Chapter 50: Until the Blue Sky Comes (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 50: Until the Blue Sky Comes (10)
A kind person. We often use that label for those who listen well, lack a temper, and wear a smile more often than a blank stare.
The common trait among such people is that they rarely get angry.
Some might simply be suppressing it, but for most who are called "kind," their threshold for anger is much higher than the average person's, or the things that actually trigger them are extremely specific.
Simply put, they don't get upset over trivial matters.
Conversely, it means they only explode the moment a certain line is crossed.
While that line varies in width and type for everyone, the common trigger for a kind person’s rage is when someone acts with the explicit intent of exploiting them, thinking, “They’re nice, so they’ll let this slide.”
Blue, gripping her sister-in-law’s arm, was staring at her with a murderous glint in her eyes—an expression she had never shown in her life.
“Everyone, go to your rooms.”
At her command, the eldest and the second child followed Hoyoung’s lead and scurried into their rooms after a quick, nervous glance. Only Blue and her sister-in-law remained in the entryway. Even in this situation, the sister-in-law continued to glare at Blue.
“Are you crazy? Let go of me!”
“You’re the one who tried to hit me first. Why should I be the one to let go?”
Another commonality among people like this is that they release all their pent-up anger in a single, instantaneous explosion.
It wasn't that she had been angry and holding it back. She simply hadn't been that angry; things hadn't bothered her that much. Of course, things could be annoying, but in most cases, she either considered them trivial or didn't even notice.
But as those incidents piled up one by one, it was always the people who crossed the line who turned what could have been a minor spark into a massive inferno.
“I wondered if you would. I wondered if you’d start screaming the moment I brought Hoyoung home, even with the kids right here.”
Her voice, usually soft and sweet, was laced with venom. It seemed to turn the surrounding air as blue and cold as her hair.
Her eyes, usually as calm and gentle as a placid sea, were now as cold and sharp as midwinter icicles.
“I told myself that if you started screaming the moment you saw us, I wouldn't hold back this time. I never dreamed you’d actually follow the script so perfectly.”
Blue wasn't particularly tall. Standing in the mid-150cm range, she had to look up slightly at her sister-in-law, who was in the 160s. Yet, it was the smaller Blue who completely dominated the atmosphere.
“You’ve finally lost your mind, haven't you? Talking back to me like that?”
The sister-in-law felt herself being overwhelmed, but her pride wouldn't let her back down. She tried to maintain her composure as she spoke, but she couldn't help but avert her eyes whenever they met Blue’s.
“It’s been ten years. Ten years I’ve spent in this house looking after the kids and doing the housework. What have you done during that time?”
The sister-in-law was silenced by Blue’s sharp voice. She could have shouted or thrown a tantrum blindly, but Blue’s words had struck a chord with devastating precision.
“Back when Hoyoung couldn't even walk... did you change his diaper even once?”
Blue felt her emotions surging. She felt her rationality slipping away as she prepared to vomit out all her long-standing resentment, but she held onto her senses as best she could, articulating every grievance clearly.
“Before the eldest started elementary school, he had a high fever once. It was a total emergency, I had to call 119 in the middle of the night... and you were out drinking with your friends.”
The burden of raising the three siblings had fallen entirely on Blue. Because she had carried that weight alone, she knew everything about them. Meanwhile, the sister-in-law, who had shirked her parental duties, knew nothing concrete about her own children.
“Do you even know the second one has an egg allergy? You bought him snacks the other day, didn't you? While I’m over here meticulously planning his diet just to help his allergy improve even a little bit?”
“Taking care of the kids is your job! I’m the one out there earning money!”
She screamed the first thing that came to mind, but even she knew it.
She knew her words carried no weight.
“Earning money? Aside from going to my brother’s company, sitting in a chair, and being called ‘the Commander’s Wife,’ what is it that you actually do?”
Blue’s brother ran a small company. After they got married, the sister-in-law had quit her previous job and simply occupied a position at his firm.
“Did you think I wouldn't know because I don't go out? Because I don't meet people?”
As long as they lived in the same house, stories were bound to circulate. Just by overhearing her brother’s brief phone calls or the children’s casual conversations, Blue knew exactly what people at the office thought of her sister-in-law.
“You... are you threatening a civilian right now? Don't you know Superhumans aren't allowed to hit civilians?!”
“And civilians are allowed to hit Superhumans?”
Blue tightened her grip on the woman's arm. There had been countless instances of verbal abuse until now, and in this current situation, anyone could see that Blue was simply stopping the sister-in-law from committing an act of physical violence.
“I’ll be honest with you. Taking care of the kids? That wasn't hard at all.”
In the ten years since she started with the eldest, there was never a moment where she felt the childcare itself was a burden. Watching the children grow brought her joy. Even when they ran around like maniacs, she found it pleasant, thinking of it as a fleeting moment in the lives of young children who wouldn't be small forever.
Of course, that didn't mean she never got tired. There was physical exhaustion, and there were moments of mental fatigue caused by the situations the children created.
But Blue had never once blamed the children.
“The only things that made the last ten years hard were your ridiculous hysterics, your irritability, and all your bullshit.”
Harsh words finally escaped Blue’s lips as her emotions peaked. It might not have sounded like much of a curse to some, but the weight of verbal abuse depends on the speaker.
For Blue, who never used coarse language and always spoke with a gentle, refined tone, the word "bullshit" was incredibly harsh and powerful. It showed just how much the sister-in-law had pushed her psychologically to make her resort to such language.
In truth, Blue hadn't fully realized she was being gaslit. There were moments when she felt something was wrong, but she never had the time to organize those thoughts—until she met A and went on that trip. That was the moment she finally had the space to sort through everything.
After listening to her story, A had given her the simplest advice he could.
His words didn't dictate her path; the choice was always Blue’s to make. And Blue knew that.
If A had presented her with a specific path or told her exactly what to do, Blue would likely have been even more confused and still unable to resolve the situation.
But his single question—what do you want to do?—had forced her to think, and those thoughts soon became options.
And the moment those options formed within her, the decision required no further agonizing.
In fact, she felt surprisingly calm.
“You Superhuman bitch, you should just do as you’re told!”
The sister-in-law tried to strike Blue with her free hand, but Blue caught that arm as well and twisted it back.
“Aaaagh!!”
Blue looked down coldly at the woman as she collapsed with a scream. She knew the children were listening from their rooms. This situation was undoubtedly bad for their emotional well-being.
But for Blue, who had never acted for her own sake in ten years, this was the first time she was acting on her own will, and she had zero intention of stopping now.
“Fine. Like you said, I’m a Superhuman. I didn't ask for this, but I’m a Superhuman with physical abilities far beyond a normal person’s.”
“...!!”
As Blue applied more pressure to the twisted arm, the sister-in-law couldn't even scream properly, letting out only short, pained groans.
“Did you really think I’d just stand there and let you hit me?”
In that moment, the hierarchy that had existed between the two women for years was completely overturned. The sister-in-law, who had always believed she was superior, felt a crushing sense of shame, rage, and humiliation as she fell.
Blue felt nothing. Only a sense of achievement for having done what she chose to do, and the realization of just how simple it actually was.
In the heavy silence of the entryway, the door lock beeped and clicked open.
Blue’s brother, returning from work, froze the moment he stepped inside and saw the scene before him. His eyes widened in shock.
“Oppa.”
Seeing her brother, Blue’s resolve wavered, and her grip loosened. The sister-in-law didn't miss the opportunity and scrambled to hide behind her husband.
“Honey! Kick her out right now! Do you see what this crazy bitch did to me?!”
Blue couldn't meet her brother’s eyes. She had made up her mind, but he was still her blood relative, the one who had given her a place to live.
She felt a surge of guilt toward the brother who had looked after her like a father after they lost their parents early on.
After staring at Blue for a long moment, her brother spoke in a low voice.
“Let’s go inside and talk.”
Her brother hadn't changed. She had known to some extent that he had been walking on eggshells around his wife since they got married. Because of that, she had assumed he was no longer on her side.
But she realized that was just her own assumption. Her brother had simply been waiting in silence for his sister to speak up. He hadn't been a bystander who knew everything and did nothing; he had been waiting all this time for her to be the first to say something.
After sending his wife into the master bedroom, Blue’s brother sat down across from her.
They talked about everything Blue had felt. Every situation. Every instance of verbal abuse and every insulting remark the sister-in-law had hurled at her when he wasn't around.
As she spoke, Blue saw her brother’s face contort. It was the first time in her life she had ever seen her brother—who was just as mild-mannered and warm as she was—look so furious.
“So... I’m going to move out and be independent now.”
After their long talk, Blue finally reached her main point and conclusion. She wanted to live in an environment where she could be alone, handling and overcoming everything by herself.
“Do you have the money for a place?”
While living at her brother’s house, Blue hadn't paid rent or utilities, but she had spent all her time on childcare and used her entire salary from the Earth Defense Union on the kids. She shook her head, as she only had a tiny bit of pocket money.
“It’ll be hard right away, but that’s my plan for now.”
“Wait a second.”
Her brother got up and went into the master bedroom. Blue could hear the sister-in-law’s shrill voice, but her brother didn't seem to respond. A moment later, he came back out and pushed a bankbook and a card toward Blue.
“?”
The bankbook was old and faded. Blue, having no idea where it came from, just stared blankly at her brother’s face.
“I started a savings account for you when we were young. It matured two months ago. I was just holding onto it for the time being.”
If he had given it to her right away when she had nowhere to spend it, the money would have been meaningless. He had resolved to give it to her whenever the moment came that she actually needed it, and that moment had arrived.
“I also put in everything for the housework you did for ten years. It might be a little short if you calculate everything exactly, but I tried my best to make it right.”
His low voice echoed through the quiet house. Blue listened in silence as he continued.
“I’m sorry for not saying anything all this time. There were things I didn't know, but not knowing was my fault too.”
At some point, her brother had lost track of what was right and wrong. He regretted his indifference toward his sister and apologized to her sincerely.
“It’s okay. I never once blamed you, Oppa.”
The two siblings shared a small smile.
“When are you leaving?”
“Sometime this week. I need to look for a temporary place first.”
There were the children, but there was no longer any reason for Blue to stay in this house.
There had never been a reason for Blue to be tied down here, solely responsible for all the childcare, in the first place.
She was simply, albeit late, finally taking the path she was always meant to walk.
“What are you going to do, Oppa?”
If Blue left, there would be no one to take care of the children. And frankly, she didn't think her sister-in-law was capable of looking after them properly.
“I’ll handle it. For now, you just worry about yourself.”
“Okay.”
He wasn't telling her not to care. He literally wanted his sister to focus entirely on herself for once. The children were the responsibility of him and his wife; he didn't want to burden his sister with the problems right in front of them.
It was clear that this wouldn't wash away his guilt for neglecting her all those years. However, people change bit by bit, and one lives by repenting for their mistakes one step at a time.
The brother, who had raised his sister alone without parents, was taking the first step toward being forgiven by relieving her of the burden he had let her carry for ten years—even if Blue didn't resent him for it.
“Was the trip fun?”
“Yeah. Hoyoung had a great time, and I enjoyed myself too.”
“I’m glad.”
The siblings chatted like they used to for the first time in a long while.
There were complex situations that couldn't be explained individually and a long history behind them, but at least for these two, things were slowly returning to where they should be.
After finishing the conversation, Blue went into her room, locked the door, and lay down on the bed.
As she stared blankly at the ceiling, something suddenly occurred to her. She lit up her smartphone screen and sent a text.
[What are you up to?]
With a heart made lighter by the burden she had finally shed.
And with a sense of peace she hadn't felt in a long time, Blue sent the message to A.