/
Oh, fuck it. That surprised me.
I faced Baek Si-hoo, who was standing at the door. He looked at me, standing with the same posture as the last time I saw him.
His fierce gaze scared me for no reason. The appearance of the man who stood like Jangseung1 looked like a grim reaper.
“Follow me.”
“…Eh?”
Seeing Baek Si-hoo speak bluntly and turn around, with a dumbfounded look, I hastily opened my mouth.
“No, I have things to…”
“Follow me.”
“…”
Yes yes. As expected of him.
I followed him with pursed lips. No matter how rude Yi Jin was, his body moved quietly as if he couldn’t resist S-class words. Like an animal being dragged to a slaughterhouse.
I wondered where I was going, but the path seemed familiar. It’s because I returned from the guild master’s room to Han Yi Jin’s room.
As my head was filled with question marks, I arrived in front of Han-Yi Jin’s room. I didn’t know it when I left, but there is a door nameplate. It’s not a name, it’s a number. B-06. It was the room at the end of the corridor.
“Go in.”
“…”
After looking at Baek Si-hoo with doubtful eyes, I immediately concluded that he didn’t believe me and monitored me.
Han-Yi Jin’s trust in the guild members had lost credibility.
Had he ever tried to escape from the Guild?
I tilted my head and grabbed the doorknob in Baek Si-hoo’s fierce gaze. I looked around and saw that Eden was not here. The guild master agreed with me, so he won’t be monitoring me from now on.
I entered the room with some relief.
Screech, blam.
I looked around the room again when I heard the door closing behind me. It was unfamiliar to me when I first opened my eyes, but I synchronised and seemed quite familiar in the meantime.
I hope that my body and mind will not turn into Han Yi-jin.
I shook my head in horror. Given that the system recognized me as a new Awakener and even changed my grade, I knew I was different from Han Yi Jin.
Rather than that, it’s more important how I can survive in the future. Kidnapping Kang Soo-hyun will follow the original storyline. But I don’t want to be caught by the main character and beat me up.
What should I do?
I called out the status window again and looked at it.
I fell asleep while researching the method.
***
“…Hey.”
I forced my eyes open. My whole body feels heavy. Only my eyes can move freely. I averted my gaze and looked around at the people in front of me.
Several people surrounded someone. They were people I was familiar with but not anymore. A family I severed ties with a few years ago. They pressure someone like a debtor.
“Hosoo-ya. Please understand me this time. Hmm?”
“…”
Park Ho-soo.
The me that used to be before possessing Han-Yi Jin was prostrating in front of my family. Seeing me in my navy blue blazer uniforms was quite a thing from the past.
“I know you wanted to go to that university, but the circumstances now…”
“…”
My father’s indifferent voice pierced my ears. From his words, I realized when the situation was. It was the winter of my senior year in high school, right after I took the CSAT exam. I am not as good at studying as my older brother, who is three years older than me. Nevertheless, I was useful, received an invention award and was able to get into the university of my choice as long as I matched the minimum marks. Even though it was a place my parents disinterested.
“Hosoo-ya. Hm?”
“…”
My father’s company, which was unstable, collapsed that year. It was a huge blow that my father, the president, was conned by a client he trusted. He didn’t tell me in detail when I was younger, but I can deduce it.
The young ‘I’, who had been silenced by the gentle voice of my father yelling, carefully opened my mouth.
“Then I’ll work and earn my tuition…”
That’s what a moron says. My blood pressure went up. But I know better that more crazy things happened after that.
“Hosoo-ya. That’s…”
Said the woman who read the situation behind my father. She is my stepmother. She, who usually doesn’t talk to me, started talking about what happened that day. I clearly remember that it was unexpected.
""
“As you know, Hee Min was born not long ago, and our living expenses… are insufficient. So…”
“…”
“We are in a difficult situation right now. Families need to help each other. Yes?”
It wasn’t my fault that my father mismanaged the business and the house collapsed. It wasn’t my fault that my brother who studied at a prestigious university didn’t get a scholarship because he was drunk and wasted.
But they forced sacrifices only on me. They told me they couldn’t pay my tuition when I got an offer from the university, and demanded living expenses from me when I said I would earn my own tuition. In the end, they wanted me to go and get a job and earn some money, without even dreaming of the idea of going to university.
“…”
Ten years ago, I looked at them with the naked eye. The idiot who didn’t get the attention he deserved from his family and faintly yearned for affection was looking at them with expectant eyes instead of disappointment.
Don’t nod, moron.
Contrary to my wish, the 19-year-old me nodded slowly.
“…I understand.”
Seeing it, I frowned even though it was all in the past.
Fuck it.
It’s not that I didn’t understand myself at that time. I want to be recognized by my family.
My older brother, who was better than me in every way, earned my father’s trust, while I, who was inferior, was always left behind. The feeling was getting worse since the youngest was born between father and stepmother.
So I thought if I could help out at this difficult time, they could recognize me again. I mistook that they would actually accept me as a valued member of the family.
What a naive idea. I then went through hell for over five years while they treated me like a convenient ATM. I realized it in desperation when my bastard brother, who had sucked the sweet juice out of my life2, got a job in a big company and unilaterally cut ties with them.
If I could go back to that time, I would have cursed and offered a pledge to renounce parental authority. And I will cut ties with them and leave the house without looking back. It was much better than suffering from a family that sucked blood like mosquitoes for more than five years.
“Thank you for your understanding. Hosoo-ya.”
My father’s face, patting my shoulder and smiling, was disgusting. The same goes for my stepmother, who feels relieved next to him. But most annoying of all was the young me, who had eyes sparkling like a dog wanting its master’s touch.
Park Ho-soo, you pushover bastard.
I cursed and looked at myself. But the scene faded. My dream is coming to an end.
I gritted my teeth as I watched them blurred.
Never again, never again will I live like a pushover.
Never.
""
***
I ended up waking up without a wink of sleep.
Damn it.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I cursed at the white ceiling. No matter how hard I look, it’s not the ceiling of my house.
I got up and went into the bathroom. When I looked in the mirror, I saw Han Yi-jin’s face, not Park Ho-soo’s, who was looking at me.
“Huu…”
I was feeling down after having a fucking dream. The innocent expression I showed in front of my family in the past kept appearing in front of me.
Anyway, I don’t have many regrets living as Park Ho-soo. I was able to live a happy life after I cut ties with my family, but my mentally drained life wasn’t happy at all. Like a dull gray stained youth who never came back.
I raised my head and looked right at Han Yi-jin’s face again. His face that had just woken up looked quite handsome. Even if he didn’t have to live as a talented person, he could make a living as a celebrity or whatever.
“All right, Han Yi Jin. I’ll live my life sucking honey3 for you.”
I smiled and got up. I feel like I’m finally about to live a decent new life. But for that to happen, I must first get rid of Han-Yi Jin’s death flag…
While thinking, I took a shower and left the bathroom. And I changed clothes as neatly as possible.
Finally, I stood in front of the door and nervously opened it.
Squeak…
“…”
Fortunately, no one was waiting in front of the room.
The guild master was still pretending to listen to me.
He might be secretly monitoring me elsewhere, but I’m relieved to see no one for now.
I closed the door and walked slowly. No one stops me. And so I made it safely out of the guild.
“Hooaah.”
The fresh air pierced my lungs. I inhaled and exhaled as I was accustomed to, which was unusual for someone who had been confined for only a day.
Then I looked up at the cloudless blue sky. It was a good day to kidnap someone.
I pulled my lips and a self-mocking smile appeared on my face, I carried my steps.
The school where Kang Soo-hyun attended was not far from here.
Since I decided to do my task, I adjusted the time he went to school, spending time eating and window shopping in between.
Saetbyeol4 High School.
I arrived in front of the main gate with a very ugly name emblazoned on it. Maybe because of my dream this morning, when I saw a student wearing a school uniform, I subconsciously frowned.
No, I can’t be like this.
When I came to my senses and waited for a while, I saw a familiar person slowly approaching the main gate.
Transparent brown hair being reflected by the sun, and has big eyes. It was Kang Soo Hyun.
As soon as I saw him, I used my power at once. I felt the hot intangible energy surrounding my body.
I approached him with a big smile on my face.
“Soohyun-ah!”
“…?”
Kang Soo-hyun’s expressionless face looked happy when he saw me.
“Oh? Hyung, what are you doing here?”
When he smiled, his face brightened instantly in the sun. I blinked for a moment because I thought I could see the invisible tail. Kang Soo-hyun looked very much like a certain being. I muttered to myself.
…Golden Retriever?
Footnotes
A traditional Korean shamanistic totem pole.Something like a parasite, in which case I think his brother sucked his money without making any effortTaking a lot of benefits/ advantages from something.Meaning can be a rising star or Venus.