16) Chapter 4. My Popularity!? (1)

I learned later that Chae‑yi was actually a pretty well‑known kid in her own way.

In this world, heroes are admired figures. They may not always be as popular as celebrities, but many have a solid fanbase, and those with exceptional looks even double as celebrities.

There are dedicated magazines, TV programs that deal exclusively with hero‑related stories, and plenty of creator channels on streaming sites.

Naturally, people are also interested in the children of heroes.

Some heroes hide their children’s identities as much as possible, while others openly show them to the public. Soi’s parents were the former, and Cheong Hwirin was the latter.

Soi and I never paid much attention to the news, and we usually watched silly short videos or comics with no educational value, so it’s no wonder we didn’t know.

If you ask why no one was monitoring a criminal vicious enough to stalk a hero’s child for revenge—

…Well, it’s because he wasn’t a vicious criminal.

If the crime had been sexual assault, murder, injury, or terrorism, of course he would’ve been under strict supervision. But the villain who caused this incident had only committed breaking and entering and theft. It was his first offense, and even though he used his ability, he got caught by the homeowner and was arrested while trying to run away.

He didn’t even spend two full years in prison.

Normally, crimes committed with abilities receive harsher sentences, but he suffered irreversible injuries during his arrest by Cheong Hwirin. That probably affected the sentencing.

“……”

Well, anyway.

That was something I heard later. When I was first admitted to the hospital, of course no one told me any of that.

You can’t dump that kind of story on a child who just regained consciousness.

“……”

Auntie Yujin, who came to see me, didn’t say a single word.

She just sat beside my bed and held my hand tightly.

I had been worried she would scold me for doing something reckless. After all, I was the one who insisted on going to look for Chae‑yi, and because of that, Soi ended up in danger too.

But she didn’t say anything like that.

She simply stayed by my side, as if to let me know she was there.

Uncle Dohyun was the same. I still froze up whenever someone held me tightly, so he kept a little distance and just watched my expression.

“……”

It wasn’t only the adults who were silent.

Soi and Chae‑yi also came to my hospital room without saying a word, sat down, and slumped over the edge of my bed.

They didn’t dare climb onto the bed, but they held onto me as if to reassure themselves that I was alive.

Honestly, if someone had blamed me, I might’ve felt a little better.

But no one said anything like that.

*

I wasn’t seriously injured, but for the sake of mental stability—and just in case—I stayed in the hospital for the rest of the week.

“Rua! Rua!”

And every day, not long after school ended, the hospital room door would burst open.

Soi would storm in with both arms full of snacks and ice cream, proudly dumping them onto my bed.

Was this allowed? Could you even eat snacks on a hospital bed?

But before I could think too much about it, she had already torn open a bag of chips, so what could I do? I had no choice but to eat whatever snacks and ice cream she shoved into my mouth.

And every time she visited, she dragged Chae‑yi along.

I wasn’t sure if she had permission from Cheong Hwirin. Judging by how she just hauled her over, probably not.

As if believing it would help me recover faster, she sat Chae‑yi beside my bed and held a snack party every day.

“...H‑hi.”

Chae‑yi, whenever she came in, spoke far less than usual.

She must’ve thought she showed me something embarrassing. She probably thought she should’ve just run away with me instead of stepping forward.

Considering how quickly a hero arrived, maybe she didn’t need to step up at all.

She kept her head down, glancing at me, and whenever our eyes met, she flinched and looked away. Her face was a little red—was she shocked?

My heart dropped for a moment, wondering if she was feeling the same thing I felt when I was held by Uncle Dohyun.

But even so, when she climbed onto the bed, she sat subtly close to me. Not clinging like Soi, but still close.

Which meant she didn’t dislike it.

That alone was a relief.

*

“Thank you for saving Chae‑yi.”

Soi and Chae‑yi had been visiting so confidently that I didn’t realize it, but apparently my hospital room was under pretty strict control.

On the day I was discharged, Cheong Hwirin came to greet me right on time.

“Well…”

She seemed like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.

What could she have said? An excuse for why Chae‑yi ran away?

“……”

I hesitated for a moment.

What should I say? Maybe saying nothing was best—especially for Chae‑yi, who had to keep living with her.

If I meddled and made Cheong Hwirin resent Chae‑yi, that would only make things harder for her.

But wasn’t it partly my fault that Chae‑yi ran away? I ignored the signs, thinking there was nothing a kid could do, and she ended up running away because things got too hard.

“Can I play with Chae‑yi every day?”

So I asked that instead.

I can’t say my mind was pure, but I at least knew what kind of words sounded pure coming from a child.

“Is it okay if I stay friends with Chae‑yi? And take her along when we go out to play?”

Chae‑yi’s eyes went completely round. Kids really do look like coins when they open their eyes wide.

“…Yes, of course.”

Cheong Hwirin answered.

I wondered if Chae‑yi had been scolded. It would be strange if she hadn’t, but I worried about how harshly she might’ve been punished.

Still, I felt confident.

After all, she had said it herself—I saved Chae‑yi.

And there must’ve been an investigation afterward. A child ran away, and the villain Cheong Hwirin had arrested committed another crime.

A gentle hand rested on my shoulder. When I looked up, Auntie Yujin was smiling softly at me.

“Chae‑yi, you heard her?”

“H‑huh?”

Chae‑yi’s already wide eyes somehow got even wider. Impressive talent.

“Let’s play today too!”

I said that and ran ahead, grabbing Chae‑yi’s wrist.

Soi hurried after me and hooked her arm tightly around mine.

“Can we go play for a bit?”

“Yes. Just don’t stay out too late.”

The hospital wasn’t far from home anyway.

Auntie Yujin looked relieved.

Maybe she had worried I’d be too traumatized to play outside.

…It was a little scary.

This world was much more dangerous than the one I knew.

But if I shut myself in my room, too many people would worry.

So I managed to smile.

Soi and Chae‑yi, standing on either side of me, smiled brightly back.

And I thought—that was enough.

*

Children grow unbelievably fast.

Even though I was a child in this world too.

Especially girls—they grew even faster than I expected. Before I knew it, we were all much taller.

…And not just taller. Physically too.

You know, “secondary sexual characteristics.”

By the end of fifth grade, our body shapes were already noticeably different from the boys’, and by the time we entered middle school, we really looked like “girls.”

Kids who used to look identical with short hair—

“Hmm~? What’s this? Rua, are you embarrassed? You’re shy in front of your big sister, huh?”

Soi’s personality had changed a bit too.

From a tomboy to… well…

If she used to be a quirky kid who didn’t realize she was popular, now she fully understood she was someone everyone admired.

It was a little worrying.

…No, that wasn’t the important part right now.

“This skirt is too short…”

“No, no, this is totally normal. Everyone wears theirs like this.”

“It’s too tight…”

“Nooo, it’s fine! It looks great, it looks great. Your big sister guarantees it!”

She gave a thumbs‑up with one hand and patted my head with the other.

How did I end up getting dragged around like this?

By the time I realized something was wrong, we were already in middle school.

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Pub: 11 Mar 2026 02:05 UTC

Edit: 11 Mar 2026 02:10 UTC

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