Chapter 2: The Beginning (2)
Chapter 2: The Beginning (2)
I had a bit of a struggle with Yujin-noona, trying to stop her from making tonkatsu on top of everything else.
Of course, I was no match for her.
Even though I told her she didn't have to, she ended up making the tonkatsu right then and there.
She cut it into small pieces to make it easier for me to eat, and she even fed me herself.
It was one of those things that happened all the time.
Since I’d spent more time unable to move properly after my injury than not, it was, in a way, unavoidable.
About a month ago, my condition improved significantly, to the point where I could support my own upper body and eat on my own.
So, I told her she didn't have to feed me anymore.
But Noona didn't take that very well.
I had to insist firmly, telling her I felt like too much of a burden and that it made me uncomfortable, before I was finally allowed to eat normally... but even now, she still insists on feeding me a few side dishes whenever we eat together.
I tried to tell her I was fine and reject it entirely, but her reaction was so poor that I couldn't bring myself to be stubborn about it.
She was already sacrificing so much for me; if she hated the idea of stopping, I had to yield.
It was embarrassing for a grown man to be fed like a child, but it was something I could endure.
Well... it wasn't exactly a bad thing, anyway.
★ ★ ★
After finishing dinner with Noona, the moment I dreaded arrived.
Because of what happened two years ago, my lower body was in this state, and since I had trouble even supporting myself, washing up on my own was no easy task.
Consequently, it was only natural that I needed Noona's help whenever I showered.
Even though I was a grown man, receiving help from her—no, being washed by her hands—was beyond embarrassing.
But I couldn't refuse. When I once told her I’d wash myself, I ended up being lectured for over an hour while she washed me by force anyway...
Ugh.
I really don't know where that strength comes from in such a slender frame.
......
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
"Sigh..."
"Shin-a, is something bothering you?"
Noona, who was drying my hair behind me, saw me sighing in the mirror and reacted immediately.
"No, it's just... the shower was refreshing..."
I quickly made an excuse, but the expression on her face reflected in the mirror wasn't great.
She knew I was being awkward.
But I couldn't help the sense of self-loathing that washed over me. The fact remained that I was pathetic, unable to even take care of my own body or wash myself.
The warm air from the hairdryer blew against me.
She had been doing this for over a year now, and I just sat there, receiving her practiced touch.
Dammit...
I needed to find something to do soon, or this cursed legs of mine needed to heal...
From the moment I regained consciousness, Noona told me not to worry and that she would take care of me for the rest of my life.
I was grateful for her words, but I knew she had her own life to live.
I couldn't just lean on her forever.
Just as these thoughts filled my head—
"Shin-a. I want you to put your mind at ease and stop having those strange thoughts. I'm perfectly fine."
Ahem...
"Yeah..."
It seemed she had read my expression and guessed what I was thinking again.
Ugh... it had always been like this.
I realized once again that I was terrible at hiding my feelings from her.
Yujin-noona seemed satisfied with my answer; her touch as she dried my hair grew lighter, and a smile played on her lips in the mirror.
After about five minutes, she finished drying my hair and switched off the noisy hairdryer.
After tidying my hair with a towel and a comb, she spoke in a bright voice.
"There, all done. Good job, Shin-a!"
"What did I do...? You're the one who worked hard. Thanks, Noona."
She smiled happily at my words.
Seeing her smile made me feel better too.
But the smile soon faded from her face.
She hesitated as if she had something to say, her expression turning into a mix of regret and worry.
"...Shin-a. I think I’ll be away for about a week starting tomorrow for a business trip."
"Oh, okay. Don't worry about me."
I wondered what it was, but...
Hmm.
Come to think of it, Noona leaving the house since I got hurt was... incredibly rare.
Thinking back, she’d been away for a day or two for work, but a whole week was a first.
Given my current physical state and how much she’d been looking after me, her reaction was understandable.
Noona lightly patted and massaged my shoulders as she continued.
"Don't overdo it while I'm gone; just stay still. And don't try to shower by yourself—just wash your face."
She was pleading with me, worried that I might get hurt trying to do housework or wash myself alone.
Well... considering my condition, there was a high risk of getting hurt if I pushed myself, so it was best to follow her instructions.
"Ah—"
When I didn't answer immediately because I was thinking, Noona pressed herself against my back, grabbed my cheeks with both hands, and pulled them to the side.
Seeing me hesitate made her look grumpy, as if she thought I was contemplating something else.
"Shin-a! Why aren't you answering?"
I felt a soft, pillowy sensation against the back of my head.
Her large breasts.
Ugh...
I quickly moved my hands to grab hers and pulled them away from my cheeks.
She wasn't pulling hard; she was just playing around to get my attention, so her hands came away easily.
"I get it. I'll stay still and won't overdo it."
"Good. That's my boy."
Noona brightened at my words, but even after that, she emphasized and double-checked two or three more times.
It seemed my delayed response, combined with the fact that she’d be gone for a week, made her extremely anxious.
I nodded with a serious face to her repeated questions, and she was finally satisfied.
"Then get some rest. Call me if you need anything."
"I will. You should wash up and rest too, Noona."
"Okay. I'll come back after I shower."
Phew...
I finally managed to get her out of the room.
Thinking about how she still hadn't washed because she was looking after me made me feel guilty all over again.
But she really didn't need to come back...
Mmm... I suppose she wanted to spend more time with me and take care of me since she’d be away for so long starting tomorrow.
Man...
I moved my wheelchair over to the computer.
It was so hard to find a job in this condition...
My paralyzed lower body was a massive penalty.
Even if I accepted my legs being like this, I’d been able to use my hands to some extent for a month now, enough to work on a computer.
So, I’d been looking for remote work I could do from home, but...
Since I was injured right after being discharged from the military, I had nothing on my resume. I had nothing to show for myself.
Naturally, in a time when employment was so difficult, employers avoided hiring someone like me.
I had expected it to some degree, but experiencing it firsthand was a bitter pill to swallow.
Everything I applied for this morning was rejected...
"Sigh..."
Sighing had become a habit by now.
Another one escaped me.
I checked again just in case, but nothing had changed.
Ugh... this is frustrating.
I didn't even want to look at the job sites anymore.
Besides, since Noona said she’d be back after her shower, I turned off the job site.
If she saw me looking at this, she’d only worry more and feel sorry for me.
Ugh... it's only a little past eight... it's too early to sleep...
I opened the news page on the search site I’d been looking at earlier.
As expected, the main page was filled with brief reports on where Portals had appeared today and how they were handled.
This was the most important information for living in the world today.
The world had been like this for thirty years.
No one knew what the signs were... or what caused it to happen.
Only one thing was certain.
The world could never go back to the way it was; it had changed completely.
Blue Portals appeared in mid-air, and monsters never before seen on Earth poured out of them.
At first, people didn't know, but as time passed, they realized that monsters emerged when the Dungeon created inside the Portal wasn't cleared.
Naturally, the lack of knowledge led to immense damage.
But humans were creatures of adaptation.
Whether it was human evolution for survival or the intervention of an external power, Awakeners with supernatural abilities began to appear among the population.
They were the only ones who could stand against the monsters.
There was a period of trial and error, but as time passed and through the efforts of many, society began to stabilize.
To cut to the chase...
In my case... the instances where monsters emerged because a Portal wasn't cleared or discovered in time, causing harm to civilians, were now considered akin to natural disasters.
It had been about ten years since such events became rare.
That's why, on that day, when the sirens—something we only learned about in school and never took seriously in daily life—rang out...
People were slow to react due to complacency.
At first, most people thought it was just another equipment malfunction, as the sirens had occasionally glitched before.
Then, the screams began...
The streets fell into chaos.
I, too, scrambled to hide in a nearby shelter.
The problem was that out of all the shelters, the Orcs found ours.
Well... my body is proof of what happened next.
So many people were killed by Orcs on the streets that day; looking back, it was a miracle I even survived.
The damage from that incident was so severe because, even though everyone knew such a thing could happen, the long period of peace had lowered everyone's guard, making it feel like an impossibility.
I was no different...
Mmm... let's turn this off...
I had no choice but to close the news window.
Thinking about what happened two years ago brought a surge of negative emotions.
I needed to settle my feelings before Noona came back...
I should find something fun to laugh at instead of something so serious.
One of my hobbies lately was watching gaming broadcasts.
I didn't have the luxury to play games myself yet, and my physical condition made it difficult to invest energy into them, so watching others was a form of vicarious satisfaction.
