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Chapter 1: Thoughts by the Hot Spring

After texting my sister, Eunha lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Jealous, and wondering what I was doing here…

A hot spring…

I just told her to enjoy herself…

“Must be nice.”

Finally, my true feelings slipped out.

I realized that I had never been to any real hot spring in my life.

At this rate, I couldn’t help but wonder what I had been doing all this time. With so much money, I should have had more hobbies and things I wanted to buy.

I brought my phone to my lips, rummaging through my memories.

Nothing particular came to mind, but aside from the money I sent to my parents, I didn’t really spend much.

I had memories of flashy outfits, but they were all just for advertising shoots through my team contract.

Well, I did buy clothes from stores. But compared to my current earnings, I was spending very little.

Even Yoon-su and the other guys in my team would go buy luxury watches and shoes.

‘At least Chan-hyuk is similar to me.’

Thinking this, I couldn’t help but smirk.

What can I say, I’m like a poor rich person.

As a professional gamer, I’ve gained so-called wealth and fame in the industry, but life turned out to be this bland.

During the seasonal breaks, I either stayed at home or holed up in my place playing games, leaving me with gray memories of the past.

Is that why various thoughts that would have gone unnoticed started to bubble up in my mind?

Already, Eunha’s thoughts were opening up to new directions thanks to my sister.

Yeah, once this is over, let’s go have fun together.

A trip where we could make loads of happy memories without anyone interfering.

Hot springs, of course, and let’s also go on overseas trips, go to the beach, maybe even ski in winter!

Just wandering around Hongdae or Myeongdong aimlessly, munching on street food, and enjoying shopping sounds lovely too.

Eunha’s brain, previously only focused on rigorous league practice, was being restructured.

‘But why a hot spring?’

The thought of such a sudden plan lingered in my mind.

I couldn’t find a rational reason, but the intuition people often talk about kept whispering that something was up.

Why did my sister suddenly decide to go on a hot spring trip? Why did she need to relax there?

Unbeknownst to me, I scrunched my face in discomfort, feeling a heavy burden slowly lifting from my heart.

“Did I— did I screw up?”

As Eunha recalled that evening, a slight flush tinged her cheeks.

After all, suddenly saying something that felt like a death wish must have been uncomfortable for my sister.

It was like a patient asking their doctor to end their life—pretty awkward.

Caught up in the moment, I ended up saying it.

Ah, I really am a mess, aren’t I?

‘But…’

That memory I often forgot after waking up, the one I saw in my dreams.

Since my sister started her treatment, I had slowly been reclaiming the past I had lost.

At first, it wasn’t easy to believe I was a hero.

No matter how much I trusted her… A hero?

Who would believe something that sounded like it came out of a novel?

At first, I just forced myself to accept it because she said she was a hero and showcased her amazing powers right in front of me.

But as time went by, some memories began to return.

Who I was in the past, what kind of person I was.

I did suspect it might just be some sort of mental illness, but thanks to the subsequent changes, I had no choice but to accept the truth.

Reaching out and concentrating, I watched the faint black flame flickering at my fingertips, letting out a long sigh.

I wondered if this was all just a hallucination, and when I burned a piece of paper to show to my team members, they all recognized the burn marks well.

“I can’t pretend I don’t know anymore.”

What my sister mentioned about her problem.

Initially, it felt like I was just hearing a story from a novel, but now I realized it was an inevitable reality.

With so many visible phenomena I couldn’t deny appearing one after another, what could I say?

Maybe that’s why I said those things to my sister.

If I was truly in such a dangerous situation, better to say something now so I wouldn’t have regrets later.

To calm my trembling heart against the impending calamity, Eunha took a deep breath again.

“It’s okay.”

With my sister around, it’ll all be fine.

 

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