ReLife Player

[Christmas present]

The political circles are saving themselves.

They’ve been trying to keep a low profile in the wake of Byung-in’s terrorism and Changhae Clan’s corruption.

Sirius Group added to that.

Sirius Group had been sponsoring Changhae Clan, the second largest clan in South Korea.

When the massive corruption of Changhae Clan was revealed, it was inevitable that Sirius, as a sponsor, would be caught in the crossfire.

Although Sirius Group was able to drop Changhae Clan before the arrows of public opinion started to fall on them, they still had to make major changes to their image.

That’s why the first president, Han Bong-sik, stepped down and Han Do-young became the second president.

Although it’s a few years earlier than the future I know.

There was no party to celebrate the inauguration of the second president.

Times were tough.

The annual affiliate party hosted by Sirius was also canceled this year.

Eunha was happy to hear that he wouldn’t have to go to the party,

«What. Do you have any complaints?»

He was invited to the Sirius mansion.

He didn’t expect to be contacted directly by Seohyun.

This year, both subsidiary company parties and social gatherings were canceled, so he received a message saying they would have a small gathering.

«Unnie, what is this? It’s delicious!»

«Yeah, that’s good, it’s good for you. Do you want more?»

She also asked to bring Eunae.

Eunha wasn’t used to Seohyun taking care of Eunae. He didn’t even touch the cake on his plate because he wasn’t used to it.

«Eu-ha, I thought you liked it.»

«…Well, I do like Mont Blanc.»

«Then why aren’t you eating it?»

«I was about to… But how do you remember that I like Mont Blanc?»

«What’s the big deal?»

Coming to his senses, Eunha was about to cut into the cake with his fork.

Then he was surprised to realize that she remembered what he had said so casually at the last social gathering.

Apparently, she had prepared the Mont Blanc on purpose.

«…I thought that if you like it, Eunae would like it too, so I prepared it. Don’t get me wrong.»

«It’s embarrassing… Next time, prepare Baumkuchen.»

«You can’t understand my words, can you…?»

«Eunae also likes Baumkuchen, right?»

«Yes! Eunae also likes Baumi!»

Eunha pulled Eunae closer, preventing Seohyun from responding. With cream probably smeared on her lips, Eunae vigorously nodded in response to Eunha’s words.

Baumkuchen was a German cake that hadn’t changed much over time in Korea.

Still, he knew about baumkuchen because he had once traveled to Japan as an escort for the second-generation fairy Ha Baekryeon.

The Baumkuchen prepared by Kaguya as a snack at that time was so delicious that it made him want to buy it as soon as the meeting was over.

In fact, Baekryeon was so sleepy that she insisted on going to buy some as soon as the meeting was over.

«…I’ll prepare it.»

«Unnie, you’re the best!»

Seo-hyun frowns but reluctantly accepts Eunae’s offer.

Eunha found it curious how she treated Eunae.

Normally, she wore a somewhat reserved expression, but when she interacted with Eunae, her face softened.

«Why are you smiling?»

«Just because. What’s it to you?»

«…You shouldn’t go around smiling like that.»

«Why not?»

«Look at yourself in the mirror and talk.»

«Miss, both Euna and Eunae like it when I smile the most. So why do you have that….»

«Miss?»

«No, it’s not that. It’s just that both Nuna and Eunae prefer it when I smile. Right, Eunae?»

«I like it when oppa smiles!»

«See.»

«In that case, why don’t we all smile together, you, Eunae, and me? Han Seohyun, can you smile?»

When Eunha replied with an amused look on his face, Seohyun avoided answering with a gesture of drinking tea.

Come on, I still have a better impression than my father.

She remained silent, even as Eunha glared at her.

Without much choice, he decided to finish his Mont Blanc.

The sight of Eunae smiling with cream on the corners of her mouth was adorable and made his complaints disappear.

«Eunae, come here. Let’s clean your mouth.»

«Huh? Huh! Woooo….»

At the sound of her name, Eunae jumped off the chair that was out of reach and into Eunha’s arms.

Eunha wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief he pulled out of his pocket.

He rubbed the corner of her mouth with the handkerchief, wondering what was so good about it.

«That embroidery… It looks familiar.»

«Oh, this?»

Seohyun put down her teacup and pointed to the handkerchief with a gesture.

Eunha unfolded the handkerchief with a single morning glory flower embroidered in the corner, with an indifferent tone.

It was a disposable artifact he had picked up at a training camp.

«I’ve seen this before…. But why do you have a handkerchief from the Dawn Group?»

«…My mom gave it to me.»

Seohyun was openly uncomfortable.

Eunha felt a pang of guilt, thinking about his mom preparing dinner at home.

He wasn’t lying.

At first, he intended to use the artifact as an amulet to protect his family.

It just so happened that mom had taken a liking to the handkerchief and washed it for the family’s collective use.

He usually kept it in his back pocket.

And since Eunae often got her mouth dirty, he was used to digging in his back pocket.

«…Sirius has plenty of handkerchiefs, too. I’ll give them to you later, and you can take them to your mom.»

«…I’ll think about it.»

«No, Eun, ha?»

Seohyun recited Eunha’s name, syllable by syllable.

Trying to avoid answering, Eunha had no choice but to take the handkerchief she offered.

However, the handkerchief she offered was just a plain piece of manufactured goods.

The handkerchief embroidered with morning glory, on the other hand, was an artifact with powerful protective magic.

Of course, it was only a disposable artifact, but it seemed to have some residual mana resistance.

I wouldn’t need to use it.

Eunha decided to give the handkerchief with the morning glory to his family for now. He didn’t know what it would do for his mom or Euna, but it would help them.

In addition, the Dawn Group had changed its name and symbol to Luminous.

No one would think it was strange if he kept the Dawn Group handkerchief.

«Seohyun-ah, how are things going?»

«…I told you not to come in without knocking.»

I did.

Just then, Seoyeon, who was having a tea party in the next room, brought Euna in.

«Seeing you all together, Eunha seems to have grown a lot. He seems to resemble your father more and more.»

«No! Eunha is even more handsome than dad!»

«Euna, I didn’t say he was ugly, I said that he is becoming more manly and handsome. At this rate, she might fall for you.»

«Hahaha….»

Eunha laughed soullessly at Seo-yeon’s, who was teasing him relentlessly.

She didn’t even care about his reaction.

She had begun to get used to his lack of formality.

He wasn’t her target in the first place, but her sister Seohyun.

«So why did you come in without knocking?»

«Why are you so nervous? As your big sister, I was worried about leaving you and Eunha alone.»

«Eunae was there.»

«Aha, why did you bring Eunae with you….»

«Haaa, stop teasing me.»

«My lovely little sister is asking me to!»

Seoyeon clings to Seohyun.

Seoyeon was happy to see her sister getting annoyed. She hugged her tightly, whether Seohyun told her to move away or not.

«Euna and I are going to take a walk to the greenhouse. We wanted to invite you to join us.»

Seoyeon pulled away from Seohyun only after Euna hugged her.

Eunha clicked his tongue at the sight of Seoyeon acting foolishly in Euna’s arms.

He wondered how a person could change so easily.

Seohyun seemed to feel the same way. She was staring at Seoyeon in disbelief.

«Me! Me! Eunae, I want to go too! I miss Chorong and Haetnim!»

«Chorong and Haetnim?»

Eunae swallowed the snack in her mouth and threw her hands up in the air.

Euna tilted her head and let Eunae off her chair.

«Chorong and Haetnim asked me to come again last time!»

«Eunae seems to like the flowers there. Okay, let’s go with this unnie. What about you two?»

«I’m not going.»

«I’ll stay here.»

Seohyun said no, like it was a bother.

Eunha also decided to stay behind. As much as he wanted to follow Euna and Eunae, he couldn’t turn his back on Seohyun, who was glaring at him.

«Okay, then you two can have some alone time! Seohyun, can you stop teasing Eunha so much?»

«Unnie, stop teasing. That’s enough.»

With that, Seoyeon left the room with Euna and Eunae.

Only Seohyun and Eunha remained in the room.

Suddenly, there was an awkward atmosphere in the room.

It wasn’t just awkward.

Eunha was looking at Seohyun, who looked like she was about to become hysterical.

«What’s wrong? You’re suddenly not talking.»

«…It’s nothing.»

«I am in a bad mood, so tell me something funny.»

She thinks I’m a storyteller or something.

Eunha looked at Seohyun with a puzzled expression.

Their eyes met.

Seohyun was also staring back at him with a puzzled expression.

Both of them were locked in a silent staring contest.

Without a word, the two of them burst into laughter simultaneously.

Their faces as they looked at each other were amusing.

«Do you want to go catch some fresh air?»

«Sure.»

The large table between them created a distance that felt too formal for a conversation.

It felt appropriate when Eunae was there, but being alone, facing each other, felt awkward.

They went out to the balcony in the room.

The sky was beginning to turn a dusky hue, and snowflakes were falling gently from the now-blue sky.

Leaning against the railing, she turned her palm to the sky.

«I’m in middle school next year.»

The snow flakes fell lightly and quickly melted with her body heat.

Still, she held out her hand and met the snow.

«Have you decided where you’re going to go?»

«Yeah.»

Eunha asked from a step away.

Seohyun looked up at the sky.

There was a two-year age gap between them.

He would be entering fifth grade next year, and she would graduate from elementary school and start middle school.

«Kyungshin Comprehensive Middle School.»

«That’s the same school as your sister.»

«…I am, after all, a member of this family. Even if I dislike it, I have to help Father and Unnie, right?»

Seohyun responded as if she had resigned herself to something.

She was a direct descendant of Sirius. As a direct descendant, she had immense rights and freedom, but with that came immense responsibilities and obligations.

Her life existed solely for the better future of Sirius.

Clever as she was, she must have realized her responsibilities and duties from an early age.

So had Baekryeon.

Under the dark blue night sky, Eunha thought of Baekryeon in the white snow.

At the age of ten, she had been given the responsibilities and duties of the next fairy, and though she tried not to show it, she was troubled by the pressures around her and the future she was bound to.

At that time, he could only watch as she struggled and suffered inwardly before ascending to the position of Second Fairy.

«…Hand.»

«Huh?»

«Give me your hand.»

«…….»

Eunha, who had awakened from his reverie, asked her to give him her hand.

Seohyun didn’t seem to understand why he was asking for her hand.

Nevertheless, she held out her hand, which was cold as the snow.

«What are you doing?»

«Stay still.»

Seohyun frowned.

Eunha pulled a pen from his pocket and scribbled something on her palm.

«It’s done.»

«What’s this…?»

«I’m usually someone who doesn’t answer calls, but this is an exception. Consider it my way of showing gratitude.»

Eunha deliberately spoke proudly. He considered it an arrogant action, even in his own opinion.

Despite that, he lightly scratched his nose with his finger and shrugged his shoulders.

It had to be done like this.

I should have listened to Baekryeon’s story of suffering alone. Even if there were no clear answers, just listening might have relieved some of her burdens.

Instead of foolishly thinking about defeating the evil.

«No Eunha, you… Having just a phone number, you’re really audacious, huh?»

«If you don’t like it, forget it.»

«…But didn’t you just write it with a permanent pen? What if it doesn’t get erased?»

«You can memorize our house number until it’s gone.»

«I’ve already memorized it. What if other people see it?»

«Well, you’re so full of complaints. Then don’t spread your hand out, just live like that.»

«Do you want to get in trouble?»

Eunha teased her.

Seeing her puzzled expression, he couldn’t help but reveal a faint smile.

«From next year, I’ll be a middle school student, and I’ll have to increase my tutoring, so I’ll have to reduce the number of meetings.»

«Really? That’s right, you’ll have to study, and you won’t have time for socializing…, yes, go ahead.»

«Ha…, I can’t believe you’re in my faction.»

I have no intention of joining a faction.

Eunha replied with a deadpan stare.

Regardless, she went back to her room and brought back a wrapped item.

«Here.»

«What’s this?»

«A Christmas present. It’s Christmas tomorrow.»

«I didn’t prepare anything…»

«It’s not a big deal anyway, but if you’re sorry, let’s just say it’s settled with the number.»

«I know my number is expensive, but this is still a little….»

«If you’re really that sorry…, I’ll look forward to next Christmas.»

«‘Let’s just settle it with the number. I just briefly wanted to show some courtesy.»

«Do you want to get in trouble?»

The two smirked at each other.

Eunha, after getting her permission, unwrapped the package.

It was a black umbrella.

Emblazoned with the symbol of Sirius Group.

Eunha glanced at Seohyun with a sidelong glance.

«What?»

«It’s really nothing.»

«What did you expect? I told you it was nothing.»

«Let’s settle it with my number.»

«This is a one-of-a-kind artifact, and you still don’t like it?»

«This umbrella? Is an artifact….?»

«Unfold it.»

Eunha looked down at the umbrella with suspicion, then did as he was told and unfolded it.

It was an ordinary umbrella.

Until she told him to infuse it with mana.

«Wow….»

«Awesome, huh?»

The inside of the umbrella glowed brightly.

It wasn’t just glowing.

The universe was inside the umbrella.

It was filled with constellations he didn’t recognize, centered on a wolf with the brightest star around its neck.

«This is Canis Major, and this is Sirius.»

Seohyun, who had come inside the umbrella, pointed to the star that shone the brightest.

Sirius.

Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

«My grandfather named the group Sirius because he wanted us to see the light in the midst of despair.

Actually, he wanted to call it Canis Major, but my dad suggested Sirius so that it would be easier to recognize in foreign countries, in case there was more international exchange someday.»

Their shoulders touched.

They stared at the stars through the umbrella, ignoring the narrowing distance between them.

Seohyun began her story, pointing to each constellation with her finger, and Eunha listened in silence, letting her enjoy the freedom.

It was snowing under the veil of night.

The two of them were lost in the warmth emitted by the sparkling constellations, unaware of the snow piling up on the umbrella.

☆

A few days before the Lunar Calendar New Year of the 7th year of Seonryeok.

Hong Jin-woo, a member of the Dangun Group, was gathering his children for a day of debauchery.

He didn’t care about the situation, regardless of whether it was good or bad.

He played recklessly.

The children who were with him were the same.

«By the way, Jinwoo, what happened to that girl from the Alice Group?»

«That’s right, what happened?»

After midnight.

As some of the kids collapsed on the couch from exhaustion, the kid who had been singing the song in tune broached the subject.

The kids who were close to Hong Jin-woo were intrigued, as if they had just remembered something.

On the other hand, the children who followed him closed their mouths with tense expressions.

«Oh, Jung Hayang?»

Hong Jin-woo, who had been resting his head on an Ain player’s lap, touched her tail.

Ain Player trembled for a moment but suppressed the sound that was about to come out.

The Dangun Group held immense power in the player industry.

Moreover, as a clan member of the Dangun Clan, which was sponsored by the Dangun Group, she couldn’t go against him.

«It’s something I really don’t like. If you came in from the streets, you should act like you came in from the streets. I don’t know where she got the idea to act all polite… Anyway, I won’t stand for it.»

Hong Jin woo frowned.

He didn’t like Jung Hayang, but he couldn’t mess with Alice Group’s direct line.

For some reason, Han Seohyun, the direct line of Sirius Group, had taken a protective stance towards her.

If he messed with her, he would be punished by his grandfather and father.

«But just leaving it be hurts my pride….»

He growled, tailing the Ain Player’s tail in thought.

While looking at the Ain Player’s face as she endured the pain, he suddenly thought of something and chuckled.

«Hey, you.»

«Y-Yes!?»

Hong Jin-woo pointed at one of the kids in the faction.

«You, you said you go to the same school as Hayang, right?»

«Yes, yes….»

«Good. Crush them a bit for me.»

The kid’s face instantly stiffened when he heard that.

«Why, don’t you want to?»

Hong Jin-woo asked.

The child shook his head.

He couldn’t say no.

He had to follow.

But before he did, he had to tell him something.

«Jung Hayang…, she’s a direct relative of Alice Group. If I step on her, I’m going to….»

«Who says you can step on her? I can’t step on her, so how can you step on her? Step on someone else, someone else.»

«Look, that’s….»

The child was sweating.

The child knew.

He knew what would happen if he stepped on Jung or her friend, or either of them.

He knew about the incident in first grade when KK Pharmaceutical’s Jin Sena bowed her head in front of a group of people.

«So what, she’s scarier than me?»

But Hong Jin-woo was not afraid in the slightest.

In fact, when the name of the child who trampled on Jin-sena came up, he giggled as if it was funny.

«So what? Are you afraid of them? You’ll only end up losing if you’re afraid, you know? Use your brain, use your brain.

Grandfather and father won’t say anything even if you trample those who disrespect me, so do what your company does best.»

«M-Me, our company?»

«Yeah, your company. The things your company does well. Doesn’t Dangun Construction spread rumors about land value dropping so brilliantly? Use that to bury one of her friends.»

«…Who exactly?»

The kid still didn’t understand.

Hong Jinwoo, who was muttering curses under his breath pointed to the Ain player who was kneeling.

«One of her friends, an Ain. Rumor has it that she brought an Ain to the last party.

Bury her.

Make them regret touching me to that extent.»