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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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And as time began to flow rapidly again, the boundary between the hazy world and myself started to become clearer.
But my senses were still dull, and my body wouldn’t move properly.
“…Uh… Aub?”
Oh, ‘What the hell’ came out as “Aub.”
My tongue was… thick? Or maybe the muscles weren’t responding.
“Euba.”
Yeah, that must be it.
“Look at him. He can’t even open his eyes yet.”
It was the girl’s voice, one that was now familiar to me.
“…This is my brother? What’s wrong with him? He’s not cute at all. He’s all wrinkly.”
“Na-hyun, babies are like this when they’re born…”
“…Really? The babies I saw on TV were all fluffy.”
“So-hyun will be like that soon too.”
…Ah, I think this was it.
“Aub.”
“But the books said babies cry. Why isn’t he crying? Is he okay?”
“…You’re right. The doctor said he was fine, but he’s a bit quiet.”
Waaah. I’m baby So-hyun. I’m screwed.
…But how could a baby’s first words be “What the hell?”
“Ah, me too! I want to hold him too.”
“Ah, is your body okay?”
“Yes, I feel a bit dizzy and heavy, but I think I’m okay.”
Someone lifted me up, but I couldn’t resist with my current body.
I felt something warm envelop me.
“So-hyun~ It’s Mommy.”
-Ha-neul~
…Ah, so that was it. I wasn’t sure before because I couldn’t see yet, but I understood now. It was So-hyun’s mother.
We were technically meeting for the first time, but being in her arms didn’t feel that awkward, perhaps because I saw her in my sister’s dream, or perhaps because we were blood-related, even if it was just physically.
“…Why is he so quiet? He’s not even crying.”
“Uub.”
“You’re right. But the doctor said he was fine, so he must be. You worked hard too, so get some rest.”
Hmm, but it was strange.
Why wasn’t he crying?
The dream, not me, still controlled my body.
Even so, it was normal for a baby to cry right after being born.
I actually had a guess.
Kang So-hyun at Cheon Yoo-hak’s birthday party, and even now, had shown too mature of a behavior that was impossible for a ‘character.’
Well, the answer was obvious since this newborn baby’s first words were “What the hell.”
Combining the evidence so far narrowed down the possibilities.
I didn’t know the exact cause, but it seemed ‘I’ was already possessing Kang So-hyun at this point.
It was more plausible that I lost my memories for some reason than that Kang So-hyun was originally designed as this kind of character and then died without doing anything.
And if this assumption was correct, it also provided some answers about the memories beyond the noise.
Though I wasn’t completely certain yet.
“It’s not coming out.”
Ah, the scene changed while I was thinking.
“Mommy, what’s not coming out?”
“Breast milk. I always wanted to breastfeed my baby.”
…Huh?
“Hmm, I’ve been massaging them since I was pregnant, but why isn’t it coming out? Some people can’t produce milk, not because of blockage, but because of their constitution.”
“…You were planning to breastfeed even though your health is poor?”
“I researched it! They said that breastfeeding is good for bonding between mother and child. And it’s also a problem if there’s too much.”
I really don’t want that, though…
No, it wasn’t that I didn’t want it, it was just embarrassing.
I had to… suck on the breast of a woman I barely knew, at my age?
A woman with beautiful, colorful hair approached me and held me in her arms.
The lukewarm, warm human touch felt good, but it brought back more bad memories than good ones.
Perhaps because my situation wasn’t very good whenever someone held me.
The day my biological mother abandoned me.
When I was isolated and acted like a fool in the orphanage.
And most recently, when Professor Cathy ‘donutted’ me. To me, the warmth of human touch was something that only came when I was at my lowest.
“Hmm, even if it’s not coming out, wouldn’t it be effective just to let him suckle?”
Honestly, I thought it would be more embarrassing, but surprisingly, I didn’t feel anything despite being held by a beautiful woman.
Was it because she was my physical mother?
“Babies can’t control their sucking, so it might hurt. Are you ready?”
…But that was just a feeling. In reality, I felt a bit guilty about this.
“Mmm!”
Fortunately, the ‘me’ in the dream also seemed to think the same way and tried to turn his head, but did you know? It was very difficult for babies to turn their heads on their own.
I didn’t expect to experience this at my age.
I heard a rustling sound. Warmth approached.
Uwaah, uwaah… Uwaaaaaaaaaah…!!!!
And at that moment, the scene changed as if by magic.
The approaching… thing disappeared, and a young girl was looking down at me.
I was saved.
Well, it wasn’t that big of a deal, but it was a bit… awkward.
“Hey.”
“Aub.”
“Say ‘noona.’ Noona.”
“Naiya.”
“…You’re so stupid. You can’t even talk.”
Was she crazy? What was she saying to a baby who couldn’t even roll over yet?
“…It’s your fault. Mommy’s been sick ever since you were born. Who are you, to make our mommy sick?”
Huh? This felt ominous. Was she trying to bully me? A baby who couldn’t even talk? My sister had quite the personality when she was young…
“…Make Mommy feel better again. Mommy has to be healthy so that we can go on walks and family trips again.”
Oh, so she wasn’t. I’m sorry. But honestly, she was a bit scary, like a little bully.
“Hey, Mommy said I’m your noona. She said you might not know what ‘noona’ means since you’re still young, but I know, okay?”
Oh, is that so? Our Noona was amazing.
“A younger sibling is like a noona’s subordinate.”
…I wasn’t so sure about that.
“Daddy said that I might feel like the love I used to receive is now divided in two, and that they might have to focus more on you since you’re still young. But he said they still love me.”
Did my sister know that the child she was talking to was actually listening?
“Mommy told me to talk to you and babble, but is this it? You’re not reacting.”
Mother, how could you tell a child to babble without explaining what it meant?
“Noo…”
“Oh…?”
“Noona.”
“Did you just say ‘noona’? You did!”
Uh, hmm, yes, I did. A certain dark creature pretending to be a baby did, that is.
“Mommy! So-hyun called me noona…!”
“Huh…!? That’s unfair! Mommy! Call me Mommy too…!”
This cheerful family was in chaos again.
I wondered what happened after this that led to their current state.
I wanted to see the process in detail, but judging by how long it took for the scene to change, it was probably going to show me something from the distant future.
Finally, the scene stabilized after a long wait.
“…Why did you do that?”
I was dizzy.
I couldn’t breathe properly.
I barely had any innate qi left, and the thought of failing made my head throb.
Despair stemming from disgust and hate filled my heart, replacing the emptiness.
There was a woman lying in bed, seemingly asleep.
No, she wasn’t asleep. She was so beautiful that I mistook her for being asleep, but she wasn’t breathing anymore.
“So you’re saying that I should have just watched?”
“That’s right, So-hyun… You’re being too…”
“Who are you to decide that?”
I didn’t know what had happened.
I didn’t remember why I felt this way about the woman in front of me.
This wasn’t my dream.
Yet, the emotions I felt were so intense that I almost mistook them for my own.
“Did I ask you to save her…? I was going to use my own power, so why did you interfere!?”
Apparently, I tried to do something using ‘Enhancement’ before the woman had died, and my family, worried about me, stopped me, which resulted in her death.
“Bring Mom back…! Bring her back…!”
If this was really me, someone I didn’t remember, was he acting like this because of his young body?
Or did he truly come to see her as his mother during the time I couldn’t see in the dream?
“Stop it, So-hyun! Do you think Mom would want this!?”
Ah, it was my sister. She was smaller than her present self, but she wasn’t a child like in the earlier dream anymore.
Was she a middle school student now? Or had she just graduated?
“Ah, right. It’s you. It’s your fault.”
“…Huh?”
My mouth moved against my will.
“You kept pushing me away whenever I tried to approach you, bullying me and all that. Why are you acting like a sister only now, you bitch?”
She took a step back, shocked by my words.
“Did I ask you to save her? Ah, I see. She wasn’t your mother, was she? I must have been so annoying, bothering you when I didn’t even feel like your brother.”
“So-hyun, you…!”
Kang Hyun-woo, unable to endure it any longer, tried to intervene, but ‘I’ showed no signs of stopping.
‘I don’t need any of you.’
‘I’ muttered that and took out a necklace from my pocket.
It was the artifact I used to recover my life force in Cheon Yoo-hak’s dream, the one I couldn’t identify.
It contained life force.
A vast amount of life force.
I forcibly absorbed all of it and used Enhancement.
My still-growing body creaked under the strain of the power that exceeded its limits.
The barely stable vessel cracked.
My blood vessels and bones twisted, the price of containing such overwhelming power.
“Ugh…!?”
Kang Hyun-woo rushed at me, but I lightly swung my fist, and he coughed up blood and rolled on the floor.
This was the result of an A-rank talent burning itself to the limit without regard for its own body.
But I wasn’t indiscriminately using violence.
I didn’t attack or harm anyone unless they approached me first.
“Bring her back…!”
I just screamed as I burned myself.
“Bring her back…!”
I slammed my fist on the floor, and the surroundings shook.
It was literally a tantrum fueled by my burning life force.
“So-hyun, please, stop. Mom asked me to.”
“Shut up…!!!!!”
“She asked me to protect you after she was gone. She said I was your mother now.”
She approached me while trembling with fear.
“Mom is gone. You can’t do this. Calm down, So-hyun…!”
But sincerity couldn’t reach a monster that had lost its mind.
“Get lost…!!!!”
I swung my fist at my sister.
“[Block it!]”
My startled sister created a magical shield, but it was like paper against an attack fueled by burning life force.
It only delayed her death by a fraction of a second.
Cracks appeared on the shield.
“I hate it too… I’m scared too…! Do you think you’re the only one who’s sad…!?”
The enraged siblings screamed at each other.
I didn’t care. Then you shouldn’t have interfered. Everything could have been fine. It’s all your fault.
No, this was probably my fault. If I had been honest, if I had trusted my family, if I hadn’t been so arrogant, I could have prevented this.
Conflicting thoughts filled my mind.
It was ironic that both were sincere.
All the shields protecting her disappeared, and we glared at each other.
And then…
“What is the meaning of this…!? Stop!”
A woman appeared and effortlessly blocked my fist.
The woman, instead of looking hurt, looked at me with concern and reached out.
“Oh my, your body is a mess.”
Who are you? Get lost.
“…Ms. Ye-hwa.”
“…Hmm, I came here to discuss business, but I didn’t expect this. I intervened because it seemed like an emergency. Are you alright?”
Ye-hwa. Seo Ye-hwa.
The number one ranked hero in the world, an SS-rank monster, was standing in front of me.
“This child will die if this continues.”
“…Huh?”
“He’s using too much power beyond his limits. His body is breaking down. I’ll administer first aid.”
“Ugh…! Eek…!”
I forced my restrained body to move, and a bone broke.
“Ugh…!”
For a moment, I emitted an aura strong enough to push back even an SS-rank, but she easily subdued me and channeled magical power into my body, perhaps because she was only momentarily surprised.
“…I’m not a doctor, so I can’t completely heal you, but I can at least stabilize you.”
I don’t need it.
My twisted muscles and bones returned to a human form, and my shattered vessel was pieced back together like a broken vase.
It was riddled with cracks, but it wouldn’t break immediately.
“…What drove you to this? Why are you crying so sadly?”
Even in my hazy consciousness, I glared at my sister.
She was also crying, her eyes trembling as she looked at me, but she eventually averted her gaze.
-…Please…
I could feel what the ‘me’ in the dream was thinking.
This world was truly a garbage dump.
It was a mistake to try and change anything in this shitty world.
It was a mistake to try and reclaim what I lost in my original world.
It was a mistake to try and adapt.
“I hope you don’t lose hope at such a young age.”
I should go back.
I had to go back.
I might go crazy if I stayed here any longer.
I would achieve my goal, no matter the cost.
And I would return.
To my original world.
And with that thought, the dream ended.
Standing before me was my sister, trapped in a black sphere.
It was very different from Cheon Yoo-hak’s case, but I instinctively knew how to wake her up.
The void in my heart started to stir.
Right, this was your friend too, wasn’t it?
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T/N – Oh wow. It feels nice when your theory is confirmed later on in the story. Still, So-hyun in the past truly was the MC. As to why he was so attached to the mother, it was probably due to his trauma in his previous life. Hence, the crash out when she died. This was probably also why he took such a dark path later on by taking the villain route (though we don’t know yet if this was accidental or if he intentionally went for it).
I did consider if the past So-hyun had the current MC’s knowledge of the original novel, but judging by how he acted with Yoo-hak in the previous two chapters, he probably did.
Though I wonder where his necklace artifact went?
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
rip mom