episode_0044

For office workers, holidays are like gold.

There is an old saying that goes, “Treat gold like a stone.” But don’t stones have their own value?

Some stones are sold at high prices for aesthetic reasons, while others can evolve into superconductors.

Gold is a stone in the first place. And it is a very precious metal that is also used in semiconductors.

That means holidays are important. Especially for Narin, who was always being beaten by hunters and those above, holidays were very precious days where she had to recover her body and mind from being exhausted from work and relationships.

On Saturdays, I had no choice but to go out and do something. So on Sunday, I was going to do absolutely nothing and just laze around all day.

It definitely was like that.

“Oh, your mother from your previous life asked you to meet her right away? And at the National Cemetery?”

“Yes. Oh, if it’s hard for you, Na-rin, we can go by ourselves. If you ask Geulgur, it’ll be fine.”

When I came back from my nap, Na-min’s mother left a comment asking to meet up.

It’s not like I’m calling you to talk at a cafe or having a meal at a restaurant. It’s the National Cemetery.

Most of the Gate victims return to their families. However, those who lost their lives saving others are buried in the National Cemetery.

Just as in the past, not only the patriotic martyrs, patriots, and soldiers who died while on duty, but also those who died while saving lives were buried there.

The scope has expanded a bit since the cataclysm. Of course, it’s just an expansion, but in reality, there’s not much difference from the previous standards.

So I can’t help but feel sad. Na-min, who lived a good life in her previous life to the point of being buried in the National Cemetery, somehow ended up waking up in a research institute like that.

Already in Narin’s mind, Nami had become a pitiful child who had sacrificed herself for others at the gate, but whose body had been stolen and used as a test subject.

That’s understandable, because the researcher got poisoned and turned into a dwarf like Namin.

Magic and miracles are no longer just stories from movies or novels, so the world has become more realistic when you say that something happened with some kind of medicine.

So Narin decided to give up her golden holiday.

Obviously, if I don’t stay in bed until tomorrow, I’ll be stuck in a bad state all next week.

More than that, he was afraid that if he didn’t let Namin meet her mother from her previous life, the guilt would weigh on him for the rest of his life.

“No, it’s okay. I’m fine because I had a good rest with Namin today. I can go right away this evening. But it’s too late, so I think it’d be better to see you tomorrow at lunchtime?”

“Yes, then I’ll tell you to see me tomorrow! The National Cemetery is a graveyard after all, so ghosts might come out at night.”

“Keeek!”

So, since they decided to go together, Narin was able to laugh at Namin’s innocence with ease.

And Hamshik is screaming along with the ghost’s voice. Does he really understand people? Is this really just a coincidence?

Anyway, thanks to that, Narin was able to quickly shake off the heavy feeling in her heart.

Yeah, so you’re saying he was an adult in his previous life. In fact, I guess you could say he’s still a child.

She’s at an age where she’s afraid of things like ghosts. At that thought, the corners of Narin’s mouth went up, but then stopped.

Ghosts. … … Isn’t that scary? Of course, I’m at an age where I’ve come to realize that people are scarier than ghosts.

Even so, weren’t you sometimes scared when you went to the bathroom alone in the middle of the night or went to a dark place?

Moreover, in a world where professions that command ghosts can actually operate, unlike in the past, it seems like you shouldn’t say anything about ghosts.

“Okay. Let’s go tomorrow afternoon.”

In the end, Narin simply agreed with what Namin said. Then she watched Namin reply to her mother from her previous life.

Due to the nature of YouTube, the alarm wouldn’t go off right away like a text message or KakaoTalk. Was he waiting for news of his dead child’s friend, or was he watching another video at the time? He quickly replied that he would see her the next day.

Thanks to that, while Namin and Hamsik were asleep, Narin spent the night wide awake. Was it because she was worried about the next day, or because she had slept too much? Narin didn’t know.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard a rattling sound from the hamster cage, and Namin grumbled and unlocked it.

Then I saw Namin and Hamshik crawling together to the bathroom. Since I was up late at night, I heard Hamshik go to the bathroom and do his business, plop, plop.

Maybe she had fallen asleep earlier, but was dreaming now. Narin rolled over, laughing at the thought.

For some reason, because I had been thinking about ghosts earlier, I had a feeling that if I looked towards the dark bathroom, a ghost might show its face.

You were watching, right?

After waking up and giving Hamshikman breakfast, we got ready to go out.

I don’t eat much to begin with, and Narin doesn’t eat breakfast either. So, we decided to have a delicious lunch together.

There wasn’t much to prepare. Instead of tissues, all I had to do was wrap Narin in a pure white handkerchief like the ancient Greeks would have worn. That was it.

In fact, the preparations were all Narin’s. Washing, putting on makeup. Oh, and not putting on makeup?

Then, after drying her hair, Narin came out and asked me.

“Namina. But you said yesterday that I should go with Ggulgur. Who is that person?”

“Ah, that’s the friend I took to my older sister’s company!”

“Friend? Oh, that pigeon?”

“Yes. If you give them almonds and ask them to burn them, they will burn them.”

“Oh, um. I see.”

Narin seemed to have a hard time believing that pigeons could listen. But it was true.

Of course, I was also amazed that the pigeon understood what I said. But, since Hamshik understood what I said, wouldn’t that be possible?

There’s a saying that’s been around since ancient times. Animals actually understand human speech, but they just ignore it.

And there are those who were reincarnated with memories of their past lives, and there are even lizard-men and crocodile-men walking around. It’s possible to communicate with animals.

That’s probably why Narin didn’t say anything and took Hamshik and me into her arms.

This is our reserved seat. We can climb on top of Narin’s soft chest and stay warm.

Even though she had slept all night, Hamshik was already nodding off, saying it was so cozy. But as her older sister, I couldn’t do that.

They say that sleeping in the passenger seat is a nuisance, so it would be even worse to sleep on someone else’s chest while riding without paying, which is something that a truly educated person should not do.

The person sitting in the passenger seat has a duty to keep the driver entertained and not fall asleep.

“Narin, would you like some almonds?”

“Almonds? When did you get those? Oh, you didn’t bury them, did you? ”

“That’s right. When Hamshik goes out, he carries it in his pocket.”

“Uh… … . No, it’s okay.”

Well, a joke that doesn’t make the other person laugh is a failed joke. I guess I’m just not good at making jokes.

Well, let’s talk about something else, not joking. People usually say that when they have a conversation, they choose a topic based on the surrounding situation.

“Ah, Na-rin-i unnie. Do you like the bus or the subway?”

“I take the bus. The subway takes a long way around, and I have to walk a long way to transfer. Well, the bus stop is outside, so it’s cold in the winter and hot in the summer, but it’s better that way.”

“Aha. Then what should I ride to ride with Boldgur?”

“Uh… …. Shouldn’t I take a taxi? I don’t think the subway or bus will accept pigeons.”

“Oh, that’s right! That was a close call. If I had come with a thick coat, I might not have been able to make it to the National Cemetery!”

Oh man, I almost got in big trouble. I really don’t know how lucky I am to have you by my side.

Thanks to Narin, we were able to safely reach Dongjak Station, where the National Cemetery is located. Even though it was winter, perhaps because it was the weekend, there were a few people who came here and there.

Among them, we went to the tombstone that my mother from my previous life had told me about. It was a grave with my name and rank from my previous life written on it.

Looking at that, Narin asked in a bewildered manner.

“Uh… …. Namin was a soldier in her past life?”

“Oh, I see.”

Oh no. I didn’t tell you that I was a man in my past life. This is a big problem. What if you find out that the thing sitting on your chest was a man in your past life?

Hmm, even if I don’t have any ill intentions right now, it’s natural to feel uncomfortable when the genders are different.

“I see. Namin really does it for others… … .”

But Narin didn’t show that kind of expression. Instead, she looked solemn.

I’m not that great of a person. I’m not the kind of person who would die heroically for others.

Of course, I want everyone to live, but if I’m going to die anyway, I’d rather die myself. That’s what I’m left with, but it’s still embarrassing.

I tried to hide my embarrassment by fiddling with my cheekbones.

“Ehehe. I don’t remember well. I don’t even know how I died. Please don’t think too darkly. I’m happy now.”

“Yes, Namin, let’s live happily with your sister for a long time in this life.”

“Of course! I will definitely succeed in becoming a Min-i-cheo and feed my sister.”

Perhaps he thought my dream was too far-fetched. I could hear Narin laughing from above my head.

It may be hard to believe, but I see the possibility and have taken the first step.

While we were chatting like that, we heard someone walking slowly next to us.

Hamshikdo, Nalindo, and I turned our heads in that direction. A middle-aged woman, who looked noticeably older than when I last saw her, was approaching us.

His hair, which had never been gray, had turned gray, and small wrinkles appeared around his eyes, which made his heart ache.

“Looking at your bitter smile, it seems you were really close to my son.”

Oh. But it seems like my mother from my previous life misunderstood. I was the one who contacted her.

“Oh, sorry, Mom, it’s not me, it’s this… … .”

“Hmm?”

“Hello!”

Narin was taken aback by those words, and then she slightly opened her coat to let me see better. Then, my mother looked back and forth between me and Narin, and then her expression became filled with disbelief.

“Are you kidding me? My son died in the early days of the cataclysm. There’s no way I’d know a kid this young before I became friends with him.”

Oh no. I never thought I would be completely disbelieved. What should I do with this?