5) Chapter 1 - Hope...... is there any? (5)

I heard the news that the uncle had survived three days after I started living at Seo Yujin’s house.

Even though she worried about trauma, the uncle was also one of the people I would be living with from now on.

“Haha, see? I’m perfectly fine!”

“Hehe.”

When we visited him in the hospital, he lifted Soi up with one hand as he said that, and seeing him like that really did make him seem fine. If he’s being discharged next week, I guess a superhuman really is a superhuman.

Of course, when he lifted Soi, the look on Seo Yujin’s face beside him was one that seemed ready to smack him on the back.

Anyway, thanks to that, Soi had no reason to feel gloomy, and it seemed Yujin felt a bit relieved too.

Even though the uncle hadn’t returned home yet, at least the atmosphere in the house hadn’t turned dark. That was a relief.

I think the reason Soi was swayed by Seo Rua in the original story was also related to her father.

I can’t recall the plot very clearly, but I can guess. No matter what she says, Seo Yujin truly loves the uncle. If he had died because of Seo Rua, she probably wouldn’t have been able to accept her as her daughter so easily.

Though I still don’t know why she volunteered to take in Seo Rua. Maybe because she was the child her husband risked his life to save?

“Hi! This is Rua!”

When the two of us went to kindergarten, Rua held my hand tightly and immediately dragged me to her friends to introduce me like that.

After greeting her friends with a simple “Hi?”, she skipped all other explanations and said that, so the kids who were being introduced all tilted their heads in confusion.

“She’s my little sister!”

And seeing their confusion, she added that as if it were a supplementary explanation.

The kids tilted their heads the other way this time, but maybe because they were children, they didn’t think too deeply and soon accepted us as sisters.

As for the “little sister” issue, I decided to just let her win.

I mean, I can’t exactly fight a kindergartener over something like that. Besides, I’m the one living in their house, and my mental age is much higher, so trying to win would look bad.

It’s absolutely not because I resisted for a whole week and eventually surrendered to Soi’s insane child‑energy. Definitely not.

“Oh, she’s pretty.”

Children are honest.

They never sugarcoat anything—if they think something is pretty, they just say it.

And thanks to Soi dragging me around all day and introducing me to every kid in the kindergarten, I became the center of attention overnight.

Ha… seriously.

This is a problem.

Of course, popularity in kindergarten doesn’t last long. By the time they’re in elementary school, they forget everything from that age.

But still…

Isn’t this pretty promising? Back then, girls would never talk to me first, and even if I talked to them, they’d respond with a painfully awkward “Ah… yeah.”

If honest little kids say I’m pretty nine times out of ten, then being popular in the future is only natural, right?

In the original story, Seo Rua was quite a beauty. Her cold, elegant looks played a big part in her ability to sway the class’s opinion. I think she even had a fan club made up of boys.

…No, I don’t need that. A fan club of girls would be different, though.

“Isn’t my little sister pretty?”

The more the kids called me pretty, the more Soi’s nose seemed to point toward the sky, which was kind of funny.

Well, it’s much better than her hating me for stealing affection, so I’ll just leave it be.

And, well…

It feels a bit strange to accept being called “older sister” when the age gap is so big, but Soi’s presence really did help me a lot.

Trauma.

The human mind is more fragile than you’d think. Even without war or major disasters, serious trauma can form. Just being hit by a stranger on the street, or slipping on a slope, can leave someone traumatized enough to freeze in similar situations.

Seo Yujin took care of me with great devotion. She took me to the psychiatrist on the scheduled days, and if she was busy with hero work, she asked the housekeeper to take me.

But more helpful than any counseling was Soi.

When Soi was around, I had no time to think.

She never left me alone. I have no idea where she got all her ideas, but she constantly invented new “games.” Not just playing with dolls—she’d pretend the living room sofa was an island and play pirates, or gather delivery boxes to build a base in the room.

Even if I didn’t say much and just followed her around, she’d smile brightly as if she were having the time of her life.

Who could feel trauma next to a kid like that?

Watching her, I finally understood why raising pets is said to have therapeutic effects.

…Though maybe that’s not something I should say about a person.

Still, I couldn’t help thinking of Chae‑yi sometimes.

It hasn’t even been a month since I moved here, so talking about the orphanage already feels inappropriate, so I hold it in.

But I wonder if she’s lonely. If she’s crying because I’m not there to walk with her every day.

…No, maybe I’m overthinking it. Kids transfer schools all the time.

I only knew Chae‑yi for about a year, so she probably won’t remember me for long.

That’s what I tell myself.

If I really want to know, I can ask to visit after some time passes.

“I’m home!”

When the uncle burst through the door, Soi squealed, ran toward him, jumped, and clung to his leg like a monkey.

He lifted her up with a big smile.

Oh, right—his name was Im Dohyun. But I’ll probably never call him that.

Who calls their dad by his name?

He’s not my dad, but he’s also not just “some man,” so I decided to call him “uncle.”

Seo Yujin calls him that too. Thankfully, she doesn’t mind being called “aunt,” but I still feel shy calling her that, so I wait until she calls me first.

He seemed relieved seeing me run around the house with Soi, but maybe he sensed something in my behavior—or maybe he was just worrying on his own—because Yujin often watched me anxiously.

Even now. The only ones who can naturally say “Dad” are Soi and the uncle.

Noticing Yujin’s worried glance, the uncle grinned and came over to lift me up.

“Our second daughter is here too!”

…Oh.

So I’m officially the younger one now?

I was about to feel a bit annoyed when—

“Ah.”

My heart suddenly pounded violently.

Feeling the warmth of his body made my whole body tense.

My heart raced, but somehow my body felt colder.

“Rua?”

Seeing me tremble, Soi widened her eyes in shock.

The uncle’s expression stiffened too—

By the time I came to my senses, I was already lying on the sofa, held by Seo Yujin.

Blink, blink.

I stared at the ceiling, then slowly sat up.

While I was tilting my head in confusion, Yujin hurried over to whisper something to the uncle. He nodded seriously and looked at me.

His eyes were full of apology.

Only then did I realize what I had felt was trauma.

Of course.

I had been covered in that uncle’s blood.

“Rua, are you okay?”

“…I’m okay.”

My voice was cracked.

My body was still trembling a little.

“Soi, Rua. Should we sleep early tonight?”

“Huh? But I want to talk with Dad more.”

“Dad came home late because of all the tests. He must be tired. So tonight, let’s sleep early and rest well, okay?”

Soi was stubborn, but she was fundamentally perceptive and obedient.

And with that perceptiveness, she seemed to realize I was scared, even if she didn’t know why.

She took my hand.

“Wanna go to our room?”

“…Yeah.”

I nodded.

Yujin had prepared a separate room for me, but because of Soi’s strong insistence, we shared a room.

We still changed clothes separately, and I used my room for that, but when sleeping, we shared the same bed.

I assume we’ll naturally sleep separately as we grow older.

We usually start by lying side by side, staring at the ceiling.

Then, when I wake up feeling hot and heavy, I find Soi draped over part of my body.

I shift away and fall asleep again.

But even in her sleep, Soi is surprisingly persistent, and she chases me all the way to the edge of the bed.

Eventually, with nowhere left to escape, she clings to me like I’m a giant teddy bear and falls into a deep sleep.

Normally, it’s a bit annoying.

But tonight, it feels warm.

At least the coldness I felt earlier is completely gone.

Still, I can’t sleep.

…Right. This world is that kind of world. A world where heroes exist, and villains commit crimes with powers similar to those heroes.

A world where people with supernatural abilities fight and bleed, and even the academy isn’t safe.

For the protagonist to shine, villains have to invade the academy at some point.

Compared to that, my power—Seo Rua’s power—is pitifully weak. It’s barely useful. The only reason I managed to drop something on the protagonist’s head in the original story was because he let his guard down. A brick wouldn’t hurt a superhuman anyway.

Still, the protagonist is strong, so maybe there’s hope.

Even if I don’t do anything, he’ll probably solve everything.

Not that I like that idea.

I closed my eyes.

Since I can’t sleep, I might as well organize my thoughts.

I should try to recall as much of the future plot as possible and write it down somewhere. My power may be weak, but knowing the future is a huge advantage.

The problem is, I barely remember anything.

But thinking about it, aside from the heroine‑redeeming issue, the story was pretty average. Even if I didn’t like the heroine, I don’t think I hated it enough to leave comments.

So what bothered me so much?

Seo Rua, Soi, Chae‑yi—they all had pretty illustrations, and after joining the protagonist’s harem, they basically became background characters.

That’s not unforgivable. Hmm.

In the side stories after the protagonist graduated, I think each heroine even got her own R‑rated chapter.

Especially Soi—she showed unexpected charm in the beginning of the side story, and readers liked her more because of it.

In that scene, she even said something like, “You’re the first one who made me feel good doing something like this—”

“Hyah!?”

I snapped awake and shot upright.

Ah. Right.

I finally remembered why I buried this memory.

You know those authors.

The ones who write decent romance routes, then suddenly add unnecessary sexual details.

The ones who believe, “There’s no way a popular girl is still a virgin.”

And Seo Rua had “leverage” over Soi. The reason Soi even got involved in that kind of thing was because Seo Rua manipulated her.

That’s it.

That’s why I wrote those comments.

Because Seo Rua did things that couldn’t be forgiven with a simple “she’s redeemed now.”

That’s why I tried to forget. I drowned myself in other novels to avoid thinking about it.

Ugh, I had finally forgotten!

“Rua?”

“Oh—yeah?”

Because I shot up so suddenly, Soi, who had been clinging to me, woke up too.

Soi is still a child. Not even in elementary school yet.

Same for me, same for Chae‑yi.

Her father’s death has already been prevented, and of course I have no intention of manipulating Soi or exploiting her weaknesses.

So… hmm.

Is there hope? Maybe?

But thinking about it makes me anxious. Even if we don’t go down that path, isn’t it normal for a popular girl to date and do things?

Soi might get a boyfriend someday, and I have no right to stop her.

What do I even want? For her not to date anyone until she joins the protagonist’s harem?

…No, that sounds even worse.

Characters in novels are just characters. If the author says they never dated anyone, then that’s how it is, even if readers complain it’s unrealistic. And that’s what made it feel worse—because it was done deliberately, almost smugly.

But this world isn’t the novel. The warmth I feel proves that. It only resembles the novel.

Ah, whatever.

I gently laid Soi back down and lay beside her.

It’s a problem for the far future anyway.

“Mom.”

While helping Soi change clothes, Yujin blinked at her daughter’s worried expression.

Soi only made that face when she wondered if Santa wouldn’t bring her presents that year.

But Christmas was far away, and this expression seemed even more serious.

It was a look Yujin had never seen before.

“Why, Soi? Did something happen?”

A little startled, she asked.

“Yeah, um… yesterday, Rua…”

“Oh. Okay.”

Hearing Rua’s name made her unsure whether to tense up or relax.

If it were just an ordinary story, she could smile and listen, but Rua had been through something.

She felt deeply grateful to that child.

If they had arrived at the hospital even a little later, her husband, Dohyun, would have died.

No—timing wasn’t the issue. If that child hadn’t used all her strength to stop the bleeding, it would have been dangerous.

How many blood bags had he needed? Even with help from healers, he was told he’d need half a year of rehabilitation.

So she felt affection for the child and wanted to care for her personally.

“Last night, Rua suddenly sat up.”

“…What?”

That made Yujin snap to attention.

“She was sleeping, then suddenly went ‘kyak!’”

“She woke up?”

“Yeah. Like she had a nightmare.”

“…”

Yujin’s expression grew serious.

“I see. Thanks for telling me.”

“Rua’s okay, right?”

“…Yeah. She’ll be okay. I’m sure.”

She wanted to make her okay.

She owed her husband’s life to that child.

But she also wondered if she really could.

Seeing Rua play with Soi had eased her worries, but yesterday, when she saw the child turn pale in Dohyun’s arms…

Was she being greedy? Was she trying to erase her own guilt while reopening the child’s wounds?

But now that she had brought her here, sending her back was not an option.

That would hurt the child far more.

“…I’m done changing.”

A small, timid voice.

When she turned, a doll‑like pretty girl peeked through the doorway, fidgeting with her hands.

“Okay. Let’s go to kindergarten.”

Yujin stood up, speaking as normally as she could.

Soi ran over and grabbed Rua’s hand tightly.

When Soi held her hand, a faint smile appeared on Rua’s face, and Yujin felt just a little relieved.

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Pub: 03 Mar 2026 07:04 UTC

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