Ch.200I Became a Heroine with Only a Pure Love Ending (Complete)

“Scarlet Superstar… Pfft. That banshee bitch came up with another weird nickname. I guess that’s what happens at her age.”

“I heard when she came back from studying abroad, she went berserk and even broke a door because someone stole her snacks. Is that what all younger siblings are like?”

“Ah, you wouldn’t know since you’re an only child in your world, Ban Doyoung. Don’t even get me started. She claimed I ate her ice cream and came at me with a wooden sword… In kindergarten, she kept demanding rematches after I let her win once during practice. And she was freakishly strong—after elementary school, I was the older sister but ended up getting beaten by her. Honestly, the best thing about becoming you, Ban Doyoung, was not having to deal with siblings anymore.”

“My situation wasn’t that bad. I had the classic sibling dynamic—an ATM brother who gave me money when I asked, and a punching bag sister who took my verbal jabs well. And toward the end…”

“Hey, from how you’re describing them, you weren’t even treating them as siblings to begin with.”

“Oh, was I? Anyway, it was fun.”

“Definitely… I do sometimes miss those memories. All that bickering while living under the same roof.”

After causing a commotion in the empty white room over a baby’s name,

we called a temporary truce and exchanged stories about what had happened to each of us.

“I understand how we met since we were in the same school and class, but how did you meet him? I never once heard the name Do Hamin in my life.”

“Well… regardless of circumstances or timing differences. I guess destined partners eventually meet. No matter which world they’re in, Ban Doyoung is meant to be with Do Hamin… something like that, right?”

The female Ban Doyoung who looked like me said that after entering my world,

she met Do Hamin for the first time not long after, just as I had.

Naturally, they started hanging out together, and before she knew it, she had grown accustomed to life as a man and even ended up marrying him.

I asked how she could afford to get married when she had no job and was living on unemployment benefits,

but then again, Sol-young, the eldest son of the Ban family, didn’t exactly have a job when he got married either.

I figured there was nothing stopping female Ban Doyoung who was possessing the body of the eldest son of the Ban family in the original world.

Of course, I was a bit surprised to hear that after marrying the voluptuous “Hamin Superstar” in that world,

she quickly found a new home and successfully got reemployed.

Maybe this person had more talent as a male lead than as a heroine.

“Sigh… So that’s how it is. Sol-young oppa finished his military service and got married, and Si-young returned home after becoming a world kendo champion. A lot happened during that time.”

“…Don’t you miss your family and friends? Our worlds switched without any warning. Only you and I know about it.”

As she heard those words, female Ban Doyoung’s eyes grew distant with a hint of regret.

No matter how much she came to like Do Hamin in that world, it couldn’t completely erase her lingering attachment to her family and friends from her original world.

“What about you, Ban Doyoung? If I feel this way, I’m sure you do too.”

“W-well, I was a mentally mature 27-year-old working adult…! At this age, I’m not going to cry and make a fuss about missing my mom. After possessing your body, I never once went looking for my mom and dad… After becoming independent, I only contacted my family about twice a month…”

The words I was trying to say were abruptly cut off by a lump forming in my throat.

Yes, that’s right.

My decision to stay in “Half and Half Shore” and choose Do Hamin

meant giving up Ban Doyoung’s life in the original world.

“…But they’re healthy, right? Mr. Ban Jun-seok and Mrs. Jeon Do-chae from our family.”

“Oh, of course. They’re already excited about having a grandchild next year and have been shopping for baby clothes and shoes.”

“Pfft, that’s so like them. That’s good then.”

“Hey, what about my mom and dad…?”

“They’re still madly in love with each other. Especially Mrs. Jun-sook.”

“Pfft. I figured as much. That’s all I needed to know.”

Ban Doyoung’s laughter contained both relief and a trace of lingering attachment.

I couldn’t quite manage a complete smile either, unable to fully shake off the meaning.

“You’re amazing. I’m a working adult who hasn’t lived under the same roof as my family for a long time, but you were just a clueless high school girl living with your family until recently. Yet you decided you wanted to stay there?”

“What else could I do? I fell for him. I realized I wanted to be with this world’s Do Hamin forever, so I couldn’t leave now.”

“…You’re right. I admit it.”

“You know, I’ve actually been to this space several times. Occasionally after I proposed to Do Hamin and decided I wanted to stay in this world.”

Female Ban Doyoung said she had visited this pure white space, which could be either dream or reality, several times before.

On days when she fell asleep from extreme exhaustion, she occasionally found herself waking up here.

I wanted to ask what happened after the proposal that made her pass out from exhaustion,

but we decided to leave that part as each other’s privacy.

“Come to think of it, I first came here after passing out from the shock of getting a needle stuck in me, right after deciding I wanted to stay here.”

“It feels a bit weird that you’re treating that reason for fainting the same as mine… Anyway, what do you think this place is for?”

Female Ban Doyoung in my appearance pointed at this space as she spoke to me.

“When I first came here, and every time after that, I always appeared as male Ban Doyoung. And today, you came here for the first time as female Ban Doyoung.”

After hearing her words, I nodded in understanding of why we existed here not in our original forms,

but in our switched appearances, even in this space.

If this were a place where souls or minds rather than physical bodies traveled,

it would make more sense for me to appear as a man and for female Ban Doyoung to appear as a woman.

“You’re right. We’ve already decided.”

We had essentially already made our decisions.

What form we wanted to remain in this world.

Which world’s Do Hamin we had chosen to be with.

“…Ah. My body.”

Following the light in the white space, my body there repeatedly faded and returned.

Like afterimages that occur when you close and open your eyes multiple times.

“Looks like you’re regaining consciousness. Go quickly. Your Do Hamin must be waiting.”

“Seems like it. But what were you doing when you fell asleep and met me at this hour? It’s not even bedtime yet.”

“Ah… today’s our birthday, right? Do Hamin told me to come home early after work because he had a present… After I got home and saw Do Hamin at the front door wearing nothing but an apron, what happened next…”

“What?! It’s my birthday too! Why are you the only one getting squeezed by Do Hamin!”

“You got squeezed by Do Hamin today too!”

“I got squeezed at the blood donation center!”

But before leaving, I did learn one good piece of information.

That the Do Hamin Superstar from that world was much more proactive than I had thought.

This was quite a significant discovery.

If that Do Hamin could do it, why couldn’t mine?

“You said you’ve been here several times before, right? Does that mean we can see each other again?”

“I’m not sure. Back then I was alone, so it might have been different. This is the first time I’ve been here with you. This might be the last time.”

“What? That means we might never see each other again!”

With my increasingly transparent body, I grabbed the hem of Ban Doyoung’s clothes in front of me.

“Before you disappear, if you have anything to tell your family, say it quickly! I… Our Mrs. Cheok Jun-sook said she was sorry about fighting when you said you were quitting kendo! And also! No matter where Ban Doyoung is, you’re still your mother’s child, so don’t be sorry or worried!”

“Oh, what a coincidence. I heard something similar. They said not to feel down just because you lost your job. Ban Doyoung is their brilliant and excellent son. Oh, but they also said not to fall asleep with the computer on. They say you’ll die from too much electromagnetic radiation.”

“Tell them that’s a superstition! And also that I was never discouraged at all!”

“Then I’ll tell your mom you weren’t angry at her at all about what happened back then!”

In what might truly be our last moment,

we shared messages for each other before our light was cut off.

“Take good care of him! He’s the Do Hamin you raised!”

“…You too! Take care of the Do Hamin you seduced!”

We left our encouragement for each other’s Do Hamin and then disappeared, swept away by the flowing light in that white space.

.

.

.

“Gasp!”

“A-are you okay, Doyoung?”

“…Do Hamin?”

And when I opened my eyes again from the white radiance, sitting beside me was not the voluptuous Do Hamin Superstar,

but the sturdy and solid Do Hamin, the protagonist of “Half and Half Shore.”

“I guess… since it was your first time donating blood, you were really nervous? You fell into such a deep sleep… I’ve been watching over you until you woke up.”

“…Ah. Right.”

-Flop

After opening my eyes, I moved my limp body and

rested my head on Do Hamin’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong… Did you have a bad dream?”

“Nothing. I just like this.”

I tilted my head completely into Do Hamin’s arms and sat using him as a backrest.

The evening sunlight streaming through the window fell upon us as we sat with our backs to the window.

“Hey, Do Hamin.”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

“This bracelet. Do you remember the phrase engraved on it? [Love Your Family]… it says ‘Love your family.'”

“Yes, of course I remember. I gave it to you as a gift. Though there was a m-mistake.”

Do Hamin stumbled over his words slightly, still hung up on his past mistake.

Wondering if he was worried about making another mistake with this year’s birthday gift,

I couldn’t help but smile at his anxious face.

“Then, can I ‘love’ you?”

“…”

Do Hamin paused for a moment after hearing my words,

then embraced me as I was already in his arms.

“…Yes. Gladly, if that’s what you want.”

“Hehe. That’s what I wanted to hear.”

“Sigh, I wanted to say it first… I always lose to you when it comes to making the first move, Doyoung.”

“Then from now on, speak up first if you have something to say, quickly.”

“Okay, then I’ll say this quickly before it’s too late.”

“Oh, is it coming right now? Great, I’m all ears—”

“Marry me, Doyoung.”

“…Wow.”

I became a heroine with nothing but a pure love ending.

No sweet potatoes, no ex-boyfriend drift,

no childhood friend returning from abroad drift,

just a pure love heroine.