One-Shot Transmigration: Sorry I'm Here To Ruin Your Happy Ever After-Chapter 119

He no longer looked like the nobleman of Aldoria. He looked like any other farmhand. A man worn thin by work and worry.

Each night he lay on the straw mattress in their small rented shack and stared at the ceiling. He thought of Meical, alone in the estate with danger on every side. He thought of Seraphine, still free, still pulling strings, still able to frame him for crimes he never committed. He thought of his promise, spoken quietly as he fled into the forest: I will return. I will clear my name. I will come back to you.

Thirty days passed and he had found nothing. No letter. No rumor. No clue he could use against Seraphine. The guilt gnawed at him like an old wound that refused to heal.

Odysseus and Saar did what they could. Saar watched the roads. Odysseus hunted for information through the small tavern. But Aldoria was too far, and guards patrolled its borders heavily. News traveled slow. And Min-jae could not risk sending anything back without giving himself away.

The waiting slowly turned into despair.

Today was another hot day in the fields. Min-jae sat beneath the shade of a large oak tree, breathless and sweating. Odysseus sat beside him with a jug of water, passing it over with an amused raise of his brow.

"You look like you might collapse," Odysseus said quietly.

Min-jae took a long drink. The water soothed his parched throat and cooled his chest. "I am fine," he muttered.

"You say that every day," Odysseus replied. "Still, you look like a man carrying stones in his heart."

Min-jae did not answer. He set the jug down and leaned back against the tree. His eyes closed. The world felt heavy and slow, the kind of weight that pressed a man into the earth.

"Nothing yet," he murmured. "A whole month. No progress. No message. Nothing."

Odysseus adjusted the cloth around his wrist. "You will find a way. You always do."

Before Min-jae could respond, a sudden shout tore through the quiet fields.

"Someone stop her!"

"Thief!"

"Catch that brat!"

Min-jae and Odysseus snapped upright. People were rushing toward the town square. Dust lifted in the air as farmers abandoned their work and sprinted toward the commotion.

Odysseus stood instantly. "Stay here. I will see what is happening."

Min-jae shook his head and pushed himself up. "No. It could be something else. If guards are here..." He did not finish the sentence. He did not need to.

The two began to run toward the noise.

The town square came into view. A crowd had gathered in a loose circle. Two men held a small figure by the arms while others yelled accusations over one another.

"She was trying to steal apples!"

"She grabbed it and ran!"

"She needs to be punished!"

"Thieves are thieves, even children!"

Min-jae pushed through the crowd. At first he saw only a small girl, her clothes dirty, her hair tangled. Then her face turned toward him.

His blood froze.

She had the same eyes as Kaizar’s sister. The same round face, the same stubborn jaw. The resemblance was so sharp that Min-jae nearly lost his breath.

But then she opened her mouth and shouted,

"Let go of me! I said I wasn’t stealing, dammit! I told you I would work for it! Are you all deaf?"

Her words.

Her accent.

The strange sharpness in her speech.

Modern. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Completely modern.

Min-jae’s heart lurched. For a moment he felt like he was hearing his own sister Yura. The cadence, the frustration, the fearless way she cursed.

The crowd’s shouting grew. The girl struggled harder.

"I said let go! I am not a thief. I was going to pay for it! I just needed food. What is wrong with you people?"

One man raised a hand as if to strike her.

Min-jae moved before Odysseus could react.

"Enough!" he shouted, stepping between them.

The crowd fell quiet for a moment. Min-jae reached into his pocket and pulled out the small pouch of coins he had earned from farm work. He handed it to the vendor whose apples had spilled across the dirt.

"This covers it," Min-jae said firmly. "Let her go."

The men holding the girl exchanged startled looks, then reluctantly released her. She stumbled forward, rubbing her wrists with a scowl.

Odysseus stared at Min-jae, surprised. He had never seen Min-jae intervene so quickly for anyone in this past month.

The townspeople began to disperse after grumbling a bit more. Within minutes the square was almost empty.

Min-jae grabbed the girl gently but firmly by the elbow and pulled her toward a quiet alleyway. Odysseus followed close behind, watching every angle.

The girl jerked out of Min-jae’s grip. "Hey! Hands off! What is your problem?"

Min-jae stared at her face again. The resemblance. The voice. The modern words.

He crouched slightly, leveling himself to her eye height.

"What is your name?" he asked.

She squinted at him. "Why should I tell you?"

-_-

"I paid for the things you stole, the least you could is tell me your name.."

-_-

"I didn’t steal it!"

-_-

"Then show me the money you were going to use to pay?"

-_-

"I was going to work for it.."

-_-

"I’ll ask again, what’s your name.."

"Yura, Kim Yura.."

Min-jae froze.

His breath caught somewhere between his ribs and throat. His entire body went still, as if even the smallest movement would shatter the fragile moment hanging between them.

Kim Yura.

His sister’s name.

The name he had whispered in his sleep for the past month.

The name he had prayed would not fade from his memory.

The name he had cried into the dark when the guilt became too heavy.

But he did not let the emotion rush out at once. He could not. Not here. Not with Odysseus watching from only a step away. He needed certainty, proof, something he could not mistake as coincidence or delusion.

Min-jae steadied his breathing. His voice softened, but stayed firm, gentle, cautious.

"Your birthday," he said. "Tell me your birthday."

Yura blinked, confused at the odd question, but she answered without hesitation.

"March third, two thousand and eight."

Min-jae’s vision blurred. His heart beat once, loud and painful.

He swallowed.

"What is your brother’s favorite food?"

Yura frowned. "Why do you care about that? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Answer," Min-jae murmured. His voice trembled despite himself.

Yura rolled her eyes. "Fine. Tteokbokki. He... he always ate it after school. Even when he had no appetite."

She paused. Her eyes narrowed as something clicked.

"Wait," she whispered. "How do you know that?"

Min-jae said nothing.

Yura took one step back. Her voice cracked slightly. "How do you know I have a brother? I never said anything about a brother."

The alley fell silent.

Min-jae could not hide the tremor in his hands anymore. Yura’s eyes widened as she watched him. Her lips parted in slow understanding. Both pairs of eyes widened at the same time. Recognition struck them like lightning.

"You..." Yura whispered. "No way."

Min-jae almost broke. He wanted to pull her into his arms. He wanted to cry. He wanted to tell her everything he had held back for thirty days. But Odysseus stood only a few steps behind, watching both of them with an unreadable expression.

Min-jae forced himself to breathe steadily.

He turned to Odysseus and said, "I need you to find Saar. Tell him we have a situation and that we will regroup at the house."

Odysseus hesitated for a moment, sensing the shift in Min-jae’s tone. Something private. Something serious. But he did not question him. He gave Yura one last glance before bowing his head slightly.

"As you wish."

He turned and disappeared into the street.

The moment his footsteps faded, Min-jae grabbed Yura’s wrist and pulled her deeper into the alley where no one could see them. Then he crouched down in front of her, hands gripping her shoulders.

"Yura," he whispered, voice shaking. "Look at me."

She did.

And in that moment all of Min-jae’s restraint broke.

His eyes filled with tears that he had not allowed himself to shed for anyone in this world. His breath shuddered out.

"It is me," he said. "It is Min-jae. It is your brother."

Yura stared at him, mouth open, completely shocked.

She stepped forward slowly, almost afraid he would disappear if she touched him.

"Oppa..." she whispered.

Min-jae nodded, his hands curling around her shoulders as if anchoring her in place. "Yes. I am here."

That was all it took.

Yura darted forward and threw her arms around him. Her small body shook violently as she sobbed into his chest. Min-jae wrapped both arms around her, pulling her to him with a desperation he could no longer hide.

He buried his face in her tangled hair and held her as if the world depended on it.

"You are alive," he whispered. "You are alive."