SRSBO: Chapter 10

My Mom, who became a single mother due to my biological father’s affair, had to jump into the world of earning a living out of nowhere.

Although she received money as alimony, it was absurdly insufficient to maintain her livelihood, let alone with a child.

However, society was not kind toward her, as she had only a middle school education and no substantial work experience, having spent all her life doing housework.

While raising me on her own, my Mom went through a lot of hardships, and perhaps because of that, she would often tell me to study hard and vowed to send me to college no matter what.

Perhaps because I had heard those words growing up, to me, college became something important in my life and ‘a place I absolutely had to go’.

“No, how can I send my daughter to college when she went through something like that and doesn’t even remember anything well and just cries all day? What if I force her to go and it turns out badly?”

“…That’s why you didn’t send me?”

“Yeah. Later on, I wondered if it was my own selfishness. Unlike before, you changed, you laughed more than before, and even helped me take care of Yooha despite being so busy. I thought, if you’re truly happy, then this isn’t a bad thing, so I decided to let you do whatever you want.”

The look on my Mom’s face as she said that was, unlike before, completely free of any lingering regrets, completely clear.

Seventeen. It seemed like the only thing that had stopped there was my time.

Perhaps that’s why. Even now, a year later, I often dream of the events from my past life in this way.

“Are you awake?”

Suddenly, a pleasant male voice was heard from above me.

When I lifted my eyelids, a handsome man so striking that I couldn’t help but gasp came into view.

“…Mr. Joo Yunwoo?”

Because I felt like I was still in the grasp of the dream, I blinked my tired eyes and checked the patient’s condition first.

I tugged at his shirt, which was covered in dirt, and made him slowly lower his head. His eyes wide open in surprise at the gesture.

When I reached a height where I could touch him, I placed my hand on his forehead.

His fever had gone down and his complexion looked fine as well.

I pressed down on his head and pulled away his hair to check his scalp.

Not only had the bleeding stopped, but the wound’s surface had become smooth, as if it had healed overnight.

I blinked blankly and then again shifted my gaze to his shirt stained with dirt and rainwater. As if realizing something, I spoke to him as if I was reprimanding him.

“No, you should have changed your clothes as soon as you woke up. Why didn’t you change them? Although the fever seems to have gone down, you shouldn’t let your guard down until you’re fully recovered. The room might be warm, and your clothes may seem dry, but there’s the issue of hygiene…”

Ah, but why does my head hurt like this? Is it because I also got caught in the rain yesterday? But why was I even in the rain…?

My thoughts were all over the place.

He gently lifted his hands, which had been clasped together, and smiled, narrowing the corner of his eyes.

“I wanted to do that too, but I couldn’t do anything because of this.”

“This……”

“Is this your preferred way, by any chance?”

“Crazy…”

As the dazzling morning sunlight shone on his tightly bound wrists, the memories of the previous night rushed through my mind like a wave.

The cord I thought was sturdy enough to tie him up was actually the charging cable that I had always carried with me. And his coat, which I had used as a blanket, sleeping in it instead, was now a mess, covered in rainwater and dirt from my feet and clothes.

* * *

The first meeting between Han Siyoung and Yang Hyunwoo was said to have started when Han Siyoung took Yang Hyunwoo, who had collapsed on the street, to her house.

When I first heard that story, I scolded Han Siyoung, telling her to be more cautious. But now, looking back, I realized I wasn’t in any position to say anything.

In fact, I probably would have done the same or even more.

At least the genre of their relationship was romance, but in my case, it was survival and covering up a crime.

I was urged to wash up, as I might catch a cold, and before I knew it, I had actually ended up showering.

Inside the shopping bag I received before entering the bathroom, there was a new outfit with tags attached to it written in a foreign language.

I felt uncomfortable wearing clothes that were already dirty from the rain and mud, so I changed into those expensive looking clothes and came out. As soon as I left the bathroom, the smell of food wafted to my nose.

The refreshing scent coming from my body, the warm indoor air, and the soft fabric of the clothes touching my skin.

I sat on the sofa blankly for a moment, drunk in the drowsy atmosphere. Then I raised my hand and slapped myself on the cheek.

‘Come back. Come back to reality!’

Having been exposed to abnormal situations for a long time, I had developed a subtle sense of safety indifference, thinking that this much should be fine.

So, I tried harder to live sensibly like everyone else, but I never had imagined it would all come crashing down like this!

“Aren’t you hungry? Would you like to have something like abalone porridge? You can eat seafood, right?”

This was all because of that person.

He woke up after being sick all night, and not only was there an unfamiliar woman sleeping in his house, but the place was a complete mess. Above all, both of his wrists were bound with skills that could rival those of a professional.

Honestly, in a situation like this, shouldn’t it be the other person who’s more surprised, not me? Why is he so calm about it?

“Uh…I’m fine.”

“Thank goodness. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, rather than me—”

Aren’t you the one who should get a brain check-up?

Yesterday, I accidentally broke his skull, and my phone, which was harder than a brick, ended up with a crack.

I was hesitating whether to confess even now, but I widened my eyes at the words that followed.

“You didn’t get hurt anywhere else yesterday, did you? You had a wound on your leg, so I treated it as quickly as possible, but let me know if you have any more injuries.”

“My leg?”

Now that I think about it, I didn’t feel any pain while I was showering. It was torn pretty badly yesterday, so I should have felt a stinging sensation when it touched the water.

“…Huh? There’s no wound?”

The long wound below my right knee had disappeared without a trace. Wasn’t that where the wound was supposed to be?

As I checked my other leg with a bewildered expression, Joo Yunwoo spoke up.

“I called an Esper with healing ability I was acquainted with to treat you while you were sleeping. There shouldn’t be any scars left, right?”

“Yes, it’s totally clean.”

“Is there anywhere else that hurts? Are you feeling feverish or having trouble breathing because of the guiding process? If there’s even a slight pain, please let me know right away.”

I nodded silently to the barrage of questions and gently touched the area where the wound had been.

This was the first time I had encountered a healer’s power since coming here, the area where the wound had been was completely clean without even a scar. My admiration was brief, though, as realization dawned upon me.

Ah, so he called a healer and treated the wound on his head as well. No wonder it healed too quickly compared to how bad it was.

I nodded to myself, convinced of my hypothesis.

“Eat it while it’s warm.”

A delicious bowl of abalone porridge was held out to me.

The one who had been suffering all night was him, yet somehow, I was the one receiving polite treatment as if I were the patient.

‘Is this his way of thanking me for saving him…?’

I was hungry, the last time I ate was at 5 p.m. yesterday. but since it was being offered by a stranger, I hesitated a little.

I think it was already too late to be worrying about such things… No, but… Ah, I’m so hungry I feel like throwing up.

In the end, I reluctantly picked up my spoon. They say that even dead ghosts can be pretty if they have a full stomach.

“Blerrgh!”

As soon as I put the spoon in my mouth, I covered my mouth at the overwhelming taste that came rushing in like a tidal wave.

Salty, sweet, bitter, sour. It was a revolutionary taste, with all four flavors hitting me at once.

What on earth did he do to the porridge? He asked me if I would like to eat something ‘like’ abalone porridge, so he truly cooked ‘something that looked like porridge’ instead of porridge?

When I grabbed the sink and retched, Joo Yunwoo furrowed his eyebrows slightly.

“Did it taste bad?”

“…What, what did you put in it?”

As I was feeling nauseous, I couldn’t manage to say the polite empty words saying I was fine.

After rinsing my mouth several times, I seriously asked him. Joo Yunwoo recalled the ingredients.

“First, an elixir-.”

“Wait a minute.”

From the very beginning, an unfamiliar ingredient was mentioned.

In the Hermann Empire, elixirs were considered a premium ingredient said to have the power to create a potion of immortality, often exaggerated in tales.

As I was wondering if this place was different, he added, as if to clarify,

“It’s good for stamina.”

He casually mentioned it as if it were just an herbal traditional medicine ingredient, so I nodded for the time being.

However, the ingredients introduced after that were all the same ingredients I had never heard of before.

I listened quietly and then noticed something strange.

“What about… the salt?”

Not to mention salt, there were no seasonings at all either. The only ingredients that would typically go into abalone porridge were the abalone and rice, but they were also missing.

He hurriedly offered an explanation.

“I tried to make it healthier. I thought salt might be bad for your health because it would make the porridge too salty… Everything I put in is good for the body. I was worried because you seemed too skinny, so I added those ingredients, but I didn’t expect it to taste bad. I thought if you add good things to cook good things, it would naturally taste good.”

“Did you taste it while you were cooking it?”

“I needed to do that?”

“Of course you need to. Is this your first time cooking?”

“Yes. I don’t have anyone to cook for, and I don’t cook at home either. But next time, I’ll be able to do it better. I learn quickly when it comes to hands-on things.”

You want me to eat something like that again? This is torture……

I realized belatedly that he had promised to cook for me the next time. He spoke so casually that I couldn’t find any fault in his words, even though this kind of thing would never happen again.

I stared at him in amazement, and he furrowed his eyebrows as if he felt wronged.

“…If you really can’t eat it, give it to me. I’ll throw it away.”

“No, it’s not that bad… it’s still food after all, so why throw it away? If you have any candy or chocolate, just give me that instead.”

It seemed he put a lot of effort into cooking it, so it didn’t feel right to throw it away.

It’s been a long time since someone cooked for me, and besides, if it’s herbal medicine, it must have been made with high-quality ingredients, right?

Luckily, my portion was all in a small bowl. I quickly shoved them into my mouth, but then I couldn’t help but doubt and opened my mouth again.

“Are you sure this is made of something actually edible?”

“……Yes.”

His response came late. When I glanced at him, Joo Yunwoo only gave me a blank stare.