Chapter 353

I rubbed my forearm, where the skin had turned rough with goosebumps.

Neither I nor Seo Yuseong had ever met Han Seungbeom’s mother, not even once. If Han Seungbeom’s mother had truly been alive, he wouldn’t have run all the way to the sea that day, and he wouldn’t have met me there either. It meant that, from the beginning, there should have been no connection between Han Seungbeom’s mother and me.

‘Even if we had happened to run into each other by chance, we wouldn’t have become acquainted. I always hung out with the members of Prism or Choi Jeokhyeon. I hardly ever met new people.’

Therefore, the most logical conclusion was that this photo was fake.

Even so, the reason I was this shaken was because, at a glance, it didn’t look edited in the slightest.

I wasn’t an expert, so I couldn’t perfectly distinguish a real photo from an edited one just by looking with the naked eye. Still, the only person who would go to the trouble of faking a photo like this was Han Seungbeom, and I doubted that a child like him would have the kind of photo-editing skills that only an expert could recognize.

‘This might be something the system had a hand in too.’

Click . When I pressed the mouse again, this time a photo from when Prism performed in the U.S. not long ago appeared. I recognized it right away, because everything—the outfits they were wearing, the stage concept, even the weather at the venue—was exactly the same as what I’d seen in the video.

But even in this photo, there was something strange.

Seo Yuseong and I were on stage, wearing the same outfits as the Prism members, waving to Han Seungbeom in the audience. The two of us, who couldn’t possibly appear before the public in our own bodies, performing as part of Prism? What kind of absurdity was this?

‘This isn’t something that could be made with editing.’

That wasn’t all.

[Water Festival – It was a bit tough because there were too many people. It seemed like Dad got really angry because someone kept shooting a water gun at my face.]

[Christmas – It’s snowing. I was hoping for a white Christmas this year, so I was really happy that it actually snowed.]

Every single reality I had experienced as Han Seungbeom —from the Water Festival and concerts to small events like someone’s birthday or anniversary—had been replaced with Seo Yutae . And yet, I could occasionally spot Han Seungbeom’s face as well. I figured that the photos he wasn’t in were likely ones he had taken himself.

Looking at those photos gave me an eerie feeling.

It was as if the world Han Seungbeom dreamed of, one crafted solely for him, had been brought to life just as he wished.

The moment I absentmindedly thought, ‘ Ah, if a world like that really existed, Han Seungbeom would be truly happy ‘, a feeling of discomfort that I couldn’t put into words came over me.

“…….”

If, just as I hoped, Han Seungbeom’s mother had taken some kind of action to prevent his disappearance, then wouldn’t that mean his soul must still exist somewhere? And the only place left where I might find any trace of Han Seungbeom was this album.

I was at least aware that it was a far-fetched idea. But with this album being the only thread of hope I had left, I felt I couldn’t afford to take these photos lightly.

“What are you doing?”

While I was lost in thought, someone’s voice suddenly came from right behind me. At that, I gasped and instinctively turned around.

“..Seo Yuseong.”

My heart, startled, began pounding like crazy.

For some reason, I had a feeling that I shouldn’t let Seo Yuseong see it.

‘Just how long has he been there?’

Had Seo Yuseong seen the photo? Just as I was blinking my eyes in a fit of anxiety, his face suddenly filled my field of vision. His pupils, a color similar to my own, were staring at me, perfectly still, as if they were about to pierce right through me.

“You came here making up excuses just to see that child. I even played along and let myself be fooled, so why is your mind off somewhere else now?”

I forced myself to stay calm, closed the laptop, and replied, “Make some noise when you walk. Don’t scare people half to death like that.”

“Back then, even when the members tried to scare you on purpose, you never flinched, so what’s with you all of a sudden? It’s weird. It’s not like me appearing out of nowhere is anything new.”

“…It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. I’ve been living all this time without you.”

But all my effort was in vain. Seo Yuseong, with a perfectly calm expression, glanced at the laptop and asked me, “Why are you hiding it?”

“I’m not hiding it. I’ve just checked everything I needed to, so I was about to leave.”

“What is there to check?”

“Emails. I have to stay in touch with the staff because of Pantheion’s concert.”

I forced out the most plausible excuse I could think of to get out of the situation, but Seo Yuseong ignored it completely and continued.

“…Haven’t I always told you? You’re terrible at lying to me, hyung.”

The moment I heard those words, I cursed inwardly and tightened my grip on the laptop.

‘No, seriously, I have no idea what I did wrong.’

I really tried my best to speak naturally, so why didn’t it work?

Is that guy’s brain just incredibly sharp, or does he just know me too well? Or maybe I really am just awful at lying?

As questions I couldn’t possibly answer on my own flashed rapidly through my mind, Seo Yuseong opened his mouth with an expressionless face.

“It’s in there, isn’t it? The game that became the origin of the system.”

“…….”

“To be honest, I was curious. How did you find out Han Seungbeom’s true identity, hyung? I mean, it’s not exactly easy to believe something as ridiculous as ‘ the cat I was raising turned out to be a human ‘. What does it look like? Show me too.”

When I didn’t answer his question right away and hesitated, Seo Yuseong reached toward the laptop. Then, in a tone as flat as if he were reading from a textbook, he spoke words so out of sync with their meaning, tone, and expression that they gave off an eerie feeling.

“…Why bother asking when you already know? You said you’ve been watching how I’ve been living all along.”

I figured Seo Yuseong had probably taken a quick look through the photos too. After checking everything he needed to, he had made his presence known with, “ What are you doing? ”. So I couldn’t understand why he was now pretending not to know anything, acting all curious.

When I pointed it out, Seo Yuseong tilted his head slightly to the side, as if he had no idea what I was talking about.

“Hyung, you told me when I was younger that if I want to get something from someone, it’s better to lead into the conversation slowly instead of just straight up asking for it, since that might make them wary.”

‘…In the end, it was just bait to make me hand it over.’

Damn it, I did say something like that before, but I never said doing that would make people hand over whatever you want obediently. What the hell am I supposed to do about this guy’s social skills?

I took a step back at Seo Yuseong’s behavior, as he urged me to hand over the laptop like it was the most natural thing in the world. This was supposed to be a tearful, heartwarming reunion with the younger brother I had missed so dearly. But somehow, things with him always turn out like this.

“No.”

“I don’t like it.”

“…Why do you even want this in the first place? It’s not like you need it. You can access the status window yourself, and you don’t care about Han Seungbeom or his mother.”

“I don’t care what’s on that laptop. It’s probably just trivial stuff like photos and diary entries anyway. What I care about is the fact that you keep looking at it.”

“…….”

“Why are you suddenly checking that laptop and trying to hide it from me? You never cared before when I used your stuff.”

I think there might be a clue about Han Seungbeom. I couldn’t decide whether it would be better to tell Seo Yuseong that or keep it to myself. If I could get help from Seo Yuseong, who could use the status window, it would be the icing on the cake, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t be that cooperative.

This guy was dead set on sending me back to my original body as soon as possible, didn’t care in the slightest about anyone else’s life, and had an openly hostile attitude toward the system.

When I firmly kept my mouth shut in response to Seo Yuseong’s question, he stared silently at my face for a moment, then muttered in a cold voice.

“…I see. You still haven’t given up on Han Seungbeom.”

“…….”

“I thought you’d at least need some time to mentally prepare yourself… but never mind. Let’s go back to my house right now.”

He suddenly grabbed my arm, exactly like he did earlier, and began pulling me with large strides down the long corridor.

Seo Yuseong had always had a tendency to be like this. He was self-righteous, acting on impulse without even bothering to confirm what the other person wanted.

“Wait! Seo Yuseong!”

The habit I had worked so hard to suppress while raising Seo Yuseong was starting to resurface.

Was it because my long absence had caused him to loosen up? Or was it because this situation was so important to him that it could undermine everything I’d tried to teach him?

I had a feeling it was probably the latter.

Many of the conflicts I was currently facing were only escalating, with no clear resolution in sight. It was because neither side had any intention of giving in. This time, it seemed we had both drawn a line in the sand, each convinced this was something we simply couldn’t compromise on.

I had my beliefs, and Seo Yuseong had his.

Was it really possible to give them up so easily?

No, it was impossible. Even I hadn’t been able to give Jay a proper answer, choosing instead to ignore him outright just because I didn’t want to yield. So how could I expect that from Seo Yuseong, who never listens to anyone in the first place?

“…….”

That being said, if I went along to Seo Yuseong’s house like this, there was only one possible outcome I could imagine. I would be coerced with all sorts of supernatural powers I couldn’t even resist, then shoved right back into my original body without warning. And if I couldn’t stop that from happening, Han Seungbeom would die just like that.

I couldn’t just stand by and watch it happen. In the end, I composed myself and spoke in a calm, quiet voice, “Let go of me.”

At that, Seo Yuseong’s body flinched ever so slightly on instinct, then slowly came to a stop.

“I’ve told you over and over again that you can’t act this way. Where did you learn to be this ill-mannered?”

Still, perhaps because of all the years I’ve spent raising him, he was listening to what I said, at least to some extent. That thought gave me a small sense of relief, and I continued in a slightly gentler tone.

“You know it too, don’t you? That Han Seungbeom is anything but insignificant to me. And even setting that aside, isn’t it only right to do everything we can for the child who helped us? If we take the time to properly check whether there’s still a way to save him, will it really be too late? Is there some rule that says if we miss this timing, we can never go back?”

“…I have no way of knowing that for sure. This is also my first time trying to return you to your original body, hyung.”

“I understand how you feel, but I still have things I need to take care of. Putting aside the issue with Han Seungbeom, my contract with Pantheion isn’t even over yet. I have a responsibility to at least see the final concert through properly.”

“…….”

“I know you don’t really want to fight with me like this. So please, let’s not do this. Just wait a little longer.”

Seo Yuseong didn’t say a word in response. He just kept his head down.

Even as I watched him like that, I assumed, ‘ Seo Yuseong’s always been good at listening to me, so he must’ve understood by now ‘. With that in mind, I murmured, “Good boy, my little brother”, as if I were soothing a child, and reached out to lightly pat his cheek with my palm.

However, Seo Yuseong immediately caught my hand and held it down with force, and I was so flustered that all I could do was stare blankly at him.

Before long, a quiet voice echoed.

“…No. You don’t know me, hyung.”

And then, his head, which had been bowed and shrouded in shadow, slowly lifted.

The moment I saw that expressionless, doll-like face, my heart sank for reasons I couldn’t explain.

There was something in his eyes that felt a little different from the Seo Yuseong I knew.

“Why would I not know you? Who else knows you as well as I do…….”

I said that as if to deny his claim, and Seo Yuseong began to mutter in a low voice.

“Everything I’ve done so far, how far I’m willing to go from here … you don’t know any of it, hyung.”

His eyes, which had been drifting through the air without even trying to hide his boredom, suddenly shifted back to me. As they crinkled into a smile, the raised flesh slightly covered part of his iris.

“Say, hyung. Why do you think Father died?”

“…What?”

“You really think he died by accidentally falling into the sea?”

What on earth … is he saying?

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Translator’s Corner:

You know nothing, Seo Yutae…..

I’M BACKKK. For better or worse, I’m still alive … well, I just spectacularly failed a job interview ? But this time, it’s not my fault? I prepared really well, just I wasn’t asked. I actually spent days thinking perhaps I was going to regret going to that interview (since it’s in another city, it took me two-days trip there, and travel is pretty expensive. obviously not getting accepted is waste of a lot of money, that i can’t actually afford to waste), but after it happened, I just … idk … I don’t feel anything ? I’m not even sad or disappointed, just … blank

like of course I still don’t know what should I do now, but the thing is … I failed that interview because me and the superior interviewing me just don’t have the same belief ? It suddenly gave me a reality check why all my classmates got jobs already while I don’t. Even though I did really a good job in college. You know, in college, we were taught to love what we do ? To be earnest, to have a pride in our profession ? I practically went astray from the “department-that-the-smart-kid-usually-took” everyone expected me to take to my current study field because it was my dream job, meanwhile for others, most just took it with the “this is actually my secondary option / this is the one that accepted me / i actually regretted taking this” mindset (we talked about this in class before, so I knew).

That’s why I guess I came off as … pretty naive ? pretty idealistic ? young woman who knows nothing about the real world ? super unreliable ? everytime I came to an interview talking about how it’s my dream job, I want to make it a good place, I want to make improvement, etc …. to people who did that job for years and never got appreciation since it’s not a “cool, high paying job”. Which made me in odd position because it’s not like I don’t know the real life workplace. And I honestly thought it was cool ? Cool and I wanted to do so many things to improve it ? I got told “if you do that, your job would be delayed / you won’t have enough time to do your job”, well but I want to do that ????? Is it actually illegal to pursue jobs that you actually passionate about ???? Like my friend hates children so much but she’s now a teacher for elementary school. Are people actually supposed to do the things they hate in life as job, and I somehow missed the memo ????

Like guys …. maybe I’m too romantic of a person, too hopeful about the boring, mundane life to ever pass a job interview ….. I’m doomed ….. should I just start studying for next year civil servants exam …..

Okay, that’s life update. I’m going to watch Boys Planet 2 after watching this. For people who have too many times like me, go watch it and tell me which trainees you’re going to support ….

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