I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

I was the first one to speak.

These days, the most frequent thought in Lee Soo-ah’s mind was that thought.

To Sara, the first person to speak was Lee Soo-ah.

At the middle school graduation ceremony, Lee Soo-ah mustered her courage to talk to Sara and took a photo together. That photo was probably the only one Sara took at the graduation ceremony. Since she couldn’t print it on paper without her father finding out, Lee Soo-ah still cherished that photo in her smartphone.

Sara didn’t even appear in the graduation album. Although Lee Soo-ah had often seen Sara sitting at a distance in school, she had never witnessed Sara actively participating in important school events. Well, even if she had wanted to participate, it would have been impossible since everyone around treated her like she was invisible.

How could someone who’s treated as nonexistent take part in sports day or school festivals?

Still, Sara always came to school. It was said that she used to create trouble back in elementary school, but at least for Lee Soo-ah, Sara had always been there within her line of sight.

Though perhaps she didn’t see her during the school trip.

The lack of photos in the graduation album was probably because she didn’t participate in filming. Graduation photos were taken one by one, but there must have been group photos with classmates too.

…In truth, Lee Soo-ah probably didn’t fully understand the situation Sara was in.

No matter how much one is bullied and ostracized, she thought if they approached others bravely, people would accept them. That’s how she herself operated.

But even that had its limits.

After learning that Lee Soo-ah was hanging out with Sara, her friends who used to be close started acting a bit awkwardly around her. At first, they could still talk to her. They even answered her.

But as the gossip spread, turning from rumor to fact, and as Lee Soo-ah started bringing up Sara in conversations, the kids around them quickly distanced themselves from her.

When she tried to talk, they recoiled or pretended not to know her, and when they passed by, they’d subtly create space between them.

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

…Sara had been enduring that situation for years by now.

Lee Soo-ah thought that she surely wouldn’t have been able to bear it—

—Ah.

Right.

That’s how it was.

Sara couldn’t endure it either.

Leaving behind a note with such content, she sought out medicine to commit suicide. Thinking of Yang Hye-in’s words, perhaps she actually took those pills.

But even that failed spectacularly, failing to escape from the world, and that seemed to be when Sara decided she would change.

…Whether that reason was simply that she wanted to live happily for at least a week more, she still wasn’t sure.

But—

“Well then, please go straight to work for now. If any of the staff don’t listen, just tell me. I’ll go and handle it, no matter what.”

“…Understood.”

Seeing Sara say this to her former maid with an utterly indifferent expression, could she really still be thinking of giving up on life?

At least on the surface, Sara seemed full of energy these days. It looked like she had no intention of dying, as she was enthusiastic about whatever was going on. Except for that incident in front of the chairwoman, Lee Soo-ah had always seen Sara overflowing with the will to live.

If she had changed her mind, why would that be?

“…Oh.”

When Yang Hye-in didn’t seem to intend to stand back up after bending over, Sara appeared a bit flustered.

“I think you can stand now.”

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

“….”

A moment of silence. It wasn’t an awkward silence; there was merely a warm gaze from Lee Soo-ah directed at Sara and Yang Hye-in. She wasn’t entirely sure about the relationship between the two, but at least from an outside perspective, it seemed like an ideal master-servant relationship.

They looked out for each other, supporting one another even in tough times, which was nice to see.

“But.”

However, it seemed that Sara wasn’t too fond of such circumstances. Well, she often had a different mindset about action versus thought. At school, she wouldn’t hesitate to cause trouble, but doing embarrassing things or being under scrutiny in front of her friends seemed like a burden to her.

Perhaps Sara was that conscious of the people around her. Lee Soo-ah felt a subtle joy from that attitude.

“Is the meal ready?”

“I’ll check.”

As Sara redirected the topic with a somewhat awkward tone, Yang Hye-in responded. Then she moved elegantly toward the cafeteria.

“Since it’s getting close to dinner time, can’t we just go and wait?”

Having been used to speaking casually to each other just moments ago, Sohee hurriedly added an honorific after speaking casually to Sara.

“…Since you’re already doing maid work, please act like a proper maid.”

Perhaps feeling a bit off-balance, Sara didn’t speak casually but rather used formal speech with Yang Hye-in. Of course, it wasn’t in a serious tone, just sounding a bit tired as if worried about the future.

“Hey, don’t be too hard on yourself. No one can do everything perfectly on the first day.”

“Isn’t it contradictory for you to say that?”

Sohee had been smiling brightly for some reason.

Wait, it wasn’t that she didn’t understand why Sohee was so cheerful. If she were next to Sara 24/7, she would surely have the same expression.

Watching the two of them, Ha Neul seemed to bite her lip.

Would she want to do the same? Probably. Sohee always sprinted ahead and Ha Neul would soon follow closely behind. But after that letter she saw on Saturday, she may have just been taking some time to sort her thoughts. Perhaps she didn’t want to put too much burden on Sara all at once.

…But soon enough, Yoo Ha-neul would probably start running too. She had the energy to act immediately once she found a way.

“Soo-ah.”

Hearing that voice, Lee Soo-ah shivered suddenly. When she looked toward the sound, she saw some kids already looking at her from a few steps away.

It was Sara who called her name.

“Let’s go eat.”

She said that with a slight smile that was just too pretty.

“…Okay.”

Lee Soo-ah nodded and hurriedly chased after her.

This time, she’d try not to fall behind as much.

*

…When they returned home, it was already pitch dark outside.

Well, it’s March now, but the days hadn’t gotten longer enough for it to be considered late. In fact, both her parents were busy, and Lee Soo-ah was an only child. Even if she came back a bit late, there was no one to worry about her. Even though there was a housekeeper, if she texted beforehand, they wouldn’t complain regardless of when she came home.

Maybe they simply didn’t care.

It was just past 8 PM.

In Lee Soo-ah’s neighborhood, there weren’t many people wandering around at this time. However, since there were CCTV cameras everywhere and police made regular patrols, it could be deemed safer than crowded places.

Standing at the door that likely cost as much as a usual house considering its height—and indeed, it was much taller than Lee Soo-ah—she approached the authentication device next to the bell and placed her finger there. Within two seconds, the door unlocked.

While it wasn’t on the level of Sara’s mansion, Lee Soo-ah’s home could also be sufficiently classified as a mansion. It wasn’t nearly comparable to Yujin Group, but her family also managed a “group.”

…Technically speaking, their corporate history was significantly longer than Yujin Group’s.

She walked through the fragrant garden. The old dog Choco seemed to be asleep. Recently, perhaps due to joint issues, it had become reluctant to go out for walks.

Lee Soo-ah walked towards where Choco was. There was a narrow stone path made for walking in the small lawn in front of the house, but Lee Soo-ah chose not to take that path and directly stepped onto the grass. She just felt like doing that.

Rustle rustle, as she walked upon the soft grass, she reached in front of Choco’s house. The old dog was curled up and sleeping inside.

She crouched down and gently patted its head.

Choco woke up at the touch, slowly lifting its head and licking Lee Soo-ah’s hand a few times before resting its chin back down.

“….”

Thinking she shouldn’t disturb him any longer, Lee Soo-ah stood up.

“Young lady.”

Just then, she heard a voice calling her from behind.

Turning around, it was the housekeeper.

She thought she had mentioned she was going to eat somewhere.

Could it be that she got confused? Just as she was pondering this, the housekeeper opened the door.

“The chairwoman is calling you.”

“Ah….”

Without needing to hear more, Lee Soo-ah already understood the reason.

*

“….”

Lee Soo-ah’s father, who unusually came home early, placed a newspaper on his desk without saying a word.

No, looking closely, it wasn’t a newspaper. It seemed like something printed from an internet article.

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

Not just Lee Soo-ah, but there were also pictures of Sohee clinging to her and Ha Neul embracing Sara.

The four people in the photo looked incredibly happy.

Her father sighed deeply and sat in a chair. He gestured to the chair opposite him with his hand. Lee Soo-ah quietly moved over to sit down.

Her heart raced. Up until now—well, not up until now. So up until before the graduation ceremony, she had never gone against her father’s words. It wasn’t that he was being oppressive; it was just that Lee Soo-ah’s personality had always been like that.

But since then, that could be argued otherwise.

“Can you explain this to me?”

So, Lee Soo-ah explained. Surprisingly, once she opened her mouth, she was able to narrate her story calmly. The part about taking a picture with Sara at the graduation ceremony, how they had been together ever since she started school, how she spent a night at that house, ate meals together, and exercised together.

By the time she finished her story, she was surprisingly composed.

After listening for a long time, her father sighed once more and rubbed his face.

“Soo-ah….”

Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he asked,

“Have you forgotten what I told you?”

That would be the question.

“No.”

Lee Soo-ah shook her head.

“…Our family has a reason to uphold our business. It was established by your great-grandfather, who fought against outside forces. We contributed to independence and have made many contributions to society since then.”

“I remember.”

“…But then, something like this…?”

As if his words couldn’t continue, her father pointed at the paper. She looked down at it again.

“….”

For quite a while, Lee Soo-ah remained silent.

“Soo-ah.”

Her father opened his mouth again, encouraging her to respond.

“Dad.”

Lee Soo-ah spoke.

“Alright. Go ahead.”

Lee Soo-ah thought for a moment. Could she say this?

…What would Sara have done?

Lee Soo-ah recalled the moment when Sara met the chairwoman. As though she could not defy it, Sara took a few steps toward the chairwoman, but eventually froze in place. Although she had sat down on the floor, she succeeded in rejecting the chairwoman’s brainwashing words. If the words left in the note were true, then Sara must have both hated and loved the chairwoman, and despite those feelings, she managed to break free and obtain what she desired.

Of course, that wasn’t to say her father was like the chairwoman.

…But at the same time, the reason her father said this was probably because of the chairwoman’s influence.

Lee Soo-ah quietly stared at the paper on the desk. Who took this picture? What thought led to it becoming an article? The content of the article was nothing special. It merely described the photo’s context in a dry manner. However, for some reason, Lee Soo-ah felt that she could sense the underlying message the article wanted to convey.

And absurdly enough, the intention of the article was the very story Lee Soo-ah wished for. Perhaps it might even be something impossible to achieve.

…What would Sara have thought upon seeing this article?

Perhaps she would have felt satisfied. After all, Sara had a temperament that was willing to confront her circumstances.

“…Dad.”

“Yes, Soo-ah.”

“Is our cause always something that’s been right? Is that why we have to uphold it?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Without yielding to external pressure. Always. That’s why we must uphold it.”

His voice was soft, almost soothing.

“Then, Dad.”

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

And thought.

Finally, she gathered her thoughts and voiced them.

“To ostracize and bully a child unjustly because of someone’s pressure is undeniably wrong, isn’t it?”

…If it were Sara, she would surely have given such an answer.

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