I Stole the Number One Ranker’s Soul 191

Episode 192

It was our family’s first and last domestic travel destination.

In fact, to others, it may feel more like a picnic than a trip.

All I did was go to an island near Geoje Island, stay at a guesthouse for a day, and then come back.

But for little Seungju and me, it was a great experience in many ways.

I remember being so excited because it was my first time on a boat and my first time sleeping somewhere other than home.

“Okay, let’s go. Mom knows the location, right? “I don’t know if the restaurant is open.”

I handed the scroll to my mom and put on a thin coat over the equipment items.

When I opened the gate and came out of the dungeon, my mother came out without a word, took Seungju’s hand, and tore open the scroll.

“It’s the same here.”

The place we arrived was a beach where tetrapods were piled up in layers.

As Seungju said, very little has really changed here.

With the salty sea breeze tickling my hair, I feel like I have returned to my childhood when I traveled here.

“I think it’s open for business?”

As I moved my gaze following my mother’s welcoming voice, I saw a restaurant that was indeed open and open for business.

It looks almost like a home with a sign on it, but it is still a restaurant.

It’s like a hidden restaurant that only people in the know visit.

I repeat, nothing has really changed.

It was as if time had stopped.

From the old and untidy appearance to the basic side dishes that are served as soon as you sit down at the table.

However, the grandmother who owned the restaurant seemed a little older.

“I’m glad there doesn’t seem to be any major damage.”

There doesn’t seem to be a single monster on this island.

At first glance, the village seemed peaceful.

The noise of the city playing on the old TV in the restaurant seemed like something from another world.

Well, it was said that terrorist attacks occurred mainly in densely populated areas, so there was less damage from monsters in relatively sparsely populated areas.

While I was thinking about Ndam’s report, my mother naturally ordered the menu.

It seemed to be the same menu as the one I had before.

“It’s as if nothing happened. And I don’t think anything will happen. yes.”

Seungju’s voice was slightly subdued. I readily agreed with that sentiment.

“I know. “It really seems like that.”

“Yes. The food here tastes the same as before. Come and try it, mom and sister.”

While we were eating side dishes as recommended by Seung-ju, two customers suddenly appeared in this small shop where no one was there except us.

Seo Ji-han, who was standing next to me, also got very nervous for a moment.

I thought it wouldn’t matter if they recognized me, but I felt like they were interrupting a long-awaited family meal. Because it’s better to have nothing.

“Oh, I’m hungry. Here are two bags.”

To put my nervousness in vain, the customer didn’t recognize me at all.

He glanced in this direction for a moment, but soon fixed his gaze on the person he was with and was busy chatting.

“I finally contacted my friend who came to Seoul earlier. My phone was broken, so I couldn’t contact him. “They said they received it.”

“Really? I’m glad you’re alive. You saved an hour too.”

“That’s right. I don’t think he was hurt anywhere. He said the company told him to come to work in the meantime.”

“Wow, the company is really toxic. I saw on TV that all the houses were destroyed and the roads were ruined. They said the roads were not in good condition. Can a car even get to the company?”

“They say most of it was restored within a day as soon as the monster disappeared. I heard they cleared everything starting from the main roads. There has already been a site created that provides a one-stop welfare service for monster victims or something.

“Wasn’t it yesterday that the chaos calmed down?”

“Oh, you think so? I told him it was fortunate that it was restored quickly, but he cursed at me, saying it was done quickly to get him to work. I laughed for a while.”

“Isn’t it a little reassuring to hear you swearing? If you were seriously injured, you wouldn’t be able to swear.”

“That’s right.”

I didn’t really intend to eavesdrop, but since it was such a small shop, we were sitting close together, so I could hear the conversation from the table next to me. That way, everything

we were saying would be overheard by the table next to us. It wasn’t good for us to talk comfortably.

“He likes the food here too.” to do.”

“Why don’t we eat together next time? Oh, I want to eat seasoned abalone too.”

“I can’t eat it all. “Let’s just come and eat next time.”

“okay. By the way, monsters in the sky are really safe, right?”

“Yeah. It’s not that big of a deal on the news. This is my first time seeing a monster in real life.”

“me too. But it was a bit surprising at first, but now it’s not that big of a deal. yes?”

“Okay. Let’s eat quickly and let’s go.”

They come and eat it next time.

These people don’t know that there may not be a next time.

The predator glowing in the sky is so vivid, but to them it seems to be nothing more than an interesting spectacle.

It’s also a spectacle that they’ve already grown tired of because they’ve used it so much as a topic of conversation. .

Well, that’s understandable.

Because most of what’s happening right now is being covered up to prevent large-scale chaos.

Right now, there are a lot of ugly comments saying that if the world ends, they will harm the houses above that cause noise between floors.

But they’re planning for the future without knowing anything. When I looked at it, I felt frustrated, as if a part of my heart was blocked.

“Are you okay, sister?”

“Yes.”

Seungju asked cautiously, perhaps because my expression was not very good.

After giving a cursory answer, the food came out just in time.

The guests at the table next to me were so busy that as soon as the food was served, they ate it half way and left.

“I’m gone. ”

Seungju, who was slowly eating stewed fish while keeping an eye on her, muttered softly.

Then, she put down her chopsticks and briefly exchanged glances with her mother.

“Sister.”

Seungju opened her mouth solemnly, as if she had decided on something.

“Huh?”

“How about taking refuge?”

My mind suddenly froze at the sudden words.

I smiled and tried to lighten the mood.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Don’t think nonsense. Mom, you’re saying nonsense…” “

I have to gather it. “Evacuate.”

I wanted her to scold Seungju, but what came back was her mother’s voice, which was even more stern than Seungju’s.

The two of us probably didn’t have time to talk separately, so it was surprising how they made such firm decisions in that short period of time.

“What are you two talking about? “How can I evacuate alone, leaving Seungju and Mom behind?”

“Mom is okay.”

“I’m okay too, sister.”

I was speechless for a moment.

Did the days I spent thinking that I was dead make these two people think like this?

I calmed my trembling voice, hoping to sound as reassuring as possible.

“You don’t have to go. I am very strong. You both saw how many boss monsters I caught. “I’m a little worried about that in the sky, but I can handle it.”

Honestly, this is bluff.

But now I needed this bravado.

My mother looked at me with knowing eyes as I acted with all my might, using the lying skills I had developed over the years.

“I have to collect it. go. “It’s really okay.”

I tried to suppress the tears in my eyes that suddenly got hot.

I felt like I was going to cry unsightly if I spoke, so I bit my lip, took a deep breath, and looked up at the ceiling to calm myself down before finally answering again.

“It’s okay, but it’s okay.”

The effort was worth it and I barely succeeded in holding back the tears.

“sister. “Evacuate.”

However, the moment Seungju suggested it again, she ended up yelling.

“mask? Mom and you are dying. Everyone else dies too. But how can I…”

“But my sister is alive.”

Seungju smiled brightly.

While I hadn’t seen her, my younger sister, who I thought had simply lost weight due to severe emotional distress, seemed to have grown up in that short period of time.

“You’re living a solid life.”

“…”

A silence fell, representing more than any other words.

It felt like nothing happened to me as my lips twitched over and over again, trying to say something plausible.

In the end, what I managed to get out was an unpleasantly weak syllable. It was a voice:

“What if I live? What do I do when I live alone?”

“Why is my sister alone?”

“okay. Why are you alone? And in life, good things happen, that’s it. You will do well. “Mom knows.”

The gazes of the two people were very warm, but it felt colder than any other gaze.

“What are you good at? Mom knows too. “I’m scared and timid…”

“A scared and timid kid, would you think of going up to Seoul and living alone? You’ve been timid ever since you were little. Do you remember? You broke the wall while trying to drive the guy next door’s car?”

An unexpected word came out of my mother’s mouth.

Normally, we would have bickered and said, ‘Oh, why are you bringing it up again!’, but I couldn’t do that now. In the end,

I apologized again for my old mistake.

“That… “I’m sorry, Mom.”

It must have been a huge shock, both financially and mentally, but my mom didn’t really scold me at the time,

so I remember being even more scared.

But when I said that, my mom just laughed.

“Why are you apologizing? Why were you driving the car? “Don’t you remember?”

Uh….

All that remains in my mind is the impact of the car hitting the wall.

It was so strong that I actually forgot the whole process.

“At that time, you were saying that you would drive and pick me up because my mom was getting late from work more and more days. That’s right. He made Seung-ju sit next to him and said, “Let’s go pick up mom.” He was so petty… I couldn’t even scold him.”

“what? Was it something like that? “Why didn’t you tell me that until now?”

“I thought you remembered.”

Starting with that topic, Mom and Seungju began to tell old stories one by one.

I didn’t want Seo Ji-han to hear about it because most of it was shameful dark history, but it was a good thing that the atmosphere was lightened thanks to it.

After chatting about trivial things for a while, we returned to the lakeside house.

My mother wanted to go home since we were near Geoje Island, but my name was proudly number 1 on the ranking board, so I just headed to the house by the lake.

When I came back, I gave the spare room to the two people and went into the bedroom to rest for a while, but Seungju suddenly called me.

“Sister, but….”

“Huh?”

I was answering happily because I still had the lingering memories of what I was talking about just now, but suddenly Seungju’s anxious expression caught my eye.

“Will it hurt a lot?”

“uh?”

“…no.”

Before I could speak again, Seungju quickly went into the room.

Left alone in the hallway, I belatedly realized what Seungju wanted to say. Would

dying hurt a lot?

I said it was okay, but there was no way I wasn’t scared.

Seungju tried to act strong, but couldn’t hide it. ‘s inner thoughts.

That small voice stuck to my ear the whole time and never left me.