LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 344
I’ve never experienced adoption in either this life or my previous one.
They say that if you’re just a regular kid and pretty enough, your chances of being adopted increase. Maybe Ji-hye and I fit that standard, but ultimately, we never got adopted until we left the orphanage.
Digging into my vague memories from childhood, it seems like we were such sticky little siblings that it caused trouble sometimes.
There were a few times when adults came to check us out, and it seemed like there were some positive discussions, but in the end, we never entered anyone’s home.
For me, not getting adopted was a blessing in disguise. Even though I was a child, carrying the memories from my previous life, I couldn’t pretend to be innocent and act like someone else’s kid.
In reality, I wasn’t a “good” child back then, the kind adults like to talk about. Considering I ended up joining Noir Corporation and becoming a combatant because I couldn’t become a Magical Girl, maybe my personality was already like that even without special circumstances.
But Ji-hye was different.
While I never really speculated about family, Ji-hye often daydreamed about what it would be like if she had a family.
Those daydreams were… well.
They were kind of like the fantasies you make while buying a lottery ticket.
What would she do if she won the lottery? What if she won multiple first prizes? What would she buy first?
“If you had a family, what would you want to do first?”
She used to ask me that.
And just like when someone always chimes in with, “You really think that’ll happen?” whenever lottery talk comes up, I’d shake my head.
I said some pretty harsh things when we were kids, but watching Ji-hye keep talking about those things made me rethink a little.
There probably wouldn’t be anyone coming to take us away. We’d likely remain here until we became adults.
I felt a tiny bit of regret sometimes. Did they want to leave me behind? Was our bond as sisters just going to be severed? I wanted to ask those questions. But still, I thought it was best not to say such things. If someone really was coming to take Ji-hye away, I’d have to let her go. It was unavoidable.
Anyway, despite everything, the ‘family’ that exists for ordinary people felt like a distant tale, like hitting the lottery, for us.
If Ji-hye was someone who hadn’t been in a somewhat special situation like me, she would have surely sincerely wished for a family.
Every time Ji-hye indulged in her daydreams about family, I felt a bit of fear that our relationship could change. The thought that the time we spent together so naturally could disappear was honestly scary.
For her, it was like a lottery, but for me, it meant possibly losing a family.
…However, as time passed, even Ji-hye stopped talking about those things as she grew older. It wasn’t my harsh words that dampened her spirit.
It was just time.
By the time we passed the age when “adults prefer children at a certain age,” we ended up thinking of this place as our home and the children around us as our siblings.
…
But then.
After all this time, even after Ji-hye and I became complete adults…
“…”
An adult came looking for Ji-hye.
She sat in front of us, slightly older but still pretty young, with her knees gathered and head bowed, resting her hands atop her legs.
“Ji-hye’s….”
I slowly opened my mouth. I couldn’t help but let my voice quaver. I never once thought this moment would come.
“Are you saying you’re Ji-hye’s mother?”
The person who nodded at “Ji-hye’s mother” slowly nodded again.
I let out a small sigh.
What should I say?
I didn’t worry about Ji-hye leaving me anymore. We might be young, but we were also adults. We could decide how and where we wanted to live. What others thought wasn’t that important anymore.
Regardless of how Ji-hye felt about her mother, our bond as family would remain unbroken.
“…Yes, I am… Ji-hye’s mother.”
I pondered briefly.
Why did she show up now?
Is it because we succeeded?
Well, it could be. Honestly, if I didn’t at least think that in a situation like this, wouldn’t that mean I was too naïve? Stories of people getting stabbed in the back by their own mothers after giving away their guts are rampant on the news, in newspapers, and online.
But for some reason, I felt like that wasn’t the case here.
If she were going to appear after we became famous, she probably would have done so years ago. But now, she just showed up after discovering that Ji-hye had a family and was living with other kids.
Not as children, but only after we had gained our own autonomy.
Why was that?
I wanted to ask why she had done this, but unfortunately, that wasn’t my place to bring up. I didn’t have the right to ask such questions as family.
I looked at Ji-hye.
She was expressionless.
Ji-hye usually had a wide range of expressions. She would smile and laugh like she was having the time of her life. But right now, her face bore nothing. And that made me a little scared.
Come to think of it, had I ever seen Ji-hye genuinely angry as an adult?
Since we started living together, she always seemed cheerful, happy, laughing.
“…I told you so.”
But perhaps sensing my emotions on my face, Ji-hye smiled bitterly and said, “Genetic registration.”
“Oh.”
That was right.
Since before we became adults, meaning when we were around our early to mid-teens, Ji-hye stopped pulling out those daydreams about family. Perhaps she had come to despair in a way. Even if she fantasized, the likelihood of that becoming reality was quite low.
But about a year ago…
While we were just the two of us sitting together, she casually mentioned that topic.
Staring blankly out at the scene while holding children on our laps.
“…What would it have been like if I had a mom?”
And, the other kids we bonded with all had parents who came to see them at least once. It was never entirely cozy, but seeing the grandchild they raised surely warmed their hearts.
Despite everything, there wasn’t anything like that for Ji-hye and me.
The teachers did come visit us, but… they had too many kids to care for.
It wasn’t unreasonable to long for that special existence that would truly cherish us as their children.
“…”
Not having heard such stories in ages made it hard to respond. After contemplating for several days, I finally came up with something.
Of course, I didn’t think it would hold any real meaning.
I simply hoped Ji-hye could feel a little at ease.
“How about registering for a genetic test?”
There’s a foundation that operates worldwide. With an alien company involved in Earth, there are naturally quite a few alien citizen groups and various organizations present.
Such things haven’t happened on Earth yet, but if interplanetary migrants start roaming around, there might come times when children and parents get separated far across the galaxy. In such instances, a foundation exists to help families find each other.
Even though Ji-hye was an Earthling, if she had parents, they would definitely be on Earth as well. Still, that foundation was reputed for being the fastest and most accurate in tracking down families, so I made that suggestion to Ji-hye.
“If your family registered there, they’ll definitely come to find you.”
I thought that if they were earnest enough to register their genes with the foundation, they would come running the moment they found her.
“What? You still remember that?”
Ji-hye chuckled and tossed a cheeky remark.
But she beamed as if she was really grateful I brought it up. That smile was enough to brighten my day.
Still, I didn’t truly believe she’d be able to find her family.
“…”
“So…”
With neither of us saying anything, the woman grew a little anxious before finally speaking.
“…You really have grown well.”
Awkward formalities.
Her tone sounded nothing like what a parent would say to their child.
Yet, her expression—
It felt like she was on the verge of tears, and it looked so genuine.
I inadvertently held my breath.
“…”
Ji-hye swallowed hard.
“So… you mean, you’re my mom?”
Once again, a somewhat awkward formal tone.
But her voice was already soaked with tears.
“…Yes, if the genetic test matches.”
And unexpectedly, my eyes grew a little wet too, so I quickly lowered my gaze.