Chapter 06
“Dowon. Be careful walking at night. Watch out for cars, and be careful of strange ladies and men too, okay?”
“Huh? Okay.”
I tilted my head. Shouldn’t that be something you say to my sister? I may look like this, but I’m still a perfectly healthy guy…
‘Ah!’
I looked down at my hands.
They were still small, not fully grown.
‘Still, I learned taekwondo, so it’s not like I got beaten up anywhere.’
It was true that my appearance at this age was a bit androgynous.
‘And I’m skinny too.’
I rubbed my shoulders and arms. It wasn’t like I had no muscle, but they were thin.
A warm voice came from behind me.
“Are you sore somewhere?”
When I turned around, my uncle was massaging my shoulders. I shook my head.
“No.”
“What time is the burial?”
“Ah, they said 5.”
“There aren’t many people, huh. Is it okay if we stay with you all the way until the burial today?”
“You have work, though.”
“I’ll just take a day off.”
They said they’d stay up all night with us. They really were kind people.
‘They helped us back then too.’
Before my regression, they were the only ones who helped us try to recover our family assets.
‘Though we never found them in the end.’
For a moment, anger surged up again. I clenched my fist.
I wanted to make those bald bastards pay right now.
‘No.’
I took a quiet deep breath.
‘Revenge and raising a kid both require planning, Cha Dowon.’
A smile spread across my face. I touched the smartphone in my pocket and looked around. Leftover food mixed with strands of hair caught my eye.
‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’
I started by clearing the table.
“Want help?”
My aunt asked, but I shook my head.
“No.”
I smiled brightly, as if to match the boiling anger inside me.
“I’ll do it.”
Cleaning up trash—this is something I have to do myself.
In this life, I will never let that filth and stench reach my sister.
‘I’ll move forward.’
I might go slowly, but I will never stop.
That’s why I kept smiling.
My mom’s columbarium niche was on the third floor out of five.
‘Having proper adults around really makes this much of a difference.’
While my sister and I were hesitating about where to place her, my aunt gave us helpful advice. My uncle spoke with the manager, and thanks to that, we got a better spot for a similar price.
We placed the still-warm urn on the shelf.
Her final warmth hadn’t faded yet.
It made me let out a bitter smile.
The funeral was over.
As we closed the doors and turned away, my sister finally broke down in tears.
I wiped her eyes and walked slowly beside her.
The marble floor felt unusually smooth.
Back home, I took off my mourning clothes and lay on the bed.
Maybe because I had returned to a place I’d lost long ago, even the room itself felt unfamiliar.
‘We lost this house to those bald bastards.’
Thinking about how they had taken things bit by bit made my anger rise again.
All their talk about being the eldest grandson—it made me unable to just lie still.
I jumped up from the bed.
“Damn it.”
I let out a deep sigh.
‘I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep…’
What should I do?
The answer came quickly.
‘Let’s cook.’
As soon as my sister went into her room, she didn’t move at all.
I recalled the past with a bitter feeling.
Back then, we had ordered delivery food after Mom was gone.
‘It tasted like crap.’
I didn’t want to repeat that again.
I ran into the kitchen. There were enough ingredients in the cupboard.
‘Potatoes, carrots, onions, pork…’
Curry it is.
I skillfully chopped the vegetables and turned on the gas.
I stir-fried the meat and added onions—and then realized something.
There was no rice in the cooker.
‘Oh, come on.’
How could I forget the most important thing?
Just as I hurriedly started washing rice—
Rustle.
My sister came out of her room.
“Cha Dowon. What are you doing?”
I smiled brightly and put the washed rice into the cooker.
“Making food.”
“You?”
“I told you. I’m good at cooking now. You okay with curry?”
She nodded.
Right, she likes curry.
I set the rice cooker timer and mixed the curry powder.
When I turned around, she was staring at me like I was strange.
She pinched her own cheek, then came over and pinched mine too.
“Sis?”
“So this isn’t a dream.”
“That hurts…”
She let go and looked at her hand.
I chuckled.
“Sit down.”
“You didn’t eat something weird, did you? There’s no way you’d act like this.”
From now on, I’ll always be like this.
You know that, right, Miss Cha Sora? I’m actually older than you now.
“Perfect timing. Sis, let’s talk.”
She sat down at the table.
I lowered the heat after adding the curry mix.
“Let’s rent out this house.”
“What?”
Her eyes widened.
“That surprising?”
“I mean… I’ll be in a dorm when I go to university, but where will you live?”
“I’ll go to an agency. Eat and sleep there. They probably provide dorms.”
Her expression twisted completely.
“That audition? Did you pass?”
I smiled brightly.
“Nope! Not yet!”
“Then why are you talking like you’re going already?!”
I tapped my chest.
“I passed.”
“This punk!”
“It’s real. Want to bet? I can feel it.”
“What are you, Mom? Feeling it and all?”
I smirked.
“Anyway, let’s rent it out. We can cover your tuition and keep the house.”
“How much money did Mom leave us?”
“About 100 million won in cash. But med school is six years, so that’ll exceed that, right?”
Probably.
“And I’ll be spending money too. Even if I make it into a debut group, cash will disappear fast.”
She frowned.
“What’s a debut group?”
“Ah, a group that’s set to debut in an agency. Friends Entertainment is big, so even trainees in debut groups get paid.”
That’s what made that company good.
Even with Kang Minje there, I couldn’t give up.
‘Would that be enough for basic living?’
As long as food, shelter, and clothing were covered, it’d be manageable.
“So you’re saying rent the house?”
“No one’s going to live here anyway. It’s a waste. We can store the furniture.”
“Are you okay with losing this house?”
I smiled.
“Wherever you are is my home.”
Her face twisted again.
“Did you really eat something weird…?”
I smiled.
“Think of it as me maturing.”
“People don’t just mature overnight…”
“Handsome guys mature faster.”
“That’s nonsense.”
“That’s true.”
…Wait, that worked?
“So, an idol?”
“Yes. I really want to become one.”
“Isn’t that hard? Like a hundred trainees and only a few debut?”
“Probably.”
I leaned my face close.
“But I’ll be fine.”
“Your breath stinks. Move your face.”
“I’m handsome.”
She scanned me up and down, then sighed deeply.
“Well… yeah.”
Wait—again?
“Anyway, I won’t stop you.”
“Wow. Why?”
“You seem like someone who should be an idol.”
I tilted my head.
“That obsessed with attention.”
“…”
“You danced and sang at the butcher shop just to get free meat.”
Did I?
“And you danced in the market for cheap cabbage during kimchi season.”
I vaguely remember that…
“Don’t avoid eye contact.”
“I don’t recall.”
“What are you, a politician at a hearing?”
I laughed.
“Not just politicians say that!”
“Hey!”
“Still not in a wheelchair either!”
“You little—! Anyway!”
She adjusted her glasses.
“Being an idol sounds fine. Even if only a few make it.”
I bowed.
“Thank you, sis.”
“If you fail, I’ll take care of you.”
…Huh?
“If I become a doctor, I can feed you.”
“Sis…”
“Go for it! Try!”
She suddenly looked incredibly cool.
“Then I’ll have to work hard so your hands don’t get dirty.”
“Oh? And Mom said something too.”
“Huh?”
“She said I should have a job where I deal with blood.”
“That suits you.”
“You should stand on stage.”
That made sense.
I remembered the stage lights and the audience.
“Otherwise, you’ll become a shaman or something.”
“…That I didn’t know.”
No thanks.
“I’d rather be an idol.”
“Do your best.”
I smiled.
“By the way, you said you’d support me.”
Her lips trembled.
“So you’ve decided, right?”
She nodded.
“Dumb, but quick to notice.”
“Guess so.”
“Last question.”
“Ask anything.”
She rubbed her face.
“Can I really go to med school?”
I smiled.
“Yes. Go.”
“Seriously…”
She leaned back with a sigh.
“You go chase your dream too.”
“Worried about leaving a 15-year-old alone…”
“It’s okay.”
I tapped my chest.
“You can trust me.”
“You think I can?”
Her eyes shook.
…Fair point.
“Let’s eat first.”
I stirred the curry.
The rice cooker finished right on time.
“Smells good.”
“Tastes good too.”
“But since when can you cook?”
“I didn’t know. Turns out I can.”
“Is everything like that?”
“Everything works if you just try.”
Well… it works because I already know how.
