As I was struggling to breathe and my mind was about to black out—
Bang!
A loud noise jolted me awake.
Choi Na-kyung was still on top of me, her hands covering my mouth and nose, blocking my view with her face, so I couldn’t fully grasp the situation, but that sound was unmistakable.
It was the sound of a hard, heavy object crashing against something.
Even that noise made Choi Na-kyung flinch.
“What the—”
Choi Na-kyung turned to look toward the direction of the sound, which was the driver’s side window—
Bang!
Once again, something hit the glass hard.
It was a crunch, ominous noise.
“Ah…!”
Choi Na-kyung let out a scream and sat up as if she had seen something outside the window, but—
Bang!
It was already too late.
There was no clear chime of glass breaking. Just the sound of something cracking, shattering, and then a heavy thud as it fell.
But that alone was enough to confirm that the window had shattered.
Something began to tap-tap against the car door, and then there was the sound of something falling again. Almost immediately after, a clunk echoed, likely the sound of the door opening.
The air, which had been thick just moments ago, suddenly settled with an eerie chill.
Ugh!
I shouted with every ounce of strength I had. If you could even call it a shout—that’s what it felt like anyway.
“What on earth…!”
“Chairwoman.”
A voice.
Not Choi Na-kyung’s voice, but someone else’s.
What’s more, they were calling out to her as ‘Chairwoman.’
Could it be someone I know? I hoped so. The thought of an unknown person breaking in through the window was even scarier than Choi Na-kyung herself.
In that instant, Choi Na-kyung’s hands fell away from my face.
“What are you doing right now!?”
“Do you know what you are doing, Chairwoman?”
Choi Na-kyung screamed like she was in agony, but the other person didn’t seem to care at all.
“P-Please… help me…”
Finally able to catch my breath after having my mouth and nose blocked, I managed to say that. It felt like my voice was getting drowned out by my own breath. My head felt hazy, and my vision was blurrier than ever.
No, I couldn’t lose consciousness yet. I needed to know who this person was. They could be someone worse than I thought. Who knows, they might just be passing by and saw Choi Na-kyung alone, trying to rob us.
I blinked rapidly, trying to regain my focus, but Choi Na-kyung’s back blocked my view.
But even amidst this chaos, it seemed like the other person was listening to me.
“Yes, miss.”
In this situation, their voice remained calm. Just moments ago, they had swung something heavy against the window multiple times.
“I came to help you.”
And with that unchanging voice, I felt a slight relief wash over me, even though I was still thinking, ‘I can’t trust this person yet.’
“…Yang Hye-in…?”
“Yes, I am Yang Hye-in.”
After a brief pause,
“As your personal maid, I have come to resolve the current situation.”
She was likely addressing Choi Na-kyung, but oddly enough, it felt directed toward me as well.
*
What Yang Hye-in could see were Choi Na-kyung’s hands tightly covering Sara’s mouth.
Even though Choi Na-kyung was doing something terrifying, oddly, the look in Yang Hye-in’s eyes wavered.
Like someone who was scared.
Of course, Yang Hye-in wasn’t dressed in her usual maid uniform.
She wore pants for ease of movement, and a thick outer coat, inappropriate for the weather, just in case she got hit. Ever since stepping out into the heat with no air conditioning, sweat was trickling down her back.
She hadn’t come here with the intent to hurt anyone.
Choi Na-kyung had certainly done something wrong, but it was only right that Sara, who was the one affected, should deal with it. Yang Hye-in would just quietly follow and help.
Hence, she silently worked with the crowbar in her hand, clearing the glass stuck in the car window.
She shattered the remaining broken glass, swept away any sharp edges with the thick handle of the crowbar, and twisted her body to reach inside the car with her left hand.
“Y-You…!”
Choi Na-kyung let out something resembling a scream.
“What are you doing here right now?”
“I’m here to protect my employer.”
Yang Hye-in said calmly.
At first, I was terrified as she followed the car.
I didn’t know what Choi Na-kyung was going to do.
I had heard bits and pieces about Choi Na-kyung being cornered at work, but I never imagined she would explode like this.
When someone explodes like this, you can’t predict their next move. That’s how it was with ‘Sara.’ No matter what Yang Hye-in anticipated, it became something beyond that.
So I was worried that she might drive the car off a cliff or do something reckless in the vehicle… like trying to go down with ‘Sara.’
But thankfully, it seemed Choi Na-kyung genuinely loved ‘Sara’.
Thanks to that, I could still see ‘Sara’ safe for now.
…Or is she really safe?
Just a while ago, there was that noise near the car.
It sounded like one of the windows was partially down, along with a shout that could be heard clearly from outside the car. A voice full of anger for someone who hasn’t been paying attention, asking, “Didn’t you say you love me?”
Having heard those words, I felt a bit uneasy.
What if, just what if—
What if they touched Sara before putting her in the car?
“…”
But even for that, Yang Hye-in didn’t have the right to judge.
Since she had already committed so many sins against her.
Click.
As I raised the door handle in my left hand, the car door swung wide open.
“Chairwoman.”
Yang Hye-in spoke as she pushed herself into the car.
“Please come out.”
“…”
Fearing that someone might jump in to take the driver’s seat, Yang Hye-in crawled into the driver’s seat. I felt sharp shards of glass under my knees, but luckily, I was wearing thick pants, so it didn’t hurt.
As Yang Hye-in moved from the driver’s side towards the passenger seat, Choi Na-kyung pressed herself into the corner of the car.
“How… did you get here…?”
Choi Na-kyung was still holding onto ‘Sara’. Even though she could have escaped through the back door, she remained there, indicating how deeply she was attached to ‘Sara.’
“It’s over. There’s nowhere to run now.”
“No!”
Choi Na-kyung yelled desperately.
“It’s not over yet! I’m here, and so is Sara!”
Choi Na-kyung pulled ‘Sara’ toward her with all her might.
“L-Let go…”
Sara… or ‘Sara’, said in a weary voice, but Choi Na-kyung continued to pull her in.
With a clunk, the back door opened. It looked like Choi Na-kyung was about to make a run for it.
“…”
Yang Hye-in shook her hands and then dashed forward, grabbing Sara’s arm.
“Are you… not letting go!?”
Choi Na-kyung was straining with all her strength to pull Sara in. She was stronger than she looked. Maybe she had been exercising or something?
“…”
Without saying a word, Yang Hye-in crossed to the back seat.
Sara’s body stayed still. Despite Choi Na-kyung gripping her under her arms, Yang Hye-in held onto Sara’s sleeve with one hand and the bottom of her school uniform with the other.
“Ugh…”
Sara, stuck in the middle, let out a painful sound.
“I’m sorry. Please bear with me for a moment.”
Yang Hye-in said that, alternating her grip on Sara’s body as she edged closer to Choi Na-kyung.
“Why, why, why is everyone doing this to me!”
Choi Na-kyung was almost in a panic.
“I’ve waited so long! Why are those who came later trying to take my precious ones away like this?”
Because your waiting method was wrong.
…That thought crossed my mind, but it was definitely not something I should say.
Choi Na-kyung was unable to act. The back door was open, but the moment she let go, she would lose Sara. Conversely, if she didn’t let go of Sara, she’d get grabbed by Yang Hye-in.
Choi Na-kyung knew that Yang Hye-in had at least learned basic self-defense. When all the security guards were incapacitated, she had trained to protect Sara even if it was only for a little longer.
Moreover, she was still holding the crowbar in one hand.
Even while pulling Sara’s body, she had managed not to drop it. The sight of her swinging the crowbar on top of Sara while holding her clothes was enough to send a shiver down your spine, like something out of a horror movie.
“…”
Choi Na-kyung gritted her teeth. After briefly closing her eyes and taking a deep breath,
She finally released her grip on Sara’s body.
And at that same moment, she pulled herself back as far as she could.
Wham!
As she hurriedly leaned back, she fell backward, and a dangerous sound was made, but Choi Na-kyung quickly pushed off the ground and stood up.
The plan had gone awry.
For now, she just needed to get away from here.
…She would have to part with Sara, but there would be another chance.
Choi Na-kyung thought so as she took off her high heels.
Yes, she had waited and waited.
Just a little longer.
If she could just hold on for a bit more.
In the end…
In the end, if only Sara stayed by her side, she would forgive everything.
As Choi Na-kyung burst out of the car, that was all that filled her mind.
