The Predator's Family Time
How much time had passed?
"Ugh..."
The girl who had been lying collapsed slowly opened her eyes and sat up.
"...Where am I?"
She looked around to find a room steeped entirely in shades of gray. Seeing nothing but the blanket someone had draped over her and walls without a single window, the girl felt a light shiver run down her spine.
Soon her gaze fell to her own leg, and she jolted in surprise.
"Ah, my leg...?"
Her injured leg had been carefully wrapped in bandages.
Did Hanseong wrap this for me?
"First... I need to find Hanseong."
The girl forcefully threw open the closed door and stepped out.
Creak—
Beyond the door lay an underground bunker. Its circular layout contained roughly ten smaller rooms and one enormous central chamber.
Throb—
A burning pain flared in her leg. Clutching it tightly, the girl began searching for the boy.
"Hanseong...? Are you here? Hanseong!!!"
Hanseong—!!! Hanseong!!!!!
Her voice echoed like a ringing bell throughout the bunker.
Creak—
Just then, the door to the central room swung open. From within, the boy emerged alongside a woman.
"...Hanseong!"
The girl hurried toward him with obvious joy. But the moment she saw his face up close, horror overtook her.
"...Hanseong. Your face... what happened to it?"
The boy's face was covered in bruises, and his whole body bore the clear marks of a beating.
"...Eunah. You're awake?"
The boy greeted her with a bitter smile.
"Your face—what happened to your face?! Who did this to you... are you okay?"
Grind—
As if reacting to those words, the woman beside the boy ground her teeth audibly.
Was it her? ...No. I shouldn't jump to conclusions.
"This is nothing. I just fell. I'm fine, so rest a little longer. Your leg must still hurt..."
"You... worry about yourself first!!!"
Before she realized it, the girl had raised her voice at him.
She knew. The boy always put her safety before his own. And because she liked him so much, his attitude only made her angrier.
"...Eunah. I'm sorry."
"You right now..."
At that moment the woman beside him cut in.
"I've been watching for a while now. This is fucking hilarious."
"...Pardon?"
The girl was caught off guard. The boy tried to intervene.
"Noona, this is between me and Eunah."
"Does our little brother being nice make him look like a fucking pushover?"
"...Pardon?"
"Are you really going to keep pretending you don't understand? She saved us and even treated your leg, yet instead of thanking her, what? You get angry at him?"
The instant the woman finished speaking, the girl felt as if she were standing on thin ice.
It's cold... What is this feeling?
The boy sensed the shift in atmosphere and panicked, rushing to intervene.
"Noona, just a second... I'll explain everything..."
"Hanseong. You're too nice, that's the problem. That's exactly how you end up getting taken advantage of."
The boy had hoped the girl wouldn't provoke her, but she was already irritated by the woman who kept inserting herself into their conversation.
"Um, sorry... but this is a conversation between me and Hanseong. Who exactly are you to..."
Eunah, please... read the room.
"Noona."
"......Yes?"
"I'm Hanseong's biological older sister!"
Hanseong is definitely an only child with no siblings... What is this woman talking about?
"Hanseong, what does she mean? You definitely..."
When the girl voiced her confusion, the boy quickly spoke over her.
"Ah... w-well, the truth is I had a real older sister before. I never imagined we'd meet again in a situation like this... haha. This is my noona. Say hello. She usually has a gentle 'Yu' personality, but she's a bit sensitive right now. This is Yu Sohee Noona. Noona, please greet her too. This is my friend Kim Eunah."
The boy rambled on, hastily changing the subject.
Please let Eunah catch on.
"What are you..."
The girl trailed off as a thought struck her.
Hanseong seemed flustered and his words trailed off. The way he emphasized 'Yu'... was he trying to indicate the surname?
While the girl was lost in thought, the woman snorted.
"Hmph. If you weren't Hanseong's friend."
She held out her hand with obvious reluctance.
"I feel the same way..."
Having finished her train of thought, the girl took the offered hand.
"Haha..."
Only the boy beside them let out an awkward laugh.
A few days later, inside one of the bunker's rooms, the girl was turning the boy's words over in her mind.
"...What did you say?!"
"Shh, shh... She might hear us. Keep your voice down."
"So you're telling me... that person mistakes you for her little brother?"
"Yeah... She seems to have some attachment issues too. Anyway, she's a pitiful person. Plus she saved us from the monsters. She has nowhere else to go, so let's just play along with the lie for now."
Unable to reveal the truth about his Affection Window ability, the boy gave her a vague explanation.
"But... this is still deception."
The girl found the woman clinging to the boy strangely irritating.
When she remained unconvinced, the boy spoke firmly.
"Eunah. Let's be realistic. Your leg is still injured, and I'm not in great shape either. If we step outside right now, we're dead."
"...Yeah. Okay."
When the girl finally relented, the boy breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Phew... At least Eunah seems to understand somewhat.
"Just remember that for now. I'm 'Yu' Hanseong, and I have no memories from before the Gate."
"Understood. ...But what about those injuries?"
"...."
"I understood most of it... but what really happened to your wounds?"
When the girl stared at him searchingly, the boy avoided her gaze.
"...I told you. I fell."
He's lying....
"...Okay."
She knew he avoided eye contact whenever he lied, yet she deliberately chose to believe him.
-Hanseong!!!
Are you done talking?
At the woman's voice calling from outside the room, the boy quickly continued.
"We'll talk about the rest later. Just rest up for now."
As he turned to open the door, the girl whispered softly.
"...You won't abandon me, right?"
"Huh? ...Eunah, what did you say?"
"Nothing. Hurry and go. Your sister will get upset."
"Alright, see you later!"
The girl stared at the door he had closed behind him, as if expecting him to return at any moment.
More time passed. By the time the girl's leg had mostly healed, her only joy was talking with the boy.
He made an effort to share only hopeful stories for her sake.
But without fail, whenever they were happily chatting, Yu Sohee would appear.
"Hanseong. It's 'family time' now. Come quickly~"
"...Yes."
Like a wolf proudly dragging away a lamb, she led the powerless boy into the central room with a triumphant air.
The girl had no idea what they did inside that room.
But every time the boy returned looking exhausted, her suspicions grew.
What on earth are they doing in there with Hanseong? ...Family time? How ridiculous. They're not even a real family.
Whenever she asked him about it, the only answer she received was his bitter smile.
After thinking it over carefully, a horrifying possibility suddenly occurred to her.
"Wait... could it be...?"
The boy's bruises and injuries. The 'family time' they spent alone together every single day. The way he always came out exhausted.
When she put it all together...
The girl's imagination spiraled into endless darkness.
Contrary to the girl's assumptions, the boy was actually spending 'happy' (?) time.
Rub rub—
"...Ugh, ugh. Noona, I can't breathe."
"Slurp... Haa. Sorry... Are you okay?"
The boy barely managed to escape Yu Sohee's crushing embrace.
"I'm fine, but... isn't this something families don't usually do?"
"Isn't this totally normal for families?"
She looked at him with pure, innocent eyes, as if genuinely confused why he would ask.
The boy answered, dumbfounded.
"Noona. This is something couples do, not families..."
At those words her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Me and Hanseong as lovers? Hehe... But we're family..."
Ha... This person's common sense is completely warped.
Yu Sohee had never had a real family in her entire life. Her understanding of what "family" meant was heavily distorted.
The 'family time' she had declared was literally just time spent with her—board games, other games, and plenty of hugging.
Why does this feel like I'm babysitting...?
If not for the current circumstances, the boy would have shouted "I don't mind at all!" and enjoyed every second.
Who cares if she's beautiful with an amazing body? What's inside that head is terrifying...
Having already glimpsed the madness lurking within her, the boy found her frightening no matter what expression she wore.
Besides, I'm not her real brother... If she ever finds out...
Shudder—
"Hm? Hanseong, what's wrong?"
"Ah, it's nothing, Noona. I just had a scary thought all of a sudden..."
"Aww, with Noona right here? If anyone dares lay a hand on our family... whether monster or human, I'll kill them all."
"R-right. I'll only trust in you, Noona..."
"That's right~ Our Hanseongie is such a good boy. So, so good~"
"Uh... yeah."
She stroked his head as if he were especially adorable.
The boy quietly let her pet him and murmured under his breath.
Affection Window.
Name: Yu Sohee
Species: Human
Affection: 75 (Beyond a fling, short of lovers)
Huh...? Her affection went up?
It had definitely been 70 before. Now it read 75.
The boy began to panic.
It should have been safer the higher her affection rose, so why did this feel so ominous?
If it can go up, that means it can also go down!
The realization that the affection level wasn't permanently fixed filled him with deep anxiety.
He wanted to pour out all his fears and feelings to the girl right then and there, but he held back.
It's still too early to explain everything to Eunah... But telling her we just played together in the room would make me feel too guilty toward her...
In this way, the boy and the girl continued worrying about each other from completely different directions.