Chapter 2: Collapse ②

I might have thought of this world as a fairy tale paradise.

It made sense—after all, the tone of the original story was always calm and gentle.

But this place is reality.

There’s no protagonist buff, no structured storyline, no predetermined plot.

Why didn’t I prepare for that?

…
…

“Don’t skip lunch just because you’re lazy. Make sure you eat, okay? I’ll be back by dinner at the latest.”
“Okay.”
“If you go for a walk, avoid secluded areas. Always stay where people can see you.”
“Okay.”
“And don’t forget sunscreen when you go out! If you ever feel like trying makeup, you can use my room. I already taught you how to use eyeshadow and blush, right?”
“I know.”
“And also—”

The string of nagging only stopped when I pointed out the time.

“I’ll be back soon!”
“Don’t mind me, just have fun with Ahjussi!”

As soon as Seoran left, the house became eerily quiet.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door, half-expecting it to swing open and for her to come back.

Of course, it didn’t budge.

She really left me alone.

I knew she had no choice, but the loneliness creeping in was undeniable.

Weekends used to be all mine.
Now, Do-hyun had taken half of them away.

Moments like this make it painfully clear.

Seoran isn’t just my sister anymore. The days when we were each other’s entire world are over.

“No. I need to learn to be independent now.”

But before I even realized it, my phone was already pressed to my ear.

The ringing tone echoed from the other end.

—”Huh?! What’s wrong?”
“Gasp. I did it without thinking….”
—”Haha! Good job. Call me anytime! Oh, wait a sec—the bus—!”
“I’ll call you back later.”

I hung up immediately.

What am I doing? Interrupting her date like this.

I can’t ruin Seoran’s happiness just because of my selfishness.

I need to get a grip.

As a start…

“Today, I’ll limit myself to calling her just five times.”

Resolving myself, I turned away.

I was getting used to spending time alone at home.

My daily routine was simple:

Watch TV, study until my head hurts, take a shower, eat, call Seoran, then turn the TV back on.

Repeating this cycle over and over until, by evening, Seoran would finally return, arms full of gifts.

Today wouldn’t be any different.

—”You had lunch, right?”
“Yeah. What about you?”
—”Of course I ate. By the way, you actually called me ‘Unni.’ Good job. Maybe I should make this a habit—keeping us apart sometimes?”
“I might go dark and villainous.”
—”Ahaha! I’ll make your favorite pork cutlets for dinner, so just wait a little longer, okay?”
“Oh? I suppose, in honor of your effort, I’ll let it slide just this once.”

As I cycled through my usual routine, a thought suddenly hit me.

Even while she was on a date, Seoran still cared for me and worried about me.

But what have I ever done for her?

“Hey, Unni.”
—”Yeah?”

I love you.

But my lips just moved like a dumb goldfish, no actual words coming out.

—”Iran?”
“Uh, just… I’m looking forward to the pork cutlets.”
—”Hmph. You haven’t forgotten the legendary cooking skills of the great Un-mama, I see.”

After ending the call, I threw myself onto the bed.

Idiot! You couldn’t even say one simple thing properly!

“Ughhh!”

As I flailed my limbs, a sudden idea struck me.

“What if I cook for her too?”

Seoran’s favorite dish is tomato pasta.

I’ve hardly ever cooked, but pasta seems like something I could manage with an internet recipe.

That’s a great idea.

I immediately got up and changed into outdoor clothes.

Outside, it was raining.

I felt a little worried—Seoran hadn’t taken an umbrella.

…
…

After buying the necessary ingredients from the store, I stood in the kitchen.

The time was now four o’clock. There was still plenty of time before Seoran was supposed to be back for dinner.

If I made the pasta now, it would get soggy. But this was just practice—I couldn’t serve a clumsy dish when I was trying to express my gratitude.

Carefully, I prepped the ingredients, boiled the spaghetti, and made the sauce with butter, bacon, minced garlic, and tomato sauce.

Then, I mixed the cooked pasta with the sauce… and it was done!

Taking a bite, I found that it wasn’t bad at all.

Good. A few more attempts, and I’d have the perfect spaghetti.

“Hehehe.”
Slurp.

My chopsticks froze mid-air.
A chill ran down my spine.

Did I… hear that wrong?

Seoran was out. There was no one else in this house but me.

“…….”

No, I must have misheard. Or maybe I was just feeling weak lately? I should’ve asked for hotpot instead of pork cutlets.

“H-hmph…♪”

Even to myself, my movements as I cleaned up felt unnatural.

This spaghetti… I don’t want to waste it. Maybe I should give it to the lady next door—

“It. Looks. Delicious.”

There are moments like this.

When a terrifying thought crosses your mind, so horrifying that it makes your skin crawl. And when that thought, against all logic, starts to feel real.

Even though you know it’s true, you still try to deny it.

…TV sound?

Like a broken machine, my head creaked as it turned.

“…….”

It was black.

The thing was simply pitch black.

If you took a shadow, stood it up, and added two white dots for eyes, it would look exactly like this.

A monster—one unlike anything I had ever seen before—was staring directly at me.

“I. Want. To. Eat. You.”

My mind was locking up.

—Stay calm. Assess the situation. What can you do right now?

A familiar voice echoed in my head.

A memory. This was a memory.

Seoran always worried about me since I didn’t attend the hero academy. Because of that, she had arranged for me to receive personal training regularly. This was from those lessons.

—With your Talent, you can create an opening against any opponent, at least once.

The monster was still just standing there.

“I. Want. To—”

I couldn’t afford to be scared.
It was just standing there like an idiot—this was my chance.

A faint glow flickered in my hands.

“Eat.”

The two white dots—its eyes—shifted toward my hands.

Instantly, I aimed my palm forward.
A concentrated orb of light flared brilliantly.

And then—

BOOM!

“Aaaaaghhhh!”

The monster recoiled, writhing and clutching its face.

The attack had definitely landed. But there was no visible wound.

It took a direct hit, and it was still fine. That meant… this was a monster I couldn’t defeat.

“Aaahhh…!”

Without hesitation, I bolted out of the house.
I sprinted down the alley, frantically tapping at my smartphone.

[Connecting—Sister]
[…….]

The longer the ringing went on, the more anxious I became.

…Should I have called the police?

No. There was no one in this world more reliable than her.

The pinnacle of heroes.
My one and only family.
The other half of my soul.

That’s right. The moment I called Seoran, the game was already over.

I was safe.