The Sister's Plea
“…….”
“You’re Oppa, right? Kang Sian Oppa?”
Still, I had no particular desire to respond. She was the younger sister of that detestable woman, Lim Yena. Even if she bore no personal fault, the inherent awkwardness was an unavoidable feeling. It felt no different from a victim coming face-to-face with the murderer’s family.
“I-I knew it! You’ve changed so much I almost didn’t recognize you! Do you remember me at all?”
I slung my laptop bag over my shoulder and averted my gaze. I walked past Lim Yena, who wore an expression that seemed like a smile yet wasn’t, and kept going.
“Oppa……?”
When I ignored her and passed by, her voice trailed off. Lim Yena stared at me with a shocked expression. Just as I thought I had shaken her off, footsteps sounded and a doll-like figure appeared at the edge of my vision.
“You don’t remember me? I’m Hana unni’s little sister! Lim Yena!”
“…….”
“You used to play with me and Hana unni when we were little!”
“…….”
Ignore. Ignore again. She kept talking beside me all the way until we crossed the crosswalk. Yet beneath her words, there seemed to be more sorrow than joy. It was like the mournful cry of a child drowning in despair and grief.
Just as we reached the end of the crosswalk, Lim Yena grabbed my hand with trembling eyes. I shook her off immediately.
“Oppa…….”
“I’m not your oppa.”
With that, I turned my head sharply and continued on my way. It was as good as telling her not to cause trouble, but Lim Yena still clung persistently. In the end, she followed me all the way to my destination. If things continued like this, she would probably tag along until I met up with Cheon Mari.
I crossed my arms and looked at Lim Yena.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but how about you stop following me now?”
“I-it’s just…… Oppa…….”
“I have no intention of getting involved with your family anymore, so keep that in mind.”
She looked startled, as if wondering how I knew what she was about to say. Honestly, wasn’t it obvious? Her entrance, expression, and actions all screamed ulterior motive. Only an idiot wouldn’t notice.
“How……?”
Besides, Lim Yena was quite different from Lim Hana in personality. She was emotional, outgoing, and selfish. She even had a habit of complaining, throwing tantrums, and making others suffer. No wonder I had disliked playing with her as a child. The one saving grace was that she listened to her parents and never crossed the line. If anything happened, she tended to try to fix it. She had matured early, but in a twisted way.
If someone like her suddenly clung to me, the reason was all too obvious.
“No, I don’t care even a little. Really, really…… Can’t you just spare me a little time?”
“I’m busy.”
“It’s really important…… Please…… You’re the only person I can talk to anymore…….”
Playing on sympathy. In reality, it probably meant “please clean up the mess that landed on me.”
“Yeah, I see.”
“So just listen for a moment—”
“Handle it yourself.”
At those words, her eyes seemed to grow hazy. It was as if the last thing she had believed in had collapsed. Her face twisted, and teardrops like fragile beads fell. She burst into tears right there in the middle of the street. People around us turned to look, but it wasn’t my concern.
Just as I was about to ignore everything and walk away slowly, my phone vibrated.
What the hell happened?
Soon after, I received another message saying she would be late due to personal reasons. I sighed and looked at Lim Yena, who was still crying in the middle of the street.
“Tsk.”
I still had time. Thinking about it again, if I left her like this, she would obviously cling to me again later. It seemed better to shake her off for good while I had the chance.
I sent Cheon Mari a message telling her to come here and explaining the situation. Then I approached the loudly sobbing Lim Yena.
“Hic, huu……?”
“You. Follow me.”
I headed to a nearby café. Under the bright weather, I ordered coffee and sat at an outdoor table.
“Sniff…….”
“So, what exactly did you want to say?”
“O-Oppa…….”
“I’m not someone with time to waste. If you’re going to talk, say it clearly right now.”
At my words, Lim Yena’s lips trembled as she began speaking incoherently. Still, the content was so predictable that it was easy to understand. In short, it was the household’s trash—because of Lim Hana.
“When Oppa was around, it wasn’t this bad…… But after you grew distant from unni, she started hanging out with weird friends…… Our house became…….”
“Is she still doing Gwangjeungcho? Yes…… She did it less when Oppa used to stop her, but now she does it openly even at home…… And if we try to hide it or take it away, she threatens us with magic…….”
“Me? Of course I don’t do drugs. Since unni’s like that, the house atmosphere is a mess and Mom and Dad are struggling. Honestly, I wish that weed would disappear from this world.”
After I washed my hands of them, the household had fallen into chaos. Essentially, Lim Hana was now ruling over the house as if her era had arrived.
“Have you tried a mental hospital or drug rehab?”
“Every time we try to report it, our parents stop us. They say it’ll leave a record and cause problems later…… But clearly the current situation is the bigger problem…… Sob.”
Parental misguided love. Worrying about the future was fine, but there had to be a present for there to be a future. In truth, this situation was no different from a family heading straight toward a cliff. And it only added legitimacy to my revenge. If everything ended with them paying the price, their suffering would lessen even if they resented me.
“I used to like unni…… Now I hate everything…… Because of her, it feels like my life is being ruined too…….”
“Yeah, I understand how you feel.”
“……Really? Sian Oppa?”
“I also grew distant from Hana for a similar reason to yours. I get it well enough.”
At those words, Lim Yena burst into tears again, as if her situation was unbearably sad and painful. Since I had time to spare, I comforted the child. Even if it contradicted my earlier attitude, doing at least this much was basic human decency.
Soon the coffee arrived. I sipped through the thin paper straw.
‘A drug addict being a drug addict, what else is new.’
Whatever she was thinking, it was clear there was no hope for even slight rehabilitation. It was absurd. On one hand, it felt somewhat foolish. Because there had been a small feeling that time would eventually resolve her issues.
Ever since I possessed this body of Kang Sian at a very young age, my feelings toward my first friend had always been strangely complicated.
“Tsk.”
“So…… Could you please help me, Oppa……?”
“Me?”
“Unni still sometimes calls out for you in her sleep…… Please, can’t you help my sister just once?”
She calls my name in her sleep. Whether that sleep-talk meant she was trying to kill me in a dream or genuinely searching for me, I couldn’t know. Even if it was the latter, I had no intention of forgiving or helping her.
I stopped comforting her.
“If she had listened to me and improved back then, I wouldn’t have left her side in the first place.”
“S-still…….”
“And I’m a second-year in high school. Maybe if it was first year, but I don’t have the luxury to worry about other things anymore.”
“Ah…….”
It wasn’t a lie. I really didn’t have the luxury. Schoolwork, hunter activities, training at Nartika, managing money, talking with Sua noona, cleaning up after Cheon Mari’s idiocy. Psychologically I hated it, but physically it was so tight it was impossible.
In the end, no matter how pitiful the kid was, there was nothing I could do for her. Lim Yena lowered her head with hazy eyes.
“Then what am I supposed to do…… My parents just stand by…… And unni is like this…….”
“Unless you get strong enough to crush your sister yourself, I don’t think there’s any way besides reporting it.”
A drug addict’s mind was difficult to judge metaphysically, so it was unavoidable. Therefore, after going in circles, the most realistic and decent option was sending her to a mental hospital, which the parents opposed. Of course, personally, the best option was beating the drug addict who brings storms. But that was an unrealistic choice for Lim Yena, who lacked hunter talent.
Reality was cruelly cold. In the end, Lim Yena wouldn’t be able to choose either option.
Just as I thought a more pessimistic reaction would come out, she spoke.
“……I’m sorry.”
“Huh? For what?”
“Everything, starting from my sister’s situation.”
It was an unexpected apology. I stared straight ahead without saying anything.
“If only I hadn’t treated Oppa badly from the start…… If only I hadn’t gone along with what unni said…… Then things…… No, if only I had told unni to play with Oppa more often…….”
Sympathy mixed with guilt. However, despite her desperate plea, I finished my coffee and stood up. Lim Yena grew anxious at my action and begged me not to go, appealing even more emotionally. I looked around, pretending not to notice.
Realizing there was no other way, she bit her lip. Then she tried her best to change her gloomy expression.
“Um…… Do you know that my sister is preparing for a place called Pala something Academy?”
“Pala……? Palaestra Academy?”
When I showed interest again, she brightened up greatly. Her hands trembled as she took a sip of coffee before speaking.
“Yes, it’s ridiculous, right? She’s even preparing with her academy friends. If she goes like this, our family will—”
“Hey, Kang Si!”
When I turned my head, I caught a glimpse of a woman. Cheon Mari was running over in a bright outfit of an ivory coat and skirt.
“W-who is that……?”
“Ah, my friend.”
She must have come out in a hurry without fixing her hair, because she was wearing a baseball cap. Cheon Mari approached and looked back and forth between me and Lim Yena. Then she nodded as if she understood. The smile was a bonus.
“So you’re the kid named Lim Yena? Hello? I’m Kang Sian’s childhood friend, Cheon Mari.”
“Who’s whose childhood friend.”
“If you’ve been friends for 11 years, you’re childhood friends. What else would you call it?”
“Shouldn’t the years we were mortal enemies be classified separately?”
Soon, a petty argument broke out about who was right and who was wrong, calling each other idiots and bastards. Arguing in front of someone in a serious situation felt incredibly stupid. It was such a nuisance that I even felt sorry toward Lim Yena.
Just as I turned my head to apologize for this, Lim Yena spoke with an extremely shocked expression.
“Childhood…… childhood…… friend?”
Lim Yena looked as if the item she had bid on had been snatched away by a higher bid.