Ch.202Side Story – I Became a Heroine with Only a Pure Love Ending (2)

“Jesus said, ‘What parent would give their child a stone when they ask for bread, or a snake when they ask for fish? Our Father fills His believers with the best of what they desire…'”

“Amen.”

“…”

“Doyoung, what are you doing? The pastor is preaching, and you keep getting distracted.”

While the pastor was earnestly delivering his sermon, explaining the Bible in simple terms, Doyoung was only half-listening, repeatedly glancing toward the piano area beside him.

He had never been attentive in school classes either,

so there was no way he could focus on a sermon filled with unfamiliar words that sounded like ancient tales, no matter how simplified it was.

However, his lack of concentration during the service wasn’t solely due to boredom or drowsiness.

Though for Doyoung, who struggled with mornings, those factors certainly played a significant part.

The pastor was preaching passionately,

and most of the other listeners were watching with sparkling eyes.

“Mom.”

“What? Are you sleepy? Want me to pinch your thigh to wake you up?”

“No, I’ll pass on that. It’s just that piano and the woman playing it… ah, should I call her ‘noona’?”

It was simply that his attention was drawn elsewhere.

“Oh, you mean Sister Do Hamin?”

“So her name is Do Hamin. By the way, I didn’t know you had a sister, Mom. She must be older than I thought.”

“That’s not what I meant. It’s a term used in church to respectfully address women. Men are ‘brothers’ and women are ‘sisters.’ You’ve been away from church for so long that you’ve forgotten everything.”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway… why are you asking about Sister Hamin?”

“Nothing really. She’s just very pretty.”

“Huh?”

“The sound of the piano she’s playing.”

He had been dropped into this world without any explanation.

Not knowing how long he would be here or how to return to his original world, he couldn’t help feeling anxious and confused, even in comfortable circumstances.

Even though he had Do Chae—a mother with a smaller chest than the intimidating yet kind Joonsook he knew—

and a bank account with more money than a student could ever dream of,

and even though he was technically free from any obligations after being fired from his job.

Fortunately, this world’s Doyoung wasn’t too different from himself in personality, so the people around him hadn’t discovered his true identity.

Still, pretending to be someone else and wearing a mask different from his true self was mentally and physically exhausting.

Amidst all this, the beautiful piano melody

somewhat eased Doyoung’s fatigue as he remained on high alert.

The delicate and refined accompaniment produced each time those small, dainty fingers pressed firmly on the keys.

Every time that sound reached his ears, Doyoung nodded his head in rhythm and slowly closed his eyes.

“The Lord has said that our Father knows even the number of hairs on our heads. Won’t the grace bestowed by the Lord, who can move mountains with faith as small as a mustard seed, come to us at the most important time, at the most appropriate moment?”

“Amen.”

“…”

While the church’s towering cross and the pastor’s biblical readings and interpretations failed to register,

only the piano sounds from the woman called Hamin offered the most peaceful respite in this world.

“Do Hamin… was it? I keep looking at her. I wonder if she’s like Mom. Ah, I mean my mom from the other world.”

“Stop getting distracted and focus on the service. People will notice you staring.”

“That would be nice. I’d especially like it if that pianist noticed.”

And so, his interest in the beautiful piano sounds naturally

shifted to the person creating them.

“Let us now pray to the Lord. Let’s close our eyes and pray together to the Lord who grants what we desire most when we need it most. Beloved Father…”

“Come on, Doyoung, quietly pray to God about what you want. He’ll surely listen.”

“Hmm… does that actually work? I doubt the original Ban Doyoung prayed to get fired from his company. Or maybe he prayed to be sent to another world…”

“Stop saying strange things and just try it. It’s better than not doing it at all. Surely you being let go from your company is God giving you a new opportunity. That’s what today’s sermon was about.”

“Alright, alright, just don’t pinch my thigh.”

Throughout his life, he never had much faith in any deity.

His parents from his original world weren’t particularly religious,

and Doyoung, raised by such a mother and father, was the same.

However, in his current situation, he couldn’t deny the existence of something transcendent like a god.

If there were no such transcendent force in this world and if the truth of the world he knew hadn’t changed at all,

then Doyoung would simply be a creepy 27-year-old man who thought he was a high school girl.

Though lacking faith, he closed his eyes and clasped his hands.

And he silently recited his secret wish in his heart, directing it toward the cross before him.

If you truly exist, if there really is a living god,

could you return me to my original world when I open my eyes, as if by magic?

“…”

“Well, how was your prayer?”

“Fine, but it seems like it was returned to sender.”

Of course, when Doyoung opened his eyes, he saw the same church scene as before,

with only his smaller-chested mother from this world beside him.

…

“Now, before we conclude the service… I have something to tell everyone.”

“What? Why is everyone looking at me?”

Near the end of the service, which seemed about to conclude after a brief announcement following the prayer.

Just as things appeared to be wrapping up, Doyoung noticed that the gazes of the congregation around him were gradually turning toward him, the unfamiliar face.

Not just the believers around him and his mother,

but also the praise team and the pastor at the pulpit.

With a hint of suspicion, Doyoung glanced toward Hamin at the piano again,

but she was busy turning pages for her next piece, so their eyes didn’t meet like before.

“Today, we have a very precious brother visiting our church.”

The pastor said this while extending his arm from the pulpit to point at the chair where Doyoung was sitting.

“Brother Ban Doyoung, son of Elder Jeon Do Chae. He has returned to our church after a very long time. Let’s welcome Brother Ban Doyoung, who has returned to the Lord’s embrace, with a round of applause.”

“My goodness, I was wondering who this handsome young man was. So he’s the Elder’s son?”

“He has his mother’s eyes. Welcome, Brother Ban Doyoung.”

“Ahaha… th-thank you, beautiful sisters?”

“Ohoho, he called us beautiful sisters! Oh my, I shouldn’t be so pleased by such words at my age!”

Ah, so this was like a new student introduction.

Then it makes sense that all eyes would be on me.

Doyoung nodded in understanding.

“Brother Ban Doyoung. How was the service after such a long time?”

“Uh…? Oh, yes. It was good. The piano sound was nice… the piano accompaniment was good… the piano tone was pleasant.”

“W-well, it seems you only praised the piano, but anyway, I’m glad. Thank you for coming back to church, Brother Ban Doyoung.”

The pastor greeted Doyoung as if he knew him.

From Doyoung’s perspective, this was a church he had stopped attending quite some time ago.

For the pastor meeting Doyoung after a long time, it must have felt like a father reuniting with a prodigal son.

He had no way of knowing that inside was a completely different consciousness,

one who knew nothing of the past.

“Then, was there any part of today’s sermon that stood out to you? Any verse that remained in Brother Ban Doyoung’s heart…?”

“What…? S-suddenly?”

“Just one… just one thing would be fine! Or if not, you could simply summarize today’s sermon in one line…!”

Perhaps he had taken to heart that his sermon was overshadowed by the piano accompaniment.

The pastor held up his index finger toward Doyoung, pleading for “just one.”

“Hmm… one-line summary… one-line summary…”

Perhaps feeling sorry for him, Doyoung began picking up fragments of the pastor’s words from the faint edges of his memory.

‘A father who gives the best when most needed… a Heavenly Father who knows even the number of our hairs… a Father who moves mountains with seeds… ah.’

Doyoung nodded repeatedly.

The word that ran through the sermon was “Father.”

And he just needed to explain how great that Father, God, was.

With that answer, the pastor would probably be satisfied.

Thinking this, Doyoung confidently raised his hand and said to the pastor:

“My dad is awesome. That’s the summary, right?”

“…”

Doyoung could see his mother’s expression souring in real-time from the seat next to him.

…

“Oh my. This Ban Doyoung is having a rough time too.”

After the service ended, Doyoung fled from his mother Do Chae’s scolding.

He escaped to the empty sanctuary, saying he wanted to pray once more to deepen his communion with the Lord.

“Sigh… I’ll rest here until Mom calms down. If I go talk to her now, she might drag me to dawn prayer service too.”

Just as Doyoung was trying to catch his breath,

‘Oh, that sound…’

Once again, the beautiful melody that had tickled Doyoung’s ears began to fill the sanctuary.

“That woman from earlier. Ah, I should say ‘noona.’ Well, does it matter? I’m just talking to myself anyway.”

In what he thought was an empty sanctuary, Hamin, who had caught Doyoung’s eye, was sitting at the piano playing.

“…Is she practicing?”

The pieces sounded different from what he had heard earlier.

Hamin seemed unaware that Doyoung had entered the sanctuary.

Just like before, she didn’t give him any attention.

Hamin continued her practice as if she were alone in the sanctuary,

focusing entirely on the piano.

“Hmm… they say prayers are answered.”

Doyoung found a spot far enough not to disturb her practice and quietly closed his eyes.

And so, time passed without promise—10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes.

Finally, after an hour had passed.

-Dong

“Phew… this should be enough to avoid mistakes next week too.”

Hamin nodded with satisfaction as she finished playing and closed the piano lid.

“Ugh… it’s only March, but I’m sweating inside from practicing. I should change clothes when I get home.”

As Hamin finished her practice and turned to leave the sanctuary,

“Oh my goodness! Th-there was a believer praying here. I… I had no idea…”

Only then did she notice Doyoung with his eyes closed beside her piano.

“Has he been there for over an hour…?”

What kind of prayer could be so earnest?

How could he concentrate for over an hour in this place that must have been noisy with her practice?

“Excuse me… I’m about to leave? If you don’t know where the light and air conditioning switches are, I can show you… the last person out needs to check them…”

“…”

“Perhaps you have many prayer concerns? If so, I could pray with you…?”

Doyoung slowly opened his eyes as he heard Hamin’s footsteps approaching, pulling a chair toward him.

“Oh, I’m… I’m sorry. You were so focused on your prayer… and I interrupted you.”

“Wow. This actually worked.”

“Pardon? What worked…? What do you mean?”

Hamin tilted her head in confusion at his incomprehensible response.

In her eyes, Doyoung wore the expression of a child excited that his prank had succeeded.

“I was just praying for you to talk to me.”

“…Huh?”

Doyoung, successful in his prayer meta, opened his half-closed eyes and said.