…And soon after, a nurse rushed over and, feeling a bit awkward, reminded us to be quiet.
Well, it makes sense. Making noise in a hospital, especially at midnight, is a no-go. It was everyone’s bedtime, and if they were patients, recovering was their priority.
So, we decided to step outside for a bit.
Fortunately, the lights in the hospital hallway weren’t completely off, so we didn’t get lost on our way out.
“So you mean to say that you were able to follow right after ‘Sara’ was kidnapped?”
At my question, everyone nodded.
We had somewhat prepared for this.
I knew that Choi Na-kyung had been in the thick of things, and that’s why Yang Hye-in was waiting at the school gate. The moment Sara got kidnapped, we could chase right after.
Yang Hye-in and Sohee had staff phones, which allowed Sohee to follow Yang Hye-in immediately.
“…So we’re going to ride in this person’s car?”
I looked at the only unfamiliar face in this group.
“Y-yes?”
The person, with a startled expression, responded as our eyes met.
So… their name was Lee Yu-kyung, huh?
It turned out the journalist who had been persistently following me since the beginning of the semester was this very person.
Well, now they were more of a personal hired photographer than a journalist, it seemed.
I turned my gaze to Sua.
When her eyes met mine, Sua blushed and averted her gaze.
…I mean, I wasn’t blaming her. Thanks to Sua, we were able to accurately piece together all sorts of evidence.
This was the only person who could have captured the moment when Sara was kidnapped. The angle of my photo, tied up in the backseat of the car while Choi Na-kyung was driving, was quite perfect.
To be honest, if it gets shared online, it would likely be a prime meme material.
…Though if it gets turned into a meme, it would probably make a huge controversy.
But still, this person seems… I don’t know, they photographed me and Ha Neul in a way that could easily be misunderstood, and yet they can’t look me in the eye.
They appear to be much older than Sara, but they’re using honorifics.
“So where are all the photos you’ve taken so far? Are they being stored somewhere?”
Just to be sure, I asked.
“H-hik!”
They flinched.
I raised an eyebrow with a slight frown and a question mark over my head, and it was Sua who opened her mouth.
“…For now, I’m the one taking care of them. The contract included transferring the rights and usage too.”
“I see.”
I nodded.
While Sua might not be rich like Sara, she was set to inherit a business substantial enough to be in the top ten of the country.
So, she must have enough to hire a photographer.
“Could I possibly ask how you used the photos?”
I wasn’t planning to press on the matter of either my or Sara’s photos. Sua was doing this for both of us, after all. I didn’t think she would use my compromising photos in weird places.
“That’s…”
At my question, Sua seemed to think for a moment. She looked at me with her head slightly bowed, and then seemed to gather her determination and nodded once.
“Those were sent to Yujin Group’s executives.”
“…Huh?”
In that instant, I didn’t quite grasp her words, and ended up letting out a somewhat vacant sound.
No, everyone present, even the one who was supposed to be taking the photos, wore blank expressions.
We couldn’t fully comprehend why Sua would take such an action.
“…Can I ask why?”
“Sure.”
In response to my question, Sua nodded again.
*
“Oh, so…,”
I finally began to grasp why Choi Na-kyung suddenly tried to kidnap Sara.
In other words, Sua arranged the fact that “Sara is being abused” and handed it over to the key figures of Yujin Group.
Even though Choi Na-kyung holds quite a significant stake, she doesn’t completely dominate the company. Each executive’s stake is smaller than Choi Na-kyung’s, but combine those stakes and they would certainly outnumber hers.
And even beyond the executives, if you consider the major shareholders of Yujin Electronics, it’s a scenario where Choi Na-kyung alone cannot contend.
Thus, she needs Sara’s shares. Not just shares as a stock but also the indirect shares that Sara possesses.
Additionally, I hadn’t confirmed it yet, but I had already requested Team Leader Han Garam to accumulate stocks. Although it wasn’t a long time, it had been enough to amass a meaningful amount, and my share was steadily increasing. Long-term, that would definitely be a threat.
Until now, it was assumed that my stake was effectively the same as Choi Na-kyung’s. I hadn’t met with the other executives, and she had deliberately kept us from meeting. It’d be hard to make them side with Sara.
Well, considering that until now, Sara had been in love with Choi Na-kyung, I guess that’s not entirely incorrect.
…The term “love” is a bit…
…Should I just say it’s a maternal bond instead?
Anyway, if the fact that “Sara is being abused” became known…
No, even if it doesn’t, if they had already reached “a tentative conclusion” among themselves…
Then Choi Na-kyung would be in a dire situation.
Right, when it comes to ‘money’, that is.
The problem was that Choi Na-kyung wasn’t just after ‘money’ as she had been Sara’s mother.
“So you’re saying she thought, ‘This time, I might really lose my chance.’”
Exactly.
If things went on like this, she might really lose Sara for good. The media has been extremely sensitive to these kinds of facts lately.
…While Sara’s father had already passed away, there’s no guarantee that there were no relatives on that side.
If they can legally strip Choi Na-kyung of her parental rights, there would be plenty of people willing to take care of Sara.
Moreover, Sara was trying to break away from Choi Na-kyung at the same time.
In such overlapping situations, Choi Na-kyung made that choice.
…Well, I don’t exactly feel sympathy.
Having been through it myself.
“Yeah, so…”
“That’s not your fault.”
Before Sua could apologize, I preemptively cut her off.
Sua looked up in surprise at my words.
“Who on earth would think that? Even if there’s no blood relation, it’s still a mother-daughter relationship.”
…Additionally, Choi Na-kyung had said things during that time that I couldn’t comprehend. Talking about past stories that didn’t involve Sara or saying it wasn’t the right time.
I felt like there was something hidden yet to be uncovered.
What that is, I won’t know until I catch Choi Na-kyung.
But I chose to keep that thought aside and continued speaking to Sua.
“So you don’t have to feel guilty about it. Even if it weren’t you, it would have eventually come to light.”
Right. It just wasn’t the right time to blow up.
After years passed, when the ‘right time’ Choi Na-kyung spoke of arrives, she would have definitely done something bad to Sara.
After all, she had already put her in wedding dresses and made her meet with herself a few times.
…
I felt a shiver run down my spine.
Back then, I had only made a vague guess, but now I knew it was truth.
Had it gone wrong, Sara wouldn’t have been my first kiss partner but Choi Na-kyung, by force.
That’s not exactly a future I desire.
“And, um… Lee Yu-kyung as well.”
“Yes!?”
When I called out their name, they flinched dramatically.
…Oh, right. Sara’s face was intimidating enough to make a first-time meeting tense.
…That’s a bit harsh.
No, I’m not saying she’s ugly.
Sara is definitely pretty.
…Hehe.
…Setting aside Sara’s reaction for now.
This fact couldn’t be denied by anyone. The problem is, no matter how pretty a person is, they can still be scary. With just a glare, Sara could easily put someone on edge.
And considering the money behind Sara…
Thinking “What could that person do to me?” could induce enough terror.
Besides, even though they were commissioned by Sua, they had, at least, taken those photos “without my knowledge”. If I thought about it negatively, well…
But then again, for someone who’s supposedly the richest teenage photographer, they seem a bit jumpy.
…So is that why I didn’t pick up on it? They were too far away while trying to sneakily take photos?
“There’s no need to be so scared. Thanks to you, I’m still alive. And, in fact, some things have become clearer due to this situation.”
“Y-yes…”
Lee Yu-kyung’s expression noticeably relaxed.
Yes, it means that the company’s executives now properly understood my situation.
Sara is still a minor and needs a guardian. Now that Choi Na-kyung is out of the picture, they would probably try to reach out to me one way or another.
But is there anyone among them who genuinely cares about Sara?
Well, that’s something I’ll discover over time.
I gazed quietly at Lee Yu-kyung and smiled.
The beads of sweat forming on her forehead were likely not from the heat.
