Cinderella

Shutdown system.

One of humanity’s mistakes that should never have existed. That’s what’s blocking me now.

As I stepped out of the capsule with a hollow look, a darkened room greeted me.

Checking the small clock on the desk, the hour hand pointed to 10 o’clock.

The excited feeling quickly subsides. The resulting silence stirred up anger within me.

I jump up from my seat.

The sound of my pounding footsteps echoes through the hallway.

“Ha.”

Leaning against the cold hallway wall, I sigh. What would change even if I got angry like this?

Shutdown system, I just laughed it off because it wasn’t something that applied to me, but who knew it would grab me by the ankles.

I head straight to the living room. Opening the door to the hallway, the brightly lit living room greeted me.

I remember the sound of the television that was always on, and my mom sitting on the sofa watching entertainment shows or the news.

That old, faded memory comes back to me and overlaps with the current situation.

I’ve met the person I said goodbye to forever again. But what am I doing right now?

As much as I love games…

“Ha-yeon-ah?”

“Mom.”

“Oh, is it already 10 o’clock?”

I naturally approach and sit next to Mom. Even if the world is different, Mom is still Mom.

I hugged Mom without saying a word.

“Do you need allowance money?”

“No.”

***

Early morning. I think as I get out of bed. This was an opportunity.

An opportunity that started by borrowing the body of my younger sibling in another world.

As I leave the room, a familiar boy quickly passes by.

It seems like he was playing games all night, as dark circles were heavily under his eyes.

Until what age does the shutdown system apply?

“Hey.”

“… Me?”

Ha-yeon, the owner of this body, apparently called Ha-rang oppa.

So, it’s probably because he’s not used to me calling him that.

I nod with my arms crossed.

“How old are you?”

“I’m 18 years old…”

“Then how old am I?”

“Are you crazy?”

“Answer properly.”

“15 years old…”

Ha-rang left those words and went into the bathroom.

A look as if he was looking at something strange remained at the end.

An opportunity that started again in the body of a 15-year-old girl.

I couldn’t miss it. Even if the owner of this body, Seo Ha-yeon, cursed at my appearance, it was fine.

It’s a selfish thought, but there were many things I wanted to say to Mom, whom I met again.

‘Don’t come back’

So that I can continue to live.

After Ha-rang came out of the bathroom, I also started showering.

The appearance of the small girl reflected in the mirror didn’t give me any particular impression.

Was I used to it? The body’s unconsciousness? Anyway, the shower ended in an instant.

As I roughly wiped my dripping hair with a towel and sat at the living room table, Mom, who was preparing breakfast, ran over and grabbed my hair.

“Seo Ha-yeon!”

“Ah, yes?”

“I told you to dry your hair properly, didn’t I?”

As I blankly nodded, Mom started moving her hands and carefully wiping my hair.

It’s a somehow familiar touch.

Even while eating, Mom focused all her attention on my hair.

She even brought a hair dryer and dried it for me.

Ha-rang, who was watching the scene from the side, pouted and blurted out a word.

“Mom. My hair isn’t dry either.”

“Yours dries quickly because it’s short.”

I know that Mom’s affection isn’t entirely directed at me, but I still felt good.

I smiled lightly and moved my chopsticks.

After finishing the meal, I put on my school uniform. The girl standing in front of the mirror kept turning her body this way and that, as if she felt awkward in the clothes she was wearing.

Who knew I would go back to school. And I’m wearing a middle school girl’s uniform.

I feel a strange sense of depravity, and my mood becomes strange.

To properly enjoy this opportunity, I plan to act as Seo Ha-yeon.

The uniform I’m wearing was still in my memory. It’s probably because I followed Seo Ha-rang into the same middle school he attended.

“I’m off!”

“I’m going.”

I leave the house with Ha-rang.

He frowned as he looked at me following behind him.

What’s so displeasing to him? His already ugly face is contorted, making him look even uglier.

Then suddenly, I thought of my 18-year-old self.

“Hey.”

“…”

Is he not going to answer unless I call him oppa?

What an absurd guy.

“Don’t smoke.”

“… What?”

My 18-year-old self was a smoker. I just naturally learned it while hanging out with friends.

I wasn’t caught by my family, but I was caught by my mom in the winter of my 18th year.

That day, Mom cried. It’s because she remembered my father, whom she had sent away first.

My father was a heavy smoker. He continued to chain-smoke even after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

My last memory was of him looking at the sky with a detached smile, with a cigarette in his mouth.

“H, how did you know?”

“You smell bad.”

I walk past the flustered Ha-rang. He hurries after me, left behind.

Since the schools are attached, we’re going in the same direction. He carefully opened his mouth, watching my expression from beside me.

“Uh, you didn’t tell Mom, did you?”

“Mom will cry if she finds out. Don’t smoke.”

He’s not stupid, even though he’s still a young boy who hasn’t fully matured.

Ha-rang nodded with a stiff face.

Then he took something out of his pocket and crumpled it up.

The faint smell of tobacco stings my nose.

“Haa…”

The feeling of wearing a skirt for the first time is unfamiliar. The sensation of the wind entering under my legs felt like someone was stroking my thighs with their hands.

“Hey, are you sick somewhere?”

“No.”

“Then why are you walking like that?”

I lowered my gaze at Ha-rang’s remark. Then I could see my legs walking in a really awkward way.

I have to be careful, very careful.

I turn my gaze and observe the movements of other female students. This body, which possesses transcendent senses, reproduced those movements exactly.

Suddenly, a small question arose.

Was Ha-yeon in this world using this ability well?

“Hey.”

“Why…”

Ha-rang seems to be intimidated because I caught his weakness.

It’s frustrating to see him so timidly watching my every move, it’s not manly at all.

I tapped him on the back and said.

“Was I good at games?”

“You? You were fucking terrible?”

That’s not the answer I wanted. Ha-rang quickly turned his gaze away as I frowned.

“Really bad? That much?”

“You always lost to me. So, that means you’re fucking terrible.”

I couldn’t figure out the exact standard. As I frowned and stared at him, Ha-rang sighed and opened his mouth.

“Well… you were on the bad side, that’s right.”

That was the answer I wanted to hear.

I nodded and ran past Ha-rang.

The feeling of running in a young body gave me a refreshing feeling.

I don’t get out of breath no matter how much I run. My legs are light. I didn’t have any shoulder stiffness.

“Hey!”

Ha-rang ran after me from behind, but I ignored him and ran.

The place I arrived at after running for a while was the front gate of the school.

The middle school and high school were attached to each other, and I had to part ways with Ha-rang here.

“Bye.”

As I waved my hand at Ha-rang, who followed me, he waved back with an awkward face.

What a wimpy son of a bitch, I don’t like his spineless appearance.

I knew which class I was in through the student ID.

I pass through the main gate and enter the school, walking down the hallway.

I climb the stairs and arrive in front of the classroom of the 2nd grade, 3rd class. I open the door and enter without panicking.

As I stepped inside, many people’s gazes flew towards me.

Familiarity, welcome, and seeing that there weren’t any particularly bad gazes, it seems like I had good friendships.

“Ha-yeon-ah!”

As soon as I entered the class, an unfamiliar female student hugged me.

It’s a very friendly distance. But it’s unfamiliar.

My body reacted naturally and avoided the female student who was hugging me.

A natural movement that wasn’t awkward, I turned slightly and passed by, and the female student moved away, saying, “Uh?”

“Hello.”

As I lightly waved my hand and greeted her, the female student waved back with an awkward face.

My gaze moves quickly. From head to toe. I checked the girl’s name tag.

Her name is Lee So-hee

Because Ha-yeon’s friendships weren’t bad, many friends greeted me.

My head is spinning quickly, learning the faces and names of the children.

“What are you doing?”

So-hee approached and snatched my bag away because I was standing awkwardly without finding a seat.

As I blankly stared at her, she confidently walked over and placed my bag on an empty seat.

“Are you going to the cafeteria?”

“Cafeteria?”

“Yeah.”

I frowned and checked the time.

There was still some time before the first class started, so it seemed okay to stop by the cafeteria.

“Let’s go.”

I have to get used to this life. Avoiding it isn’t the solution.

As soon as my permission was given, So-hee approached and linked arms with me. I was surprised by the unfamiliar distance and tried to pull my arm away, but So-hee’s arm strength was quite strong.

Is this how we usually went?

Even when I looked around, no one seemed to find it strange.

So-hee talked endlessly. I don’t know what she had so much to say with her small mouth, so all I could do was give her appropriate responses.

The soul of a man in his 40s couldn’t keep up with the talk of a middle school girl.

So-hee gave me a bright smile, as if she found my reaction amusing.

I stopped by the cafeteria and bought some bread.

After that, time passed without any special events, and I ended up taking classes.

The squiggly letters stretching across the electronic whiteboard don’t catch my eye.

Is it because I underestimated the level of middle school problems too much? No. It’s just that it feels difficult because I’ve lived for a long time without studying.

I grabbed my head. I couldn’t keep up with the class right now.

Even after class ended, I struggled with the books. What’s really fortunate is that Ha-yeon’s friends are considerate children.

They didn’t approach me when they saw me focusing on studying.

But it’s just a temporary measure. If time passes like this, I’ll lose all the friends Ha-yeon had.

As I spent the day studying, the first day at school came to an end.

The students’ dismissal time, I slump down in the classroom where people have started to leave.

“Ha-yeon, Ha-yeon!”

I raised my head at the voice of a beautiful tone, and So-hee approached and looked at me.

The distance is close again this time. I widened the distance with So-hee, who was stuck close to the desk.

“Why?”

“See you tomorrow…!”

Whisper, So-hee whispered in my ear in a quiet voice, as if that’s what she wanted to say.

That appearance is quite cute.

As I blankly watched So-hee moving away, the classroom became empty before I knew it.

Let’s go back and play games.

I packed my bag and left the classroom.