I Became the Eldest Daughter of 10 Siblings

Hyun Junho, holding a gift set in one hand, looked down at me with a bewildered expression.
“Is this Han Yujin’s residence?”
“…It’s me.”
I barely managed to answer, leaning my body against the doorknob.
“You don’t look well. Are you okay?”
Do I look okay, you idiot!
…I didn’t even have the energy to say that.
I just nodded repeatedly while coughing.
Han Sejun, who came out from behind scratching his lower abdomen, saw Hyun Junho and his eyes widened.
“Sis. Quickly, slap me once. Why is there a pro gamer here?”
“Hello.”
“Whoa, it’s really him. Hello, hyung! I’m a real hardcore fan!”
“Haha. Thank you.”
Han Sejun, who was shaking hands, tilted his head.
“But what brings you to our house?”
“Ah, this person is Barco…”
I hurriedly covered Hyun Junho’s mouth.
“Let’s talk outside! You brought your car, right?”
“Ah, yes, yes.”
I roughly threw the gift set to Han Sejun and went into my room.
I struggled to put on a hoodie, unsure if I was wearing the clothes or if the clothes were eating me.
By the way, my physical condition is really terrible.
Especially my mental state.
My mind feels like it’s cracked and if I press it with my finger, it might shatter with a crash at any moment.
I wanted to throw everything away and lie down, but I desperately held on and resolved myself.
Han Yujin.
If you die,
9 others will die with you.

Silence fell inside the sedan. Hyun Junho tapped the steering wheel, and unable to bear it, he broke the silence first.
“So… you’re going to participate in the PC bang tournament in that state?”
I didn’t even have the energy to answer, so I just nodded my head.
“How old are you?”
I raised my fingers to indicate my age.
Left hand in a V, right hand in a circle.
“Ah, you mean twenty?”
Correct.
I gave a thumbs up indifferently.
“Can you really participate in the tournament in that condition? It doesn’t seem possible no matter how I look at it.”
I made an okay sign by touching the tips of my thumb and index finger.
“Just use words.”
I shook my head. I tapped my lips with my fingertips and made an X with my arms.
“This isn’t charades. Use words, please.”
Finally, I opened my mouth.
“I’ll give you a cold. You’re a precious person lending me 9 million won, so you shouldn’t catch it from such a lowly place.”
“Ah, you were deliberately not speaking out of concern for me?”
“Yes.”
A faint smile appeared on Hyun Junho’s lips.
Then he stared at me sitting in the passenger seat.
That gaze felt as stinging as ultraviolet rays, making me flustered and avoid eye contact.
I hurriedly spoke up.
“Mr. Hyun Junho.”
“…”
There was no answer.
I feel like I’m about to die, but why is he suddenly shutting down?
I raised my hand and waved it in front of Hyun Junho’s eyes.
Only then did he blink as if waking from a hallucination.
“Ah, yes, yes!”
“Let’s get going.”
Suddenly, Hyun Junho’s cold hand touched my forehead. Startled, I pulled my body back.
“I thought my hand was warm. Your body is like a fireball.”
“I’m fine, so let’s go. And, um… please maintain social distancing. I didn’t wash, I mean, I couldn’t wash, and I might give you a cold from coughing.”
“I don’t think it’s time for you to worry about me.”
That’s true, but… still, somehow.
“I’ll start driving.”
The car started cheerfully.
However,
“This is the opposite direction from Gangnam.”
“Are you crazy? How can you participate in the tournament in that condition? We’re heading to the hospital.”
Hyun Junho said firmly.
“I can do it.”
“No, you can’t.”
“I can.”
“You can’t.”
“Turn the car around!”
I grabbed Hyun Junho’s shoulder and pleaded desperately.
I knew well that I was being stubborn right now. But if I crumble here, what about my siblings who would be buried under the debris?
“I can’t. I have to go there. So please, to Gangnam, ah…”
A strong migraine piercing my head. Chills making my whole body tremble. Sharp pain stabbing my chest.
The pain I had been trying to ignore screamed out. It hurt. It hurt so much that I felt a sense of helplessness, as if God was punishing me.
As that thought occurred, tears suddenly flowed down the corners of my eyes.
Hyun Junho was surprised.
But the most surprised was myself.
I thought all my tears had already dried up from being beaten, rolled, and burned by reality.
This is driving me crazy.
I must have been pushed to the edge mentally.
Then Hyun Junho said,
“Then… let’s do this.”

‘What am I doing right now?’
I recalled the last conversation we had in the car.
“Let’s do this. I’ll participate in the PC bang tournament instead, win it, and give you the prize money. So please go to the hospital first.”
“What?”
“You would have won if you had participated anyway, right? You’re the person who beat me four times in a row.”
I regretted bringing that up.

“Those who wish to participate, please fill out the application form and enter!”
Hyun Junho covered his face and stood in the queue.
“Okay, here’s your application form. I’ll give you participant number 312. Hyun, Jun… huh?”
The staff member looked up. When their eyes met, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards.
“Oh my, what brings a top-tier pro gamer here!”
The staff member wiped his hands and offered a handshake. Hyun Junho accepted it politely.
“Are pro gamers not allowed to participate?”
“No. There’s no such rule, but the issue is the image, you know. It’s like an adult throwing fastballs in a children’s playground.”
Professional ethics.
Feeling that crumbling made a corner of his heart uncomfortable.
As he entered the tournament venue, more people started recognizing Hyun Junho. Some even took secret photos from behind.
“Oh, Hyun Junho!”
“What? Don’t tell me he came to participate in the tournament?”
“Wow, that’s a bit…”
“Is he really here to suck up some pocket change?”
“No wonder he can’t win championships.”
“He’s lost it after losing to Barcode.”
‘…I’m here because of that Barcode.’
Hyun Junho thought of Han Yujin.
Though her impression was faint without any makeup, her eyes, deep in thought, were piercingly deep.
Those eyes, sunken with fatigue, looked both pitiful and seductive at the same time.
They were eyes that could never be considered to belong to a twenty-year-old.
When his eyes met Han Yujin’s, he couldn’t look away for a moment from her gaze that softly looked up at him.
He literally froze.
As if he had looked into Medusa’s eyes.
Suddenly, he remembered a saying often heard among pro gamers.
‘The strongest can become so alone, but a superstar needs to be chosen by the public.’
In that sense, the aura Han Yujin emitted was closer to magic than charm.
However,
What was more surprising was her attitude towards life.
An obsession with life bordering on madness.
He didn’t need to ask if her claim of being the head of a family of 10 siblings was true. He could tell.
“Participant numbers 312 and 313! Please come here to start.”
Dragging his uncomfortable steps, Hyun Junho sat down.

Huh? Am I dreaming right now?
In the pitch-black darkness, a single monitor is shining brightly.
Seeing that, I could tell immediately.
This wasn’t a dream, but a memory.
A memory from the previous world.
My body moved independently of my will.
Then it placed its hand on the mouse and entered an internet news tab.
A familiar face,
Was headlined with devastating news.
The content was,
[Pro gamer Hyun Junho found dead at home.]
[Hyun Junho dies amidst pessimism over runner-up jinx.]
[What drove him to death?]
…Right.
This was the reason why I had been so anxious about that person.
Hyun Junho.
This person, in the end, dies without winning a championship.
Because he came in second place five times.
My hand moved on its own again and accessed the Galaxy War gallery.
[Title: [Breaking] Hyun Junho’s death…news]
[Author: ㅇㅇ]
(Picture)
https://www.news.naber.com/news/article/001/0014686…
Likes: 14129 Dislikes: 21

ㅇㅇ(112.121): Wow, I’m shocked.
ㅇㅇ(58.74): Am I seeing this right, guys…
ㅇㅇ(114.232): I can’t focus on work.
ㅇㅇ(14.35): Hyun Junho might not have won championships, but he arrived first in the afterlife lol
└Idiot
└Sigh, you trash
└You should die
└Is this the average Hyuk-kyu?
└Are you a Jung Suhyuk fanboy?
ㅇㅇ(124.28): Finals panic disorder is really scary
└He always came in second with 3:2 scores
└I thought he’d definitely win this time..
ㅇㅇ(115.41): His suicide note is so sad. The part where he says he’s too tired to hold a mouse anymore is heartbreaking.
.
.
.

I opened my eyes. It was reality.
Turning my head, I saw a needle stuck in my arm. IV fluid was seeping into my subcutaneous tissue.
Right, this was the hospital.
Thanks to that, my body felt much better.
Earlier I was half-dead, but now I’m just in tatters.
Just then, a phone call came. It was Dad.
“…Yes, Dad.”
-Oh my, our proud Han Yujin! I heard from Sejun that you’re sick?
“I’m okay now. What are you doing, Dad?”
-Working hard, of course.
“You must be having a tough time.”
-The one having the toughest time is your mother who followed me to a foreign country to support us.
“But, Dad. I’m having such a hard time.”
-…I’m sorry. It’s because Dad’s business collapsed. It’s all because Dad is incompetent.
Ah, now I understand.
This is a world where the business succeeded and then collapsed.
In the world I originally lived in, it had failed long ago. That’s why in that world, they only had me.
“No. I just need to work harder.”
-I’m always sorry and grateful, my daughter.
I hung up the phone.
This time, a call came from #3 Han Sejin.
-Sis! I heard you’re sick!
“I’m okay now. What are you doing, Sejin?”
-I’m working hard preparing for my debut!
“Have you eaten?”
-Noo. I have to diet.
“Still, eat while you’re at it. Oh, what was that phone you wanted?”
-iPhone. Why? Are you going to buy it for me?
“I’m working on it.”
-Ah, forget it. Sis, don’t just think about us, think about yourself too. Go on some dates too.
“…Okay.”
My scattered thoughts gradually came together.
I firmly cemented my resolve.
That I would do any dirty deed for my family.
I can’t live only playing fair. Sometimes I need to play dirty, and even cheat.
That was the worst and best way for the head of a family of 10 siblings to survive.
And then,
Hyun Junho came in holding a small envelope.
“Take this.”
He gently placed the envelope on my bed.
“Yujin-nim. No matter how I look at it, we should cancel the tournament with Joo Sehun…”
“Let’s make a deal, you and I.”
Hyun Junho looked puzzled at my interjecting words.
“A deal? What kind of deal?”
“You want to win a championship, right?”
When the word ‘championship’ came out, Hyun Junho’s expression darkened.
“Yes. If I can’t, I’ll die. I’m joking.”
“No. You’ll never win a championship in the end. Without me, you will absolutely never win a championship.”
“What did you say?”
I took a deep breath and said,
“If you want to win a championship, entrust your life to me from now on.”