Chapter 570: The Hole(1)
Chapter 570: The Hole(1)
Just as I was about to explain my family, Mora stopped me.
Her voice didn't just echo in my head; it filled the entire White Room like a broadcast.
At the divine summons, my loved ones looked up. I followed suit, my expression clouded with confusion.
To be honest, her stepping in made me uneasy. There had rarely been a time when Mora’s interference led to anything good.
I wasn't just talking about the Ascetic Training incident. She was the reason my hair stayed long, and she had once tried to change my gender as a "joke."
Fortunately, Luminous had stepped in then. He’d said something about how it would feel like he was "neutering" me.
Regardless, the fact remained that she was unreliable. Hadn't she just shown my time in the military without my permission?
"Mora?"
[It’s not like that. I just have some facts to share with you as well.]
Mora replied in a serious tone to my suspicious inquiry. If it had been Luminous, I would have felt reassured.
Still, a god is a god. I might lack faith in them on a personal level, but they are serious when the situation calls for it.
I could write off the Ascetic Training as a mistake. I just hoped she wouldn't use that mistake as a springboard for another.
"I can trust you, right?"
[You can. This is something necessary for you, and for those you love.]
"Hmm..."
Since she sounded so confident, I couldn't keep prying.
As I hesitated, Mora let out a soft chuckle and spoke in her characteristically cheerful tone.
[What I’m going to show your loved ones isn't different from what you were going to show them. The only difference is that it won't be from Isaac's perspective, but from an observer's point of view.]
"You mean in the third person?"
[Yes. Similar to what you saw earlier. It’ll be easier for them to understand that way.]
I didn't mind that. Even the "Parental Insult" incident—which would forever remain a part of my dark history—had been shown in the third person.
When I first boarded the airplane, it was in the first person, but the perspective shifted soon after. It was quite a fascinating phenomenon.
I crossed my arms, pondered for a moment, and then gave my consent. I chose to believe she wouldn't cause an accident this time.
"Alright. I'll trust you."
[Thank you. However, as I said before, you should watch closely as well.]
"Which part? Don't tell me you manipulated my memories when I crossed over to this world..."
It was a highly plausible theory. That she had altered unhappy memories before sending me here, or something of the sort.
Since she was a god, I couldn't help but be suspicious. Of course, even if it were true, nothing would change.
[It’s nothing like that. You and your family from your previous life were ordinary and harmonious. You realized the value of that early on and showered them with love.]
"So it's not like I was actually an orphan or anything? That's a relief."
[Instead...]
Mora trailed off for a moment, her voice dropping slightly.
[The problem was that you realized that happiness far too early.]
"..."
Hearing those words, I couldn't help but let out a bitter smile. She was right.
My parents in my past life had showered me, their only child, with boundless love, and I had returned that love in kind.
That was the ultimate reason I had become a shut-in. After they passed away in an accident, my mental state was far from sane.
That was the period when I distanced myself from society and wrote novels like a madman.
[Then, let us begin.]
While I wore that bitter smile, Mora spoke softly. Simultaneously, the White Room began to transform into a different space.
The pure white void was replaced by a room that was familiar, yet distant.
It was much smaller than the mansion I currently lived in, but it was the interior of the apartment that had been my true sanctuary.
And inside that apartment, a scene of a happy family was unfolding.
"A-bu-bu. A-bu."
A baby with plump cheeks was struggling to walk. He held his arms out awkwardly, trying his best to keep his balance.
He had features that looked as if every ounce of cuteness in the world had been concentrated into one face.
It was me. Me, just as I was starting to take my first steps.
"He’s—he’s walking! He’s walking! He’s walking!"
"Our Yuhwan is walking! Yuhwan!"
Unlike the baby focused on walking, the man and woman in front of him were clapping and making a huge fuss.
The man’s features clearly showed where the child’s distinct looks came from.
The woman, on the other hand, had somewhat softer features but was undeniably a beauty.
They were my parents from my past life. My parents, looking young and vibrant without a single wrinkle.
Thump—
"Waaaaah!"
"Oh dear. Yuhwan, are you okay?"
"Does it hurt?"
Having failed at my first steps, I cried as if the world were ending. I really was a crybaby back then.
My parents comforted me while maintaining their bright smiles. Both of them had truly charming smiles.
"I thought Isaac was always mature, but I guess not."
"Didn't you say that once, when he fell, he said 'Sh—'?"
"Ah, I remember that. We even held a family meeting to figure out where he’d heard such a word."
Watching my family from my past life, my current family began to reminisce about their own memories. Most of them were from my childhood.
Though there was a significant age gap between Lily and the rest of the siblings, I was also technically a late-born child. There was more than a five-year difference between Nicole and me.
They had adored me for being the youngest. Even though I had all the memories of my past life and acted maturely.
Of course, despite having those memories, I couldn't control my bowels. There was nothing I could do about that. It was truly humiliating.
"Yuhwan. Can you say 'Dada'?"
"Mama. Mama."
"I guess you like Mama more than Dada, huh?"
"Dada. Dada."
I guess I had a bit of a contrary streak back then. When I said the opposite of what they wanted, my parents wore complicated expressions before bursting into laughter.
The scenes continued: celebrating my birthday together, helping me walk, taking me to kindergarten, and so on.
It was a life that was perfectly ordinary compared to my current one. A life with nothing particularly extraordinary about it.
I had been truly satisfied with that life. It wasn't a lack of ambition; it was genuine contentment.
"Yuhwan! Are you doing this again? Mommy told you not to!"
"Waaaaah!"
Of course, as my contrary nature suggested, I was quite a handful when I was little. Even now, I was being scolded by my mother for not listening.
Furthermore, that was a time when corporal punishment was still common. No one questioned it when a child was disciplined with a switch.
Looking at the switch in my mother's hand, it seemed I had already taken a few hits.
However, the expression on my mother's face as she wielded the "Whip of Love" wasn't great either.
Even if it was for the sake of her beloved child, it must have pained her heart.
"In that world, did parents or nannies also use a switch when a child didn't listen?"
Watching the scene, my current mother asked curiously and cautiously.
In this world, the custom of the "Whip of Love" also existed. It was a tradition that fit the era.
However, there were frequent cases where it was so excessive that it ruined a child's temperament. I didn't have to look far to see Cherry as an example.
My parents weren't like that. They poured out their love, but they also gave stern warnings to ensure their child didn't go astray.
"Yes. It's the same everywhere."
"Is that so? I remember your older brother being sternly scolded by your father once."
"Ah, Mother. Why bring that up now..."
Dave looked greatly flustered by his mother's words. She simply gave a soft laugh.
In the past, my brother had once stood up to our father. Of course, his attitude changed instantly after receiving a beating disguised as a sparring session.
Nicole had watched from the side and apparently straightened herself out. Thanks to my past life memories, I had always been obedient.
However, because I felt a sense of disconnect regarding common sense, I had occasionally caused trouble that defied expectations. It must have been difficult for them in a different way.
"Mama. Mama."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Don't I have a grandma or grandpa? All my other friends have them."
"..."
At my question, my mother wore a lonely smile. As a child, I wouldn't have understood the meaning behind that smile at all.
To the me of my past life, the concepts of paternal and maternal families didn't exist. Both of them had lost their parents early on.
My father's mother had passed away when he was born, and his father had died of cancer.
As for my mother's side... it's better not to talk about it. It was beyond "not good"; it was a miracle she had grown up to be a functional adult at all.
Despite their poor family backgrounds, both of them had raised me well. Looking at it this way, one realizes how difficult it is to lead an ordinary life.
"Yuhwan. How much do you love Daddy?"
"As much as the sky and the earth!"
"And Mommy?"
"Mommy too, as much as the sky and the earth!"
I grew up healthy and strong, receiving their love throughout my childhood.
Unlike other parents, they didn't force me to go to cram schools; they focused solely on helping me grow into a good person.
Not having another sibling was also part of that. They were afraid that if they had another child, their attention might shift, and they would neglect me.
In fact, since I took their love for "granted," that was a very real possibility.
But one cannot stay by their parents' side forever. You might be under their wing through elementary school, but that changes starting from middle school.
One day, after coming home in my school uniform, I asked my father—who was off that day—a certain question.
"Dad. Dad."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"What's sex?"
"......?"
My father wore an expression as if he were processing what he had just heard. Then, he jumped in surprise and began to stammer.
"W-what did you say? Where did you hear that?"
"At school. The kids keep saying 'sex, sex' all the time."
"..."
If elementary school was mild, middle school was when the "spicy" flavors truly began. It was the age when children entered the peak of puberty.
I was innocent, at least until the first year of middle school. Even when I accidentally encountered "sex" while using the computer, I was merely surprised and didn't go any further.
That was because I had immediately rushed to my parents to ask what it was. I remember my mother shutting down the computer faster than anyone I'd ever seen.
'By the way, I guess she edited that part out. Thank goodness.'
I suppose I can trust her this much. Meanwhile, my father, faced with my difficult question, rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Ahem. Yuhwan? Didn't they teach you sex education at school?"
"I didn't know what it was, so I didn't understand a thing."
"...Right. I suppose so. It's probably completely useless."
My father muttered self-deprecatingly. Indeed, the sex education taught at school was a little—no, very—useless.
Later, when I asked the other kids where they heard about such things, they all said they’d found it on the internet.
Sometimes, knowledge gained from friends or the internet was more useful than what was taught at school.
"Still, it's better than Kate. She didn't know until she was an adult, right?"
"..."
Beside me, Mari offered a bit of consolation—if you could call it that. Indeed, Kate only knew the concept of the "Seed"; she didn't know anything beyond that.
Though she eventually had an "eye-opening" experience after seeing the R-rated scenes in the Xenon Biography.
Anyway, as I went through my eventful middle school years, I gradually began to learn the ways of the world.
Even then, I was very ordinary. I just minded my own business, regardless of whether the school bullies were fighting or not.
I never strayed from the path. It was just that...
"Who do you think you are, Mom! Stop telling me what to do!"
"How dare you speak to your mother like that?!"
"I told you I'll study on my own! Just leave me alone, please!"
It was just that my puberty hit me hard.
I covered my face with my hands at the sight of my younger self in the throes of a rebellious phase.
'...Mora? Can you edit this?'
[You know this is your turning point, don't you?]
I knew it all too well. I couldn't say a word in response to Mora's rebuttal.
"Yuhwan! Where are you going!"
"Yuhwan!!"
Because back then, in a fit of rage, I had run away from home.
And in the middle of a freezing cold winter, no less.
"Hmm. That's more like it."
"Indeed. Our Isaac was always so obedient. We should be grateful to those people."
The comments from my current parents only made me feel more heated.