Chapter 30: The Childhood Friend Heroine from the Original Work
In the original work, Baek Seo-jin had several heroines: Moriya Yuka, Lee Ha-yeon, Han Se-hee, Gang Yu-ra, and Seomun Ye-jin.
But if forced to choose the main wife, most readers would pick Han Se-hee.
Han Se-hee was a smiling girl with pink hair and red eyes, a childhood friend of Baek Seo-jin's from their early days, a healer-type childhood friend heroine with a kind and gentle personality.
Her evaluation in the story was always positive.
And now, in this work, I learned how Han Se-hee became Baek Seo-jin's childhood friend.
'Of course, it was arranged by my parents.'
Han Se-hee was still only eleven years old, but Baek Hyeong-won and Kim Yu-jeong, who had spotted her potential in both appearance and talent, deliberately linked her with Baek Seo-jin as childhood friends.
"From now on, nine years."
In the original, nine years remained until then.
Due to changes in Baek Hyeong-won's and Kim Yu-jeong's actions targeting Seomun Ye-jin, the original couldn't know if they had planned to link Han Se-hee with Baek Seo-jin at this time.
"Timing was off."
The timing was really bad.
But I couldn't just abandon her like that.
'If Han Se-hee remained Baek Seo-jin's ally...
The healer heroine attached to Baek Seo-jin. She would comfort him, become his supporter, and serve as his mental refuge.
That was not what I wanted.
'Han Se-hee's situation.'
I didn't know how Han Se-hee had caught Baek Hyeong-won's and Kim Yu-jeong's eyes, but I had clearly marked her before my return.
During my surveillance of Baek Hyeong-won and Kim Yu-jeong, they had never found Han Se-hee or her information.
'In the original, Han Se-hee's parents were power awakening hunters who died in a dungeon by accident.'
Dungeons could basically be graded externally.
But sometimes, after hunters entered the dungeon, its grade would suddenly rise.
This anomaly was also a major cause of many hunter deaths.
Many died in confusion when monsters suddenly grew stronger.
Some escaped upon realizing the grade increase, but most died fighting monsters.
Han Se-hee's parents died this way too.
"Lamia. I need to find out how Han Se-hee's parents died in the dungeon."
- Do you want to access the dungeon's records? It would be harder than reading the world's records.
The one who scattered power in this world was Lamia, and dungeons were born from that influence.
Dungeons were like fragments of a broken world, but not directly made by Lamia.
Fragments of broken worlds drawn by Lamia's power formed the shape of dungeons.
Now, the dead dragon entity Terenty, if it were, might have made the dungeon itself, but and Lamia had no interest in the dungeon itself.
They saw it as an automatic system to make power awakening hunters stronger.
"Just finding the two's records."
Han Se-hee's parents died about three years ago. Around the time I was turned into an experimental subject by villains and thrown into a crack, two years had passed.
In the original, Han Se-hee's father's name was Han Yeon-woo, mother's Jin So-yeon.
Using that memory, I read information about Han Yeon-woo and Jin So-yeon in this world.
This world didn't resist my access and gave me the info.
Because they needed my help not to be eaten by , they were obedient.
"I found the dungeon they entered."
I found out what SS-grade dungeon they entered, and accessed its info.
Finding info on a dungeon from a fragmented world that had already disappeared was hard work. The backlash was severe, making my stomach turn, but I succeeded.
And the info was completely unexpected.
"Due to the SS-grade dungeon suddenly becoming SSS-grade, chaos ensued."
As they went deeper, the sudden grade increase caused unrest among the hunters.
And as some started dying, the survival chance dwindled, and one crossed the line.
"SS-grade hunter, Pi Woo-jae. It was him."
Pi Woo-jae was Han Yeon-woo's long-time colleague, but he had secretly lusted after Jin So-yeon, his wife.
When the dungeon turned SSS and survival became slim, he decided to rape Jin So-yeon before dying.
Since she was a healer with low combat power, she couldn't resist Pi Woo-jae.
But Han Yeon-woo, also SS-grade, allowed the surprise attack but resisted with Jin So-yeon's help.
In the end, to cut off the source of recovery, Pi Woo-jae killed Jin So-yeon first. Then, after killing Han Yeon-woo, he thought it was Jin So-yeon's corpse and tried to commit suicide.
But then, just after killing the two, monsters rushed in and were about to stomp on the bodies and kill Pi Woo-jae, but SSS-grade hunters arrived late and rescued him.
And he was still alive and well now.
'In the original, this guy didn't even appear. What a turn of events.'
In original timeline, whether he died or retired, unknown.
But unexpected info fell into my hands.
'I didn't expect much.'
In original, Han Se-hee's parents' death wasn't considered important.
So I thought I wouldn't find special info beyond the dungeon death, but I found an unexpected truth.
And Pi Woo-jae, this guy, is currently...
'He's in Baekho Guild?'
As an SS-grade hunter like guild leader Baek Hyeong-won, he received good treatment and lived in Baekho Guild.
'I could hide this fact from Han Se-hee and reveal it later to make her disappointed in Baek Seo-jin.'
By getting close to Pi Woo-jae and Baek Seo-jin, making Han Se-hee feel disappointed in Baek Seo-jin.
But I wouldn't do that.
'That would be too cruel to Han Se-hee.'
Using someone's parents' death in such a way doesn't suit my taste.
At least Han Se-hee had the right to know the truth.
***
Han Se-hee grew up in Kangin Orphanage after losing her parents three years ago.
The orphanage run by Kangin Guild was a facility for children who lost hunter parents to villains or monsters.
The purpose was to ensure that even if hunters died fighting monsters and villains, the children would be taken care of by Kangin Guild.
As a welfare facility cared for by Kangin Guild, Han Se-hee grew up without lack after losing parents.
When she became independent, she would receive the death compensation for her parents into her account.
However, she still missed her parents.
No matter how good clothes or food, it couldn't compare to parents' warm embrace.
"Dad... Mom..."
Han Se-hee took out photos of her dad Han Yeon-woo and mom Jin So-yeon and called out to them as usual today, filled with longing.
But three years ago, her parents who always answered her no longer by her side.
Because the dungeon level suddenly amplified and they were killed by monsters inside.
That's why their bodies were found in disarray. She knew that.
"Hello, Se-hee."
To her, a boy with black hair came.
The boy looked a bit older than her, and Han Se-hee tilted her head.
"Who are you?"
Among those living in Kangin Orphanage, no one had the same appearance as that boy. So she realized he was a visitor from outside.
"May I have a moment? I have a truth about your parents to tell you."
"About my parents?!"
Han Se-hee showed immediate interest because it was related to her dad and mom.
Anything would do; she wanted to find traces of her parents.
"Excuse me for a moment."
With the boy's hand on her shoulder, Han Se-hee suddenly felt her surroundings change.
Even in the orphanage courtyard, in a secluded place, she was now in an unfamiliar office.
'Am I kidnapped?'
At first, she thought she was kidnapped. But seeing a middle-aged man's appearance in front of her, she felt relieved.
"Are you the one who brought this child?"
"I need to process it quickly and go home. If I'm too late, the young lady will be disappointed."
The middle-aged man talking to the boy who brought her was Choi Kang-in, the owner of Kangin Orphanage and guild leader of Kangin Guild.
Seeing that he brought her, it wasn't kidnapping.
And since the one telling her about parents was Choi Kang-in... maybe he had important things to say about her parents.
Young Han Se-hee thought that much.
"Han Se-hee, I will tell you the truth about your parents. It will be a bit brutal, but are you okay with it?"
