I am back – Chapter 15

My mornings are rather quick.

Although my body looks different now, it seems the most fundamental parts haven’t changed much.

I tried doing push-ups alone in my room, but the number wasn’t drastically different from when I was in my old body.

I even ran a lap around the neighborhood, and I didn’t feel overly exhausted.

I can’t test my sword skills since I don’t have a sword, but it seems the Goddess has imbued this little body with my original strength. It doesn’t feel that solid to the touch, though. Is this what they call the Goddess’s blessing?

…Maybe it’s a reward for what I’ve achieved.

While fighting against the Demon King’s army was my duty, maintaining my body and strength was also part of my responsibilities. So I could say that this body I’ve cultivated is also “what I’ve built.”

Therefore, I decided to graciously accept it.

This body’s potential is even more remarkable than that of my previous one. The fact that my body is soft means there’s more room for training.

I still haven’t settled on how I’ll utilize this training.

“Phew…”

I changed into my workout clothes and took a lap around the neighborhood after waking up. Honestly, I’m not quite sure where the neighborhood begins and ends. There’s a commercial area right around the apartment, a big river, and a walking path that probably stretches all the way to the outskirts of Seoul.

I had never thought I could live in a neighborhood like this, so I’m not sure how to express it. Is the term “neighborhood” even appropriate?

Running a long distance in the hot weather will inevitably make this body sweat.

I returned to the apartment, had a refreshing shower, and dried my hair. Long hair, after all, can be a bit of a hassle. I had even grown it longer than my older sister’s.

At first, I thought about cutting it off, but when it came time to do so, it felt like a waste, so I’ve put it on hold. Since it was this long from the start, I don’t even have a sense of having grown it, but still, I thought about trying something with it since it’s already this long.

What exactly I might try, however, I don’t know. Well, hair will grow back over time after cutting anyway.

Looking at the clock, it was already seven in the morning.

It was about time to get going since this place is a bit far from where I used to live as a child.

It takes about 40 minutes by subway. My sister said she could come out a bit later, but honestly, I was leaving a bit early because I wanted to see her. Thankfully, she thinks I’m just being diligent.

Now’s about the right age for me to learn how to drive, and seeing my body’s athletic skills gives me the confidence that obtaining a license should be a breeze. I also had enough money to buy a car. To be honest, I could even buy a ridiculously expensive car that you might only see in dreams during my childhood.

“…Should I really buy one?”

It’s not that practical for commuting.

If I look out the window at this hour, the roads are filled with cars, and it’s quite clear. Seeing that makes me think it’d actually be faster to just take the subway, even if it means a bit of congestion.

Besides, there’s almost no parking space near the bakery. I could look for nearby paid parking, but… that would defeat the point of working part-time. A significant portion of my part-time wages would go up in smoke as parking fees.

But even so, the idea of buying a car remains an enticing thought.

Maybe I could get a bit closer to my sister, and we could hang out just the two of us?

Well, given that I’m in a woman’s body now, I shouldn’t get my hopes too high… but still. We could at least manage a bit of light camping, right?

As a child, my sister and I once lay down side by side and talked about having a camper van.

“If the house is attached to the car, we could live anywhere,” she said.

It was something my sister said while visiting me in the downstairs unit to escape her always-fighting parents. Back then, I just thought it was a cool idea. The notion that you could move your house meant you could travel anywhere.

Well, I certainly grew weary of travel in that other world. Sometimes, there was space to lie down within a big carriage, but usually, we rode horses, carrying loads on another horse’s back or, if that didn’t work, carrying it ourselves.

Even if we had a camper van, it wouldn’t have mattered much if the roads weren’t paved.

Shaking my head, I pushed aside thoughts of a camper van.


Right, a camper van is a stretch.

Even an exorbitantly expensive foreign car would be a huge burden for my sister.

“…But really.”

Stopping to put on my shoes, I paused and seriously pondered.


…Wouldn’t it seem like I was showing off if I appeared with an excessively expensive car?

A person working a minimum wage part-time job but actually the daughter of a wealthy family, cruising around in a high-end foreign car with astronomical maintenance costs—wouldn’t my sister feel betrayed?

“…Hmm, maybe not?”

Thinking about my sister’s personality, it didn’t seem like she would feel betrayed over that.

However, believing that the sister from back then and the one now would be exactly the same is a stretch.


It’s already been five years.

My sister has consistently lived in society and, of course, she must have felt the absurdities of it numerous times. It’s entirely possible her thoughts could have changed a bit during that process.

“Let’s put off getting a license for now.”

It would be strange to have so much money but not buy a car after getting a license, but if I just said I never got a license in the first place, then the problem disappears. If I hadn’t had a license, then of course, I wouldn’t have bought a car.

No, more than that.


“…Would it be a bit troublesome to get caught living in a place like this…?”

Looking up at the distinctly high ceilings, which were clearly different from a typical family home, I muttered aimlessly.


If I said I inherited the money but wanted to live honestly, would my sister understand?

“…”

Ah, whatever.


Right now, it’s not something I need to worry about.


The fact that my sister isn’t close enough to come visit me yet is something I can think about later.

I finished tying my shoelaces and checked around to see if anything was out of place.


“Alright.”

I nodded once and stepped out the door.


*

There were quite a few customers in the bakery.

But people only flock there at certain times. Particularly, a lot of folks came in during breakfast hours.

The old house and villa-heavy neighborhood had faded away, leaving almost only stores behind. I started to wonder how the neighborhood was still functioning, but it seems there are a few schools nearby. Even though the villa-rich neighborhood had vanished, there was still some left in the neighboring area, and on the way to catch a bus to school, you’d find this bakery.

So, the mornings were always flooded with students. As I busied myself with the calculations, the freshly displayed bread would fly off the shelves in no time.

Moreover, in this bakery, it was just my sister and me working.

As luck would have it, one of those two nearby schools was male-dominated, making this bakery incredibly popular with boys. It seemed word had spread about my sister, who was already beautiful, and now me, having joined.

There were way more students than when I first started working a week ago.


“Phew…”

Once the storm of customers passed, my sister let out a small sigh and sat down on a chair behind the counter.


“Are you okay?”

“Ah, yeah, this much is…”

For me, who had faced much worse situations, this was far from being unbearable. I was just a bit tired of the boys who kept dragging out their conversations trying to catch my attention.


“You’re lucky to be young~”

My sister squinted her eyes and teased me.


“Come on, there’s not much of an age difference.”

At my words, she chuckled and rubbed her legs.


“Speaking of which, Si-hyun—”

My sister’s words faltered for a moment.


Si-hyun.

That was my name. My family name is ‘Cha’.

Yes, the name I’m currently using, ‘Cha Si-hyun,’ shares the same family name as my original one.


“…Didn’t you say Si-hyun lived some distance from here?”

In an instant, her words stopped, as if she was lost in thought.


Whenever she had to call my name, it seemed she hesitated for just a moment. Was she still remembering me?

…Considering the end memory, it was strange she wouldn’t remember.


Although I shouldn’t think like this… I was happy she remembered me, even knowing that final memory couldn’t possibly be a good one.


“Yeah, about 40 minutes by subway.”

Thankfully, I was able to shake off most of the awkwardness when dealing with my sister. My heart still races when she’s in front of me, and I’d flinch back if our hands touched, but…


“40 minutes isn’t too far for a part-time job, is it?”


“No… I really wanted to work here.”

Since my sister is here.


“Really?”

But I wondered what she thought of my words; she simply smiled.