Chapter 94

“Unnie, you used the bathroom in my room again! Please stop coming in!”

Haru shouted upon seeing the bathroom floor turned into a sea of water after a brief outing.

Her older sister often snuck in to take a bath while she was away, simply because the bathtub in Haru’s bathroom was a little bigger.

“It’s not that different from mine! And if you’re going to use it, you should at least keep it clean, what is this…!”

“Shut up.”

“Ugh…! I really hate it!”

Haru’s eyes glared with intense rage. How was she supposed to react when her own sister threw around harsh words like that?

As much as she felt wronged, she couldn’t talk back to her older sister Eborum, who was seven years her senior.

It wasn’t just about age; once her sister brought their mother into the conversation, it became a fight Haru knew she couldn’t win.

Since their mother passed away, it was most accurately described that their family had been pushed to the brink.

Their father was so buried in work that it was rare for him to be seen at home, and Eborum was wasting money by hanging out with bad friends.

Haru found her sister’s behavior very displeasing, but it made her resent their father even more for not stopping it.

‘Mom…’

Even as she buried her face in her pillow and called out the name she missed, all she heard in return was the noise of the empty city.

Haru always thought of her mother as a kind and warm person.

Though her health was naturally weak, so she saw her more often in the hospital than at home, it was always her mother who listened attentively to Haru’s stories every time they met.

‘This isn’t the time; I need to get ready quickly.’

There was no need to inform her father that she was staying over at a friend’s house.

Given the recent lack of contact, she hazily guessed it was likely due to an overseas business trip.

“Miss, are you really going to take all that with you?”

Park, her bodyguard, attendant, and now driver, asked awkwardly about the massive suitcase Haru was holding, which was almost as large as her.

“I already took out a lot…?”

“Understood. Let’s just take it for now.”

Once in the car, Haru gazed vacantly at the scenery rushing past.

Haru’s world was tinted gray.

She hadn’t always been color-blind.

It was just that she had developed the condition every time she experienced stress.

For instance, when her dad broke his promise to take her to the amusement park, or while preparing for the academy entrance exam were notable examples.

And after watching her mother pass away, she thought she would never see colors again until she met Noname.

Her mother’s death was shocking enough to literally crush her memory.

She could barely recall a vague scene of clinging to her mother’s hand and crying all day long.

Even in the hospital, doctors couldn’t find a problem with her cones, so they couldn’t fix her condition.

The prevailing consensus was that her issue was not due to color blindness but rather a problem with her brain.

“I want to see you soon…”

“Are you looking forward to it?”

“Ah…! Yes…”

Haru, who accidentally let her feelings slip, nodded with a flushed face.

Originally, it was an event planned by Noname to help her reconcile with Yuna, but Haru found more significance in the fact that she could see Noname even on weekends.

Being close to her brought vitality to the world, even if just for a moment.

Feeling a desire to enjoy the beauty radiating from objects and living beings even more, Haru urged her attendant to hurry.

* * *

“Hello, mister!”

“So you’re Yuna! Noname said you were a friend with beautiful hair color!”

“Ah, thank you! But did Noname really say that?”

“Yuna, you need to get in quickly; I can’t until you get in. A car is coming from behind.”

“Okay!”

I shoved the still dawdling Yuna into the backseat and slid in beside her.

Yuna was so energized today that she never kept her butt on the seat.

She peeked through the gap between the front seats and kept firing questions at Professor Cheon.

“Where does Noname live? Is it far from here?”

“It’s not that far. It takes about ten minutes by car.”

“Is Noname’s room big? Is the bathroom big too?”

“You’ll find out when you visit, haha. You seem quite curious about Yuna’s house.”

“Hurry and put on your seatbelt, Seoyuna.”

“Ah!”

I yanked Yuna’s sleeve to sit her properly.

She seemed fascinated by Professor Cheon’s car, swiveling her head around and listening intently to the navigation and the autonomous driving AI’s voice.

“Noname, Noname.”

Yuna tapped my thigh and whispered in a low voice, as if she had something personal to say.

She leaned slightly closer, brushed my hair aside with her left hand to prevent the words from slipping out, and whispered in my ear.

“Is Noname’s family really super rich?”

“Kind of?”

It’s highly disrespectful to say someone is not rich when they own a 40-pyeong apartment in the heart of Gangnam.

“I wish we had a lot of money too. What’s the fastest way to become rich?”

“What a young kid to be talking about money already.”

“But if you have a lot of money, you can do anything…! I wish I had enough money that I wouldn’t have to lick the yogurt lid.”

“Is that a big dream or a small one?”

I understood Yuna’s golden-all-matters attitude.

Having experienced all kinds of sorrows for not having money since childhood, her perspective was understandable.

“If you suddenly made a ton of money, what would you want to do first?”

“I’d buy four houses!”

“Four? Why?”

“One for my mom, one for Maru Oppa, one for No-Eul Oppa, and one for myself.”

“Then would you all live separately?”

“Umm… I still want to live with Mom… Three should be enough! Hmm, and I’d get the best Apple phone and the best capsule too.”

It seemed she hadn’t thought much about specifics, despite her strong desire for money. That’s how kids are.

“I guess the easiest and quickest way is to get married.”

“Married?”

“Yeah, just marry a rich person.”

Marriage, being a sophisticated sociological act and a route to social mobility, is an institution that cannot be overlooked in human history.

Especially in the past life, it was common to send wedding invitations to high nobles with whom one had no prior acquaintance to solidify family ties, open new trade routes, or revive crumbling houses.

Though the mingling of modern and medieval values inside me brought a tinge of confusion, I thought that human nature wouldn’t change too much either, as many people today still wrapped their desires for wealth and fame in the guise of love.

“Marriage is supposed to be with someone you love…!”

“Sometimes, if you live long enough together, you might fall in love.”

Being in the social scene has allowed me to better understand the mindset and nature of noblewomen.

As long as their partners have no significant flaws, they can genuinely convince themselves they love their spouses.

Though it was a value I would never understand with any remnants of my male identity.

“I don’t care for that. If I had to, I’d want to live with Noname.”

“Why?”

“Because Noname is rich, doesn’t show off like others, and is kind, gentle, and smart. Just like a prince from a fairy tale.”

It was really unfortunate that it was not me but Shin Si Hoo who should have been the one to receive this flag.

That way, later on in middle school or high school, he could use the promises made in childhood.

“I might not be the good person you think I am, you know? On weekends, I sleep all day, won’t eat if there aren’t any meat side dishes, grumble if someone suggests shopping, and my hobbies include drinking and playing games. Would you still like that kind of partner?”

Of course, I had never actually drunk alcohol even once.

“Ugh… I’ll think about that…!”

Right. Such promises made in childhood shouldn’t be taken lightly.

After all, if it’s Yuna, she could be someone who would succeed in any field without necessarily marrying.

How many kids have their own plans laid out for their lives since elementary school?

As long as they have a good environment to study without worries, they can grow up just fine.

“By the way, Yuna, I have something I’m curious about. Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah! What are you curious about?”

“Last time, you showed me a printout of a picture your brother drew at school. Do you remember?”

“Yeah, Maru Oppa really draws well, doesn’t he?”

“Isn’t that drawn on a computer? It moved and all.”

“Yeah, probably! I heard it was made for a performance assessment in high school.”

I had thought of her dream to be an artist simply in terms of painting oil on canvas, but it was a misunderstanding born from Yuna’s limited vocabulary.

The digital paper she had given me, claiming it was Semaaru’s work, contained level-quality animated splash art. The game character felt like it was truly alive.

“By any chance, would it be rude to ask your brother if he’s interested in a different job?”

“A different job? What kind?”

“A V-Tuber editor.”

“Editor? Ah… but we don’t have a computer at home.”

“We can buy one.”

“If he becomes an editor, will he get stuff like that?”

“Yeah.”

Others might not know. But at least I was willing to buy it.

Since we were starting the broadcast properly anyway, how great would it be to already have a V-Tuber editor lined up?

Besides, I had a slight acquaintance with Semaaru, so it wouldn’t be awkward.

It was an act for my comfort, but it was undoubtedly a good proposal for him as well.

“Okay! I’ll ask him.”

[You have arrived at your destination.]

After chatting with Yuna, we had arrived home without even noticing.

While in the elevator, realizing I lived on the 39th floor, her adorably scared expression of what to do in case of an earthquake was truly cute.

“Welcome to our home.”

The first day of the party was just beginning.