episode_0100

Now the day has come for Sera to leave.

My brother was looking at me with an unusually blank expression, and my grandmother and grandfather were crying for some reason.

What are you so worried about?

It’s not like anyone is dying.

I think it’s too much.

Seo-ra expressed her burden with a slight smile. For some reason, the tension I had felt disappeared at that sight.

Should I consider this a blessing?

It’s kind of funny.

Anyway, I still have a long way to go. And I have to ride the bus for hours, so we’re not going to break up right away, but it’s already like this.

It’s an incomprehensible feeling.

“Then, let’s go now.”

Her brother smiled and held out his hand. Sera nodded nonchalantly and took his hand.

“And Grandma, Grandpa. Stop crying now. We still have a long way to go.”

“Well, still. I didn’t know that our Sera would become independent so quickly.”

“That’s right.”

My brother looked at me for a moment. He tilted his head as if he wanted to say something.

But my brother didn’t say anything. He just smiled.

“Okay, let’s go now.”

“Okay.”

Just holding back what he wanted to say, Yoo Seo-hyun walked with Yoo Seo-ra.

I was able to get to the academy by taking various means of transportation. Now, standing in front of the main gate, I feel like I can’t do anything.

Seo-ra tried to move forward with an awkward gait, which was unusual for her.

Then my brother spoke to me.

“If you have any difficulties, tell me right away. I can help you no matter what.”

“Okay, I understand.”

“There’s no need to be nervous. Let’s walk confidently.”

“Yeah… … .”

I ended up nodding slightly.

I thought I was relaxed until just a moment ago, but now that I’m in front of them like this, I feel like I’m even more tense.

My brother must have understood that feeling, because he didn’t open his mouth any further.

“Okay, I’ll go.”

“Okay, have a nice trip.”

Sera smiled brightly and waved her hand. Then she dragged her heavy carrier through the front door.

I feel uneasy about the girl’s small body for some reason. But there’s nothing I can do.

I just watch.

Maybe my choice wasn’t right.

Still, you shouldn’t regret it.

I gather my thoughts and think about how I can best help Sera.

There must be a way. We have to find it quickly, somehow.

I have to find it.

*

Seo-ra lives a normal life, attending the dormitory within the academy.

I also used the room alone, and I could say that I lived a very comfortable life. Of course, I still haven’t made any real friends, so I still go around alone.

Anyway, I woke up early this morning as usual and studied for the upcoming classes. When I was in school, I got good grades without doing this, but this is a special Hunter Academy.

I had to study hard because I might make a mistake and end up with grades that would make me ineligible for the scholarship.

Thanks to that, I didn’t have much time to make friends. But unlike my last school, there were no kids to bully me, so I was able to feel comfortable.

‘Okay. Is this enough?’

After that, Sera’s daily life was very ordinary.

In the morning, I took written classes, and in the afternoon, I focused on practical classes. At first, I was awkward with moving around, so I made a lot of mistakes, but after a month, I was able to get used to it quickly.

Thanks to that, no one had anything to say about my skills.

After dinner, free time comes. While the other kids are busy going out to play, Seora can just study hard at her leisure.

Sometimes I went out and exercised, and thanks to that, I could expect to get a high score even though I hadn’t taken the test yet.

I remember the painful days. I feel so satisfied with my life that I wonder if it was a preparation for this day.

Of course, I don’t have any friends yet… … .

It’s okay because it might happen someday!

Seo-ra lives with a bright expression that was unimaginable in the past. That’s how satisfied she is with her current life.

I was always following the same routine.

That day, whenever I had time, I was calling my family to check on them. Then, my brother suddenly said something ridiculous.

“What does that mean?”

It was so incomprehensible that I couldn’t even laugh. Sera asked in a serious tone.

“Brother, are you kidding me?”

-I’m not joking.

“Then why are you saying that?”

I learned a lot while attending the Academy. Thanks to that, I was able to know the difference between the Awakened and the non-Awakened better than anyone else.

That’s why I had to stop it.

-Well, it’s for Sera’s sake.

“Then don’t do it. It’s for my good if you don’t do it.”

-No, but I have to do it.

There was a muffled sound on the phone. My brother gathered his thoughts again and spoke in a tense voice.

-I’m going to Hunter Academy.

“Brother!”

Seo-ra shouted loudly without paying attention to others. She was really that angry.

– Sera, this is also for your sake. As you know, the contents of the academy classes change starting from higher education. In order to know in advance, I have to go there first.

“Don’t you know that the Internet is good these days? If you research it, you can find out enough information. But why on earth are you doing this!”

Despite her young age, Sera boldly refuted the claims. She had to resort to violence to somehow prevent her older brother from attending Hunter Academy.

-… … If that were possible, I wouldn’t have gone either.

“What?”

My brother spoke seriously in a slightly lower tone.

-After looking into it, I found that there’s nothing you can find out about the top academies on the internet. Like their teachers or their teaching methods.

“What is that? It’s probably the same for elementary and high school anyway.”

-If it’s different, what are you going to do?

“You can find out when you get there.”

Seo-ra deliberately answered in a cold tone. She had to express as much as possible that she could not accept her brother’s proposal.

I predicted that my brother would hesitate and back down at the sight of her going so strong.

But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

My brother seemed to be more stubborn than I thought.

-I’ll go anyway.

Seo-ra gritted his teeth in frustration as he felt his temper surge. But he also tried to persuade her as calmly as possible.

“As you know, it’s extremely difficult for non-Awakened people, ordinary people, to attend Hunter Academy.”

In reality, even after becoming an awakened being, I am living a comfortable life thanks to my heightened physical abilities. If it were the original, I would not have been able to endure it and would have felt that it was a hellish life. Since I can understand that feeling better than anyone else, I have to stop it somehow.

“This is also for my brother’s sake. Don’t do that.”

There is a moment of silence at the sincere voice. I don’t know what to say or how to respond.

I just had to stay still until someone spoke first. Until then, I had to feel the atmosphere of being told to stand.

-Seo-ra-ya. You’ve grown up so much already. I’m worried about you too.

“… … Brother?”

-But you know, I’m really fine. That much pain? Not at all, it’s nothing.

“Brother… … .”

-Of course it will be difficult. But this is for you and for me.

I couldn’t help but wonder what he meant by that. Where on earth was it for my brother?

The moment I became curious, my brother quickly solved the problem for me.

-Actually, I’ve always wanted to be a hunter.

“Hunter?”

-Yeah, so this is also for my dream.

No matter how much I thought about it, it was a lie. It was the first time I heard that my brother dreamed of becoming a hunter.

But for some reason, I couldn’t say anything when I heard those words. When I thought about it, my brother had rarely been for himself.

“Money… … ?”

It’s funny how at this moment, Seo-ra started to worry about money. It’s not even compulsory education after all.

When he heard that, my brother chuckled and answered.

-Don’t worry. There is a special admission process that allows you to enroll right away. So, if you just eat the meals provided in the dorm, you can save money.

“That’s… …really fortunate.”

There was no way to stop it any longer. Thanks to that, Sera lowered her head without realizing it.

-You believe me now?

“Yeah… … .”

-Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t get ignored there and get your written grades sorted out, so don’t worry.

“Yeah… … .”

Seo-ra became even more intimidated by the slightly brighter voice of her brother.

-I’ll be moving in next year, so it’ll probably be hard to contact you from then on. Just know that.

“Okay.”

-Then I’ll hang up.

Stop.

The sound of the phone disconnecting made me feel a sense of helplessness.

‘There was nothing I could do.’

But there was nothing I could do. What could I say to my brother who was pushing so gently? I could only keep my mouth shut and listen.

‘Yeah, what could be wrong?’

I went back to the classroom with a relaxed mind. I talked on the phone for longer than I thought, but fortunately, it was lunchtime so there were no problems.

I just feel anxious that someone next to me might have heard it.

*

Fortunately, no one heard the phone ringing. Unfortunately, it brought even greater suffering.

This is really impossible.

It was the same old routine.

A life of just studying and training.

But then suddenly a phone call came. The sound that came out of it was something that shouldn’t have happened.

“Why… … .”

Where on earth was the problem?

What went wrong?

It was extremely burdensome to continue thinking. It was painful to feel my chest being tightly shut.

‘Oh my, my puppy. Why are you suddenly coming to Grandpa?’

‘Have you had any difficulties? Yes, yes. My grandfather understands everything. So tell him everything.’

‘You like Grandpa? I really like our Sera too!’

I remember a conversation we had before. If I had talked to you more, I could have thought of more.

Why does everything in the world happen so suddenly?

It was the first time that Sera realized it.

“Grandfather… … .”

My brother is standing next to me.

You just entered the academy, so you probably don’t have much time, but you came to see me.

“What the hell is the problem… … .”

Yeah, really.

What on earth is the problem that caused this to happen?

I was just miserable in a situation I couldn’t understand. It felt like I was standing alone in a dark space with no one there.

If he died because of illness, I can understand. It is said that most of the reasons people die are because of illness.

But you know what?

A sudden traffic accident?

I just walked when the light was green, so what was the problem with that?

What was so urgent about that car over there?

No tears were shed.

Dad, like at Mom’s funeral, the sadness didn’t subside. I just swallowed the inexplicable anger in this situation. Who could possibly interpret this emotion?

A family that has been together for several years.

When my grandmother was crying next to me, I thought that I shouldn’t cry myself. Then, what kind of emotions should I feel?

Then my brother grabbed my hand.

“Seo Ra-ya.”

Without saying a word, just maintaining a calm silence. I don’t know what I want to say. I just stare at you quietly.

“… … .”

Shows no emotion.

Maybe she still doesn’t understand this situation. Thinking that way, Yoo Seo-hyun quietly waited for Seo-ra’s reaction.

“Do you have anything… to say… …?”

Seohyun couldn’t say anything to Seora’s question. All he could do was try his best to make sure his younger sister wasn’t too shocked.

“Seo Ra-ya.”

My mouth opens without me knowing.

I don’t understand why I opened my mouth now. But I spoke with all my heart.

“If you have a hard time, tell me. Nana Grandma can help you anytime.”

No, grandma doesn’t need to help.

I want to help Sera in some way. That’s why I’m attending the academy right now.

Seeing what I learned there, I was confident that I would get top grades. So I was able to avoid bad situations.

What should I do after graduating from there?

I’ve thought about a lot.

You might be able to get more out of this trait by targeting the common hunter. Of course, it’s highly unlikely, but it’s better than not doing it.

So let’s try.

Let’s work hard to live for Sera, even if it’s just for Grandpa.

Even if I have to give up my life, no matter how painful it is.

Yoo Seo-hyun was thinking like that.