Mixed-Blood in a Gender Role Reversed World - Chapter 55

 Chapter 55: Withering Flower (2) 

Sehwa, talking in awkward Russian with someone unknown.  

A park filled with people walking dogs and middle-aged women with headbands fiddling with exercise equipment.  

In this familiar scene, I feel like the only outsider.  

Hayul slightly raised her gaze, taking in the sky she’d been staring at earlier.  

It was a bit murkier than the sky back home, but now, Seoul’s sky felt as comforting as her own blanket.  

As they say, humans are creatures of adaptation.  

Even Hayul, who found everything unfamiliar when she first moved to the city, was slowly building her own nest here.  

Despite the exhausting and tough days, there was joy in it.  

But cruelly, a sudden storm swept through, tearing that nest apart overnight.  

“…Noona?”  

“Yeah, I’m fine.”  

A hollow chuckle hung briefly on Hayul’s lips before fading.  

She realized both the source of that joy and the storm that was pushing her to the edge.  

“Then I’ll head out. Sorry about this.”  

“No, don’t be sorry.”  

Hayul shook her head as if brushing it off.  

If this conversation makes you uncomfortable, I’ll let it go. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up.  

I thought we’d grown close, but looking back, I don’t know anything about you.  

(…What have I been doing all this time?)

“Noona, and…”  

Sehwa’s heavy voice pressed down on her shoulders.  

Hayul instinctively sensed his intention.  

With weary eyes, she faced Sehwa, bracing herself for the words that would end this connection.  

“If you see me working next time, at least acknowledge it.”

“…?”  

“I know you don’t like what I do, but if you see it up close, it’s not so bad.”  

(See it up close…?)

“Sehwa, I don’t like that kind of—”  

“I’m not asking you to hang out there. Just watch me work from the entrance. I don’t like the idea of you being inside either.”  

“…Huh?”  

Sehwa’s calm words, accompanied by a slight smile, felt off to Hayul.  

She placed a finger on her red lips, lost in thought.  

(What’s this about the entrance? And being inside? Isn’t he the one… doing it? This doesn’t make sense.)

“If you’re busy, you don’t have to come.”  

“No, wait. So… you’re asking me to come to your place?” 

“No, my workplace. Valkyrie.”  

“…?”  

Confusion stripped Hayul of her ability to think, her eyes widening.  

Sehwa stared at her for a moment, then glanced at his phone with a frustrated expression.  

“…I really have to go now. I’ll call you later.”  

“Uh, yeah. Take care!”  

Hayul watched Sehwa leave, blurting out a sudden question.  

“…What was that?”  

Even if she tried to piece it together step by step, it would take time to clear the question marks flooding her mind.  

---

After parting with Hayul,  

my steps quickened, soon turning into a sprint.  

My bangs whipped against my forehead as I ran.  

Thanks to that, the tangle of thoughts in my head didn’t spill out.  

As I retraced my steps, a thought crossed my mind.  

(Was the walk from the park to my place always this long?)

After passing dozens of streetlights…  

“Haa, haa… I told them not to come, but they never listen…”  

I reached the entrance of my building, panting heavily.  

Bending over, hands on my knees, I steadied my breathing.  

Closing my eyes, I sank into thought.  

I clearly told them not to come, so why did they show up out of nowhere…?  

(…)

I don’t know.  

All I know right now is this:  

It’s dark. Even when I open my eyes, it’s still dark.  

*Step, step.*  

I climbed the dim staircase.  

The sensor lights didn’t budge despite my presence, a testament to this building’s quality.  

In a way, they seemed better than some people.  

“Some people ignore kind warnings and cause this mess.”  

And so, I reached the door.  

(What will Aunt’s reaction be? My free life is definitely over.)

“…Damn it.”  

I roughly pushed my bangs back and flung the door open.  

Blurry figures came into view, but my eyes locked onto them

“You’re here! Finally! Sehwa, please, untie me!”  

“Check it, please. We really know each other…”  

Hyemin and Suyoung, slouched and pleading, glanced back and forth.  

I quietly took off my shoes and approached them slowly.  

Kneeling on one knee, I met their eyes at their level on the floor.  

“…?”  

“Guess my words didn’t sink in. Look at you, acting so recklessly.”  

“N-No, it’s not like that… You said we’d die—”  

Hyemin’s teeth chattered.  

I gave a twisted smile, a mix of exhaustion and anger.  

“What now? You’ve been caught.”  

By Aunt.  

---

_

“Please, save me! Mother, please!”

“There’s an old saying: A woman must guard her lower half. The womb shouldn’t rule the mind.”

“That’s not the point right now, Mother! We’re about to die…”

“I’d rather tell you to die, but I’ll hold back this once. Stop clinging to my legs and stand up. Before I break them with a golf club.”

“Okay, okay, put it down. So, we’re really going now…?” 

“If you don’t, you’ll die as is. And men tend to speak indirectly, so it might mean to come to him.”

“Still…”

“That Sehwa guy doesn’t seem very patient. Go today. Beg on your knees.”

“…I’ll go right away.”

“Hyemin.”

“Yes…”

“Make sure I can ride in a car again.”

“…I’m sorry.”

After that, Hyemin and Suyoung took a long taxi ride, clutching a case stuffed with 100 million won, following the address Sehwa had sent.  

They were like exiles, heading there empty-handed.  

Taking a fancy car with a driver would risk upsetting him—an unthinkable mistake.  

So, with no driver, they couldn’t lug around a heavy case.  

Mother had insisted it was better to arrive looking presentable.  

Sehwa wasn’t greedy for money, so he’d understand. The important thing was their sincerity.  

Show him the sample, beg for forgiveness, and promise to bring the rest of the money soon.  

It was already settled.  

Standing before his door, they exchanged resolute glances.  

Suyoung carefully knocked.  

*Knock, knock.*  

*…*  

No answer.  

Suyoung knocked again, but there was still no response.  

In their panic, they froze.  

*Step, step.*  

The sound of footsteps echoed from the staircase.  

As the steps grew closer, they filled the eerie corridor.  

Hyemin, clutching the case tightly, stared toward the dark entrance.  

“…Oh, it’s not him.”  

When the figure emerged, they sighed in relief.  

Even in the dark, they could tell.  

Though the person wore a cap and mask, the curves of their body were unmistakably female. Taller than them but shorter than Sehwa.  

(Let’s knock one more time and call him.)

Still pressed against the door, they hesitated as they reached to knock again.  

“…?”  

“Hehe, that case. Can I take a look?”  

The overly clear pronunciation felt slightly off for a Korean, but they didn’t notice in their anxious state.  

Their desperation swallowed any sense of unease.  

All that mattered was meeting Sehwa and delivering the money.  

“Who are you? Why do you want the case?”  

“Oh, I’m the building’s security! You two seem suspicious…”  

“What nonsense! You’re dressed like that and call yourself security? Just go. This isn’t your business.”  

“Hm… Then I’ll just take it by force.”  

Hyemin tightened her grip on the case at the stranger’s words.  

Glancing at Suyoung, she saw her let out a dry laugh.  

“…Auntie, are you a robber? Why do you even want to see the case? Who are you?”  

*…*  

Hyemin’s eyes widened at Suyoung’s bold words, but she nodded in agreement.  

They had to hold their ground, like a hedgehog raising its spines to deter a predator.  

If this woman saw the money inside, what would happen?  

(If we lose it here… what do we say when Sehwa asks where the money is?)

This wasn’t just money—it was a deposit to extend their lives.  

But their bravado was futile. The stranger lowered her head, chuckling.  

“Should we call the police? We can fight too.”  

“Take it easy… What if she has a knife?”  

“…Doesn’t look like it. Her hands are empty. I’ll block her, so you run down the stairs.”  

“Hey…”  

“I’ve only taken until now. You caused this, but… I’m sorry for running first back then.”  

Hyemin looked at Suyoung with teary eyes.  

Their heated friendship sparked warmth between them.  

“I’m slow anyway. And… we need to survive. If we lose the money now, we won’t have time to get more. Let’s meet outside later.”  

“…Thank you.”  

They pulled their faces apart from whispering and glared at the stranger.  

“Done with your meeting? Ready to show me now, huh?”  

The stranger tilted her cap down, speaking warmly.  

“…On three, I’ll run first. If I hold her, you escape.”  

“Hey, Suyoung. If it’s dangerous, run immediately.”  

“Both of you are so quiet… Geez, is it that hard to show me one thing?”  

As the stranger grumbled, Suyoung clenched her fists.  

Hyemin braced her legs, ready to sprint.  

“Three, two, one!”  

Hyemin watched Suyoung’s back as she bolted forward, swinging her small fists at the stranger.  

*Swish—*  

*…Chiiiik—*  

In the blink of an eye, something slid across the floor to Hyemin’s feet.  

It bumped against her toes. She looked down silently.  

“Eek! You scared me! I’m already faint-hearted…”  

Yuri, pretending to wipe tears, mocked a sob.  

Lifting her cap, she revealed cold brown eyes.  

“Can I check now?”  

Hyemin, holding the bag, nodded blankly.  

Humming, Yuri reached for the case.  

“Let’s see what you’re hiding so tightly, especially in front of the young master’s place… Oh.”  

Yuri snapped the case shut and stared at Hyemin.  

“No wonder you were hiding it.”  

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Translated by Reversalmanhwa.web.id  

/ Reversalnovel.web.id