I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 59: The Girl Who Fell Before the World Changed (V)

Chapter 59: The Girl Who Fell Before the World Changed (V)

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(AFTER LIFE? OR she JUST WOKE UP.)

The first thing Seorin heard... was beeping.

Soft. Rhythmic. Annoyingly alive-sounding.

Her eyebrows twitched.

Her fingers moved.

Her soul slowly returned from whatever dramatic afterlife she had briefly visited.

"...Mm..."

Her eyes fluttered open—

White ceiling, bright light, faint hospital smell mixed with something clean... and strangely calm.

Silence.

A very peaceful... calm... normal hospital morning.

Then suddenly—

"AAAHHHHH WHERE AM I... AM I DEAD...? IS THIS HEAVEN?! WHY DOES HEAVEN SMELL LIKE DISINFECTANT?!"

Her entire body shot upright like a resurrected zombie in a low budget horror movie.

BEEEEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEEEP—

The heart monitor immediately panicked with her.

Somewhere outside, a nurse dropped a clipboard.

"PATIENT IN ROOM THREE IS AWAKE— AND SCREAMING— AGAIN!!!"

Footsteps rushed closer.

Quick.

Urgent.

And then—

The curtain slid open with a soft metallic whisper.

Morning sunlight spilled through the tall hospital window behind it, golden and gentle, spreading across the white floor... climbing the edge of the bed... until it reached Seorin’s face like a quiet blessing that said.

"Congratulations. You are unfortunately still alive."

And standing in that warm light and leaning against the wall— Was the green haired noona.

Arms crossed.

Expression flat.

Completely still.

While the entire room glowed softly with morning warmth...

she alone looked untouched by it— like a statue of pure judgment placed there by the universe~

Aura: maximum disappointment. maximum presence. maximum silent lecture energy and most of all— maximum dynamic aura.

Seorin froze mid panic.

"...Noona...?" she whispered weakly.

Silence.

Three seconds.

Four.

Five—

The green-haired noona moved.

Not quickly.

Not loudly.

But with the slow, graceful turn of someone who had been waiting specifically for this moment.

Her heel pivoted softly against the hospital floor— a quiet twirl that made the sunlight catch briefly in her green hair, like the universe itself highlighting her incoming self.

One step.

Then another.

Closer... closer... until her shadow gently fell across Seorin’s blanket.

Seorin stopped breathing.

Instinct.

Pure survival instinct.

The noona leaned down slightly— calm... silent... terrifyingly composed.

And then—

BONK.

A perfectly timed karate chop-bonk descended from the heavens and landed squarely on Seorin’s head.

Not too hard.

Not too soft.

Just enough to deliver: pain, judgment, l#ve and a lifelong trauma.

"OWWWWW?!"

Seorin clutched her head in pure betrayal.

"I JUST SURVIVED DEATH AND YOU’RE FINISHING THE JOB?!"

The green haired noona slowly straightened, completely calm— like someone who had just corrected the universe back into balance.

"You weren’t dying," she said flatly.

"You were being noisy."

Seorin gasped like this was the greatest injustice in human history.

"I WAS DYING EMOTIONALLY!!"

"Same thing," the noona replied without hesitation.

Seorin dramatically covered her mouth and gasped.

"You’re so cruel... heartless... villain... nurse of darkness..."

Another BONK.

"Stop talking nonsense and lie down," the noona snapped.

Seorin immediately obeyed.

Because of her survival instinct.

Silence settled in the room again— soft... quiet... almost peaceful.

Seorin peeked at her carefully.

"(⁠~⁠￣⁠³⁠￣⁠)⁠~ were you worried?"

"No."

"...You stayed the whole time?"

"No."

"...You cried?"

A pause.

"...Do you want another injection?"

"I’M SORRY Ó⁠╭⁠╮⁠Ò."

Peace returned.

A calm... quiet... slightly awkward peace.

Then—

Green haired noona looked away.

Very casually.

Suspiciously casually.

The green-haired noona kept her gaze turned away— too far away to be natural... too stiff to be normal.

One hand stayed hidden behind her back.

"...Eat," she muttered quietly.

Then—

She slowly brought her hand forward.

Something small... carefully protected... appeared from behind her back and was thrown g#ntly on Seorin’s blanket, like it was far more important than she wanted anyone to know.

Seorin blinked.

Looked down.

Paused.

Her eyes widened— slowly... softly... like someone who had just uncovered a tiny piece of happiness she wasn’t expecting.

"...My favorite snack...?"

Resting on the blanket... was a tiny chocolate bear wrapped in clear, crinkly plastic.

Round ears.

Little smiling face.

Soft cocoa color that looked almost too cute to eat.

Inside— sweet vanilla cream filling, the kind that melted slowly on the tongue like warm milk and sugar and childhood memories mixed together.

It was the small chocolate bear, the perfectly shaped,

filled with sweet vanilla cream— the kind of childish, overly cute treat Seorin used to beg for when she was younger.

The wrapper crinkled faintly in the quiet hospital room.

Warm sunlight from the window touched the chocolate’s surface, making it look almost... precious.

Noona still wasn’t looking at her.

"...Patient nutrition," she said stiffly.

But the tips of her ears had already turned faintly red.

"It’s a limited edition," Seorin whispered.

"I found it on the hospital supply."

"They don’t sell this in hospitals."

"...Be quiet and eat."

Seorin slowly picked it up— carefully... gently... like it was something fragile and important.

Her chest felt... warm.

Soft.

The scary hospital room suddenly didn’t feel scary anymore.

The sunlight felt warmer.

The silence felt kinder.

Even the annoying beeping sounded... peaceful.

She smiled a little.

"...Thanks, noona."

Silence.

The green haired noona’s ears turned redder.

"Don’t misunderstand," she muttered.

"You were annoying. If you died, paperwork would increase, and your dad will get mad." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Seorin’s smile grew softer... deeper... real.

"...You really like me, and die? You said the cut was small."

Another BONK.

But this one...

It was lighter.

Slower.

Almost... careful.

And in the quiet hospital morning, with sunlight resting gently on white sheets and melted chocolate sweetness lingering in the air— for the first time that day...

Seorin felt completely safe and alive.

She held the tiny chocolate bear between her fingers for a moment... as if eating it too quickly might break the fragile peace filling the room.

Then— nom.

The soft chocolate shell gave way instantly, and sweet vanilla cream melted across her tongue— warm, gentle, nostalgic.

Her shoulders relaxed without her noticing.

Even the tight knot in her chest loosened quietly.

"...Mmm..." she hummed, eyes half closing in pure snack enlightenment.

For a few peaceful seconds,

nothing existed except: soft sunlight, slow beeping, vanilla sweetness, and the quiet presence beside her bed It felt... safe.

Too safe.

Which of course meant— something had to go wrong.

Seorin’s eyes slowly opened again.

She blinked once... twice... then casually looked around the room.

White walls, IV stand, curtain, table.

And pause.

Another pause.

Her expression slowly changed from calm... to confusion... to realization... to absolute horror.

"...Wait."

A dangerous silence formed.

"...Where’s my phone?!" she suddenly shouted.

The peaceful hospital atmosphere shattered instantly.

Across the room, the green haired noona pinched the bridge of her nose like a woman reconsidering every life decision that led here.

"...Gawd damn, Seorin," she muttered tiredly.

"You scream a lot."

Seorin ignored the criticism completely.

"My phone is missing! My entire life is inside that phone! My games! My accounts! My unread messages I was planning to ignore forever!!"

Before she could spiral further— pinch.

Two fingers suddenly grabbed her cheeks.

"Bleh— blelele— bleh?!"

Her words melted into cute, offended jelly sounds as her face got squished.

"Stop being dramatic," the noona said flatly, still holding her cheeks.

Noona: "You look like a dying dumpling."

Seorin: "Blebebebe— I AM a dying dumpling—"

Noona: "Not dying."

Seorin: "Emotionally dying—"

Noona: "Still not dying."

Release.

Seorin’s cheeks bounced back to normal like stressed marshmallows.

Meanwhile, the noona simply turned away and walked toward the small table beside the bed— calm, composed, mysterious as always.

Her purse rested there quietly.

She opened it.

Reached inside.

Rustle.

Shuffle.

Tiny dramatic suspense music that only existed in Seorin’s imagination.

And then— she pulled something out.

A very familiar rectangle.

Seorin’s pupils exploded into a full sparkle mode.

"Noona..." she whispered.

Hope rising.

"...NOONAAAAAA!!!"

She nearly launched out of bed.

"That’s my phone!!! YOU’RE THE BEST HUMAN IN HISTORY!!!"

The Noona tried— tried— to stay calm.

But the corner of her lips betrayed her with the smallest, shyest smile.

"...Yeah," she murmured softly, almost embarrassed.

Then, under her breath.

"...Noona Han Yumi... for you."

"...Heh."

Awkward.

Tiny.

Barely audible.

Seorin didn’t even process the words properly— because the next second she had already hugged her.

Face buried straight into Yumi’s stomach like an affectionate, overly dramatic cat.

"NOONAAAAA I LOVE YOUUUU (⁠´⁠ε⁠｀⁠ ⁠)"

"Stop rubbing your face on me," Yumi said immediately.

But she didn’t push her away.

Her hand hovered awkwardly in the air for a second... then slowly... gently... rested on Seorin’s head.

A quiet pat.

Soft.

Careful.

Like something she had done many times before.

Sunlight kept pouring through the window.

The heart monitor kept beeping calmly.

Vanilla choc sweetness still lingered in the air.

And inside that small hospital room— nothing world changing happened.

No system...

No... destiny...

None.

Just:

an annoying girl and the noona who stayed anyway.

Warm.

Ordinary.

Peaceful.

...

For now.

Cliffhanger!!!!!

.

.

.

Alright I’m joking.

.

The warmth in the room lingered for just a second longer— like the sunlight trying to hold on before evening.

Then Seorin slowly loosened her arms and stepped back from Han Yumi, smiling sheepishly.

"Hehe... sorry, noona."

She took her phone carefully, almost reverently, like receiving something precious returned from the dead.

Click.

The screen lit up.

For a brief moment— everything looked normal.

Home screen, battery icon, tiny notifications waiting to be ignored forever.

Seorin exhaled in relief.

"Hehe, the virus is fully gone, ಡ⁠ ͜⁠ ⁠ʖ⁠ ⁠ಡ"

Then the screen flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then— black.

A deep, swallowing darkness.

Heavy.

Endless.

Seorin’s smile slowly faded.

"...Noona?"

She tapped the screen.

Nothing.

Tapped again.

Still nothing.

Then— text appeared.

Thin.

White.

The same message as before.

The one that appeared... right after she slipped and hit her head.

Not a notification nor an app.

Not anything... that should exist.

Just words... forming quietly, inside the darkness of the screen.

「For this to work, you must be on top of the building.」

And!!!! Cliffhanger!!!