Side Story Chapter 61 – The Story of Little Things (6)

Yumi ran again.

The boundary between a moment and eternity vanished, and the direction she walked was a total mess.

Every sense felt completely shattered, as if her limbs were all mixed up.

Still, one sense was undeniably alive.

– Bang!

“Ouch……”

It felt like she hit something.

Thanks to that, Yumi’s hurried steps came to an abrupt halt.

Only then did Yumi realize what her current state was.

Laying embarrassingly on the ground.

For a brief moment, she blankly stared at the dark ceiling where nothing was visible.

As her senses gradually returned to her body, Yumi unconsciously parted her lips.

What came out this time was not a cry but Yumi’s honest feelings.

“It hurts……”

She hit hard, but her body wasn’t in pain.

It was just her heart that hurt.

There were countless other options available.

Clearly, there had to be a better way.

Yet she chose the worst possible method.

She came to the very place she promised not to go, causing hurt to everyone.

“I’m…really stupid…”

“Yumi! Are you okay?”

At that moment, a blurry figure approached and lifted Yumi up.

As Yumi wiped away the tears in her eyes, Yeonwoo’s face filled her vision.

Even in the darkness, it was strikingly clear, his face smeared with tears.

“Yeah… I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry… I… Yumi…”

“No, Yeonwoo… it’s my fault. I’m sorry…”

She was sorry.

It was Yumi who ruined what should have been a fun day.

Yet the fact that Yeonwoo, who did nothing wrong, was the one apologizing made her heart ache.

Even worse, it seemed like the emotion was overwhelming enough to loosen her tongue.

He could have been furious without any problems.

Nevertheless, Yeonwoo only asked about Yumi’s well-being instead of getting angry.

“Yumi… does that mean you’re alright now…?”

“Yeah… thanks, Yeonwoo.”

“I’m glad… I’m so glad…”

She felt grateful.

Yeonwoo, who was so reluctant to come here, followed Yumi just out of concern for her.

Thanks to that, Yumi was able to recover quickly.

“Well then, Yeonwoo, shall we get out now?”

“Yeah. It’s dangerous, so let’s hurry.”

She had already gotten up from where she was and started to walk.

Moreover, the pain in her chest had faded as well.

Just as she thought everything was fine now, the image of the boy popped into her head, and a sharp pang returned to her chest.

“Yumi? What’s wrong?”

“……”

For a brief moment, Yumi halted, intensely.

Honestly, her first impression of him wasn’t great.

Not entirely bad, but if pressed, it could be described as negative.

However, as they spent time playing together, her feelings gradually tilted positive.

No matter what they did, he willingly paid for things, and choosing activities that matched both Yumi and Yeonwoo’s preferences was nice.

But more than anything, she could see the thoughtfulness in all his actions.

He was truly a thankful boy who showcased maturity.

Then her chest throbbed.

It was painful, but more than pain, it felt slightly prickly.

The tingling made her feel strange.

For some reason, she could feel a bit of warmth as well.

But just as the feelings of regret surged, a pang of anguish filled Yumi’s heart.

It felt like he pierced through both her and Yeonwoo’s feelings.

Yet, upon closer inspection, he didn’t know anything about their circumstances.

Yet, she took her frustrations out on that boy.

She regretted it.

Even though Yumi had received far more than she had given.

Why did she carve such sharp words into him?

Despite his appearance, he looked really frail.

In the end, she even abandoned him and ran away.

That was one thing she absolutely shouldn’t have done.

Especially the boy’s pitiful face painfully gnawed at Yumi’s heart.

“Yumi, are you okay?”

“Ah… I’m sorry…”

A beat too slow to react, Yumi directly apologized to Yeonwoo.

“What happened all of a sudden?”

“I just… remembered the boy I saw earlier…”

“Ah, that friend? He was a good kid… you might not see him again…”

In that moment, suddenly Yumi’s heart ached even more than before.

Was something seriously wrong with her body somewhere?

What in Yeonwoo’s words made her feel this way?

A friend? Not being able to see him again? Or perhaps both?

Or was it just guilt stemming from her own mistakes?

Even amidst the pain, the pleasant feelings she had first felt lingered thickly.

It was undoubtedly Yumi’s possession, yet her heart raced uncontrollably.

In life, Yumi was feeling sensations for the first time.

A strange mix of delightful excitement and stinging pain.

“Ouch…”

“Yumi, what’s wrong?”

Thanks to that, Yumi unknowingly clutched her aching chest and whimpered.

“It feels weird… my chest hurts…”

“What…?”

“When it hurts, it really hurts… but the tingling feels nice…”

As soon as she said that, Yumi immediately regretted it.

Yeonwoo had come here willingly, worrying about her despite being in an unwanted place.

Now, she was making him worry even more.

Yumi forced herself to endure the pain and tried to smile, as if it was nothing.

“But it’s nothing really—”

“Yumi!”

“What, what is it… Yeonwoo…?”

While Yeonwoo took it seriously, she hadn’t intended to make him worry.

If only she hadn’t said anything, that would have been better.

At that moment, as Yumi rapidly fell into self-hatred.

“Yumi, it seems like your chest is growing!”

“What? Really!”

Yeonwoo exclaimed with a voice filled with surprise and joy.

“Yeah! We’re at the age of growth, so sometimes our bodies suddenly hurt!”

“Wow, chest!!!!!!”

Thanks to that, Yumi’s mood improved drastically.

I’ve been expecting nothing due to Mom’s genes.

Now that the pain is growth pain, how sweetly hopeful!

Overwhelmed with joy, Yumi cheered.

“Fck!!! I’m finally free from the curse of my chest!!!*”

So much so that a curse she never thought she’d utter slipped out unknowingly.

Yeonwoo, hearing this, lightly nudged Yumi, but she didn’t care at all.

Where else could Yumi find a moment as happy as this?

However, if there was one fact Yumi had forgotten.

Yumi and Yeonwoo were still inside the building.

The “normal operation” turned out to be a joke, and nothing was there.

Just looking outside, it seemed quite precarious.

The building felt like it was full of lurking dangers.

And suddenly, danger began to creep into reality.

– Thud.

“Huh?”

In her excitement, while swinging her arms around, Yumi touched something.

It wasn’t a hard hit at all, merely a soft brush.

Just a swing, and a long stick.

That was all it took.

– Crash!

“Uh? Uh!”

The building suddenly began to collapse.

Was the so-called “normal operation” a trick to deceive someone?

Just from brushing a stick, why was this happening?

It was too ridiculous to even feel wronged.

Yumi thought only that she shouldn’t have come here, just as the boy had said.

Yeonwoo, seeing Yumi standing still, suddenly sat her down and tightly hugged her.

“Y-Yumi! It’s dangerous!”

Yeonwoo acted to protect her from the now collapsing ceiling.

As Yumi watched the massive black mass approaching, she thought.

In truth, Yumi already knew.

There were reasons why even Moms had to work hard.

Even Dad, saying otherwise, would ultimately comply.

It was just that because Yumi couldn’t endure it, this happened.

So, she believed this was punishment.

She acted on her own without listening.

She had to pay the price for her stubbornness.

However, Yumi couldn’t accept it.

If only she was the one getting hurt, that would be fine.

If she made a mistake, she should naturally be punished.

But Yeonwoo was different.

He did nothing wrong and didn’t create any chaos.

He was only following Yumi, and was that really the wrong thing?

Thus, Yumi absolutely couldn’t allow Yeonwoo to get hurt.

Immediately, Yumi screamed sharply, activating her power.

“Get lost!!!!!”

– Boom!

An explosion occurred, shattering the approaching black mass into pieces.

However, as the black fragments scattered,

What appeared after they vanished were even larger, massive black masses.

Yumi’s explosion had prevented a relatively small disaster,

But it became the trigger for an even greater calamity.

Now, it was going to crush both Yumi and Yeonwoo in the form of rubble.

She felt sorry.

For Yeonwoo, who got dragged into this because of her.

For the moms who only received a text.

For the boy she still couldn’t apologize to.

Of course, regardless of Yumi’s feelings, the ceiling simply obeyed the laws of gravity.

In the moment when the ceiling’s designs became visible,

Yumi thought.

She wanted to see them.

The moms who usually seemed invincible.

The boy who made her heart ache.

And strangely, she suddenly wanted to see Dad more than anything.

Was it because her view of Dad overlapped with the boy’s?

The more uncertain the whereabouts, the stronger the longing became?

Did she believe Dad could solve anything?

Honestly, Yumi couldn’t pin down the reason.

Truth be told, there was no specific reason.

She just unconditionally wanted to see him.

That was all.

It was too close to activate her power.

And in the midst of that, her chest was aching fiercely.

Yumi unknowingly called out the person she wanted to see most.

Although the answer would never reach her.

Before her consciousness could even reach that thought,

Yumi moved her lips on instinct.

“Dad!!!!!!”

“Did you call for me?”

And an answer came that she could never hear.

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