LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 220
Han-bom had not woken up even after half a day had passed. And around lunchtime, Mira finished her preparations to leave.
“I owe you a lot these past few days. Thank you.”
“Yeah. If you have any difficulties after you go back, it’s always okay to come here.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Mira’s back seemed like it wasn’t small at all.
And so, Mira returned. Unlike me, she was an ordinary child. At the same time, she was also a child with no problems as special as mine. The reason I became so interested in her was not solely that she helped me.
The struggles that faced Mira were realistic. They weren’t extreme or uniquely peculiar like mine; they merely brushed against the thorough walls of ordinary reality. She had been abandoned by her mother, and it wasn’t some monumental issue of becoming a woman. She was sick on the day of the college entrance exam and ended up failing it, and her family was so poor that she had to give up studying. Those were her problems.
They were by no means small worries. I was not arrogant enough to say that mine were worse than hers.
Mira loved fairy tales. More precisely, she loved that kind of literature. The Chronicles of Narnia, Momo, The Neverending Story, Crabat, The Magic of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Prince, and so on.
Not all those stories rejected reality. They often contained lessons for reality.
Yet, in the end, the fantasy that fairy tales display could not be denied. Didn’t we all wish to escape there during our childhood? I wonder what fairy tales meant to Mira. But I had come to see a girl who loved fairy tales bumping into reality.
Perhaps the hand reaching out at that moment was an expression of my desire for the same hand to have reached out to my younger self? If it had done so, wouldn’t there have been fewer peculiar occurrences? Or would it at least have resulted in a completely different situation?
Of course, my situation and Mira’s were very different, and Mira wasn’t that young, but such interpretations aren’t all that bad. It was that kind of thought.
Once, I too had harbored the desire to become an adventurer traveling through the world of fairy tales.
Well, perhaps now I am like a princess from a fairy tale.
Finishing my introspective thoughts with a self-deprecating joke, I organized my mind.
[What time did you say you’d arrive today? Are you close?]
[Why ask? I’m already at the airport] [Don’t you know that you can’t use your phone while on the plane?]
[Is that so?] [Did you come alone?] [I had no idea since I’ve never been on one.]
[Just kidding] [Why would I come] [How long do you think it takes to get here]
[Yeah]
The desire to go to the airport to welcome Hwa-won was strong, but I held back. Suddenly approaching like this would only burden Hwa-won. She would most likely go straight home, and I couldn’t just join her there unexpectedly. If she was already at the airport, the timings wouldn’t match either.
[About that day] [Are you okay?]
[What?] [I’m fine] [Even if I say I’m not, it won’t change anything]
In fact, that part was genuinely fine. The shock hadn’t completely faded yet, but I thought that if I experienced such events a few more times, I would truly become numb to it. In the past, I would have spat at such a name. Perhaps I would have even applied for a name change.
But now, I felt like it wouldn’t matter at all. I had hurt enough and cried enough.
What mattered to me now was nothing like that.
[Let’s meet up soon] [I’ll buy something for commemoration]
[It hasn’t even been published yet, and you’re jumping the gun]
[You haven’t even gone overseas yet, and you’re talking big ㅋ]
[If a hundred copies sell overseas, that would be impressive, I guess]
Each and every conversation like this felt precious to me now. They were a little silly, a little ordinary, the most enjoyable, and the most brilliant kind of exchanges.
[Are you feeling tired today?]
[You want to meet right away? I slept the whole flight so I’m fine] [Want to?]
[Only if you’re not tired] [Doesn’t anyone at home say anything?]
[The only one who can say something to me is my father] [I’m not someone who just obediently listens to my father]
I really hoped it was like that.
[Then I’ll come take care of you today]
[If only I could drive] [What a shame]
[You’ll thank me if you understand] [But don’t you have a license?]
[I don’t have a car] [If I were to drive, I’d get arrested in no time]
[Can you even reach the pedals? ㅋ]
… I see. I don’t know since I’ve never sat in the driver’s seat in this body, but something about Hwa-won’s joke made me a bit uncomfortable. It reminded me of how small I was. Of course, I didn’t show it.
[🤬]
For now, I’m here. Just up to this point. But I had no intention of slowing down.
There was no falsehood in my yearning to see her right away.
“… Wow.”
When I turned my head in response to a voice from behind, Han-bom was looking at me with an astonished expression. She seemed terribly hungover, but more so, it seemed like she had seen something utterly astonishing.
“Did you wake up?”
“Ah… Yes. Was it all a dream? Am I still dreaming?”
“Han-bom unni.”
“It’s not a dream?!”
“Why are you making a fuss? Why are you surprised the moment you see someone?”
“… It’s just that Seol-i looks like she’s in love or something.”
“What nonsense are you saying?”
I stuttered, but there was no helping the surprise. Did my face look that flustered? It was a bit shocking. My face flushed with embarrassment. Fortunately, Han-bom didn’t point it out.
“Ugh, by the way… My head hurts… Do you have anything at home to cure a hangover?”
“I ordered some sundae soup with Mira for lunch, so I’ll heat that up for you.”
“Is there kkakdugi soup…?”
“Yes.”
“Ugh, I love you so much…”
I had prepared ahead of time knowing Han-bom would wake up looking for something to soothe her stomach. To be honest, I thought I was being a bit kinder today. Usually, I would have told her to cook for herself, but in any case, I had something to ask Han-bom today.
“Ah… This feels good. It soothes my stomach. But why did you suddenly change your mind?”
“Just, there were some things that happened.”
I told Han-bom about the story concerning my name. Her reaction wasn’t significantly different. She felt bad and was sad for me.
“I won’t tell you to hang in there. Seol-i’s always hanging in there. I’ll just say thank you.”
“What are you thanking me for?”
“For being there.”
… Cowardly person.
“Anyway, having went through such things, I feel like it’s meaningless to cling to trivial matters now. It’s just that.”
The actual reason was a bit different, but this wouldn’t be a bad excuse. It seemed that Han-bom didn’t feel anything unusual and accepted it. Or perhaps she simply liked the sound of “unni” and ignored it.
“Do you not have to go to work today?”
“I sent a leave request in advance when I was running yesterday.”
“I didn’t know that could be done so immediately….”
“Hehe, anyway, does that mean Seol-i will play with me all day today?”
“I have to go out.”
“Hey, that’s too much.”
“Isn’t it a bit much to say that after arriving at someone’s house drunk and then eating and sleeping?”
“Ugh.”
Confronted with the facts, Han-bom cleared her throat and polished off the sundae soup. Then she went back to her home, took a shower, changed clothes, and returned.
“Why did you call me back if you’re not going to play with me?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor? I’ll do anything!”
Although, realistically, one shouldn’t say such things, it felt like a really good conversation for me at that moment.
“Could you help me with my outfit…?”
“What kind of outfit? Where are you going?”
“Hwa-won is coming back today, so we’re supposed to meet tonight.”
“Just wear something simple.”
Ah right, this person didn’t like Hwa-won. What should I do? I had already said it.
“But you said you’d do anything.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“… Liar.”
“Ugh…!”
This tactic seemed to work quite well. As I looked up at her with sad eyes, Han-bom couldn’t resist and quickly succumbed. The fact that it was Han-bom made it all the easier to break her down.
“But why do you need an outfit? You don’t usually care about that stuff. Especially not for that kid.”
However, when Han-bom asked like that, I too was forced to turn my head. What should I say? The silence grew long, and Han-bom’s expression seemed somehow strange. Then she began to ask me, her voice filled with embarrassment.
“Wait, no way?”
“…”
“Oh, no way? It can’t be?”
“…”
“Ah, could it be that earlier? No way?”
It was likely… that it was.
Unconsciously, I slightly nodded my head, and when Han-bom saw that, she froze in place.
“Excuse me?”
And just as I raised my head to talk to her, the moment she saw my face, Han-bom shrieked. The reason was likely… my flushed face or my expression.
“NO!!!!”
“What do you mean no?”
But that needed to be fixed.
It took quite a bit of time to calm down a panicking Han-bom. Well, I still had plenty of time left.
“Ugh… of all people, why him? Such a loser… that pervert…”
“Hwa-won isn’t that kind of person.”
“He abandoned his sister…”
“You’ve only been a sister for a few hours.”
Of course, even after calming down, she continued to whine.
“So… you’re asking me to help you with your outfit for seeing that guy today?”
“I don’t know much about that.”
“Alright… so what concept should we go for?”
“A concept?”
“Something you want to project or show off, like an image.”
Such things… I had never thought about. I had occasionally paid attention to my outfit, but I had only cared about it after meeting someone. I’ve never dressed properly enough to say I had a concept. Except for that weird ‘minefield’ fashion.
But I had already predetermined how to respond to Han-bom’s question. There was no answer other than this.
“I’d like it to be an adult style.”
“Okaaaaay… an adult style?”
“It looks like there’s a significant age gap when we’re together…”
Han-bom fell silent for a moment after hearing my words. Did she feel my complex somehow? She didn’t even make a joke. Still, in the end, she decided to help me with my request.
“… Okay. I got it. Just trust me!”
I should have realized by now. There were still three hours left until we meet, yet Han-bom was hastily rummaging through her wardrobe. That she accepted this request even though she disliked Hwa-won.
“Alright, how about we start with this?”
“… Yes?”
“You have to try on outfits for coordination.”
… It felt somehow familiar.
“Is this really an adult style?”
“I added a bit of arrangement, but yes, it is. Just trust me. If you just wear outfits that are meant to look adult, they won’t suit you. I made it in the most charming way, so don’t worry.”
“I didn’t order a charming style.”
“Oh, mistake.”
“…”
“Do you trust me?”
It was a conversation ten minutes before Hwa-won’s arrival.