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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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A kind person. Generally, someone who listens well, isn’t easily angered, and smiles more often than not.
These people typically don’t get angry easily.
While some might suppress their anger, most “kind” people simply had a higher threshold for anger or very specific triggers.
Simply put, they rarely got angry, which meant when they did get angry, it meant a line had been crossed.
While the nature and severity of these lines varied by individual, a common trigger for kind people was being taken advantage of, being treated poorly under the assumption that their kindness made them a pushover.
Blue, gripping her sister-in-law’s arm, glared at her with an intensity she’d never shown before.
“Everyone, go to your rooms.”
Ho-yeong, who’d already gone to his room, was the only exception. The two older children, sensing the tension, went to their rooms. Blue and her sister-in-law were now alone in the entryway, and her sister-in-law continued to glare at Blue, even in this situation.
“Are you crazy? Let go of me!”
“You were the one who tried to hit me. Why should I let go?”
People who bottled up their anger tended to explode when it finally surfaced.
It wasn’t that they were suppressing their anger; they often didn’t even register the initial annoyances. They might have noticed, but they’d dismissed them as insignificant.
But these minor annoyances accumulated, escalating unnecessarily, and it was always the actions of those who crossed the line that triggered the outburst.
“I was wondering if you’d yell at Ho-yeong as soon as we got back, even with the children here.”
Blue’s usually gentle and melodious voice was now sharp, the air around her cold and heavy, like her name.
Her eyes, usually warm and calm like a tranquil sea, were now as cold and sharp as icicles.
“I told myself I wouldn’t hold back this time if you did. I never thought you’d actually try to hit me.”
She wasn’t particularly tall, barely reaching 155cm, looking up slightly at her sister-in-law, who was around 160cm, but the smaller Blue was the one dominating the atmosphere.
“So you’ve finally lost it, huh? Talking back to me.”
Her sister-in-law, sensing her own disadvantage but refusing to back down, tried to regain control, but her gaze faltered when she met Blue’s eyes.
“Ten years. I’ve been taking care of the children and doing the housework in this house for ten years. What have you been doing?”
Blue’s sharp words left her speechless. She could have yelled and screamed, but Blue’s words had struck a nerve.
“When Ho-yeong couldn’t even walk, did you ever change his diaper, even once?”
Blue’s emotions were escalating, the years of pent-up frustration threatening to overwhelm her, but she held on, her voice steady as she recounted the events of the past decade.
“Before our oldest started elementary school, he had a high fever. I called 119 in the middle of the night, and it was chaos, but you were out drinking with your friends.”
Blue had been solely responsible for raising the three boys and knew everything about them. Her sister-in-law, who’d shirked her parental duties, knew next to nothing about her own children.
“Do you even know our second child is allergic to eggs? You bought him snacks the other day, didn’t you? I’ve been so careful with his diet, trying to manage his allergies.”
“Taking care of the children is your job! I’m the one bringing in the money!”
She yelled, but even she knew
her words lacked conviction.
“Bringing in the money? What do you do besides going to your husband’s company, sitting in a chair, and being called ‘madam’?”
Blue’s brother ran a small company, and her sister-in-law, after marrying him, had quit her previous job and taken a position at his company, doing little more than occupying a seat.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know anything because I don’t go out and meet people?”
In a shared living space, information traveled. Blue had learned about her sister-in-law’s reputation at the company through overheard conversations and snippets of the children’s chatter.
“Are you threatening a civilian? Don’t you know superhumans aren’t allowed to harm civilians?!”
“Are civilians allowed to harm superhumans?”
Blue’s grip tightened on her sister-in-law’s arm. She’d endured countless verbal abuses, and now, her sister-in-law had tried to physically assault her, only to be stopped by Blue.
“I’ll be honest. Taking care of the children? It wasn’t difficult at all.”
She hadn’t found raising the three boys, from the oldest to the youngest, over the past ten years, difficult. She’d enjoyed watching them grow and had seen their boisterous energy as a fleeting moment of childhood, something to be cherished.
While there were tiring moments, both physically and mentally, she’d never blamed the children.
“The only thing that was difficult in the past ten years was your incessant nagging, your tantrums, your bullshit.”
Blue’s pent-up frustration finally erupted in a harsh word. While it might not seem like a curse word, the impact of harsh language varied by individual.
For Blue, who always spoke gently and politely, the word “bullshit” was unusually strong and harsh. And her sister-in-law had pushed her to this point.
Blue hadn’t fully realized she was being gaslighted. There had been moments of doubt, but she hadn’t had time to process them. Her trip with A had given her the clarity she needed.
A had listened and offered the minimal guidance she needed.
He hadn’t dictated her path; the choice was hers, and Blue knew that.
If he’d tried to offer solutions and tell her what to do, she would have been even more confused.
But his simple question, “What do you want to do?”, had made her think, and her thoughts had become choices.
And once she had choices, the decision was easy.
She felt strangely calm.
“You superhuman bitch, you’re supposed to do as you’re told!”
Her sister-in-law tried to hit Blue with her other hand, but Blue caught her arm and twisted it.
“Kyaa!”
Blue coldly looked down at her sister-in-law, who’d collapsed with a scream. She knew the children were listening and that this wasn’t good for them.
But this was the first time in 10 years that Blue had acted for herself, and she wasn’t about to stop.
“Yes, I’m a superhuman, as you said. I didn’t ask for this, but I’m not like you; I have superhuman strength.”
“!!!”
She twisted her sister-in-law’s arm further, and she let out a whimper, unable to even scream.
“Did you really think you could hit me?”
The power dynamic between the two women had completely shifted. The sister-in-law, who had considered herself superior, now felt humiliated, angry, and defeated.
Blue felt nothing. Just a sense of accomplishment, having finally acted on her own volition, and a realization of how easy it had been.
The tense silence in the entryway was broken by the sound of the door unlocking.
Blue’s brother, returning from work, saw the scene before him and his eyes widened.
“Oppa.”
Seeing her brother, Blue’s resolve wavered, her grip loosening, and her sister-in-law, seizing the opportunity, hid behind her husband.
“Honey, get rid of her! Look what she did to me!”
Blue couldn’t meet her brother’s eyes. While she’d made up her mind, he was still her family, the one who’d taken her in.
She felt a pang of guilt towards her brother, who had been like a father figure to her after their parents’ death.
Her brother looked at Blue, then spoke in a low voice,
“Let’s talk inside.”
He hadn’t changed. Blue had known he’d been walking on eggshells around his wife, which had made her assume he wouldn’t be on her side.
But she’d been wrong. He’d been waiting for her to speak, to take action. He hadn’t been ignoring her; he’d been waiting for her to finally stand up for herself.
Blue’s brother led his wife to the bedroom and sat down with her to talk.
Blue recounted everything she’d been feeling, every incident, every verbal abuse and humiliation she’d endured from her sister-in-law in his absence.
As she spoke, Blue saw her brother’s expression darken. She’d never seen him so angry, her brother, who had a gentle and warm personality just like hers.
“So, I’m leaving.”
Blue finally stated her conclusion. She wanted to live independently, to be responsible for her own life.
“Do you have enough money to find a place?”
While Blue hadn’t paid rent or taxes while living with her brother, she’d devoted all her time to childcare, and her superhuman salary had gone towards the household expenses. With only a small amount of savings, she shook her head.
“Not right now, but that’s my plan.”
“Wait.”
Her brother went into the bedroom. They heard their wife’s sharp voice, but he didn’t respond. He came back out and handed Blue a bankbook and a card.
“?”
Blue stared blankly at the old, faded bankbook, unsure of its origin.
“I opened a savings account for you when you were young. It matured two months ago, and I’ve been holding onto it.”
Giving her the money now would be pointless if she had nowhere to use it. He’d planned to give it to her when she needed it, and that time had come.
“I’ve been adding to it, including your unpaid wages for the housework over the past 10 years. It might not be enough, but I’ve tried my best.”
His quiet voice echoed in the silent apartment, and Blue listened without interrupting.
“I’m sorry for not saying anything. I didn’t know everything that was going on, but my ignorance is my fault.”
Her brother, who’d been unsure of what was right or wrong, regretted his indifference towards his younger sister and apologized sincerely.
“It’s okay. I’ve never blamed you, Oppa.”
They smiled at each other.
“When are you leaving?”
“I’m planning to leave this week. I need to find a temporary place to stay first.”
While the children were there, there was no reason for Blue to stay any longer.
There had never been a reason for her to be trapped in this cycle of servitude.
She was finally free to live her own life.
“What are you going to do?”
Blue leaving meant there would be no one to take care of the children. And honestly, he didn’t think his wife was capable of handling it.
“I’ll figure it out. You just focus on yourself.”
“Okay.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t care. He just wanted Blue to focus on herself for now. The children were his and his wife’s responsibility, and he didn’t want to burden his sister any further.
His past neglect wouldn’t be erased by this, of course. But people changed, and acknowledging your mistakes and trying to atone for them was a part of life.
Taking on the burden he’d placed on his sister for the past 10 years was the first step towards redemption, even though Blue hadn’t blamed him.
“Did you enjoy the trip?”
“Yes. Ho-yeong had fun, and so did I.”
“That’s good.”
They talked like they used to, like siblings.
While their situation was complicated and their journey had been long, at least they were slowly finding their way back to each other.
Blue went to her room after their conversation, locked the door, and lay down on the bed.
She stared blankly at the ceiling, then, as if suddenly remembering something, turned on her phone and sent a message.
[What are you doing?]
Her heart felt lighter, a burden lifted.
And with a sense of peace she hadn’t felt in a long time, she texted A.
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