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Chapter 15: The Power of a Hero

With the way she raised her glass, Da-young looked overwhelmingly relaxed, which only made her cheeks puff up.

“She’s clearly using the Hero’s Power to shake off the effects of the alcohol, right?”

Somehow feeling tricked, with a frustrating thought in mind, I downed a glass of wine filled in a crystal cup in one gulp.

The fragrant aroma and the astringent, dry aftertaste tickled my throat.

“Ugh, bitter.”

In a hurry, I shoved a handful of cookies into my mouth.

“You’ll gain weight doing that.”

“I won’t.”

“Is Da-young drunk?”

“I’m not drunk!”

But deep down, she clearly was.

I felt a bit irritated by Se-hee’s afterthought.

Is it really just dizziness I’m feeling, or am I actually drunk?

Could it be that my brain’s overloaded from the information about the coming-out that obliterated all plausibility?

‘A man…’

In a world where magic and superpowers are rampant, it wouldn’t be all that impossible.

But seeing it in person made it hard to come to a hasty conclusion.

‘Maybe it’s better to not say anything at all.’

If she had just called me her sister, it would’ve been easier to just move on quietly without all this headache.

As my petty complaints stirred my previously calm mind, Da-young lowered her head.

Ah, how awful it is to have such feelings toward someone who has just saved you…

What a messed-up woman I am.

As my self-hatred bloomed inside, I took one last gulp of the remaining wine as if to pluck the petals off a flower.

“Ugh….”

Feeling a strange dizziness, Da-young pressed her forehead with her hand and leaned back against the bed.

Ah, it hits differently when I’ve eaten this much after a long time. My head is spinning.

While I’m this confused, the one who made that remark casually pops a cookie piece into her mouth and starts chewing.

The funny thing is, I thought it would make for great content if I planned a food broadcast later.

As a Streamer, it’s a sense I couldn’t let go of.

“Sorry if I confused you.”

“Uh, that’s not it….”

At that moment, the eerie voice of Bbaebbaek, who had flown in after revealing her V-shaped skull, interjected.

“Kek, of course you’re confused. If I’m a TS (transsexual), do I become a super cute, totally kawaii female character?”

“Bbaebbaek, be quiet. Know when to speak up.”

“Fwoof.”

After a brief verbal tussle, I grabbed Bbaebbaek, who had fallen down, and stuffed a cookie in her mouth one by one.

“Honestly, I’m still not used to this either… but I can’t just talk about it openly with anyone.”

“I’m fine with it?”

“I can’t, it’s suffocating! Ugh!”

As I stuffed a tenth cookie into Bbaebbaek’s mouth, Se-hee stared into Da-young’s eyes with an expression of mixed feelings.

“Da-young, you’re a Hero like me. So I thought you might understand me better than others, I guess…”

“…….”

“Well, sometimes I feel maddeningly lonely too. People might say I could just make friends outside, but things have changed so much for me that it becomes confusing.”

After shoving a thirteenth cookie in, Se-hee finally released Bbaebbaek and took a sip from her cup.

“Maybe I’m just tipsy and overthinking.”

She ends it like it’s the end of an outdated show, her expression as thick as pork belly.

“Umm… what about family or friends?”

I ask, unable to even push down the urge to call her ‘sister’ or ‘brother’.

Se-hee blinked for a moment at the question, then slowly closed her eyes and said in a subdued voice.

“They all passed away. About two years before I got summoned to this world.”

“Oh, I’m sorry….”

“No, it’s okay. I’ve already come to terms with it. Besides, as for friends… I’m back after ten years. They’ve all married, so I can’t just approach them looking like this.”

Right? she shrugs lightly as if trying to show she’s fine after all.

What’s with that? Why are you acting like it’s nothing? Now I feel like I’ve done something bad.

As my heart sank, my head started to hurt.

Ugh, I think I really have gone tipsy. I feel overly emotional.

Is that why Se-hee, sipping her wine right in front of me, looked so lonely… as if left behind all alone in this world?

After all, a Hero should…

‘It has to end in a happy ending.’

Just like how she saved me, maybe I could help this person too.

Because I’m a Hero as well.

As soon as I reached that thought, my cheeks burned hot.

Thoughts and feelings are entirely different creatures, so when I try to voice it, my mouth refuses to move.

The drinking session came to a close with a hint of awkward emotions lingering.

Before I knew it, it was dawn, and Da-young urged me to stay the night.

Whether it was because the alcohol relaxed me, or if it was the shared kinship of being Heroes, I couldn’t tell.

But for some reason, I felt I couldn’t just leave things like this.

It’s already mid-February. The weather was perfect for messing up my hair if I head out now, which serves as a good excuse.

Of course, I’m not sure if that applies to a Hero.

* * *

“Hey, guys. I’m going to sleep. Orolong.”

I quickly organized the little mess and laid out the blanket on the floor.

The Bbaebbaek, who has the miraculous ability to fall asleep in one second, crashed down as I settled into the cozy cushions of the bed, desperately trying to hold onto my fading consciousness and glanced out the window.

The night sky, clear as the cold weather demanded, seemed to gather sentiments in my heart with the twinkling stars.

As a Hero, tales I always heard resurfaced in my mind.

That’s right, people always said that it’s the heart that matters, no matter the appearance.

In the quiet night, being in a dim room made me feel a tiny surge of courage.

With a small turn, Da-young whispered softly enough that no one would hear.

“Thank you, brother….”

Thank you, Hero.

* * *

“Thank you, brother….”

The whisper from behind tickled my ears and brought a smile to my lips.

Deciding to come out was a snap decision, but I regretted it as a poor choice afterward.

It could’ve been a choice that might ruin everything.

Her voice just now was like a signal, something akin to acceptance.

Right now, I should just enjoy the pure joy of forming a new bond.

“Hehe….”

I quickly covered my mouth.

Having found myself smiling, I stifled laughter in order to maintain the silence, ensuring neither Da-young nor anyone else would hear.

I felt good. Because she called me brother.

Even though my appearance has changed, I could fully realize that my mind was completely normal.

‘But I should be careful.’

With a sense of relief, I promised myself to refrain from such coming-out confessions in the future.

Only time will tell how Da-young will treat me from now on.

My thoughts concluded here. My head spins from the alcohol, leaving me with no room to ponder further.

Right now… I closed my eyes against the oncoming sleepiness.

* * *

“Ugh….”

In a daze. My head feels heavy, probably from the drink.

As morning sunlight poked at my eyes, Da-young frowned and turned over, but it was too late.

With the stinging sensation at my eyes, my eyelids slowly rose even in my daze.

Just in time, a cute beam of sunlight seemed to absorb into my eyes, and my vision began to clear.

“Are you awake, Da-young-gay?”

Ah, the morning weather is nice, but the morning greeting is awful.

“Umm. What time is it?”

“It’s still 9.”

Guess it’s not too late.

As I shook my messy hair and got up, I noticed that the blanket was neatly arranged in front of me.

Only then did I recall what happened last night, and the haze began to clear up under the weight of my thoughts.

“Um… where’s my brother?”

“Our Da-young-gay wants to call people that are no longer around like that?”

“Shut up….”

“He’s probably washing up in the bathroom.”

Oh, he’s still home.

I thought he might have dashed off because he seemed a bit quirky; turns out I worried for nothing.

As tiredness surged back in, I sat on the bed and began to doze off again.

The coziness of the bed and sunlight merged, pulling me back into the depths of sleep.

—Squeak!

From a distance, the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing reached my ears.

And a quiet presence approached. Ah, he must be done washing up.

As I tried to open my eyes, something blocked the light from reaching them.

The cool, damp sensation felt nice, along with the warm body, almost making me wish it would stay there against my eyelids forever.

“Are you awake?”

Ah, that’s my brother’s voice.

As I nodded, Se-hee moved her hand away from my eyes.

“I ordered some porridge nearby. Let’s eat.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, porridge isn’t tasty, gay. Let’s order something better.”

“It’s beef and shrimp abalone porridge.”

“Yum, sounds great. The combo of beef and shrimp is the best.”

“Pff.”

Se-hee’s ghostly transition flipped the switch in my laughter.

As my eyes gradually got used to the light, Da-young tried to stand up, only to freeze in place.

“…Huh?”

Right before my eyes was Se-hee, the one who asked me to call her brother.

Her neck, exposed between golden hair that seemed like molten gold, glowed in the sunlight, her porcelain-like skin reflecting the rays.

And below that…

Right before my eyes were two objects swaying headily.

I felt as if two massive blob-like beasts were parading in front of me, causing my pupils to shake uncontrollably.

Did she have implants?

Those impressive forms defied gravity and managed to hold perfect shapes, not feeling grotesque at all, despite their size.

“That’s just too much.”

“Eh?”

What does she mean by that all of a sudden?

Ignoring the confused Se-hee, I shut my eyes tightly and shouted.

“How can I call you brother when you have a chest like that! It’s just impossible! Impossible! Impossible!”

“Uh-oh?”

I shrugged off Se-hee’s hands and dashed to the bathroom, hurling the flustered Bbaebbaek aside.

“I’m going to call you sister from now on!”

Thud! Thud!

“Calling an I-cup woman ‘brother’ is really too much.”

“…….”

Watching Da-young’s figure recede angrily, and the absurdity of Bbaebbaek’s words left me in disbelief.

 

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