Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 103

Going outside was a huge decision for A-Jin right now.

Having lost all her courage and confidence, she felt like she was dragging around a mental handicap.

And yet, there she was—waiting nervously in the bustling area, trying her best to look put together in her outfit.

‘My hair… Is this okay?’

It wasn’t easy for her to go out, and she had delayed it for so long that she couldn’t show her curly, frizzy hair.

So she had spent the morning straightening it with a hair iron.

The outfit she wore was from a shopping mall, bought by her sister, Se-hee.

Since she was meeting her sister, A-Jin put on her best face, going all out on her usual look.

Thanks to that, she was finding herself in an awkward situation on the street, unexpectedly.

“Oof!”

Feeling a glance thrown her way from the side, she instinctively pulled herself back against the wall.

Perhaps it was because her personality had changed so drastically, but ironically, she was overly sensitive to those stares.

If someone caught her in this state, she’d be the perfect target for ridicule about her self-consciousness.

How many times had it been now?

‘Sis… When are you coming?’

Nervously, she checked her watch—still ten minutes until their meeting.

Every time she felt someone’s gaze land on her, she had the strong urge to scream and hide like a mouse in a hole.

What a fool A-Jin was.

Like a real idiot, she had gotten way too excited and came out early, which was just ridiculous.

She could have timed it perfectly. As she berated herself internally, a gust of wind blew by.

A distinctly pink hair fluttered in the spring breeze, strikingly noticeable even if it was just from dyeing.

“Ah!”

That strong wind, for a spring day, was enough to undo the hour’s hard work she’d spent styling her hair with the iron.

“Geez!”

She couldn’t hold back her exasperation as she stomped her foot in frustration, a small and timid display of anger.

Ugh, this is so aggravating. So frustrating.

She couldn’t even cry in the middle of the street. Her insides were churning.

It was infuriating that the sudden gust ruined her hair.

She felt so foolish for struggling over a simple meeting.

Thinking back, she’d also endured great trouble going to her sister’s house.

‘How I envy them.’

Watching the crowds passing by, A-Jin stared blankly, lifeless in her gaze.

Before being summoned to this world, she had once walked those streets with confidence.

It’s absurd that a hero who achieved the impossible as a ‘Hero’ was now suffering under a curse and dealing with extreme social anxiety.

It would be just as ridiculous as saying a stick-thin guy had pooped his pants.

“Ha.”

With a short sigh, she tried to soothe her gloomy heart.

At least she was lucky to be seeing her sister, which felt like a glimmer of hope. It was a meeting with help, after all.

They say effort leads to reward, so she should hang in there a little longer.

Only a few minutes left.

In this brief stretch of time that felt both too short and yet too long… A-Jin stubbornly held her ground, unwilling to lose.

How many others felt the same struggle as she did?

That’s when A-Jin started to look around her.

“…?”

Her gaze finally settled on one particular spot after scanning the area.

A school uniform?

If it were just an ordinary uniform, it would have caught her attention.

But the uniform was oddly ill-fitting, like it was too small and clinging to the body.

Or maybe it was just that the body was well-built?

‘But it’s still daylight.’

With everyone back at school after the end of break, wasn’t it strange for someone to be lounging like a homeless person, turned away on a chair?

She thought maybe they were just a troubled student, but there was something oddly captivating about them that drew her in.

It was like a prickling thirst that kept her gaze anchored to that spot.

And then it happened.

“Yap.”

“…?!”

Startled by the sudden yet familiar voice from behind, A-Jin quickly turned around.

“Ah!”

Se-hee’s finger pinched her cheek gently, and the warmth of their skin touching brought a surge of relief instead of pain.

In hindsight, it was kind of funny.

Such a simple touch would be the key to saving a cursed Hero.

That’s a third-rate setting worthy of being rated by the thin guy.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

“Uh, ah!”

It must have been the contact, but she felt her usual awkwardness melt away.

Once she regained her old liveliness, A-Jin beamed a smile.

“There was this weird guy over there, but… oh?”

The spot where she had pointed just moments ago—the person who had been dejectedly slumped on the chair was now nowhere to be found.

That was strange.

No, that wasn’t the priority.

Turning back to Se-hee, A-Jin began to babble toward her radiant sister.

“Um, thanks, sis. I had something to say, and um… well, you know…”

What came to mind was a bunch of uninspired filler that she couldn’t seem to filter out.

Yet, Se-hee patiently smiled and nodded along, understanding her every word.

Sis really was emotionally astute.

Well, they had talked about a lot of things, but it all boiled down to this.

I’m hungry, let’s go eat.

Since lunch was just around the corner, the priority was to fill their stomachs first.

With the destination set, all that was left was to move their feet eagerly.

Before they set off, Se-hee, now standing to A-Jin’s right, casually extended her left arm towards her.

In that moment, A-Jin praised herself for not asking that foolish question of “What’s this about?” and clasped her sister’s arm carefully.

It gave off the unmistakable vibe of two close sisters gleefully flaunting their loyalty, raising her nose in pride.

“Why are your hands so cold?”

“Um, I think it’s just because I stood out here for a bit too long.”

“Is that so?”

Maybe it was from the consistent cold wind, but now that she thought about it, her whole body felt a bit chilly.

Se-hee glanced at A-Jin and started rummaging in her head for a suitable place to eat.

Not just any place, but something cozier and more substantial.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind.

‘Ah, maybe this place would do.’

Although it would be a first for herself, the reviews she’d seen in videos or photos suggested it would be perfect for the current situation.

“I know a nice place. How about some rice bowls and udon?”

“Yes, yes! I love it!”

Se-hee smiled softly at A-Jin’s excitement.

“Then let’s go?”

“Yep!”

The gentle warmth radiating from the hand she was holding felt like a soothing balm to her cursed heart.

It was so tender, almost addictively so…

Clinging to her sister like a baby koala hanging onto its mother, she pressed close.

It was only now, being together like this, that A-Jin realized how vital Se-hee was to her life.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to.

But merely… she had firmly resolved her thoughts about the future, and it solidified even without needing to be stronger.

‘The fool had been hanging out with her sister all this time.’

Then it was her turn.

Just for today… she wanted to be with her sister.

That hand she was holding…

‘May it last forever.’

In the depths of her heart’s wounds,

as she spent more time together with Se-hee, they began to heal,

even if tough times lay ahead, A-Jin thought it didn’t matter.

After all… she would keep going, somehow.