I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

I’ve been relaxing all through the break.

There was nothing else for me to worry about. Choi Na-kyung had truly been arrested, and considering that, the old fart from the Hoemyeong Group lost their excuse to call me their granddaughter-in-law. Besides, the issues within Yujin Group had somewhat settled down.

However, there were still a few things that couldn’t just be dismissed entirely.

“First of all, please handle the management as you’ve been doing until now. I haven’t learned anything about management.”

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

‘Uncle’ seemed to have a general idea of the plan I’d been concocting, so he didn’t look too shocked watching the news. That was a relief; if the gap in information got too large, it could actually strain our relationship.

“And I’d like some legal assistance. Do you happen to know any lawyers?”

“I don’t know any lawyers personally, but there’s a legal team operating within Yujin Group. They have partnerships with well-known law firms, so I think it’ll be sufficient.”

“Then… later, if Choi Na-kyung ‘former’ chairwoman tries to come back, I hope you can take legal measures to prevent that. And if possible, keep her in jail for as long as you can to cool off.”

“That’s more of a prosecutor’s duty… but I’ll do my best to cooperate as much as I can. It’d be troublesome for the company if that person gets out.”

It’s impossible to take away all her assets. However, as long as she doesn’t remarry and have kids, that fortune will eventually come back to me. The bond of parents and children can’t be easily changed by the law.

Well, strictly speaking, it’s not like I’m the daughter; Sara is. But who’s going to care about that now?

At least ‘Uncle’ sitting in front of me only thinks I’m suffering from a slight mental illness, so neither of us will care much about who uses the fortune.

“I’ll be buying back stocks soon.”

“Thanks.”

There was no longer any need to seize control of the Hoemyeong Group. I had no thoughts of selling off the stocks I owned either. If anyone tries to meddle with the future of Sara and me later on, that’s when I’ll start buying back. Until I can’t purchase any more stocks circulating in the market.

The tumor has only stopped growing; it’s still there.

“And…”

I stared blankly at the air, pondering if there was more to say, only to realize there was nothing more for me to concern myself with in this direction.

Wow, how empty that feels.

Of course, feeling empty doesn’t mean I’m giving up on life or that my purpose is gone. I already have a lot of people depending on me for my future.

…At the very least, I have to take responsibility for Ha Neul, Sua, and Sohee. Maybe even Areum.

What about me?

You’ll be with me until the end anyway.

Probably until the day I die.

Hehe.

Sara chuckled. If I saw it in my consciousness, I’d probably be scratching my head. Is that really a good thing?

“Sara.”

While I was lost in thoughts, ‘Uncle’ chimed in.

“When do you plan to start working for the company?”

“……Do I have to start working now?”

I was actually planning to wait until after graduating from college if I was going to start. Maybe I’d just hire a professional manager and take a paycheck. Because if I meddled, it would surely lead to disaster. I’ve never even touched stocks before in my life. I only want to buy back company stock. Thinking of fluctuating ups and downs just gives me a headache.

“At some point.”

‘Uncle’ said.

“Our company’s image has taken a significant blow from this. I mean, it’s been revealed that the chairwoman was directly abusing her adopted daughter; it wouldn’t be strange to expect a boycott for a while.”

In fact, it seemed that Yujin Group had tried to hide the truth for as long as possible.

But then some reporter, blinded by an exclusive, broke the story, and all other media outlets jumped on it, causing the situation to escalate.

Especially since it seemed like the police were cautious due to the number of people involved in the case; numerous scandals were surfacing one by one. Luckily, the people who helped me were steadfastly doing their jobs amidst all this chaos, so they were safe.

A public servant even risked their position to expose that Sara’s mental health had been severely harmed, as others soon found out. Naturally, Sara’s relatives, who had neglected her until that point, found themselves in an incredibly awkward situation.

Naturally, the school was also targeted. Reporters from all kinds of news programs were relentlessly trying to understand how the school could allow a child to be so abused without any oversight.

And among all this, this place remained quiet.

Well, at one time, reporters had been swarming outside the main entrance.

But for some reason, several major media outlets simultaneously criticized the reporters’ behavior, chasing them around and putting cameras in their faces to an uncomfortable degree, resulting in the bizarre situation where reporters were getting chased away by other reporters.

The fact that interviews went up on broadcasts without any mosaics without permission contributed to the criticism aimed at them.

Fortunately, the media hadn’t reached the students yet. However, there’s no guarantee how long that would last. Already, people were beginning to wonder online why Sara had to transfer schools and what her relationship was with the previous school.

……Money really is something great.

To think a large-scale incident could be handled like this at the same time. It’s money that’s truly beyond comprehension.

“Yeah. I will eventually start working for the company. That way, it’ll be more beneficial for the company, right?”

“…….”

“Since I’m the victim, rather than having a conflict with the company, wouldn’t it look better to reclaim the position I should have had? If someone else sits in that position, it would appear as if the seat was ‘usurped.’”

“Yeah, to be honest, that’s it.”

“Then you might have to wait a little longer.”

Though I have spent some money—

‘A little?’

—I’ve spent a lot, but the wealth that Sara is supposed to inherit should originally have been entirely in her hands. Naturally, there’s no reason to give up that right, nor diminish the value of that wealth.

So I’ve decided that one day I will go to that rightful place and claim what is rightfully mine.

But that’s not going to be now.

“I don’t have the mental capacity to learn about company affairs right now.”

Actually, nothing else is happening. If anything, I wish it was over; there’s really no reason for me to be busy.

Well, at least it used to be that way.

…When I entered Sara’s body, I thought there would be no one worthy of calling a relative. It makes sense. No one sincerely helped Sara, even when she was in that situation.

Even ‘Uncle’ who is pretending to be close now didn’t know about me until just recently.

They probably only cared as long as the company was running smoothly. There was no need to bother further since there was nothing to gain.

They didn’t care what happened to Sara.

On one hand, I can’t say I understand that at all. As long as the company they’ve built up all their life is functioning well, even if a distant relative is suffering, there’s no reason for them to worry. There’s always the possibility of making a problem worse.

Only after Choi Na-kyung was chased out did they start to worry about Sara’s well-being. They were probably looking for someone to restore the company’s image. For that, Sara, the daughter of the former chairman and Ye In-soo’s friend, may have been the right fit.

But even so, I couldn’t emotionally accept these people.

Therefore, I wanted to vex them as much as possible while ensuring the company didn’t collapse.

“I’ll be resting, but I’d like you to relay a message. I’m doing well, healthy, and resolving things with the help of my friends.”

I can’t exactly take a chairwoman position at this age.

But nonetheless, if I, the victim, show my face and say I’m okay, it should lessen the public outcry to some extent. The attacks aimed at my relatives should also ease up a little.

The issue is that I’m not interested in doing that.

“……Okay, I get the intention.”

‘Uncle’ nodded solemnly.

I merely shrugged my shoulders in response to ‘Uncle’.

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