Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5: Forget 'Oppa' — Just Call Me Senior! Shh—Thud! The Air at the Orphanage Grew Crueler When Night Fell Than During the Day.
The draft seeping in through the gaps in the old windows sliced through the thin blankets like a blade, mocking the thin cloaks wrapped around the children. Coughs echoed everywhere, turning the air into a symphony of misery.
Puff, puff… “Ugh, damn it.”
…It’s freezing. Especially right next to the window, where I happened to be lying. Among the constant coughs, I was putting in my fair share. Too cold to even cover myself with the blanket all the way to my chin, yet the draft still slipped in. No matter how I twisted and turned to escape the chill, my body kept shivering like it was reminding me of the cold.
This isn’t going to freeze me to death, right?
Eight years. The day I turn into an adult and the story begins. With a serious worry that maybe it wouldn’t reach that day before I froze to death, I lay with my arms crossed, staring at the ceiling.
Forget the cold. Forget sleep. I was revising my survival plan in my head again and again.
Eight years until the story starts. And before that, secure the funds to escape this place.
Gathering cash was easy—just empty the orphanage director’s wallet. It was nothing but snot money, but still. If that didn’t work, I could just have the kids do something too. But the real problem came after.
Even if we somehow raised the money and escaped the orphanage, in this crazy world I’d face at the time, I’d be nothing but a finely dressed offering on an altar.
“……”
‘Guess I need to build my strength.’
Magic, martial arts, whatever. If I could learn both, it would be the best choice. The obvious thing was that this body needed something useful carved into it. So.
The most certain methods were two.
Even saying two, the choices were clear. Enroll in an academy open to commoners, or roll around the bottom scraping together mercenary work. The first costs money, the second costs a life.
“……”
‘In the end, it loops back.’
Just as my thoughts were tangled in a knot, rustle—a tiny, faint tremor came from the bed beside me.
“……”
Turning my head slightly, the silhouette of Ria curled under her old blanket, body shaking. She was holding her breath, trembling all over. With one thin blanket, she probably couldn’t endure the cold at all.
“Huff… huu…”
The sound was so faint only the most sensitive nerves would catch it, and my nerves were plenty sensitive.
“……”
I clicked my tongue inside and sat up. The creaking bed made Ria jolt awake, staring at me. Her eyes, still puffy with unshed tears, filled with fresh ones.
“Ria.”
In the blanket, the tremor stopped abruptly. Swoosh. Ria carefully lowered the blanket, and even in the dark, her silver eyes shone brightly as they met mine.
“…Lu, Lucian?”
“Cold?”
“…No, eyo.”
Even as she said that, her lips were turning purple from the chill.
“……”
No way. I was freezing too.
‘Whatever.’
Instead of answering, I yanked her blanket off.
“A-ah!”
Ria startled before I could pull her in. I grabbed her slender wrist. The skin I touched was ice-cold. If left like that, she’d probably be found frozen tomorrow morning too.
“Lie so convincingly that I’ll believe it.”
I sighed and pulled my own blanket over her, patting the empty spot beside me. “Come here.”
Ria’s eyes widened in disbelief. “…Huh?”
Since she was clearly confused, I yanked her arm toward me. “You said you’d listen to me, right? Too cold to sleep, so I’m basically your human heater.”
“A…”
Ria’s body, dragged to my bed, was ice-cold. She tensed up in panic, but soon she instinctively burrowed into the warmth pouring off me. Her small body pressed against my chest. The faint scent and her trembling transferred perfectly.
“Lu, Lucian… oppa?”
No ‘oppa’—call me senior.
“……”
Fine. Whether I’m ‘senior’ or ‘oppa,’ as long as the meaning gets through, it’s all the same.
“Shh. You’ll wake the others.”
I hugged her with a pretend stern voice. Because of the Protection of the Geumtaeyang, or maybe just the warmth of my body, Ria’s trembling slowly eased. The warmth from my arms seemed to please her. She leaned her head carefully against my chest.
“…Warm.” Her small voice murmured.
I didn’t reply. Or rather, I couldn’t, which was more accurate. The warm body heat in my arms, or the comfort of sleeping with someone—either way.
“……”
With a pleasant drowsiness creeping in, my eyelids grew heavy. Slowly, I closed my eyes.
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■ 'Saintess Elysia's' Mental State: Emotional Instability, Despair
■ 'Saintess Elysia's' Pollution Rate: 20%
■ 'Saintess Elysia's' Favorability Rising.
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***
Morning of the next day.
Sunlight streamed through the moldy window frames of the dormitory. When I lifted my heavy eyelids, the first thing I felt was a comforting weight pressing against my chest and a soft, fluffy warmth digging into my skin.
“……”
In my arms, Ria—platinum hair all messed up—was curled up like a cat, fast asleep. The dead-fish eyes from yesterday were gone; instead, she clutched my sleeve and breathed peacefully. It was strangely cute.
‘I came to a rotten romance-fantasy world where even my past self couldn’t pull off this kind of sleeping together.’
Thinking that, I shoved Ria’s shoulder and sat up. “Ria. Sun’s up—time to wake up.”
“Mm…”
Ria shivered slightly as her eyes fluttered open. The moment her silver eyes reflected my face, she blushed furiously, memories from yesterday flooding back.
“A-ah, um… that…”
“Whatever. Thanks to you, I slept warm too.”
I swung my legs out of bed and ruffled my messy blond hair. That wasn’t empty talk. I really had slept like a log.
“No one else is awake.”
“Maybe… they went down first.”
“……”
Scummy little brats. While I’m at it, I should wake them up too.
‘Whatever.’
“Let’s go get breakfast.”
A little late, but who cared? The orphanage director was behind us, so she wouldn’t complain. And besides, we needed to eat enough so today wouldn’t be a total disaster.
When would we not? Mornings at the orphanage were always battlefield. We never expected the menu to change, and it didn’t. Just the usual pale porridge of grain scraps on the old wooden table. The kids fought over every extra spoonful. The dining hall was packed with hunger-starved lust.
“Lucian. Sleep well last night?”
“Well, except for almost freezing to death from the cold.”
“……”
The kids around us flinched at the complaint, but I ignored it. I already knew the director wouldn’t get angry over something this minor.
“Oh my! I’ll take care of that right away!”
‘If you can’t say it, don’t.’
On the surface, she’d promise anything. But when she turned away, she probably forgot or didn’t care. Either way, it stayed the same.
‘Fine. I never expected anything.’
“Come on! Since you’re growing fast, eat a lot!”
The director’s breakfast was shockingly extravagant—two pieces of golden-brown rye bread and a thick, meat-packed soup.
“……”
Gulp.
The butter aroma floated through the air right in front of me. The kids’ Adam’s apples bobbed in unison. Jealous, envious glances rained down like arrows, but I didn’t care. I just grabbed the spoon.
Don’t glare at me like that. I get it, you all. But I still have to survive first.
Suddenly, a small shadow caught my eye beside me.
“……”
It was Ria. In front of her sat a bowl of pale, flavorless porridge. She stared at it blankly, then picked up the spoon with her small hand. No complaints. Just the same hopeless acceptance she always wore. When new kids arrived at this orphanage, she adapted fast.
‘H-how do you even eat this?! I hate it!’
Most kids broke down crying over the same pitiful food.
“……”
The sight oddly irked me.
Clang!
I set my spoon down on the table. The sharp clatter silenced the dining hall. The director’s eyebrows twitched as she smiled at me.
“Lucian? What’s wrong? Not to your taste?”
“No, the taste is fine.”
I rested my chin on my hand and glanced at Ria beside me. “Ria. Leave that.”
“…Huh?” Ria looked up at me with dazed eyes.
I sighed and slid my soup bowl halfway toward her. Then I tore a piece of rye bread and tossed it onto her empty bowl.
“Eat half. In exchange, I’ll eat your crappy porridge.”
The dining hall fell silent, as if cold water had been poured on it. Kids’ eyes bulged. The director’s face turned stone-hard.
“Lucian! What do you mean? That’s specially prepared for you…”
“So?” I tilted my head. “This is what the director gave me, right? Then it’s mine now. What’s the problem if I do whatever I want with it?”
“B-but…”
I casually draped an arm around Ria’s shoulder and pulled her closer. I felt her body tremble, but I kept going. “This kid. You told me to take care of him, right? If he keeps eating this trash porridge, what are you going to think? My face is on the line with yours as the director.”
“……”
The director’s cheek twitched at my shameless words. Not because of anger—she looked at me with genuine admiration.
“I’ll handle it as fast as possible!”
‘If you can’t say it, don’t.’
She’d promise right away, but later…
“Good. From now on, you’ll look after Ria’s meals too. Not as much as what I eat, but at least something proper for a human.”
“Oh… oh my…”
The director flushed, covering her mouth with a handkerchief. Her eyes swept over my neck and jawline, sending a chill down my spine. Damn it.
‘Be patient.’
I pulled the thin porridge bowl toward me. “Eat. Quickly.”
Ria stared at my soup, then back at me. Her trembling hand hovered near the bowl. “B-but… is this okay? This is valuable, right?”
“It’ll still be valuable later—eat.”
“…Ah…”
Ria’s pale cheeks flushed red. While she hesitated, I downed her porridge in one gulp.
“……”
Ugh.
The sticky texture and bitter taste filled my mouth. I wanted to smash the bowl over the director’s head, but I just set it down calmly. “All done. Your turn now.”
“……”
Ria lowered her head and scooped one spoonful of soup. Her trembling hand trembled as she brought it to her lips. A single drop of clear tear fell into the soup.
‘Whatever.’
I deliberately looked away and bit into my bread.