Shadows of a Monster Brother
A detective who wasn't even a minor offender. The house we moved into was a bit larger, with an extra room. Thanks to the IMF crisis, our family was drowning in serious debt, so securing this place was a miracle in itself. No living room—just a master bedroom and a small room, plus a bathroom and a veranda storage space, totaling about 330 square feet. Since Min-ji and I were still young, it didn't feel that cramped. But because of how Mother watched Min-ji, I ended up handling almost all the cleaning myself.
Mother eyed me guiltily as I cleaned alone. Now I remembered why that sight had bothered me so much as a kid... I'd thought five-year-old Min-ji was all grown up, clinging only to Mother, which made her even more annoying. The biography said I hadn't helped with the move at all. It noted that Mother had left Min-ji with the neighbors for a bit and squeezed in some cleaning time. I came home after playing soccer until sunset and got my ass spanked by her. I already harbored resentment toward Mother because of my birthday fiasco, so I'd rebelled against her. Back then, I just thought I'd been punished for coming home late, but now I saw the real reason.
"Our son's so thoughtful~!"
"Won't the air be bad for Min-ji?"
"Then... can I take Min-ji back home?"
"Of course."
Mother's eyes brimmed with affection as she looked at me. I'd never once thought of her as young, but seeing her now, it was a wonder no other man had snatched her away.
"Just mop the floors before you come back, okay?"
"Yeah."
Mother took Min-ji's hand and headed out. I roughly finished cleaning and tossed the mop aside. Poverty... I'd only ever cursed it. For being born into this shit, for why my parents' mistakes had to fall on me. Sure, Dad worked his ass off, but even by the time I died, he couldn't pay off half of the 1.1 billion won debt. The money he made from gang work? He threw it away without a second thought. I'd dismissed him as stubborn... but now I realized he was just steadfast. He'd given up his own dreams, sacrificed everything to raise us.
"Haa..."
Mother worked now too, but in her mid-thirties, her health would break down, leaving her unable to work. And with the IMF four years ago, families like ours were everywhere. So... my path was clear.
I turned on the smartphone.
Regression Smartphone
Date: August 14
Year: 2028
In short, this smartphone showed my life even after I vanished. I opened the biography and checked the latest entry.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
August 11: None.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Guess I couldn't see my own future on this phone. Had I really died? My death might even help those around me... What could I do with this smartphone? No... anything.
Late that night, when I still hadn't returned, Mother came looking with Min-ji in tow. I pretended to have just finished cleaning, got up, and headed home with her.
Before the move, while packing, Dad—who'd come home early—called me after dinner.
"Son, don't you need to use the bathroom?"
"Kinda."
"Don't piss the bed again—want Dad to take you?"
The house's toilet was outside. It was a squat toilet, filthy and problematic. Hell, even school toilets back then were all squatters. I remembered being thrilled about the sit-down toilet in the new place after moving. I'd been pretty scared of this one.
"Wooo~"
Dad made weird noises to scare me while I shat. Mother was twenty-seven; Dad the same age. By my death at thirty-five... I'd lived a pathetic life, regret surging anew. The weight Dad carried, his maturity—it was on another level.
"Wooo~ It's a ghost~"
"You stink of cigarettes."
"Ah, son... Dad smoking's a secret from Mom, right? Got it?"
I smirked at Dad's reaction and flushed the toilet.
Mother and Dad fought often. He couldn't even pay interest, heading out early, barely sleeping, working late. Mother filled his absence alone. Their perspectives clashed hard, leading to constant arguments. It worsened Mother's illness; her health declined day by day.
Ways for me to make money. Not many options... but with this smartphone, possible. Soon after moving, Mother would swallow her pride and get a computer from a friend as a late elementary school gift for me. Plenty I could do. Stocks? A quick YouTube search for market cap graphs would show details. But right now, there was a perfect method. Unthinkable for a nine-year-old. Stealing copyrights... but twenty years from now, minimize the damage.
After the move, Mother said she was off to work. The smartphone showed she'd briefly toiled at a flyer factory to buy that computer. I had savings in my account, but not nearly enough. So on Saturday, only Min-ji and I remained home.
The new house scared Min-ji. She clutched her doll tight, fearing me, naturally shrinking into a corner. Like she wished I'd ignore her, she burrowed under the blanket.
Of course, that tiny heart's walls were sky-high.
"Mommy..."
Min-ji called for Mom from under the blanket. The biography said I'd hit little Min-ji whenever she wanted Mom, claiming she thought only she missed her.
"With... brother..."
"..."
Words failed me. Did I even deserve the word 'brother' from Min-ji? We'd never properly talked, even in my past life. This conversation felt awkward as hell.
"Wanna go see Mom with brother?"
"...Really?"
Min-ji peeked out, shrinking back a bit.
"Gotta dress warm to see Mom."
"Cothes...?"
Min-ji bolted up, hunting for her clothes—mostly mine, oversized on her. I dressed her. She stared at me blankly.
"Hold my hand tight and follow, got it?"
"Yeah..."
Min-ji gripped her doll. But as we headed out, she flinched hard. Like she'd recalled something awful. As I reached for the door, she startled, refusing to go, retreating to the corner.
"Don't lock the door... Min-ji doesn't know where Mommy is... I was bad..."
Her words hit like a gut punch; I clapped a hand over my mouth in horror. No need to ask—that trauma was obvious. What I'd done to toddler Min-ji.
From the day she was born, the smartphone showed... I'd hidden her so Mother couldn't find her. When parents ignored her, I'd pressed a pillow to her face, laughing as she suffered. Made her watch every move, beat her before she was two. After two, if she wanted Mom, I'd shoved her out and locked the door, cackling at her screams for thirty minutes before letting her back in. Satisfied only when she trembled. Taught the barely verbal Min-ji how to beg forgiveness.
I... had to step out, leaving Min-ji for a moment. Had I forgotten? Or had that pathetic me not even regretted it?
The smartphone's earliest entry was four days ago.
Crack!
My fist slammed into the brick wall, veins bursting, blood flowing.
"..."
I loathed myself utterly. Yet Min-ji tended to me, immobile. I slumped to the floor, covering my face with my palms.
"What the fuck was I?"
Blaming the family for making me this way—that was the contradiction. The more I learned of my past self... the clearer it became: I'd been rotten from the start.
I didn't know how to apologize. No... I'd crossed the line where apologies meant shit. Nothing could make up for it; the gap was abyssal.
"B-brother...? You there...? Min-ji was bad. Scared... Don't leave Min-ji alone..."
Yet Min-ji feared being alone more than anything. I hurried back inside.
"Just stepped out a sec... Won't leave you."
"...Yeah."
"Next time, I'll tell you before going."
"Uh-huh..."
She sensed the awkwardness, eyeing me warily. I couldn't bear it. Deciding not to go, she'd stripped alone and realized she was by herself, calling for me.
"...Sorry."
"..."
"I'm sorry..."
"Sorry...? To Min-ji?"
Lips formed apologies, but something stabbed my spine, making me recoil from myself. Was this the best I could do...? Slowly, carefully, I stroked her huddled form to avoid scaring her. Even that felt like a selfish ploy to ease my guilt, churning my stomach.
"I... I did unforgivable things..."
"Don't cry, brother... Stop."
I knelt—something I'd never done even for my parents—and begged forgiveness for a long while. Tiny Min-ji... hugged me.
That act. That innocence. It made me filthier than scum.