<p>A brick. My eyes flew open. My vision narrowed. The red brick, caked with dust, felt like a divine revelation. Before I knew it, I was walking toward it and picking it up.</p>
A brick. My eyes flew open. My vision narrowed. The red brick, caked with dust, felt like a divine revelation. Before I knew it, I was walking toward it and picking it up.
"Heh heh..." Maybe the drug hadn't fully worn off yet. The world felt like it was spinning in circles.
But unlike before, I felt incredibly refreshed. Something luminous swelled inside my chest. A bright, warm energy. It was so cozy it reminded me of the mother's embrace I'd often felt as a child.
My steps grew light. Everything felt insignificant. After that, I just followed whatever that energy seeping into me was telling me to do.
When I came to my senses, I found myself standing in front of Ann's house wearing a mask. I sifted through the fragmented memories. It seemed I had made it here without being spotted by anyone at all. It was literally a miracle.
Was it really a miracle...? Come to think of it, I had been feeling like someone was watching over me from above since earlier. Courage suddenly surged within me. Without hesitation, I pressed the doorbell. Ding-dong. It was only afterward that I thought about things like CCTVs, but for some reason, I felt like everything would be fine.
"It's okay." As if answering the warm voice that sounded like an auditory hallucination, I nodded. A mysterious energy pat my head. Negative emotions like fear and worry washed away without a trace.
"Who...?" The door opened slightly. Ann's spiteful face appeared through the gap where the safety chain was still on. Rage surged up.
Bam! What was a safety chain to a superhuman who wielded magic power? I smashed it and flung the door open in one go. Ann stepped back with startled eyes, the scene replaying in slow motion. I immediately infused my magic power into the brick I'd brought.
"Die!" Right at the moment the brick in my hand made contact with Ann's face... I unconsciously loosened my grip just a little. Crunch! "Ack—" But a brick was still a brick. Stone dust flew everywhere as Ann collapsed onto the ground. Blood streamed down from her crushed nasal bones.
Only then did I come to my senses a little. "Wh-what the hell...! Wh-what did I just do...?" I felt like I'd been possessed by a ghost. I reflexively stepped back, then snapped out of it. Running away like this would be the worst possible move. The little divine energy remaining in my chest seemed to nod in approval.
I went inside and locked the door. "...Sh-she's not dead, is she...?" With trembling fingers, I checked under Ann's nose. "Hhaa..." Feeling the airflow, a sigh of relief escaped me. My heart felt like it had dropped into my stomach.
What do I do now...? I chewed on my lips, then headed into Ann's room first. Looking at the computer screen, something was being transferred. Looking closer, she was saving videos to the cloud. Ann's claim that they were already saved was a lie.
That bitch...! I immediately canceled the transfer. The video of me getting caught watching porn was still there too. "I'm the idiot for believing her..." The back of my head went numb. I hadn't even really trusted her, but the betrayal still stung. It made me almost regret pulling my punch with the brick earlier.
Got it! I logged into a popular cloud service and checked all the videos. The auto-login made it possible. After deleting every video stored online, I gathered magic power in my hand.
No, wait. I hesitated just as I was about to smash the computer. Instead, I put the entire computer into my subspace artifact. This original footage was evidence of his innocence. Whether it was because of the energy in my chest, I was acting unlike myself. My mind was working fast.
I quickly scanned the room and gathered all the electronic devices in sight. This should be enough. As I was about to leave, I spotted those damn bear dolls. I went over and shook them — sure enough, there was something hard inside the head. I took those too.
"Phew... Clean! Clean! Clean!" I erased as many traces as I could. After finishing everything, I headed to the front door. Ann was still collapsed on the floor, her nasal bone smashed, blood trickling down. After confirming there were no videos on her phone, I muttered.
"...Serves you right." Thanks to my hesitation at the last moment, she didn't seem too badly injured. She'd probably wake up soon. Suddenly, all the strength drained from my entire body. The last traces of that energy in my chest seeped into Ann's head.
As the divine energy faded, fear rushed back in. Unlike before, I couldn't muster the courage to kill her. I gritted my teeth looking at Ann, then fled out of the house as if running away.
—
On my way home, my hands and feet trembled uncontrollably. What do I do now. I couldn't see any solution. I had no idea who to talk to about something like this. I never imagined I'd miss the days of being blackmailed with a video of me watching porn.
"Haa... I'm really fucked." I missed that divine energy that had filled me with courage earlier. What was that... energy... A memory surfaced of the energy I'd felt at the temple I'd gone to with my mother as a child, but I couldn't be sure.
"Haa..." The sighs wouldn't stop. I was terrified of how Ann would act once she woke up. "Hah... I'm going crazy..." I found it so absurd that bitter chuckles escaped me.
Zzing. I raised my phone with trembling hands. I saw a text from my sister, Kang Hyun-ah.
"Ah...!" My eyes focused. Maybe if I talked to my sister, a solution would appear. My sister was smart.
A little strength returned to my steps. I couldn't let my — Kang Su-ho's — life be destroyed by someone like Ann. I immediately entered a nearby pharmacy.
"Oh... Welcome!" The tone that had been a bored, half-hearted greeting completely changed. The woman at the counter looked my way and swallowed hard. It was the typical reaction of women who saw my face.
"Uh, wh-what medicine are you looking for?" Seeing her attitude, my confidence swelled. That's right. I couldn't let someone like Ann bring me down. What mattered was not giving up.
"I came to buy some bandages." "Th-there, on the left shelf, the third row!" "Ah, okay." I looked and saw that an entire shelf was nothing but bandages.
This one... has 5% healing potion content...? There were burn-specific bandages too, all kinds. There were too many options; I couldn't easily choose.
The pharmacist's voice came from behind me. I was familiar with this attitude — women trying to strike up a conversation by any means necessary. "Would you like me to recommend something?" "Ah... sure." As if she'd been waiting, she came closer.
"What kind of wound are you putting it on? These days the products are quite varied." "I'm not sure about that." "Aren't you using it yourself? Or, or maybe... running an errand for your girlfriend...?" "No. It's for my sister... Ah! What bandages do women in their early twenties use a lot?"
"Oh my! So you're running an errand for your sister! How thoughtful. Then how about this?" She pointed to a bandage with a rose pattern on it.
The pharmacist continued her explanation. "It's a bandage that makes most wounds disappear without a single scar. It's very popular among young women!" "...Is that so? No side effects on the skin?" "It's famous for having no side effects, so of course not! Even people with sensitive skin use it without issues. An ordinary wound will vanish cleanly in less than an hour. All that's left is clear, fair skin."
I found myself nodding. This was exactly it. My sister was serious about skincare. If it was a bandage that made scars vanish without a trace, she'd definitely like it.
"Looks good. I'll take this."
—
I moved my feet while agonizing over how to bring up Ann. I arrived home in no time.
"Su-ho! I'm home!" "Su-ho's here? You're a bit late today?" For once, my sister came out to the front door to greet me. Seeing her hand hovering near mine expectantly, I handed her the bandage with the rose pattern.
"Here, take it." "Thanks!" Since she'd apparently been waiting quite a while, my sister took the bandage and immediately went into her room. Then she sat in front of her vanity table and pulled her top down slightly. Her white nape was exposed, so I averted my eyes. From what I glimpsed, she was carefully applying the rose-patterned bandage with a serious expression.
"Hmm... done!" As if applying a bandage was some kind of major achievement, she wore a proud smile. Humming softly, my sister came out of her room and said with a grin, "Su-ho, did you eat?" "No..." "What time is it and you haven't eaten yet? Want me to make you something?"
Food wasn't what mattered right now. I took a deep breath and carefully opened my mouth. "Phew...! Forget food. Sis...!" "Hmm?" "Ah, well... that is..." My mouth opened and closed several times in quick succession. I couldn't figure out what to say at all.
She looked at me for a moment, then tilted her head. Only now did she notice something was off. "Su-ho. What's wrong with your face? Do you have some kind of worry?" "Ah, no, it's nothing!" In the end, I shut my mouth. I couldn't bring myself to say that I'd been forced or that video had been taken of me. A complacent thought rose up — that somehow things would work out fine. They always had until now.
"It-it's really nothing. Ca-can you make me some food? I'm suddenly hungry." Suspicion didn't leave my sister's eyes. I unconsciously stepped back. "Hmm...?" Frowning as if deep in thought, she said, "Did you fight with Si-woo again?" "Uh...? Why's he suddenly coming up?" "Oh, if not then forget it...! I'm glad you didn't fight. Stay close with him from now on, okay?"
My sister's face flushed briefly as she moved her lips. "...He might end up being family or something..." Her voice was so small, like a crawling ant, so faint I only caught part of it. "What did you say, sis?" "Ah, nothing! Anyway, stay close with Si-woo!" "...I don't want to. I don't like him." "What?! Why, why...?!" My sister's reaction was a bit intense.
It was strange, but I let out a sigh. I was mentally exhausted from the Ann situation. So I spoke without thinking much. "Haa... That bastard keeps hitting on Amelia. It pisses me off." "What!?" At that moment, I realized I'd screwed up. My sister never liked hearing about Amelia. She'd been that way since before, and this time was no different. Something seething appeared in my sister's eyes.
"Si-woo... hitting on...?" Moving her lips as if about to say something, she clamped her mouth shut instead. She grabbed her smartphone and started gnawing on her thumbnail. She paced in circles, seriously agonizing over something.
At that moment. Zzing. With perfect timing, a message came in. Seeing it, my sister's expression brightened instantly. I stared blankly at her face.
That sudden bloom of smile seemed to pierce into my chest. Honestly, if she weren't family, I think I would have fallen for her in that moment. I didn't know who would end up with my sister in the distant future, but I felt a bit jealous. Gulp. Not even noticing the trait squirming in my heart, I stared blankly at my sister.
Smiling so wide her dimples showed, my sister suddenly flinched. Then, as if forcing her smile down, she worked her lips. But she couldn't stop the smile that kept forming. "Huu... I have to meet him. Can't be helped."
My sister, who seemed to be sending a message, looked at me and said, "Su-ho, sorry. You'll have to eat dinner alone. I'm going to meet a friend." "Uh... friend...?" Before I could stop her, my sister sat at her vanity and started doing her makeup quickly. I saw her full lips being painted with red lipstick. For some reason, my heart pounded.
Once she finished her makeup, she looked even more beautiful. She laid out dresses across the wide bed until it was full. "Hmm... what should I wear..." They were all flashy and pretty clothes. Some had deep cuts in the back, giving off a provocative feel. As I stared blankly at them, my sister's muttering reached my ears. It was incredibly soft, but it pierced clearly into my ears.
"Haa... I need to teach him a lesson today."
For some reason, my hearing had gotten strangely sharp.