LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 16
Chapter 16 – I hope the fire alarm will go off
In the middle of a three-pyeong room, a table laden with chicken that gave off a delicious aroma was growing cold.
Across the table, a woman with eyes red and swollen from crying looked at me with a slightly hoarse voice and spoke up.
“Hurry and eat, Yena. It’s getting cold.”
“…Uh, you eat too, unni.”
I almost bit my tongue.
Unni?
A word I had never uttered in my life felt as foreign as an alien language.
Lee Yena’s sister, Lee Yeri.
There weren’t many files or information on Lee Yena’s phone, but at least there were a few photos of her with Lee Yeri.
Like the photo of Lee Yeri beaming brightly in front of the ‘Sha’ sign at Seoul National University while wearing a graduation cap, there were a few solo photos of her saved.
Considering the substantial presence of Lee Yeri in an album devoid of selfies, it was safe to assume that Lee Yena and Lee Yeri were quite close.
Still,
During the past six months, there was no special contact, so I believed, like many siblings do, that “no news is good news”, and that they were probably living their lives well apart.
We ended up facing each other in such a vulnerable state.
I have no idea where to begin or what to do about this situation.
-Sniff.
I remained frozen, holding a fork, when Lee Yeri, sniffling again, started tearing up.
In the suffocating silence filled only with the sound of sniffles, Lee Yeri finally picked up a drumstick, skillfully deboned it with two forks, and placed the meat on the plate in front of me.
“Do you remember, Yena, when you were little, how you always squatted next to me whenever I ate chicken?”
I don’t remember… I just like eating it straight off the bone…
“Uh-huh… did I? Maybe I did…?”
“Yeah, you did. It was before you even went to kindergarten. I used to debone it for you so you wouldn’t get hurt. Don’t you remember?”
“Oh, yeah. I remember. But really, I’m fine now. Just eat, unni…”
Unable to resist Lee Yeri’s insistence as she continued to debone the chicken and place the meat on my plate, I moved my fork and put the chicken in my mouth.
It tasted good.
It really should have tasted good…
But it felt like I was chewing on sand.
I hurriedly ate the chicken, and then picked up the last drumstick and placed it on Lee Yeri’s plate.
And before she could debone another piece, I grabbed a chicken wing and put it on my plate.
“I’ll eat it. It’s fine.”
“Okay. Eat up.”
In the silence that followed, as I chewed on the chicken, I subtly combed my fingers through my hair.
… Just how disheveled did I look?
I hadn’t had a chance to look in the mirror, but I could easily guess that my hair was a mess.
I remembered flinching a bit – just a little, very, very little – when the front door had been violently flung open.
… And though I tried to glare and protest, given Lee Yena’s face and her downcast eyes, it was hard to be menacing…
-Sigh.
I let out a light sigh, only to stop short when I saw Lee Yeri move to hug me, looking hurt.
“It’s… it’s hot! The chicken is hot!”
… Couldn’t I have thought of a better excuse?
Oh… if only the fire alarm would go off. No, better yet, I wish there was a fire.
* * * *
At 29 years old, there were so many words that could describe Lee Yeri.
A lawyer at a large law firm. A graduate of Seoul National University. And although she vehemently denies it, she was everyone’s first love during her school days.
However, in Lee Yeri’s own thoughts, the most important identity that defines her was being her precious younger sister Yena’s older sister.
Under parents who were only interested in boasting about their children’s achievements like medals, she was the late-blooming younger sister who Lee Yeri had to raise in their place.
The little sister who laughed while getting her diapers changed, so small and precious.
That younger sister who had suddenly grown taller than Lee Yeri by 10 centimeters, and their relationship had grown distant since the younger one moved out to her own place, but in her eyes, she was still a child pretending to be an adult.
– Woosh!
Lee Yeri picked up her sister who wanted to tidy up together, tossed her back playfully onto the bed, and then cleaned up the empty chicken box, washed the fork and dishes.
Still, confirming the fact that there was some value in the nagging, she chuckled softly for the first time that day while looking at her younger sibling, who kept glancing nervously towards the kitchen, as if unable to make up their mind.
‘I should have visited more often.’
‘Even though she’s afraid of phone calls, I should have contacted her little by little.’
‘I should have taken care of her more often, treated her to delicious food more often.’
‘Using being busy as an excuse…’
Of course, other than Yeri herself, no one thought that her being busy was just an excuse.
As a third-year attorney at a major law firm, she worked 80 to 90 hours a week, practically living in the office.
*Rrring*
Her phone buzzed as if to show her daily life, and an email popped up on the screen.
『Lawyer Lee,
Are you very busy these days? Thank you for your hard work.
A new case related to your previous work has come in. Please check the attached file and handle it with an appropriate junior colleague.』
‘… Another new task.’
Lee Yeri tidied up her dishes, briefly replied, ‘Yes, I understand’, and gently sat next to her still unsettled younger sister.
“How’s your body feeling these days?”
“I’m fine.”
“Can you show me your wrist?”
“Ah… sure, here.”
Lee Yeri took her younger sister Lee Yena’s hands slowly, lifted her sleeves, examined them with a stern expression, and then lowered the sleeves.
At the very least, there were no new injuries. Exhaling a small sigh of relief, Lee Yeri gently stroked her younger sister’s head.
“What have you been up to these days? Are you still drawing cartoons?”
“Uh… I’ve been playing games a little bit.”
“The one you used to play… what was it called? Are you still into it?”
“Yeah.”
“Is it fun?”
“Y, yeah.”
As if slightly sensing something, Lee Yena, for the first time, answered with a faint smile. Feeling a slight tension in the hand that was stroking her sister’s head, Lee Yeri spoke up.
“I heard from you last time, that game was originally a VR game, right?”
“No, I can do it with the keyboard.”
“… Hey, isn’t that show also coming out in VR?”
Yeri pointed to the monitor with a questioning look.
On the show she had been watching even before Yena ordered chicken, an internet broadcaster was playing a game with VR equipment covering their entire body.
“Well… that’s true, but I can also do well with the keyboard…”
Yeri, who had been smiling while tilting her head slightly at Yena’s vague words, soon replied with a slightly bitter expression.
“… Sure. Now that your sister is making a lot of money, if you really want it, just let me know. Let’s go out together next time. You can teach me how to do it, sister.”
-Brrring.
The phone rang again.
『To Lawyer Yeri,
I apologize for contacting you at this late hour. It is necessary to submit a provisional injunction application by tomorrow.』
“Can I have a brief call?”
“Again… something new.”
Lee Yeri, struggling to contain her rising urge to swear, closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then got up from her seat.
“It’s late, you should rest too. Unnie has stayed too long. Eat well, dress warmly because it’s chilly at night these days. I’ll come visit again next time.”
“Oh, okay. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
“Yeah, take care.”
As they exchanged farewells with a light wave of the hand at the front door, Yena awkwardly smiled and waved back.
Watching her like that, Yeri made a resolution to visit on weekends even if it means cutting down on her sleep time.
* * * *
-Creak. Thud. Ugh.
It was the most challenging hour of my entire life.
Despite the initial shock and the appearance of struggle, I am relieved that I seem to be living quite well in reality.
I should be able to relax now, right? She’s unlikely to come back for another six months, right?
Yeah, that’s right.
… Or is it?
Trying to shake off an inexplicable anxiety, I sat down in front of the computer.
As I always do when I’m feeling unsettled, it’s time for KoK.
I think I won’t be able to bear it without killing a priest.
Turning off all the other broadcasts except for Dodat’s that I had on the radio, I launched KoK.
My alt characters should still be in the lower ranks of Diamond, so with a light heart, I’m ready for a fun game-
《Ah, then how about a 6-player participation queue for the first time in awhile?》
Just as I was about to queue up, I heard an exhilarating sound come through my earphones.
《Auction? Hm~ For the first game, I’ll draw from those who bet on 12 wins earlier. Honestly, that’s kind of pitiful. They just had faith in me.》
《We’re going to play three rounds, so try not to get too excited. Anyway, should I go ahead with the draw?》
At the even more exhilarating sound, I quickly hit Alt-Tab to switch screens.
Since it was such a huge underdog bet, maybe the odds of winning are higher than I thought.
Watching the IDs spin around like a slot machine as I tried to calm my fluttering heart, the screen stopped on a familiar username.
《Okay, let’s see. First up, warm_americano_wanted. Please leave me your KoK ID via whisper.》
I did it!
I made it!!!Repeatedly reminding myself that it was dawn, I struggled to suppress the urge to cheer and was about to send a private message with the ID “부부부부캐” when suddenly,
『Wait. Isn’t this that person?』
『That person?』
『Who is it?』
『N. G?』
『That’s him, dang it.』
『Who’s ‘dang it’?』
『That rogue bug.』
The message has been temporarily blocked and deleted.
《All derogatory terms for rogues are banned. Anyway, is this person ‘dang it’ or not? If you happen to be viewing this now, could you chat with me for a bit?》
The adept manipulator of the screen clicked on my ID to display my chat history on the screen, ready to make it visible when I respond. Ah.
In that case,
『CravingWarmAmericano (dam0729): Let’s go rogue ~ Let’s go rogue ~ Let’s go rogue ~ Let’s go rogue ~ Let’s go rogue ~ Let’s go rogue ~ Let’s go rogue ~』
“CravingWarmAmericano (dam0729): Let’s go rogue ~ Let’s go rogue ~ Let’s go rogue ~ Let’s go rogue ~ Let’s go rogue ~ Let’s go rogue ~ Let’s go rogue ~”
“CravingWarmAmericano (dam0729): Oops! Looks like I lost in this game.”
“CravingWarmAmericano (dam0729): I wonder if the Doddaet teacher from the parallel world who chose the rogue succeeded in promotion?”
“CravingWarmAmericano (dam0729): I heard that Doddaet teacher from the parallel world who chose the rogue was promoted~”
“CravingWarmAmericano (dam0729): When will the rogue be picked? 7th turn”
“CravingWarmAmericano (dam0729): When will the rogue be picked? 12th turn”
“CravingWarmAmericano (dam0729): When will the rogue be picked? 35th turn”
『CravingWarmAmericano(dam0729): Dohaet-ssam, my dog is in a lot of pain, but he wants to see a rogue』
『CravingWarmAmericano(dam0729): Dohaet-ssam, I’m also in a lot of pain, but I also want to see a rogue』
『CravingWarmAmericano(dam0729): Dohaet-ssam, before I die, I want to see a rogue for the last time…10…9…8…』
『CravingWarmAmericano(dam0729): (ASCII art of a rogue’s face)』
『CravingWarmAmericano(dam0729): (ASCII art of a rogue’s dagger)』
『CravingWarmAmericano(dam0729): (ASCII art of a rogue’s face)』
『CravingWarmAmericano(dam0729): (ASCII art of a rogue’s dagger)』
『ChewLOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL』
『Not a single normal chat, why LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL』
『That insane thiefㅊ…』
『Isn’t this user more polite when they’re in the Ark room?』
『How on earth haven’t they been banned yet LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL』
『Do they have some ban-protection talisman on or what』
『This movement alone is mind-blowing lol』
… Seriously, it’s more of an autopsy content than a murder trial, teacher.
《… Would you like to try chatting a bit? CravingWarmAmericano user?》
TL’s Corner:
Okay, I’m back!!! Or at least, I was able to work on Broadcast again.
I have been busy for the past few days. Let’s play KoK!!!