Chapter 84
PUBLISHED ON 6th Oct 2022
After Kwon Jiwoon awakened a long time ago, we have been on a poor relationship, but there has been no more bad feelings.
Although his way of expression was bad, Kwon Jiwoon may also have been concerned about me.
My parents died when I was a child and I couldn’t even remember them. After that, my grandmother passed away, and my uncle disappeared. Kwon Jiwoon is the only family I have left.
What should I do if he’s in danger because of my regression?
Maybe I shouldn’t have come back, I shouldn’t have survived. If it was going to be like this, I should have died the way I was then.
No … It’s too early to think like this.
I looked at the flashing system window once again. Then, I reached for the translucent membrane in front of me.
I felt like my mind was being sucked into something, and darkness enveloped my vision. Soon everything became distant and I didn’t even know where I was.
And….
“Blech, blargh ugh, ugh……!”
I couldn’t stand the disgust and vomited.
***
A black space.
After a while, a whitish light shone, and a different space appeared in front of me.
This is … this is our store?
No, the interior is a little different. There are no noisy cat and slime in sight, and there are no unusual signs on the outside.
Above all, there’s a voice from a distance.
“Rieul-ah, can you give me one more?”
“Eung. I ate it all.”
Ah. When my grandmother was alive, Cafe Rieul was still my grandmother’s cafe.
Inside the counter, my grandmother was knitting, and I, in my school uniform, was sitting crookedly and playing games on my phone. An empty store. There are no other customers.
Judging from the level of the character on the phone screen, it’s when I was about 16 years old.
At this time, I often came to see my grandmother after school. It was before I met Choi Yichan and Shin Mira, and there was no one when I went home anyway.
“Rieul-ah, that must be fun.”
“Eung. It’s just so-so.”
I answered with a sullen expression and tapped the draw button on the screen. I frowned at the bad result.
“How is Jiwoon doing these days?”
“I don’t know. Don’t even bring up Kwon Jiwoon’s story to me. He’ll do it on his own, you know.”
“Are you not on good terms with Jiwoon?”
I pouted my lips with a complicated expression. I was upset, but it was hard to be honest. The ensuing words were hand-made tell-tale fights.
“It’s more like … Kwon Jiwoon has awakened, he told me first…….”
Bang! Before I even finished speaking, the door opened with a loud noise.
“Aaaah! I was surprised. What’s going on all of a sudden … huh?”
Kwon Jiwoon, who still looks like a student, was standing in front of the door.
“Kwon Rieul, have you been here?”
“Why? It’s up to me whether I come to Grandma’s house or not. What does Oppa have to do with it?”
“Haa….”
Young Kwon Jiwoon was still clumsy in hiding his expressions, so his emotions were revealed on his face.
Rough anxiety, and the relief that came to him the moment he found me.
Why didn’t I notice it back then?
A few scenes flowed in front of me as if they were fast-forwarding.
A man who tried to kidnap me for the purpose of intimidation.
Kwon Jiwoon, who’s deliberately trying to distance himself from me.
He tried to call me several times on that topic, but in the end he could not make the call and put down the phone.
Darkness covered my body again, and then there was silence.
This time, Kwon Jiwoon was in front of me.
It seems to be in the future rather than the present, but I don’t know exactly when. This is because the surrounding landscape was not clearly visible.
Kwon Jiwoon was expressionless. The dry eyes stunningly slanted down and directed toward the floor.
Is there something on the floor? I couldn’t see the floor because my vision was not free.
“The Light of Healing….”
A white light appeared from his fingertips along with the trembling voice. The light that should have been absorbed by the cast target was not absorbed and floated in the air.
Once again.
Again, again, and again…….
However, ‘Light of Healing‘ still doesn’t work properly. Kwon Jiwoon’s hands, which had been repeating his skill for a long time, fell down.
Kwon Jiwoon’s expressionless face cracked. The deep emotion that pours through the gap … ah. It’s despair.
“Why this doesn’t work……?”
“It’s strange. It’s a skill that I’ve used hundreds or thousands of times, so there’s no way it won’t work. Please … again, I need to try again.”
The result is the same.
“Please, wake up … I came here late, are you mad at me for making you wait? Stop being angry and open your eyes, okay?”
“Hunter Kwon Jiwoon, calm … calm down.”
“Wake up. Wake up, please!”
“She was too close to the rift, we didn’t have the time to handle it. By the time we rescued her, she was already … I’m sorry.”
Tears welled up. The tears quickly burst into tears. A violent cry that makes even the listener becomes sorrowful.
Wait, no way this is….
That’s absurd. I went back to three years ago, so this shouldn’t have happened.
My vision shifted slightly downward.
Although the face was invisible, the droopy limbs and the clothes that person wore were strangely familiar.
Kwon Jiwoon bursts into tears with a distorted face and recites.
“I, your brother is here, so please open your eyes. Wake up. Kwon Rieul….!”
It’s dark again.
I could feel my mind being dragged back to somewhere.
“Uhgh….”
I was nauseous.
There is no end to the darkness. Even though I couldn’t even recognize my body, the disgust felt amazingly clear.
It’s painful.
Since I’ve returned, surely this must be a time that doesn’t exist.
It can’t be true. There’s no way that there’s a future where I die and Kwon Jiwoon is left alone.
He was worried about me, so he purposely kept his distance, and I can even count the number of times we’ve talked properly to each other.
To be left alone while I’m being full of joy and happiness here … that’s too cruel.
“Lies…..”
【That’s right, that’s a lie.】
“……!”
Light suddenly poured out of the infinite darkness. The blonde saintess was standing there.
There was a more pressing question than what happened or why she was here. I shouted at her.
“Really? It’s all lies?”
【Sure. This world does not adopt multiverse.】
“…….”
【When you turn back time, everything is a time that does not exist, and it’s a possibility that won’t come true. It’s just a lie I made up.】
“Really?”
【Rest assured. I’m serious.】
I was relieved at first.
Then, I got angry.
If it’s a complete lie, why did you surprise me by showing this?
【I feel like you are regretting your return. By turning back time, you have already saved your family.】
It didn’t comfort me at all.
“Saintess….”
【Saintess?】
It’s long to say that it’s a saintess character who appeared in the beginning of a fantasy RPG game and said meaningful things to the novice protagonist.
【You still say funny things.】
“What happened? Is Kwon Jiwoon safe?”
【Do not worry. When you open your eyes, he will return too. It would be difficult if he died here, so I had to use some rough means since I was in a hurry.】
I was relieved at first, but….
There was something on my mind about what she said.
So far, I’ve met this saintess three times in total.
One time, when I tried to save the corrupted Long-tailed Phoenix today.
Next, it’s right now.
One last time……
It was before I came back to the past, it was when I faced death in the last life.
***
After being killed by a monster, my vision was all covered in darkness.
Suddenly, a blonde saintess appeared out of nowhere and talked to me.
【This is a big deal. I would be in trouble if you died here.】
“Uh, huh?”
【It would be inconvenient to talk about it in this situation. Now, come here.】
A hazy light poured down and the surroundings changed completely. Blue sky and the gentle wind, the lawn was unrealistic.
I, who just got hit by a monster, mumbled in bewilderment.
“No way, is this heaven?”
Is this the beautiful afterlife, where I died after working every day? Post-labor beautiful post-life life?
【Unfortunately, that is not the case. You are not dead yet.】
“What … really?”
I could see the phantasmagoria along with the pain, and I was convinced that my life was over.
【Accurately, at the moment of death, causality was cut off and this time axis was wound up on an independent loop.】
“Uh, huh … I see!”
I don’t know what that means, but I nodded for now.
【Do you understand?】
“Uhm, no, not at all.”
The saintess with shiny blonde hair burst into a cheerful laugh and spoke again.
【I am trying to save you.】
“Why?”
I looked at the saintess with suspicious eyes.
I knew intuitively that she was a transcendent being. Anyone would notice if they died and suddenly a woman in a white dress with shiny blonde hair pops out.
However, there are not only a couple of people who accidentally get caught up in a rift and die an unfortunate death. Why is this saintess trying to save me?
An iron rule for single-person households in the city. You need to see something that sounds too good with suspicion.
【Because I have to.】
Gently, the saintess smiled. She apparently avoided answering.
【However, due to the limitations of causality, I can only intervene with the Awakeneds. So, I will let you live on the condition that you become an Awakened.】
“…..”
Of course, it’s better to live than to die.
However, I still can’t believe I’m dead, and awakening was too unrealistic.
【I will give you the power you desire. Is there any awakening ability you want?】
I have a very consistent personality. The memory of this day was erased, but my actions were consistent even then.
“Ability? I don’t have any….”
Moreover, I was in a state of mental exhaustion due to long overtime work.
“I just want to sleep a lot.”
【That is not an ability.】
At that time, I suddenly remembered the contents of a game I had worked hard on a long time ago. Yeah, there were times when I thought I wanted to live a life like that game.
“Then … cafe? I want to open a cafe.”
【Cafe. You’re an Eligibe person after a long time …. it’s not a common opportunity. You can be a great hero if you want to.】
“No, I’m not interested in that.”
【Swordsman, wizard, no, any class can give you the ability to aim for the top of the world.】
“The position I want is an innkeeper who sees off the main character in the village for beginners in RPG games.”
【You are telling a very interesting story … Yes, if that’s what your wish is.】
***
…….
…….
The darkness enveloped me again and when I opened my eyes, I came back to three years ago, on my bed.
I had completely forgotten this memory.
How could the memory have been erased so neatly?
I awakened through a psychological test on TV and opened a cafe as promised, but….
‘There have been so many unexpected incidents.’
I looked at the saintess, who was emitting a twinkling light alone in the darkness. She was smiling as lively as that day.
“What do you want from me?”
