LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 187
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 187
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Job: Orphan
Favorability: 0
Favorite conversation topics: Mom/Teddy Bear/I Will Definitely Come Back./I wasn’t abandoned./Fairy Tale/Prince.
Disliked conversation topics: Orphan/Abandonment/Loneliness/Bad Words
The way I met the novel’s hero was quite unique.
After all, I didn’t expect to meet him underneath the bridge.
A silver-haired boy catching his breath underneath the bridge where dirty water flowed.
He clutched a teddy bear tightly, looking almost like a girl, but since the name “Mikhail” belonged to only one silver-haired boy I knew, I could be certain.
The boy in front of me was the hero “Mikhail,” who would become the strongest character in the latter part of the novel.
I was flustered.
It was impossible not to be.
Who would’ve thought the novel’s hero would be lying in a shabby slum?
Although the novel mentioned in a single line that Mikhail was of slum origin, it never specified he came from the capital’s slum, so I was quite surprised.
The story about being abandoned by his mother or being taken in by a nunnery where he learned swordsmanship was detailed enough, but his time in the slum was so briefly mentioned that it left me quite bewildered.
“What the…”
Excluding the Young Lady, this was the first time I was meeting one of the main characters in the novel.
“Is this a fortuitous encounter?”
Though I had seen the protagonist, Yuria, once, it wasn’t enough to count as a proper meeting, so I skipped over it. This was the first time I was truly meeting a main character.
“Oh…”
I poked the sleeping Mikhail with a tree branch.
“Did I finish him off?”
“…”
It’d be a problem if I actually did.
“Mom…”
Fortunately, hearing Mikhail’s sleep-talking as he breathed reassured me, and I let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew… Thank goodness. But why are you like this, scaring people?”
I stared at Mikhail, who was clutching his teddy bear tightly, and fell into deep thought.
His complexion looked like he hadn’t eaten for days.
His clothes were filthy and ragged.
I was certain.
This kid was a beggar.
As I wondered what to do next, selfish thoughts of how to benefit from this encounter began swirling in my mind.
“Mikhail, huh…”
The Undefeated Sword Saint who wielded the Holy Sword and slaughtered demonic beasts.
How meaningful would it be to have someone like that owe me a debt?
Realizing that my grand plan to naturally befriend Mikhail at the Academy and reap the scraps of fortune had taken a step forward, I nodded in satisfaction.
No matter what, one thing remained unchanged.
“Ah… A fortuitous encounter acquired.”
The fact that I had stumbled upon an incredible fortuitous encounter.
How fun would it be?
Living a homeless life alongside the novel’s hero, that is.
I could watch the hero’s growth up close, and if luck was on my side, I might even follow Mikhail to the nunnery with pretty older sisters. Plus, becoming Mikhail’s best friend might allow me to date the beautiful women he rejected…
Wearing a satisfied smile, I squatted in front of Mikhail. Then, I started poking his cheek with a tree branch to check if he was alive.
“Are you dead or alive?”
“…”
“Don’t die. That’d be troublesome for me.”
“Mom…”
“You’re alive.”
About 30 minutes passed.
Mikhail’s golden eyes slowly began to reveal themselves.
The moment the golden eyes described in the novel appeared beneath his eyelids, I waved my hand slightly and greeted him.
“Mom…”
“I’m not your mom.”
I discarded the tree branch and pressed Mikhail’s cheek with my finger, checking one last time to see if this was a dream.
The soft texture I felt confirmed it.
“It’s real…”
“…”
“This really is a fortuitous encounter, right?”
“…Mom?”
“I’m not your mom, nor your dad… Hmm.”
Smiling at Mikhail, I said,
“Then, am I your brother?”
I extended my hand toward Mikhail and said,
“Nice to meet you.”
“…”
“My name is Lee Minhyuk.”
Startled, Mikhail quickly moved his body and hid beneath the pillar. I wasn’t sure why he was making such a fuss when I hadn’t done anything, but since I prided myself on making a good first impression, I smiled kindly at him to calm him down.
“Hello!”
“…”
Mikhail clutched his giant teddy bear tightly and glared at me. Though his gaze, which seemed to scream “classist,” annoyed me, I endured it with the patience of an elder.
We stared at each other for a long time.
The rain, which showed no signs of stopping, only deepened the silence between us, and Mikhail, like a drenched stray cat, bristled defensively.
Awkwardly withdrawing my outstretched hand, I spoke to Mikhail.
“It’s awkward since it’s our first meeting, right? It’s awkward for me too.”
“…”
“Could you at least respond? I may not look it, but I’m quite shy, and this is really embarrassing.”
“…”
“Well, I guess it’s not something you care about.”
After another 30 minutes passed, unable to bear the awkwardness, I laid down the cardboard box tucked under my arm and said,
“This is a bed. Jealous?”
“A box isn’t a bed.”
“Oh my, someone’s picky.”
Seeing Mikhail finally respond, I gave him a small smile.
Knowing everything about him made me cautious in approaching him.
I could make a slip of the tongue.
If I approached him recklessly as if I knew him, Mikhail, who was already highly wary, might draw a line.
So, I sat a little distance away from Mikhail and carefully observed him.
Hunting for fortuitous encounters required meticulous effort, so I began analyzing my prey’s behavior.
-Growl…
I immediately figured out what my prey wanted.
Rummaging through my pocket, I pulled out a cookie I had stolen from a bakery. Seeing the edible food, Mikhail’s eyes grew larger.
Watching Mikhail gulp, I said softly,
“Do you want it?”
“…”
“I’ve had plenty to eat, so I don’t need it.”
“…”
Clutching his teddy bear tightly, Mikhail began taking hesitant steps toward me.
As he cautiously approached, ready to bolt at any sudden movement, I gave him an awkward smile and asked in a small voice as he reached for the cookie,
“You still haven’t told me your name…”
“I’m not going to tell you.”
“Don’t you want the cookie?”
“…Gulp.”
Mikhail began to step away from me, one step at a time.
‘Wow, he’s overly scrupulous.’
The Mikhail from the novel was incredibly sweet and considerate, but whether it was due to ingrained gender discrimination or personality reconstruction at the nunnery, he rarely showed me any warmth.
“Just eat it.”
I handed over the precious cookie to Mikhail and spoke curtly.
“Then I’ll just call you ‘Hey’.”
With cookie crumbs all over his mouth, Mikhail answered without looking at me.
“Do as you like.”
“Haha… This isn’t easy.”
The rain continued to fall.
After finishing the cookie, Mikhail curled up again in the corner of the pillar, and the teddy bear he clung to began to get soaked.
‘He’s going to catch a cold like that.’
“Achoo.”
‘Called it.’
Mikhail’s body temperature began to drop gradually.
As if the teddy bear were the most precious thing in the world, Mikhail showed no intention of letting it go. Whenever I looked at the teddy bear, he hugged it tighter to his chest, guarding it fiercely.
Seeing Mikhail’s gaze, as if I were some kind of pervert, I let out an empty laugh and said,
“I’m not going to steal it.”
“…”
“I prefer curvy older women to teddy bears.”
“…”
“If you keep holding onto that, you’re going to catch a cold. Just put it down for a bit.”
Mikhail didn’t trust my words at all.
Watching him keep his guard up against me, not knowing how kind and polite I actually was, made me feel like I had swallowed a frustrating situation.
Even as someone possessed who could endure a fair amount of cold, I couldn’t imagine how cold this kid must be.
Looking at Mikhail’s lips, which were turning pale, I removed the cardboard box I had been covering myself with and said,
“You’re going to catch a cold like that.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“You’re awfully rude.”
“You’re ruder.”
“Fair enough.”
Mikhail didn’t lose a single argument and ignored my words.
Honestly, I wanted to return to a warm place, but I couldn’t just leave this kid behind….
Though this spot wouldn’t flood as long as the rain didn’t get too heavy, the lack of safety made it hard to leave him alone.
I let out a deep sigh and sat near Mikhail, passing the time.
Even as night fell.
Even when Mikhail woke up because of passing bugs.
I dusted off the dirt from my seat, caught the bugs for him, and sat far away again. I simply stayed near Mikhail, trying to ease his fear.
Underneath the bridge, I made a small bonfire and said to Mikhail,
“Ta-da. Look at this.”
Though Mikhail’s expression showed surprise at how I managed to make a bonfire on a rainy day, I shrugged and smiled.
Possessors were always well-prepared.
I gestured toward Mikhail and said,
“Your name. Are you still not going to tell me?”
“…”
“You’re really difficult.”
What should I do with this fortuitous encounter?
I looked up at the night sky after the rain had stopped, closed my eyes, and stayed by Mikhail’s side until his trembling breaths turned into soft, steady ones.
And so, morning came.
“Cough… Cough…”
As expected, Mikhail had caught a cold.
“Idiot. I told you to put it down and sleep.”
-Shake, shake.
“Ugh.”
I took care of Mikhail.
To bring down his rising fever, I picked up a towel from the trash heap and placed it on his head.
“Get that filthy thing off me!”
Thanks to Mikhail’s dog-like personality, I struggled in vain but slowly began to extend my hand toward him.
Mikhail still didn’t tell me his name.
He simply stayed silent, dragging his sick body up onto the bridge and clutching his teddy bear tightly.
“What are you doing?”
“…”
“Ugh, I give up.”
“Why are you sitting next to me?”
“You’ve got a fever.”
“…”
Like a puppy waiting for its master, Mikhail sat forlornly, staring across the bridge.
Though I pretended not to notice, I could tell who Mikhail was waiting for.
And I also knew how this waiting would end.
That’s why I said to Mikhail,
“Let’s go.”
“…”
“I know a warm place.”
“Don’t force me when you don’t know anything.”
“Is that so.”
I stayed by Mikhail’s side.
Occasionally meeting a young lady to earn some money.
-Damn it! Where were you yesterday!
-You didn’t show up.
-I was late because I was grabbing an umbrella!
-Is that so. You should’ve come earlier. I made an umbrella out of cardboard.
-You’re the one who left early. Here! Take this.
-What is it?
-An umbrella!
I returned underneath the bridge and stayed with Mikhail.
Sometimes, I saved Mikhail from being swept away by the river water and scolded him for his foolishness.
“Are you crazy!”
“…”
“Are you so desperate to die…!”
“…”
“Do you know how worried I was…! With all this rain, why were you even there!”
“I’m sorry…”
“Sigh… You almost died.”
Slowly, Mikhail began to open his heart to me.
Very slowly, little by little.
Though he didn’t leave the bridge, he started talking to me and even began to play jokes like a normal kid.
“What’s your name?”
“Me…?”
Mikhail fidgeted with his fingers as he looked at me. After biting his lip in hesitation, he smiled faintly and spoke.
“I’m Mikhail.”
He thought of the cool protagonist from the fairy tale book his mother had read to him.
Mikhail had lied.
“My name is Mikhail.”
Because he wanted to appear strong.
And because he wished his mother would call his name for the first time.
Mikhail had lied.