Precognitive Dreams and the "Kim Manbong" Nickname
A precognitive dream. A supernatural phenomenon where one dreams of foreseeing some future event—literally. Of course, it was realistically impossible, but having already gone through reincarnation myself, I had no choice but to accept it quickly.
Yeah, that time and the dream from last night—they weren't just dreams to brush off. They were manifestations based on events that would definitely come to pass. Naturally, given the nature of precognition, if I didn't take any significant action, things would likely unfold exactly as in the dream. Like getting together with Soeun, whom I'd recently grown close to, and shaking off Mary... or maybe the opposite. Either way, it meant someone would end up unhappy because of me, and that was something I absolutely couldn't welcome.
After all, I'd been keeping my distance in relationships precisely so I wouldn't make someone miserable—or so someone wouldn't make me miserable. Yeah, so realizing it was a precognitive dream would only strengthen that conviction...
"You look lost in thought, big brother."
Just as I was mulling it over, my sister's voice suddenly pulled me back to reality. I snapped out of it and turned my gaze to the scene before me: the usual perfectly prepared breakfast, and my sister sitting across from me, watching me with concern.
"Is school not going well or something?"
At her worried question, I forced a smile and shook my head.
"No way. If anything, I've got too much popularity to handle."
It wasn't a lie. Not really... At least I'd made several friends, and I'd become aware of two girls who had crushes on me.
"Hehe, looks like your popularity hasn't faded at all."
When I admitted it honestly, she beamed with delight and gazed at me with those warm, affectionate eyes.
"You've always been popular, big brother. Even when playing with friends, you were always at the center, and you were always top of the class in studies... Oh, and you got a love letter once, right?"
"Yeah, but Mary chased her off before I could even respond."
"She was definitely marking her territory. Mary really likes you, after all~"
"......"
"Big brother?"
I stared silently down at the soup in my bowl for a good thirty seconds or so. In that heavy quiet, my sister asked me again, her voice tinged with worry.
"Did something happen with Mary?"
"...Who knows."
It wasn't something I could outright deny. We'd gotten along okay so far, but there was a real chance things could sour ahead. Now that I knew she could make me unhappy... or that choosing her could make someone else unhappy, I'd have to avoid getting too close even more than before.
"I just don't know how to deal with them going forward."
"Them? So there are others besides Mary who you're worried about?"
"No, it's not like that..."
"Hehe, I see. So springtime romance has finally come for you too, big brother."
She picked up on my slip without missing a beat, her excitement bubbling over. As my head started to throb, she began shaking my shoulders in glee.
"First Mary, and now even more people catching your eye—what's she like? A classmate you bumped into on the way to school? Someone from your class? Oh, wait, is it your seatmate? Sitting next to someone you're into—that'd be straight out of fate itself!"
...She's got a sixth sense for this stuff.
"Not in that way."
But unfortunately, I couldn't play along with her excitement. Sure, Soeun was on my mind, but at this point, it was closer to bewilderment than a crush. If I let it continue, it might turn into that precognitive dream, but the feeling I'd had in the aftermath wasn't joy—it was regret. Pairing off with her would make Mary unhappy. Pairing off with Mary would make her unhappy.
"I just think I shouldn't focus on that stuff right now... I'm just worried about how to tamp down these feelings."
I laid it out with a wary undertone and went back to eating. My sister watched me for a while, then put on a serious face and whispered,
"Big brother, love is a wonderful thing."
She was about to extol the very concept I viewed negatively and wanted to avoid.
"Once it starts, your whole outlook on the world flips 180 degrees. And it's all positive. Caring for each other, respecting each other, holding hands with the person you want to spend your life with—how could that be bad?"
"...You sound like you've experienced it."
Well, she was at that age where she devoured comics, so probably just romanticizing some rom-com manga. I lifted my soup bowl, figuring it was no big deal, when she flashed a bright smile and replied,
"Of course. I've got someone I'm dating now, after all."
Pffft! The soup in my mouth sprayed back into the bowl. At this bombshell I couldn't ignore, I blurted out my shock without thinking.
"Dating? What do you mean—don't tell me..."
"Oh, right. The bus is probably coming soon. I'll head out now, so hurry up before you're late too, big brother!"
"Hey, wait a sec—"
She fled the table after dropping that bombshell. Stunned for a moment, I mulled over her words and let out a deep sigh.
"What kind of punk is messing with my sister..."
The little sister I'd changed diapers for—her having a boyfriend? No way I could stay calm about that.
*****
Sure, I was a lone wolf when it came to romance, but I couldn't force that philosophy on my sister. Still, as an adult, I couldn't approve of a middle schooler dating. She wasn't heading down some wild path, was she? I'd raised her to be the perfect wife material with the best education I could give—if she turned into a delinquent because of a bad boyfriend...
"Alright, mock exams are done. Good work, everyone. Skipping homeroom—handle your after-school time responsibly."
As those worries swirled in my head, the mock exams wrapped up. Our homeroom teacher gave the class a quick once-over before leaving, and the now-unleashed students erupted into chatter.
"Hey, how'd you do?"
"Math was brutal... think I bombed a bunch."
"Wanna grade first?"
"Anyone wanna bet scores? Loser buys street food!"
Maybe because they were all elite high school admits, most stuck around to grade instead of heading home right away. Soon, cheers and groans echoed around the room based on the scores.
Of course, I cared about my scores too, so grading was a must. I set aside all my worries and focused, when my usual group of friends approached.
"Yo, Cheolsu! How'd you do?"
"Hold on, I'm grading."
After ten minutes or so with calculator and textbook in hand, my results were perfect except for one math problem. My friends gawked.
"Dude, perfect minus one math question! Entry exam legend strikes again. Hell, you could aim for top of the mock exam."
"Eh, not super satisfied."
With the precognitive dream messing with my head and my sister's shock confession throwing me off, I hadn't been at full power. It felt off to me, but my friends were going nuts.
"This jerk's good at studying and bitches about scores? I broke my record with a 75 and felt like an idiot next to you!"
"Don't blame me. If you'd cracked a book instead of soccer and comics, you'd have done better."
"Argh! Elites like you never get us normals!"
"Studies, sports—this guy's got no flaws!"
"It's infuriating how perfect he is. From now on, you're Kim Manbong."
"...What the hell?"
"Shut it! We're bestowing a flaw on you perfect superhumans!"
Do they really need to invent flaws just to roast me?
"What's with the commotion over there?"
"Kim Manbong here's whining about missing one math problem! Making us all look like idiots!"
"Studying to flex in front of us? Call him Kim Manbong from now on!"
"Pfft, Kim Manbong."
Shin Jiho and Lee Nari led the charge, and classmates started piling on. Feeling it had gone too far, I clutched my pounding head and shot back,
"Fine, nickname me whatever, but Kim Manbong's too forced. Doesn't even relate to my name..."
"Then drop your pants and prove your junk right here!"
"My Little Three vs. Kim Manbong—pick your poison!"
Sigh, these cafeteria troglodytes won't listen to reason. As my head throbbed harder, one girl reacted especially hard—clutching her stomach and cackling. Baek Hara, our class president, who'd shrunk after I blackmailed her.
"Kyahaha! Manbong! Perfect nickname!"
...Of course, I gave the worst person ammo. Was this the fate of an elite in my second life? Bitter, I stuffed my graded test into my bag and prepared to leave.
But then,
"Um, excuse me..."
The girl next to me spoke up, drawing my eyes. Yoo Soeun. The girl I hadn't properly talked to all day because things felt awkward. Her cheeks were unusually red, her gaze darting everywhere but me.
Probably replaying yesterday. Feeling belated shame for what she did, or maybe realizing her feelings for me deeper.
"...How'd the test go?"
Either way, I didn't want to get involved. I asked curtly, and she nodded blankly.
"Y-yeah. Like usual..."
"Good to hear."
She'd probably aced it as always. Satisfied with that, I prepared to leave, ignoring her call. Brushing past her coldly, keeping distance as I headed for the door.
"Wait, um—"
"Hey, Kim Cheolsu! You haven't gone home yet, right!?"
Another voice cut in. Sharp as a knife, painfully familiar—and the students around recognized it too.
"Isn't that her?"
"The chaebol heiress, right...?"
Yeah, even in this school of rich kids, her status stood out. But ironically, it only drew more eyes to me right now.
"...Tone it down. Everyone's staring."
"Hah? Who cares if they notice? Mary Christine herself has business with you."
Sigh, you'd think high school would mature her a bit, but she's as bold as ever.
"This guy's good at studies, sports, and now reels in rich girls?"
"Bet his dick's tiny."
"Damn him. Live as Kim Manbong forever."
Sticking around would just earn me more hate. Uneasy, I sighed and got ready to head out with Mary.
"Too many eyes—let's move somewhere else."
"Um, wait—"
In the commotion, a tiny voice piped up. It rang clear in my ears despite the noise, but I ignored it and followed Mary's lead out of the classroom.
'Sorry, can't walk home together today.' That was my excuse—even the promise to smooth things over, I swallowed it down.