I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

At that moment, Lee Soo-ah was watching a certain person from afar.

Originally, the theme park was made by simply cutting into a mountain that had nothing, so the terrain wasn’t perfectly flat. It was gently sloping, but as you moved from the entrance towards the back, it gradually got higher, with some attractions blatantly placed on hills.

The haunted house was one such instance.

And that made it easier to point the camera this way.

Lee Soo-ah was watching someone who was pointing their camera exactly this way.

Of course, it would be strange to assume that anyone carrying a camera in an amusement park was a journalist. No matter how good smartphone cameras got or how convenient they became, there were still quite a few people wanting to capture their memories in better quality or resolution.

Maybe that person was just aiming to take a photo of the park from a high place and happened to point their camera this way.

But as of now, Sara had already been photographed several times. And even appeared in an article.

Since the last article her father showed her, no new articles had been published, but that didn’t mean there were no paparazzi following her.

Not like Yujin Group, but she was still the daughter of one of the country’s few major conglomerates. It wasn’t like she had never seen a paparazzi in her life.

When Lee Soo-ah was overseas, someone had been following her around with a camera. Was it because of the gossip that the owner of a long-standing reputable company married a foreigner? Because of the rumors about her mother and the relationship between her parents, she had once lived almost in hiding abroad.

But maybe it was because it was a place where they defined ‘freedom of expression’ and ‘press freedom,’ the paparazzi snapped away at Lee Soo-ah without trying to hide at all.

It was only after a corporate warning to not stalk children that it somewhat eased. In fact, even that was a result of the media realizing Lee Soo-ah wasn’t much of a newsworthy topic and backing off before being labeled as a pedophile.

Hence, while someone truly hiding can’t be helped, she could at least be somewhat aware of cameras within her sight. It wasn’t a habit she had cultivated out of desire.

In that moment, she instinctively felt that the person she was watching was a paparazzi.

“Do you want to go?”

Just as she was pondering whether to tell this truth or not, Sara suddenly asked that.

Sara’s eyes were pointed in the direction Lee Soo-ah had been looking. However, she wasn’t aiming at the person with the camera. That person had already hidden away into the surroundings.

Sara was looking towards the haunted house.

Seeing Lee Soo-ah gazing up that way, Sara must have made that judgment.

“Uh…”

Lee Soo-ah hesitated for a moment.

Should she tell Sara about the person she just saw? Should she warn her in advance to chase them away?

…

“Ah,”

An idea flashed through Lee Soo-ah’s mind.

It was a plan she had told her father about last time, being able to concretize an idea.

“Yeah. I want to go.”

So she answered that way for now.

Since they had come this far, that person would definitely follow them until they turned back. Paparazzi don’t chase people around with some huge evidence in hand; they observe people closely, taking daily photos of a celebrity and sticking with them flawlessly until something ‘newsworthy’ comes up. That’s how they operate.

That’s why the photos sell for ‘high’ prices.

Surely, she was curious.

Who was the person taking photos while following the only heiress of Yujin Group?

Lee Soo-ah thought of this as an opportunity.

…And it was also lucky because it meant she could go into the haunted house with Sara, which had a condition that you had to enter in pairs.

*

“…Are you okay?”

After returning from the haunted house, Haneul and Sohee looked at Sara, who had fallen into a daze again, with worried expressions. Of course, Lee Soo-ah was worried too; she had seen Sara’s reaction right next to her.

She had appeared confident entering, but after something jumped out, she freaked out immensely, making Lee Soo-ah realize that Sara had probably never watched a horror movie in her life.

No, it might not just be horror movies. Sara almost never watched TV.

…Maybe someday, they should set aside time to go watch a movie.

As Lee Soo-ah was pondering this, she spotted that person from before.

This time, it was quite close. They weren’t wearing the camera around their neck, but at least the impression was similar.

“Hey, guys.”

Thinking that if she didn’t approach now, it would be tough to catch up later, Lee Soo-ah called the others over.

“Yeah?”

Sara looked up at Lee Soo-ah. Her expression was still pale.

Lee Soo-ah felt a finger poking her heart. It was probably her conscience.

Was she feeling guilty for wanting to lie to Sara now? Or was she feeling guilty for having lied earlier and making Sara distressed?

No, perhaps it was actually her conscience poking her for finding someone like Sara cute after seeing her like that.

Right. Watching Sara scream adorably in all sorts of cute ways at the haunted house made her want to take her again.

But that would be tormenting Sara.

Though that thought lingered, she forced her heart to settle and shook her head slightly.

“I’ll be right back; I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Oh. Okay?”

Sara responded, trying to stand up. She likely intended to go with her. Lee Soo-ah hurriedly waved her hands.

“N-No, just stay here and rest. I’ll be back soon.”

“…But…”

Sara hesitated for a moment, and then—

“I’ll accompany you.”

Yang Hye-in stepped in first.

“Oh, I—”

Before Lee Soo-ah could make an excuse, Yang Hye-in spoke first.

“I just happened to want to go too.”

“…”

With such words, Lee Soo-ah couldn’t refuse.

“Please take care of our lady.”

“Ah, sure…”

When Yang Hye-in said this while looking at Sohee and Haneul, the two nodded their heads with slightly bewildered expressions.

“Then, shall we go?”

“…”

In the end, Lee Soo-ah had no choice but to nod.

*

“This way.”

Rather than leading her to a nearby bathroom, Yang Hye-in took them in a completely different direction. Lee Soo-ah followed quietly for a while before asking.

“…Did you happen to see them?”

Not knowing what to call Yang Hye-in yet, Lee Soo-ah dropped the subject. Thankfully, Yang Hye-in didn’t seem to take it badly and answered.

“Yes, if you mean the person with the camera, I saw them too.”

“…Are you helping me?”

“It seems that’s what I’m hoping for.”

Yang Hye-in continued to lead without turning back.

Even though there were many people around and it was quite noisy, Yang Hye-in’s voice strangely stood out clearly.

“Do you know what I want?”

“No, I don’t.”

Yang Hye-in stopped abruptly.

“More than that, it’s because you trust everyone. I want to trust you all as well.”

And she said while slightly tilting her head to one side.

“And I want to know who has taken so many pictures of you.”

Yang Hye-in suddenly started running.

“Ah, there!”

Lee Soo-ah hurriedly ran after her, but she couldn’t fully catch up with Yang Hye-in, who had already started running. Thankfully, she had been exercising with Sara every day recently, or she might have already lost sight of Yang Hye-in.

“Hah, hah…”

Finally catching up, they found someone standing stiffly with the camera in hand. Yang Hye-in was already close enough to reach out to that person.

The area was spacious enough to run away if they wanted to but also easy to catch up. There were people bustling all around, and the paparazzi, despite wearing ordinary clothes, held a large lens camera in their neck. Most importantly, they were within reach.

Sure, she could hide it in her bag, but it wouldn’t be easy to forget the faces after meeting up so close like this.

…Surprisingly, the paparazzi was a woman. She seemed about the same age as Yang Hye-in. Her hair was cut short, and her face had no makeup, making her look plain. If it weren’t for the large camera, she would have completely blended in.

“What the heck?”

Startled by someone suddenly popping up next to her, the paparazzi blurted that out before turning pale upon seeing Yang Hye-in’s face.

If she had been following Sara every day, there was no way she wouldn’t recognize Yang Hye-in. Her face was as familiar as Sara’s.

“Can I ask what you are taking pictures of with that camera?”

Yang Hye-in asked very politely. But ironically, that politeness made her sound even more threatening.

“Why should it concern you what I’m taking pictures of?”

Reassured that the paparazzi was neither police nor park staff, their behavior grew assertive in an instant.

It was very similar to the behavior of paparazzi Lee Soo-ah had seen overseas.

“…That camera.”

After finally catching her breath, Lee Soo-ah pointed at the camera and spoke, causing the paparazzi to cradle it to her body as if protecting something precious.

“This, this is off-limits. Whatever you say is irrelevant. If you want information, call the police.”

“Don’t worry, I have no intention of doing that.”

Lee Soo-ah had no such thoughts. She had never seen a paparazzi get captured like this. Moreover—

“Could I buy all the photos inside that camera?”

In fact, Lee Soo-ah needed those photos.

It was uncertain whether she could receive them if they were handed over to the police. So, she couldn’t be too confrontational.

“Not a chance… wait, what?”

The paparazzi, who seemed intent on stubbornly denying, suddenly opened her mouth in shock.

“Photos? You want to buy them?”

Lee Soo-ah firmly stated once more.

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