10) Chapter 3. That's not it, actually...! (2)
Soi really loved her younger sibling.
Technically, Rua’s birthday was earlier, but that didn’t matter. Whether someone is the older or younger sibling depends on attitude and presence. People say an older sister should act like one—meaning, if you behave like an older sister, then you are the older sister.
So Soi simply couldn’t leave her pretty Rua alone.
Even as an elementary schooler, she understood enough.
Rua was her father’s savior. Her dad had once been in serious danger, and if not for Rua, things could have ended terribly. That was why her parents brought Rua home—to repay that debt.
So Soi wanted to treat Rua well.
Of course she had no problem with that.
Because Rua was her adorable little sister.
If left alone, Rua would just sit quietly and stare at Soi, looking like… someone who shouldn’t be left unattended.
The more Soi helped her, the more Rua relied on her.
Whenever Rua was left alone among other kids, she would panic and look around desperately for Soi. Honestly, that reaction was so cute that Soi sometimes hid among the kids just to watch her.
Whenever Soi held out a snack, Rua would hesitate, glance around nervously, and then nibble on it like a frightened little animal.
Before bed, she would lie sprawled on the bed with her face half-buried in the rabbit plushie she’d received as a child—so much that it was hard to tell which one was the plushie.
And over the years of taking care of Rua, Soi began to realize something.
She had no idea what that “something” was.
Whenever Rua got scared, or anxious, or woke up startled in the middle of the night—and whenever Soi protected her—she felt something.
Rua normally didn’t show much interest in other people. Unlike Soi, who made friends easily, Rua took a long time to warm up to anyone.
So when Soi saw Rua approach a kid from another class first, she was shocked.
Rua’s expression was one she had never seen before.
It must have been a kid she’d never met, yet the moment she saw the girl’s back, she walked toward her as if drawn in.
She even smiled brightly without realizing it.
Soi knew how much courage that took. Because the Rua she’d always known was timid and easily frightened.
“Rua? I don’t know anyone by that name.”
And that courage was rejected just like that.
After all that effort.
Soi was about to get angry at the girl.
If Rua hadn’t stopped her, she probably would have.
But even Soi didn’t fully understand why she was angry. Maybe it was because the girl crushed Rua’s courage.
But there was something else.
Something she couldn’t name.
Something she felt—
“Haa…”
Rua pulled her out of the classroom and let out a breath.
Her face was bright red. Whenever she was embarrassed, her face always flushed like that.
“Rua, why?”
“No, it’s nothing. I just… mistook her for someone else…”
Rua hesitated.
Even when Soi narrowed her eyes, Rua kept her gaze lowered and said nothing more.
Timid, easily frightened.
But also stubborn.
She never talked about her nightmares, or why she sometimes got scared for no reason.
But Soi understood at least one thing.
She felt a little hurt.
Still, she didn’t push. Her parents had told her many times:
An older sister must never hurt her younger sibling.
Soi had spent her childhood alone in that big house. She didn’t want to lose the sister she had now.
So she said nothing more.
*
Thinking about it, maybe I approached her too suddenly.
Even if she remembered my face, she might have pretended not to. It’s understandable.
The fact that I lived in an orphanage is extremely sensitive personal information.
Children are pure.
But purity doesn’t mean kindness.
Because they’re pure, their sense of right and wrong can be vague, and they can show cruelty adults wouldn’t even imagine.
Bullying can start from anything. Being different—being a superhuman, not having parents—those things can become targets. And children often don’t feel guilt about it.
So parents are just parents. Whether adoptive or biological, acting in a way that makes it obvious is… not ideal.
And didn’t we hear earlier? Chae‑yi was adopted by a hero family.
Rumors like that would be even more dangerous.
Fine.
In that case, I have a solution.
A very simple one.
I can just become her friend again.
Maybe not the same way as before, but that doesn’t matter. I just want to be close to her again.
…More than that.
I feel a bit guilty.
What if Chae‑yi’s personality changed because she was hurt as a child?
And what if I was one of the people who caused that?
Maybe I’m overthinking.
“Rua!”
“Hyak!?”
A sudden poke in my cheek snapped me out of my thoughts.
“You want to be friends with her?”
Soi’s face filled my entire field of vision.
I try to keep a neutral expression, but the kids around me always notice immediately. And the first to notice is always Soi.
“…Yeah.”
When I nodded, Soi fell into thought.
We were in the classroom, by the window, in the very back seat.
A popular spot—but right now, it was mine.
Not because of Soi’s popularity, but because the teacher said first come, first served.
Soi had woken me up early, dragged my half-asleep body to school, and claimed the seat.
She was too upright to push other kids aside with her name alone.
She sat in the seat in front of me.
If she turned sideways in her chair, she could face me directly.
Even our seating arrangement made it feel like she was guarding me. Persistent, in many ways.
“Hah, well. I guess there’s no helping it!”
Soi dramatically shrugged her shoulders.
Then she placed one hand on her chest, closed one eye, lifted her chin, and struck a pose that was somehow cute yet irritating at the same time.
“This big sister will help you!”
…Hmm.
I mean, I’m the one who wants to be friends.
But maybe her help will be useful. Chae‑yi is still an elementary schooler, after all.
And I’ve never made an “elementary school friend” before, so Soi might really be better at this.
It felt weird asking an elementary schooler to help me make friends, but I decided to ignore that.
Skills should be left to the experts.
Yes. That’s it.
*
“No.”
Scribble.
Hearing that from Chae‑yi, I could almost hear Soi freezing beside me.
Because Soi had never been rejected like that before.
She’s pretty, energetic, has famous parents, and drags me around with her—of course she’s popular among elementary schoolers.
And kids usually become friends with anyone at that age.
“Why should I be friends with you?”
“Uh?”
Boom!
This time it sounded like something exploded above Soi’s head.
She had never heard anything like that before.
“Why can’t we be friends?”
“I never said we can’t. I said there’s no reason to.”
Is that something an elementary schooler says?
And more importantly—was Chae‑yi always like this? Even in the original story, she wasn’t like this.
She was much more dependent. She did everything Seo Rua told her to.
Even… those kinds of things. Like Soi.
“…”
Scribble.
This time it felt like my brain froze.
Ah.
Ah.
How did I forget!?
Glance.
While I was frozen, Chae‑yi’s eyes flicked toward me.
Her expression didn’t change. Her gaze lingered on me for a moment, then dropped to the book on her desk.
A book with content even I struggled to understand.
…High school level material.
I think I understand a little about the household she was adopted into.
*
“What is wrong with her!?”
Back home, Soi kicked her legs wildly on the bed and shouted.
“Why does she talk like that!?”
Well… maybe we’ve just been surrounded by nice kids until now. It’s not strange for someone like that to exist.
Seeing her reaction, I worried a little. What if Soi actually started to dislike Chae‑yi?
But her next words eased my mind.
“Fine. Then I’ll make sure we become friends. Super close friends. So close she won’t be able to deny it!”
A very Soi‑like conclusion.
And also… a slightly worrying one.
…Will this really be okay?
It should be, right?
In the original story, they were close anyway!
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Author's Note
Thank you for reading again today! I’ll try to proofread typos as quickly as possible! I’ll also try to add the supporter acknowledgments as soon as I can ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I’m sorry for making you wait ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Since the supporter thank‑you message was posted late, you may not have seen it, so I’ll include it again in tomorrow’s chapter notes!
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Morea‑nim, thank you for your support! Thank you always for reading my work! I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since I was young. Honestly, I had given up on it to some extent, so rather than wanting to earn money or serialize properly, I just wanted to finish at least one story in my life… But thanks to all of you, I’ve been able to complete several chapters like this. Ever since I started writing, every day has felt like a miracle. I’ll do my best to write something fun every day so that the miracle you’ve given me won’t go to waste! Thank you so much! Please continue to enjoy this work as well!
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Mint_567‑nim, thank you for your support! Thank you for looking forward to it! I’m glad you enjoyed it. When writing a novel, it naturally ends up going in the direction I want. This story too will probably be about a kind protagonist and supporting characters getting into various situations. I also want to include lots of romance—harem, yuri, all of it! I want to write another story that ends happily. The main characters have only just begun to appear, but aside from the two on the cover, there will be a few more heroines. Once they get to the academy, of course the number of friends will increase, right? After all, the title is “I Want to Be Popular”!
Thanks to all of you, I always enjoy writing. The reason I was able to upload this new work is because I know you read and wait for my stories. I hope the joy I felt while writing can be conveyed to you as well! Thank you so much! Please continue to enjoy this work too!