Chapter 100

Not long after lunch, Miss Yura arrived. Seeing her again, her face looked younger and fairer than I remembered.

The doctor said that since I wasn’t undergoing chemotherapy, I could go out if accompanied by a guardian. I thanked him. He seemed uneasy, saying it was frightening when someone changed so drastically overnight. Well—of course, since I had changed.

“Miss Hyunji, how have you been?”
“Thank you for coming.”
“Oh, not at all. I couldn’t stop worrying about you…”

Yura was very cautious. She must have been warned by the medical staff—about how I’d had seizures until yesterday, or how I’d suddenly changed, or that I might do something dangerous and needed to be watched.

I tried to recall when I’d last seen her. As far as I remembered, we’d never really had a conversation. She had spoken to me one-sidedly while I just stared blankly. Then at night, I cried. Thinking about it, maybe I hadn’t been so different from Hyunji raging for medication all week.

I had already changed into clothes and was waiting for her. My body was so thin it was all bones, and even Hyunji’s own clothes hung loose. Naturally so—I hadn’t been eating properly.

If not for Bii, I probably wouldn’t have been able to move properly.

I hadn’t expected Bii to follow me, but it turned out to be a great help. Perched on my shoulder, Bii helped me move with ease. Luckily, it seemed no one else could see the little creature.

If anyone saw me talking to Bii, they’d surely think I was mentally ill.

“Where would you like to go?”
“Here. I want to go here.”

Yura checked the address I handed her.

“Oh, this is…”
“It’s my uncle’s address. But before that, could we stop by a bank?”
“That’s not difficult… Ah, which bank?”
“This one.”

Though puzzled, she didn’t press further. She was so kind and gentle—far more than the other nurses who were friendly yet professional. She was spending her personal time to help me. I had to repay that kindness.

First, at the bank, I withdrew all the insurance money. It took several large bags, but with Yura’s help, we managed to pack it all. The teller tried to dissuade me, saying it was dangerous to withdraw so much at once, but I refused to back down.

“I’m dying soon, so I need to spend all this money.”
“…What?”
“Terminally ill. At the very least, I want to splurge where I want before I die.”

Who would argue with someone saying that?

The teller, who had looked at me like I was a delusional patient, went silent at the sight of my gaunt appearance and Yura’s sincere concern. We stuffed the money into the rolling suitcase Yura had hurriedly bought, then headed to my uncle’s address. She hailed a taxi, making it easy.

Inside the cab, I handed Yura an envelope of cash I had prepared.

“Miss Yura, please take this.”
“Oh my gosh, I didn’t help you for this!”
“I want to give it. I can fulfill my wish only because of you.”
“No, I absolutely can’t accept this.”

When she firmly refused, I rolled down the taxi window and made as if to throw the envelope out. She shrieked and grabbed my hand, stopping me.

“W-what are you doing?!”
“You said you didn’t want it, so I was going to throw it away…”
“Still, you can’t just throw money on the street! That’s illegal dumping—or something like it! Anyway, no!”
“Then you can take it.”
“…Miss Hyunji…”
“All you have to do is accept it.”
“If you really must give it to someone, how about to people in need instead of me? You could donate it…”

She hesitated, but I only smiled faintly.

“I can’t do something so grand.”
“It’s not hard. Just a phone call.”
“All the money besides what I want to give you is already spoken for, so I can’t.”
“Ah…”
“Here, take it. Should I give you more?”

When I pretended to pull out more, Yura panicked.

“No, no, that’s plenty!”
“Then take the extra and donate it yourself.”

At that moment, the taxi driver caught my eyes in the mirror and chimed in slyly.

“Well now, miss, do you have that much money?”
“Not really. It’s just the first money I’ve earned. This unni has helped me so much, but she won’t even accept a small gift.”
“Is that so? You’re a good girl. Just accept it, miss. Then you two can go get yourselves something nice to eat.”

Finally, Yura reluctantly accepted the envelope.

“That money I gave you will be the most valuable I’ll ever spend.”
“…Excuse me?”

I only grinned in response.

Soon the taxi stopped at the given address.

What would make Hyunji the angriest upon returning? Whom did she least want this money to go to?

She had despised her alcoholic mother, but her father she hated and feared the most. She detested all her paternal relatives. When her uncle had once demanded the price of his brother’s life from his dying niece, Hyunji hadn’t even answered—out of loathing, and fear.

As I stepped through the open gate, the man recognized me and shot up to his feet.

Before he could shout, I grabbed the suitcase from Yura and set it down, quickly opening it to show the contents.

“It’s the price of my parents’ lives.”
“…Wh-what?”
“You asked for it, didn’t you? I thought it over, and I realized—you’re the one most suited to have this money.”

Because giving it to you would hurt her the most.

Smiling brightly, just as Hyunji had once advised, I wished she could see me now.

I handed over the rest of the bags to the man, who could only stammer, mouth agape.

“My father was a kind man.”

Hyunji’s father had beaten her mother, had been cruel to his daughter. Once, when she’d tried to protect her mother, he had beaten her nearly to death. After that, even if she heard her mother’s screams, Hyunji never again left her room.

“A respectable man.”

And in the end, he had nearly killed his wife.

Hyunji had never wanted to utter such words, but now I did—kindly, even.

“The fire insurance money, all the life insurance payout. It’s all here.”
“Well, ahem, I didn’t mean for you to go this far… But, well. Since you seem to have repented, when you die, I’ll see to your funeral.”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary.”
“…What?”
“I’ll handle it myself. I wouldn’t want to trouble you. Just live well and eat well with that money.”

Her uncle stood there dumbfounded. I shook his hand with a cheerful smile, then walked back toward the gate where Yura was waiting.

“Are… are you okay, Miss Hyunji?” she asked carefully.
“I told you. The money I gave you is the most valuable of all.”

To Hyunji, that house was a garbage dump.

No—she would have thought it better to just toss all the money in the trash or burn it instead.

“Shall we head back to the hospital now?”
“Yes, we should.”

If I didn’t return, Yura would get in trouble. I checked the time. Just past six. Less than twenty-four hours since I had returned to this world.

Still, I’ll need at least a week. Maybe ten days.

By now, you must be confirming that burning love between you.

Hyunji and Linus needed more time. And my family, too, to enjoy the victory I had handed them.

I could almost see them gloating, so pleased at my downfall.

Especially Grace. She must be overjoyed—thrown out to her parents’ house because of me, after all. She was probably badgering “me” to confess it had all been a lie, to prove her innocence.

Whether that would work or not, just my absence must have been enough to make her ecstatic.

Are you happy now? I hope so.

All the way back to the hospital with Yura, I smiled.