episode_0018

*****

My body has changed. Seven years have passed. If I had to name the changes that have happened to me in the past few days, those two would be the biggest.

However, the latter does not really feel real. The first reason is that most of the people I knew were awakened and did not notice any difference in appearance, and the second reason was that I was outside for a long time due to the North Korean purification operation.

At least I felt it a little from the older association president and his smartphone.

But I also know that this is only from my perspective and not from other people’s perspective. Over the past few days, I have keenly felt that the attitude towards me has changed a lot, including the change in my appearance.

Therefore, the current situation was even more incomprehensible to me.

“Hey, please bring me some soju too.”

“Yes! I’ll be there soon!”

“What are you doing? I don’t eat it.”

“Why not eat it? I’m going to eat it. I’m going to eat it, but… , Why are you here?”

“? Why, it’s delicious here.”

Yes, it’s delicious! Even when I was active as a hero, I would come back a lot because I was reminded of my past life!

The sharp-faced young man sitting in front of me—Changhyuk—chewed his head as if he didn’t know why I was acting like this.

But don’t be fooled. This guy has dozens of snakes growing inside him. I have no intention of making a disillusioned evaluation of someone just because he is a friend.

“It’s been a while since you last saw me, right?”

“That’s right. It’s been almost 7 years since I saw you.”

“Even if it wasn’t that, you thought I was dead, right?”

“That’s also true. Because I was the one who walked with the urn at your funeral.”

“… Then shouldn’t we welcome something a little more fiercely?”

“Specifically?”

“Please take me to a better place, not a place like this!”

Where I am now is an unlimited refill seasoned rib restaurant 5 minutes away from the association. He said he wanted to have a drink sometime and that today was the day, so I followed him and I never thought it would be a place like this.

“You liked this place.”

“I should have liked it. But don’t you remember that this place was also quite luxurious back then?”

A time when the period of great chaos was brought under control through the efforts of many people. One of the things created by the newly established Hero Association for the welfare of heroes is the commercial area here.

The unlimited refill of ribs seemed like a dream considering the material situation at the time, so it was very expensive here too. Even after the material situation improved, I came here often because it was close and the food wasn’t bad.

But my friend, who I thought was dead, came back after 7 years, so why did I choose a place like this?

“Ah, that’s right. At that time, there were some kids who fought over whether the meat here was monster meat or not. Who was it?”

“They were brother and sister. And I didn’t bring this up just to talk about old times. It’s more delicious, so I’m asking you to take me with you!”

“No, I don’t have any money.”

“I can’t believe it… .”

“It’s true. Have you ever worked as a civil servant? Don’t tell me if you haven’t tried it. How salty is the salary?”

Ugh. Don’t talk. At least I know that Changhyuk has no intention of taking me to a place where he can make money.

Actually, eating here itself doesn’t really matter. I was just a little disappointed that Changhyuk’s reaction wasn’t as harsh as I expected. Last time, I thought I was controlling my emotions because I was in an association.

Well, even if a grown adult were to hold me and cry and cry, it would still be difficult. For me, it would be better if Changhyuk treated me like before.

“So, why did you call me?”

“Why are you calling me? I told you last time, let’s have a drink. Even by your standards, it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen each other, right?”

“… That’s true too.”

When I think about it, even from my perspective, it’s been half a year since I’ve seen Changhyuk in person. I’m tired of listening to your voice.

“But if you look at it that way, is there anyone other than Sia that I haven’t seen in a long time?”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t have anyone close to me other than Sia.”

“Hit that thing gently, you hit the bone… .”

“Is school worth going to?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking at it? Countless requests for handshakes are already pouring in. Just wait, I’ll make about 100 friends in no time.”

Actually, the first week of school went smoothly. Not only did I become friends with Fine’s, but I was also able to talk a lot with the other kids in my class. I think it was great to beat Steel Ball and prove my skills.

..I’m not happy that the number of people going to buy underwear tomorrow has increased.

“A guy who didn’t have any friends before is so excited that he has some friends?”

“Hey! If anyone hears this, they’ll think I don’t have any friends because I don’t even know how to make friends!?”

I grilled meat while talking nonsense like that. As the two of us turned the meat over, having our usual fight over whether or not to grill the garlic, the strong scent of charcoal fire was already making our stomachs growl.

Okay, let’s order rice first.

After that, a normal meal continued for a while. Since Changhyuk was drinking, I tried to drink as well, but I was rejected because I was 17, and a cool piece was put in front of me instead.

If I was going to give it to you, I would at least give it Coke Zero. Changhyuk wouldn’t get drunk on soju anyway.

“… So, why did you choose this store?”

“In a store like this, you can talk comfortably without attracting attention. I’m going to block it anyway, so what does the store have to do with it? Rather, I went to an expensive store with you and a complaint came in from somewhere else.”

I wondered why I ordered soju, which doesn’t get drunk very well. Changhyuk, who had created a barrier by dropping alcohol, gave a completely different answer than before.

Life can be very tiring, but as someone who has saved my life several times because of this fatigue, I can’t sigh.

“What are you going to talk about when you reach the barrier?”

“The story of the original work. And, our story now.”

“… I don’t have anything else to say, right?”

Quite a long time ago. A time when I still had many friends and Changhyuk was not an awakened person. I thought that I could change this world with Changhyuk, so I told him all the things I remembered.

Of course, even if we talked about it, there were limits. I was ten years old when I reincarnated and became self-conscious. It was at fourteen that I realized that this world was just a novel I had read.

No matter how much you liked the work, if four years have passed in a desperate situation every day, holes are bound to open up here and there. I can’t even remember the full name of the work, so I just call it the ‘original work’.

“No. This is not a rough outline of what happens next. Anyway, you and I have changed the past of this world too much. What I want to know is now.”

“Now?”

“Okay, now. More than 20 years have passed since I heard about this world from you. In the meantime, you and I have tried hard to change this world in some way.”

It was like that. In this world where people are easily broken, we struggled to save at least one more person.

There was no time to even consider the development or ending of the original story. It was too much for me, at least, to reflect on the contents of the novel while people were dying before my eyes.

“I want to be graded.”

Changhyuk’s words seeped into me as well. It definitely felt meaningful to reflect on the results of what I had done.

The timing wasn’t bad either. People who were with me or Changhyuk will no longer have to go to the front line, and Korea has entered an era that can be called a period of stability.

Considering that the original work has just begun… , it really wasn’t bad.

“I can only say what comes to mind.”

After saying that, I explained the social situation at the beginning of the original work.

The original work had hunter in the title. Well, Hunter, the same way. It was a typical hunter story in which the main character, Hwain, beats monsters with his colleagues, defeats villains, and gets along well with the heroine.

However, this work did not gain much popularity. The reason was that there were too many sweet potatoes in the beginning.

First of all, even though it was a hunter story, the main character was very weak. It gets stronger later, but it still feels like it’s the spirit’s power rather than the main character’s own power. Moreover, it was common for popular characters to be killed off as the work progressed. Of course, a riot broke out in the comment section, but the author didn’t respond, so he was criticized again.

Yes, it was common for characters to die. Whether the main character’s party was going well or not, the background of the work was almost always dark.

It was even worse in the beginning of the original work. Many people died due to the disaster caused by the disaster dragon Behemoth and Genesis’ terrorism. Fortunately, the March 8th Defense War did not occur in that world, but at least an overwhelmingly greater number of people died compared to now.

If there are fewer people, there will be fewer awakened people. Without awakened people, the other world cannot be eliminated. The alien world that cannot be eliminated in the beginning causes erosion and grows even more.

In this way, the Republic of Korea in the original work, except for the Seoul-Incheon area and Busan, has been eroded by the other world or has become a small slum.

It is true that the main enemy of the original work is Genesis. But there were many other enemies. The government, the Hero Association, and even citizens have all become enemies of the protagonist at least once. In Busan, absolute monarchy was even revived once.

Considering those factors, the current score I think is… .

“… 90 points.”

“90 points, approval.”

“Yes. Honestly, it’s almost perfect. A lot of people died–it’s a bit much to say that they didn’t. Still, they are securing domestic territory, and are actually expanding their territory to North Korea, right? Trade with foreign countries is also taking place properly. And above all, the relationship between the citizens and the awakened is not bad.”

I often hang out in the downtown area with school kids, and even though it has become a little quieter, it still has the liveliness I felt in the city center in my past life. Most people walked around with smiling faces, and the awakened person with the unique hair color was naturally mingling with other people.

There were people who looked at me with curiosity because I stood out because of my horns, but they rarely looked at me with resentment or disgust. Even I, who only encountered it indirectly through the original work, know very well how miraculous this is.

“I don’t know the circumstances, but it’s unfortunate that we have a bad relationship with the company… , first of all, the fact that there is a company and that there is technological advancement is something to be welcomed. Because in the original work, there was no such thing as a company. Most of the products were operated under government management. Still, it’s not perfect, so I deducted 10 points.”

“Hey, it’s too much to stop there. I am not God, so how can I eliminate all social conflicts?”

“Then shall I give it 100 points?”

“… No, that’s enough. If you get 90 points… , enough.”

Changhyuk tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling of the store. I guess he’s lost in his own feelings. I didn’t really want to disturb him, so I cut the meat on my own and ate it with rice.

Now that I think about it, if it were the original, it would have been difficult to grill and eat meat like this. under. After all, don’t you think I’m a bit amazing?

“Hey, are you crying?”

“Who cries… .”

“If you’re not crying, quickly go grab some meat. Everything burns.”

“… Write. The labor pain is all gone.”

Changhyuk picked up some lettuce from the right, stuffed it with the meat, garlic, and ssamjang he had just taken, and stuffed it into his mouth. It was like the privilege of an awakened person who could chew hot meat.

“Let’s do it, let’s do it.”

“Hey, I’m Coolpis. If you want to salty, bring a drink, drink.”

“I won’t get drunk if I eat this anyway, right? And legally you are a minor.”

“Roughly speaking, it’s Lee Hyeong-gye, so you can just fool him by saying he looks young. All you have to do is cast an alcohol enhancement spell on the glass and drink it. Have you tried drinking for a day or two?”

“If you don’t make the hero drink properly, it’s not very tasty… .”

Changhyuk grumbled, but it didn’t take long for a soju cup full of surface tension to be placed in front of me. Now that the short story of the present is over, it is time to talk about the long past.

Because both Changhyuk and I were people who never got tired of looking back.

“Okay, ta-da. What are you going to talk about today?”

“Well. How about the time you caught the red earth dragon?”

“Ah! When that earthworm. Are you fine. Anyway, I was going to talk about that too. I know this because I went to school, but these days, hero kids train very comfortably. When I was… .”

Just like that, a short night passed.

***

It was a stupid thing to do. Lee Chang-hyuk evaluated his actions that way.

A friend I thought was dead came back after 7 years. However, if he was reincarnated in the body of a dragon that was Genesis’ test subject, there was a possibility that it was a trap.

Suspecting Myungryo is one of the tasks that Ha-min entrusted to him. Of course, Kim Ha-min himself could not be an exception, so he must have been the one who decided not to treat the girl in front of him as Ha-min.

So, why did I receive something like ‘grading’? If you don’t treat the girl as Kim Ha-min, there’s no way the grading would have any meaning.

But it was an impulse I couldn’t resist. Even if the girl wasn’t Ha-min, it was certain that she at least had Ha-min’s memories and way of thinking.

If so, this is just an assumption. The assumption is that if Ha-min were alive, how would he have evaluated his efforts?

… It was a really stupid thing to do, Lee Chang-hyuk laughed bitterly at himself once again.

Escapism from reality ends here. It was something Changhyuk was used to, being a stubborn and selfish person. Even though I feel self-destructive, I don’t have to become that depressed again.

What got him thinking was another stupid thing he had just done.

What a stupid thing to do, to let Kim Ha-min drink.

“So, Maria, huh? at that time… , sob, how much I, uh! Think I’m pissed!”

“Okay, okay, I understand. Because I understand… .”

“You don’t know much!”

It’s been so long that I forgot, but Kim Ha-min wasn’t very good at rosacea. And it doesn’t seem to have changed much even after becoming Ami Kim.

Changhyuk sighed and strengthened the soundproof barrier as his best friend, who looked like a girl, screamed loudly.

Just looking at the words, it looks like she’s angry, but the girl’s face is smiling. The tone of voice was just loud, so the listener didn’t feel bad.

It wasn’t, but it was noisy. You probably don’t even know what you’re talking about. Changhyuk sighed, remembering the time when he and Ha-min secretly drank together.

How did this happen? Changhyuk reprimanded himself and at the same time made excuses to himself, saying, “This couldn’t be helped.”

By the end of the day, they were both having a good time talking about old times. The problem started when Ami began to say that she was addicted to regular alcohol.

“You are a minor. You have to wait 3 years to drink.”

“Well, that’s a method, too. It’s already been more than 10 years since I last got drunk. No, I slept for 7 more years, so 17 years. I finally got into a state where I can get drunk, but if three years pass by… , isn’t it?”

A bitter, old smile that does not fit the face of a young girl. It was an imbalance that even felt uncomfortable, but that bitter smile was familiar to Changhyuk.

Depending on the type of awakened person, there are times when you have to give up many things. His friend, who was at the peak of his body strengthening potential, suddenly found that even his hero drink was no better than plain water.

Considering ARMY’s growth rate, this is definitely one of the few times when one can feel the feeling of being ‘intoxicated’.

Changhyuk has already taken too much from Kim Ha-min in the name of ‘need’. The fact that Ha-min himself had his own will may have lessened the guilt, but it did not make it disappear.

So, unlike before, now that he had more free time, Changhyuk did not want to take anything away from him as much as possible.

Even if it is Kim A-mi and not Kim Ha-min.

“… Don’t drink enough to get caught by Sia?”

“Would you like me to drink alcohol for a day or two? Hold on to your worries and bring a glass~.”

It was an hour ago that we laughed at ARMY’s jokes, poured a hero drink into ARMY’s glass, and made a toast. And now Changhyuk wants to throw a flying knee at the person he was an hour ago.

Usually, the amount of alcohol consumed is proportional to the size of the body. And compared to the days when ARMY was a member of the community, they have become so small that it is laughable.

In other words, no matter how perfectly Kim Ha-min understands his drinking capacity, it is meaningless.

Since he probably didn’t have much experience getting drunk in the first place, that statement itself may have been pretentious.

‘Anyway, how do I wake that thing up?’

An adult man who gets a 17-year-old girl drunk and takes her away. The picture was very, very, very bad. This is especially true if the man is a leading member of the Hero Association.

Now that he is sitting still in one place, he can create a barrier to divert attention, but maintaining the barrier while moving to the association was impossible even for him during his active years.

If that were to happen in the first place, the patrolling hero would have detected it, and the sight of a man in his 30s supporting a drunken 17-year-old girl in front of the hero… . Changhyuk stopped thinking and held his head.

‘Should I call Sia and ask her to bring her?’

First of all, it was clear that it was the easiest method. I was sure to hear a lot of nagging, jealousy, envy, and sarcasm. Changhyuk shook his head and postponed that method as a last resort.

Did you say that if you are Jisung, you are Gamcheon? Fortunately, a method came to Changhyuk’s mind. If you couldn’t take it because of the potential, wouldn’t it be okay to activate the potential?

I had already received a report on Army’s potential. The more intense the gaze, the stronger the body becomes. In other words, his plan was to give Ami a strong look and activate her potential to sober her up.

Unfortunately, this plan did not take into account the possibility that he, too, was drunk.

“Hey, look at me for a moment.”

“Huh?”

Changhyuk held Ami’s shoulder and made eye contact, not even knowing what to say because her tongue was twisted.

I was worried what might happen if he went on a rampage, but Ami just stayed still and looked at Changhyuk as if wondering. To put it a little differently, ‘What does this guy want to do now?’ You could also say that he was staring at me with that expression.

However, no matter how hard Changhyuk tried to strengthen his eyes, his red eyes, which were different from humans, were still filled with confusion and intoxication. What is an intense gaze in the first place? It was only then that Changhyuk remembered such a fundamental question.

As Ami continued to hold her like that, she turned to get away, but Changhyuk’s hand did not budge. Changhyuk suddenly felt bitter at that fact.

Jeong-Jin must have realized more than six years ago that the reliable hero who always protected him and others was no longer there.

“It’s frustrating, why are you suddenly grabbing my shoulder?”

“That’s right… .”

There, Changhyuk hesitated for once. This is because I had a feeling that if I talked about the original purpose of having potential used here, I would not use it because of my stubbornness.

Of course, there was nothing to say about it, so Changhyuk didn’t reply and just continued to stare.

“What, are you crazy?”

I shook my head loudly at Ami’s teasing and grinning words.

“Oh, it’s a goal… . Why are you suddenly beating up people, sir… .”

“I did it because you did something that deserved to be beaten. If you were sober, would you at least say that you were sober? What do you mean, did you suck?”

“No, does the person who suddenly grabbed both of your shoulders and stared at you say something like that? A guy in his mid-to-late 30s who doesn’t even have a girlfriend suddenly gets cold feet, really.”

“You’re my girlfriend, so don’t do that even though you know everything about it.”

“Then don’t hit him on the head!”

After that, Changhyuk and Ami continued to argue, saying that they knew everything was painful because the potential was activated anyway, but that feeling dirty was dirty.

In the end, the two got up from their seats after Sia came in and forcibly dragged out the drunken two.

*****