My Younger Sister Is the Only Normal Person in the Family

: Rebirth

My sister was the only normal one in our family. She helped our parents pay off their debts and found the best hospital for my treatment.

Our whole family felt deeply indebted to her. It wasn't until after she got engaged to the Heir of Argent, and I died in the hospital, that I learned she was bound to a System.

Our father's alcoholism, our mother's gambling addiction, and even my mental illness—it all existed just so she could craft the persona of a resilient, self-reliant, pitiful Damsel in Distress.

People like us were called Plot Devices.

To be thrown away once our purpose was served.

1

I was dead.

I died by self-harm during a psychotic episode.

Just yesterday, I was actively cooperating with my treatment. The doctor said I'd be well enough to go home soon. But now, I'm dead.

I couldn't accept it.

My self-harm hadn't been voluntary. It was as if my body was being controlled by an external force. No matter how hard I fought, it was useless. A sharpened toothbrush was plunged into my carotid artery, and I bled to death.

I never studied medicine. How could I have made such a precise insertion?

'If I'm dead, what will happen to my sister?'

'She's so small and vulnerable. I was afraid she'd be abused by our alcoholic father again, or hounded for money by our mother.'

Perhaps because I was so worried about my sister, my soul didn't move on after I died. Instead, it drifted to her side.

Surprisingly, she wasn't at work. She was in a luxurious mansion.

A mansion this luxurious... even if our mother won every bet she ever made, she probably couldn't afford to live here in her entire lifetime.

I was dumbfounded.

Before I could even begin to wonder why she was there, I heard her voice. "System, is it done?"

"Arrangements complete," a mechanical voice replied. "The Host's sister died at 10 a.m. from self-harm due to her mental illness. Your parents died at noon in a gas explosion." My soul froze.

Mom and Dad were dead too. That meant my sister was all alone in the world.

Even though our parents had changed after I turned ten, they had still loved us so much when we were little. Hearing the news of their deaths so suddenly was agonizing, even as a soul.

I was incredibly worried about my sister. I even rushed right up to her.

'Even as a soul,' I thought, 'I have to comfort her.'

But who would have thought? There wasn't a trace of sadness on her face. Instead, a smile played on her lips. "Nicely done."

I wondered if I was hearing things. How could the sister who had always cherished us not show a single shred of sadness upon hearing of our deaths? How could she be happy instead?

Yes, my resilient, tenacious sister was practically beaming with joy.

I heard her excitedly tell the System that we, the Plot Devices, were finally "offline," and that her conquest was about to succeed.

She was going to marry the Heir of Argent.

From now on, no one would be holding her back.

I was utterly stunned.

She chattered on and on with the System about all her hardships over the years, and with every word I heard, my heart grew colder.

It all made sense now. Why our father, who barely drank when I was a child, suddenly became an alcoholic when my sister was in high school. Why our mother, who had always hated gambling, suddenly became an addict during that same time. And me... I had been smart and studious since I was little. My teachers all said I was Ivy League material. But then, in my second year of high school, I was suddenly diagnosed with a mental illness.

So all of it was just to create an opportunity for my sister, to let her appear before the Heir of Argent as a resilient Damsel in Distress.

So we were just her designated Plot Devices.

'But why did our lives have to be traded for her wealth and glory?'

'We could have had a happy, ordinary life!'

An intense wave of indignation made me want to tear my sister to shreds, but I was just a soul. I couldn't do anything but pass right through her.

"You can trade your soul for a chance to start over."

An ancient, weathered voice echoed in my mind. Without a second thought, I agreed.

I had to stop my sister from turning our entire family into Plot Devices. My parents were such good people. They didn't deserve an ending like this.