Gender Reversed Geum Taeyang - Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Encounter

Minwoo, who always wore a round, gentle smile, now had quite a serious expression.

Led by Minwoo’s hand, we arrived at a secluded corner of the orphanage.

It was a place with a container warehouse storing unused items from the orphanage, and secondhand items piled outside because the warehouse was full.

From the container warehouse, which had its door removed due to disuse, a faint smoke was drifting out. It was such a subtle level of smoke that would have been hard to notice if my eyes hadn’t improved.

As I approach the warehouse, I can smell an acrid scent.

Peering slightly inside the warehouse, I see a woman smoking inside.

Han Sehee. Now 17 years old, she’s the oldest among the children currently at the orphanage, and someone everyone trusts and follows due to her sense of responsibility.

“Sehee noona seemed to be getting a bit rough lately… The kids say she’s been hanging out with scary older girls…”

“Sehee?”

Actually, I had sensed that Sehee was struggling even before I came to this reversed world, but seeing her smoking in a corner made it clear that something had definitely gone wrong.

I have a rough idea of why Sehee ended up like this. I went through a similar phase myself.

According to Yohan Orphanage’s policy, children can no longer stay at the orphanage after graduating high school.

Although they give more preparation time for entering society compared to other institutions, it’s still scary to be thrown into society eventually.

Well, that’s why I left early. At 17. I figured life would be unstable anyway, so I wanted to start earning money quickly.

It’s been 6 years since I started building my practical compressed muscles working various jobs from chicken restaurant part-timer to loading/unloading worker.

…I don’t want others to go through what I did. I hope it’s not too late.

“Minwoo. Keep watch nearby. Don’t let anyone else come here. And stay a bit away yourself.”

“O-okay.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I walked toward Sehee. Even as I got closer, she kept staring at her phone.

Finally, when I got right behind her, she turned around. I snatched the cigarette from her mouth and put it in mine, taking a deep drag.

“O-oppa?!”

The half-remaining cigarette quickly shortened.

Maybe because it’s been a year since I quit smoking, my head feels like it’s going to explode, but I endure it through gritted teeth. My exhaled breath with the smoke carries worry.

The shock of seeing my especially cherished younger sister, a particularly cherished younger sister at that, blatantly smoking wouldn’t easily fade.

Did she learn to smoke because of the reversed world? Or could she have done this in the previous world too?

“Sehee, take out all your remaining cigarettes.”

“Okay…”

After smoking about five cigarettes, Sehee’s face started becoming more and more serious. She shouldn’t be serious yet. I haven’t even calmed down myself.

Still, she seems to clearly recognize that this isn’t a situation that can be easily overlooked.

Well, I’m not sure if counseling is the right word, but anyway, the counseling wasn’t very long.

She has to go out into society after the year after next, and even if she studies hard, she won’t have the means to attend university, and even though government support will come, it’s uncertain if a stable life will be possible.

As her future became unclear, her life became lethargic and she started getting involved with questionable people…

She used to study so well, but right after entering high school, what happened really. Kids weren’t this mentally fragile in my time.

The solution to these situations usually comes down to one thing.

Money.

Money brings stability to life, and a stable life enables growth. How can money not be called almighty in this regard?

Of course, the orphanage can’t take care of every child who becomes independent, and it’s nonsense for an individual to provide financial support.

But… wouldn’t it be okay to provide some support to a sister who was so close to me…?

Especially since Sehee has always been extremely good at studying and showed that she liked it, it makes me feel more regretful.

Also, we were particularly close.

Though I’m struggling to take care of myself too, they say shared pain is halved pain.

Reeking of cigarette smoke, I put my arm around Sehee’s shoulders. Visually, it looks like scary neighborhood guys pretending to be friendly before stealing money.

“Sehee, I heard it costs about 80 million won through university graduation.”

“Huh, what?”

“Just study hard. We lived together for years, how could I not help with that much?”

“What?! But still…”

“Hehe… This is something even the director doesn’t know, but I’m doing internet broadcasting these days? I started last week and already earned dozens. I have enough money to help you.”

Actually, I haven’t earned that much. But well, that’s not important.

It’s an impulsive decision, but I have no regrets. We’re not just acquaintances who’ve met once or twice.

“No… it’s just. It’s too sudden…”

Looks like she’s fallen for Sweet Seong Yuhan. Sehee started to tear up.

For her to be like this in front of me, a man despite being a woman in the reversed world, she must have had a really hard time.

“Hey Sehee, are you crying? What’s that about. How can you cry in front of a man when you were smoking just now.”

Maybe because of the smoke from the cigarette in my hand, she makes a funny expression that’s both grimacing and smiling-crying. A smile forms on my lips.

Well, maybe because my body changed, it looked quite lecherous.

-…!!

-……..!

Someone’s voices mix in from far away. Seems it’s time to go back now.

“Sehee, don’t show your crying face to the kids, come cry more in front of me later. Stop for now.”

“Okay. Sorry oppa…”

“What are you sorry for. If you’re really sorry, just quit smoking from now on.”

“Ahaha… Okay oppa.”

Right. Our Sehee looks prettiest when she smiles. As I wait for Sehee’s crying to stop, a familiar voice comes from behind.

…A voice I’ve heard a lot recently.

“What… are you doing there right now.”

Looking back, there’s the beautiful woman with long black hair, and Minwoo trying to stop her by grabbing her arm.

And on this side, there’s Sehee shrinking her body, and…

Geum Taeyang holding a cigarette in one hand with his arm around Sehee’s shoulders, wearing a vile smile.

“Oh shit.”

###

Videos should naturally contain various aspects. Just filming myself volunteering won’t make for interesting content.

First there needs to be entertainment for people to watch my videos, and they need to watch my videos to receive any good influence from them or not.

So after delivering the donated items, I was looking around various parts of the orphanage for additional video footage.

Coming to this place was pure coincidence.

This location in a corner of the orphanage seemed to be a space where various items no longer needed by the orphanage were piled up.

The atmosphere was quite eerie, so I was discussing with the managers about just quickly looking it over and leaving, when suddenly a male student blocked our path.

He tried to persuade us not to enter with various excuses, but they were clearly just clumsy explanations full of holes.

‘There must be something here.’

It was strange from the start that a male student alone was guarding such a place. He also gave off the impression of keeping watch.

Maybe because I’ve built up quite a relationship with the managers, we could roughly communicate just through eye contact. The managers would buy time while I go in to check.

“Student. Let me just take a quick look around. That’s not allowed either? We came here with proper permission.”

“Ah… but still.”

When the manager drew his attention by talking to him, I started moving.

Properly checking this space, thick smoke was coming from a container warehouse in one corner. Judging by the faint acrid smell detected here, it’s clearly cigarette smoke.

Was that student just keeping watch for another kid smoking?

Although society these days tends to overlook students smoking somewhat, wrong is still wrong.

Having delinquents nearby could also badly influence other children at the orphanage.

With those thoughts, I walked toward the container warehouse, and behind me that male student started chasing after me, shouting something.

Hearing that sound, I increased my speed. Is there a big penalty for getting caught smoking inside the orphanage? He started chasing more desperately.

Though I thought I was quite fast, he caught up to me instantly and reached out toward me.

But in the end, just as he grabbed my arm, I barely managed to enter the container.

*cough-! cough-!*

Cigarette smoke filling this cramped space. Why smoke this much?

When I forcibly opened my eyes that were squinting from the acrid smoke, a shocking scene was unfolded.

In the cigarette smoke that had settled like fog stood two people. A blonde man holding a cigarette in one hand had his arm around a woman’s shoulders while wearing a vile smile.

Maybe because of the cigarette smell, the woman was squinting her eyes while crying, and several cigarette butts were discarded on the floor.

The man, from his clothes and build, didn’t look like a child from the orphanage. He was clearly an adult by any measure.

Is he someone who came to volunteer? Why is he doing such things here?

If you ask me if I’m a virtuous person, I can’t give a definite answer. I’m not someone who’s never had any small transgressions.

Don’t we all live with a bit of evil? Humans are complex beings.

But that person is clearly an evil person. The type that usually opposes me.

Though anger wells up, I suppress it as much as possible and speak.

“What… are you doing there right now.”

“…Oh shit.”

As he turns around while spitting out vulgar curses, his appearance feels somehow familiar.

The managers who rushed over to me also stopped with surprised expressions after seeing his face.

“…Geum Taeyang?”

(End of chapter)