ReLife Player

Chapter 165

[Distorted Future].

Mid-April.

The students of Doan Elementary School went on a field trip to Deoksugung Palace.

Byung-ins terror had prohibited elementary school students from engaging in extracurricular activities outside the school zone.

There was a reason why the kids who were supposed to attend a training camp ended up on a picnic to Deoksugung Palace.

Never go outside Deoksugung Palace, and be at the main entrance of Deoksugung Palace Art Museum by 12:00!

Im Dohon shouted at the kids as they rushed through the ticket booth.

The children responded appropriately and scattered in groups.

Hey, hey, lets go!

Eunha looked at us.

Dont pay attention to that! Lets go over there!

After making eye contact with Eunha, the children were startled and ran off without looking back.

Who do they think will eat them.

Eunha sighed when he saw the children running away from him.

From that day forward, Eunha was isolated.

Fifth graders avoided him out of fear, and those who had suffered from monster fears and trauma would burst into tears if they even made eye contact.

The atmosphere in the class was terrible. The kids were silent in conversation, and they didnt talk during recess.

Most of the kids were uncomfortable in their seats, so they either walked out into the hallway or went to play with other kids in the class.

Guys, where do you think we should go first?

Hayang, why dont we go to the nearest one, Hahyeongjeon?

Hmm sounds good. What about you, Minji?

Do whatever you want.

The friends tried their best to restore the class atmosphere.

It wasnt the first time Eunha had been isolated. But Minji and Eunhyuks efforts hadnt yielded any results.

The fear witnessed by the kids who had witnessed Eunhas power couldnt be easily shaken off.

Vice President Cho Yeona led the girls, and President Yeom Jae-jin led the boys.

Minji and Eunhyuks popularity had also been greatly diminished due to Eunha.

Hayang and Seona couldnt do much either.

As a result, the five of them often walked around in a group.

Mukminji, why do you seem so down since this morning? Are you hungry?

Do you even know why Im like this right now?

Minji grumbled in irritation.

Recently, things hadnt been going well for Minji. Even if Eunha deliberately teased her, she would just get annoyed and wouldnt fight back properly.

Eunha, dont bother Minji too much. Do you know how much she worries about you?

I know, I do

Seona followed Minji as she headed toward Hahyeongjeon.

Eunha swallowed the words he was muttering when he saw the children ahead of him.

Its just unnecessary worry. I dont need to care.

Eunha was fine with being isolated from the kids.

Although his friends worried about him, he, in turn, worried that his friends would be ostracized for standing up for him.

Even if I say something, they wont listen.

It was frustrating.

Issues that arose between people couldnt be solved with mana.

Fear, even more so.

Wielding fear on children who were afraid of him wasnt going to make things better.

I dont know how to solve these problems.

He had never been good at relationships, only at wielding a sword and killing people he didnt like.

Even before his regression, his relationships were handled by Lee Yoo Jung or Ha Baek-ryeon.

Even if he could fight against the malice directed at him, he couldnt do anything about his own fear.

Everyone stop moving-!

It was then.

Eun-hyuk shouted at the girls as they walked along the stone walls of Hahyeongjeon.

Whats wrong!

Eunhyuk, why are you like this?

Its not just us here. Do you have to speak so loudly?

Minji got annoyed.

Hayang, who was hugging Minji, just shook her head, and Seona nudged Eunhyuk with a gentle tone.

Eunhyuk didnt seem to mind though.

According to the map, theres a canteen around here, lets go get something to eat!

How long have we been here?

Hey, Kim Min-ji. Youre in fifth grade and you still dont know what youre doing.

Choi Eunhyuk clicked his tongue and pointed his index finger left and right.

If were having a picnic, shouldnt we eat and look around? The flowers must be blooming beautifully, and Deoksugung Palace must be worth seeing, right here! Isnt that right, Captain?

Uh, sure.

Eunha nodded as he listened to Eun-hyuk spew out his words like a rapid-fire cannon.

He wasnt wrong.

Without something to eat, the pleasure of sightseeing diminished. And when Minji is hungry, her temper becomes uncontrollable, and I get tired when my blood sugar drops

Hey, No Eunha, what were you thinking?

What? I wasnt thinking about anything.

Liar! You just smiled at me! Did you think I wouldnt know that you called me Mukminji inside your head?

Hey, dont just think whatever you can think of. One of these days youre going to lose your hair.

Whats wrong with you? Do you think I dont know? Im Kim Minji from Doan Elementary School! Are you questioning who I am!?

Minji and Eunha were arguing in the middle of Deoksugung Palace.

Seonas tail wagged wildly as she watched the two fighting.

Hey, stop fighting. People are passing by, you know?

I want soft-serve ice cream after hearing what Eunhyuk said! Lets go eat ice cream! My mom gave me pocket money to eat with you guys, so Ill pay!

Hayang exclaimed as she lifted the rabbit purse around her neck.

At that moment, the two people who were having a staring contest turned their heads simultaneously.

Deal.

Soft-serve ice cream is a magic that can calm even the angriest of monsters.

Eunha and Minji, who had been bickering just a moment ago, were enjoying the soft-serve ice cream as much as ever.

See? Dont you agree? Its so much fun to eat and watch while youre at it!

Yeah, I admit it.

I admit it.

Minji and Eunha agree as they run their tongues along the side of the ice cream.

They were walking down the street toward the stone pavilion.

As they savor the sweetness that spreads from the tip of their tongues to the front of their mouths, they look at the flowers along the way and feel soothed.

It would have been even prettier if the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

I know. Its a pity that the cherry blossoms are almost done.

Hayang looked wistfully at the cherry tree whose petals had almost fallen off.

Seona nodded in agreement. She stood still, unaware that she had soft serve on the corner of her mouth.

Hey, Jin-seona.

Huh? Mmm? What?

Youre not a child, and youre going around with ice cream in your mouth.

Thanks.

Eun-hyuk stole a tissue and wiped the corner of Seonas mouth as she stared at the cherry blossom tree.

Startled by the unexpected touch, Seonas triangular ears perked up.

Whether she panicked or not, Eun-hyuk didnt stop his hand.

Youve grown up, Choi Eun-hyuk. It seems like just yesterday you were bullying kids in kindergarten.

Thats right. Eun-hyuk has grown up.

So are you, Jung hayang. It seems like just yesterday that you were crying because Eun-hyuk took your ribbon.

Tch. What about you, Eunha?

If you knew how much longer Ive lived than you guys, youd be surprised Hold on to this.

Huh? Huh?

Eunha handed the soft-serve ice cream he was eating to Hayang.

Holding the ice cream in both hands, Hayang was dumbfounded.

Youre such a clumsy.

Eunha knelt down.

Her sneakers were untied.

She wasnt good at tying her shoelaces. She usually wore shoes that her father or mother tied for her.

Whenever her shoes were untied, she would ask Eunha or Seona to tie them for her.

Eunha noticed that Hayangs shoelaces were untied, almost out of habit, he knelt down.

Thank you.

How old do you have to be to tie your own shoes?

My mom says it doesnt matter if I cant tie my own shoes.

Is that the chaebol mindset? Even if you cant tie your shoelaces, hire someone to do it for you?

My mom says she can find someone to tie her shoes, so she asks my dad to tie them for her.

I bet its hard to find someone like that.

Well, I dont think it would be that hard.

Next time, tie your shoelaces by yourself.

Tch.

Eunha took the soft-serve ice cream from Hayang, who puffed up her cheeks.

There wasnt much ice cream left.

He swallowed the dripping soft cream in one gulp.

No Eunha!

What?

Eunha replied, savoring the ice cream in his mouth.

A few feet away, Minji was pointing at her shoes.

Me too!

You can tie them yourself.

I have ice cream in my hand!

Then give it to me. Ill eat it for you.

Thats cheesy, really. Forget it!

Minji bent down carefully.

She tried to tie her shoelaces without dropping the soft ice cream.

Ah!

Holding the cone with her pinky and thumb, she let out a short scream.

The ice cream, unsupported by her fingers, fell to the ground.

Why are you so gloomy today?

Minji, had become gloomy again.

Her head hung low, and she sighed while holding onto the string.

Hey, why is Kim Minji acting like that again?

Yeah. Its Eunhas fault.

Doggy, why are you arguing with me?

Its Eunhas fault, its your fault.

Seona licked the ice cream off her fingers.

Eunhyuk and Hayang were also staring at him.

They looked like they wanted him to do something.

Why are you doing this to me?

Eunha protested, frowning.

His friends just stared at him.

Yes, I lost, I lost.

Eunha gestured with his hands.

Reluctantly, he decided to comfort the gloomy Minji.

When he tried to approach her, it happened.

Whats going on?

A woman coming down from the direction of the Stone Pavilion raised the end of a Halloween-worthy hat she was wearing.

That person is.

A woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat bowed slightly.

Long, flowing blonde hair cascaded down to her knees.

Is that because you ran out of ice cream?

Yeah.

So thats it.

Minji replied despondently.

The woman straightened her skirt and smiled softly from under her hat.

Her blue eyes looked at Minji, then moved to the remaining ice cream cone.

Long time no see. That person hasnt changed a bit even during this time of the year.

Do you know her?

Uh.

Eunha looked at the woman, who gently touched her staff adorned with a large jewel.

He couldnt not know her.

Uh? My ice cream.

Well, is it okay now?

Minji snapped back to reality, finally realizing what had happened.

The woman was holding the soft-serve ice cream that had almost fallen to the ground, preserved in its original shape.

She extended the cone as if to say that this was nothing.

Thank you.

Just dont drop it again.

The woman with a gentle demeanor stood up.

Her hair, which was about to be carried away by the wind, fluttered with flower petals as she grabbed the end of her hat.

Captain, what did I just see, is that magic?

Did you just go back in time?

No.

Contrasting with her pitch-black hat was her golden hair.

She wore a dark-colored dress that resembled a witchs outfit.

She evoked the image of a witch, enveloped in dark hues.

She just reverted it to its state before it fell.

Although it sounded a bit awkward to say she reverted,

The woman hadnt actually turned back time.

In reality, the fallen ice cream cone remained on the ground exactly as it was.

She merely interfered with the natural order of things, recreating the state of the ice cream right before it fell.

It was merely extracting memories that had already passed.

Magic that only she, who could read the flow of time through mana, could perform.

Is she a player too?

Shes a witch.

Eunha replied with a bitter smile.

She was a player.

She just introduced herself as a witch.

It wasnt entirely inaccurate.

The word witch was part of her alias.

Who are you, unni?

Well who could I be?

The woman playfully tilted her hat.

She didnt have a name.

People referred to the nameless witch as the <Witch of Time>.

And in the sense of recreating memories, she was called Precis Memory.

<Witch of Time>, Precis Memory.

She was the one who replaced Bang Yeon-ji, the <Florist>, and later became Baek-ryeons mentor.