Chapter 44: Kang Ha-ni’s Delusional Reasoning.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: Kang Ha-ni’s Delusional Reasoning.
It goes without saying, but the Korea in this novel has a president too.
However, if you were to ask who truly holds the reins of power in this country, almost no one would point to the president or members of the National Assembly.
In a society of superhumans, how much influence could a politician elected by a simple vote really have?
Still, I suppose it’s better than those settings where a blatant coup d’état led to superhumans ruling the state directly, or where a hero was sat in the presidential chair based on a popularity contest.
Anyway, based on the original work, the people usually cited as the practical rulers of Korea are as follows:
First, there is Cheon Mu-jin, the chairman of the Cheonhwa Group, the top conglomerate in the Republic of Korea. As you might guess from the name, he is Cheon Yu-hak’s father.
Next is Seo Ye-hwa, who holds the rank of No. 1 in the official world hero rankings. Of course, hero rankings aren’t determined by strength alone, but she is the primary reason why Korea—a country with a small landmass and a low absolute number of heroes—reigns as the third-strongest power in this world. If she set her mind to it, ruling Korea wouldn’t be entirely impossible.
Finally, there’s that villain bastard, the leader of the ‘Twelve Zodiacs’ of the Villain Alliance. In the original story, most people absolutely loathe this guy, but they acknowledge that his influence on Korea cannot be ignored. He devastated the impregnable Leilan Academy with a terror attack, commanded countless villains as subordinates, and each of his twelve executives was an absolute monster in their own right.
Of course, since I’ve roughed them up a bit now, it’ll be impossible for them to grow into the massive Villain Alliance from the original work. Maybe they can manage to be a neighborhood playgroup instead?
Now, you might wonder why I’m suddenly bringing this up in the middle of a conversation about family.
The answer is simple.
My father is a man with an insane network of connections, doing business with all three of those individuals.
A man who cannot be a king himself but can be the kingmaker.
That is the man known as Kang Hyun-woo, the father of Kang So-hyun and the chairman of the Yuseong Group.
In the original work, he lost his judgment after his son died, eventually crumbling after antagonizing both the Academy and the Villain Alliance. But since that’s a future that will never come now that I’ve transmigrated, the Yuseong Group won’t be shaking anytime soon.
And in that Yuseong Group, there is a proud eldest daughter.
Kang Na-hyun.
With her beautiful looks and brilliant talent, she is a B-rank hero who climbed into the Top 5 Rookies just one year after her debut. She’s also a semi-celebrity, solidifying her position by appearing in dramas, commercials, and variety shows.
“…That’s your sister?”
“Yeah.”
That’s right. I was actually born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Even if the setting was that I didn’t get along particularly well with my family.
“You’re lying, right?”
“Huh?”
“No, honestly, So-hyun, would you believe it if you were me? Why would the brother of a superstar like that walk around looking so scruffy?”
Scruffy? I’ll have you know I wash very thoroughly because of you…! My body can’t live without body wash anymore…!
“Your hair is at that awkward length, and it’s not like you take care of it. You just tie it back with a rubber band every day. And why is your fringe so long? Most of all, your glasses are tacky.”
“You’re discriminating against people who wear glasses.”
“What are you talking about? Who would say anything if you wore pretty ones? There are plenty of stylish frames these days.”
Hmm, I can’t argue with that.
But Kang So-hyun was like this even before I transmigrated, so it’s not entirely my fault, is it? Maybe I’m just being strictly faithful to the character’s design.
…Of course, my fashion sense wasn’t much different before I transmigrated, but anyway, it’s not my fault.
Suddenly, Kang Ha-ni stepped closer and impulsively brushed my bangs up.
“It’s good that you keep yourself clean, but if you put even half that effort into your style, even with a plain face… Huh?”
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but the average level of looks in this world is very high. Basically, excluding villains or characters meant to be explicitly ugly, everyone is above average.
Among them, Kang So-hyun’s face was officially rated as “pretty decent” by our very own ‘Butt,’ Kim Ga-eul.
“So this is what you look like? Wow, what a waste of good features. Your eyes are big, and your eyelashes are long too. Why do you live like this?”
“…Mind your own business.”
“Oh? Wait, then is it also true that Senior Na-hyun is coming to see you? Are you really Senior Na-hyun’s brother?”
Senior? Since she’s an Academy graduate, I guess she could call her that, but do people usually?
“Yep.”
“Hey! Introduce me!”
I wondered if Ha-ni had swallowed a train whistle; her voice was incredibly loud and boisterous.
“Ah, sorry. I got too excited.”
Now that I thought about it, I remembered something like that in the Setting Book. Kang Ha-ni grew up in a secluded household, but she was allowed to freely read books and newspapers containing information about heroes for her studies. As a result, she harbored fantasies about certain heroes.
It didn’t show much in the original work because she fell into villainy, but it wouldn’t be strange if one of the heroes she admired was my sister.
“Anyway, please introduce me, So-hyun! Please! I’m begging you!”
Right, our cool-faced but never-actually-cool Kang Ha-ni was looking quite desperate.
But wait.
There was a trap here.
Ha-ni is, without a doubt, a girl, but for now, she thinks I believe she’s a boy. And yet, I’m supposed to casually introduce my incredibly popular, semi-celebrity sister to a “guy”?
The optics were quite strange.
“Look, Han-hee. Honestly, no matter how close we are as friends… no, you don’t introduce your sister to a male friend.”
“…Huh?”
It seemed Kang Ha-ni finally realized how her words sounded from a male perspective.
“No! That’s not it! I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just pure admiration and goodwill! That’s why I asked for an introduction!”
“Yeah, no. There’s no such thing as pure admiration and goodwill between a man and a woman who have never met. I don’t buy it.”
Ha-ni muttered something in frustration, but since she couldn’t reveal she was a girl, she eventually just shut her mouth and pouted.
Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t tease her anymore.
“And actually, even if I wanted to introduce you, I’m not that close with my family. So I can’t.”
This time, Ha-ni went quiet for a different reason. She had been a bit like this when the butler came to pick me up last time; it seemed she was off in her own world of delusions again.
“Sorry.”
With those words, she quietly climbed up to the second bunk.
I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but honestly, it was a bit of a hassle. I’d be busy again starting tomorrow; was it really necessary to fix it?
Go to sleep immediately VS Fix a friend’s weird delusion.
The deliberation didn’t last long.
Ah, definitely the former.
Honestly, what’s the worst that could happen if she has a few weird delusions? If it looks like it’s becoming a problem, I’ll just tell her then.
* * *
Why do humans constantly repeat the same mistakes?
The price of choosing to just fall asleep last night without clearing up the misunderstanding was truly sweet.
To reiterate, it wasn’t bitter. It was sweet.
“Oh, you’re up?”
What else would you call it when a grand breakfast spread is waiting for you the moment you wake up?
“Uh, Han-hee. What is all this…? I still can’t introduce you to my sister, you know?”
“Hey, what do you take me for? I just made some extra while I was making mine, so go wash up and eat.”
I’d almost prefer it if her goal was blatantly to meet my sister. If not that, then what kind of delusion did she have to suddenly treat me this well?
“You’re saying you made this ‘while you were at it’?”
By my standards, a breakfast table featuring handmade neobiani was not something you could just whip up “while you were at it.” No, more importantly, how did you even prepare handmade neobiani? What time did you wake up?
“Ah, hurry up and wash your face so you can eat.”
After washing up in a daze, I returned to find a soft-boiled fried egg had been added to the spread.
“Go on, try it.”
Feeling bewildered, I took a bite of the neobiani. A rich, meaty aroma filled my mouth, and the slightly sweet flavor paired perfectly with the rice.
“Is it good?”
“Yeah, it’s delicious, but you didn’t have to go through all this trouble for me.”
“Hey, if a friend made it for you, just shut up and eat. Why are you acting so burdened?”
Because I feel like you’re under some massive misunderstanding, that’s why.
“You’re eating well.”
“…Um, excuse me. It’s actually quite burdensome when you keep watching me eat like that.”
“It’s because you look so endearing. What? I made it, so you should at least be able to handle this much.”
Chuckling, she cut her own portion of neobiani into small pieces and popped them into her mouth.
“Mmm, it did turn out pretty well.”
Nodding and praising her own cooking, she spoke in a serious voice for a brief moment.
“Hey, you want to eat home-cooked meals too, right? Let’s just cook and eat together from now on.”
“Huh? Isn’t that a hassle? I can’t really help much, you know.”
“I don’t expect you to be good at it. Just prepare the ingredients and do the chopping. And you do the dishes once in a while.”
“I can certainly do that much, but won’t it be hard on you?”
“It’s a waste of money to keep buying food. It’s not good for your health, either. Or you can just pay me for the groceries.”
Well, honestly, buying every meal was getting a bit old. Stimulating food is great when you eat it, but if you keep at it, you get tired of it and feel bloated.
“You’re the one who suggested it first, okay? I can only do simple cooking, so no making fun of me for the difference in skill.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. I don’t have high expectations anyway.”
“Go brush your teeth. We’re going to be late.”
“Ah, right.”
I have no idea what kind of misconception is driving her, but hey, eating home-cooked meals is a good thing, right?
* * *
Kang Ha-ni watched his back as he went in to brush his teeth, her eyes filled with a lingering, wistful gaze as she recalled the “truth” she had realized last night.
— This year’s Best Rookie, B-rank hero Kang Na-hyun. In fact, she lost her mother before becoming a cadet and lived while taking care of her father and her still-young brother.
— Sometimes, she quarreled with her brother due to stress.
This was content she had seen in an interview last year with Kang Na-hyun, one of the heroes she admired.
— My father is rather blunt, so there was no discomfort, but I’m worried about my young brother because he didn’t receive much affection.
When she didn’t know, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now that she knew, he looked different.
“The ‘young brother’ must be So-hyun.”
The fact that their mother passed away before Na-hyun became a cadet meant this was a story from when Kang So-hyun was still in elementary school.
A blunt father focused on work, and an older sister who chose the life of a hero even if she wanted to care for him.
In between them, young Kang So-hyun must have grown up with unfulfilled needs, unable to even express his desire for affection.
Even if he was materially wealthy, how hard must it have been for the child?
Thinking back, there were always signs of it in his behavior.
The way he never forgot to knock from their first meeting until now, and his basic lifestyle manners, were likely actions born from a desire not to be hated by anyone. His occasional sharp side or rough language could all be explained by this as well.
That was it.
Kang So-hyun was suffering from a lack of affection.
And yet, the way he admired heroes and maintained a righteous attitude to help others was both admirable and heartbreaking.
At first, he was just a decent roommate, and later, she thought he was a pitiful, weak friend she needed to look after.
But through the month and a bit they had spent together, she now knew he was someone who stepped up when it mattered, and she also knew he had a painful past.
“He probably doesn’t want it to be found out.”
Though the weight was different, she understood well since she also had secrets.
What would happen if the fact that he was from a single-parent family, a rich young master, and the brother of Kang Na-hyun was revealed?
Some would be jealous without knowing the full story, and others would look at him with pity. In any sense, he would become the center of countless rumors.
This was a trial her overly kind roommate didn’t need to endure.
“He must have hated the idea. But he trusted me enough to tell me.”
Looking at the Kim Ga-eul incident at the beginning of the semester, he clearly hated being the subject of rumors and expressed his displeasure. Despite that, the fact that he trusted her with his secret must have been possible because he considered her a close friend.
“What are you going to do, being so kind? What if I had bad intentions?”
She said the words, but she didn’t feel bad at all. It meant the first friend she made at the Academy trusted her that much.
“I should at least make sure he eats a hearty breakfast from now on.”
Kang Ha-ni nodded to herself, feeling a sense of pride as she recalled how he had enjoyed the breakfast despite acting burdened.