Kang Byeori, Starting Today
From today onward, Kang Byeori.
It had been several days since those two learned my true identity.
Living as a human turned out to be far more hands-on than I’d expected.
More precisely, it required a lot of other people’s hands.
When I was alone, falling over was nothing. Breaking a cup or tripping while stomping around—without anyone watching, I’d simply dust myself off and stand back up.
But now?
Yesterday, when I shattered a water glass, Nayeon came flying into the kitchen, white as a sheet. The day before that, when I slipped and landed hard on my rear, Jihyun returned that same day with an entire bundle of baby-proofing supplies.
Non-slip socks. Corner guards. A two-handled cup. Even a little step stool.
…It was the full set. A complete infant safety kit.
The most ridiculous part was the two-handled cup. Gripping it tightly with both hands and sipping carefully so nothing spilled—anyone would think I was a kindergartener.
You people haven’t forgotten who I am, have you? I’m an Ego Sword! If anyone saw this, they’d assume you were raising a preschooler!
Humiliating as it was…
…I had to admit it was convenient.
Still, one thing was clear: having someone rush over in alarm was better than falling alone.
I hadn’t known that when I was just propped against the wall. As a sword, there was no falling, and if I ever rolled across the floor, someone would simply pick me up and shake off the dust.
Ah, and one more inconvenience. This body slept far too much.
I dozed off right after eating. In sunlight. The moment my backside touched the sofa.
I had endured three years without sleep as a sword, yet now that I was human, my body seemed determined to reclaim every lost hour all at once.
Of course, reverting to sword form and back again left me clear-headed for a short while—five minutes at most. Factoring in the hassle of changing clothes again, there was no real reason to bother.
“…Haaam.”
And naturally, the drowsiness struck at the worst possible moment.
I had just finished clambering onto the dining chair with the step stool, finally reaching everyone else’s eye level.
“So, Byeori, this is really important, so listen carefully.”
Jihyun set a thick stack of documents on the table. Adjusting her glasses, she wore the expression of someone who had made up her mind.
“On paper, you don’t exist in this world.”
Well, that figured. I was a sword that had become a person, not someone born in a hospital.
There would be no resident registration. No family register.
“So here’s the thing.”
Jihyun tapped one of the papers.
“We need to get you registered somehow. Otherwise you won’t be able to go to a hospital, and everything else will be blocked later. Hunter registration would be a nightmare—”
“I can take care of that!”
Nayeon shot her hand into the air. She had clearly been dying to speak for a while.
“I know an oppa who’s really good at this stuff!”
“…Senior, how many of these ‘oppas’ do you actually have?”
“This one’s real! There’s someone who can whip up documents in no time. A bit… gray-area? That kind of person, but still.”
Jihyun pressed a finger to her temple. Since she didn’t object, it meant there was no better option.
In three years of cycling through every guild imaginable, this was the first time I had seen a guild leader treat a “gray oppa” as a legitimate contact.
…It made sense, though. After living here for a few days, even I could tell they lacked both the money and the connections for proper procedures.
“But we can’t just invent one out of thin air. It has to be under someone’s name—relative or something. They’ll tie it to a gate disappearance case and fudge the details.”
With that, Nayeon turned to me, eyes sparkling.
“Byeori, be my niece! I want to be your auntie!”
“Auntie? Senior, your surname is Na. Na Byeori sounds—”
“…Really?”
Nayeon’s face fell into a pout.
…Na Byeori. I didn’t want that either. In English it would basically be “I am Byeori.”
“Then let’s register her under my side of the family. Fresh from the countryside, ten years old. Something like that.”
“Hing…”
Jihyun scribbled across the document.
“Kang Byeori. There. Done.”
Kang Byeori. The name was stamped onto the paper before I could even voice an opinion.
“Kang Byeori sounds too fierce… Hmm.”
Nayeon pursed her lips beside me, clearly dissatisfied.
Fierce was good! I was a sword—of course it should sound strong!
“Ah, then what about a public alias? We’ll need a cool name for when Byeori debuts as a hunter later!”
Nayeon’s eyes sparkled once more. She looked positively thrilled.
“Hmm… Silver Sword? White Silver? Oh, how about Riverstar!”
“Riverstar? Please tell me that isn’t just ‘Kang Byeol’ translated into English.”
“Hing.”
Nayeon pouted again, then clapped her hands together.
“Then let’s go with something pretty! Littlestar!”
“Senior.”
“What, what! This one doesn’t even have ‘Kang’ in it! The name is only half—”
“If her alias is Littlestar, who on earth is going to take her seriously as a skilled fighter? With that already-cute face, everyone will just assume she’s the guild mascot.”
“Weh, why am I the only one getting gwumpy.”
In the end, the alias was tabled for later. It wasn’t as if she was becoming a hunter tomorrow anyway.
Honestly, I didn’t care if I never had an alias at all. What use did a sword have for one? Using the name [Byeori] was perfectly fine.
Jihyun continued filling in the remaining fields—the “settings” about me.
“Parents… let’s say an accident. That way no one will ask questions.”
“Ooh, very dramatic.”
Listening to this felt strange. To create one person, they were inventing and erasing parents who had never existed.
These people were going about this on a surprisingly large scale. Or was it only possible because it was such a small guild?
“Height… like this. Okay. What should we write for the distinguishing features field?”
“Blue hair and silver eyes! Super cute!”
“Senior, if we write that exactly, it’ll draw too much attention.”
Jihyun tapped the paper with her pen. She glanced at me once, then wrote without hesitation.
‘Distinguishing features: None. Ordinary appearance.’
No distinguishing features? Ordinary appearance?
The goal was to avoid notice, so I had no right to complain.
“……”
Why did it still feel a little disappointing?
I kept stealing glances at the mirror across the room, catching my own reflection.
“Byeori, when do you want your birthday to be?”
“Umm… I don’t know.”
“Any day is fine, so pick one you like!”
A birthday. The date written on the orphanage documents—whether it was real or not…
“…Then let’s make it today.”
“Today?”
“Yes. This body is basically only a few days old anyway.”
It had been an offhand remark on my part.
Yet Nayeon’s eyes suddenly brimmed with tears, and she lunged forward.
“Happy birthday, our Byeori! Thank you for coming to us!”
…Honestly.
A birthday—what was the big deal?
It was nothing special. Just one day out of 365.
It should have been, but…
Held in her arms, her hand patting my back in that ticklish rhythm, my eyes grew hot of their own accord.
Before she could notice, I whipped my head away and stuck out my lower lip.
“…What’s the fuss over something like this? You’re overreacting, Master.”
“Oh my, she must be embarrassed! Ah, how adorable!”
…I couldn’t even argue!
“Jihyun! We have to buy a cake! Candles too!”
“Senior, calm down… Check your bank balance before you go wild.”
“Master, I’m fine—”
“Ei, it’s your first birthday! How can we skip it? Let’s get one with strawberries on top—a big one!”
Strawberries. At that single word, my mouth flooded like a broken faucet. Even my hands, which had been waving in embarrassment, froze.
“St-strawberries…”
Real strawberries. Not strawberry-flavored candy, but actual sweet-and-sour fruit.
How delicious would they be…?
My anticipation must have shown on my face, because Jihyun—who had been grumbling—glanced at me and muttered.
“…We’ll buy just one. Only one.”
In the end she grabbed her wallet, pretending to give in.
Nayeon sang the birthday song in celebration. Jihyun asked whether to bring ten candles as listed on the documents or just one, since it was the first birthday.
It was truly nothing special, yet my nose kept tickling.
Ugh. Stop thinking about it. The more I dwelled on it, the more embarrassing it became.
As I watched the commotion in a daze, my eyelids—already heavy—grew too much to bear.
If I fell asleep now, I really would be no different from a child…
My head knew that, but my body refused to listen.
Without even the strength to feel indignant, my eyes slowly drifted shut.
The last thing I saw was Nayeon covering her mouth with an “oh my, oh my,” and Jihyun bringing a blanket to drape over my shoulders instead of heading out for the cake.
Noisy people. Yet strangely, I didn’t dislike them.
Just before sleep fully claimed me, it felt as though the corners of my mouth had lifted ever so slightly.
*
How long had I slept?
When I opened my eyes, a strawberry cake sat on the table.
One candle. Since this was my first birthday.
“Oh, you’re awake? Perfect timing!”
Nayeon smiled brightly as she finished tidying the cake box.
“Now that our Byeori is officially a person on paper and has a birthday, let’s light the candle right away!”
She pulled out a lighter and, with awkward movements, lit the single candle.
“Here, blow! Make a wish too!”
A wish, huh. Since it was free, I made one. Don’t let the rent fall behind here!
“Huu—!”
The applause was twice as loud. Not bad for a birthday with only two spectators.
And finally, the strawberries.
Big, juicy ones perched atop the cake…
“Heek…”
I-I wanted to eat…! My instincts screamed to fling the candle aside and devour it whole…!
Suppressing the urge with every ounce of willpower, I waited until Nayeon cut a generous slice and offered it to me.
One bite.
“…!”
Sour, sweet, juice bursting. Stars sparkled before my eyes. Electricity raced up my spine!
“Haaah…”
Strawberry candy, you’re fake. You can never beat the real thing.
“Mmmph…!”
“Jihyun, did you see? Byeori’s cheeks are all puffed up…! She’s totally a mochi…!”
“…Senior, keep your voice down.”
Even as she spoke, Jihyun’s hand was already holding her phone.
“…Mmph?”
Mouth full of cake, chewing away, I heard an unauthorized click.
Photographing without permission.
It bothered me for a moment. But right now this body needed strawberries more, so I postponed any protest until the next forkful.
“Mmmph!”
Birthdays might actually be a decent system. Let’s do it again next year.
As the plate slowly emptied…
Nayeon clasped her hands together. She wore the expression of someone who had reached a grand decision.
“Tomorrow, let’s go outside!”
“…Outside?”
“Yeah! Clothes, shoes—everything! We can’t keep dressing you in hand-me-downs forever!”
Going outside…
Come to think of it, since becoming human I had never once stepped beyond the office door?
I had been dragged across the world in someone else’s hands for three years. Yet this would be the first time I walked out on my own two feet.
It didn’t seem like much, but the thought of actually wandering out there made the corners of my mouth twitch upward despite myself.
“…Well, not bad.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
While picking at the last strawberries on the plate, I forced the corners of my mouth firmly downward.
What kind of place would the outside world be when I walked out on my own two feet?