The Chicken That Proved I'm Me
Why would you know about that, sis? Tick-tock. Tick-tock. The only sound in the silent room was the clock ticking away. It felt like no one was there, but actually, there were a whopping seven people crammed in. They were just glaring at each other without a word. To be precise, the four muscle-heads who'd given me "midnight snack" chicken breast as a joke were now huddled in the corner, breaking out in cold sweats and staring straight ahead, while I was staring at the floor like a total loser.
Sitting across the table from me was one woman drilling holes into me with her gaze. And her identity? None other than my own big sister, Yoo Ji-na.
At first, I thought she just looked familiar, but then the female staffer came in sweating bullets and introduced her as my sister. Sis hadn't heard beforehand that I'd turned into a woman either, judging by her shocked expression. With a voice like ice, she'd muttered something about killing me if I was fake and followed the staffer's lead.
Okay, fine, it made sense she didn't recognize me at first. But even if it had been ages since we last met, how could she not know her own little brother? Actually, it totally made sense she wouldn't. The sister I remembered had a "cat-like" face—total social butterfly, the polar opposite of my awkward introvert self. But the woman in front of me didn't have a cat face; she looked like a ferocious beast that could rip a tiger apart, radiating an aura that screamed she'd murder anyone who approached.
I could totally picture her spitting in some guy's face and grinding a cigarette butt into it if she met him outside. I sneaked a glance up, and her decadent beauty, now with unfamiliar red eyes, was fixed on me. With a sinking feeling like I might burst into tears, I turned to the staffer who'd counseled me earlier, begging for help with my eyes.
She dodged my gaze with a troubled look. You called her here!! Save me!!
"Haa..."
Apparently annoyed by my antics, sis closed her eyes, furrowed her brow, and let out a deep sigh. She slowly opened them and began to speak.
"Mom and Dad's names are obvious, so skip that. My birthday. Do you know when it is?"
"...Mid...mid-March... or something?"
My vague answer made the staffer behind me go hic! and one of the muscle-head monitors frantically start making a call somewhere. Why!! It's okay not to know sis's birthday exactly!
Sis showed no reaction to my iffy response. Guess that was right enough. An imposter would have memorized the basics like that. But honestly, I didn't know the exact date. And of course, sis knew that. Mom always reminded me a week before. Looked like our sibling dynamic was the same even in this world.
Feeling a bit relieved, I noticed the uneaten chicken breast suddenly plunked on the table when sis barged in. In this atmosphere, it was cooling fast on the metal table, which made it chill even quicker.
Haa, I should've just eaten it... As I stared blankly at the chicken breast, sis noticed and asked,
"Hungry?"
"Uh, huh? No, it's not that..."
Without hearing me out, she turned to the staffer behind me and said, 'Order a chicken and bring it here quick. It's for verification.' The staffer replied with a vigorous, terrified voice and bolted out.
About ten minutes later—
Screeech— The staffer who'd gone for chicken came back panting like she'd run a marathon.
"Huff... huff... The finance team... working overtime... this was their... midnight snack... ugh...!"
So that's how she got chicken so fast—she'd snatched it from the finance team's overtime feast. Do people really go that far? Poor finance team.
One of the standby monitors took the chicken bag from the exhausted staffer and set it on the table.
Whoa, that smell... heavenly.
"What're you waiting for? You're hungry, right? Get it out—I want some too."
"Uh, okay..."
Rustle rustle. I pulled out the chicken box and set it up on the table. Classic mix: half bone-in seasoned, half fried.
Sis casually grabbed wooden chopsticks, ready to eat, and I went for the fried first.
Crunch— The coating shattered with a crisp sound the moment I bit in. Freshly made, no sogginess, just warm perfection. Even tough chicken breast felt juicy because it was fried. Worlds apart from the muscle-heads' cold snacks cooling on the table. Same cut, but one cooking method makes all the difference.
Triia had something like chicken too—floured and fried—but it was soggy and oily, basically primitive undercooked bird. This, though? Perfectly seasoned to the core. And with extra sauce?
I naturally reached for the seasoned chicken, snagged a plump wing, and shoved it in.
Sticky. But that's seasoned chicken for you. The fried coating like armor, enchanted with sauce magic—a divine weapon. Defense drops, but buffs galore. The spicy-sweet sauce teased my tongue, weirdly ramping up my appetite. Especially the wing—low meat, high surface area for max sauce. Wings spread in passion for chicken perfection.
I was lost in chicken worship, devouring endlessly, when—
"Hey."
Sis had her chopsticks out but untouched, just watching me. In my frenzy, I'd forgotten we were eating together. She hadn't eaten a bite. My side of the table was piled with clean bones. Only two drumsticks left—which meant I'd demolished it all solo.
Sh-she mad...?
"Uh... s-sorry, I was just so hungry..."
"You... why don't you eat the drumsticks?"
As I tried to drop my gaze to the floor like a loser again, I felt sis's vibe shift. Her feral beast eyes were now misty and trembling, her voice warmer than before.
"Tell me. Why don't you eat them?"
"............Because of you, sis."
I'd suspected it when she brought up chicken for verification. Our secret rule: in exchange for keeping my dark history under wraps, all drumsticks were sis's forever when we shared chicken. Back then, I was in middle school 3rd year—no chicken legs in front of sis for nearly five years. Got so used to it, even in the army, I always gave drumsticks to juniors or buddies.
Even in this parallel world, huh... This world's Yu I-kwon must've had it rough too.
A grin crept up unbidden. Sis had already figured it out. That I was Yu I-kwon, her little brother.
My chest warmed. Yoo Ji-na, my sis, recognized me by our shared memory, even if my looks changed. Not a pretty tale, but our unique secret, known only to us.
Sis, who'd been silently listening, smiled with near certainty and said,
"Why?"
"...Huh?"
"Why'd you make me take the drumsticks?"
"Th-that was the deal to... hide my dark history..."
"What's this dark history?"
Here? With other people around?
"No way, how am I supposed to say that here..."
"Say it. I still don't believe you."
"D-don't mess with me! You're smirking—you already know!!"
"Who said you could call me sis? No conviction yet, so answer what I ask. What's the dark history?"
She's evil! She's just gonna kill me with embarrassment!!
"Not saying?"
"I... got... caught..."
"Caught what?"
"G-got caught... watching... that stuff..."
"Speak louder. Or I'll say you're not my brother."
"Fuck!! I got caught watching porn!!! Happy now?!!"
My dark history echoed through the room. And giggling from the back. Whoever it was, after this, no more chicken breast for life.
She had to believe me now, right?
"The title."
"H-huh?"
"That thing you were watching. The title."
"...Sis's favorite?"
"Shut up and tell me. Last chance."
"Bullshit! You're just torturing me! You'd know if I said it?!"
"Desktop, top right, transparent icon."
"........."
Sis knew way more than I thought.
On the 5th floor of the Seoul Hunter Management Bureau, D-rank hunters Kwon Seung-cheol and Kim So-yeon from Daesung Guild were heading out after suing guild master Na Dae-seong.
"Less backlash than expected, huh?"
"Yeah, messing with that bastard usually gets you blacklisted in the hunter world."
"So what're you gonna do now, oppa? Even aiming for certified hunter like me..."
"Nah, thinking of joining a mercenary guild in Japan. They're short on frontline muscle and always welcoming."
They'd decided to ditch Korea's guild scene entirely this time. Lingering would just invite Na Dae-seong's retaliation. They didn't think this would topple Daesung Guild, but vowed it'd be the wedge someday.
"Myung-hoon oppa's quitting soon anyway, but what about Jin-seong? He's only second year."
"Dunno? Maybe convince him to transfer to the Japan merc guild with me? Better with a familiar face in a foreign land."
"Ooh, good idea? With his personality, one plane ticket and he'll jump at it."
"Heh, plane? We'll sail over."
Chuckling about their futures, they descended to the lobby—and froze at the sight of hordes in Hunter Management Bureau uniforms. Sure, bureau staff wore them, but not this many, armed to the teeth.
Perplexed, Kim So-yeon approached first.
"Um... did something happen?"
A waiting public hunter gladly answered.
"Ah, S-rank hunter Yoo Ji-na is visiting, so we're on standby for incidents."
"...?"
"Did the Bureau screw up again or something?"
"No. Rumor has it this Returnee is Yoo Ji-na's little sibling, so she's here for ID verification."
Post-Dimension Break, Korea had 18 confirmed Returnees total. They popped up once a year if lucky. And these two had been hunting for one—heading to meet her now.