SWNOVELXO Chapter 162
I barely managed to lift myself up and met the gaze of Choi Na-kyung in the rearview mirror.
Her eyes were wide open, looking at me, with dark circles beneath them, as if she hadn’t slept for days.
“You said once a friendship is formed, it lasts forever…”
Choi Na-kyung said with a biting tone.
…Friendship, huh?
I had no idea what Choi Na-kyung was talking about.
Whether it was a blessing or a curse, she didn’t seem to have any intention of stepping on the accelerator.
“……”
An almost suffocating silence filled the air.
In fact, I was truly struggling to breathe. It wasn’t life-threatening, but the strips of cloth stuffed in my mouth made it hard to relax and take a breath.
“Oh, I see. You couldn’t answer, huh? Got it.”
Choi Na-kyung muttered to herself and let out a dry laugh.
It was as if she had forgotten how to express her emotions, making every one of her actions feel bizarre.
This is not normal.
For some reason, this person seemed to have been broken long ago.
Perhaps even more so than Sara.
“……”
After her laughter faded, Choi Na-kyung continued to gaze at me, smiling faintly through the rearview mirror.
Her stare from the mirror above seemed to look down at me, the corners of her eyes curling like crescents.
With a forced smile, Choi Na-kyung continued to look at me.
BEEP! A horn blared from behind, and a car sped past us, narrowly missing us.
…Please.
Please, just stop even one car.
I wished in vain that someone would pull over, angry and come knock on the window of Choi Na-kyung’s car.
But despite my desperate thoughts, no car came to a stop.
CLICK.
I heard a mechanical sound, like a lighter flicking or a jackknife closing, but it was actually Choi Na-kyung unbuckling her seatbelt.
And that action felt even more threatening than any of the scenarios I had just imagined.
“Ugh! Ughhh!”
Even when I shouted with all my might, the only sounds escaping my mouth were suppressed noises. No matter how much I tried to shift back, my back eventually hit the seat, unable to move any further.
Choi Na-kyung turned to look back at me.
Her expression was terrifyingly stiff.
“You know, I’ve been waiting. For years, and years.”
Scary.
It was terrifying.
I could almost wish for someone to be by my side.
Yet, Sara still wasn’t opening her eyes.
“I hoped you would look at me, and love me.”
She loved you.
Sara loved Choi Na-kyung.
The one who turned that emotion into hatred was, ironically, Choi Na-kyung.
Because of that greed.
Because of that incomprehensible greed, Choi Na-kyung ruined Sara.
“I waited so long, despite all the curses. Even when others denied my thoughts. While being called incompetent, thinking money didn’t matter, I just kept waiting. Look.”
With trembling hands, Choi Na-kyung tucked her hair behind her ear.
It was frightening, just because of the oddness of her actions and expressions, yet she was undoubtedly a beautiful person. Even in this situation, with shadows beneath her eyes she couldn’t conceal and bulging eyes as if her face was going to break, she was still beautiful.
“I came dressed up like this today. I always did my best to look pretty when meeting you. Even when you didn’t know me. Even when you were in bed and too sick to see me properly. Even when I had to wear a nurse’s outfit, I tried to show you my best every time we met.”
I had no idea what she was saying.
Did Sara really suffer that much in her childhood?
Was Choi Na-kyung a nurse before?
“But, but you… that man…”
“……”
What on earth…
“Ha.”
As she was talking, Choi Na-kyung let out a deep sigh and rubbed her face.
“Geez, what am I talking about? You’re still not you. There’s a mountain of things left to do. It’s okay, a little interruption doesn’t matter. I believe you’ll come back to me.”
“Ugh!”
No, that won’t happen.
Even if I try to go back, I’ll be stopped.
…But even thinking that, I was still anxious.
Sara hadn’t said a word. Even in a situation like this.
“Oh, right.”
Choi Na-kyung seemed to realize something.
“I haven’t untied you yet. I really should have released you first if I wanted to hear your answer.”
Choi Na-kyung then moved her hand to the back of my head. After some rustling, the gag that was tightly tied around my mouth came undone.
Choi Na-kyung pulled the cloth from my mouth with her fingertip.
Hah…
Finally allowed to breathe, I inhaled the air. My mouth was still sticky with saliva, and some of it stuck to Choi Na-kyung’s hand, but that was beyond my concern at the moment.
“Sweetheart, do you have anything to say?”
Choi Na-kyung asked that.
My jaw felt numb. But I pushed my mouth to move and spoke.
“…You killed her.”
My voice cracked, the words came out awkwardly, but I made it clear.
“What…?”
“You killed her!”
I shouted.
I was scared.
I was still scared.
Sara’s body was smaller than Choi Na-kyung’s, and even weaker. Right now, I was tied up. I couldn’t fight back properly.
So, it was terrifying.
Being trapped by Choi Na-kyung like this.
Not knowing what I was saying, feeling someone who seemed insane sitting on top of me was absolutely terrifying.
In a scenario like this, having no friends around me was horrifying.
That there was no response from Sara, who should be in my consciousness.
So I yelled.
With the determination to blow away all that fear.
“You killed her! You killed Sara! She suffered so much! She was so lonely! She loved you so much!”
“……What do you mean…?”
Choi Na-kyung’s eyes shook.
“What do you mean Sara is dead…? You…?”
“Of course, you wouldn’t know anything.”
I had yelled so loud that my throat hurt. I glared at Choi Na-kyung with all my strength.
“You didn’t come often. You wouldn’t know how much Sara suffered. Every time you came, she was waiting for you. Before she could even resent you, you just left. Alone in that cold, empty room, how could you understand how lonely Sara was?”
“No, you… you’re Sara, right? What are you talking about…?”
“Sara is dead.”
I glared at Choi Na-kyung. My vision was blurry. I didn’t know if this was because of the overlapping memories of Sara and Choi Na-kyung or if I was just confused and teary-eyed out of fear.
But still, still…
This was all I could do.
I wanted to hit her with something, anything.
Right now, at this moment, I wanted to buy time until someone could come to help me.
“She’s dead. She left a letter for you. When you have time, why not come visit me in my room? It’s in the very last drawer of the desk.”
“……No, Sara. The one in front of me right now is you, Sara. What are you talking about? Huh? What do you mean ‘I loved you’…?”
“No.”
I blinked. The tears in my eyes rolled down.
After a few blinks, Choi Na-kyung’s face finally came into focus.
Her eyes were trembling as if shocked, her brow furrowed.
Her expression indicated she didn’t know how to accept this situation.
“Sara is dead. I am not Sara. That plan you had in mind has long since fallen apart.”
Taking a brief breath, I added.
“‘Chairwoman.’”
“What…?”
“There’s a difference between how Sara called you and how I call you, right? You know it too?”
“What… no, no.”
Choi Na-kyung touched my face—Sara’s face.
As if she wanted to confirm if there was something strange.
“No, it’s Sara. The one in front of me is Sara. My daughter, what, what are you saying? You’re dead…? Then does that mean the one right in front of me—”
“Seriously can’t you get it?”
I twisted my neck to avoid her touch, desperately speaking out, and took a deep breath.
Yeah, my neck felt a bit freer.
So……
“Please, save me!”
I was finally able to shout that with all my strength.
The sound of my voice echoed loudly in my ears. I realized for the first time that I could shout this loud.
Of course, it was an expensive foreign car. I wasn’t sure if the sound could reach outside.
But still, at the very least, I didn’t want to give up like this.
I struggled with all my might.
The button to roll down the window was on the side where my feet were. Just hoping I could hit it by chance.
“Please, save me! Please save me! I’m being kidnapped right now—”
But my words could only stop abruptly.
“Ugh—”
“No, sweetheart. You’re here with your mom. What are you saying?”
Choi Na-kyung said that while covering my mouth.
With both hands, tightly.
No, it wasn’t just my mouth. I didn’t know if it was intentional or not, but my nose was also blocked tight.
“Ugh!”
I twisted my whole body. It was hard to breathe. I tried to turn my head, but Choi Na-kyung leaned in, blocking my mouth tightly.
“Shh, sweetheart, it’s okay. When you wake up from a nap, it’ll all be over.”
Choi Na-kyung’s face leaned in close.
She lay over me, whispering in my ear.
“When you come to your senses, it’ll all be over. Then it will just be the two of us, okay? Let’s talk slowly from then on.”