episode_0045

Did my sister and I argue for a long time?

Realizing that she had wasted too much time at my house, my sister immediately brought a large cardboard box and a roll of blue tape and placed them in front of me.

“Enough with the nonsense, get into the box quickly. If you’re late until dinner time, there will be serious consequences. You know how scary it is when Dad hasn’t eaten, right?”

“It’s scary when Dad is hungry, his nerves are sharp and his actions are unpredictable. Okay, I’ll get in quickly.”

I crawled into the box and sat down, nervously asking my sister as she tried to seal the box with blue tape.

“By the way, sis, I have a question to ask.”

“Hurry up, we don’t have time.”

“If I need to buy some time from Dad, what would be the best way to do it? I want to use the safest method possible.”

If no action is taken, the moment the box is unboxed, it will be caught by Dad’s hands like a lid on a pot, and dragged into the room of truth.

If dragged into the room without anyone stopping, I will probably receive mental education like a real baduk game for days on end.

With so many mistakes, I might be punished for days on end.

Then the time to watch fox spirit manhwa or manga will disappear, which could be a huge loss in life.

Unbelievable, right? Just wait a few days and binge-watch the manhwa or manga?

During those few days, the fox spirit manhwa that was uploaded could receive a warning and be taken down.

What if the fox spirit manhwa that was taken down was a new masterpiece?

A work that could guarantee a happy time ten times over?

I might end up hating Dad with tears in my eyes.

So.

“I can’t afford to receive mental education from Dad, sis. Please tell me a way.”

“With your bare hands?”

“I’m a guy with more money than you, how can I use my bare hands? Please help me out as if you’re saving your little brother.”

With a pleading look that was hard to refuse, my sister seemed to be thinking deeply before slowly opening her mouth.

“Well, first, you just need to secure Mom somehow. If you hold Mom hostage, Dad will turn from a monster to a gentle lamb.”

“I know that, but the process of holding Mom hostage is the problem, right? Before I even get close to unboxing, I’ll be dragged into the big room, so there’s no way!”

“So, you need to think of a way to stop Dad for a moment. Prepare a tremendous comment that will shake Dad’s mental state, or use someone else as a substitute to stop Dad’s actions.”

With a sly smile, my sister whispered quietly to me as she approached me.

“Why not take that Hyukjin guy with you? Your sturdy boyfriend?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Why would I date that guy?”

Of course, lately he seemed sturdy and somewhat cool…

“I’m a guy! And he’s a guy too! A relationship like that can’t happen!!!”

“But right now you’re a girl, right? It’s entirely possible, isn’t it?”

“That’s nonsense! I’d rather be with a fit sister like you than that guy… cough!!!”

Once again, my sister hit my forehead hard to silence me, then she punched a few holes in the side of the box and sealed it completely.

“Stay quiet until I say you can speak. If you open your mouth, I’ll take you to the police station and you to the lab. Got it?”

“…”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

After a while, I felt the box being lifted by my sister.

At the same time, the sound of the door lock opening was heard, and fresh outside air began to flow in through the ventilation holes.

Due to the infrequent ventilation every few months, the outside air was very refreshing, different from the damp indoor air.

I became addicted to that freshness and took a deep breath.

“Cough…cough…ugh…?”

I ended up coughing because of the cigarette smell coming in through the ventilation holes.

…Damn it.

What if the person smoking reports me?

Will I be dragged to the lab, my fluffy and tender tail dismantled piece by piece, subjected to all sorts of experiments, and producing waste?

On the way there, I mentally wrote a tragic novel due to extreme fear, but thankfully nothing happened as I heard the sound of the door opening and felt myself being thrown into a seat.

And then, as the car engine started, my sister’s nervous voice came through.

“You idiot! What if you cough there? You almost got caught!”

“I couldn’t help it! Do you know how torturous it was to smell cigarette smoke for the first time with a body that has never smelled it before?”

What kind of feeling is this?

Is it like inhaling smoke as much as possible in a burning house?

Perhaps due to my heightened sensitivity, the cigarette smell reminded me of the smoke smell from a fire, and as a result, I could only barely suppress my cough.

Growling with injustice, my sister tapped the box as if to tell me to stop.

“Clearly, this woman is not a gumiho but a Chihuahua, right? Her personality is so annoying, how can she be a gumiho?”

“Just shut up! You tail fetishist!”

In a fit of rage, my sister shook the box with her right hand as if she were crazy, and I had no choice but to give up on my discourse on fox tails.

The nausea was so severe that if I spoke, I would vomit, and then my precious tail, which I had diligently cared for for two hours, would be contaminated by vomit.

Thus, an awkward silence returned.

My sister, apparently disliking the awkwardness, spoke to me seriously and cautiously.

“But, are you going to keep living like this?”

“You told me to shut up, why are you suddenly picking a fight? Are you unhappy with how I live?”

“Well, to be precise, I don’t want to interfere, but it’s bothering me a bit.”

“What’s bothering you? Living like a shut-in? Or living while giggling at adult content?”

Isn’t it fine as long as I’m satisfied?

Besides, if I live like this and help others, isn’t that enough? I’m not causing harm to anyone, right?

When I glanced at my sister with a puzzled look, she sighed and shook her head.

“No, I think I said something unnecessary. Even if you’re not living well, if you’re living satisfactorily, what’s the point of pointing it out.”

“From the start, there’s nothing to point out, right?”

“Well, not really, in your case, there’s too much to point out, so I can’t point it out.”

My sister tapped the box, reminding me to have a conscience, and in a fit of spite, I asked,

“So, when are you getting married, sister? Have you found a decent person?”

“You little brat?!”

Just as I added that unnecessary remark, I was met with a merciless fist coming through the box.

“Eek!!!”

…Damn sister, with such violence, you won’t find a boyfriend.

I considered confidently telling my older sister the reason why I didn’t have a boyfriend, but her stern gaze made me hesitate.

I kept the reason buried in my heart and didn’t speak until I arrived at my hometown.

—–

“I’m here. When we get inside, I’ll knock on the top of the box twice. Until then, you need to stay quiet, okay?”

“Sis, can’t you help me just one more time?”

“If you’re thinking of using the sister shield, forget it. I don’t want to get lectured for blocking it for no reason.”

“I’ll pay you 100,000 won, no, 200,000 won! Please block it for me!”

“Even if you offer me a million won, I won’t do it. Am I crazy to block Dad for you?”

“Wasn’t it crazy of you to block him, sis?”

“…”

Seeing her silence, it seemed like my sister’s help was a lost cause.

I didn’t expect much, but it’s still a bit disappointing.

If my sister had helped, it would have ended easily.

The short time in my sister’s car on the way to my hometown.

I quickly began to search for a way to stop Father’s menacing touch.

A way to shake Father’s strong mental state…

If I use ‘those words,’ could I turn Father’s mental state to dust in an instant?

Having found a method, I smirked deviously, and upon hearing that laughter, my sister, trembling with anxiety, asked me.

“Are you having strange thoughts? Please end this normally, okay?”

“It’s okay, sis. With just a word, I can momentarily stop Father.”

I might die afterwards, but…

Confidently speaking, my sister, with a voice mixed with curiosity and concern, whispered to me.

“You’re even scarier when you speak so confidently, you brat. Before you speak to Dad, whisper to me quietly. What are you planning to say to him?”

“You’ll find out soon enough if you wait. Endure until the finale.”

I refused to answer, and my sister, giving up on hearing the answer, suddenly arrived at the front door, starting to enter the door lock password.

After a while, the sound of the door opening, and simultaneously, Father’s gruff voice.

“Did you bring it? Leave it in the living room.”

Just hearing Father’s intimidating voice gave me chills, but I tried to maintain composure, waiting only for Father to unbox the package.

And then, just before Father’s menacing touch reached my golden hair.

I, with a wistful expression, softly spoke in a voice only audible to Father.

“Father, I got into an accident.”