Na-kyung could immediately notice and get away. But going in front wouldn’t provide much advantage either. Yang Hye-in could run away without getting in the car again.
But still, she figured it would be more useful to block the way for now.
If she got close to the car, she wouldn’t be able to drive straight ahead.
Yang Hye-in thought that as she reduced the speed of her car while simultaneously opening the glove compartment next to her driver’s seat.
