“……This bastard attacked you, Shina.”

“What does that have to do with this! It was a misunderstanding. And honestly, you acting like this is scary, you know?”

“……You even grabbed my collar earlier.”

“Huh? Huh? Ha Young grabbed the guild master’s collar?”

Min Yu Shin looked at me with a surprised expression. He still seemed confused, unable to grasp the situation.

“Shina.”

“……I’m going to sort out my thoughts for a bit, so don’t follow me.”

“Are you going outside?”

“……”

“Were you thinking of going outside in that state?”

“Well, I need to contact my friend. There are people who are worried, so I have to tell them too.”

“You can’t go outside this building.”

It hadn’t even been 10 minutes since he revealed he was my elder brother, but Cheon Shin Woo suddenly started controlling my movements as if he was family.

“For a while, there’s a set place where you’ll have to stay. ……When you’re done sorting out your thoughts, I’ll answer everything, so just stay put.”

“Wait, wait a minute. Shina? Cheon Shin Woo’s sister Cheon Shina?”

“If you’re going somewhere, don’t go anywhere but back to the ward quietly. I’ll give you the key later.”

“Cheon Shina? The sister Cheon Shin Woo was making such a fuss about?”

Min Yu Shin, freed from Cheon Shin Woo, jumped up and looked back and forth between me and Cheon Shin Woo.

“……Why should I do that?”

“I told you it’s dangerous.”

“You seem to be the most dangerous one here.”

“Okay, okay. Both of you, stop it. Let’s try to sort out the situation. Calm down, calm down. Okay?”

Min Yu Shin stepped between me and Cheon Shin Woo, stretching out his hands as if to block us.

“So Park Ha Young was Shina? That little kid I know?”

“……”

“……”

“And Shin Woo, you knew this? Is that why you suddenly attacked… No, that’s not important. Since when?”

“……Haa.”

Cheon Shin Woo sighed. He had an expression that showed no intention of answering Min Yu Shin’s questions.

“……Go back to the hospital room.”

After urging me again, he started dragging Min Yu Shin somewhere.

“You need to explain properly, Guild Master! Hey, Guild Master! Shin Woo?”

“……”

I could see Kali, who had been thrown into the corridor and was now a mess.

Now what should I do? The feeling of being left alone with nothing resolved was really unpleasant.

[This is the timeline separator]

Despite my rebellious heart thinking, “Do you think I’ll just do as I’m told quietly?”, there was nothing I could do. I quietly returned to the hospital room and waited.

I wondered what to do without a phone. That thought was quickly retracted. The doctor who seemed to be in charge of me tossed something to me.

It was the latest model smartphone that had just been released. Ignoring the doctor who was grumbling about why he had to do this, I hurriedly turned on the phone.

As soon as the contact synchronization was complete, numerous messages came in. Surprisingly, these messages were from only two people.

[BYH: Are you okay?] [BYH: You said you were going to the bathroom, but you’re late.] [BYH: Did something happen?] [BYH: Ha Young.] [BYH: Ha Young?] [……]

The messages were quite long. I scrolled down and wrote a short reply at the end.

[Something came up, so I’m late in contacting you. Sorry about that day.]

After sending the message, the next was from Min Young unni. It seemed she knew my situation in more detail than Lee Hyun, as the content was quite lengthy. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the words, ‘Getting involved in S-class gates twice, are you cursed or something?’

I briefly considered whether to include in my reply that I was Cheon Shin Woo’s sister.

Unni, I’m actually Cheon Shin Woo’s sister. The Rank 1 guy knew this all along. Unni, actually I……

I quickly erased the content I was composing. What’s the point of telling when nothing is certain?

Replies came for each, but I didn’t have the energy to respond. I lay down and watched the IV drip falling drop by drop.

I felt dejected.

[This is the timeline separator]

The discharge was quick. The attending physician said my recovery was unusually fast for someone who hadn’t awakened. Either way, I just wanted to go home quickly.

“……What brings you here?”

“Hm? Haha, the Guild Master asked me to.”

However, I couldn’t go home. Min Yu Shin, who appeared in time for my discharge, handed me a card and a key, and guided me to a place other than my original home.

“Shin Woo, I mean the Guild Master, won’t be returning to the country for a while. Oh, is it okay to speak casually? He asked me to explain on his behalf, but I’m not sure what to explain… There’s also a letter he left, you should read that too.”

“……What?”

The situation progressed regardless of my will. I was guided to the 40th floor of a building behind the guild headquarters.

“Nothing’s been sorted out yet, but once it is, there will be news. There are plans for interviews too, but you can refuse if you’re uncomfortable… Well, that’s how it is.”

What situation is ‘that’s how it is’ supposed to describe? Frustration rose up to my throat.

Cheon Shin Woo, who said he would explain, left for a gate after leaving just one letter and one card.

“Well, everything you need should be here. There’s no limit on the card, so you can buy as much as you want… Hmm, what else was I supposed to explain?”

“……I want to hit Cheon Shin Woo once.”

“……Huh?”

“I want to hit him, but can you hit him for me? I don’t think it will hurt if I do it.”

“……Um, that……”

Min Yu Shin, who was showing me around the room, rolled his eyes. Well, how could he, an A-class, hit Cheon Shin Woo? But what can I do about being angry?

“He said he would explain… And then he ran off like this?”

“Shina. Let’s calm down. I understand you’re angry, but let’s calm down. Okay? Shin Woo must have had his reasons, and look, he left a letter too? Let’s read it first and then think. Let’s read it.”

“……”

The luxurious penthouse facilities didn’t even register in my eyes. Only my fists and anger were screaming.

Hoo, okay. He must have his reasons. After calming myself down with deep breaths, I took the letter and read it.

After the opening that began with an apology for leaving like this, the content of the letter was ultimately about why he couldn’t reveal earlier that I was his sister.

Was it because he had lived as the Rank 1 for so long, behaving recklessly? He said that enemies were scattered in all directions, and with his abilities at the time, he couldn’t protect me. He judged that it would be safer not to reveal it until he was certainly strong enough…….

The black card in my hand felt unreal. Is this really a black card with no limit? If I order delivery food with this, will I not get suspended?

Only then did the luxury residential facilities catch my eye. It was so high-end that I felt bad comparing it to the half-basement where sunlight barely entered. I let out a hollow laugh. It was a laugh born of disbelief.

“Haha……”

“Have you calmed down a bit now?”

“……Yes, for now.”

Though I still can’t believe it.

It’s not that I’m not angry. However, I no longer felt the need to be angry. No, it would be more accurate to say that my anger had surpassed its threshold and reached enlightenment.

Right, I’ll show them what it means to use a card with no limit freely. I’m going to order 1 million won worth of delivery food in a month!

If you’re going to explain this kind of thing, do it in person! Damn, cursed Rank 1. Think you’re all that?! ……That was it. Really, that was it. Thanks to him, I can now live in this luxury penthouse without worrying about money.

Whatever circumstances he had, whatever reasons he had, I’m going to live as I please. I’ll make him regret leaving me like this.

I made a decision. I’m not sure what I decided, but I decided anyway. I’m going to do everything I want to do.

And that decision crumbled within an hour.

#Chapter 1.5. Side) A Certain ██’s Depression

To the 14-year-old Cheon Shin Woo, a younger sibling was truly a mysterious existence.

Cute at times, bothersome at others, sometimes irritating but occasionally worrying.

While other families’ siblings with small age gaps fought daily, he and his sibling fought less due to their 7-year age difference.

Less fighting didn’t mean no fighting at all. Generally, it followed the pattern of Cheon Shin Woo teasing his younger sibling and his sibling getting angry and squawking, but still.

At just 7 years old, that young child was full of complaints and mischief. If there were snacks bought, they would quickly eat them, they would doodle on homework that needed to be done. Even when told not to, they would insist on doing things.

When words of reason failed, he would resort to giving them a knock on the head. He’d get scolded for bullying his sibling despite being 7 years older, but it couldn’t be helped. His sibling wouldn’t listen unless he did that.

A mischievous and annoying 7-year-old. A sibling who became ugly when teased but sometimes did cute things.

That was the extent of Cheon Shin Woo’s feelings towards Cheon Shina.

They fought, but the siblings’ relationship wasn’t that bad. Because both parents worked, the task of looking after his sibling often fell to him, and though he’d complain every time, he didn’t hate his sibling. The young Shina wasn’t at fault.

His annoying friend who had been with him from elementary to middle school always said, ‘Why do you treat your sibling so badly?’ Maybe because he disliked how his friend would buy a few ice creams in summer and treat Shina more preciously than his own sibling, he would retort with, ‘It’s funny when they get ugly.’

An ungrateful sibling who would abandon their elder brother and promptly sit on his friend’s lap when he brought ice cream.

Still, a child who sometimes did cute things thinking of their elder brother, and then caused trouble too.

Yes, that was about it.

And then the world faced a cataclysm.

The sky turned upside down. The ground cracked and fissures opened. Monsters that burst out from the fissures continually devoured the world.

His parents died. The corpses were reportedly too gruesome to look at with one’s own eyes.

The streets were controlled by soldiers. People gathered in facilities like schools and gymnasiums for evacuation.

Cheon Shin Woo and his sibling were among those to be evacuated.

How much control could soldiers have over the situation? Monsters that even bullets couldn’t harm were everywhere.

Bodies piled up every day. As the bodies piled up, so did the screams and tears.

Everyone faced death. It was a time when surviving was a miracle.

Is this what stories in media depicting the apocalypse are like? The pandemonium created by the accumulation of terrible screams gradually consumed everyone.

A world filled only with the scent of death and depression.

In such a world, a sibling 7 years younger was nothing but a burden.