Chapter 4. I Have To Leave (2)

Translator: Lili

“What? What the hell are you talking about?”

At Shin Sera’s declaration that she was leaving Seoul, Madam Song’s eyes flared with rage. Intimidated by her fierce energy, Jia hesitated for a moment before mimicking Shin Sera’s usual tone from the drama.

“You know better than anyone, madam… I haven’t been doing well lately. So I think it’d be best for me to leave Seoul for a while—to recover.”

Madam Song shot up from her seat, shouting furiously.

“You’ve been running around like a possessed lunatic, pulling all kinds of crazy stunts, and now you’re saying what? Where the hell do you think you’re going when you’re not even in your right mind? What about the company?”

“Well… maybe if I get some fresh air, my memory will come back? And now that I think about it, the vice president position was too much for me. It was greedy of me to want it.”

“Shin Sera, you—!”

Startled by Madam Song’s outburst, Sera took a step back. Madam Song clutched her chest in frustration and let out a string of complaints.

“Everyone’s just waiting for the chance to tear you apart, and you think you can just quit the company so easily? And what about Cha Jaeheon? Do you really want to be thrown out with nothing?!”

‘Who the hell is Cha Jaeheon now?’

Muttering internally, Sera’s brain suddenly clicked. If it was Cha Jaeheon, then that meant Shin Sera’s arranged fiancé—the man who would eventually fall in love with the female lead, Lee Seonkyung.

‘That kind of fiancé? Yeah, I’d be safer without him.’

“I’ll quit the company and break off the engagement. And if you insist on throwing me out, well… I guess I’ll just have to leave. Anyway, I’ve made my decision.”

“You brat, get back here! Hey, Shin Sera!”

Ignoring Madam Song’s furious screams, Sera bolted up the stairs. As a third-party viewer, she hadn’t realized just how exhausting this drama was. The characters were constantly yelling, and it was draining.

She had barely spoken for a few minutes, yet she already felt completely wiped out. Stumbling, she leaned against the wall to catch her breath…

“What are you doing?”

“… Lee Rowoon.”

She snapped her head up, her body instinctively tensing. Lee Rowoon stood there, watching her with a cynical expression.

In the original story, Shin Sera and Lee Rowoon had the worst relationship imaginable.

Shin Sera’s father, Chairman Shin, and Lee Rowoon’s father, Chairman Jung, had co-founded Sungwon Group. After Chairman Jung’s death, Lee Rowoon appeared years later as his illegitimate son.

Chairman Shin, seeing how much Rowoon resembled his late friend, treated him like his own son. Naturally, Shin Sera hated Rowoon—the sudden rival in her world—and relentlessly tormented him with verbal abuse.

— Your mother was just some mistress Chairman Jung kept around until he got sick of her, wasn’t she? Filthy bloodline.

— A bastard like you, with no class or background, dares to dream of taking over Sungwon? Get lost. Get lost!

— Since you take after your mother, why don’t you try sucking up to some rich housewives? Maybe then you’ll at least be able to put food on the table.

At first, Rowoon hadn’t cared much. But after Shin Sera got drunk at a charity gala and publicly humiliated him by shouting about his origins, his hatred for her became permanent.

‘And after that… what happened next? If we follow the original plot, Lee Rowoon…’

He falls in love with Lee Seonkyung, who understands his pain. To protect her, he destroys Shin Sera beyond the point of recovery. And in the end, he fakes a car accident to—

“…”

Recalling the grim fate awaiting her, Sera lowered her head, her expression darkening.

Mistaking her behavior for something else, Rowoon’s gaze turned cold. He took a step toward her, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“You’re going to throw everything away and leave?”

“…”

“You don’t have anything without Sungwon, and yet here you are, spouting nonsense. Tell me what you’re really scheming.”

She didn’t want to be scared of him. But Lee Rowoon was terrifying. Despite his pretty face, his frame was built like a trained athlete. One punch from him, and she’d probably die on the spot.

If this were the original Shin Sera, she would have lashed out even more viciously, accelerating her downfall.

“…It’s nothing like that. I’m not plotting anything.”

Avoiding his gaze, Sera mumbled her response. Rowoon let out a scoff.

“Then why are you suddenly acting like a total idiot, huh?”

As he took another step closer, Sera instinctively retreated—until her back hit the wall. Seeing the fear in her expression, Rowoon smirked.

“What’s with the pathetic ‘I’m scared’ act? Since when did you ever play the victim? They said you hit your head, but did you actually go insane?”

‘Was this really necessary?’

Even if they hated each other, this was a bit much.