The Disappearance That Changed Everything
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That night.
"Welcome back, sis! You're home really late."
She, who had just returned after completing a pile of work with deadlines this week, looked at the young man dressed haphazardly and greeted her with a wide smile that almost resembled her own face.
"If you've come out of your room, then go take a shower and dress properly." Instead of responding to his warm greeting, she shooed him away with a tired tone.
"... It seems like you're exhausted again," the young man grumbled.
She just sighed, ignoring the young man pouting at her, before entering her room and soaking in the bathtub with warm water for a long time to relieve the fatigue that had taken a toll on her entire body.
"Sister, sister! Let's have dinner!" The young man's voice called out enthusiastically as if he knew she had finished bathing.
"... Did he wait for me to finish bathing so we could eat together?" She mumbled, feeling touched by her brother's behavior, her only family.
"Alright," she replied.
The sight on the square table was filled with various dishes emitting a delicious aroma that would whet anyone's appetite.
"Did you order all of this?"
"Yes!" Her brother nodded confidently. He blinked his eyes, seemingly seeking praise, like an adorable puppy.
Instead of praising and thanking him, she ended up hitting his body with her hands, firmly.
"I told you not to order junk food so often! Why did I hire an expensive housekeeper if you keep ordering such food!" She scolded, still hitting his muscular arms and broad back, even though her younger brother rarely exercised and preferred to stay in his room.
"Ouch! Stop it! Don't hit me! I might become stupid! You know, my precious brain needs to be taken care of so I can write smoothly!"
"I know that which is why I'm only hitting your body instead of your precious head!" She replied, continuing to hit his back, leaving an imprint of her hand there.
And her younger brother screamed. "Aaaaakkk! How long are you going to keep hitting me?"
"Until you understand and digest all of my words and let them soak into your precious head!"
"Why do you keep mentioning 'my precious head'? Are you mocking me? No, I'm sure you're just jealous because I make a lot of money even though I stay locked up at home! Unlike you!"
"..."
She stopped hitting him after hearing those words, spoken by her own brother.
"... Sister?" Her younger brother, realizing that her hitting had stopped, called her cautiously.
She didn't answer, and she decided to grab a plate of spaghetti, which happened to be the closest to her seat at the dining table.
"..."
In silence, she ate it calmly.
"I'm sorry, sis, I didn't mean to say it like that." Her younger brother looked at her as she silently ate, his expression filled with guilt.
"I said this because I don't want to see you working late all the time! You should rest at home with my money and find a husband who can—"
She stood up from her chair with an empty plate in hand. Her movement made her brother's words come to an abrupt halt.
"Thank you for the meal. Make sure to eat properly. Don't leave anything behind since you were the one who ordered all of this," she said, briefly ruffling her brother's black hair, then walked away without looking at his face.
"Sister, sister!" Her brother called again with a worried tone, "Is that all you're going to eat?"
Instead of answering, she opened her mouth to say something else. "Remember, don't waste any food."
She immediately closed her door after saying that without waiting for his response.
Because this apartment was quite expensive, she couldn't hear any sounds from behind her door. Her room was completely silent.
But she was sure that the young rascal was probably eating eagerly right now.
"Take care of your brother, okay? Don't let him be alone."
That was the wish of both of her parents, who died in a plane crash.
As the older sibling and the only remaining member of this small family, she always carried within her the message to always show the image of a reliable person to her only sibling.
She had managed to hold on until now. Even when her brother became successful and earned more money than she did. She had to work overtime at the office to get a high bonus.
She wasn't jealous of her brother's success at all. In fact, she was genuinely happy and almost moved to tears because she had raised her brother well.
Yes, it had been over ten years since she had been working tirelessly without rest as if walking on a thin and easily breakable rope. She wanted to quit her exhausting job and rest as her little brother suggested.
However, even if her brother was successful now, he was still her little brother. He was still under her care, as his older sister, guardian, and the only family he had. She couldn't just quit working and relax using his money.
Where would she put her face as the one who always tried to give off the aura of a reliable older sister to her younger brother?
However, maybe because she was too focused on her role as his older sister, she had become indifferent to him.
But what could she do? Her current position was not a leisurely one where she could play the role of a beautiful, friendly, and kind sister to him.
"Ha...." She sighed heavily.
She wanted to sleep, but she wasn't sleepy at all. Even though this was a precious free time that she rarely had.
Because she was unsure of what to do with this rare free time, she unconsciously glanced at her monitor.
"Should I check what tasks are due next month?" She mumbled, and a few moments later, she felt sorry that she had to use this free time for work, and she sighed in frustration.
Once again, her brother, as if knowing that she was getting bored with something, knocked on her bedroom door softly.
"... Sister," he called, with a somewhat pleading tone.
"Yeah?"
"Actually, I've been writing something lately...."
Huh, no wonder he came out of his room and welcomed me warmly while buying all that food.
Her younger brother, a web novel writer on a famous website, had become very successful in the romance genre, which was quite unexpected considering his large and muscular physique.
As usual, after completing a piece of work, her brother would seek feedback. And the one he asked for feedback from was her, who was the first reader of all his works before they were uploaded to the website and became highly popular.
Yes, it was two years ago.
She had long stopped being the first reader of her brother's works.
Why?
Because she actually despised the romance genre!
Yeah, maybe that's why she didn't have a boyfriend at all. She really hated anything related to romance, so it was impossible for her to be willing to engage in a romantic relationship.
Ah, just thinking about it again already makes me cringe!
"No." She immediately refused without pretending to think further. She didn't even bother opening her door because she didn't want the trivial argument to drag on any longer.
"Aaaa, please, big sis! Help me review my story!"
"I said no. Ask one of your loyal readers for help."
"No! If I do that, there will be division among my reader community!"
"In that case, ask your editor or your friends for help!"
"No! I only want to show the perfect manuscript to my editor! And I only want my friend to read it when my novel becomes a top novel!"
She felt like her head was about to explode from having to listen to her grown-up little brother's complaints.
"Arghh, you want so much! Ask anyone for help then! Whether it's the neighbor's grandmother or the aunt who often sells groceries across the apartment!"
"They both won't understand my novel!"
"If they don't understand it, neither do I!"
"Different!" Her little brother suddenly raised his voice and continued with a higher tone behind the door. "Why won't you help me again?!"
She felt pressured because her brother rarely raised his voice in front of her. So, she went along with this pointless conversation and responded without much thought.
"Do you still need to ask for the reason? Fine! I hate reading anything related to romance!" She shouted, revealing the secret she had kept so well. "I've been forced to read something I dislike for two years!"
"... So, all this time, for two years, you've felt that hatred and disgust every time you helped me read my works?"
"Yes! Exactly! Every romantic sentence I read makes me want to puke and almost faint! Ugh, just imagining it makes me half-dead from the headache alone!"
As if consumed by emotions and becoming uncontrollable, she kept spewing out words she had sworn never to say to her little brother.
"... Unbelievable! I hate you, big sister!" Her brother said with a tone full of disappointment before she heard his faint footsteps moving away from her door.
I hate you, big sister? Ha, is he still a child? How can a man in his twenties say something like that to his older sister?
"Ah, I must be crazy...." She closed her eyes. She felt like she had run out of energy.
Indeed, sibling fights can be very draining...
Unconsciously, her whole body, like a muscle-less caterpillar, was already lying on the bed.
"I'll just go to sleep."
Her little brother was already an adult, and he'd been making more money than her for the past year. So, he no longer needed comfort from his older sister, who was old and easily tired.
... I should cook his favorite meal tomorrow morning to boost his morale in finishing his last novel.
She thought about that while her vision blurred due to a sudden wave of drowsiness.
But...
The next morning, a massive storm, a truly enormous one, shattered the peaceful life of the small family she had worked so hard to maintain.
Her little brother disappeared. And her world crumbled.