Ch.72Yellow Red Yellow – 2

A dream. Yes, this is a dream. It has to be.

How else could a grown adult’s body suddenly become that of a tiny child?

“Hmm.”

I quietly looked down at my hands. They were extremely white and very small.

I raised my head to check my reflection in the glass window.

I looked to be about three, maybe four years old at most.

There’s no way in this world for a fully grown man to suddenly become a child.

Even in a world where superpowers run rampant, monsters roam around,

and villains are busy shouting “Oho!” while focusing on destroying the world.

Even so, no youth potion has ever been developed.

So everything I’m seeing right now must be a scene from a dream.

‘Or perhaps I’ve been reincarnated into another novel?’

Hmm. That’s also quite a reasonable suspicion.

After all, Seojin Baek’s life began thanks to a sudden reincarnation.

If I were to start again as yet another new character,

there would be no reason to react with disbelief or surprise.

I could just think, ‘Ah, another damn reincarnation,’ and be done with it.

“What? Why is this one awake?”

I turned my head at the sudden voice.

There stood two people wearing gas masks as if they were in a chemical warfare drill.

From the voice, one was definitely a man.

“Didn’t you administer the sleeping gas properly?”

“I did, sir. All the other children are asleep…”

The hesitant response came from a woman’s voice.

Speaking of which, sleeping gas. So it is chemical warfare after all.

Though slightly different from what I had imagined.

“Kid.”

At the word “kid,” I instinctively looked around.

Is there a kid here? Oh, right, I’m the kid in this situation.

“Let’s go quickly. Okay? Listen to big sister. Hurry!”

I was going to. If she’s talking like that, there must be a reason.

People wearing gas masks probably aren’t kind enough to ask twice.

But contrary to my thoughts, the child didn’t move.

With the two gas-masked figures in view, I just stood still.

“What are you doing?! Hurry! Take my hand!”

The woman in the gas mask spoke with a slightly urgent voice.

She seemed to be watching the man standing beside her nervously.

When reactions like that occur, what follows is predictable.

So I tried hard to move again, but couldn’t budge an inch.

This is clearly me. This child should be me, but why won’t it move?

“What’s this? Is this brat being defiant too?”

“N-no, I don’t think so. He’s probably just startled from waking up…”

“Move aside.”

The man pushed the woman aside and approached with heavy steps.

It’s a bit late, but it would be nice if the child would listen now.

Damn it, this kid still showed no signs of complying.

“Hey, kid.”

Meanwhile, the man who approached me grinned.

I couldn’t actually see him smiling. But I imagined that’s what I’d see if I removed his gas mask.

The thug energy in his voice and that hand now rising up.

Yes. Just from that, it was obvious what expression this bastard was making.

“When an adult speaks, you should listen. Before you get hit.”

What happened next was predictable.

With a loud thwack! the child collapsed forward.

That was the last fragment of my dream.

By the way, is this really a dream? And such a terrible one at that.

Then why does it hurt so much? As if I was actually hit.

*

– A flawless evaluation with no unnecessary elements.

– You fulfilled your duty as a Gatekeeper admirably.

When I opened my eyes, those two sentences were the first things I saw.

They were identical to the message that appeared when I dealt with the Alpha in the dungeon.

And I’m sure it will just throw some half-hearted reward at me, nothing more.

‘I won’t fall for it this time. Not getting my hopes up.’

I pushed it aside, deciding to check it later.

Right now, understanding my current situation was more important.

First, let me check my physical condition.

I was worried that I might have lost a limb and been fitted with a prosthetic arm or leg.

After going toe-to-toe with The Elder, it would be stranger if my limbs were intact.

I looked around, examining myself thoroughly.

Fortunately, all my arms and legs seemed fine.

Since all my fingers and toes moved well, there didn’t seem to be any paralysis either.

‘Now, next… Just like last time… I see. I’m in a hospital room again.’

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Back then, I met Hyuk Kwak and got beaten like a dog on a hot summer day.

Then I was hospitalized and discharged not long after.

And now, after meeting Hyuk Kwak again, I’m back in the hospital.

At this point, it feels like déjà vu.

The fortunate difference is that back then, I just got beaten up.

But in our second meeting, I managed to land a solid hit on him in return.

‘My memory isn’t clear, but the sensation in my hands definitely remains.’

I lowered my head and glanced at my two hands.

Until recently, these hands never touched anything beyond work.

They just scribbled on documents, tapped on keyboards, or worked hard during deployments.

Otherwise, they operated keyboards and mice after coming home from work.

Yet with these hands, I faced off against the enormous entity known as The Elder.

It wouldn’t have been strange if I’d been killed on the spot, but somehow I endured.

And not only that, I even managed to cut down The Elder.

‘Even thinking about it now… it’s unbelievable.’

I still feel dazed. I wondered if what I remembered was just a dream.

If The Elder could be injured by just anyone, he wouldn’t have earned the nickname of global calamity.

But he definitely sustained a major injury.

The blood that stained the floor red was certainly The Elder’s, not mine.

Sujin Hyun also emphasized this point when she said, “If you fight any longer, you’ll lose to Jiyoon Han.”

The fact that he retreated so readily must have been because he assessed the extent of his injuries.

“I can’t believe this.”

I unconsciously muttered the chat line that always appeared in games.

I turned my head slightly to examine the hospital room.

Just like before, it was extremely luxurious—a space where you’d wonder if it was a hospital room or a hotel suite.

It’s too sad that my first thought is about how much this must cost.

I don’t know how much time has passed since I lost consciousness.

One thing is certain: there are traces showing someone has been visiting.

The flowers placed there, my belongings neatly arranged,

and the chair beside me that somehow still seems to retain warmth.

Seojin Baek—I—have no family left here.

Not just parents or siblings, but not even a single relative exists.

So it’s correct to assume there’s no one to stay by my side as a guardian.

‘Then as expected… it must be Soohyun.’

Perhaps like last time, he’s been visiting me continuously.

While the person receiving those visits was sound asleep, oblivious to the world.

Who knows, maybe even now the door might open and Soohyun would…

“Oh? You’re awake?”

Whoa, that startled me. I barely managed to hold back a curse.

“Rina Lee?”

“Yes. Ta-da! It’s me!”

With Korean fluency surpassing that of native Koreans.

In reality, she’s Korean to the bone despite her blonde hair and blue eyes.

‘But…’

Why on earth is she appearing at the window instead of the hospital entrance?

“Wait. Rina Lee? Is this the first floor?”

“This? No? It’s the seventh floor.”

“Then how did you…”

I swallowed the question of how she came through the window.

They say that up to A-rank, abilities remain within humanly comprehensible levels.

But from S-rank onwards, they transcend even that stage, literally becoming “demigods.”

Just look at how Sujin Hyun can freely transform into shadows.

Seen that way, it’s not strange that Rina could climb up to the seventh floor.

“By the way, you finally regained consciousness?”

“Ah… yes. Um, Rina Lee.”

“It’s been a year since you were brought to the hospital.”

I flinched for a moment, but the one saying this is none other than Rina Lee.

With her unpredictable temperament, more than half of what she says is lies.

Only a fool would take her words at face value.

“Don’t lie.”

“But it’s true!”

“If it’s true, could you explain why you’re grinning?”

“Oh. Was I smiling? What a mistake.”

Is it really a mistake, or is she pretending it’s a mistake?

“It hasn’t been that long. About… a week? Something like that?”

Is a week not long? To me, it’s an eternity.

“Hey, our handsome Seojin oppa?”

“Yes?”

“Are you going to keep standing there? Say something like ‘Come inside!’ or whatever.”

Ah, excuse me. Having you outside the window seemed so natural that I forgot.

“I’m sorry. I’m a bit disoriented. Please come in.”

“Hahaha! I should be the one apologizing! Actually, I can’t come in.”

…Seriously, do you have bipolar disorder? Why are you like this?

“What do you mean you can’t come in?”

“I haven’t received proper permission for hospital visits or even external activities yet. I lied about just going to the convenience store for a bit. I’m supposed to be reflecting on my actions, so I need to behave.”

“What reflection all of a sudden?”

There’s someone who can make the great Rina Lee reflect on her actions?

That’s shocking in its own right.

Besides, what did she do to warrant such reflection?

“Jin Group. For the crime of messing with our handsome Seojin oppa, I completely wiped them out!”

“Um, when you say ‘wiped out,’ do you mean what I think you mean…?”

“What were you thinking?”

Rina pretended not to know anything with that expression.

I already got my answer from that, so I shook my head.

Yuhyun Jung was definitely a bastard, but what did the rest of the group do wrong?

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Pardon?”

“You just thought, ‘What did the people working under him do wrong?’ Right?”

…Does this woman read minds too?

“Why are you so surprised? It’s written all over your face. Anyway, that’s why I got scolded. What did the others do wrong? So I’m reflecting like this, and that’s why I was told not to wander around and stay put. But I snuck out to see our Seojin oppa. I’m dead if I get caught.”

Wait, who exactly caught her?

Who could possibly restrain the great Rina Lee?

“Come on. You’re so clueless. I mean I’ll be dead to my mother.”

“…What?”

What is she talking about now? I stared at Rina in disbelief.

She looked back as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“In our land of Eastern courtesy, it’s only right to listen to our parents, isn’t it? Did you think I was the kind of unfilial daughter who would ignore her parents’ words and cause them worry?”

“Yes.”

Before I knew it, I answered without even 0.1 seconds of hesitation.

Sorry, Rina. But really, it’s too funny hearing you talk about Eastern courtesy.