Ch.9489 – Fate

“Sis, you used my bathroom again! I told you to stop coming into my room!”

Haru shouted when she saw her bathroom floor flooded after a brief outing.

Her sister had a habit of sneaking in to use Haru’s bathtub whenever she was out, simply because it was slightly larger than her own.

“Yours isn’t even that different! And if you’re going to use it, at least clean up after yourself… what is this mess?!”

“Your mom.”

“Ugh! I seriously hate this!”

Haru shot her a murderous glare. How was she supposed to respond to her own sister making mom jokes?

Despite her frustration, Haru couldn’t talk back to her sister Lee Bo-reum, who was seven years older.

It wasn’t just the age difference—whenever her sister brought up their mother, the argument would escalate into a battle Haru couldn’t win.

Since their mother passed away, saying their family was “on the edge of a cliff” would be the most accurate description.

Their father was so consumed by work that they rarely saw him at home, while Bo-reum hung out with questionable friends and wasted money recklessly.

While Haru resented her sister, she was even more resentful of her father for not putting a stop to it.

‘Mom…’

Burying her face in her pillow and calling out that cherished name only returned the empty noise of the city.

Haru always thought of her mother as a kind and warm person.

Though her mother was physically weak and Haru saw her more often in hospitals than at home, she was the only one who genuinely listened to Haru’s stories whenever they met.

‘This isn’t the time. I need to get ready.’

There was no need to tell her father she was staying at a friend’s house.

Judging by his recent lack of communication, she vaguely assumed he was on another business trip abroad.

“Miss, are you really taking all of that?”

Park, who served as Haru’s bodyguard, attendant, and now driver, asked with a troubled expression.

He was referring to the massive suitcase in Haru’s hand, almost as big as she was.

“I already packed light though…?”

“I understand. Let’s take it anyway.”

After getting in the car, Haru absentmindedly stared at the passing scenery.

Haru’s world was tinted gray.

She wasn’t born with total color blindness.

Rather, her chronic condition flared up whenever she was under stress.

For instance, when her father broke his promise to take her to an amusement park, or when she was preparing for the academy entrance exam.

After witnessing her mother’s death, she thought she would never see colors again—until she met NoName.

Her mother’s death was such a shock that the memory was completely blurred in Haru’s mind.

She could barely recall vaguely holding her mother’s hand and crying all day.

The hospital couldn’t find any problems with Haru’s cone cells, so they couldn’t fix it.

The prevailing opinion was that it wasn’t actually total color blindness, but rather an issue with her brain.

“I can’t wait to see her…”

“Are you looking forward to it?”

“Ah…! Y-yes…”

Haru blushed and nodded after accidentally voicing her thoughts.

Originally, this was an event NoName had planned to help her reconcile with Yu-na, but Haru was more excited about being able to see NoName on the weekend.

Being near her brought temporary vitality to the world.

Wanting to fully enjoy the beautiful forms emitted by objects and living things, Haru asked her attendant to hurry.

* * *

“Hello, sir!”

“You must be Yu-na! You really do have pretty hair, just like NoName said!”

“Oh, thank you! Did NoName really say that?”

“Yu-na, hurry up and get in. There’s a car behind us.”

“Okay, okay!”

I pushed the dawdling Yu-na into the back seat and slipped in beside her.

Today, Yu-na was so excited she couldn’t keep still.

She poked her head between the front seats and kept asking Professor Cheon questions.

“Where does NoName live? Is it far from here?”

“Not too far. About a 10-minute drive.”

“Is NoName’s room big? Is the bathroom large too?”

“You’ll see when we get there, haha. You seem very curious about the house.”

“Put your seatbelt on, Seo Yu-na.”

“Eek!”

I pulled Yu-na’s sleeve to make her sit properly.

She seemed fascinated by Professor Cheon’s car, turning her head in all directions and listening intently to the navigation system and autonomous driving AI.

“NoName, NoName.”

Yu-na tapped my thigh and whispered softly, as if she had something private to tell me.

I tilted my head slightly toward her. She gently brushed my hair aside, then cupped her hand to prevent her words from escaping as she whispered in my ear.

“Is NoName’s family super rich?”

“A little bit?”

Having a 40-pyeong apartment in the heart of Gangnam would be considered wealthy by most standards.

“I wish my family was rich too. What’s the fastest way to become rich?”

“You’re too young to be talking about money already.”

“But if you have money, you can do anything…! I wish I had enough money that I wouldn’t have to lick yogurt lids.”

“Is that a big dream or a small one?”

I understood Yu-na’s money-oriented attitude.

Having experienced all sorts of hardships from not having money since childhood, it was a natural thing for her to say.

“If you made tons of money, what would you want to do first?”

“I’d buy four houses!”

“Four? Why?”

“One for mom, one for brother Maru, one for brother No-eul, and one for me.”

“So everyone would live separately?”

“Hmm… I’d still want to live with mom though… So I guess three would be enough! And… I’d also buy an iPhone and the best VR capsule.”

For someone so focused on money, she hadn’t thought specifically about what she’d do with it. That’s typical of children.

“I think the easiest and fastest way is probably marriage.”

“Marriage?”

“Yeah, just marry someone rich.”

Marriage was a sophisticated sociological act and a path to social advancement that had been an essential institution throughout human history.

Especially in my previous life, it was common to send wedding invitations to high-ranking nobles you’d never met before—to strengthen bonds between families, open new trade routes, or revive declining houses.

I felt somewhat confused with medieval and modern values mixed within me, but even in modern times, many people disguised their desire for wealth and prestige under the name of love, so human nature hadn’t really changed much.

“You should marry someone you love…!”

“If you live together long enough, you might grow to love them.”

Being in high society, I came to understand the mindset and nature of noble women better.

As long as their spouses had no major flaws, they could brainwash themselves into truly believing they loved their partners.

With some remnants of my male identity still present, it was a value system I could never fully understand.

“I don’t like that. If I had to choose someone, I’d want to live with NoName.”

“Huh?”

“Because NoName is rich but doesn’t show off like other kids, and you’re kind, quiet, and smart. Like a prince from a fairy tale.”

It’s a shame Yoon Si-hoo didn’t get this flag instead of me.

Then he could use it later in middle or high school as a “childhood promise.”

“I might not be as good a person as you think. I sleep all day on weekends, refuse to eat meals without meat, complain when asked to go shopping, and my hobbies are drinking and gaming. Would you still like a spouse like that?”

Of course, I’d never actually had alcohol before.

“Umm… I’ll have to think about that…!”

Right. You shouldn’t make such promises casually as a child.

Besides, Yu-na was the type of person who could succeed in any field without necessarily getting married.

How many kids plan their own lives starting from elementary school?

If she’s given an environment where she can study without worries, she’ll grow up just fine.

“By the way, Yu-na, can I ask you something?”

“Sure! What is it?”

“Remember when you showed me that print of your brother’s drawing at school? Remember that?”

“Yeah, Maru draws really well, doesn’t he?”

“Wasn’t that made on a computer? The picture was moving.”

“I think so? I heard he made it for a high school assignment.”

I had assumed he was a traditional painter when she said his dream was to be an artist, but this was a misunderstanding due to Yu-na’s limited vocabulary.

The digital paper she had given me as her brother’s work contained professional-level animated splash art. It felt like the game character was actually moving.

“I was wondering… would it be rude if I asked your brother if he’s interested in a different job?”

“A different job? What kind?”

“VTube editor.”

“Editor? But… we don’t have a computer at home.”

“We can buy him one.”

“They provide computers for editors?”

“Yes.”

I don’t know about others, but I was certainly willing to provide one.

Since I was properly starting my streaming career, how great would it be to recruit a VTube editor in advance?

Plus, I already knew Seo Ma-ru, so it wouldn’t be awkward.

While I was doing this for my own convenience, it was definitely not a bad offer for him either.

“Okay! I’ll ask him!”

[You have arrived at your destination.]

We had already reached home while chatting with Yu-na.

In the elevator, when she realized I lived on the 39th floor, she got adorably scared, asking how we would evacuate in case of an earthquake.

“Welcome to my home.”

The first day of the party was about to begin.