ReLife Player

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

[friend or supporter].

It was shortly after Eunha turned two years old.

Her mother was hanging out the laundry when, out of the blue, she said.

Why dont we go visit Eunhas friend today?

Friend?

Did I have a friend?

Eunha stood still and scratched his head.

Before the regression, he hadnt been the kind of person to open up to others.

All he wanted was for himself to die or for the monsters to die.

Furthermore, the world of players who made their living destroying monsters was not an environment for socializing, as the saying goes, betray them before they betray you.

There were a few people I could relate to, but it wasnt really a relationship, just a shared sense of purpose in killing monsters.

They would eventually run out of breath as the battle intensified.

So the one person I can call a friend before the regression is

Lee Yoo-jung.. (E/N: I love her)

Although they had spent time together as close as siblings, even going through thick and thin, because of the age difference between them, they could still be referred to as an older brother and younger sister.

Im sure Baekryeon herself would throw a fit if she heard that.

And as for Yoo-jung

Even now, in his second life, he couldnt figure out what she was to him.

Too light to be called a friend,

Too vague to be a comrade-in-arms,

Too light to be a friend, too vague to be a comrade-in-arms, too lacking in something to be a lover.

What did she think of me?

The two had graduated from the academy and spent over ten years together. Emotions that sprouted in the changing times of Kangsan could not be simply defined by the same words like love or friendship.

Eunha?

Oh, yeah.

Realizing her mothers worried gaze, Eunha decided to change the subject.

Do I have any friends?

Well, how many friends do you have that Eunha doesnt know about?

Oops, that was a bad choice of words.

It wasnt appropriate for a child who had just turned two.

But she was a mother.

She could only marvel at the fact that her two-year-old was so articulate, but she didnt question the question as if he had spent his life without friends.

Theres a girl your age right next door, Eunha, and I heard she wants you to come over once.

Next door?

Even though he could walk now, Eunha was still a toddler. He hadnt been out of the house much, so there was no way he knew who lived next door.

Theres a very cute little girl living there~

What more could I ask for from a two-year-old?

The idea of going to meet a girl his own age didnt excite him. I didnt know if hed be able to talk to her, or if hed be able to communicate with her, and I just hoped he wouldnt be like Euna.

Instead, he was attracted to the idea of going outside the house.

It was next door, just a few steps out the door.

Eunhas family lived on the second floor of a four-story rowhouse. Two households are allowed to live on each floor, with the exception of the landlords grandfather, who used the entire fourth floor for his book collection.

Euna said that her neighbors were all friendly and fun people.

I wondered how unusual they must be for Euna to say they were fun, and in that sense, I was a little curious.

Minjis mom, its me.

Her name is Minji-jina.

I didnt remember anything about my next-door neighbors.

Including the unusual ones Euna had mentioned.

Well, maybe I couldnt remember.

It was unavoidable.

Before the regression, I had left the neighbourhood before I graduated from kindergarten. Left alone at a young age, I was forced to grow up with my maternal grandmother in Incheon.

The trauma of losing his family left him distraught for years, so he doesnt remember much of his childhood.

Are you Eunha? Hi, Eunha!

Eunha, you should say hello too

Hi.

So its safe to say that the people Im going to meet will be new to me.

Wow, hes really good at saying hello even though hes the same age as Minji.

Eunha learned to talk quickly.

I heard he took his first steps early. When I heard it on the playground, I thought your mom was bragging, but now I see its true.

Oh my God, you didnt believe me?

I cant believe it. You were saying that he was walking and talking when he was only a few months old. I thought, who in the world learns that fast?

No, were not the smartest or something like that, were pretty ordinary.

Okay, okay, but hes so cute! Hes got a great face, cutie!

Auwau

She was a very awkward neighbor. She seemed like someone who could live well no matter where she fell.

By the way, dont pinch my cheeks. I dont want to stretch them.

You think my cheeks are glutinous.

Eunha ducked behind her mother to avoid Min-jis mom touch.

Hes still a kid. Is he still wearing a pacifier?

I tried to take it off, but Eunha wouldnt let me.

Shes not trying to take mine off, is she?

After 12 months of age, children are supposed to outgrow their pacifiers.

But Eunha couldnt give up his pacifier, and when her mother tried to take it away a few days ago, he defended it, even crying.

I dont know anyone who hasnt tried it.

No, no one who doesnt remember doing it has any idea!

Look at him, he wont take it away, so dont do that.

Are you bored? Mommy is having coffee with Minjis mom, so why dont you come play with Minji?

Minji is playing by herself inside. Can Eunha play with her?

Yeah, okay.

Desperately holding on to the pacifier, Eunha nodded.

His second life wasnt without its inconveniences: he could walk and talk and learn to talk, but there were some things he couldnt do without the absolute sanction of age.

Cigarettes and alcohol, for example.

Before his regression, he smoked mindlessly and had a drink before going to sleep, but alcohol and cigarettes were too hard to resist.

He hadnt touched them in over a year.

He was forced to quit smoking and drinking semi-forcibly in order to regress.

The pacifier was a substitute. Putting it in my mouth and chewing it hard gave me a strange sense of security that I was here.

It was also addictive in a different way than the cigarettes I used to smoke to take my mind off a hard day.

So I wouldnt take out my pacifier until I sucked on a Chupa Chups! (E/N: Theres a picture below!)

But Eunhas pacifier was taken away from his, much to his chagrin.

This is my pacifier.

What!

From a neighbor of his own age.

Minji Kim, 2 years old.

Minji was playing with a toy in her room when she was snatched up at a speed you wouldnt expect from a baby.

He was caught off guard, not expecting to be attacked by a 2-year-old.

Its mine, give it back.

Its mine.

Minji took it in her mouth.

There was a look on her face like she had the world.

Eunha, on the other hand, felt like he had lost everything.

I never thought Id get it gone right in front of me.

I cant believe Im being defiled by someone else!

He never thought he would see his pacifier in another childs mouth.

In a world of players where the maxim is to take it before its taken from you, he never thought it would be taken from him so easily.

Minji, didnt Mommy tell you not to take it anymore?

But Mommy, its Minjis.

Its because of you, you forced her to stop taking it, so she took it from me.

Eunha glared at Minjis mother with resentment.

Whether she was aware of his gaze or not, he was furious that she took the pacifier away from Eunha.

My Eunha is a good boy, so he can handle it, right? Its okay, we have plenty at home.

If it werent for his mothers appeasement, he would have joined the fray.

Hah, it cant be helped.

Its not hygienic to take back something thats been in someone elses mouth.

Better to be generous and give it up.

Ill have to go home and bite the newly sanitized one later.

Shouldnt Eunha play quietly with Minji?

In the meantime, the fight was over.

Min-ji, who had finally gotten the pacifier, clung to Eunha and whined back and forth.

Perhaps it was fascinating to meet someone of her own age, but Minji scratched his face with her nails, kept trying to touch his face, and tried to pull his hair

Dont you hate me?

You dont like me, do you?

It was a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye. He couldnt live with the loss, so he tried to do what Minji had done.

Stop it.

Minji said in disgust at that moment.

If he laid a finger on her, she threatened that she would call her mom right now.

Huh, shes a player, a real player.

And it didnt suit him at all.

Youre disgusting.

Well, we can agree on that one. I hate you too.

He agreed.

In less than an hour of interaction, the two realized that day.

That they were water and oil that couldnt mix.

Maybe things wouldnt have been so bad between us if you hadnt stolen from me.

No, we just werent meant to be.

Youre just speeding up the process of getting to know each other.

I cant do this anymore.

Im not going to have any hair left on my head with this girl.

Mom, I want to go home!

Eunha called out to her mother,

Have a snack before you go!

Minjis mother didnt want to send them away right away, so she held out a snack to Eunha.

It was a toddler snack from her house. It had a bland flavor.

As an aside, it was one of the hardest things to bear, not being able to eat the snacks sold at convenience stores because they were said to be too irritating for babies.

Eunha and Minji, who were of the same age, momentarily had conflicting intentions about approaching the table with the snacks. Eunha was already able to walk, while Minji still preferred crawling. This difference became the standard for determining who would get the snacks first.

Aah! Mine!

Its revenge!

Savor the moment when whats yours is no longer yours.

After living as a baby for two years, even his mind had become a child.

We should share and eat nicely. Its not good to do it this way.

If it werent for her mothers restraint, he would have taken them all.

In the end, Eunha had to split the sweets with Min-ji.

This ones mine.

And yet, this girl.

This bad one who coveted Eunhas share of snacks was still there.

This is mine.

Eunha didnt want to be unnecessarily stubborn with one snack, but he didnt want to give in to Minji.

But he had to back off again.

She was so strong, and he, who had been increasing the mana in his body, was pushed back. She even had the cowardice to pull down his pants.

A match made in a flash.

The winner was Minji, who reached for a snack while Eunha was putting on his pants.

At her age, shes already using such cowardly tricks to win.

Sucks, really sucks.

Wow, you two are really close.

Mother, were not close at all.

Ive just met the enemy next door.

I see. I guess you two will be hanging out a lot from now on.

Please dont involve me with this idiot, auntie.

I dont know. Lets give up the sweets.

Eunha decided to give up after picking up a few sweets from the floor.

But what kind of girl is so strong?

Curious, Eunha checked Minjis mana.

The amount of mana was normal, nothing compared to Euna, who was blessed with mana, or himself, who was increasing his mana.

And yet, to be so strongI wonder if she was born that way.

Maybe she was born that way. Thats a bit scary.

Both he and that auntie should be careful.

Or maybe shes a voracious eater.

Mukminji* ( E/N: basically says Eat-Minji)

Huh?

Youre a munchkin* (glutton), so Ill call you Mukminji* (Eat-Minji) from now on. (EN: Its a game of words!)

munchkin?

She probably doesnt even know what munchkin means.

I wont teach you, nyah~ he said, feeling superior.

Im not a glutton!

You are a glutton, you glutton. Mukminji*

Minji glared at him.

Eunha didnt stand still. he grabbed the bowl of snacks and continued to tease Minji.

Its like calling poop, poop, and calling a glutton a glutton!

He didnt think he could ever get along with Minji.

And neither did Minji,

Mom. I want this.

Huh? Thats Eunhas.

Give it to me. Wahh.

Minji threw the pacifier shed been biting on to the floor as dirty.

I want this!. Wahh.

Wow she really.

He had to watch as the pacifier, which had been taken away from him by someone else, was thrown away like a bonfire of one night.

Sh-, haaaa, sigh.

I really cant get along with her.

Mukminji-munchkin/EN: basically hes saying that she eats a lot like a glutton. Just like my sister.

Heres the image!