LMO 26

Now you two just need to fall in love with each other.

As if my earlier cold reaction to Kim Yi-dam in the lobby was meaningless, Seong Hae-min was discharged before rumors of his hospitalization could even spread. Perhaps it was because he was a character from an internet novel, but his recovery speed was so astonishing that even the doctors were amazed, allowing him to leave the hospital much earlier than scheduled.

On the day of his discharge, Seong Hae-min and I calmly took a taxi home. We didn’t want to risk taking the bus and having something else happen. Especially since he shouldn’t overexert himself right after being discharged, and running into delinquents from other schools would be a disaster. There was no need to stir up trouble when caution was needed.

The taxi carrying the two of us soon arrived in front of our apartment.

“Hae-jun, what should I make for dinner tonight? I don’t know what ingredients we have… Or should we order in?”

“Why are you trying to overexert yourself? Of course, we should order in.”

Was he really someone who had just been discharged? Seong Hae-min was still very attentive to Seong Hae-jun. As I replied to Seong Hae-min’s cheerful words and drove past the apartment parking lot, the neatly parked motorcycles in the corner caught my eye today.

‘Motorcycles…’

Seong Hae-min, motorcycles. Seong Hae-min, motorcycles.

My steps naturally slowed.

I had heard from Yeon Su-hwan that this accident also happened while riding a motorcycle. Whether it was sent for repair or scrapped after the accident, Seong Hae-min’s motorcycle was nowhere to be found in the parking lot.

The direct cause of Seong Hae-min’s death in the novel was also a motorcycle accident. It happened on a rainy road while he was returning after rescuing the kidnapped Ban Pyo-ran, with her on the motorcycle. In that accident, Ban Pyo-ran survived, and Seong Hae-min died.

When I read it in the novel, I found it absurd and thought, ‘What kind of plot twist is this…’ and moved on, but the thought of it happening in reality someday suddenly made me feel nauseous. The unseen anxiety took shape and felt like it was settling on my shoulders. It was a sensation beyond mere discomfort, a truly unpleasant feeling.

My steps grew slower and slower, and then my feet suddenly stopped. It felt as if the soles of my shoes had turned into sticky gum, stuck to the ground.

“What? Hae-jun, are you not feeling well? Are you okay?”

Seong Hae-min turned back, his expression one of confusion. His face, which bore a subtle resemblance to mine, was filled with concern.

“That.”

“Yeah?”

The words came out half on impulse.

“You know.”

“Yeah, Hae-jun.”

“Motorcycles.”

“Motorcycles?”

“…Can you not ride them?”

Only after I spoke did I realize it was half desperation.

‘Seong Hae-min dies.’

That wasn’t a vague possibility anymore. The weight of death becoming reality was different. Even if this was a novel, to me now, this was a vivid reality I could see, hear, touch, and feel, and I couldn’t just dismiss someone’s death so lightly.

‘But… what can I do?’

My mouth tasted bitter. The novel’s plot was not something I could stop, even if I tried. Even though they seemed different, the Four Heavenly Kings had shown interest in Ban Pyo-ran in the hospital elevator. This was like destiny, predetermined and set.

I lowered my head, feeling pathetic. Seong Hae-min called me gently.

“Hae-jun.”

Seong Hae-min’s hand on my shoulder held a warm, affectionate heat.

“Should we not ride them?”

I looked up at his soft question and met his eyes. Seong Hae-min’s eyes were filled with warm emotions. My twin, looking at me with an almost suffocatingly affectionate gaze, was there.

“Honestly…”

So, I hesitated but continued.

“I’m worried.”

“……!”

Seong Hae-min’s eyes, which usually held a gentle smile, widened. Tears slowly welled up in his round eyes. I watched him as if mesmerized.

…Are you crying?

“Yes! I understand!”

Seong Hae-min, with tears welling up, nodded enthusiastically like a fanatic. The tears clinging to the corners of his eyes sparkled along with his emotional expression.

This is awkward.

“Why are you crying?”

“……Because I’m happy.”

Seeing him tear up just from my one word of concern made me feel…

Rather than feeling pity or sadness, my head ached as if I’d been hit with a hammer.

Why does Seong Hae-min care so much about what I say? Why is he so devoted? I felt suffocated.

I almost wished he would do something so cheesy that I’d be disgusted. I wished he’d shout, ‘The Black Flame Dragon sealed in my left hand!’…

Every time I encountered someone who was genuinely sincere in this world, my chest felt uneasy. I was, after all, a fake existence. And this world was just a novel, all of it was fiction, a fabricated place.

‘This is a world that flows solely for the sake of the plot…’

There was a time when I tried not to get close to Seong Hae-min at all, tried to ignore him, tried to distance myself, but now… I just couldn’t anymore. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded to ignore someone who was always by my side.

‘Now I’m really starting to think I have to be his sister…’

Looking at Seong Hae-min’s bright smile, I wanted to ignore the dark cloud of discomfort in a corner of my heart, so I looked away from him.

“Wow Hae-jun, you must be good at studying… so envious and cool!!! *ㅠ^ㅠ*”

“Nah lol I have to work hard from now on lol”

Is this the vibe of the 2000s?

Just as I had seen in the novel, the messages continued, sent without spaces, as if without taking a breath.

Although I hadn’t met Ban Pyo-ran directly since getting her number, we had been in steady contact. It was tough, though, having to press the tiny keypad of my feature phone with my thumb until my eyes felt like they’d fall out. It was surprising that phones used to have such a satisfying typing feel.

The small screen, less than an eighth the size of my old smartphone, eventually became familiar. It had a cute charm, like a child’s toy. Of course, that didn’t mean I liked it. It was terrible.

Ban Pyo-ran used a lot of emojis with unknown meanings. Just now, for example. ‘ *ㅠ^ㅠ* ‘ I have no idea what expression this is. With the ㅠㅠ, I know she’s crying, but the ‘*’ seems like blushing, so is the ‘^’ in the middle her mouth? But why is her mouth so high up?

Even though nothing special happened from continuing to contact Ban Pyo-ran, I felt like I was sailing smoothly.

As my phone-checking frequency increased, Seong Hae-min also started showing interest in the people I was contacting.

“You’re texting a lot lately?”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Who are you texting?”

“I’ll introduce you soon. You’ll definitely like her.”

One of Seong Hae-min’s eyes narrowed.

“The girl we saw then?”

“Yeah, you remembered after all.”

“…Is she someone Hae-jun likes?”

“No?”

I shook my head vigorously, as if to say, ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ How could he even imagine that? It’s not you I like, it’s you who likes her? Am I crazy to like the female protagonist? She seems like a good person, and I only feel bad about burdening her with guys like the Four Heavenly Kings.

“It’s nothing like that at all. She’s more like someone I’m grateful to.”

“Oh?”

Seong Hae-min’s face relaxed as if he had been relieved of a burden. Now it was my turn to feel lukewarm.

Is it wrong for me to like someone? Even though I had no intention of dating, I felt a sense of rebellion against his interfering attitude. Today, I learned another lesson about the severity of Seong Hae-min’s brother complex.

In fact, while contacting Ban Pyo-ran, my main concern was about Seong Hae-min going to rescue the kidnapped Ban Pyo-ran. Knowing that Seong Hae-min would die in an accident on the way back after rescuing Ban Pyo-ran. Once it bothered me, it kept coming to mind, making me uneasy. Was it okay to introduce them like this?

Even if they were destined to meet and fall in love eventually, if it led to Seong Hae-min’s death, was it okay for me to let it happen, knowing all of this? Even if I wanted to change future events, I couldn’t change everything.

All I could change was my own actions. Therefore, the only thing I could do was to step in to prevent Seong Hae-min from dying.

Whether Seong Hae-min lived or died, I thought I could live happily by myself as long as I didn’t do anything to hurt Ban Pyo-ran, but I realized that plan was virtually impossible. Every time I saw Seong Hae-min, who was so genuinely present around me, that intuition became a fact.

As I continued to contact Ban Pyo-ran, these concerns deepened, but for now, I decided to maintain a reasonable level of friendship with her. So that I could deal with it if an opportunity to intervene arose later.

“If it brings you comfort, then I’m very happy *^—^*”

“I’ll definitely return the handkerchief.”

Contact with Ban Pyo-ran continued occasionally even at school.

My first impression was that she was calm and quiet, but as I got to know her, Ban Pyo-ran turned out to be cheerful and lively. Apart from occasionally overusing incomprehensible emoticons, she was like any other student her age, full of energy.

Is it okay to burden such a nice person with the Four Heavenly Kings? She was so ordinary that it made me feel guilty. Even though they were destined to fall in love.

Today, I was contemplating how to introduce Ban Pyo-ran to the Four Heavenly Kings. As always, the Four Heavenly Kings didn’t leave me alone.

“But who is this Ban Pyo-ran person that Jjuni is so concerned about?”