Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Brother's Visit
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Today, as expected, humanity had perished without fail.
It felt just like the opening line of some paperback novel about the end of the world.
'Thud thud thud!'
My shoulders twitched in time with those pounding beats.
A glance at the clock showed it was just shy of 7 p.m.
They say online that big corporations exploit people's lives and time in exchange for money, but looking at this guy, it didn't seem entirely true.
- I know everything inside there, Noeul.
"……."
- You're not going anywhere anyway.
Damn.
My brother knew me too well—way too well.
- You're coming out eventually, so let's not make this tiring for both of us. Hurry up and come out.
With him banging on the door like that, I had no choice but to drag myself up.
I hoped a neighbor might complain about the noise on my behalf, but in our era, people were ruthlessly indifferent to each other.
They'd probably just stick a Post-it on my door tomorrow, like last time.
Wondering what kind of lecture I'd get this time in exchange for covering my rent, I forced my reluctant feet to move.
The door felt incredibly heavy. It hadn't been this bad even back when I wasn't overflowing with strength.
This was all because I'd turned into a woman.
Finally wrenching it open revealed a familiar face.
"Noeul! How long are you going to... Huh?"
"……."
That familiar face stared at me, eyes widening in confusion...
Confusion with wide eyes?
Oh right. I'm a girl now.
I rarely went out, so I kept forgetting that fact.
"...Who are you?"
He must be just as flustered, because I was too flustered to respond right away.
My brother glanced back and forth between my face and the apartment number, his expression full of question marks.
Then, visibly panicking, he quickly stepped back,
"Ah, s-sorry. I thought this was my brother's place..."
"……."
"It was really just a mistake!"
His eyes trembled as he insisted on his innocence.
Seeing my brother—the one all our relatives praised as the family pride, Haneul Lee—flustered like this was a novel experience.
It was such a rare sight that I decided not to explain right away.
Of course, the prank ended abruptly when he yanked out his smartphone and made a call somewhere,
And
'~♩♪'
my ringtone chimed from behind me at the same moment.
"...Bro, it's me."
It had been fun while it lasted, even if only for a split second.
A distinguished guest had arrived at this humble abode.
"...Noeul, you're a 22-year-old adult, and you're still holed up in your room playing games? Still making pocket money by selling items?"
"……."
"And when Chuseok rolls around, you should at least think about showing your face to Mom and Dad. How can a guy like you—a, a... brother—just ghost your family until you need something? Huh? The world keeps turning just fine without you."
Yeah, at least I hadn't resorted to begging for bailout money yet, so he could think that.
The man sitting across from me—Haneul Lee—had plopped me down on the edge of the bed and unleashed a machine-gun barrage of words.
"22 isn't too late yet. Huh? Even if you enlist now, you'd be 24 after discharge. You should get some certifications and step into society. If it's an academy, I—er, your big bro—can..."
"...Just call yourself bro. And I'm not enlisting anymore. Got exempted."
"Sigh..."
My brother's repertoire hadn't changed a bit, from back then to now.
The details varied slightly each time, but it always boiled down to nagging me to "live like a proper human."
Ah, the one thing that had changed was how he'd occasionally glitch mid-sentence, like a broken record?
But since the target was Haneul Lee, even that much was a remarkable achievement.
After letting out a deep sigh at my words, he rubbed his face dry repeatedly before asking casually,
"...So when were you planning to tell Mom and Dad?"
"...When the time's right."
"That's code for never."
"...No! I was gonna do it when I got the chance."
"……."
"Probably..."
Doubt filled his eyes. I deliberately avoided meeting his gaze. This was my specialty.
"Ha... So when did the manifestation happen?"
"...A month ago?"
"……."
"No, two months?"
"……."
Maybe three. Who knows.
Honestly, I couldn't pinpoint the exact date anymore. It had been over two years since I'd started living without regard for time.
His thick eyebrows twitched again at my honest answer.
"Haa..."
He didn't bring up the "manifestation" again. Instead, with another deep sigh, he scanned my entire room.
Ah, privacy invasion much?
I snuck the scattered underwear and clothes on the floor under the bed with my toes to dodge his gaze.
"Even after changing, you're still the same Noeul."
"……."
My efforts were in vain; he'd spotted them.
I hung my head quietly at his sigh.
Unlike me, who'd quietly finished high school alone, he'd been a top student with tons of friends—or so they said.
I never saw it myself due to our six-year age gap, but judging by what our parents always talked about, it was true.
"It's about time you changed a bit, don't you think?"
"……."
But I didn't dismiss it as our parents' exaggeration.
He'd gotten into a top university and landed a job at a major corporation, leaving no room for doubt.
Maybe because everyone around me always compared me to my "perfect older brother" spec-wise—whatever his intentions, standing before him always made me shrink a little.
"If you talk to me, I'll help. I've never ignored you, have I?"
"……."
I knew better than anyone that he held more goodwill toward me than most.
Just like now. For no particular reason.
"Don't make that face."
Was it because I'd gotten smaller? His palm felt even larger than usual as it settled on my head.
The unfamiliar warmth from someone else made me shrink involuntarily.
"Come home for this Chuseok and see Mom and Dad's faces. Dad just got promoted too."
"...I'll think about it."
"They're really worried about you."
"...I'll consider it."
"Tsk."
"...I'll, uh, review it positively."
Not satisfied with my answers, his hand ruffled my hair messily before pulling away.
As I awkwardly combed it back with my fingers, a bolt-from-the-blue remark hit me.
"Dad'll be thrilled to have a daughter now."
"...Crazy."
The curse slipped out before I knew it.
Though I clamped my mouth shut at his "Tsk—" warning, still..."daughter"?!
Technically not wrong if you split hairs, but...
I'd never even thought that far, let alone imagined Dad being happy about it.
"So, how much do you need?"
As my head swirled with thoughts, the words I'd been waiting for arrived.
I snapped my head up, and his face filled my view as he looked at me.
"You too... Finally looking me in the eye properly."
One eyebrow cocked in an ambiguous expression. I just gave an awkward "Heh heh."
He didn't react much to that, just sighed deeply.
"I'll send plenty."
"Th-thanks...!"
"But on one condition."
My gratitude got cut off before it fully formed.
What condition would he demand as collateral this time? His face was resolute.
I held my breath in tension.
"Come home for Chuseok."
"...Huh?"
"Stay home for the holidays."
"Overkill! Th-there'll be relatives! It'll be awkward! Uncles always show up too..."
"You brought this on yourself. How does it make sense you don't even know your relatives' names properly?"
His logical counter left me speechless. But this condition was too steep!
I hurriedly proposed an alternative.
"Ch-change it to the one from last time!"
(Oh, by the way, last time it was going out to buy essentials and reporting back with photos. At least three times a week!)
But he'd made up his mind and was firm.
"You think taking other people's money is easy?"
"Please, pretty please!"
Just imagining being around crowds made my chest tighten.
I clung to his pant leg like I was crying, but Haneul didn't bat an eye as he stood up.
"See you at Chuseok, sis."
"Bro, please! Come on? Something else!"
"I'm heading out. No need to see me off."
There'd always been a strength gap, but now it was especially stark.
I ended up being dragged along, scraping the floor, but he didn't care and kept walking.
"Send me the account, and I'll take it as agreement."
"Nooo...!"
"I'll tell Mom and Dad too."
"...Argh!"
It was a brutally harsh condition for me, with zero room for negotiation.
"...You're too mean!"
"This is a bargain."
With that declaration, he flung open the front door.
'Bang!'
And at that moment, a dull thud echoed.
"Huh?"
I looked up at my brother's puzzled voice to see a familiar person stifling groans of pain.
...It was Haon Park.
"Who are you?"
Normally, wouldn't it be "Sorry, are you okay?" first?
I found myself staring up at him, thinking,
'Psychopath?'
From the situation, Haon had probably been bringing food over when the door flew open and smacked him, leaving him in silent agony.
The timing was ruthless.
'Feels like a scene I've seen before...'
At least it wasn't as bad as last time—no pork belly absorbed by his body.
'His head looks swollen...'
Feeling sorry for him suffering alone, I rushed to support him.
"Haon, you okay...?"
"...Haon?"
But it wasn't Haon who answered—it was my brother, Haneul.
Turning to him, his expression was oddly subtle as he alternated glances between me and Haon.
"Already?"
"...Already what?"
"How many days has it been?"
"...What are you talking about?"
"Your boyfriend."
"...Crazy."
How does his brain even arrive at that conclusion?
Another curse slipped out before I could stop it.