Silver Tiger did not deny Yellow Tiger’s speculation.
“Euishin hyung is not someone who shows himself well, but you’ve already guessed that far.”
Yellow Tiger looked very satisfied at Silver Tiger’s words.
“It was only a guess all this time, but I was convinced when you and Jo Euishin first met and you blinked a word. Stalemateless. Is that Jo Euishin’s alias in your world?”
“Something like that. Energy and skill don’t exist in that world. Euishin hyung was a chess player but…”
Silver Tiger’s expression turned dark after cutting off his own words.
Yellow Tiger was slightly worried at this sudden appearance, but he didn’t have the heart to push the just-awoken Silver Tiger.
“…How has Euishin hyung been in this world? Was he sick?”
“A lot has happened. We always care about the safety of our benefactor, but he causes us a lot of worries because he doesn’t know how to take care of himself.”
“So you refer to Euishin hyung as the benefactor. I’m curious as to why.”
Yellow Tiger summarized and explained everything that Jo Euishin has done for them.
In his explanation, the part about the descendants was omitted, but every detail that warranted Jo Euishin being called their benefactor was included.
“Something like that happened? It seems like there are a lot of things that I don’t know.”
“Didn’t you observe this world, just like Jo Euishin did? Come to think of it, you said you don’t know as much as he does.”
“…I didn’t have much time. I almost didn’t make it to this world.”
Silver Tiger’s expression was dark again.
“Euishin hyung observed this world without the help of texts or videos, instead everything is engraved in his mind. He observed what he didn’t have to observe, and he repeatedly did what he didn’t have to do.”
Yellow Tiger was still concerned about Silver Tiger’s dark expression, but the words “repeatedly did” caught his attention.
Wasn’t the skill that Jo Euishin uses called “Replay”?
Silver Tiger continued speaking.
“I solved only what was minimum and necessary in the shortest amount of time possible using the records left by Euishin hyung so that I could come to this world. I skipped what I could skip, and prepared all the attack methods in advance.”
“Attack methods. You make it sound like a game.”
“Exactly. Because in that world, this world of ours is recorded in the form of a game.”
Jo Euishin and game.
The pieces didn’t seem to fit, but they did.
Jo Euishin played the game, calculating the next moves, just like in chess.
“Above all, choosing Silver Tiger’s body, not Cheon Eunha’s body, I lose all the leverage that players of that game get when coming to this world.”
“Is there a reason why you chose the body of Silver Tiger and gave up on those leverages?”
“If I stayed in Cheon Eunha’s body, the tigers would find it difficult to accept that I am Silver Tiger.”
Silver Tiger smiled gently at Yellow Tiger.
“And, I couldn’t keep my friends waiting when they’ve already waited for such a long time. Although, Dongha hyung and Eushin hyung might feel burdened that I’m not a human unlike what they thought.”
Silver Tiger spoke softly, but Yellow Tiger knew that it mustn't have been an easy decision.
“You call Euishin your hyung. Have you met him in school as a sunbae? Elementary school? Middle School? Or perhaps high school?”
Yellow Tiger, who understood Jo Euishin to be a minor, asked so.
And so Silver Tiger’s answer shocked him.
“I meet Euishin hyung in college. He was my sunbae.”
“…Was Jo Euishin an adult in that world?”
“Yes.”
“I thought he was mature, but I never imagined that he was an adult.”
He was somewhat surprised, but it didn’t seem like he had any intention of changing the way he treats Jo Euishin.
No matter how old Jo Euishin was, he was still human.
The fact that he was much younger than Yellow Tiger didn’t change.
Rather, he vowed to pay more attention from now on.
“Is he overdoing himself because he still thinks like an adult? By the way, he’s 17 years old now in this world, but it doesn’t matter even if he’s 170 years old, he’s still much younger than I am.”
“Yes, Euishin hyung is a very young person so Yellow Tiger-nim should take good care of him.”
“Understood. I will take care of the benefactor as the head of the Tiger Clan.”
Yellow Tiger was still in his school uniform, Silver Tiger is calling Euishin his hyung.
Everything was out of the ordinary.
“Silver Tiger, it’s time you take a rest. Shouldn’t you get some sleep?”
“I’ve had enough of that. It’s alright. Rather, there’s something I want to ask y—”
Knock knock.
A knock on the door interrupted the two’s conversation.
When Yellow Tiger permitted entry, the door silently opened and Red Tiger appeared.
“I’m back. We’ve done everything we could do for today. I’ve brought some drinks that you like. My son will bring in some snacks soon.”
“Silver Tiger’s physical condition is still not perfectly recovered, but yes… I hope you don’t mind drinking to celebrate your return.”
“Yes, Silver Tiger has returned so it’s time we have a drink. I called White Tiger too.”
Silver Tiger had his eyes wide open as he stared at Red Tiger.
In a polite tone, Red Tiger asked why.
“What’s wrong, Silver Tiger?”
“…Red Tiger-nim, I know your way of speaking is quite different, but I’m more surprised to hear it in person. And it looks like you made up with your son.”
“Hahaha! Come to think of it, Red Tiger didn’t tell the complete story of how he made up with his son. Oh, his son goes by the name ‘Kim Shinrok’ and is a teacher at Eungwang High…”
A little while later, Kim Shinrok and White Tiger also joined them.
White Tiger left Shinsoo to Jo Euishin.
White Tiger was still untalkative, but he showed consideration for his younger brother by putting food on his plate and filling his glass.
“Let’s have one last toast.”
With Yellow Tiger’s words, the tigers lifted their glasses.
“Congratulations on Silver Tiger’s awakening, and cheers in honor of our benefactor who made this reunion possible.”
***
I woke up on Wednesday afternoon.
My family’s death anniversary was Sunday.
Silver Tiger woke up on Monday, and that’s when I decided to say in the mansion.
However, the time and date on my device showed that it was already Wednesday afternoon.
‘Did I sleep that long? Oh, I skipped school three days in a row!’
Out of all things, it seems like all the classes I skipped were Professor Gong Cheonghwon’s.
Well…
I guess it can’t be helped.
My inbox was full of messages from my classmates and teachers.
Among them, our class president’s messages sounded the most worried.
[Kim Yuri] Aren’t you coming to school today, Euishin-ah?
[Kim Yuri] Are you absent today again, Euishin? Professor Ham Geunhyung is worried about you too!
[Kim Yuri] Hyodon and Saeum stopped by your dorm room, and they said you weren’t there…
[Kim Yuri] Is something wrong? ㅠ ▽ㅠ
I made my classmates and homeroom teacher worry!
If I knew this would happen, I would’ve contacted them in advance.
It was my mistake to underestimate the aftermath of communication with the transcendent universe.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the next message seems to imply that Hwang Jiho came to school and patched things up.
[Kim Yuri] Euishin-ah, we heard from Jiho!
[Kim Yuri] Jiho said you’d be fine by afternoon today, but if you’re still sick, don’t push yourself and just rest up.
[Kim Yuri] I’ll take care of the broadcast audience stuff with our classmates and the sunbaes!
It would be fine if only my classmates would attend the live broadcast of Playlist, but the Class Zero sunbae jerks are the problem.
Professors Jegal and Ham Geunhyung would be there, but the jerks from Year Two Class Zero would only make Kim Yuri suffer.
I immediately expressed my intention to go since I was feeling fine already.
I tried to get up from the bed while typing a reply.
Woof woof!
“…”
“Did you sleep well, Euishin hyung? You just woke up but you already look busy.”
Besides me and the little angel, there were two other tigers who were in the room.
White Tiger and Silver Tiger.
“…How are you.”
“White Tiger hyung and I are well. I don’t know about Euishin hyung though. Let me check your pulse. Please lie down a little longer.”
Silver Tiger naturally laid me back on the bed and grabbed my wrist.
He seems quite familiar with how to check a pulse and energy wave.
Cheon Sungheon had a certification for CPR, and Silver Tiger seems to know some things about energy healing.
“Do you have healing skills?”
“Yes, although it’s not that high-level. It would be better to call the head of the Deer Clan, but I guess it would be difficult for him to come since he’s on a business trip. How about consulting Hyangrok-nim next time?”
“Uh…?”
“Alright, then I’ll tell Yellow Tiger-nim.”
Like a glass of water, Silver Tiger naturally pushed the idea of having another customized medicine for me.
He was speaking softly, and his will was fulfilled.
‘…Yeah, that’s how I ended up staying in the mansion too.’
When Cheon Dongha and Red Tiger left, Silver Tiger spoke to me when I expressed my intention to go back to my dormitory room.
— I saw your letter, Euishin hyung. I keep thinking about the image of you vomiting blood.
It’s clear that he’s talking about the note I left in the goshiwon room.
The similarity was the vomited blood.
Silver Tiger was still ever so affectionate.
Before I could tell him not to worry too much about me, I already lost the negotiation.
— Euishin hyung tells me that a lot back then too. You say that I shouldn’t worry. Are you going to say the same thing now?
— …
He didn’t really tell me directly to stay in the mansion, but in the end, I just voluntarily said that I’d stay.
‘Sungheon was good with words too, but Silver Tiger seems to be steps ahead. Is it because of the thousands of years of experience?’
Thinking of my hoobae suddenly aging thousands of years made me feel complicated.
Silver Tiger spoke again and helped me up when he finished checking my pulse.
“Sorry for the late greeting, Euishin hyung. Thank you for waking me up.”
“…No, I didn’t do much?”
“You didn’t do much? Then do you mean I woke up on my own? Oh, I heard from Yellow Tiger-nim everything that you’ve done for the Tiger Clan. Don’t downplay yourself.”
It’s quite embarrassing listening to it so I tried to change the subject, but Silver Tiger just wouldn’t let it go.
“Thanks.”
White Tiger, who was standing beside him, also thanked me.
It’s a natural thing for someone to thank another for doing something for their brother, but it felt different coming from White Tiger.
Even more so when I remember that everything that I’ve been doing so far was a kind of cheat play based on the things I know from the game.
Silver Tiger knows it too, so I decided to confess right then and there.
“If you played that game, you would know. I’m just…”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Euishin hyung, you know I don’t know PMH as well as you do.”
Silver Tiger interrupted naturally.
“I didn’t play any of the sub-stories, or additional quests, and I skipped all the parts that could be skipped in the main story. There are only a few parts that I read properly. I didn’t have time, so I just followed Euishin hyung’s strategy.”
“…You used the strategies I left behind?”
“Yes. If it weren’t for those, I wouldn’t have been able to clear it.”
Even until the final chapter, I documented my progress thoroughly.
So there’s someone who read those lengthy texts.
“And instead of the Cheon Eunha prepared by the transcendent universe, I chose to be Silver Tiger. I’m neither a transformed object nor a candidate. I don’t have the skills that you have, Euishin hyung.’
‘Confirming the intention of the candidate. So that means he was provided with a choice.’
“To be honest, I almost had no chance of coming back to this world. Because of my great sin and unexpected mistake, I was destined to wander around the rest of the world forever. But I met Euishin hyung and I was able to come back. This whole process was just an unexpected error for someone.”
He added one more thing.
“And I’m going to use that error to fight.”
