Ch.273IF Side Story: From the Beginning (41)

In this world, I’ve never thought about my parents.

I know I was abandoned.

Sometimes I see a Baby Box. It’s a facility set up with the idea that if you’re going to give up your child, at least don’t leave them somewhere to die—put them there so they can receive some care.

That’s where I was abandoned.

Of course, I don’t remember being born, and I barely remember that period at all. There are fleeting memories that pass through my mind, but my childhood memories only really start from kindergarten.

Yet, strangely enough, I still have my memories from my past life. What an odd story.

So I grew up thinking I had no parents. It didn’t really matter. I couldn’t even imagine that parents in this world could be my real parents.

Even if I had just popped into existence out of thin air—that is, if I had been “generated” inside that Baby Box—I wouldn’t have been surprised at all.

From my perspective, even after living in this world for over a decade, this place still seemed very strange.

“…”

So when I heard that I had a mother, I was able to take it quite calmly.

“Jieun?” Jihye called me.

“Yeah?”

“Um… aren’t you happy?”

“Happy?”

“Ah, well.”

Was my response too sharp?

I don’t think so. I’m not particularly good at controlling my emotions, but I’m certain there was absolutely no emotion in that response.

That’s because I truly felt nothing.

“…Your mother said she’s coming to see you.”

That’s what I was told.

Late Friday evening, the teacher suddenly came by, and after hesitating with a troubled expression, finally shared the news.

The teacher handed me a letter.

It contained a detailed account.

A predictable story.

An unwanted pregnancy. Deciding against abortion. The father disappeared. She was too young and couldn’t handle it. The world was too harsh to raise someone like me. So she gave me up, but when she went back to find me later, the church was gone.

At least the part about the church being gone is true. I heard that the pastor grew old and faced financial difficulties, so he eventually entrusted me and Jihye to this orphanage.

So—well.

I thought such a story could be possible.

“…”

After thinking for a moment, I said:

“What if she comes?”

“Huh?”

“Do I have to go with her?”

“Well…”

Jihye rolled her eyes around and carefully said:

“I think you probably should.”

Is that so?

I’m not sure about that. There’s hardly anything more bewildering than someone I’ve never felt was my mother coming to me and claiming to be my mother.

Giving birth doesn’t make you a parent. If you want to claim “rights” over your child, you should have carried some “responsibilities” too.

According to the letter, she might have thought she lost me forever… but is that really true? If she had truly wanted to find me, couldn’t she have done so?

No matter how I think about it, it’s strange. Especially since the letter arrived right after news came out that I live in an orphanage.

How could she remember the face of that infant, and how could she be so certain I’m her child just by looking at my face?

“This is my home.”

“Jieun.”

Jihye responded to my words with some surprise.

“And you’re my family.”

I looked at the letter again, sitting low on the floor.

A letter written with firm pressure. I still don’t know how to judge this letter.

“…Still, I can’t just ignore this without meeting her.”

When I muttered this, Jihye nodded.

Something irritating welled up inside me.

It wasn’t about the mother who supposedly found me.

And the direction of that irritation was wrong to begin with. Jihye hadn’t done anything wrong.

If the person looking for me really is my mother in this world, and if she’s not problematic, and if it’s truly as the letter says—that she just happened to find me by coincidence—then most people would probably think I should go with her.

Although I’m almost grown up, I’m still a minor.

And even after becoming an adult, whether you have parents or not makes a difference in having a foundation when starting your social life.

But still.

“Do you want me to go?”

I responded sharply to Jihye before I knew it.

“Huh?”

“Let’s say this person is my mother. Do you want me to go with her?”

I’m not sure about the legal issues. Can a child with parents stay in an orphanage? Do I have the right to refuse?

“Ah…”

Receiving my question, Jihye hung her head low.

Then, after tapping the floor with her toes a few times, she said:

“I don’t know. If my mother came looking for me…”

Our names are Jeong Jieun and Jeong Jihye.

We share the same surname, and our names are almost identical. And we grew up like twins.

I still don’t know how we ended up with such names.

But one thing is certain: although there was a lot of talk and trouble at first, we eventually became sisters.

This isn’t some metaphorical story. Literally. We were sisters. No matter what anyone said.

“…”

After keeping my mouth shut for a while, I let out a deep sigh.

“I’m sorry.”

It’s always like this.

Even though I was an adult in my past life, I sometimes get angry or irritated with Jihye. Well, it’s not like Jihye never does the same, but… still.

“I was being too sensitive.”

“Ah, yeah.”

“That…”

After thinking for a moment, I said:

“If, just if, I really have to leave, you’re still my sister. You know that, right?”

“Well, whatever.”

Hearing what I said, Jihye chuckled.

“That can’t be helped. That’s how we grew up.”

“Right?”

We both laughed.

The anxiety dissipated a little.

Yeah. Anyway, I only need to wait two more years to become an adult. Whatever this so-called mother says to me, I have some money saved up.

If worst comes to worst, I can stay at the Magical Girl headquarters for a while to establish myself. I’ve already got permission from Cherry.

It wouldn’t be hard to find a monthly rental room. So, I could live with Jihye again when the time comes. At least until either of us finds a partner.

“Okay, I’ll meet her.”

For now, there wasn’t much else I could do.

“Yeah. …Um, I don’t know what to say. Good luck.”

Is this something to wish luck for?

I’m not sure which way the luck is supposed to go.

*

As the letter indicated, the woman claiming to be my mother arrived shortly after lunch on Saturday.

She walked here rather than coming by car.

My initial image was of a scammer dressed in flashy, extravagant clothes.

Someone trying to deceive me into thinking they were rich to take me away.

No, I rather hoped it would be someone like that. Then I could just laugh in their face and send them away.

But the person who appeared was just an ordinary person.

Not particularly flashy, nor shabby. Not well-off, but someone who lived normally, with some dignity.

The woman who came with her hair hanging long… yes, she might look a bit like me.

She was neatly dressed in formal attire. Not like someone going to a job interview, but someone who had dressed up for an important occasion, looking a bit awkward.

“…Hello.”

Since she was an adult, I carefully bowed in greeting.

“…Hello.”

She also greeted me somewhat awkwardly. Though I was still a teenager, she seemed to recognize that I wasn’t far from becoming an adult.

That was also a bit unexpected.

If she were truly a scammer trying to deceive me, she would have pretended to know me from the start.

…

Well, you need to know something to pretend. How ironic.

“May I introduce myself first?”

The teacher was standing in the back watching us, perhaps considering any unforeseen situations.

That was reassuring.

After all, the person who was more like a “mother” to me right now was the teacher.

“My name is Jeong So-yeon.”

The woman who claimed to be my mother said politely.

Her voice was trembling a little.

Whether she was genuine or fake.

In front of me, she couldn’t help but be that way.

The timing was just too suspicious.

“And I’m here to let you know that I am Jieun’s mother.”

I stared at her as she emphasized each word.

I felt nothing.

I thought I might feel confused at least, but not at all. Even I was surprised by my lack of reaction.

“…So…”

What should I call her?

“Mother” seems premature. Calling her by name would be awkward, and addressing her as “ma’am” or something similar also feels strange.

So I decided not to use any form of address.

“Why do you think you’re my mother?”

I asked.

“…”

The woman silently searched through her handbag and pulled out a photograph.

And in that picture was the image of a newborn baby.

…Is that me?

I tilted my head.