Chapter 74
Just thinking about it seemed irritating and unpleasant, and Hyesung bit his lip. Hearing that, Haneul was suddenly overcome by a chilling feeling.
“You have a younger sister…? Or are you just saying it hypothetically, like if you had one?”
Haneul desperately hoped it was the latter. That way, the dreadful hunch lurking in his mind could be blown away without a shred of unease.
But the words that came out of Hyesung’s mouth were not what Haneul had hoped for.
“Oh, I never mentioned it? I do have a younger sister.”
“……”
In that instant, Haneul thought, So this is what it feels like when the ground crumbles beneath you. His feet were firmly touching the floor, yet it felt as though it had fallen out from under him with a loud thud.
Just in case, he even lowered his gaze to check if the floor was still there. Of course, it was perfectly fine—in fact, a child was running around stomping on it in another corner.
Haneul began forcing himself into self-rationalization.
There’s no way they’re actually siblings, right? I’m just being paranoid.
Yeah, this unease started because I thought their faces looked similar. And I was the only one who noticed that—others laughed it off, saying I was talking nonsense…
And besides, it’s not unusual to have a younger sister. Plenty of my friends do. Yeah, I’m just overthinking. Exactly, that’s all it is.
If he didn’t think that way, Haneul felt like the anxiety would devour him whole.
He forced the corners of his mouth upward, trying to erase the unease, but he couldn’t stop the trembling in his lips.
Unlike Haneul’s forced smile, Hyesung seemed delighted just at the mention of his sister and began chatting happily, so much that it almost felt as if flowers had bloomed around him.
“Great Hero Hyesung, you must really cherish your sister.”
“That’s called sis-con… a pretty severe case, too.”
“Me?”
Pointing to himself with wide eyes as if he couldn’t believe it, Hyesung reacted in a way that showed he was aware of it to some degree. Haneul let out a hollow laugh, baffled.
“But I can’t help it. I have to take care of her.”
“Oh? Is that some kind of older brother’s duty?”
“That’s part of it, but honestly, even if I were the younger one, I think I’d still look after her like I do now.”
“Hm?”
“Because she’s so clueless. I mean, she has zero awareness.”
At those words, the anxiety Haneul had barely suppressed came rushing back, not even a few minutes later. There was, after all, one person who immediately came to mind when you thought of someone utterly clueless…
Seon-ya…
And it wasn’t only Haneul who thought so. Junwoo let out a hearty laugh and said,
“Speaking of cluelessness, one person does come to mind. Young Hero Seon-ya is rather lacking in awareness too.”
“Haha, really? But not more than my sister, surely?”
“I’d bet anything she’s worse than your sister. I’m not joking. Isn’t that right, Great Hero Haneul?”
When the question was suddenly directed at him, Haneul snapped sharply at Junwoo, reacting far more than necessary.
“Why the hell are you asking me that, you crazy bastard…?”
Normally, he would have gone along with Junwoo’s words, but drowned in the uneasy thought—Could they really be siblings?—that question felt like a death sentence. To Haneul at that moment, Junwoo looked like a mortal enemy.
“Weren’t you the one who always found Seon-ya the most frustrating? Saying, ‘Who on earth would put up with that nasty temper?’ Ha!”
“Yoochan already did.”
“Ah, right! You’re right! Those two are a perfect DPS match, hahaha!”
“God, seriously… stop it already.”
Haneul glared at Junwoo with eyes full of annoyance and anger. But Junwoo, feeling hurt by Haneul’s unusually sharp reaction and emboldened by Hyesung’s presence, shot Haneul a look of his own before lowering his voice conspiratorially toward Hyesung.
“Great Hero, listen. Let me tell you just how clueless Seon-ya is.”
“I am curious how bad it could be.”
Hyesung was genuinely curious—he could hardly imagine anyone more clueless than his sister.
“Believe it or not, she said she thought Great Hero Haneul had a good personality.”
“What?”
“Hey!”
Both men reacted instantly, though Haneul’s reaction was much louder, overpowering Hyesung’s. Looking like some kind of thug, Haneul’s shout startled the people at the neighboring table, who turned to stare at him.
“Are you insane? Why would you bring that up here?”
He lowered his voice in a hurry, but the nearby group was already moving to another spot.
Junwoo found Haneul’s reaction strange. Normally, Haneul would have puffed up his chest, saying, “Of course I have a good personality, what nonsense,”—the most nonsensical boast of all.
“Great Hero Haneul, you’re acting really strange today.”
“I’m not.”
Even as he said it, he found it ridiculous. He knew he was overreacting.
But still…
What if Seon-ya really is his sister?
Until now, he’d acted recklessly, afraid of nothing. Even with her, he’d often been harsh—precisely because her frustrating personality clashed with his own.
Yet judging from Hyesung’s reaction, he looked like a severe sis-con, and that couldn’t possibly lead to anything good. Not to mention…
If it’s true, what’s Lee Hwansung gonna do?
He’d already shown Hyesung every bad side of himself, and on top of that, if he was involved with Hyesung’s precious sister…
Just imagining it made his skin crawl. Haneul prayed silently that it wasn’t true.
But oblivious to Haneul’s turmoil, Junwoo kept running his mouth.
“Anyway, isn’t it hilarious? Because of some silly misunderstanding, she thought you had a good personality. Hahaha! Meanwhile, you said she was so frustrating you couldn’t stand playing games with her, and told her not to call you again after that Rift match! I bet she was really hurt.”
“Ss… sh…”
It was impossible not to curse. If there weren’t people around, Haneul would’ve shoved his fist into Junwoo’s mouth.
The last thing Haneul wanted was to give Hyesung any reason to be suspicious. Even if it was just a baseless fear, if Seon-ya truly was his sister, Junwoo’s words could be deadly dangerous.
That guy would smile while passing me aggro in a raid and letting me die, no doubt about it.
Still, Haneul clung to a thread of hope. Judging from Hyesung’s reactions, if Seon-ya really were his sister Yoon Hae, he wouldn’t have responded that way. Sure, the keywords matched too well—having an older brother who tanks, being clueless, sharing the same surname—but still, Seon-ya didn’t seem like his sister.
He wanted a clear answer to erase the anxiety once and for all. He wanted to sleep peacefully at night. He cautiously opened his mouth.
His lips seemed to tremble. This was the same Haneul who, back in grade school, could hang upside down from the top of a jungle gym without fear—but now, he was trembling.
“So, hyung… does your sister, uh, play games too?”
Please say no.
If God existed, please let him grant this one wish.
God, Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Virgin Mary, ancestors, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Dionysus—please…
Haneul began reciting every deity he knew, out of sheer desperation.
“Games? You mean Dereso?”
“Uh… yeah, anything like that.”
When Haneul asked, Hyesung looked at him warily, as if wondering why he wanted to know. Haneul gave a vague reply, worried he’d be mistaken for some creep trying to hit on her through games.
Fortunately, Hyesung quickly relaxed, as though just thinking of his sister made him happy, and began boasting proudly.
“My sister had never played a game before, but she started Dereso at my request. And she’s still playing it! Doesn’t that mean she has real talent?”
“Ah… so she does play? Then, her nickname? Just in case I ever run into her in a dungeon or raid, I’d, you know, treat her well…”
Haneul had thought it was just his lips trembling, but now even his voice was shaking badly. Meanwhile, Junwoo looked at him and asked, “Are you cold?”
Haneul had no energy to respond.
When the nickname came up, Hyesung blinked a few times and suddenly smiled shyly, almost embarrassed. To Haneul, it was sickening; to Junwoo, it looked radiant, and he even said, “Great Hero, how dazzling you look.”
“I don’t know her nickname yet. Because to find out hers, I’d have to tell her mine. And that’s… a little embarrassing.”
“…What’s embarrassing about that?”
“My middle syllable is ‘Hye,’ right? But hers is ‘Hae.’”
Tracing letters in the air with his finger, Hyesung explained. Meanwhile, Haneul clenched his fist tightly, feeling dizzy.
If her middle syllable was Hae, then her name must be something like Yoon Hae—
And the one person he desperately prayed wasn’t his sister was also named Yoon Hae… ya.
“Since you can’t exactly change your real name, I made my in-game nickname Haesung-i to match hers.”
It was truly the pinnacle of brotherly devotion.
