Chaos in the Next Room

"Sis, I'm your brother from different parents!"

I was speechless.

Edith pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

The live chat was blowing up faster than ever.

'I don't understand. In his past life, Elias was cold and distant. How did he turn into this in the next life?'

'And our female lead was a ray of sunshine before, but now she's this deadpan, gloomy type. I'm so sick of that lifeless expression on her face. And now Elias comes along and actually shakes her up!'

'Her emotions are about to go haywire. With Elias' chaotic energy, not even her posh houses will survive the storm he's about to unleash.'

Reading those comments, I pressed my lips together.

I wanted to stop my mother from bringing him home, but after years of selective mutism, I'd completely forgotten how to speak.

In the end, I ended up sitting in the backseat of the car with Elias.

Before we left, Edith patted the door anxiously, as if a thousand words were trapped in her chest. "Ms. Lane, this is my personal number. If anything comes up, contact me immediately. We'll surely take him back!"

Elias rolled his eyes in the seat.

I silently memorized Edith's number, ready to make him leave at a moment's notice.

No matter what happened in my past life, it had nothing to do with me now.

My mother put Elias in the room next to mine. Her reason was that he could spend more time with me.

Initially, I planned to keep to myself and avoid any conflict.

But the moment he stepped into the bedroom, he shouted with excitement, "Wow! Mom, we're rich!"

Then, he started dumping all the junk he'd brought from the orphanage into the room, marking his territory like a hyperactive dog.

I stared at the garish mess, feeling numb.

My mother covered her mouth and laughed quietly.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall, irritation written all over my face.

He really did have a talent for putting himself on a pedestal. No matter what, I would never give someone like him a friendly smile.

…

Dinner came, and I ate my usual portion of vegetables.

After a few bites, I set down my spoon.

My mother looked worried.

"Sunny, you're eating less and less. This isn't healthy."

I lowered my eyes to the mostly untouched pasta on my plate, staying silent.

The next second, a peeled shrimp appeared on my plate.

I turned, puzzled, and saw Elias grinning at me, all smiles and charm.

"Sis, I noticed you looked at this plate of shrimp three times for a total of five seconds. I figured you wanted to eat them but didn't want to peel them, so I took the liberty. Hope you don't mind it."

Then, he blinked at me, practically begging for approval.

I looked away, tossed the shrimp back onto the plate, and stayed quiet.

Elias stared for a moment, then his expression shifted as if he'd had an epiphany. He went off to the kitchen, fiddled around, and returned holding a small dish of dipping sauce, setting it in front of me.

"Sis, maybe plain shrimp's a little boring? I made this sauce myself. If you don't mind..."

He blinked at me again.

My mother shook her head from the side. "Elias, your sister's been picky since she was little. I can't even figure out what she likes…"

Her voice trailed off, and soon she watched in disbelief as I finished an entire plate of shrimp.

Elias' plate, by contrast, was a tiny mountain of shells.

My mother's shock rendered her speechless. "How is this possible?"

A small smile tugged at my lips.

He wasn't exactly a servant, but having someone cater to me wasn't bad at all.

Still, I wouldn't give him a friendly response.

Elias's leaving was only a matter of time.

He was just too loud.

My room was always locked, but today, when I opened my eyes, I found Elias leaning over the head of my bed.

He blinked up at me.

Seeing me awake, he practically vibrated with excitement.

"Sis, I haven't asked your full name yet. Mom calls you Sunny. That's your nickname, right? What's your real name?

"Oh, and your door was really tricky to open! Luckily, I learned lockpicking from Mr. Warren at the orphanage. Today, it came in handy!

"Sis, why are you hiding from me?"

He jabbered on and on, and I reached my limit.

When Luck Turns Against Us

I yanked the blanket over my head as hard as I could.

Maybe this would make him go away.

Instead, he started tickling my feet.

Then, he climbed onto my bed, wriggled under the blanket from the foot of the bed, and stared up at me with wide eyes.

After a pause, he gave a shy little smile. "Please, Sis, just tell me?"

I shut my eyes in despair.

Comments flew faster than I could read.

'I can't… Elias is such a troublemaker. He's not even ten yet, right? That's exactly the age everyone finds impossible, the one nobody likes.'

'The poor female lead… I can't even imagine how her peaceful, quiet life is being destroyed by a boy who's like an energetic Husky.'

'Let's clear Elias' name. He's not a goofball who needs walks like a dog; he can handle himself.'

'Please, I'm begging for the male lead to go back to being his calm, cool self.'

The comments scrolled faster and faster, and with each one, my heart sank a little more. The more I watched, the more I realized I couldn't keep him in the house.

That night, I quietly contacted Edith, texting, 'Ms. Sinclair, please take Elias away.'

But before I could even send the message, the sound of shattering glass made me flinch.

I turned around to see Elias panicking, guilt written all over his face.

"Oh no… Sis, I-I didn't mean to! I didn't think it would break so easily! I just thought the flowers in that vase were pretty and wanted to pick one for you. But as soon as I plucked it, the vase cracked."

His left hand twisted at his shirt, and his right hand clutched a sunflower tightly.

That vase was carefully taken care of every day. It was a keepsake from my grandfather.

And now, it was broken by some stranger who had just arrived.

I glared at him, eyes stinging, ready to say something, but no words came out.

My stare made him look even more guilty.

His eyes went red, and he knelt down, hugging my calves, shaking back and forth. "Sis, I'm sorry! I know I was wrong. Please forgive me. Don't send me away! I just wanted to give you a flower. I didn't mean to break anything in the house."

By the end, his tears and sniffles were smearing down my pants.

I kicked him away in disgust and saw the comments scrolling.

'Poor kid… Even though he's the male lead, he had a rough childhood. In his past life, he died in a car accident right before his wedding. Now, finally reincarnated to reunite with the female lead, he's still burdened with bad luck. His past two years have been cursed.'

'His misfortune used to bring everyone around him down. He got bullied for so long. If Edith hadn't protected him, he probably wouldn't have survived to meet the female lead at all.'

Reading those comments made my chest tighten.

I picked up my smartwatch, added him as a contact, and typed a message. 'I'm fine. Stop crying.'

When I looked at Elias, my gaze held more than a hint of complexity.

In a world like this, it seemed our fates were never fully in our own hands. I had selective mutism. He had been plagued by bad luck since childhood.

Past life or present, it seemed neither of us ever caught a break.

Seeing Elias still sniffle quietly, I let out a soft sigh.

I said nothing and turned to leave.

I didn't know that Elias was watching me leave, his eyes quietly dropping as I walked away.

Distracted, I didn't watch my step and twisted my ankle on the staircase, tumbling straight down.

The sound made his face go pale as paper. Without thinking, he leaped from the second floor, landing next to the stairs and catching me.

Blood clouded my vision, and sharp pain stabbed my head.

Elias had a gash on his forehead, blood streaming down in a steady flow, but he seemed oblivious to the pain, straining to lift me up.

In a daze, the scene felt strangely familiar.

At that moment, the comments exploded.

'Whoa, everyone! Isn't this the scene from when the male and female leads died in their past life? Could it be that they're regaining their memories?'