3) Chapter 1 - Hope...... is there any? (3)
In my previous life, I’d been fairly healthy, so I had never once been hospitalized.
Maybe that’s why—being in a large hospital room with adults fussing around me felt strangely awkward and embarrassing.
“There were no abnormalities in the child’s body, but…”
“There’s still the possibility of trauma…”
“What about the foster placement…”
They had drawn the curtain and were trying to keep their voices down, but how much sound could a single curtain really block?
It had been about ten minutes since I regained consciousness, but it felt wrong to interrupt, so I simply lay there with my eyes open, staring blankly.
I was curious about many things.
Was the man okay?
Were the children at the orphanage okay?
Was the teacher okay?
Chae‑yi.
Was Chae‑yi okay?
Logically, she probably was. She was a heroine. If she was supposed to appear as a heroine in the main story, of course she had to survive.
But having gone through that situation myself, even thinking that, I couldn’t feel certain.
My mouth tingled with the urge to speak, but I waited quietly until the doctor carefully opened the curtain and stepped inside.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
He looked a little surprised, then quickly came to my side. A nurse followed him in, and beyond the slightly opened curtain I could see people in black suits. They kept glancing at my face from behind the curtain.
“How do you feel?”
“I’m okay.”
“Nothing hurts?”
“No, nothing hurts.”
“I see. While you were asleep, we ran several tests, and there were no injuries. You’ll probably be able to go home tomorrow.”
I noticed I didn’t even have an IV.
Well, I hadn’t had any injuries, so that made sense.
The blood I had been covered in wasn’t mine.
“…”
I trembled a little.
Things had been so urgent at the time that I hadn’t realized it, but thinking back now—I had been right in front of a murderer.
The reason I hadn’t seen the villain clearly was because the man had held me tightly in his arms to protect me.
At the time, I thought he was just fighting while holding me with one arm, but thinking about it again—was it really possible to fight while holding a child and not let them get hurt at all?
More likely, he had gotten even more injured because he was trying so hard to protect me.
“Um… is the man okay?”
I asked with a trembling voice.
The doctor blinked and looked at the nurse. She did the same.
“Yes. He’s okay.”
“Really?”
Their reaction just now felt too meaningful. Like the kind of gentle lie adults tell children.
“He really is okay. He’s hospitalized here too.”
I wasn’t sure if “hospitalized” counted as “okay,” but…
Doctors’ standards for “okay” were often very different from normal people’s. And compared to being dead, being alive was certainly “okay.”
“What… what about my friends?”
“They’re okay too.”
This time the answer came immediately, and the doctor even smiled with relief. That meant they really were fine.
I let out a small breath.
“Then rest for now. You want to see your teacher, right? I’ll bring her in.”
I nodded, and the doctor stepped outside again. For a brief moment, I made eye contact with one of the people in suits. He looked tense, but when our eyes met, he gave me an awkward little wave.
Hmm.
Probably a government worker.
A child who awakened superpowers couldn’t stay in a normal orphanage.
Not even thirty seconds after the doctor left, the teacher came in.
“Rua, are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
She hurried to hold my hand, and I nodded.
She held my hand tightly, hesitating as if unsure what to say, then simply nodded.
“Alright. Rest well. I’ll stay here with you today.”
It was the expression of someone who wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Because the child in front of her didn’t know anything.
“Is Chae‑yi okay?”
“Chae‑yi is fine.”
At my question, the teacher’s eyes grew wet.
She opened her mouth, then finally whispered,
“I’m sorry.”
Was she apologizing for letting go of my hand?
It had been unavoidable.
Her expression felt awkward and embarrassed. She might even be younger than I had been in my previous life.
So I just lowered my gaze awkwardly.
The next day.
The teacher and I spoke with the doctor, then completed the discharge process.
I thought about asking to see the man, but in the end, I stayed quiet. It felt wrong to make someone who was badly injured worry about me.
On the car ride back to the orphanage, the teacher kept looking like she wanted to say something but couldn’t decide whether to speak.
In the end, she said nothing until we arrived.
“Rua!”
As soon as we entered the building, a puff of pink hair—like cotton candy—came flying at me.
It was Chae‑yi.
If I were an adult, I could have caught her easily, but unfortunately, I was a kid the same size as her.
Naturally, I fell backward.
“Rua, are you okay!?”
Her eyes were filled with tears.
How long had we even known each other? How well had I treated her for her to cry like this?
“I’m okay.”
I patted her back gently.
“…”
And the teacher watched us with a guilty expression.
…Hmm.
I didn’t mind being placed in another home.
But I was a little worried about Chae‑yi.
She would awaken her powers later and enter the academy, but that would take time.
…Would she be okay?
A few days later.
The teacher called me into the counseling room, sat me down, and leaned forward to meet my eyes.
“Rua.”
“Yes.”
“There’s something important I need to tell you. Try not to be too surprised, okay?”
When I nodded, she gently held my hand. An adult’s hand was much bigger than mine, and a little cold.
“Rua, you showed your superpower this time, remember?”
I had shown it at the hospital in front of the doctor and the people in suits. Once someone awakened, there were ways to detect it even if they tried to hide it.
Not that I had any reason to hide it.
“And people with superpowers have a lot they need to learn separately.”
“Yes.”
Maybe she thought I didn’t really understand, because her voice trembled as she continued.
“So… it looks like you’ll have to live somewhere else and learn there.”
“…”
What should I say?
Should I just answer calmly, like I always had?
From the teacher’s perspective, I was a child who had already been abandoned once.
No one said it aloud, but every child here knew it.
And how would a child feel, being sent away again?
Wouldn’t they feel abandoned again?
“…Can I come visit later?”
After thinking it over, that was what I said.
And the teacher cried.
Did I choose the wrong words?
But before I could correct myself, my vision blurred as she hugged me tightly.
“Yes. Of course. You can always visit. No—please visit. I’ll be here.”
I wasn’t anything special.
So why was she crying like this?
Sniffling a little, I stayed in her warm arms for a while.
The teacher tried hard to reassure me that the people coming to pick me up were good people, that they would take great care of me.
And the woman sitting in front of me—the one who had come to take me—was definitely a good person.
Because she was the hero I had seen.
“Hello, Rua.”
The beautiful woman sitting across from me spoke with a trembling voice, looking strangely nervous.
“My name is Yoo‑jin. Seo Yoo‑jin. We have the same surname, right?”
“Yes.”
But for some reason, I answered half‑heartedly.
It was strange.
If I were a typical reincarnated protagonist, this would be a good thing, right? She was the heroine’s mother. Entering that household should be a good thing. A chance to get close to the heroine.
Hmm, but it wasn’t because I liked Chae‑yi more as a heroine. I had only remembered the story recently, and I didn’t particularly favor her.
It was just… something.
Something hard to put into words.
“Well, Rua awakened a superpower, right? So you need someone who can take care of you properly. Would it be okay if you lived with me? Ah, right!”
She quickly took out her phone and showed me a picture of a very cute child.
“This is the child you’ll be living with. What do you think? Cute, right? You’re the same age, so I’m sure you’ll become best friends.”
Maybe she avoided mentioning her husband or what happened because someone advised her not to. Considering the talk about trauma, she probably thought it wasn’t appropriate to bring it up so soon.
“…Okay.”
After thinking for a moment, I nodded.
Best friends.
Probably. In the original story, they were always together. Whether that was because they were truly best friends or because Seo Rua simply dragged her around, I wasn’t sure.
But I already had friends.
The kids I’d grown up with here.
Especially Chae‑yi, who was always by my side.
“…Mm.”
And so our conversation ended somewhat awkwardly.
“Rua!”
On the day I left the orphanage.
Even though we had said goodbye several times the day before and promised to meet again, Chae‑yi clung to me desperately.
Tears and snot running everywhere, she cried,
“Rua, don’t gooo.”
“I’m sorry.”
I stroked her head as she clung to my chest.
“Uuuh…”
But she knew.
All the children here were in “unavoidable” circumstances.
Their short lives so far had all been shaped by situations beyond their control.
So she knew that me leaving was also something unavoidable.
And still, she clung to me because she liked me that much.
“…School.”
So in the end, I said what I had been thinking.
I hadn’t said it earlier because I was afraid she might forget me.
Most people don’t remember their kindergarten years clearly. By the time they finish elementary school and become middle or high school students, those memories fade almost completely.
So I thought a promise made now might be meaningless.
But—
“Let’s meet at the same school.”
The academy was a high school program.
Elementary school would be a normal nearby school.
If I begged the adults enough, maybe I could attend the same school as Chae‑yi.
“At school?”
“Yeah!”
I deliberately put on a confident expression. Hands on my hips, chin raised.
“Because I’ll be someone popular.”
“Popular?”
“Yep. All you’ll have to do is ask where Rua is! Everyone at school will know!”
Chae‑yi stared blankly for a moment, then her face lit up.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Really really?”
“Really really really.”
Because, well, wasn’t I someone who had to be popular? Boys, girls—everyone tended to gather around pretty kids.
And I was a child who had awakened superpowers early.
And my foster guardian was a famous hero.
It was practically guaranteed.
So there was nothing to worry about.
“Okay, pinky promise.”
I held out my pinky, and she hooked hers around mine.
“We’ll meet at school?”
“Yeah. We’ll meet at school.”
Seeing her smile again, I nodded firmly.
We would definitely meet again.
Even if not in elementary school—definitely.