Chapter 22
Chapter 22
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Awkward Family Bonds
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"To Hyun-woo?"
"But Hyun-woo..."
Han Se-young said, her voice trembling with tears. In short, a new rookie Guide had joined, Yang Hyun-woo had been kind to her, and now it seemed like the Guide had fallen for him. That was her dilemma.
"That's just how he is. Hyun-woo's not the type to be interested in that sort of thing, so don't worry too much."
Yang Hyun-woo had a gentle and kind personality by nature. Han Se-young loved that warmth, but it sometimes made her anxious.
Being kind to everyone felt almost like no one was special.
"...Still, you never know. She's a Guide, too."
Han Se-young frowned, fidgeting nervously with her glass.
I gave her a subtle look.
Han Se-young took it for granted that Espers instinctively felt drawn to Guides. And that their hearts might wander because of it.
It was exhausting. If I ever dated, I'd pick a non-Awakener.
"A high Matching Rate doesn't mean everyone falls in love. And you know this—Matching Rates go up the more the Esper feels affection for the Guide. It increased on your last check, right? No need to be so anxious."
"Still..."
Yang Hyun-woo and Han Se-young had an above-average Matching Rate, but it wasn't particularly high.
Just a bit over average, yet it made Han Se-young uneasy at times.
"If Guiding made him fall for someone unconditionally, he'd have fallen for me instead of you."
"...Are you fanning the flames right now?"
"Just giving realistic comfort to a gloomy friend."
I lightly patted her shoulder under her sharp glare.
Truth be told, getting involved in a couple's spat never ended well.
If it was something I could fix, fine—but this was something only they could sort out. And if I sided with Han Se-young and scolded Yang Hyun-woo—
"Hyun-woo's the one at fault. Even with a girlfriend, he should've known to keep it appropriate."
"No. Hyun-woo's not bad at all. I'm just being overly sensitive. Can't even separate work and personal life at the office..."
—it would just lead to her defending him instead.
As I comforted her like that, the bottles on the table surpassed four. And she'd drunk them all herself.
"Even if! Even if that Guide likes Hyun-woo, I won't hand him over! Huh? When else in my life will I meet someone so kind and wonderful?! Right?!"
By now, even a heavy drinker like her was wasted.
I nodded with a resigned expression as she banged her spoon on the table like it was a judge's gavel.
Maybe she should just get blackout drunk. Might make her feel better.
But as I clamped down on my senses, thinking I'd have to drag her home—
Han Se-young spoke up.
"Look, Yu-jeong, you need to know this too. Hyun-woo's so good... When I was freaking out over how weird you've been, he comforted me, saying it was fine, and made time to check in on me bit by bit."
"...How I've been weird?"
"Yeah... You've been off the last year. Like a totally different person—personality changed, barely contacting your family! While I'm at it, do you know how worried your mom is? She said you've had memory issues since that high school incident..."
This time, she lined up glasses filled to different levels like she was making a musical instrument. Propping my chin, I watched and asked.
"So, you hate how I've changed?"
My throat felt dry. As she downed the glasses one by one, the answer came soon enough.
"No... Not that. But you seem like Jekyll or something."
"What?"
"No, Hyde maybe... Anyway, call home more often. You ditched all your friends to chill at your parents' place in the countryside, then suddenly came back and stopped contacting family?! Huh? Your family's all harmonious—parents, little brother—unlike my messed-up one..."
Drunk as she was, Han Se-young seemed determined to unload everything she'd held back. The longer she rambled, the more my glass filled and emptied in turn.
We left the bar around 7 p.m.
Somehow, I'd drunk more than usual too.
As Amelia, I'd never gotten drunk no matter how much I drank. Back as Kim Yu-jeong, I'd always held back, scared I'd blurt out something I shouldn't.
'Didn't know it, but I must have a high tolerance.'
Unlike Han Se-young's slurred speech, mine was clear, and I walked fine.
I hoisted her roughly over my shoulder and stepped out—then my phone rang. It was Yang Hyun-woo. I picked up and gave him the bar's address.
"Yu-jeong!"
Minutes later, Yang Hyun-woo jumped out of a taxi and rushed over. His face full of worry, he checked on his girlfriend.
"Se-young got this wasted...? How much did she drink?"
I fanned away the lingering alcohol scent and replied.
"No idea. Stopped counting after seven bottles."
"Seven?!"
I handed her over to the horrified Yang Hyun-woo. He looked up suddenly.
"Are you okay, Yu-jeong?"
"Yeah. I'm not drunk."
He seemed concerned I might be drunk too, but when I insisted I was fine, he bowed lightly and said he'd head out first.
After they left, I called a taxi right away. I gave the address and settled in the back—then my phone rang.
"Hello."
[Noona, where are you? It's getting late.]
Noona? Had Yu-ha grown up this much already?
"In a taxi."
[...On your way now? Do you know the address?]
"After ordering deliveries to Kim So-hee's place a few times, how could I not..."
I trailed off, sensing something off, and shut my mouth.
I sorted my thoughts for a moment.
Come to think of it, Kim So-hee, the owner of the house I'd been staying in, had flown off somewhere a while back.
No matter how I thought about it, the voice on the phone didn't fit an eight-year-old boy.
Wait—now that I considered it, the owner of the place I was staying now was...
I pulled the phone from my ear and checked the screen. The caller ID read Ju Yeon-woo.
"...Huh?"
What? Where am I even going?
I told the driver the address was wrong. A small sigh came from the speaker.
I corrected it to the address Ju Yeon-woo had given, and soon arrived at the familiar officetel. He was waiting outside.
"Noona, you okay?"
"Yeah, my friend got really wasted, but I'm fine."
My stomach felt off from all the booze, but walking was no issue.
To prove I was fine, I deliberately strode ahead.
My throat was parched from the alcohol. The moment we got inside, I chugged some water—and Ju Yeon-woo stared at me.
His expression was like I'd handed a kid something dangerous. It was just a plain glass.
I moved his gaze with my hand.
"Something happen?"
At his question, I quietly reflected on the day. I'd gone to mooch a meal and comfort her, but ended up just getting lectured.
"Are you close with your family, Yeon-woo?"
His eyes widened at my question.
My thoughts felt shorter than usual. Forgetting he hadn't answered, I fired off the next one.
"What if your family didn't recognize you?"
My mind was crystal clear. Too clear—that was the problem. Words I'd normally bottled up poured out like a dam breaking.
I couldn't even focus on who was in front of me. All that mattered was he was someone neither I nor Han Se-young knew well enough—and that was plenty for spilling my guts.
I started confessing haphazardly, like in a confessional.
"I'm not on bad terms with my family or anything... It's just awkward. No parent could notice their kid's been swapped out."
The idea that parents instantly recognize their real child was just wishful thinking. Jumping to "different person" over a personality shift was abnormal.
I knew that full well.
"But it still hurts a little."
Right after returning, I hadn't thought that way. I was too busy adapting to the changed situation and world to nitpick.
I'd just basked in my family's peaceful embrace after so long, doing my best to be a good big sister to my little brother.
Here, there were no bloodstains or rotting flesh smells, no comrades dying overnight after laughing together the day before.
No pressure to save anyone. No fading sense of reality, no trembling from the void of no place to return to.
As Amelia, I'd always felt detached from the world.
Typical possessed protagonists never cared where the original soul went. I vaguely understood why.
Every action I took, everything I enjoyed—it all might not truly be mine. That bred alienation.
And it was the same here.
"Every time I think Mom's loving daughter might not be me, the disconnect hits hard. So I ran away."
The peaceful embrace crumbled under the alienation I'd ignored. Because I realized the Kim Yu-jeong in Mom's eyes wasn't me—Amelia.