I Don’t Want to be a Villainess – Chapter 77

The first person to speak was me.

These days, that was the thought that came to Lee Soo-ah’s mind most often.

It was Lee Soo-ah who spoke to Sara first.

At their middle school graduation, she had gathered the courage to approach Sara and take a photo together.

That picture was probably the only one Sara took that day.

Although she couldn’t print it out since her father mustn’t find out, Lee Soo-ah still kept the photo safely on her smartphone.

Sara didn’t even appear in the graduation album.

While she had often seen Sara sitting far away in class, Sara never actively participated in any of the school’s important events.

Well, even if she had wanted to, it would have been impossible.

Everyone around her treated her like she didn’t exist.

How could someone who was treated as invisible participate in sports day or school festivals?

Still, Sara always came to school.

Although there were rumors she caused trouble in elementary school, the Sara that Lee Soo-ah had seen was always present at school.

Though it seemed she hadn’t been on the school trip.

Sara’s absence from the graduation album was likely because she hadn’t participated in the photo shoot.

While each student had an individual photo, there were also class pictures taken with their classmates.

…In truth, perhaps Lee Soo-ah never fully understood Sara’s situation.

No matter how much someone was ostracized or alienated, she believed that if you approached them with courage, they would be accepted.

After all, that’s what had happened with her.

But even that had its limits.

The friends who had been close to Lee Soo-ah began to feel uncomfortable around her after they heard rumors that she was spending time with Sara.

At first, they still spoke to her, and she received responses.

However, as the rumors spread and crossed the boundary from rumor to fact, and as Lee Soo-ah began mentioning Sara during conversations, the kids around her quickly started to distance themselves.

When she spoke to them, they would either flinch or pretend not to hear.

If she walked alongside them, they would subtly increase the distance between them.

It didn’t take long for Lee Soo-ah to become isolated in her class.

…Sara had endured that kind of situation for years.

Lee Soo-ah realized that she herself wouldn’t have been able to withstand it.

—Oh.

That’s right.

Sara hadn’t endured it either.

She had left behind a note expressing her thoughts and had sought out medication to end her life.

According to what Yang Hye-in had said, it was possible that Sara had taken those pills.

But even that had been a complete failure, and it was only then that Sara decided to change herself.

…Whether that reason was simply to live a week of happiness, she still wasn’t sure.

However—

“Well, for now, please go ahead with your work. If the servants don’t listen to you, tell me. I’ll go deal with them myself.”

“…Understood.”

Could someone like Sara, who said such things so casually to her former maid, still be thinking of giving up on life?

At least on the surface, Sara seemed full of energy these days.

No matter what she did, she appeared motivated, as though she had no thoughts of dying.

Aside from the incident in front of the Chairwoman, the Sara that Lee Soo-ah had seen was always brimming with the will to live.

If her mind had changed, why?

“…Um.”

When Yang Hye-in, still bowed, didn’t straighten up, Sara seemed a bit flustered.

“I think it’s fine to stand up now.”

Only after Sara said that did Yang Hye-in straighten her back.

“…”

There was a brief silence.

But it wasn’t awkward.

It was just that warm gazes were directed toward Sara and Yang Hye-in.

Though Lee Soo-ah wasn’t sure about the details of their relationship, from the outside, it seemed to be an ideal master-servant relationship.

They cared for each other, relying on one another even in difficult situations, and it was a comforting sight.

“Well then.”

However, Sara didn’t seem particularly pleased with the situation.

It was understandable.

Sara’s actions often didn’t align with her thoughts.

At school, she would boldly cause trouble without any shame, but she seemed embarrassed when she did something awkward or drew attention from her friends.

Perhaps Sara was simply more conscious of the people around her here.

That was why, in a way, Lee Soo-ah was pleased by this attitude.

“Is dinner ready?”

“I’ll check.”

As Sara shifted the conversation somewhat awkwardly, Yang Hye-in responded and moved gracefully toward the dining room.

“It’s almost dinnertime anyway. Shouldn’t we just go and wait?”

Having gotten used to speaking informally with Sara until just moments ago, So-hee almost forgot and quickly added a polite ending to her sentence.

“…If you’re going to work as a maid, you should at least act like one.”

Sara, a bit tired, spoke to So-hee in the same formal tone she had used with Yang Hye-in earlier.

Though the tone wasn’t serious, it carried a hint of weariness as if she was thinking about the future.

“Oh, come on. You can’t expect someone to do everything perfectly on the first day.”

“You’re not really in a position to say that, are you?”

So-hee had been smiling brightly the whole time.

No, it wasn’t that Lee Soo-ah didn’t know why she was so happy.

If she, too, could stay by Sara’s side 24/7, she would have worn the same expression.

Watching them, Lee Soo-ah saw Ha-neul biting her lip.

Was she thinking she wanted to do the same?

Probably.

Ha-neul had always run after So-hee whenever she charged ahead at full speed.

It was just that after seeing that letter on Saturday, she was likely gathering her thoughts.

Perhaps she didn’t want to burden Sara too much all at once.

…But, soon enough, Yoo Ha-neul would start running too.

Once she figured out a way, she would act immediately.

“Soo-ah.”

Lee Soo-ah’s body shivered slightly at the sound of her name.

When she looked toward the voice, she saw the others watching her from several steps away.

It was Sara who had called her.

“Let’s go eat.”

Sara’s smile as she said that was incredibly beautiful.

“…Yeah.”

Lee Soo-ah nodded and quickly followed, determined not to fall behind this time.

*

…By the time Lee Soo-ah returned home, the sky had already turned dark.

Though it was already March, the days weren’t long yet, so it wasn’t particularly late.

In any case, both of her parents were busy, and she was an only child.

Even if she came home a little late, there was no one to worry about her.

There was a housekeeper, but as long as Lee Soo-ah texted in advance, no one would say anything no matter what time she returned.

Perhaps it was simply a lack of interest.

A little after 8 p.m.

At this time, there weren’t many people walking around her neighborhood.

But with security cameras everywhere and regular police patrols, it was actually safer than more crowded places.

Standing in front of a gate much taller than her—one that might have cost as much as an average house to build—Lee Soo-ah reached out to the fingerprint scanner next to the bell.

Within two seconds, the lock clicked open.

Though not quite at the level of Sara’s mansion, Lee Soo-ah’s house was grand enough to be called a mansion.

It couldn’t compare to the Eugene Group, but her family also ran a “group”.

…In terms of history, their company was actually older than the Eugene Group.

Lee Soo-ah walked through the garden, which smelled of grass.

The old dog, Choco, seemed to be asleep.

Lately, he had been reluctant to go on walks, possibly because his joints weren’t in good shape.

Lee Soo-ah walked toward Choco.

There was a stone path in the narrow front yard, but she stepped onto the grass instead.

For some reason, she felt like it.

Crunch, crunch.

She stepped softly on the grass until she stood in front of Choco’s house.

The old dog was curled up, asleep inside.

She crouched down and stroked his head.

Choco seemed to wake up, lifting his head slowly to lick her hand a few times before resting it back down.

“…”

Not wanting to disturb him, Lee Soo-ah stood up.

“Young lady.”

She heard a voice call her from behind.

Turning around, she saw the housekeeper standing there.

Hadn’t she said she would eat out for dinner?

Was she confused?

As she was thinking that, the housekeeper spoke.

“The Chairman is asking for you.”

“Ah…”

Without hearing anything more, Lee Soo-ah knew the reason why.

*

“….”

Her father, who had rarely come home early, placed a sheet of paper on the desk without saying a word.

No, upon closer look, it wasn’t a newspaper.

It seemed to be an internet article printed out.

On that paper was a picture of Lee Soo-ah clinging to Sara.

Not just her, but on the other side, So-hee clung to Sara as well, and Ha-neul was holding Sara in a tight embrace.

The four of them looked quite happy in the photo.

Her father let out a deep sigh and sat down in the chair.

He gestured to the chair across the desk.

Without a word, Lee Soo-ah walked over and sat down.

Her heart was pounding.

Up until now—no, up until graduation, she had never gone against her father’s words.

It wasn’t that her father had been strict.

That’s just how Lee Soo-ah’s personality was.

Though that hadn’t been the case since then.

“Can you explain this to me?”

And so, Lee Soo-ah explained.

Surprisingly, once she started speaking, the words came out calmly.

She talked about how she had taken a photo with Sara at the graduation ceremony, how they had been together since entering high school.

How she had gone to Sara’s house, spent a night there, eaten meals together, and exercised with her.

By the time she finished speaking, she felt even more composed.

After listening to her for a long time, her father sighed deeply again and rubbed his face.

“Soo-ah…”

He was silent for a moment before speaking again.

“Have you forgotten what I told you?”

That’s what he asked.

“No.”

Lee Soo-ah shook her head.

“…Our family has a reason to protect our business. It’s a great legacy, built by your great-grandfather, who fought against foreign powers. We even funded the independence movement, and we’ve contributed greatly to society since then.”

“I remember.”

“…So then, how could you…?”

As if at a loss for words, her father gestured to the printed article again.

“…”

Lee Soo-ah remained silent for a long time.

“Soo-ah.”

Her father spoke again, urging for a response.

“Dad.”

Lee Soo-ah finally opened her mouth.

“Yes, go ahead.”

She hesitated for a moment. Was it okay for her to say this?

…What would Sara have done?

Lee Soo-ah recalled the moment Sara had met the Chairwoman.

As if she had no choice, Sara had taken a few steps toward the Chairwoman before stopping.

Though she had collapsed to the ground, she had succeeded in defying the Chairwoman’s manipulative words.

If the letter was true, Sara had both hated and loved the Chairwoman.

But even with those conflicting emotions, she had managed to break free and get what she wanted.

Of course, Lee Soo-ah’s father wasn’t the same kind of person as the Chairwoman.

…But at the same time, his words now were likely influenced by the Chairwoman.

Lee Soo-ah looked down at the paper on the desk.

Who had taken this picture?

What were they thinking when they made it into an article?

The content of the article wasn’t much.

It merely described the photo in a dry manner.

However, for some reason, Lee Soo-ah felt like she understood the message it was trying to convey.

And ironically, that message was the same story she longed for.

The one that might never come true.

…What would Sara think if she saw this article?

Perhaps she would be satisfied.

Sara was the kind of person who would willingly face her circumstances.

“…Dad.”

“Yes, Soo-ah.”

“Our business, has it always done the right thing? Is that why we have to protect it?”

“Yes, that’s right. Despite foreign pressures. Always. That’s why we must protect it.”

His gentle voice, as if explaining something obvious.

“Then, Dad.”

Lee Soo-ah gritted her teeth and raised her head.

And she thought.

And finally, she spoke the words she had been thinking.

“Isn’t it wrong to unfairly ostracize and bully a child because of someone’s pressure?”

…Sara would have surely said the same thing.