Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 195

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Side Story 12
The young Yoon Do-hee who flashed through my memories carried a composure and maturity far beyond what I had imagined. There was something withdrawn about her, as if she had shrunk into herself.
Among selfish family members, it was never easy to assert oneself. When treated unfairly, it was difficult to harbor resentment or anger. Instead, she chose to yield and step back….
The chronicle of Yoon Do-hee’s life, flowing at thousands of times normal speed, was now hurtling toward the ending I already knew. Unable to bear the anguish any longer, I—in my previous life—fled from home like a fugitive and met with a traffic accident….
-After that.
-…!!
My vision twisted once more, and I was hurled into a space I had grown sickeningly familiar with.
It was the living room of the house where I had lived in my previous life.
* * *
“Did you have any insurance policies taken out under Do-hee’s name?”
“I’m looking into it right now, so stop pestering me and stay quiet. Do-hee was always prepared, so she might have taken out something.”
‘Wow. Damn it. These people really never change.’
I stared at my previous life’s family—no, these creatures barely worthy of the name—with utter disbelief. I had anticipated they wouldn’t genuinely mourn my death, but I never imagined they’d be scheming over insurance payouts. I could barely contain my rage.
Jang Young-sook, Yoon Do-hee’s mother, was rifling through her belongings and frowned. In her hands were thank-you letters and pamphlets from a Charity Organization.
“Why did Do-hee donate 100,000 won every month to this scam organization? She should have taken out insurance instead.”
I nearly grabbed the back of my neck in exasperation.
Excuse me, that’s not a scam organization! It’s a famous children’s foundation!
No matter how much of a pushover I had been, I would never have donated monthly to some obscure organization I’d never even heard of. Honestly, the insurance that Jang Young-sook’s friends had pressured her into was the real scam. The payment periods were absurdly long, and the compensation conditions were ridiculously strict.
I wanted to protest and defend myself, but since I had no desire to live as Yoon Do-hee again, I simply watched the scene unfold in silence.
“Didn’t you just take out bicycle insurance because you were learning to ride? So how could you skip Do-hee’s insurance while getting that?”
Exactly.
“Then you take it out! You’re the one who was always complaining about insurance premiums being a waste, so why are you throwing a fit now about not having gotten her covered?!”
Their conversation quickly escalated into a full argument, and my younger brother burst out of his room, shouting.
“Hey! Don’t you know the college entrance exam is coming up soon? The soundproofing is already terrible, and you’re making it unbearable.”
“Sorry, Do-gyun. Mom will keep it down.”
“Huh? Now that you’re being all agreeable, where did you get the nerve to raise your voice like that? Hey, show me your grades.”
Yoon Man-guk struggled to handle the enraged Jang Young-sook and began grabbing his youngest son like he was catching a rat, then flew into a rage upon seeing his grades.
“You call this a score?! Do you know how much we’re spending on your tutoring every month?”
“Ugh! There’s no other family that makes such a fuss over a measly million won in tutoring fees!”
“You brat! Your sister got into a prestigious university on just 30,000 won worth of online lectures.”
“Why are you bringing up Do-hee all of a sudden? She didn’t take after you and Mom, so she was just naturally smart.”
“What? You little bastard!”
“Mom said it herself. Do-hee didn’t look like she came from your belly, what with her appearance and all.”
At that moment, the door burst open, and Yoon Do-yeon, the eldest, came rushing out of her room.
“What? A million won in tutoring fees?! Now I understand why I’m so frustrated. Mom! You invested half of what you gave Do-gyun in me.”
“Why don’t you just get a job instead, ma’am? At your age, you’re still unemployed, unmarried, and lounging around at home. Preparing for the civil service exam is basically a scam, isn’t it?”
“Hey! Do you want to die? You pig’s trotter of a bastard!”
Crash!
“Do-yeon! Why did you throw something so expensive?!”
Watching them fight while throwing household items, I felt genuine horror wash over me.
‘They’re fighting until they’re nothing but dust.’
Now I understood why dysfunctional families were called “scattered families.”
Usually, situations didn’t escalate to such extremes, but thinking about it, whenever these people started fighting, I was the one who stepped in to stop them. No matter how heated things got, they’d shut up the moment I ordered chicken or noodles.
‘Because they were too busy eating.’
But once I stopped intervening, they fought and fought until the neighbors called the police about the noise. They were nothing but a public nuisance.
Not long after, the landlord notified them to vacate. With complaints pouring in from all sides and the room and balcony turned into complete chaos, it was an inevitable outcome.
“What? This place is way too cramped!”
And as rental prices had risen in the meantime, they had no choice but to move into an even smaller place.
“I thought now that Yoon Do-hee is gone, I’d finally have a proper room of my own, but how am I supposed to live in this shabby place? Don’t tell me I still don’t have my own room?”
Yoon Do-yeon complained bitterly while looking around the two-bedroom apartment.
“Do you know how hard it was to even find this place? Your allowance alone, which you take little by little every month, is breaking my back! At least Yoon Do-hee tried to help out with part-time work despite our poverty, but you won’t even get a job and just complain!”
“When did Mom ever take care of Yoon Do-hee? Why do you keep bringing her up—Do-hee this, Do-hee that! Honestly, do you even have the right to say that? All of this happened because you didn’t get her insured!”
“What? Are you saying it’s my fault?”
“Then whose fault is it?”
“Hey! Get out of my house!!”
“Why should I? If you gave birth to me, take responsibility!”
They spewed abuse so vile it was sickening, and they always blamed each other. It was complete chaos.
‘This is hell itself.’
Even Lucifer would shake his head at such depravity.
Meanwhile, my father picked up some dubious information from somewhere and invested in penny stocks using loans from third-tier financial institutions, only to lose it all.
“What? How much did you lose? How are you still so foolish at your age? Have you lost your mind?”
Jang Young-sook struck Yoon Man-guk’s back repeatedly in fury.
“Did I do this for myself? I was trying to work hard so we could live without financial worries, in a comfortable house where you and the kids could grow up!”
“Work hard? You mean getting foolishly scammed and losing money, and calling that hard work? Don’t blame us! You’re just an idiot!”
“Blame? If Yoon Do-hee were still here, would I have desperately grabbed at such risky stocks? She would have definitely gotten into a major corporation—how reassuring that would have been! Why am I the only one working myself to death in this household? Why are they all just parasites!”
“What?! Parasites? And who’s eating the food that these parasites make?!”
“You brag about eating the same bland curry for a whole week!”
“Hey! Yoon Man-guk! Don’t you dare brag about your measly salary! All my friends’ husbands have gotten promotions and moved up. Only you’re pathetic! Do you understand?!”
“You wench! Hmph!”
“Hit me! Go ahead and hit me! And then sign the divorce papers!”
They screamed about divorce, and the situation spiraled further downward. Yet no one made any effort to resolve it. They only blamed each other.
‘And somehow, they seem to be bringing me up more than before.’
Every time they fought, they invoked Yoon Do-hee’s name to criticize and belittle each other. Chills ran down my spine. Just how long had they planned to leech off me?
‘I really can’t stand looking at these people.’
There was nothing more to see. Just as the ending of a melodrama was predictable, their future was equally clear to me. Since Yoon Man-guk had taken out loans from loan sharks, the real hardship was just beginning. Soon they wouldn’t even have the luxury to fight like this.
‘They’ll be too busy paying off debt.’
They would soon learn the terrifying nature of loan sharks and compound interest, and they’d spend their lives chased by money, blaming each other.
* * *
-It’s what they deserve.
The thought form evaluated my family coldly, and I let out a short, ambiguous sigh.
—Deborah, don’t torment yourself with conflicted thoughts. You’re simply reaping what was sown. Isn’t it satisfying? Those people filled their own desires while sacrificing and oppressing you.
—…I’m just astounded. I should have realized sooner that those wretches were beyond redemption.
Under the guise of family, my former self endured them far too long. Well, there’s no point regretting what’s already passed.
—…!
That was when it happened. The scenery shifted once more, and this time a familiar University Campus unfolded before me. The April campus of spring was awash in pink cherry blossoms swirling like snow, and students gathered in small groups, laughing merrily and chatting away.
My mind had been too restless back then, and I’d hurried past this landscape without truly seeing it. Sensing this might be my last chance to witness my former life’s scenery so vividly, I surveyed the surroundings with careful attention.
Though I’d once devoted my twenties to this place, not even a faint sense of nostalgia remained now. As I scanned the familiar corners, I encountered faces I recognized—classmates and juniors from the Architecture Department.
They sat in a circle on the grass with delivery food spread between them, conversing in hushed, intimate tones.
“This lecture note was borrowed from Senior Yoon Do-hee, and I never properly repaid the favor.”
Suddenly hearing Yoon Do-hee’s name from someone’s mouth made me catch my breath. I’d rarely attended departmental gatherings, juggling part-time work and assignments. Being such an outsider, I’d assumed they barely knew my name.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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