Chapter 5.2

Chapter 5.2

Could it be that Jang Doha had a one-sided crush on Miss Yena? Or was it something more ambiguous?

As these thoughts swirled in my head, my eyelids grew heavy. Even as I drifted off to sleep, I could only think about who to ask for information about Miss Yena’s work life.

–

I saw the car Miss Yena was in, hurtling towards me. I screamed. Soon, I felt the impact and my body being thrown around.

Even though I knew it was a dream, the shock, fear, and pain felt real. I prayed to survive. Dying like this felt unjust. I finally had a chance to reclaim my life—dying now would be such a pity.

Then I saw something. Through half-open eyes, I saw Miss Yena.

Our eyes met—she was stuck in the airbag, and I was sprawled in the overturned car. She seemed to be struggling to say something to me. Miss Yena…

Gasp! I woke up with a start.

“Miss, are you alright?” Housekeeper Ahn approached and fretted over me. “Looks like you had a nightmare. Look at this sweat!”

I stared at Housekeeper Ahn as she wiped the sweat from my forehead, feeling as if I was still in a dream. I couldn’t tell if what I had just experienced was a nightmare or if attending Miss Yena’s funeral had been a dream.

“Who… am I?”

She looked startled by my question.

“You’re Miss Yena, aren’t you? Are you having trouble remembering?”

Her words made me feel a strange sense of relief. I was afraid this might all be some lucid hallucination, and they made me realize how fragile my sense of self was.

“No.. it’s just that I had a dream about the accident.”

“It was a serious accident. It’s a miracle you only got hurt this much.”

I gave a bitter smile. Yes, it was a miracle.

“I’ll get up now.”

“You should rest a bit more.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Housekeeper Ahn adjusted the bed for me, and I made a request.

“Housekeeper Ahn, I’m thirsty. I’d like some orange juice.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright alone?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble at all. I’ll be right back.”

Housekeeper Ahn left the room. She knew Miss Yena only drank freshly squeezed orange juice, so she’d probably go to the nearest hotel to get some. Once she was gone, I called Team Leader Cha Insook from the Information Team.

[Hello?]

Hearing her voice made me feel at ease, but I kept my emotions in check and spoke calmly.

“Is this Team Leader Cha Insook? This is Namgung Yena.”

[Yes, Director Namgung. I heard about your situation from the Honorary Chairman.]

“Could you come to the hospital tomorrow? I have something to ask of you.”

[Of course. What time would be convenient for you?]

“Around 9 AM would be good.”

After ending the call, I dialed another number, this time reaching out to Chief Jeon.

[Yes, Miss?]

“Chief Jeon, is the investigation complete?”

[It’s almost finished.]

“Could you come to the hospital tomorrow around 3 PM?”

[Yes, I’ll be there.]

After those two phone calls were done, I began organizing my thoughts. I needed to give them instructions without raising suspicion.

While searching through Miss Yena’s phone for clues, I was astonished. I knew she was meticulous, but this was beyond my expectations.

The contacts were categorized into family, friends, classmates, clients, and colleagues, each with a photo. For the clients, there were brief notes about their ongoing business. Interestingly, each name had tags like ‘Trust,’ ‘Caution,’ and ‘Distrust.’

I couldn’t help but be impressed. She had classified everyone so meticulously. This was a level of thoroughness I never saw in Miss Yena, who always wore an easygoing, friendly smile.

Curious, I looked up Jang Doha. There was no photo, just a note: ‘Colleague? Ally? Or…’.

I frowned. What did this mean? Especially the ‘Or…’ at the end—it bothered me.

I looked up Chief Jeon as well. He was tagged as ‘Trust.’ It seemed ‘Trust’ meant someone reliable, ‘Distrust’ probably meant not to trust, and ‘Caution’ suggested being wary but not necessarily distrusting.

I was curious about how she labeled me.

“Oh…”

My eyes welled up. Under my name, she had written none of the three choices but ‘Pity.’

To her, I was just an unfortunate woman.

How had I lived my life to be seen this way? Even I thought I had lived foolishly. What was I enduring for? Why, and for whom?

If I had children, I could say I endured for their sake, but that wasn’t the case. Why had I lived like that?

Was it truly a relief to escape, even in this strange way?