NOVEL NEXT Seo-yoon was clutching her throbbing head.
“Stress is the root of all ailments,” they say.
They weren’t wrong. It wasn’t like she didn’t know it before, but she just had a stark realization about it.
“I’m going to lose my mind.”
After being bombarded with excessive information after a long time, her head felt muddled.
It was the first time since her days as a student preparing for the college entrance exam that she felt this way.
“Phew… Let me sort out what I’ve heard so far.”
Trying to stay calm, Seo-yoon carefully gauged the person sitting across from her.
“……”
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the other person showed no reaction.
Their expression hadn’t changed at all. Occasionally, they would show a faint smile.
Thanks to that, the distance she had felt since earlier only grew, but she pretended it was nothing and opened her mouth.
“So, you’re claiming to be my brother who went missing seven years ago?”
A nod.
A small head tilt served as an answer.
It had been like this since earlier.
When speaking, there were mostly one-word answers or two or three words at most.
An extremely taciturn demeanor.
This was different from the “brother” she knew.
“That personality definitely wasn’t like this.”
Park Si-woo, her brother who had suddenly disappeared seven years ago, was not this quiet. At least, that’s what Seo-yoon remembered.
But asserting that was difficult. They weren’t that close, only meeting occasionally when time allowed.
Putting the personality aside for a moment…
In other aspects, was this really “Park Si-woo”? That didn’t seem to add up either.
The real reason Seo-yoon was flustered wasn’t due to personality but appearance.
“Too… different.”
Long hair with a hint of pink and sparkling eyes.
A remarkably noble-looking white robe.
And distinctly fuller and larger breasts than Seo-yoon’s.
“If it were ‘sister,’ maybe, but from any angle, that’s not ‘brother.’ Everything looked completely different from the Si-woo she remembered.”
That’s why before indulging in the joy of reunion, Seo-yoon wanted to figure out the identity first.
“Can I confirm something? Why did you come to find me?”
A question for identity verification.
Additionally, it was an attempt to get that heavy mouth open. If they kept talking, she might determine if it was truly Park Si-woo or not.
“……”
The woman claiming to be her brother calmly sipped the Americano she had ordered earlier.
That alone made Seo-yoon inadvertently admire. Her gestures were so graceful and elegant.
Whispering murmurs.
Was she that elegant?
Other customers began to whisper and glance this way, starting from the moment she entered but now it was even worse. They were openly chattering about the “pink girl’s” beauty.
‘…Did I come to the cafe for no reason?’
For Seo-yoon, who lived as an ordinary office worker and had never attracted much attention, it was an overly burdensome situation.
As she lowered her head and tried to gulp down her Americano, a refined voice echoed in her ears.
It was a short phrase.
“It’s bitter.”
“……?”
Seo-yoon paused for a moment, not understanding the meaning. She soon realized it referred to the coffee being too bitter and squinted her eyes.
“Excuse me, why did you come to find me?”
“I’m not used to coffee since I’ve only had fragrant tea until now. If I’d known, I would’ve ordered tea instead.”
Well, it was good that she finally spoke lengthily, but it was still all small talk.
Could it be that she was changing the subject to avoid getting caught for not being Park Si-woo? That seemed quite possible.
‘Is she a fraud?’
Doubts about “returnee impersonation scams,” which she had only heard about, arose, but she quickly shook her head. The attitude was too relaxed for that.
“If you keep not answering, I’m leaving?”
Ultimately, Seo-yoon resorted to a strong approach.
At that, the pink-garbed woman finally opened her mouth.
“The reason I came to find you is simple. You are my only acquaintance. To be exact, we grew up together in an orphanage.”
“……”
In that instant, the doubts lingering in Seo-yoon’s heart melted away like snow.
And other emotions filled the space.
Longing, regret, joy, happiness.
Amid the mixed feelings surging up, Seo-yoon picked the deepest emotion that rose within her.
“Is it really… Si-woo oppa?”
Sadness.
The feeling that came when she received the news that her brother had suddenly disappeared without leaving the house.
Honestly, she had given up hope until now.
There were instances of people going missing due to possession, but she hadn’t held much expectation. She had found a will on an old secondhand laptop.
“…Did you miss me?”
In her blurred vision filled with tears, a slightly furrowed pretty face appeared.
The pink woman, Park Si-woo, narrowed her brow and spoke.
“I thought you hated me.”
“It really is oppa… You were always consumed by persecution complex back then too.”
“…Nothing has changed. Please don’t bring up my dark past.”
Park Si-woo, blushing, turned her head, taking a sip of the Americano. She winced at its bitterness.
Watching her, Seo-yoon finally relaxed. With a more at-ease heart than earlier, she asked.
“Why are you using honorifics with me?”
There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but for now, this was the one that intrigued her the most.
Why was she being so formal when they had lived like siblings?
“I don’t want to, but I have no choice.”
Letting out a small sigh, Park Si-woo tapped the table lightly with her fingers and continued.
“Actually, my way of speaking is being forcibly corrected. I didn’t expect it to apply to Korean as well.”
Her way of speaking was being corrected?
It seemed like she went through some nasty experiences.
“Do you have more questions? Ah, what I just said was actually informal speech.”
Interesting.
What could the mechanism be?
Seo-yoon felt curious but still threw out a question.
“Si-woo oppa, what did you introduce yourself as earlier? Cl- something…”
“Clitia Eluke.”
Park Si-woo said, radiating a smile that warmed the heart.
“Just call me Eluke.”
*
“Ugh, yuck.”
The reunion with coffee after a long time was the worst.
Was it called Americano?
The scent was ambiguous, and the taste was just bitter, making her feel like her tongue was rotting with every sip.
She couldn’t recall if this type of coffee even existed before possession.
Hearing Seo-yoon, it seemed like seven years had passed here, but she had lived twenty years in that other world.
Consequently, she hardly remembered the past.
Of course, if that were all, she wouldn’t have forgotten all basic knowledge as if afflicted with youth dementia.
“I’ve been through hell.”
Becoming a saint and defeating the Demon King with the hero’s party. She thought all the hardships had ended, but she faced another crisis.
Even that didn’t seem completely over, and new problems arose again.
Thanks to that, the well-planned retirement plan was thoroughly wrecked. Originally, she intended to continue living in that world, but ultimately, she had to return like this.
“Annoying.”
Thinking back, she felt unnecessarily worse. She immediately shook off those thoughts.
Just then, Seo-yoon asked a question.
“Eluke? Should I call you Eluke oppa then?”
“Hmm.”
Eluke oppa?
That felt quite weird. She shook her head.
“Call me Eluke unni.”
“…Unni?”
“Yes. It’s more comfortable that way.”
“……”
Seo-yoon suddenly made a strange face.
What’s up with that? Was it that hard to ask someone to call her that?
“Why do you look like that? Are you also finding this coffee bitter?”
“No, that’s not it. I’m just not used to it. You being my unni…”
“Then think of it this way.”
I lifted the corners of my mouth and grabbed Seo-yoon’s hand, which was resting on the table. I felt her flinch, but ignored it and continued.
“Park Si-woo died seven years ago, and now there’s a new unni named Clitia Eluke. It’ll be more comfortable for you that way.”
This was both advice for Seo-yoon and my resolve.
I didn’t want to go back to the way things were. After finally living a new life, I found true happiness and hot love.
Clitia Eluke.
I was genuinely fond of the current me. I wanted to continue living like this.
“Got it. Um, unni…”
Seo-yoon still stuttered awkwardly.
Well, I didn’t get used to this life from the beginning either, so I understood.
“Do you have any more questions now?”
“Not for now.”
“Good. Then let’s get going. We should leave soon.”
I stood up first, not forgetting to take the Americano in one gulp. No point in wasting it.
Seo-yoon stared at me blankly before hurriedly getting up.
“Where are we going in a hurry?”
“Not to any specific location, but somewhere less crowded. Ideally, your home would be great.”
“My house?”
It seemed a bit sudden as Seo-yoon opened her eyes wide and hesitated before speaking up.
“You’re not planning something dangerous, are you?”
“Absolutely not.”
That wasn’t a lie. It would be a bit troublesome and noisy, but still.
“…Let’s go then.”
Ultimately, Seo-yoon led me out of the cafe, heading straight for her home.
Since the cafe was located in the urban center, my twenty-year-long stroll down the streets of Korea began.
It was nostalgic after so long, but it didn’t take long for the emotions to dull.
“There’s nothing special.”
The street was just a street, lacking any essence of the hometown.
It couldn’t be helped. The former me lived a secluded life, hardly leaving home.
The only relief came from the Korean signs. Though even that didn’t evoke a swell of emotion.
As I toggled between disappointment and boredom, we soon arrived at Seo-yoon’s house.
An apartment ten minutes from the cafe on foot. Twenty stories high and well-located near public transport, it was said to be a decent place to live.
“Let’s go in.”
Seo-yoon’s house was on the 15th floor.
Beep beep beep.
Her nimble fingers entering the code intrigued me. It was a sound I hadn’t heard in a while, so it felt strange.
However, the security seemed a bit lax. I had gotten used to a solid security system using divine spells.
“This must be a work hazard.”
I slightly shook my head and stepped inside Seo-yoon’s apartment.
The living room was reasonably spacious.
Seo-yoon tossed her handbag onto the sofa and spoke with a tense expression.
“Is it done?”
“It’s done. Thank you for accommodating my sudden request.”
Seo-yoon was indeed kind.
I was thankful she was the only acquaintance I had in this world.
“Seo-yoon, to be honest, I’d like to stay for a while. Is that alright?”
Respectfully, I sought her permission.
In this case, the automatic speech correction was handy. Even if I spoke casually, it would automatically turn polite.
“So you’re saying you’ll live in our house? I’m fine with it…”
Seo-yoon hesitated slightly, then gazed at me intently.
“Is that all there is to it?”
“……”
So perceptive! She had caught on to my ulterior motives right away.
I wanted to try to gloss over it, but it seemed that wouldn’t work.
“Sorry.”
In situations like this, being bold was often the best approach.
I made up my mind, averted my eyes from Seo-yoon, and spoke softly.
“I’ll call them out.”
“…Call them?”
“Come out.”
The moment I uttered those words.
Zzzzt.
The air split apart, and a tall, handsome man stepped out, cradling a baby and flanked by two cute little girls.
“Allow me to introduce…”
I kept avoiding Seo-yoon’s gaze as I continued.
“This is my husband.”
“……”
Silence.
Seo-yoon, who had been frozen in place for a moment, suddenly approached me and placed her hands on my shoulders.
“Then what about the kids?”
“They’re my children. The eldest two are twins, and the third was born not long ago.”
“……”
Once again, silence.
After a longer pause than before, Seo-yoon finally cried out.
“Oppa! You had three kids?!”
“…It turned out that way.”
“What in the world happened?”
Rather than lengthy explanations, I just gave a hollow laugh.
“To put it simply, it’s a long story.”
Basically, I just happened to become a mother of three kids.
That sentence best described the current me.