episode_0027

A soft and warm sensation.

So comfortable… I want to just lie here like this forever.

But where am I?

I’m sure I was chatting with friends in a corner of the auditorium.

Is this a dream? It must be a dream.

My body moves on its own, and my thoughts only come up in fragments.

What am I doing in this dream?

-Hello, are you Hwayoung’s mom?

-Oh! Nice to meet you. Are you Hangyeol’s mom?

Ah, now I remember.

The day I first met Hwayoung and entered this game world.

And the day I first arrived in this world.

My parents took my hand and led me somewhere, where I met Hwayoung’s mom.

I was completely bewildered as I had no idea what was going on.

Looking back now, I must have seemed really foolish.

How did we happen to meet? Our parents visited each other since we were neighbors.

They found out we were around the same age and arranged for us to meet…

– Gyeora, say hello. Your friend from the same age group. Her name is Hwayoung, get along well!

My mother bows slightly, looks me in the eyes, and speaks.

In the dream, I turn my head to see a little kid about my height.

With chubby cheeks that could make anyone smile, despite being so young, she stood there with a beauty that could captivate people.

I was extremely surprised when I first saw her.

Even though it was our childhood, her appearance and name were exactly like what I had imagined growing up to be.

It was the first moment I became partially certain of where this world was.

“Hi? I’m Hangyeol – Wow!”

“Hangyeol! Gyeora!”

I was so happy to meet the character I had cared for and nurtured that I tried to greet her, but Hwayoung rushed towards me first.

Luckily, my mother supported my back, so I didn’t fall over, but it was awkward seeing us hugging each other.

– Oh my~

– Did you like it? Hehe.

“Can I call you Gyeora? Nice to meet you! I’m Hwayoung.”

“You’re already calling me that… Hi, Hwayoung.”

“Yeah! Gyeora!”

Hwayoung smiles brightly, leaning her face against my chest.

It seemed like the first meeting wasn’t bad at all, as both our parents smiled warmly.

Seems like she doesn’t mind me either, and I thought I might see her often since we were neighbors, so even in my dream, I smiled.

I wanted to find out what Hwayoung liked the most or take care of her, but ironically, I was the one being taken care of.

“Gyeora! Did you find me?”

“Oh? Yeah, I was actually looking for you. Want to go play?”

“Hehe. Yeah! Let’s play together.”

Whenever I tried to find Hwayoung, she would find me first.

“Hwayoung, here, this is a gift.”

“Wow! Thank you! I made something for Gyeora too! I made it myself!”

“A scarf? …You made it well. Thank you.”

Whenever I tried to give her something, she would make it herself and give it to me.

She would also share her food, stick to her opinions, and even come over to nurse me if I was sick.

Both Hwayoung and our parents seemed to have days filled with unending smiles.

As I continued to watch these scenes, it felt like the world was moving quickly.

Night fell, morning came.

Seasons changed, and changed again.

Suddenly, everything stopped. The world began flowing normally once more.

It was summer, a season where you sweat even when sitting still.

Why did time seem to pass so quickly? What was this dream trying to show me?

My view rises.

From my childhood self to a slightly older version.

Perhaps it was during my middle school days.

In the dream, I move somewhere with Hwayoung.

“Here is…”

The place where my dream self is.

That place is…

“Umm…”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Uh… Uh?”

I clearly fell asleep leaning against the wall, so why can’t I see anything now?

Why do I hear Hwayoung’s voice directly above me?

And what’s this feeling on the back of my head again…

“Oops?!??”

“Oh.”

I swiftly get up and move away from where I was.

“…Your leg must have been numb, so I should have left you alone.”

“It’s okay. Your sleeping face looked nice.”

I’m not okay.

Sighing, I lower my head, wrapping my face with both hands.

Glancing around for a moment, everyone seems to be looking this way.

Did they see Hwayoung kneeling and falling asleep in front of everyone?

It felt soft and nice… no, it’s incredibly embarrassing…!!

“Hehe~ Hankyeol is quite shy~”

“He looks promising. That guy.”

“He definitely saved the world in his past life.”

Turning my head slowly in the direction of the voice, I see Han Seyoung chuckling with a mischievous smile.

Kang Jinhyuk and Shin Serin are following Seyoung’s lead.

But…

“Why are you all acting like that?”

They were kneeling, hands raised as if surrendering, looking towards me.

“W-Weeelll… hehe…”

Their eyes dart around, unsure of what to say.

Ewha Young, who had been watching Seyoung with a blank expression, spoke to me.

“Since he kept bothering me, I gave him a little punishment.”

“…Hmm.”

Getting punished for such a trivial reason.

Apparently, Ewha Young stopped Seyoung from poking my cheek repeatedly with her finger, even hitting her with a ruler while she was still using my knee as a pillow.

Kang Jinhyuk and Shin Serin joined in because they were being noisy.

With just one hand.

“No! How do you dodge the ruler when it swings like a snake…!”

“Yeah. Lack of skills.”

“Ughhh…”

…The skill gap is huge.

“Anyway, what do you do when a friend hits you, buddy?”

“Bweee-”

“Don’t hit next time.”

“Sob.”

I grab Ewha Young’s cheeks and playfully turn them around.

She’s always calm, but once it involves me, she goes wild.

“Hankyeol! Are you helping us? It’s really touching!”

“You can put your hands down, they can stop now.”

“Why?!?”

Upon hearing my words, Kang Jinhyuk and Shin Serin lower their arms, stretching them out.

Han Seyoung, who is groaning and looking at me, pretends not to notice.

“Who won between you two?”

“Obviously, it’s me! There will be no more defeats!”

“But you just lost to Hwayoung.”

“She’s an exception. Out of the norm.”

For now, since Kang Jinhyuk’s physical stats are significantly higher, there’s not much Shin Serin can do.

Once everyone’s abilities grow by a step, it’ll be hard to maintain superiority.

“By the way, class ended while you were sleeping.”

“Really? I slept for so long… But why is everyone just standing here?”

“You shouldn’t know why.”

“…Ah.”

Compared to before falling asleep, there are clearly fewer people around.

Still, there are quite a few left.

Seems like Ewha Young using my knee as a pillow made quite an impact.

“Ughh…!”

Is this going to end up on the Academy’s anonymous bulletin board?

I’ll pass on this attention…!!

“Now that you’re awake, we’ll take off.”

“Thanks for waiting. See you tomorrow.”

Even though I probably missed out because of Ewha Young, it feels natural to let it go.

“I might be busy for a while, so you two can go ahead!”

“You’re working hard. Take care.”

“So, can you please stop now…?”

“Take care.”

“Hankyeolllllll!”

As friends leave one by one, Ewha Young and I also walk outside.

“Hwayoung.”

“Yeah.”

“Should we drop by the orphanage today?”

“I’m fine. Let’s go together.”

“They’d probably appreciate it if we brought some food along.”

When we wake up from a dream, it quickly fades away, becoming a distant memory.

But if we dream of something intense, we tend to subconsciously recall its contents.

After finishing classes at the Academy, we head towards our destination.

Hope Orphanage.

It’s the place where a fire broke out during middle school,

the day Ewha Young prevented me from getting burned while rescuing trapped children inside.

It’s a time when my abilities are flourishing.

·····

“Hey guys!!!”

A place that takes about 10 minutes to reach from my house.

The incident that occurred while the director was briefly away on the day of the fire accident.

I was the only one injured, yet no one died as the entire building collapsed.

Since no one died, it was a happy ending for everyone.

Since that day, I have visited the orphanage frequently.

They were all cute, and as I visited often, I grew attached to them.

As soon as they heard my shout, I could hear the sound of them running towards me.

“Hankyeol oppa!”

“Move aside, I want to see too! This is Hoaryeong, come in quickly!”

As the door opened with a creak, the kids poured out.

“Hello, how have you been, guys?”

“Hello.”

All the kids standing at the door welcomed us.

We also greeted them back.

“Come on in! We heard the news! You got into the academy!”

“Tell us more!”

“Let’s play together!”

“What did you bring today!?”

Take your time telling us, guys.

Who’s the friend revealing what we’ll eat last?

“It’s Gyeol and Hoaryeong. If they had let us know, we would have prepared something.”

“Hello, Director, we just came to see these kids, it’s okay.”

“Hello.”

The director of the orphanage, who is also known as everyone’s grandfather, walked over behind the kids.

Hankyeol and I bowed to greet the director.

“Hey guys, sorry but I’ll take Gyeol with me for a while. Have fun with Hoaryeong, okay?”

“Woo! Grandpa Hankyeol monopolizes!”

“If you say that to the director, you can’t use it, tsk.”

Hoaryeong ushered the kids into the living room.

It was fortunate as I had something to discuss with the director.

“It’s nice to see everyone so lively.”

“I find it hard to calm down that energy, always tough, hehe.”

“But everyone seems to like you, Director.”

While chatting with the director, we moved to his office.

Entering the office and closing the door, the director flicked his hand in the air.

“Have the usual drink.”

“Do you know what I like?”

“Don’t you always look for chocolate milk?”

“Haha, that’s right.”

The director smiled warmly.

Watching hot water pour into a cup from afar, cocoa powder swirling in it.

The director used to be a magician who mainly used telekinesis in the past.

He wasn’t famous enough to be widely known, but he was kind to everyone.

During a dungeon raid, he got injured and decided to retire, setting up this orphanage.

“It’s hot, be careful.”

“Thank you.”

I thanked the director as he handed me the cup.

A sip revealed the sweet taste of chocolate.

Chocolate is divine.

Enough with the conversation, should I ask why you’ve called me?

You probably have an idea of the conversation.

“Why did you call me?”

“No reason. Just wanted to see your face a bit more.”

“You didn’t call me because you thought I was still looking for the arsonist, right?”

When I asked why he called me, the director tried to brush it off, but I wouldn’t let him.

Silence.

The director looked at me with a smiling face and spoke.

“…Yeah. I just wanted to check if you were still pushing yourself to find the arsonist.”

“Aren’t you angry at the arsonist, Director?”

“Of course I am, but you don’t need to get angry on my behalf.”

The director doesn’t want me to search for the arsonist.

For fear of me getting hurt or falling into danger.

“Even you, Director, are going out to find the arsonist. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Did you know that much? Haha. I am the director here. The responsibility lies with me.”

The director also goes out every day to search for traces of the arsonist.

It’s strange for someone to endure nearly losing children.

If it weren’t for us, the director would have lived with regret every day.

That’s how emotionally rich and kind you are, adult.

And there’s no need to search any longer.

“Do I not have enough reason to search as it is related to that incident?”

“You really are stubborn. Such a cheeky fellow.”

“Haha. I hear that a lot.”

Coincidentally, that arsonist.

Will be our target in the upcoming fight.