A Bug In Fate

Chapter 98: A Brother’s Shadow [ Bonus Chapter]

You’ve probably heard someone say, "Everyone is unique," at some point in your life, right?

Maybe from your teacher, your parents, some relatives, or perhaps even a motivational speaker.

But if everyone is truly unique, then why does society expect the same things from everyone?

Isn’t there a huge contrast between what people say and what they actually believe?

Why do people expect a doctor’s child to become a doctor or a businessman’s son to become a businessman? There are countless examples of this. People are often expected to live their lives according to someone else’s expectations rather than their own wishes.

And that raises another question.

If people are being pressured by their parents and relatives to live a certain life, then why doesn’t this chain ever break?

That’s the funny part about the whole thing.

The victims eventually become a part of the same society that pressured them. And after living under those expectations for years, some of them eventually do the same thing to their own children.

They force their expectations onto the next generation, just as their parents once did to them.

And the cycle continues.

Fun fact: even the parents who pressure their children were often victims of the same cycle themselves.

Society calls it parents being worried about their children’s future.

But is it really?

This version is grammatically much cleaner. I would make only a few adjustments for natural flow while keeping your content and style unchanged:

Rain was just an above-average kid during his childhood. He was good at studying, good at understanding the things taught to him, and overall, he wasn’t a bad student.

One would think that his childhood was also full of happiness, but that wasn’t the case.

"Haha... Ryan is first again."

"What did you expect? He’s a genius... unlike his brother."

"Hey, why can’t you be like your brother?"

"You two look exactly the same, but he’s clearly better than you."

This was the scene inside a pre-academy where students prepared for their awakening, as they hadn’t awakened yet. Rain could do nothing but lower his head. It was true that his brother was better than him, and it was also true that he was someone from his own family, but that didn’t stop him from feeling embarrassed.

The child who should have been proud of his brother was being humiliated simply because his brother was better than him. It wasn’t like Rain wasn’t smart. No, he was more intelligent than the kids who bullied him, but he was always a step behind his brother.

"Hey, why are you bullying my brother?"

A voice came from the classroom door as a child, probably around ten years old, walked into the room.

The children surrounding Rain scattered away like cockroaches when someone turned on the light.

Ryan came and sat beside Rain. He slowly tapped his shoulder and remained seated beside him for the entire class.

....

A year had passed, and Rain was now eleven years old.

He was playing by himself, as he didn’t have any friends. Unlike his brother, who was busy with his studies, Rain had nothing to do.

"Mom... look over there. That loser."

"He’s playing by himself again. Haha."

"Let’s go... I heard there’s a new shop opened around here."

Rain didn’t even look at them. He simply continued playing with some toys his brother had given him.

He had now learned, to some extent, how to ignore people who didn’t matter to him.

These scenarios continued as people always compared him to his brother in everything. It reached the point where his attendance at school had begun to decline.

One day, he came back from outside, and as he was about to open the door and enter the house, he suddenly stopped.

Behind the door, he could hear some voices.

It was his family—his father, mother, and brother.

They were chatting among themselves, and their voices were filled with happiness as a peaceful atmosphere surrounded them.

"Ryan, how many times have I told you to take a break from your studies?" his mother’s voice came from inside.

"But, Mom, I want to—"

"Your mother is right. Go outside and play with your friends. They always come here for you, but you always reject them," his father interrupted before he could finish.

"No, I’m not going to play with them. They always make fun of Rain," Ryan said, and one could sense anger and frustration in the young boy’s voice.

Outside, Rain felt something inside his chest, but he couldn’t name the feeling.

He continued to eavesdrop.

Inside the house, his mother took out a pouch and pulled something from it.

It was two gold coins.

"Go outside and eat something with your friends. They always come here for you," the woman said with a smile as she gave Ryan the coins.

Ryan took the coins, but suddenly, he looked at his mother and asked something that was going to change not only Rain’s life, but also his own.

"Did you give Rain money too?"

Ryan tilted his head as he asked with curiosity.

The parents exchanged glances before his mother sighed.

"He doesn’t even have friends, so why does he need it? You already gave him your toys, so he has enough," his mother said as she shook her head.

Outside, Rain, who had heard the whole conversation, suddenly touched his cheek as something wet touched his finger.

He looked up.

It was suddenly raining in Grayhaven.

It seemed as if the sky itself had become a witness to what had just happened, helping Rain hide something as he ran outside the way he had come.

His mother’s reply was simple, yet the impact it had on a young soul was enough to change something inside him.

Whether that change was good or bad, no one knew.

No one knew what this change would bring, but one thing was clear—a light of challenge had bloomed inside Rain, a light that burned with a single desire: to prove everyone wrong.

And that light had grown over the years, until the two brothers began competing in even the most mundane things, turning almost everything in their lives into a competition.

But now, fate had finally given Rain the chance he had been waiting for.

A chance to prove himself before everyone.

Because the two brothers were no longer competing over something mundane.

They were standing against each other on the battlefield.

But one question still remained.

Who was at fault?

Was it Rain, for feeling jealous of his own brother?

Was it their parents, who didn’t even know Rain was standing outside that door?

Maybe Ryan, who had always competed with Rain?

Or was it society itself?

Perhaps there was no single answer.

After all, sometimes, the real cause of a tragedy isn’t one person...

It’s the cycle that everyone keeps repeating.

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