SACCHARIN
CHAPTER 35

But maybe we both got a little too into our roles. The ballerina was glaring at me with a furious expression, and I sniffled like a full-blown sinner.

I must have looked too defeated, because she gave me a playful wink as if to reassure me. Her voice dropped to a quiet murmur that wouldn’t carry beyond the room.

“Luckily, the weather’s good tonight. You’ll be able to leave the island. Think of it as divine timing.”

“Yes.”

The ballerina couldn’t stay here too long either. Thinking it might finally be safe to loosen up a little, I relaxed my stiff face and asked her cautiously.

“Come with me.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“If a boat is really coming, let’s get on it together. Please?”

“……”

“When I saw Chairman Pyeon three months ago, it didn’t look like he had much time left. So… if we hide together on the mainland until he dies…”

She let out a small scoff, like she couldn’t believe what I was saying. Her expression was unreadable, filled with so many emotions at once that I couldn’t even guess what she was thinking. But when her calm eyes settled on me in silence, there was a tenderness in them that made my heart clench.

“Please… come with me.”

“I’ll leave when the time is right. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Don’t say that…”

“If you do something reckless out of pity, it won’t just be you—it’ll be Chi-woo and your father who pay the price.”

“……”

“I appreciate the thought. Since it’ll take a while for someone from Seoul to get here, try to get some rest. Even at the earliest, they won’t arrive until dawn.”

I nodded. The ballerina gently touched the cheek she had slapped earlier. There are feelings that don’t need words—I gave her a small smile to say I was okay.

“You idiot. You were crying just a second ago—if you smile now, what are people supposed to think?”

“…I’ll manage my expressions better. I won’t lose focus. I’ll keep the emotional line consistent.”

“Damn it… the great actress is here… So cute, no wonder Chi-woo…”

“…Sorry?”

“Never mind. Just don’t do anything stupid. Stay right here and wait.”

She patted my shoulder a couple of times, got up from the bed, and raised her voice on purpose before opening the door. I could hear her barking orders at the roommates who were obviously eavesdropping outside—telling them to keep a close watch so that Seo Wan-yi wouldn’t run off.

Once she was gone, I closed the bed curtains tightly and lay down. Even though the crying had been fake, I’d still used up emotional energy. I just wanted to rest and clear my head for a moment.

“…Shit… what do I do now? If she tells Chief Shin I bullied her, I’m totally screwed.”

“See? You should’ve taken it easy.”

“Why didn’t you stop me?”

“There’s no point in fighting among ourselves. That cold bastard might just tell her to get rid of the baby.”

“Then what, she gets an abortion and comes back?”

“Who knows… I don’t.”

Apparently, the ripple effect of a fake pregnancy was far greater than I’d expected. Even Glasses, who never backed down, seemed shaken—pretending to pace in panic.

“So how many weeks is she?”

“They say it happened on the boat, so let’s say three months, give or take.”

“Huh? I heard it was in the car.”

“What?”

“On the way down here—maybe he got turned on or she begged for her life with her body, but I heard they did it in the car after making everyone else get out.”

“Then they did it twice? Or he came inside her more than once?”

“Hey, shut up. Everyone can hear.”

Yeah, I can hear you. Loud and clear. You’re all so damn noisy.

I just want to rest. But I understood why they were worked up—on this boring island, I’d basically dropped a nuclear bomb. No wonder they were talking all night.

Whatever. Do what you want.

I pulled the blanket over my head. Just thinking about riding the boat, then a car, all the way back to Seoul already made me feel like I was falling apart. Like the ballerina said, it was probably best to get a bit of sleep and regain my strength.

“They’re not actually getting married, right?”

“No way. He’ll just take responsibility. Probably just pay child support.”

“If he pays a lot, that’s sweet. She’s basically making money off the baby.”

“Damn… Wan-yi played it smart. Never mind her dad—she used the baby excuse to save her own life.”

“Thought she was just book-smart, but turns out she really is a grad student.”

“How’d that impotent bastard even get it up?”

It wasn’t a PhD—I was still in a master’s program, thank you very much.

Even if I had a doctorate, being here like this would be unbearable—but I didn’t even get my master’s, and now my entire career was ruined. I sobbed with frustration, thinking about my thesis scattered to the wind. Everyone would assume I was crying because of an unwanted pregnancy, so I figured it was okay to let the tears flow more freely, to pour more emotion into them.

“Okay, that’s enough, all of you. She can hear everything. Look, she’s crying again.”

“Well… she didn’t come here for the same reasons we did. She must be terrified.”

“That executive father of hers… The Chairman won’t let that slide, will he?”

“I bet her dad ends up here in her place—if he’s still alive after fleeing.”

“Right… just look at Gombo. Our Chairman is seriously brutal.”

“Sure, killing someone is easy—but roasting them slowly in hellfire while alive, that’s the real art…”

Hearing things like that stopped my tears instantly. If this all failed, not just me and my dad, but Shin Chi-woo and everyone who helped him might meet an end so painful we’d beg for death instead. That was my fear.

This was all I had left. I had no choice now but to pray—pray for Pyeon Jae-ho to die. That his illness would suddenly worsen and take him tonight. The fact that I was wishing for someone’s death with such desperation… I must’ve lost my mind.

…Finally, it was quiet.

The murmuring about me had faded. In the deep of night, everyone was asleep—except me, lying with my eyes wide open. I tried to force myself to sleep, but the more I tried, the more awake I felt.

When I needed to stay alert, I was always sleepy. But now, with nothing to do but wait, my eyes stayed open. Time crawled like it was deliberately taunting me.

Eventually, I must have drifted off, only to be woken by a voice.

“Seo Wan-yi, get up. Did you pack your things?”

“Ah… no, I’ll do it now.”

“Are you kidding me? You haven’t packed yet?”

“Well…”

“Hurry up. We don’t have time.”

I answered groggily, but I didn’t really have anything to pack. I came to the island with nothing, and I’d long since traded my seasonal tweed jacket for a more practical windbreaker.

I always kept important items on me, so there wasn’t much to bring. Just the padding jacket I’d gotten in exchange for two necklaces—that was it.

I wasn’t fully awake yet, and the ballerina was practically shoving me out the door. I couldn’t even zip my coat in peace.

“Hurry up already! You’re slow and clueless—so frustrating.”

“I’m doing it, just a second.”

She couldn’t even wait the few seconds it took me to zip my coat and put on my sneakers. Yeah, I was lying around clueless, but she could’ve at least told me earlier to get ready. Now she was rushing me, and I had no idea what tempo I was supposed to move to.

Good thing I knew she was acting. If this had been real, I probably would’ve lost my mind.

“I’m ready. All done.”

“Not even going to say goodbye?”

The ballerina’s raised voice woke up the entire room.

“I was going to, of course.”

Even though we were on the same side, she was cornering me and snapping nonstop. I felt like I was getting scolded for no reason, and tears welled up again.

“Um… thank you, everyone. Please stay well.”

“Take care of yourself, Wan-yi. Have a safe delivery.”

“Goodbye, Wan-yi! We’ll be waiting for you to come back!”

“You… seriously, just stop already.”

Glasses, who always claimed to be the ballerina’s right hand, probably had to act tough with me because of that. She must’ve had a hard time playing the villain. I walked up to her with a smile, even as she remained sharp to the end.

“I’ll miss you a lot, unni.”

“What the hell… Don’t be so gross…”

“Oh, please. What is this, a touching farewell now?”

“Seriously. Is the pregnancy making her crazy?”

“The baby can hear, you know. You should shut your mouth too.”

I gently took her hands and said my final goodbye. She recoiled like I’d just touched something contagious, yanking her hands away—but I knew that wasn’t how she really felt, so I gave her a playful little wink.

“Get out already. We all need to go back to sleep if we’re going to work tomorrow.”

“Alright. Stay healthy, everyone.”

Lying in bed with an annoyed voice, she turned her back on me coldly. She couldn’t let herself cry in front of others, so she pulled the blanket over her head and refused to look my way.