Chapter 4

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Translator: Soafp

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After the wake and funeral, the younger sister had been carrying the cremated remains throughout. Despite her small stature, she seemed determined not to let anyone else touch her.

Once back home, they placed the mortuary tablet and the urn containing the ashes, offering incense each time.

(Onii-chan…)

The knot tying the box containing the ashes changed day by day, but none of the family members noticed.

“Hey, why did you betray Onii-chan?” The younger sister confronted the ex girlfriend, who was also present in the living room.

Though it was more of a question asked under the eaves of their house, for the younger sister, she was the only outsider who knew the truth about her brother.

“Uh, I didn’t betray him… I was just scared…” The ex girlfriend avoided explaining what exactly frightened her.

Shivering slightly, she pressed her left forearm with her right hand.

The younger sister, despite being younger, didn’t use polite language when addressing the ex girlfriend, expressing her clear displeasure.

“You spread your legs for another guy, fabricated lies, and the truth is hidden in that chest of yours. Isn’t it getting tough for you?”

Despite the age difference, the younger sister’s lack of politeness was evident. She knew about her brother’s violent actions, yet she also knew he hadn’t lied.

It was just that due to his criminal record, people were skeptical and didn’t believe him.

Frightened, the ex girlfriend let out a small gasp.

“Onii-chan won’t let go of even a single fragment.”

What exactly that meant was beyond the ex girlfriend’s understanding, but the younger sister was content with her own understanding.

Once things calmed down, it would be easy to think about it. If only the family…

If only they had noticed the slight discomfort.

If only they had paid attention to the changing appearance of the strings tying the urn each day.

The fear the ex girlfriend felt, whether directed towards her deceased ex-boyfriend or something else entirely, was unclear.

The younger sister’s inclination towards her brother had been apparent since childhood.

A single shadow lurking behind most of their dates.

A shadow that became visible during the incident of assault.

The images of those two glaring lights, as if ready to shoot, were etched clearly in the ex girlfriend’s eyes and mind.

The 49th day arrived, and the brother’s cremated remains were placed in the family’s ancestral grave.

Throughout this process, the younger sister had been holding the urn tightly, a sentiment of not wanting anyone else to touch it, and for another reason – to avoid anyone noticing the change in its weight.

(Onii-chan… Now we’re united.)

After the 49-day memorial service concluded, the family returned home. The urn, once cradled carefully by the younger sister, was now placed beneath the ancestral grave, where the brother was laid to rest.

Upon returning home after the service, a mortuary tablet with the posthumous Buddhist name written on it was quietly placed on the family altar.

As each person added incense, they closed their eyes in prayer, marking the start of their new journey.

The next day, the family members, still dressed in mourning attire, were discovered as lifeless bodies. Among them was the woman who had been the source of trouble for the younger sister — the ex girlfriend and childhood friend.

“Onii-chan, I’m sorry. I’ll follow the path you left in life.”

After serving her sentence, just like her brother, the sister stole cakes and candles, but she used the pencil and notebook her brother once used. In that notebook, she wrote curses for the world and expressions of love for her brother.

She took a few photos and gently placed them next to the notebook.

The difference between the brother and the sister lay in whether this final photo existed or not.

To the outside world, they were seen as the perpetrators of a gruesome crime against their family and neighbors. To the brother, she was the only one who understood him and acted as his savior.

Betrayed by his childhood friend and girlfriend, he was labeled a criminal and sent to juvenile detention. While violence was indeed part of the reality, it was somewhat unavoidable.

The only ones who knew the truth about the betrayal were the brother, the younger sister, the childhood friend, and the man involved.

As for the deeper reasons, the man remained unaware. He only considered the situation fortunate for having had an affair.

Given the beatings and abuse he endured, it was far from fortunate.

Yet, the brother, realizing that the world tended to favor the perspective of the victim, understood the harsh reality: a woman’s testimony often held absolute weight.

He felt despair towards the world.

If that was the case, then at least, when he regained his freedom, he would live a decent life. He vowed to interact properly with his family and those around him as he left the juvenile detention center.

However, the treatment he received right after his release shattered that resolve, adding despair upon despair.

This world was not kind to him. If only he had realized a little earlier and could have acted sooner, perhaps the future would have been different. But for him, it was too late.

Leaving a faint hope for his younger sister, he chose the option to part ways with the world. His younger sister, without understanding that hope, chose to end everything that led to this conclusion.

Love begot hatred, and love persisted.

Almost simultaneously, a lewd and violent video appeared on a video-sharing site.

It contained a significant truth, depicting a series of events where a man and a woman, not in a romantic relationship, engaged in intimate acts, leading to violence when the man became emotional.

(Back then, if I had exposed this, would things have changed? No, it didn’t feel like that. I had decided that even if I did something like this, nothing would change. This is my sin.)

From a time about twice as long ago, the younger sister, who had now reached a similar age, faced towards the afterlife from the rooftop where her brother embarked on his journey…

The sister’s brother-loving tendencies and yandere behavior instilled fear in the childhood friend.

The childhood friend, unable to withstand the younger sister’s madness, chose to part ways with the brother through involvement with others. The result closed with the death of all involved parties.

To the world, it was just another tragic incident that happened every day.

Just one thing. If somewhere, someone had said or done something, this outcome might not have happened.

If the brother hadn’t been jealous, hadn’t engaged in troublesome pranks, if the younger sister had spoken honestly, if the childhood friend had sought counsel without giving in to physical advances, if the family had come together…

Every piece was too late, painfully too late.

That was all it came down to.