LNMBU 05

Chapter : 05

“Whaaat? You want to cover everything up like that, and even cut her hair short…?”

“Yes, shaving her head would be best. As she grows older, it’ll become harder to keep doing that, so she may have to wear a wig instead.”

“Ah….”

“It’s important that she hide her appearance and live as if she’s an entirely different person. That will help neutralize the misfortune written into her fate. She has to trick the ghosts into believing she’s someone who doesn’t exist in this life. The spirits won’t leave a child with the Ghost Gate open alone.”

The Taoist explained that this was why there had even been incidents where dogs recognized her as something strange and attacked her. He then prepared a talisman and handed it to Sukjin.

“Here. Make sure the child keeps this talisman with her at all times. Once she begins showing signs of puberty, the troubles surrounding her will become much more serious. Come back to me every year and receive a new talisman. If you do that, you should be able to avoid any major accidents.”

From that day on, Sukjin began raising Nayeon exactly as the Taoist had instructed.

The Taoist also examined the fortune of her second daughter, Narin, before continuing.

“The younger one has no problems. She’ll grow up just fine even if you let her out into the world, so leave her to her own devices. Just keep a close eye on the eldest. She’s the one who’s going to cause trouble.”

From that day on, Sukjin began raising Nayeon exactly as the Taoist had instructed.

That was why, when the family went out together during Nayeon’s childhood, people around them would always say things like:

“Your second daughter is so pretty! She looks just like a doll. And the eldest… Oh my, the eldest is cute too. Haha.”

Nayeon’s true appearance was hidden beneath glasses and oversized, shabby clothes, while her hair was shaved completely like that of a young novice monk.

But as time passed, Nayeon gradually grew into a beautiful young woman.

Her chest and hips developed into pronounced curves. Although she hid herself beneath oversized gym clothes, there was no way to completely conceal the overflowing femininity of her figure.

“Why is it that Mom and Sis have such big breasts, while I’m the only one who takes after Auntie and ended up flat as a board? Ah, it’s so upsetting.”

Narin complained immaturely, completely unaware of how much it hurt Nayeon to constantly hear that being pretty was her problem and that she had to keep every part of herself—the body and face alike—completely concealed.

And when Nayeon entered middle school, her troubles truly began.

Even though she hid her appearance and carried the talisman with her everywhere, there were quite a few incidents in which she came close to being injured.

Minor accidents happened one after another, so Sukjin became even more worried and tried harder to protect her eldest daughter.

By strictly controlling every aspect of her life.

“Im Nayeon, you mustn’t mix with other people, and you mustn’t date men either. You can’t get married, either. If you want to stay alive and live safely, I think this is the only way. Mom can never lose you. So let’s live together, just the two of us, for the rest of our lives. You understand how Mom feels, right?”

“Then… what about Narin?”

“When Narin grows up, we’ll have to marry her off. They say her fortune is good. As for my eldest daughter, let’s live together, just the two of us, forever. Okay?”

“…Okay, Mom.”

Only Nayeon’s family and her best friend, Hyesun, knew about this fate of hers.

Then, around the time Nayeon turned fifteen, Hwayeon from the upstairs apartment, who knew nothing about the situation, made a suggestion to Sukjin.

“How about we have the kids study together? I heard my son is pretty good at teaching his classmates, too. I thought it might be good for Nayeon to get some tutoring. Nayeon’s mom is always worried about her grades, isn’t she? If there’s something she doesn’t understand while studying, wouldn’t it be nice if she could ask Jaehyeok right away and get some help? How about letting them study together, even if it’s only during vacation?”

That suggestion from Hwayeon became the reason Nayeon first met the handsome older boy who lived upstairs, Ki Jaehyeok.

Since it wasn’t an academy where Nayeon would be studying outside until late at night, Sukjin eventually agreed, believing that Nayeon would remain within her sight.

And so Nayeon came to have those short but intense memories with him…

I wanted to meet him again someday, looking wonderful.

Yet after ten years, she had ended up standing face-to-face with that magnificent, dazzling older boy while looking exactly the same as she always had.

Nayeon understood why Sukjin was worried about her, but today, more than ever, she felt shabby and miserable. The frustration inside her kept rising.

“I want to show my real self without hiding it, too. I want to be pretty like everyone else, like other girls.”

It was the first act of rebellion she had ever attempted in her life.

As if she were finally venting all the resentment she had accumulated.

Nayeon sat at her vanity and stared into the mirror.

Her face was covered in a full, glamorous makeup look.

Sometimes, she had secretly experimented with makeup in her room. She would briefly feel happy seeing herself look pretty like everyone else, only to hurriedly wipe it all off before Sukjin could see her.

But today, for the first time, she was going outside wearing makeup.

“Phew…!”

After taking a deep breath, Nayeon took off the shaggy wig that resembled a Korean Jindo dog.

Her long, glossy, silky-straight hair cascaded all the way down to her waist.

She took out a mini dress she had hidden deep inside her closet because she had wanted to keep it safe without ever wearing it.

The mini dress clung tightly to her body, revealing her curvaceous S-line figure.

She removed the compression bandages that had been hiding her chest and put on an ordinary bra like other women.

Her large breasts were so voluptuous that even Narin had repeatedly expressed envy of them.

With one hand pressed against her trembling, nervous heart, Nayeon went to Narin’s room and borrowed a handbag as well.

She was now ready to go.

She went to the entrance, opened the shoe cabinet, and pulled out a pair of high, pointed heels for the first time.

She nearly lost her balance for a moment, but quickly got used to them.

Since she had never bought heels herself, she had secretly taken a pair of Narin’s shoes and put them on, but they fit surprisingly well.

Thank goodness Narin and I wear the same shoe size. Sorry, Narin.

Before opening the front door, Nayeon stood in front of the full-length mirror.

She looked at her reflection, free and unconstrained, like any ordinary woman.

“…I don’t look like myself. I look just like a completely different person.”

Unable to believe it, Nayeon stared at the full-length mirror for a long time, unable to take her eyes off herself.

It was the first transformation she had ever undergone in her life, and she was moved to the point of tears.

And so Nayeon headed to the hottest club in town with Hyesun.

Hyesun couldn’t stop staring at Nayeon in amazement.

“Wow, you’re so beautiful… Are you really the Im Nayeon I know? You look like an actual goddess. Even if you have to be careful because of your fortune, you must have felt so suffocated having to hide yourself like that all this time.”

“Stop staring—it’s embarrassing.”

Nayeon’s face turned red under Hyesun’s intense gaze, and she didn’t know what to do with herself.

The neon signs illuminating the entrance of the club and the loud music blasting from the speakers outside drew the attention of passersby.

Nayeon stood in front of the club, looking dazed as she clung to Hyesun’s hand.

The line was long. The women stood proudly in glamorous outfits and heavy makeup.

The men, their hair carefully styled and their outfits meticulously put together, swept the crowd with the sharp eyes of wolves, searching for a hot woman to spend the night with.

Wow. Everyone is so beautiful and cool…

I dressed up as much as I could, but compared to them, I’m probably still an amateur.

Nayeon felt intimidated as she watched all the dazzling men and women, but that turned out to be a complete misconception.

Several men had already approached Nayeon while she waited outside the club, handing her business cards and contact information before leaving.

“Nayeon, this is amazing! That guy who just gave you his business card was incredibly handsome! Oh my gosh!”

Hyesun happily smacked Nayeon on the arm repeatedly, giggling, while Nayeon was too flustered to do anything but politely refuse.

Just then, a male employee in charge of admitting guests spotted Nayeon among the crowd and called out to her.

“You two, the girls over there! Don’t stand in line. Come in right now.”

Hyesun’s eyes widened as she grabbed Nayeon’s arm and shook it.

“Whoa! This has never happened to me before! I guess we get to go straight in without waiting in line thanks to you. As expected of my friend, the super-beautiful goddess! They’re letting us in right away!”

“N-No, it’s not because of that.”

Embarrassed, Nayeon glanced nervously at the other customers waiting in line as Hyesun pulled her into the club.

Inside, the club was like an utterly dazzling wonderland.

Brilliant laser lights shot chaotically in every direction, so dazzling that it was almost impossible to keep one’s eyes open.

Powerful EDM beats that pounded against the eardrums filled the entire club.

On the first-floor dance floor, countless men and women drank together or danced in suggestive, tangled movements.

“Whoa…”

Nayeon stared in shock, her mouth hanging open.

She had spent her entire life hiding herself because she had been told never to get jostled around by other people.

Now she truly understood where she had come.

She, who had rarely even gone anywhere crowded, had actually come to a club where men and women gathered together looking for connections.

At that moment, the dazed Nayeon felt like a gazelle that had wandered straight into the Serengeti.

Nayeon sat down with Hyesun at a table on the first-floor dance floor.

She poured the liquor the waiter brought them into a glass and mixed it with an energy drink.

Hyesun seemed thrilled that this was her first time coming to a club with Nayeon. She was so excited that she laughed and shouted nonstop.

“Nayeon! Let’s have a drink! We’re going to burn up the night!”

The pounding beats and loud music made it difficult to hear each other, so they had to raise their voices to talk.

“You’re ready for this, right?!”

“Yeah. I came here tonight to let it all out. I feel sorry for my suffocating life!”

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

With that, Nayeon put her lips to the drink Hyesun had mixed for her.

She gulped it down, and the sweet liquor slid smoothly down her throat.

“It tastes better than I expected…”

Nayeon happily finished the entire glass in one go.

And just as she smiled and turned her gaze away, she noticed something.

On the second-floor floor, a man was leaning both arms against the railing, staring intently down at her.

Squinting against the dazzling laser lights, Nayeon looked up at the man on the second floor.

“……”

“……”

The man didn’t look away either. He stared straight at her.

Their exchanged gazes seemed to sink into each other’s eyes.

Is he looking at me because he likes what he sees?

But that man… somehow, he looks just like the older brother from upstairs.