Chapter 206 – The First, the First Saint’s Choice
‘I’ll do anything for money… I’ll turn myself in to an organized crime group.’
Among the Internet articles I check out of habit, I fidget with my phone, drawn to a particularly catchy title.
This is a trivial story that surprised even the police who were worried about the sudden surrender of a violent gang.
The public did not even pay attention to the article, which contained a dying ember and an unprovoking issue.
As expected, Noah’s work-handling skills must be recognized.
I never thought they would have organized it so neatly.
Han Tae-hee, the main culprit of the incident, was forgotten by the world with her mind completely broken.
The scumbags who harassed Hye-mi’s sister are judged for the crimes they have committed.
From our perspective, this is the best finish.
If the public became interested in this, Hye-mi could become tired again.
I didn’t want that much, and Hye-mi didn’t seem to want to give up her freedom.
So, let’s end the Han Tae-hee incident here and leave it as a sin and judgment that only we know about.
I am satisfied with just getting her sister Hye-mi’s life back.
“Whoa…”
I stuff my cell phone and hands, which have become cold in the suddenly cold weather, into my pockets.
When she exhales softly, the frozen frost creates her hazy fog,
The moisture from the fog that sticks to the skin evaporates at body temperature and flies away in an instant.
That time when I was smiling like a child at the natural shape and looking at the sky.
“It’s space.”
A voice that opened the tightly closed door called me shyly.
“Sister Hyemi.”
Wear a warm jacket, a scarf, and pants that reveal the lines of your legs.
She trimmed her long, shaggy hair that went past her shoulders.
She approached me with a familiar look and said, smiling as if she was embarrassed.
“…Your hair is a little awkward now that it’s short again. How do you feel?”
“It suits you very well.”
The older sister, smiling as if waiting for the answer, pulled up her scarf and covered her face.
“You can’t hide again after saying you want to come out for a long time. Come here, sister.”
“…Huh!”
When she stretched out her hand toward the returned light, her sister happily held her hand.
Today was the day to give my older sister, who gave me courage again, a chance and a humane life.
But honestly, she was a little surprised.
I never would have thought that Hye-mi would make an appointment first, saying, ‘I want to go out and play.’
Of course I was surprised, but at the same time I was relieved and most of all, I was happy.
Hye-mi, who was always bright and cheerful, seemed like the girl I knew had returned.
“Sister, then what do you want to do today? It’s been a while since we went out, so you can do whatever you want.”
“Really? Then the whole universe is shooting up today? Is there a lot of money in the universe?”
“Well, it’s not that much to expect, but…”
“Ahaha, just kidding, kidding! Now then, let’s go to the arcade over there first!”
In an instant, my older sister, who took the initiative from me, walked towards her busy street, pulling my hand.
She was bright enough to be seen by someone who had been afraid to leave her room until three days ago.
Hyemi noona surprises me twice with her incredible high tension and amazing resilience.
My older sister dragged me into the arcade filled with colorful lights, her eyes sparkling with mystery.
“…I’ve lived around here for almost 10 years, but this is my first time here.
“It’s loud and bright, so I guess that’s why people like it here.”
“…Are you okay? If you feel uncomfortable because there are a lot of people, start somewhere quiet…”
“No, I meant that I really like it? Look at that! That doll is so cute!”
Before I can say anything, Hye-mi pulls my hand vigorously and runs to the shooting range.
At the BB gun shooting range, where numerous dolls and toys are displayed as prizes, my sister immediately turns her head.
“Woowoo, you shot a gun in the military, right? So are you good at this too?”
“…I’ve never fired anything except once at a training camp. And there’s a lot of difference between live ammunition and BB bullets.”
“Ah~ So you can shoot well or you can’t shoot? Let’s stop making excuses and give it a try!”
My older sister, who seemed to be starting her engine, put her fluttering bills into her machine.
Hye-mi gestures in front of her unlocked gun with a clunk sound.
She sighs and, with a faint smile, grabs her gun for the first time in a long time.
As expected, it was an unfamiliar feeling. Why do I get so nervous just by holding a gun?
My aim was hopeless not only during training but also when playing FPS games for fun with friends.
Even though it was a BB gun, it didn’t make much of a difference. Almost all of the beans missed and rolled on the floor.
Only four shots hit the target accurately.
What I was left with was a miserable grade, almost like last place, and a 5th place prize.
A machine that spits out the key to the product case from below, as if laughing at a day like this.
The moment I picked up the key and vowed to never pick up a gun again, my sister finished the game.
“Oh, I didn’t get a single hit!”
“You saw it too, right? This is definitely not easy.”
“Okay, okay! By the way, what did you win? If you get 5th place…”
Following Hyemi’s gaze, I look at the shabby, small case underneath the large rabbit doll.
What was inside was a keychain and a quality doll that you could buy for 1,000 won at a stationery store.
“…”
I open the case with the key I managed to get and hand the small doll inside to Hye-mi.
“…Ac, all you have to do is play one more game, right? I think I know the trick now.
You want that rabbit doll, right? “Just wait a moment, I’m just going to leave here…”
The moment I couldn’t bear the heat rising to my face and took out a bunch of bills from my wallet.
“No, that’s enough.”
“Huh?”
“I like this one more cutely. Hehe…”
My older sister, who was holding the small key chain tightly with both hands, smiled and shook her head.
After fiddling with her keychain quietly for a moment, my sister puts it in her bag and shouts brightly:
“Now something else! I want to try that too!”
She scratches her head as she chases her older sister, who is scurrying toward another arcade machine.
The expression on my sister’s face as she just touched the keychain felt vaguely familiar.
I don’t know if it’s because of her mood, but she has an expression that I haven’t seen even when we went to school together…
“Nowadays, even arcades have 4D experience centers… Woojoo, hurry up! Let’s try this!”
“Oh, yes.”
She put the unfamiliar yet familiar expression of her older sister to the corner of her head for a moment and hurried her steps.
My older sister played with all the equipment in the small arcade, but she did not show any sign of fatigue.
We laughed while enjoying everything from the 4D experience center to whack-a-mole, shooting games, and coin karaoke.
He spent time with me smiling happily, as if he had forgotten all the loneliness and pain of the past.
“Ha, it’s been a while since I had so much fun…”
“I’m glad you had fun, because you spent all the cash you pulled out.”
“Really? Then shall we take a break next time? Or should I go to a meat restaurant since I need to eat soon?”
“Anything, do whatever you want, sister.”
“Then drink! Let’s drink soju with pork belly! Uhehe!!”
“Sister, wait a minute…! Stop running and walk around! You’ve been running for two hours already…?”
My older sister, who enjoyed everything at the arcade, runs away like a cat that found a new toy.
Her body is exhausted from being dragged along by Hyemi’s older sister, but her mood becomes lighter.
Her steps follow her automatically as she smiles faintly at the nostalgic sensation she has felt for the first time in a long time, almost a year.
She walked down the street holding her older sister’s hand, and ran until she reached a place below the school she attended.
It was a famous meat restaurant in the downtown area below the school I was attending.
“Wow, look at the customers lining up for dinner… I’m going to have to wait two hours for this…”
“So, sister, if you want to go here, can you make a reservation and hang out some more somewhere else and then come back?”
“No, it doesn’t matter if it’s not here. Umm… How about here?”
It was a small pub in the alley next to the meat restaurant where people were lined up.
“Chicken? Not bad for dinner, is everything okay, sister?”
“Yeah, it’s okay. Let’s go here.”
A quiet pub where people usually go to enjoy a second drink after a light drink.
We enter a bar where young students, office workers, and people of all ages are mixed.
“Boss, please give me a whole chicken and two 500cc beers!”
“Drinking right away without even filling your stomach? Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“It’s okay, it’s okay! I’m going to fill my stomach with chicken right away anyway!”
A room with a nice mix of the smell of oil and the scent from old furniture.
Hye-mi, who seems even more excited after entering this room, takes off her outer clothes.
As soon as I packed my bags and sat down, basic snacks and cold beer were served immediately.
Hyemi took one of the snacks and ate it, then immediately raised her glass and offered it to me.
“Already?”
“Yes, yum~”
Visor!
Beer glasses clink together with a cool sound, and Hyemi noona immediately starts drinking her drink.
A quiet room filled with the refreshing sound of a leap, a leap, going down my sister’s throat.
Hyemi, who drank almost half as soon as she started, wipes the corners of her mouth with a heavy breath.
“Puha… Hehe, it’s so much fun. I’m so happy playing with the universe like this.”
The voice that came out of the pink, alcohol-soaked lips was a little subdued.
My sister looks at the water droplets on the glass with her mouth still smiling and her eyes with a different atmosphere.
“Thank you, Universe.”
“…Well, I still have more to do, but thank you already… Don’t eat too much here.
“I have to go to the third round later, so you have to stay calm until then, right?”
“…Yes! That’s right!”
“…Just…”
“Oh, ah, boss!”
A whole chicken suddenly appeared in the relaxed atmosphere like a dim light.
The owner approached us without a sound and was quietly observing our mood.
“…Have I come at a good time?”
“Oh, no! Hey, boss! Gulp…Gulp…Puh-ha! Here’s one more 500cc drink, please!”
My sister accepted the steaming plate of whole chicken, drank all the remaining alcohol, and then
With my tension heightened, I handed the empty glass to the owner and ordered the next drink, and the next drink.
“Oh, I knew it would be like this…! So, take it easy!”
“Ehehe, I’m sorry~ But what do you think of Gibini?”
As expected, it was definitely different.
Hye-mi, who was pouring beer into her stomach without stopping, ended up getting drunk on her third glass.
Leaky pronunciations flow from her tongue, which has become loose, and my older sister’s legs, which she carries on me, shake happily.
My older sister, who was just smiling with her face pressed against my back, is pressing her mouth to her mouth while letting out a single sigh.
“Yes~ The universe takes me to the universe~”
“Sister, can you hear me? Nu… Ugh…”
She walks down her path with her older sister jumping around with excitement like a child playing on her father’s back.
Her gaze falls on her older sister, who is already drunk and making a fuss even though it’s not too late.
But she doesn’t pay any attention to her sister and just hums her song and rests her chin on my shoulder.
That’s a big problem. First, I think I’ll have to go out to a bigger street and catch a taxi.
My sister is in no condition to walk, so I’m going to her motel today…
“…Ugh, not there, this way…”
“Sister?”
“…He said he would let me do whatever I want today… So today, not at my house, but here.”
The moment I was about to turn towards her main street, my sister whispered softly in my ear.
With a voice filled with a little bit of shame, excitement, and the smile you always gave.
The place my older sister pointed to was a familiar road, although it was opposite the main road.
This is a road I have walked before while carrying my sister on my back.
As I walked along the road, deceived by its familiarity, I came across a motel.
The motel she had once entered with her drunken sister.
The place where my first saint was born, where my older sister wore her mask.
“…Sister? Sister, no way…”
I’m not stupid either.
The smile I saw today, and the meaning of the place I’m standing in front of right now.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Sister, do you remember…?”
“…”
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