My Little Sister, the Fanatic
This life has truly been nothing but a blessing to me.
A devoted mother. A kind father. Even a cute little sister. It was the kind of happy family I had only ever seen in books during my previous life.
I lived each day to the fullest, savoring that happiness for the first time. No one understood how precious a family like this could be better than I did.
That’s why, now that my parents have fallen into comas, I am erasing the happy past that once belonged to me in order to reclaim that joy.
The innocence with which I used to act spoiled toward my mother. The weakness with which I relied on my father. The smiles I wore while playing with my sister.
I abandon them. I discard them. I erase them.
Because to me, my family is more precious than any of those things.
Even if, at the end of it all, no happiness awaits me.
***
Lately, nothing but things I never wanted to think about keep happening. Maybe I should perform an exorcism or something.
“Baek… Baek Wol-nim?”
The woman who suddenly entered the house looked startled. If she had broken down the door, I would have subdued her immediately, but since she had entered the passcode on the door lock, I couldn’t do that. What if she was family or an acquaintance?
“Identity, affiliation, and purpose. Reveal them immediately, or I will use force to restrain you.”
Still, if she had entered with malicious intent, it was dangerous. Even if nothing had been exposed yet, the mere fact that I had been discovered here was a problem. This incident could lead to my hideout and identity being pinpointed. Even if that didn’t happen, Cheon Ma-ru’s safety could be compromised. In the past it might not have mattered, but now that Cheon Ma-ru had become someone worth targeting, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.
“Ehh? Um, that is…”
She was carrying a Japanese sword. Given its length, it was probably an ootachi. From the aura I sensed, she was roughly upper B-rank. I could handle someone of that level bare-handed. Even when I expanded my senses, there were no other suspicious hunters nearby… wait, this presence…
‘Ma-ru?’
I picked up Cheon Ma-ru returning after finishing his shopping. Deciding I couldn’t leave an unidentified person free while he was around, I quickly subdued her.
“Kyaaak!!”
I circled behind her, snatched away her sword, and pinned her to the floor. Then I gathered her arms and held them down. My hands are on the smaller side, so I couldn’t wrap both arms in one grip. Instead, I pressed down hard to restrain her arms and used my knee to pin her body.
“W-wait! Baek Wol-nim! I’m not a suspicious person—”
“Be quiet. I’ll be the judge of that.”
The situation was tense. I heard the sound of Cheon Ma-ru pressing the door lock. I almost shouted to stop him, but decided to stay silent. I was confident I could keep her completely under control. When the door opened and he stepped inside, Cheon Ma-ru looked utterly bewildered.
“What the… A-rang!! What is this…”
“Do you know this woman? She was carrying a sword and knew the passcode to your house.”
“Huh? Who…”
Cheon Ma-ru and the unidentified intruder stared at each other. Their eyes met, and suddenly Cheon Ma-ru’s face hardened.
“Hey… don’t you think it’s a little inappropriate to look happy in a situation like this?”
“What? What am I even…”
Confused by his absurd remark, I followed his gaze.
“…”
Sure enough, the unidentified intruder was smiling—just a little. What the hell. Was she some kind of pervert?
“Do you know her?”
“Uh… yeah, I know her pretty well. Though right now I kind of wish I didn’t.”
“Hah? Who does she think she is—”
“Still seems more accomplished than a pervert like you.”
The two fell into a strangely comfortable, natural conversation. Watching them, a memory from before suddenly surfaced.
‘My little sister uses a katana. So I was a bit interested.’
‘Your little sister? Is she an awakened?’
‘Yeah.’
Little sister. An awakened who uses a katana. To most people, a katana and an ootachi probably looked the same… so then…
“Um… by any chance…”
“Yes!”
“Are you… Ma-ru’s… little sister…?”
The way my words were dragging out was a form of escapism, much like what Heo Yeon-hwa unnie did. But my attempt at reality avoidance lasted less than ten seconds.
“Yes! That’s right!”
“…”
Why is my life like this lately?
***
“I’m so sorry…”
“No! It’s fine!! Please, sit comfortably!!”
The great sinner who had accidentally pinned her close friend’s little sister to the floor and subdued her was now kneeling. The girl frantically tried to stop me, but the great sinner couldn’t bring herself to stand.
“Get up already. She said it’s okay.”
“Even so…”
Knowing how precious family was, I couldn’t lift my head after having so blatantly crushed one. No matter how rude or whatever she might be, she was still family. Of course she would treasure her.
“Really, it’s okay. Please stand up. You’re scaring me.”
“…Thank you.”
Since she was practically begging, staying on my knees any longer felt wrong, so I finally stood and sat down in a chair.
“Um… but by any chance…”
“If you’re asking whether I’m the X-rank hunter Baek Wol, then yes.”
“Aaah…!! I-I’m a total spinning top!!”
“A spinning top?”
“No! A fan!! Fan!!”
Come to think of it, this was the first time I had ever properly spoken with a fan. I had always hidden my identity, and I rarely did any public activities outside of hunter work.
“So… what brings you here?”
“Ah. That’s… it’s kind of a long story…”
I urgently sent Cheon Ma-ru an SOS with my eyes. I had no idea where to even begin explaining this. Fortunately, he seemed to catch my look.
“You don’t need to know. You fanatic.”
“I wasn’t asking you, oppa. Stay out of it and read the room.”
“Haha…”
The atmosphere between them was completely different from the one between me and my own little sister, and it made my body tense up involuntarily. Thankfully, Cheon Ma-ru began to smoothly deflect.
“It’s something you really shouldn’t know. It’s one of the nation’s secrets.”
“…Why is oppa involved in one of the nation’s secrets?”
“That’s also a national secret. Anyway, we have to go meet the Association President soon.”
“Who?! The Hunter Association President?!”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
He naturally took control of the conversation flow. He really was surprisingly good at that.
“Why? Someone like you?”
“It’s a national secret, I said.”
He kept brushing everything off as national secrets, yet the conversation kept going.
“Well, if that’s the case… then I guess it is. If Baek Wol-nim says so, then it must be true.”
“I’m the one who said it.”
“Shut up and stop butting in when you don’t know what’s going on.”
The way she glanced at me before moving on suggested she had noticed I found the topic uncomfortable. As expected of siblings—they were both quick on the uptake.
“Um, may I ask your name?”
“Ah! I’m Cheon Nu-ri!”
“Yes, Miss Cheon Nu-ri. It’s nice to meet you. May I ask why you came to your brother’s house?”
I changed the subject. It felt like it would get awkward if we stayed on that topic.
“Ah! That’s right. Mom told me to come check if oppa was actually still alive.”
“Confirming survival?”
“Considering how oppa used to live, I have to come check on him sometimes. But…”
The house, which had been thoroughly cleaned that one time, was now only slightly messy but still quite tidy. Three portions of cream pasta were laid out on the dining table. It really did look like someone was living properly.
“See? I’m living like a proper human being.”
“Huh. There’s no way oppa could manage this on his own…”
Cheon Nu-ri now openly stared at me with unconcealed suspicion. I decided there was no point in hiding it anymore and simply told the truth.
“You can praise him for maintaining it so well. When I first came here, it really didn’t look like a human dwelling.”
Cheon Ma-ru looked flustered, while Cheon Nu-ri wore an expression that said “I knew it.”
“I’m a classmate of your brother at the academy. We’re also next-door neighbors.”
“Really?!”
“Yes. That connection led to us becoming close.”
Strictly speaking, the connection began when I drew my sword and threatened him, but…
“Gasp! Then does that mean with my oppa you’re…?”
“We’re just close friends. His survival skills were so nonexistent that I couldn’t just watch, so I help him sometimes. In return, he teaches me some studies.”
That part was true. He taught so well that I sometimes wondered if he should seriously consider becoming a teacher.
“Ah, why don’t you two talk for a bit? I’ll head back to my place for a while.”
“Huh?! No, I don’t really have anything to talk about with oppa anyway…”
“Sit down. I have something to say to you.”
I escaped the room as if fleeing. My head was too cluttered right now; I had no idea how much I should hide and how much I should reveal, and I was afraid I might slip up.
***
“…So what did you want to talk about?”
Cheon Nu-ri openly displayed annoyance and irritation. It was night and day compared to how she acted in front of Baek A-rang. Well, if she suddenly started treating me the same way, I’d be the one panicking.
“What else? It’s about Baek Wol-nim, obviously.”
“What about her?”
“Don’t pry too much.”
“…”
“She has her own life and her own circumstances. Don’t make things difficult for her.”
“…I wasn’t planning to.”
I knew that. She might lack manners, but she wasn’t a bad person. She had simply gotten so excited at meeting her idol that her brakes had loosened for a moment.
“She’s probably at home right now organizing how much she can safely tell you. When she comes back, ask slowly and don’t overwhelm her.”
“You seem to know her really well?”
The question was filled with pure curiosity. Well, it made sense. If someone she had practically worshipped like a god was close to her brother, of course she’d have a lot of questions.
“It really was just a coincidence. Honestly, I’m nowhere near her level, you know?”
“True. Just being allowed to lick her feet would be an honor.”
Look at the way she talks. This is exactly why people call me rude.
“Anyway…”
“Hm?”
“Are you doing better these days?”
There was no subject, but I knew what she meant. She was asking about what happened with my ex-girlfriend. I had been in pretty bad shape back then.
“Yeah. I’m okay now.”
“Was that thanks to unnie too?”
“Kind of… unnie?”
“What’s wrong with that? You’re close with her, so I want to get close too!”
“Do whatever you want.”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t asked about something really important.
“Are you going to tell her that too?”
“Tell her what?”
“That thing you always said you wanted to tell Baek Wol Hunter-nim if you ever met her.”
“Of course. Who knows when a day like today will come again?”
“…Right.”
I should pray that she doesn’t get hurt. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but she was such a soft-hearted person. She would probably feel guilty even over things that weren’t her fault.
Still, I didn’t stop her. Thinking about A-rang’s expression back then, I was sure hearing about my sister would help her.
I had seen Baek Wol—not Baek A-rang—from afar once before. It was at the memorial park built after a major disaster.
There, in a corner, she had been silently crying, unable to face the tombstones of the victims.