RE: Player again

367

[Chapter 108]

[You Never Know What Will Happen (3)]

Even if you regressed.

There's no way to know all futures.

Like the incident where many people were injured or died due to a disaster occurring in the Mokdong academy district when Snow Flower Fairies appeared in large numbers.

─Damn it.

Where on earth is there someone who remembers all fragmentary, everyday events?

Even if you knew that.

"...Thanks for coming, guys."

""""...."""

Ma Bangjin died.

They say it was a disaster, an accidental death.

That he was attacked while trying to block monsters that appeared at the academy.

A death that came too suddenly.

To the extent there was no room for him to intervene.

Eunha had a bitter aftertaste.

No, it was too bitter.

"Really... thank you..."

Because you never know what will happen.

Although he thought in one corner of his mind that something like this might happen someday.

When it actually became reality and struck, Eunha felt terrible helplessness.

This feels like s**t.

Alice Hospital funeral hall.

Eunha who stood in a place filled with wailing clenched his fist so hard his nails dug into his flesh.

The memorial photo caught his eye.

The child in the photo was smiling brightly.

It was a familiar face.

Of course it was familiar.

"...Let's greet first."

Minji who had barely stopped crying before arriving at Alice Hospital finally burst into tears again upon facing the atmosphere of the funeral hall.

Hayang also sobbed with shaking shoulders.

In the end, Seona opened her mouth sniffling with eyes full of tears.

"......"

Meanwhile, Eunhyeok stood silently. He stared at the memorial photo endlessly with a pale, stiff face.

And he knelt down first. Starting with Eunhyeok, friends knelt and bowed one by one.

How could this happen?

Eunha expressed condolences too.

When they got up after finishing all bows, he and his friends faced the chief mourners and had to fully acknowledge it.

"...Bangjin would be happy too."

"...Th-thank you..."

The father speaking with red-rimmed eyes and a cracking voice instead of shedding tears to support the remaining family.

The mother wailing unable to even open her eyes properly as fallen tears blocked her view.

Tsk... Heaven is really indifferent.

What on earth did we do wrong...!

Those damn monster bastards...

Cries of resentment from people who visited the funeral hall first were heard.

Eunha and his friends greeted the chief mourners and headed towards people keeping watch.

Among them, Baek Hyunyul and Yeon Seongjin sitting blankly in a corner were visible.

"Ah... you came. Did you greet?"

"...Hello."

Amidst food set on the table.

The two welcomed Eunha and his friends without touching the food.

☆

The day Ma Bangjin left the world.

Disasters occurred sporadically in the Mokdong academy district.

Although players immediately dispatched as soon as disasters were confirmed, nevertheless Ma Bangjin was almost at his last breath when they arrived.

Fortunately, a supporter gave emergency treatment to extend his life, but he ended up passing away.

"I was just trembling in fear, but he recklessly turned his back saying we had to save other kids too. Crazy bastard, why did you go there..."

Friends didn't say anything.

Because it was hard to accept reality, they just kept watch not knowing what to say.

Amidst that, Yeon Seongjin broke the silence and rambled.

"Honestly... monsters seemed like beings with no relation to me."

People who lived in the world before Seonnyeo took office said.

That they didn't have to worry much about monsters' existence because Cocoon was protecting Seoul.

Nevertheless, disasters occurred.

Nevertheless, monsters appeared.

Although large calamities were prevented, the current reality was that small disasters couldn't be prevented.

And because they were small disasters─

"But it wasn't. Monsters were... right nearby."

─People become insensitive.

No matter how much the media makes a fuss that monsters appeared somewhere today too, that a player died battling monsters, that this many people died from monsters today.

Stories heard through monitors were just simple entertainment to people living everyday lives.

Because such stories don't happen around them.

Unless it's an extraordinary incident, people gradually become insensitive to others' deaths.

"I realized I was actually living in a really dangerous world. I understood well that people could die from monsters suddenly appearing at home anytime, anywhere..."

The truth he had been turning away from.

Death was always nearby.

And monsters might take your life from right nearby.

"...It's really scary. You guys who say you'll fight those things seem amazing."

So Yeon Seongjin sobbed.

He feared and was scared of monsters.

He truly realized monsters were beings to be feared.

Only after losing a close friend.

At the same time─

"─Those damn bastards. I want to kill them all if I could. I want to get revenge on those that made Bangjin like that..."

Yeon Seongjin realized monsters were beings to be hated.

Those who experienced the pain of loss burned with hatred towards monsters like that.

.

The hatred people who lived over 30 years from that held towards monsters was deeply rooted in this country.

Without that pain disappearing.

As long as monsters exist in this world, hatred towards monsters will continue endlessly.

"Hey, so what happened to those monsters? Did they die? If they haven't been caught yet, I'll kill them."

Friends also gritted their teeth with hatred towards monsters.

Jin Parang who was chewing on hatred while grinding his teeth spoke with eyes full of fighting spirit.

His voice lacking playfulness represented friends' feelings.

"They died at the scene."

"Tsk, so annoying."

Hatred cannot be resolved.

Because monsters that brought the pain of loss are usually immediately subjugated at the scene.

Therefore, people had no choice but to hold hostility towards other monsters, and further all monsters.

That emotion created players.

"...I'll go first. Sorry."

"Where are you going?"

Then Eunhyeok got up from his seat.

Eunha asked him who still had a pale face.

"Just..."

Choi Eunhyeok smiled awkwardly.

As if not showing sadness.

As if not showing hatred.

He was holding back all emotions.

"...I'm going back to swing my sword. I feel like I'll go crazy if I don't loosen up my body..."

"Okay, be careful."

"Yeah, see you later. Boss."

Choi Eunhyeok, Ma Bangjin, Yeon Seongjin.

The three were close since kindergarten and lived near each other.

The three were childhood friends.

Although he entered the academy, the time the three spent together since childhood wouldn't have faded.

No one here didn't understand his feelings of helplessly losing a friend even while attending the academy.

"Seona."

"Yeah."

"Go back with Eunhyeok."

On the other hand, Eunha was very worried about Choi Eunhyeok.

Because he who always made the atmosphere lively had a stiff face since hearing of Ma Bangjin's death.

Even more so because he knew Eunhyeok's personality of not wanting to show tears to others.

As if coinciding with Eunha's feelings, Seona followed him.

"I'll be going now too. I've been here since yesterday... it's a bit hard."

Then Yeon Seongjin opened his mouth.

He who attended the same academy as Ma Bangjin said he stayed up all night.

He seemed to feel guilty for not stopping Ma Bangjin who ran to help people then.

He who got up from his seat staggered, and Parang supported him as they left the funeral hall.

"What will you do, Hyunyul?"

Choi Eunhyeok left, and Yeon Seongjin left.

The next person closest to Ma Bangjin after those two was Baek Hyunyul.

He who usually carried around a pillow saying he was sleepy whenever didn't have anything with him today.

As if his soul had left.

He kept spacing out.

"Did you sleep at all?"

Minji who blew her nose with a tissue spoke to him.

Baek Hyunyul shook his head a beat late.

Nevertheless, he didn't mention feeling sleepy once.

Friends could tell he was shocked by Ma Bangjin's death.

"...ind."

"What?"

It was then.

Hyunyul who hadn't answered no matter what was said flapped his lips that had been stickily attached.

It was a sound that couldn't be heard well.

Friends leaned in to listen.

"─I want some fresh air."

After saying those words, Baek Hyunyul banged his head on the table with a thud.

It was such a huge sound that people around unconsciously turned to look.

"What? Did he faint!?"

"No."

Parang who was startled shook Baek Hyunyul who banged his head.

Hayang who moved seats examined his condition and concluded.

"...He's sleeping. He must have been tired."

☆

Although he swore to protect everything, he knew it was a vow that couldn't protect everything.

Noh Eunha realized that again through Ma Bangjin's death.

"...Devil."

"Are you awake now?"

Alice Hospital funeral hall rooftop.

Eunha spoke to Hyunyul who was sleeping lying on a bench.

He said he wanted fresh air in his sleep talk, so Eunha personally carried him on his back up to the rooftop.

"...Cold."

"Is it? I'll raise the temperature a bit."

It was January.

It was understandable for Hyunyul to shiver.

Eunha who realized belatedly warmed the surroundings with his internal mana.

Hyunyul who tossed and turned a few times soon breathed comfortably as if satisfied.

"Looks like you had a nightmare."

"......"

"Didn't you say something to me?"

Other friends were in the funeral hall.

The only people on the rooftop were Eunha and Hyunyul.

Eunha who was sorting out his complicated feelings while Hyunyul slept quietly spoke up.

"...Devil."

Hyunyul who rested his head on Eunha's lap said looking up at him.

Then he added.

"I see something black on you."

"......"

"It looks just like a devil."

"......"

"Your eyes and mouth corners are strange too. One side is raised like smiling, one side is lowered like crying."

"......"

"So you look sad and pitiful."

Eunha suddenly recalled the past.

In an elementary school drawing contest, Baek Hyunyul once drew a picture reminiscent of him before regression using him as a model.

Eunha dismissed it as coincidence then, but perhaps it wasn't a coincidence.

Eunha realized Baek Hyunyul's pupils were looking at him, no, over his shoulder.

"What do you see on me?"

"Oh, I see it."

"Can other people see it too?"

"Other people can see it too."

Gift.

Eunha muttered softly.

Although he didn't know what his Gift was, it seemed he saw something through others' mana.

"I've seen many strange things since before. Scenery others can't see, always just to me..."

He who always grumbled about being sleepy muttered calmly.

That it was so fun drawing scenery others couldn't see.

That he wanted to draw even if he got tired every time he tried to see it.

"...I wanted to live like that forever."

Baek Hyunyul explained that what was in his eyes seemed to visualize people's hearts.

So he liked the Yeon Seongjin combo.

Saying the forms of their hearts felt cozy to him.

"But... I don't think I can anymore."

He wanted to live like that for life.

A life of happily drawing pictures.

A life of spending cozy time with friends who take care of him sometimes.

"Seongjin's heart is broken."

"......"

"My heart seems broken too..."

Monsters took away the future.

Hyunyul who had such a future stolen just muttered indifferently looking at the cloudy sky.

"...Seongjin said he wants to become a chemist. He said he'll fulfill Bangjin's dream instead."

Baek Hyunyul didn't want an answer.

Like Yeon Seongjin at the funeral hall, he just wanted to pour out his emotions.

Like dumping into a trash can.

But why was he doing this while clinging to Eunha─

"─You're thinking it's fortunate Bangjin died, right?"

"......"

"So venting."

Hyunyul resolved his question as if seeing through him.

When Eunha kept his mouth shut, Hyunyul continued rambling as if he didn't care.

"What should I do? Then should I fulfill Seongjin's dream instead?"

"Are you good at math?"

"No."

The existence called Baek Hyunyul was strange.

He treated Eunha comfortably without touching his mood.

No.

Soon Eunha denied.

That it was possible because Hyunyul didn't try to form relationships with people.

Recalling elementary school days, he often distanced himself from people.

"Player?"

"It doesn't suit you though."

"Then I won't do it."

Eunha seemed to understand now.

That Hyunyul came to view the world from a third-person perspective after looking at the world with his Gift.

So he was indifferent to surrounding situations.

Ma Bangjin must have been an important existence to him to that extent.

Enough to hold hatred towards monsters.

"I'll draw what I see with these 'eyes'."

An ambiguous expression.

Eunha somehow felt he knew what Baek Hyunyul's resolution was.

That he would draw the world where monsters exist as is.

That he would draw people who experienced the pain of loss from monsters.

That must be his way of resolving hatred towards monsters.

"...I miss Bangjin."

He who spoke using hatred as a driving force like that dropped his hand that had been reaching towards the night sky.

In a tone feeling powerless.

Soon tears he had been holding back until now fell from his eyes.

I'm sorry.

Eunha left him to cry.

On the other hand, he apologized inwardly.

He didn't know who the apology was directed towards.

Whether it was for Ma Bangjin's death.

Whether it was for Baek Hyunyul's tears.

If only I had known... a little more.

Eunha chewed on helplessness and regret over and over instead.

Even though he knew it was unavoidable.

"...Pitiful devil."

"What are you saying. Are you done crying?"

"No, not yet."

"Okay, then cry more."

"...Yeah..."

The 11th year of Seonnyeo.

This happened on a day in the new year.