LSDK 31

 Chapter 31

Without knowing that the person who had ordered this arson was Song Jiru, now renamed Im Arang.

“I saw some men acting suspiciously and hanging around the orphanage for several days.”

Fortunately, the homeless man had apparently found their behavior suspicious and had been keeping a close eye on them.

“Cough, cough.”

“Anyway, let’s get out of here quickly.”

Thanks to the homeless man, she was safely rescued. Only then did something suddenly come to mind.

“Song Jii?”

That was right. Instead of calling her a random “arsonist,” he immediately identified her by name and confirmed her identity.

Someone is trying to kill me!

He seemed to know exactly who Jii was.

“Yes, who are you?”

“She’s almost a carbon copy.”

Almost a carbon copy? Almost a carbon copy… Then, did he know someone who looked exactly like me, as if she had been copied?

“I…”

“Ah!”

Looking back, right before the fire, someone had struck her on the back of the head, and Jii had immediately lost consciousness. After some time, she woke up to find herself trapped inside a room filled with spreading flames.

An enemy of Song Jiru? Or someone hired by Song Jiru?

Because of that memory, something twisted, perhaps paranoia, began to take root in her mind.

No matter who the murderer was, if I fell into that bastard’s hands, I was as good as dead!

As a result, Jii suffered severe psychological trauma. Whenever she saw fire, her eyes would go wide and her breathing would become difficult. She was also tormented by the constant delusion that someone was about to strike her from behind.

Meanwhile, the homeless man had to live the rest of his life carrying deep scars caused by the fire. He had suffered third-degree burns on his back while rescuing Jii.

In the end, in order to escape the pressure of an unknown person trying to kill her, Jii took advantage of the chaos and left the orphanage without telling anyone. She always avoided the facility workers who told her to come back, and she made the homeless man who had saved her during the fire her family.

After several attempts, the facility workers eventually gave up on Jii.

After that, she too carried various emotional scars and went through a difficult life with her adoptive grandfather for a long time. But the harder their lives became, the more tightly the two of them relied on each other, having sworn to become grandfather and granddaughter.

Another year passed.

“Hello?”

Out of nowhere, Jiru appeared in front of Jii under the identity of Im Arang.

“……”

Jii’s heart sank.

“It’s been a long time. Didn’t you miss me?”

Jiru suggested that they switch identities and live each other’s lives again.

“……”

What are you trying to take away from me this time?

And understandably so. Jiru, or rather Arang, was not the kind of person who would willingly share her comfortable life with Jii.

There was no need to wonder what her ulterior motive was.

Absolutely not!

After everything Jii had suffered, she was not stupid enough to think that getting involved with Jiru again could bring her anything good.

“Don’t you need money?”

Desperately!

“……”

She did not say anything, but the desperation must have been written all over Jii’s face.

For nearly a year, Jii had taken on two or even three jobs just to pay her adoptive grandfather’s hospital bills. Her weekday and weekend part-time jobs were different, and her morning and afternoon jobs were different as well.

Given her situation, she had even received a warning from school that she had accumulated so many unauthorized absences that she would be held back a year.

I have no way out. No way out.

Her adoptive grandfather was suffering terribly because he had never been able to properly treat the wounds left by the fire. Even when she barely managed to gather enough money to begin treatment, she soon ran out of money and was repeatedly forced to leave the hospital.

With her adoptive grandfather going in and out of the hospital as if it were his own home, there was no need for her to explain in words how desperately she needed money.

She had reached the point where she was convinced that, if things continued like this, the day might come when she would not even find it strange to seek out a sponsor like some delinquent teenager.

“You only have to switch schools. If you attend classes and get grades in my place, separate from the hospital bills, I’ll go to school in your place so you won’t be held back.”

In the end, Jii accepted the offer in order to pay her adoptive grandfather’s hospital bills.

As Arang suggested, the next day they went to each other’s schools, attended classes, and took exams in each other’s places.

As a result, Jii’s academic performance fell back to the level of someone with severe intellectual limitations.

What did school grades matter, anyway?

If that had been all, it would not have caused much trouble.

Jii could not afford to attend university anyway. As long as Jiru helped her obtain her high school diploma, that would have been enough.

Then, during the remaining time in high school, she could study in Arang’s place while preparing to become a civil servant.

At least, that was Jii’s innocent idea, proving that she did not know Arang even a little.

And for good reason.

Because of Arang’s delinquent behavior both inside and outside school, Jii eventually ended up being officially expelled.

The same thing happened even after Arang transferred to several schools under Jii’s name.

In the end, Arang seemed to have reached her final destination at an alternative school.

The problem was that even that school did not grant a recognized high school qualification.

I can make up for it by taking the high school equivalency exam.

But she soon learned that this, too, was an extremely naive thought.

Another two years passed.

It was the year after Jii had successfully taken the university entrance examination in Arang’s place.

Because Arang had maliciously participated in voice phishing scams, Jii was unfairly framed and dragged into a correctional facility.

Eight years later, at the age of twenty-six, when she returned this year, Arang once again appeared right in front of Jii as if she had been waiting for her.

How thick-skinned can you be?

According to Arang, she had been counting the days until Jii returned, while Jii’s adoptive grandfather was still clinging desperately to life in the intensive care unit.

And this time, using the hospital bills she had paid while Jii was serving her sentence as leverage, Arang arranged a fraudulent marriage for her.

I was already sleepy, and now you’re providing me with a place to lie down, huh? Heh!

But Im Arang, think carefully.

Wouldn’t it be wiser to let a cat guard a fish shop instead?

Jii had been properly tempered by those eight unjust years and came out of prison.

It had been a long time since she had thrown away her old belief that struggling desperately to defeat someone related to her was something only an immature child would do.

Now, she had nothing left except spite.

And she had sharpened herself like a blade.

Song Jiru, no, Im Arang.

Now it’s my turn to take your life away!

Strictly speaking, she was not taking anything away from Arang.

She was taking back what was hers, heh.

As quickly as possible, and before any unavoidable variables could arise, she had to put an end to her revenge against the person who had stolen her entire life.

She had to finish everything.

If you send Chapter 32, I can continue with the same names, terminology, and simple English style.