She’s The Protagonist’s Sister - Chapter 2 - Eldest Brother is Back

As the name suggested, Lee Bobae was the treasure of the family of three sons and one daughter. Her parents, who had given birth to three sons, prayed to Buddha for a year in order to get a daughter.

[T/N: Lee Bobae (이 보배) literally means “This treasure/baby”)

 

As the only daughter among many sons, Lee Bobae’s life was full of comfort.

 

She had a family that was not financially lacking, her parents’ love and attention, and even the older brothers who competed with each other gave up their things for the youngest.

 

Lee Bobae was a happy child, a happy girl, and was going to be a happy adult.

 

However, as with almost everyone living in the world, Lee Bobae’s life suddenly turned into a thorny road.

 

Rift Day. Rifts opened all over the world and monsters popped out. People were swept away by the rifts, they either disappeared or were killed by monsters. The existing firearms did not work well with the monsters, so it was impossible to even fight them.

 

Slaughter and slaughter all over the world. The collapse of the state and the destruction of civilization.

 

In an unprecedented situation, mankind seemed to be on the path of extinction, but it somehow survived.

 

A system emerged. The system was the first to close rifts in all parts of the world. Monsters that came out of the rift were also sent back into the rift.

 

This prevented a greater tragedy, but not all rifts were closed. Not all monsters returned.

 

The system started making contact with unspecified people as if to solve the problem.

 

Those who came into contact with the system awakened an unknown power that could fight against the turbulent world and monsters.

 

A system that resembled a game window and a rift that resembled a dungeon. The power that awakened people gained was similar to the setting in popular novels, movies, and games.

 

Humanity quickly adapted to the turbulent world and overturned common sense.

 

People who came into contact with the system and awakened their power began to be called Hunters. Hunters killed monsters and went into the rift to find missing people.

 

Social stability progressed quickly, and change progressed faster than that. Humans were enthusiastic about new materials brought from monster bodies and rifts. But at the same time, they were frightened.

 

Unknown world, unknown existence, unknown power. Fear was the driving force behind action.

 

A study to learn the unknown and to overcome the fear began.

 

This was the beginning of the era of rift.

 

On Rift Day, Lee Bobae lost her parents. Her third brother had been in vegetative state since then from shielding her that day. It was as common as any other story.

 

The moment Lee Bobae’s eldest brother, Lee Gwihan, appeared, the story became a little beyond common.

 

Lee Gwihan was an Awakened who had come into contact with the system. Had it not been for him who had awakened as a combatant, Lee Bobae would have been killed by a monster while hugging her third brother.

 

Their parents died and the house was eroded by rifts after some luggage was taken out. Bank deposits were frozen and prices were soaring.

 

Korea was one of the few countries where government agencies and security were maintained, but that did not save the four children. Poverty couldn’t be helped even by the country.

 

In the early days of his awakening, Lee Gwihan gathered forces with other Awakeneds to hunt monsters around the shelter and near the hospital. Then, as society stabilized, he turned to the rifts.

 

It was clear that the inheritance would run out soon due to soaring prices and hospital bills. After awakening as a combatant, he was the only support for the Lee brothers and sister.

 

Lee Bobae’s eldest brother, Lee Gwihan, made a big decision at the age of 20. He decided to become a Hunter who directly enters the rift and hunts. It was the best thing for the living expenses of the siblings and the hospital expenses of the Third.

 

Lee Bobae wept and objected, but Lee Gwihan’s will was strong.

 

Lee Gwihan worked busily in and out of the rifts. In every waking moment he overworked himself to the point where his healthy body screamed.

 

He had a good income, but his bank account was always poor because he had money eating hippos in the house.

[T/N: It’s a word play on 물먹는 하마, a very famous brand of moisture absorber. The product mascot is a hippo. 물먹는 하마 or “water eating hippo” absorbs water, while here, the word change into 돈먹는 하마 which means “money eating hippo”.]

 

Lee Bobae’s second brother, Lee Haegi, tried to jump into the front line because he couldn’t see him risking his life.

 

The eldest brother stopped his younger brother.

 

“You’re smart. You said that you will take the CSAT normally next year, so you should go to college after the CSAT.”

 

“What’s the use of college in this day and age?”

 

“You know nothing, man. Learning is more important in times like these. I’m responsible for the Third’s hospital bill and your tuition. Trust this older brother. Our youngest pig princess, trust your older brother, too!”

 

Lee Gwihan was a wonderful older brother to both his younger brothers and sister. It was a difficult time for him to even recover his own body, but he did not give up on his younger siblings.

 

So, Lee Bobae thought her eldest brother was the coolest person in the world.

 

The second coolest person was her second brother, who took care of the third brother.

 

Lee Gwihan, as promised, was responsible for the livelihood of his family for two years. He had never hoped to quit being the head of his family.

 

A rift within the rift. Lee Gwihan was swept away by a strange phenomenon that had not been reported since the Rift Day. And he never came back.

 

The second brother, Lee Haegi, dropped out of college. He must have wanted to wander all over the place to find his older brother.

 

However, the third brother was in a vegetative state, and the youngest, Lee Bobae Lee, was a minor in need of protection. Now that the eldest son has disappeared, he, now an adult, was the head of the household.

 

Sadly, Haegi was not an Awakened. The living expenses of the siblings, his tuition, and the Third’s hospital expenses.

 

It was the amount that Lee Gwihan, who was in the early stage of being Awakened, barely managed to earn.

 

In particular, the Third’s hospital bill was not an amount that could be afforded with the educational background of dropping out of college.

 

In the end, Lee Haegi became a porter and a collector. Porter was a new occupation that was created by Hunters getting used to hunting. It was the job of the porter to slaughter the monster corpses, take only the necessary parts, and collect the materials within the rift while the hunters went into the rift and concentrated on hunting.

 

Entering the rift with the body of a non-Awakened person. Since he literally risked his life, the income itself was not bad.

 

But it was just a quick buck. It was a very small amount compared to the amount the Awakened would earn.

 

Even if he worked hard to save and tighten his belt, the expense was as big, so they had a hard time living. In the end, the household account recorded a deficit.

 

Should I see the Third die after being kicked out of the hospital? At a time when the brother and sister were panicking.

 

Lee Bobae awakened.

 

“Bobae, are you working overtime again today?”

 

“Yes, are you getting off work?”

 

“You always work hard until late. Stay strong.”

 

Lee Bobae, who was sitting in the break room absentmindedly, simply bowed down to a colleague who was on their way home. They’re telling me to be strong, but what do they really think inside their head?

 

A co-worker who did not join company dinners or social gatherings and stayed in the company making potions until her mana and mental strength were exhausted. She did not earn little, but she’d never bought coffee or rice. An employee who ruined the team atmosphere by voluntarily working overtime, which was not forced unless it was an emergency.

 

An employee who had been a regular employee for 5 years without being promoted. That was Lee Bobae.

 

‘I’m so bad, really.’

 

Lee Bobae rubbed her dry eyes and drank half a cup of coffee in one shot. She hated herself for doubting an ordinary greeting.

 

‘I wasn’t originally such a twisted person.’

 

Life was hard and her heart was also devastated. She wanted to quit the company and take a break for a while, but she couldnt’.

 

‘My third brother…’

 

Eight years had passed since the tragedy that struck the world swept through Lee Bobae’s family, and six years had passed since the day her eldest brother went missing.

 

Her third brother lived without dying for eight years. Without a life support device, he couldn’t last even five minutes, but Lee Bobae succeeded in keeping her third brother’s breath.

 

All thanks to her awakening.

 

Her parents were dead. The third brother had become a vegetative man, and the reliable eldest brother was missing.

 

Lee Bobae had been awakened six years ago. That said, though, she wasn’t very lucky.

 

She was not a combatant, but a producer.

 

She was an alchemist by profession. The only skill given to her was ‘Potion Maker (C-class)’.

 

In the last eight years, varied careers and abilities and skills had emerged. But, strangely, no one had awakened recovery skills.

 

It wasn’t that they’re abesnt. There was tanker who has self-healing and regeneration. But there was no job or skill that could help others recover. For that reason, potions were the only emergency recovery tool at the moment.

 

The big people, who liked to line people up, gave ratings to the Awakeneds. Unlike the combat field in which the rating calculation was complex, the rating standard in the production field was simple and clear.

 

The skill grade was the ability grade, and according to that standard, Lee Bobae became a C-class alchemist.

 

But one should not underestimate C-classes.

 

Even now, when the first Awakeneds had grown up and latecomers had fiercely leveled up, C-class was still classified as a high Awakened.

 

Thanks to this, Lee Boabe was able to join Four Seasons Guild, one of the largest guilds in Korea, as a full-time employee.

 

She might have had a better option if she only considered money. However, Four Seasons Guild had merits that went beyond money.

 

Best employee welfare in the industry.

 

Even if Lee Bobae’s, who had been in the guild for five years, salary, additional allowances, and bonuses were combined, she couldn’t cover the third brother’s hospital expenses. This was because health insurance was not covered.

 

Four Seasons Guild subsidized 70% of hospital expenses in terms of employee welfare. Hospital fee was also discounted by linking with affiliated hospitals.

 

Even after receiving such a discount and support, most of the money Lee Bobae earned went to hospital bills. That was why Lee Bobae was still squeezing her mana and mental power.

 

What if Lee Bo-bae quit the guild now? The third brother would die.

 

‘Let’s stop resting.’

 

Lee Bobae staggered out of the break room and returned to her seat.

 

She was the only one left for overtime after all the team members had left.

 

‘How obvious.’

 

Compared to the combatants, her income was low, but most Awakened still earned more than non-Awakened ones. There was no need to dwell on additional allowances, risking mana exhaustion and headaches.

 

Once you’ve met your quota, it’s better to focus on self-improvement or allocate time to social activities, family, and hobbies. Everyone would think so.

 

It was stupid to neglect yourself like Lee Bobae and dwell on a family member that had become a vegetative person. This perception had been strengthened in society as a whole.

 

‘It wasn’t like that long ago.’

 

Before the Rift Day, she could occasionally hear stories of caring for vegetative people for decades. But not anymore. The scarcity of resources and the tragedy that engulfed the whole world drove the heart of not giving up on the family into foolish regrets and waste.

 

From the guild’s point of view, the money going to Lee Bobae’s brother would be a waste.

 

It was obvious even if one did not look at it. It was a waste. Perhaps they were calculating when to fire Lee Bobae.

 

Maybe that was the reason why Lee Bobae had not been promoted even when her junior had already been promoted to team leader.

 

The Potion Team, which had only one team at first, had grown into two, then three, and then four. And the junior who had come in later than Lee Bobae had become the team leader of Team 3 and 4.

 

Nevertheless, Lee Bobae was still an employee of Four Seasons Guild Potion Team 1.

 

‘Let’s just work.’