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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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A world created from someone’s dream.
Cheon Yoo-hak and Kim Ga-eul’s dreams happened to be similar, so they merged, and since I was there by chance, I was able to naturally take form within their dream.
Then what would happen if I entered the dream of someone I didn’t know, or if I wasn’t involved in the events within the dream even if I knew them?
Would I become someone else, or would I enter in my original form?
The answer was simple.
I couldn’t interfere.
…What the hell.
I couldn’t do anything from the perspective of an observer watching the events unfold from the sky.
It felt like the boundary between me and the dream world was unclear, a strange sensation as if I was a part of the events themselves.
Based on the vague sensations I felt, it wasn’t just because I wasn’t involved in the events, but because Kang So-hyun didn’t exist at this point in time.
However, unlike the previous incident where I could only access the memories shared between Cheon Yoo-hak and me, this time, I could obtain information just by watching.
A man who looked exactly like me was looking at a girl in an orphanage.
She was probably the owner of this dream.
The man was dressed in expensive clothes and was wealthy enough to donate gifts to the children there, while the girl wore ragged clothes and was incredibly thin, as if she hadn’t eaten properly.
They were from completely different worlds, yet they were strangely similar.
Sharp eyes, red pupils, unusual black hair, and a similar sharp demeanor.
The man felt a strange kinship with the girl.
He was told that his wife’s health was poor and that it would be difficult for her to bear children.
‘Perhaps this child could become our child.’
The man thought so and reached out his hand, and the girl, captivated by the black hair she had never seen before besides her own, took his hand.
Kang Hyun-woo, the chairman of Yoo-sung Group, gained a daughter that day and named her Na-hyun.
Rumors would naturally spread if the young chairman of a corporation adopted a child, but he used his power and influence to erase the evidence, and the only thing that remained was the story of his daughter returning after recuperating from an illness.
I could clearly feel their emotions, as if they were my own.
The girl was fascinated.
It felt like magic, how everything around her changed in a single day.
Was it like the fairy tales she had read, where wishes made to the stars came true?
Or was her miserable self a dream, and she had finally awakened from her nightmare?
She soon realized it wasn’t a dream.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, she was quite intelligent for her age.
She had enough sense and knowledge to understand that about half of those who showed her respect were actually looking down on her with disdain.
And she also understood that she couldn’t express her displeasure.
No matter how kind her new parents were, no matter how much they resembled her, they were still strangers until recently.
They were more likely to kick her out than to listen to the whims of a child they had just picked up.
At least, that was what the girl thought.
This was her first turning point.
The scene quickly shifted.
It was probably moving towards the next turning point in her life.
Just one year.
That was how long it took for her to become a part of their family.
The observant and diligent girl endured the subtle disdain and minor bullying, but a child, no matter how resilient, couldn’t endure it forever.
She broke down and cried.
She cried almost every day when she was alone and struggled to hold on.
Yet, she persevered because at least she didn’t starve, and at least her father and mother, excluding the house staff, cherished her.
They were good people.
‘I don’t want to be a burden.’
The child thought so and withdrew further into herself.
She didn’t want to trouble the kind people who had adopted her, and she also thought that she would be scolded if she acted out like she did in the orphanage.
“…Sob.”
So, on that night too, Kang Na-hyun was crying alone.
“Na-hyun, what’s wrong?”
Her heart skipped a beat at the sudden voice.
It was her adoptive mother.
She was caught crying, so she would be questioned.
What excuse should she make? Could she lie? What if she was scolded for not sleeping at night?
Numerous worries filled her head, but they quickly disappeared.
“What’s wrong…? Are you hungry? Or can’t you sleep? It’s okay, you can tell me.”
“Ah…”
It had been so long since she felt a warm touch. No, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t long.
Her adoptive mother often reached out to her, but she couldn’t accept it.
She was scared, so she rejected her.
“Ah, sorry. You don’t like it when I approach you, do you? Then I’ll keep my distance, but could you tell me what’s wrong?”
She smiled playfully and poured warm milk into a glass.
“I added honey to make it sweet. It’ll help you sleep.”
She had lived in the mansion for almost a year, but it was the first time she truly looked at her adoptive mother’s face.
Light ash-gray hair and gentle silver eyes.
She seemed frail and weak, but strangely, when she smiled, she looked mischievous.
As she sipped the warm milk, something within her crumbled.
“…Uh.”
“…Uh?”
“…Waaah…!”
“…Huh!? Are you allergic to honey!? Or is it lactose intolerance!? Honey! What do I do!? Dear…!”
She desperately shook her head, afraid of causing a misunderstanding, and she slowly approached her adoptive mother and cautiously reached out.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, wondering if she should touch her, but the hesitation didn’t last long.
“I’m sorry. I was too scared of being rejected, so I couldn’t bring myself to…”
‘No, it was me who pushed you away.’
“If I knew you were trembling like this, I would have hugged you sooner. I thought you would approach me when you were ready. I’m sorry.”
‘No, I was nothing, yet I received more than I deserved from you.’
“Honey. My honey.”
‘The warmth of your hand was so comforting, but I was afraid of being shameless if I took it. I was afraid that this sudden happiness might disappear one day.’
‘So, I rejected you.’
“I’m sorry. I’m still clumsy, but can I be your mother?”
She wanted to ask the same question.
Did a child who wasn’t even blood-related to her deserve such unconditional love from her?
Could she…
“Mommy…!”
…really call her that?
“Yes, what is it, my daughter?”
It was foolish.
She had been postponing this simple thing for so long, doubting and hurting her.
That night, she told her mother everything that had been bothering me.
The subtle bullying, the strange pranks in her food, and the occasional open mockery.
And her mother, who always seemed gentle and soft, exploded that day.
She held her hand tightly, went to the bedroom, woke up her father, and turned the house upside down.
“Wake up…!”
“W-What!?”
“Call all the house staff…!!!! I’m going to take care of them!”
“No, honey, what’s going on!?”
‘Ah, at least Father was relatively calm. That’s a relief.’
Just as she thought that, Father, after hearing Mother’s explanation, also flipped out.
“Those sons of bitches. I gave them salaries and bonuses, and they…?”
…No, wait, who are you? Is this really Kang Hyun-woo?
I was becoming immersed in the dream, the boundary between me and the world disappearing, but his unexpected behavior snapped me back to reality.
His appearance was the same. He was usually expressionless, that was also true.
But unlike the Kang Hyun-woo I knew who always had a cold and emotionless face, he was enraged here after hearing his wife’s story, ringing the emergency bell and turning the mansion upside down.
“You sons of bitches…! Schken! Schkeeeeeen!!!!”
“Y-Yes! Master!”
“You’re fired…!!!! All of you below Schken…!!!!”
“Y-Yes…!?”
Well, it was a bit excessive, but they seemed like a fun family.
All the house staff gathered and knelt down, and the two who bullied Na-hyun the most begged and cried, but they were fired.
“Let’s sleep together tonight!”
“Yes! We gave her a separate room because we thought that she might be uncomfortable! Not just tonight, let’s always sleep together!”
“…Yes!?”
They were…
…so different from the present.
I roughly guessed the reason.
The person who was there instead of ‘me.’
Probably Kang So-hyun’s mother.
“Na-hyun! Come here!”
“Yes! Mommy!”
“Say ‘Yes, Mommy’!”
“Yes, Mommy!”
…Wow, how could someone with such a frail and innocent face be so playful? It would be exhausting to be around someone that playful.
Anyway, it didn’t seem like a big problem so far, but things would probably unfold differently from here on out.
The scene started to shift rapidly again, but this time, it stopped quickly.
It seemed that her third turning point came relatively quickly.
“…Pregnant?”
“Yes, I took a pregnancy test, and I also went to the OB-GYN recommended by my doctor.”
Kang Hyun-woo dropped his utensils at his wife’s nonchalant announcement during dinner.
It made sense. They started sleeping together a month ago.
Before that, they kept trying without success, so it was possible.
“Your body…?”
“Hmm, they said that it’s more stable than expected, so it should be fine. They told me to eat well, exercise lightly, and relax.”
“Good… No, that’s good. Yeah. It’s good, but can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Why did you get tested without telling me, not give me any time to prepare, and announce it so suddenly during breakfast…?”
“So that you’d be surprised.”
“…Oh, good. I almost had a heart attack for your amusement.”
“Hmm? What else?”
“You should have at least told the chef! Schkeeeeeen!!!! Change the menu to something special…!!!!”
“Haha! It’s fine! You’re so dramatic!”
Among the cheerful family, there was one person…
…who couldn’t smile.
She wasn’t sure what pregnancy meant, but she couldn’t be happy when her mom and dad were so excited.
Her father approached her.
He lifted her up and kissed her cheek.
“Na-hyun! You’re our lucky charm!”
“What is pregnancy…?”
“Ah, I see. Na-hyun might not know. You’re going to have a sibling!”
A sibling.
Honestly, the girl couldn’t be happy at all when she heard those words.
If they had a real, blood-related child, would this kind couple still care about her?
Wouldn’t all the love she had finally gotten used to go to the newborn?
It was natural for her to feel anxious.
Of course, the young girl couldn’t express it concretely yet.
But there was someone who held her hand as she trembled with fear.
It was her mother.
“Na-hyun, you’re scared.”
“Huh?! Uh… no!”
“Huh? We promised not to lie to each other, didn’t we? You’re lying, right? Mommy can be scary when she’s angry.”
“…I’m really not. I was just surprised.”
“Even if your sibling is born, you’re still our daughter. But it seems like you don’t feel that way.”
“Huh?”
“Na-hyun, you can’t think like that. This child is being born because you came to us. Even without that, you’re already precious to us, so don’t think like that.”
Of course, this cheerful family would probably be like that.
But even if they said that, it had only been a year since they met.
Their feelings could change.
“I promise. Even after this child is born, we won’t neglect you.”
It was warm.
The warmth of her hand was the same as the warmth that comforted Na-hyun when she was crying alone that day.
“…Really?”
“Of course! Are you doubting me again? Mommy is sad!”
“Daddy is sad too…!”
“Huh…? Huh?”
“This won’t be resolved without a kiss.”
“We’ll keep sulking if Na-hyun doesn’t give us a kiss!”
I had to snap out of it after seeing that.
…Why did this cheerful family become the way it was in the present? Was it really because of me?
“Kiss!”
…They actually did it. So, that was their personality when they were young.
I didn’t really want to see this side of Noona. I didn’t mean to see it, but I’m sorry for peeking.
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T/N – Oh wow. I have a feeling this happy family won’t be so happy in the next chapter. I wonder what happened? The mother clearly died, but from the snippets in the earlier chapters, she died when So-hyun was already born, so it’s not due to complications during childbirth.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
