RE: Player again

343

[Chapter 104] [Emotionally Worn Out Monster (8)]

There's no way he couldn't know.

He had known for a long time.

Even the densest person couldn't fail to notice what feelings she harbored, who had relied on him since childhood.

Moreover, he was certainly not a dense person.

He had just been pretending not to know all this time.

'Stop pretending not to know.'

Seona had said that before.

At that time, he realized she had seen through his true thoughts.

At the same time, probably not just her, but others must have noticed too.

Surely Jung Hayang must have noticed.

Perhaps long before Seona.

Nevertheless, she showed her affection and waited until he turned to look at her.

She must have reached the point where she couldn't endure anymore.

"─I really like you."

I like you. I really like you.

A pure heart, to the point of being grateful, to the point of feeling sorry.

Her confession wasn't buried even among the fireworks sounds.

The voice pouring out feelings of liking someone was full of trembling yet never scattered without any echo.

"─What? I can't hear well!!"

Nevertheless, Eunha lied.

It was a gentle lie to him, but a cruel lie to her.

No, a lie is just a lie.

Gentle lies don't exist.

There are only lies that are mere self-satisfaction.

And people called that hypocrisy.

─I'm sorry.

Hayang's eyes shook greatly.

He could easily guess how she would feel.

Because he had watched her for a long time, just as she had watched him for a long time.

Nevertheless, he drove a nail into the heart she had harbored for a long time.

So innocently, so naively.

As if he hadn't heard anything.

"...It's nothing."

As the fireworks sounds subsided.

In the end, she hid her shaking eyes and shook her head weakly.

It was as he expected.

He was certain that if he maintained this attitude to the end, she wouldn't speak again.

""......"

Only awkwardness lingered.

Before they knew it, people who had been looking up at the night sky moved their footsteps.

The crowd kept flowing, and the two just looked at each other from an awkward distance.

"Come to think of it, Subin must have been working in our place all this time... We should probably switch with her now. I'll go... switch with her, what will you do, Eunha?"

Jung Hayang speaking while laughing "ehehe".

She who couldn't even look at him straight suddenly poured out long words.

As if trying to gloss over the awkwardness.

"I have an appointment so I'll go later. You go ahead, Hayang."

"...Okay, then I'll go ahead."

Hayang quickly nodded and ran off without looking back.

Eunha left alone stood in place and saw her off as she got farther away.

People were walking on the streets.

While their time kept flowing, he felt like only his time had stopped in the past.

While they were all laughing happily, he couldn't understand how they could laugh so happily.

Even though the world is harsh, reality is cruel and one never knows when they'll die.

Even though the future is always unknowable, and living in the present is such a weary thing.

"─Master."

"Yeah."

Eunha left that place.

Because he didn't want to stay there anymore.

He also had an appointment.

In the woods near the dormitory, quite far from the cultural festival area.

Eunha who arrived at the contact point soon answered Twenty-five's call who revealed himself from somewhere in the woods.

"How..."

"I really can't understand, sir. Why did you kick away a woman's confession that was coming in on its own like that? Huh? Did I seem tactless?"

"......"

Twenty-five interrupting Eunha's words and ranting.

It seems he had been watching what happened earlier from nearby.

Twenty-five who had excelled as a ranger even before the regression specialized in concealment magic. Moreover, since his physical abilities had developed due to biological experiments, it wouldn't have been too difficult to eavesdrop from some distance away.

"From what I saw, that child will grow into an extremely pretty girl later. Master, you just kicked away the confession of a woman who will receive attention from many men. Master, you don't happen to like men, do you?"

"Want to die?"

"No."

Twenty-five making a gesture of tightly zipping his mouth at Eunha's one word.

He who swept back his long hair soon sighed and continued speaking.

"Jung Hayang. Alice Group's direct descendant, and despite not being blood-related at all, receiving abundant love and trust from executives including Alice Group's chairman Min Junsik. Entered the academy, and now a promising rookie receiving interest from notable clans based on her vast internal mana."

"...I never told you to investigate people around me."

"Isn't it good to grasp what kind of people are around master, or if there are people who could be threats? Well, I'll get permission from now on."

"You were probably trying to find my weaknesses."

"Oh come on. Master, this humble one is truly not that kind of person."

"Shut up."

"Yes sir."

Twenty-five talks a lot.

His rambling words were especially grating today.

"But master."

Nevertheless, Eunha couldn't completely stop him from speaking.

Because stopping Twenty-five's mouth was harder than stopping a dam.

The guy will keep babbling unless his tongue is cut off.

"Jung Hayang would have had strategic value for master. I still can't know exactly what master is planning to do, but surely if Alice Group's power is added to what master is doing, things will go smoothly."

"......"

"Rumors about master occasionally circulate in the back alleys too. That engagement proposals keep coming to master. Master keeps refusing, but in my opinion, it will probably be difficult to refuse engagement proposals until graduating from the academy."

Twenty-five spoke with a serious face.

His words were right.

It was fine to refuse and not worry much about engagement proposals coming from insignificant groups.

However, as he gains fame, engagement proposals that can't be refused even with his father's power will come in.

"So wouldn't it be fine to get engaged to Alice Group's direct descendant who is very favorable to master?"

"......"

"Moreover, if you become Alice Group's son-in-law, master will have skills as a player plus power that no one can look down on, you know."

Eunha knew too.

Jung Hayang was attractive as a player and as a strategic tool.

So it's not that he hadn't thought about gaining her heart.

But in the end, he couldn't do it.

"Perhaps master... unlike appearances, are you feeling guilty?"

"Do you want to keep climbing up?"

"...Ugh...! If you're going to hit me, you should say you'll hit...gak...!"

"Where in the world are there people who say they'll hit before hitting?"

It wasn't guilt.

He had long since discarded things like guilt in his previous life.

It's just that when he looks at her who harbors pure feelings for him, he feels how ugly a human he is.

He couldn't exclude the thought that if she gets closer to him, she will also become a person like him.

So─

─I hope Hayang doesn't become unhappy.

He didn't want to plunge her into unhappiness.

He who doesn't know the feeling of liking someone had no way to respond to her feelings, nor even confidence that he would come to like her.

"You'll only become unhappy being with me."

"When I look at master, I feel... Master only speaks as if you've lived the whole world alone. To this humble one's eyes, how much can a mere 15-year-old kid know about how the future will be..."

"......"

"Master worries too much. Human hearts tend to grow fond even if they dislike it as they rub against each other... But master just pushes away saying they'll become unhappy being with you... Although master is 15 years old, there's no need to have chuunibyou too...gak...!"

"Where are you pretending to be hurt?"

To be honest, Eunha didn't know how to make someone he likes happy.

In his previous life, he who lost his family lived a life of only killing monsters without feeling love for family.

Due to such a life, his worn-out emotions only had strong possessiveness for his own things, but he was completely ignorant of how to truly make someone happy.

His love would only be obsession.

The feelings he harbored for family in this life would only be obsession in the name of love.

He may not know what love is, but at least it surely isn't the same as his base obsession.

He didn't know how to embrace others in the way his family did for him.

He─

'I like you, very much. I could even give my life for you.'

'You must come back alive. You must. I really like you, oppa.'

─Couldn't pour out his heart in a way that gives his everything to someone like Lee Yujung and Ha Baekryeon.

He can only receive.

That remained unchanged even after turning back time.

He who could only receive others' hearts didn't know how to return them to others.

"Anyway. How did the task I asked you to do go?"

Eunha asked looking down at him kneeling on the ground.

There was only one reason he called him to the academy through Lee Kanghyuk.

Lee Yujung's whereabouts.

Eunha thought that if he brought him here, perhaps he could find her whom he couldn't find.

Moreover, since many people visit the academy during the cultural festival, he wondered if she might have visited too.

But Twenty-five shook his head.

"I couldn't find the person you want with just what you told me, master. I investigated based on Noh Euna's mana properties from the first day of the cultural festival while going around the academy... But the person with the most similar mana properties was only Shin Seoyoung. Also, I investigated based on internal mana amount but had difficulty because concealment magic was cast. However, among academy students, the only notable student was Alice Group's direct descendant Jung Hayang."

"...I see."

Lee Yujung is not at the academy.

Eunha nodded dejectedly after confirming that fact again.

When he didn't say anything, Twenty-five grumbled and laid out his words again.

"There are limits to searching with the information master gave. My Gift can't exert power without physical traces, you know."

Physical traces.

Eunha looked up at the night sky recalling that.

The night sky after the fireworks was pitch black without a single star visible.

The night sky seen from the narrow woods felt so vast.

To think there's no Lee Yujung born on September 1st.

Eunha recalled the information Twenty-five had told him recently while picturing her face.

Lee Yujung born on September 1st in Seoul, the same year as him.

He thought it would be easier to find her with just this information.

However, the information Twenty-five brought was that there were only 5 Lee Yujungs fitting those conditions.

Among them, one died from a monster attack last summer, two died from the Kraken attack, and the remaining two were men.

Nevertheless, Eunha checked the photos of all "Lee Yujung"s just in case.

As a result, not a single person had her appearance.

"About what you additionally asked last time too... I'm searching nationwide, but honestly the possibility is slim. It's strange that I can't find a person with the characteristics master mentioned."

Eunha sensed it too.

Even if the search range was expanded nationwide, it seemed the Lee Yujung he was looking for wouldn't appear.

"Above all─"

Twenty-five spoke to Eunha who was standing blankly.

He had a worried face with hands on his waist.

"─Is the information of the person master is looking for really 'recorded like that'?"

"......"

Eunha couldn't answer.

Now he could no longer pride himself on knowing better than anyone in the world about the person called Lee Yujung.

Whether her name was her real name.

Whether she was really from Seoul.

Whether her date of birth was true.

And so on.

"If that person is from the slums, she might not exist in the resident registration, you know. It's originally too common for slum-born people to not have family registers."

"No, that's not it."

Eunha quickly denied.

Her existence must surely be recorded in the resident registration.

How else could she have entered the academy?

When Eunha denied like that, Twenty-five thought for a moment then answered.

"Then maybe the date of birth is different. You know, there are cases where the birthday on the resident registration is different from the actual birthday because birth registration was done late."

"Who would do that in this day and age..."

"Our master really doesn't know anything in this aspect. Did you really not know that for illegitimate children, such things happen all the time? How common is it these days for someone to give birth to a child in some quiet place, show that child to the man, and become a concubine... Come to think of it, I must have been born that way too. Though I still don't have a resident registration now."

"......"

A hypothesis with some credibility.

Eunha considered that possibility.

However, he had never heard any story of her being someone's illegitimate child in his previous life.

It was too far-fetched a hypothesis.

It's just one of many possibilities.

Eunha soon shook his head.

It was just one of the reasons for not being able to find her.

He decided not to focus too much on one hypothesis to avoid narrowing his thinking.

First, he should do what needs to be done first.

That is to search nationwide for the existence of Lee Yujung born the same year as him with birthday on September 1st.

There are limits to searching with mana.

If Yujung is properly controlling her internal mana, it would be hard to find even with Gifts.

If only I could know her internal mana.

Then I could pinpoint her location even if she uses concealment magic or protection magic.

Eunha felt regretful.

That's when.

"By the way master. What exactly is in that pocket?"

"It's a handkerchief, why?"

"Strange mana from a magic formula has been swirling around master for a while. Hmm... It looks simple on the surface, but looking closely it has a complex structure."

"Right?"

Eunha showed Twenty-five the handkerchief Lee Yucheon gave him.

A handkerchief with evening primrose depicted.

It was Eunha's new handkerchief that Lee Yucheon had his younger sister make.

A handkerchief that increases mana resistance. Also, magic was engraved that activates considerable level protection magic the moment mana is infused.

I wanted to copy it too...

In the end, I couldn't.

Eunha smiled bitterly.

Because he eventually gave up after examining the magic formula engraved on the handkerchief and finding it too complex.

Moreover, it seemed the magic formula contained formulas that only the creator understood.

"Hmm... Very delicate craftsmanship. If there were mana traces like this, it would be easy to find, you know."

"Really?"

"Yes, the creator of this handkerchief is now at 5 o'clock from here. Seeing that the position is somewhat fixed, it seems they haven't crossed the Han River. But what... Why are there so many layers of protection magic surrounding?"

Twenty-five got annoyed while trying to search for the handkerchief's creator.

It seemed another person's magic interfered in the middle.

Nevertheless, he grinned saying he knew the exact location.

What's the use of knowing Yucheon hyung's home address.

Eunha sighed.

In the end, there were no results at all.

"Let's go back now. There's nothing more to gain even if we keep investigating here."

"Why? It was good to be able to investigate master's popularity and women relationships by going around the academy."

"Don't get cheeky."

"Yes sir."

Twenty-five making a gesture of zipping his mouth.

Eunha left him behind and emerged from the empty woods.

Under the starless night sky.

He walked on a street far from the bustle.

Twenty-five who decided to follow him quietly moved his feet behind him.

"Oh my... Our master's walls are so high, only the girls will have a hard time. He looks like he'll make many women cry..."

Twenty-five grumbling.

He sighed while turning his body towards the place he should return to.

I wish there was someone who could break down the master's iron wall... .

looked at the night sky.

A pitch-black night with nothing in it.

But even within it, stars were twinkling faintly.

It's just that the light is so small that when you look up at the night sky, you say there are no stars.

There is no night without stars in the world.

Wasn't it his own master who proved that?

Well, there must be someone like that somewhere.

If there is such a person.

He will swear loyalty to her as he has sworn to his master.

He laughed bitterly, telling nine lies to tell one truth.