31 You and I are alike (1/2)

”You lied to me.”

”What about it?” She takes her hand. ”Come with me.”

Nam Ji Won can't bear to look at the corpses. The image is unforgettable. Her face is covered with tears. She follows Lee Hyo Rin out of the room and finds people dressed up in black suits standing out of the room.

”Take care of the evidence.” Lee Hyo Rin points at the door. The men in black suits bow to her. Nam Ji Won notices that it's too quiet.

What she has done is wrong. She can't hear or see anything anymore. Lee Hyo Rin smiles when she sees her in that state. She takes her hand and brings her back to her room.

”Drink this.” She gives her a glass of water. ”Calm down, Ji Won. We won't get caught. I have paid the hotel manager to keep quiet. The evidence will completely be wiped by the professionals. If you have money, you can buy anything in this world.”

Her words snap Nam Ji Won out of her trance. ”Why did you do it?”

”Why did I do it?” Lee Hyo Rin's eyes shine. ”Have you heard of Cinderella's story?”

”I have...”

”My father died when I was two. I don't remember him. My mother didn't remarry, but she was too weak to handle the business. My uncle and aunt volunteered. He was my father's only younger brother. Then, my mother died. I was three at that time. She was drunk driving. I don't remember her either. People thought that she got drunk because she was missing my father and died in the accident. My uncle and aunt became my guardian.”

She drinks the water and sighs. ”It's a pathetic story. I believed in those lies until my ninth birthday. I heard them talking about it. My father might have died because of heart disease. But my mother's death wasn't natural. They killed her. They talked about killing me too. However, they couldn't kill me until I became an adult. They needed me to sign everything over to them. I turned nineteen recently. They were planning to kill me next year to avoid suspicion.”

Nam Ji Won clenches her fingers into fists. It's unfair what happened to Lee Hyo Rin, but she should not have killed her uncle and her aunt.

”I was pathetic until I met you Nam Ji Won.” Lee Hyo Rin holds her hand.

”Before meeting you, I was scared to make a move. I couldn't go to law. My uncle already brought them with money. Everyone in the house was his people. My aunt always kept a close watch on me. I acted like I didn't care about anything other than boys. I acted like a dumb and clueless spoiled kid with bad habits. I was afraid if I acted otherwise, they would finish me sooner or lock me in the house.”

Lee Hyo Rin's hands are cold.