ReLife Player

[Unintentional Intentions (2)]

…It’s becoming a headache.

Eunha was a low-pressure system from the morning.

The students of Class 3, Grade 5, kept an eye on him since he displayed his power yesterday.

There were kids who would provoke him if they made eye contact, or kids who recalled trauma just by looking at him.

Even though his friends tried to change the atmosphere in the class, the fear they directly witnessed wasn’t easily erased.

«—Who’s No Eunha!»

In the fifth period, Han Chan-wook came to school with his mother.

A woman with heavily applied lipstick, her eyes sharp, entered the classroom during the lesson.

«Who made our son look like this! Where’s No Eunha!?»

«Ma’am, if you do this during class…»

«Teacher, my child came home like this from school. He said he’d been feeling unwell since this morning, so we went to the hospital. But what? Both of them are at fault, so both need to write reflection essays? Look at him, does he look fine now?»

Im Dohon made an irritated expression.

Still, as the homeroom teacher, he couldn’t handle Han Chan-wook’s mother lightly.

It was best to persuade her to leave.

Of course, she was far from calm. She intended to create a scene like this, she threatened to turn the school upside down, storm the office, and even meet the principal.

«…Alright.»

Eventually, Im Dohon raised his hands.

He decided to call Eunha’s parents as she wished.

What a headache.

Entering the counseling room, Eunha frowned he entire time.

Things had gotten messy.

He didn’t expect that what started with him being punished alone and ending with a reflection essay would escalate to involving his parents.

His mom must have been surprised….

His parents knew what he had done the previous day.

There was no way they wouldn’t know.

Im Dohon had contacted them, and they had to sign the reflection essay.

But Eunha explained that he had accidentally knocked Han Chan-wook over, and he wasn’t seriously hurt.

«What are you looking at like you’ve done something great? How… you look really pathetic.»

The woman sitting across from him muttered.

Han Chan-wook, who sat beside her, was busy watching his reactions.

The kid who had gone home with a few bandages after being taken down today had bandages visible all over his face.

«Mom, calm down. Please don’t say anything to Eunha….»

«Teacher, do you think that’s enough to say? Can’t you see my child? Look at him. How scared must my child be to avoid making eye contact with him?»

The woman didn’t seem to listen to Im Dohon.

If she heard even a word, she would say ten, appealing the damage her child had suffered.

It was really annoying.

But there was nothing he could do….

Eunha agonized over the woman who shouted hysterically.

The opponent was neither a monster nor a player.

Even though he could kill if he wanted to, it wasn’t a simple matter. It wasn’t easy to kill every single person just because he didn’t like them.

When killing someone, there had to be a reason worth paying the price for.

If he randomly swung his sword just because he didn’t like someone, he wouldn’t be able to lead a normal life.

The <Berserker> who went around killing without thinking was off the table now.

There were many things to consider….

Even in this life, he couldn’t just live recklessly without distinguishing between situations.

There was a lifestyle he wanted to maintain and people he wanted to protect.

He couldn’t randomly wield his power.

Power had value when it could distinguish when to use it.

In a world where force, authority, and wealth became power, they were strictly distinguished even though they shared the same world.

Mixing the three types of power appropriately could create synergies to dominate the world. However, wielding power without distinguishing its domain only caused the world’s resentment.

Although mana, a form of power, might easily resolve problems right in front of him, someday he would undoubtedly have to pay the price for thoughtlessly wielding his power.

Moreover, there was no guarantee that the person paying the price would be the one who wielded the power.

It could be an individual, or it could be a group. It could be oneself, or it could be an acquaintance.

«…I’m sorry for being late.»

«It’s okay. Please sit next to Eunha, Eunha’s mom.»

At that moment, Eunha’s mom came in, gasping for breath.

She was dressed hastily as if she had come straight from home.

Brushing a stray strand of hair away from her sweaty cheeks, she looked at Eunha, not caring what anyone else thought.

«Is everything okay?»

«…Yes.»

There was no questioning, no accusation.

Eunha slowly nodded his head.

Until a moment ago, he had been worried that his mom might be overwhelmed by the atmosphere.

But it seemed he didn’t need to worry.

His mom stood tall, her posture confident.

«Eunha’s mom, I think you’ve heard the situation over the phone….»

«Are you his mom?»

Im Dohon, sitting at his desk, furrowed his brows.

The woman who cut him off looked at his mom and snorted.

«Yes, I’m Eunha’s mom. Is it true that my child hurt that child over there?»

«Is this story going to end with saying he hurt him? Look at this. My child needs three weeks of recovery, three weeks! How could someone turn my child into this state? Huh?»

The woman took out the medical certificate from her purse.

Placing it on the table with a thud, she sat on the couch and clenched her fists.

«Mom, if it’s three weeks, then at the hospital…»

If you ask them, they can give you something different.

Eunha was about to say that to his mom as she looked at the certificate.

«Eunha, stay quiet.»

His mom, reaching out to Eunha who leaned forward, took her hand off the certificate.

«So what? Do you think this story ends with saying he hurt him? Look at this, please. My child has been hurt so badly….»

«Do you need to get compensation? Call out the price. I’ll transfer it generously, just in case. Is that alright?»

Placing her wallet on the flipped certificate, his mom spoke.

Eunha blinked his eyes.

His mom still had a smile on her face.

As if to say, if you want to try something, go for it.

It was a face without fear.

«Outrageous, really… You think we’re that desperate, don’t you? Saying your family holds a high position at Sirius Devices, and we should just accept your money and let it go?»

«…….»

«Do you think we’re poor or something? My dad is close with Dangun Construction. Do you think we don’t know who’s struggling financially? If we set our minds to it, we can make you walk around here with your heads down. Do you think you can just throw money at us and end it?»

The woman’s face turned red as she scolded.

Eunha frowned at the woman’s pointing finger as she rose from her seat.

He even considered using the Stygian Eye to shut her up.

But his mom’s tight grip on his hand told him not to do anything.

«…I think you’re misunderstanding something. We’re not going to pay for this.

I’m just saying that my kid hurt your kid, and I think we should pay for his treatment.

So don’t even think about a settlement, and let’s end this right here.»

«…What? Who are you, lady, to talk like that?»

«Chan-wook’s mother didn’t call me to talk about the settlement money, did she?»

«…»

The flushed woman took a deep breath and dropped her shoulders. She swept a hand across her face.

«Yeah, you’re right, I didn’t call you here to talk about the settlement. Who the fuck do you think you are as a beggar….»

She crossed her legs and turned her head away.

Cursing into the air, she put a hand on the shoulder of Chan-wook, who was sitting next to her.

«Apologize to our son. You made my boy like this, lady, get on your knees here.»

«Ma’am, I think telling me to kneel down is out of line….»

«What’s out of line, you still don’t understand the situation?

My Chan-wook, he almost got killed by that kid, he might not know how to manifest inner mana yet, but what if he had grabbed his hand and done it?, is that why he make him look like this?

I did everything I could to find out before I came here. Your kid, the rumors are really bad.»

«…….»

The woman, feeling victorious, lifted the corners of her mouth.

Eunha’s mother tightly held Eunha’s hand. Her lips trembling indicated her effort to suppress her emotions.

«He doesn’t attend classes and just sleeps all day, hangs out with a monster kid…

Oh, and didn’t he claim he caught a goblin in kindergarten? He boasted about knowing how to handle mana at school…

Your son is amazing, and I’m excited for his future.

But what do you think I or any other parent would think?

Imagine if a kid who kills monsters at a young age happens to go to the same school as my kid.

Wouldn’t you think he’d use his powers to harm my child? Well, he did harm Chan-Wook, and he could have been killed.

And you can’t even get down on your knees and apologize to my son for your kid, huh?»

The woman protested, her shoulders twitching. Her eyes burned as if challenging Eunha to speak if he could.

«I’m not lying when I say I could have your family banned from this neighborhood if I wanted to.

If you want to see your kid graduate from this school alive and well, think about it.

I don’t want much. Get on your knees, you and your little boy.»

The woman pointed at the ground with her finger, polished with red nail polish.

This…, what the hell is she saying to my mom?

Eunha couldn’t help but feel like he wanted to kill the woman with a wide smile smile on her face.

He wanted to kill the woman right now.

He had a reason to want to kill her, even if it meant taking on the burden of killing her and dealing with the possible repercussions.

Irritation flared up in him.

«─It’s okay.»

Then his mom whispered.

Her hands were sweaty.

His mom held Eunha’s hand so tightly, as if afraid to let go.

«It’s okay,» his mom reassured him.

Was it a message she was giving to herself, or was it a mantra she was repeating to his son?

All his mom did was not succumb to the woman’s malice.

«I’ll apologize. My child overreacted, and there might have been misunderstandings that led to my child’s behavior. We’ll apologize for that.

We’ll kneel down as you wish.»

«Mom?»

«Just stay still. But both Eunha and I also want your child and you to apologize…»

«What, what are you talking about?»

The woman repeated in a tone of incredulity.

The mother frowned at her and continued to speak calmly.

«My child may have done something wrong, but it’s not like your child didn’t do something wrong.»

«Like you said, it was wrong for him to touch Eunha, even though he knew he shouldn’t be infusing mana into others.

If he did, he could have gone into mana overdrive and died.

So should I and Eunha be the only ones who have to apologize?»

«Excuse me! When did I say Chanwook was aware of it?»

The woman’s face turned red with anger.

Eunha’s mom remained silent, merely looking at Im Dohon, who was seated beside her.

He nodded his head.

«Whether or not Chan-wook’s mother did or did not say those things is a matter for the recording.

No, I don’t think it’s a matter for the recording.

I gave the kids plenty of warnings before the class, and you can ask the kids in the class.

On top of that, Chan-wook wrote an essay reflection…, here it is. He heard the warning from the teacher, but he didn’t care….»

«…Anyway, it’s not like Chan-wook did it on purpose.»

The woman’s expression changed abruptly. «When did he say such things?» she muttered, shaking the child who had been silent.

«Hey, Chanwook. Say something. Did you do it intentionally to him? You didn’t, did you? Even though I communicated the precautions…»

«…I did it! I did it, so why are you saying this!»

What’s wrong with him?

Ham Chan-wook, who had his head down and was trembling, let out a loud shout.

Eunha was stunned to see him shaking as soon as he saw him.

He couldn’t understand why he was suddenly like that.

«I told you, I’m fine!»

With a grunt, Chan-wook got up from the couch and ripped the bandages off his body.

As the bandages slid off his body, he revealed his unblemished skin. There were only minor cuts.

«Why are you doing this to me, Mom? I was just kidding! Eunha didn’t do anything wrong!»

«Chan-wook…?»

Did he eat something wrong or is was he just not paying attention?

Eunha’s eyes widened at the sight of Chan-wook screaming at her like the woman had done.

I don’t know why he’s like that.

Regardless, Im Do-hon tried to organize the mess.

«Chan-wook says he’s fine… do we need to continue discussing this emotionally? Chan-wook’s mother, what do you think?»

«Uh, well….»

The woman had lost her reason to be angry.

Unable to hide her embarrassment, she averted her eyes and stuttered.

Eventually, she bowed her head.

«I’m sorry. I’ll make sure Chan-wook learns properly from now on. Let’s forget about the settlement money.»

«No, it’s me who should apologize. If my child had come home injured from school, I would have been furious. The settlement money… I understand. Please contact me if any issues arise in the future.»

Flushed with shame, the woman bowed deeper than his mom and apologized.

The children did the same.

«I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful from now on.»

«I’m sorry. I won’t play pranks anymore.»

☆

…Even if I wanted to be angry, I couldn’t.

After washing his hands in the restroom, Eunha waited for his mom to come out of the women’s restroom.

The three-way conversation ended in vain.

Ham Chan-wook’s mother was ashamed and unable to lift her head, having done her share of yelling.

At the end, she dragged him out of the counseling room without looking back.

Watching her flee in such a way, I lost all desire to be angry with her.

«…Don’t follow me, the kids will see you!»

«Chan-wook, I’m just worried about you, what’s wrong with you?»

«Oh, I don’t know! I’m going to class now! You can go home now!»

«Hey, aren’t you ashamed of yourself? What’s the good of going to class now…. Come on, let’s go eat something delicious with your mom. You know, that cake you said you liked before.»

«When did I say I liked cake!? I just said I wanted to eat it once before! Don’t just make things up, Mom!»

Eunha found Chan-wook and his mother arguing at the end of the hallway.

He shrugged off his mother’s hand and ran down the hall.

She awkwardly dropped her hand, which was fumbling in the air.

Soon, she bent her back like a shrimp and descended the stairs.

«Hey, Kim Yoo-ha, are you there?»

«…Uh. How did you know?»

Eunha, who had his back to the wall, called out to Kim Yoo-ha, who was hiding with his <Invisible> ability.

Kim Yoo-ha’s <Invisible> was at a level where he could sense someone’s presence if they were close.

«Didn’t you go to class?»

«I can’t be in class when Eunha’s in trouble!»

«I don’t want to hear that you didn’t even finish elementary school because of me….»

«I’ll do my best in class from tomorrow!»

«Forget it…, that’s up to you, I don’t know.»

«That’s too much….»

«I’m not in the mood to play games right now. You know Ham Chan-wook, right?»

«Yes, hyung. He’s the reason you were called in.»

Kim Yoo-ha replied, taking a side view of Eunha with the camera around his neck.

Eunha felt a flicker of irritation as the shutter clicked, but he managed to keep his emotions in check.

«Look into him. …with them.»

Eunha pointed to Ham Chan-wook running down the opposite hallway and the children running alongside him.

Something felt off.

At first, he’d thought to leave them alone, to let them be wary of him.

After all, they weren’t just one or two kids.

But Chanwook seemed to intentionally create confusion with the mana circuit as if he had some intention.

Some intention he didn’t understand.

An intention to harm him.

«…I’ll look into it. Ah, enough. Now I’m off to class, bye bye!»

The bell rang.

Kim Yoo-ha waved his hand, turned transparent, and disappeared.

«Was anyone there?»

«No, there was no one.»

His mom came out of the bathroom just in time.

Eunha shook his head at his smiling mom.

But why are you… getting… Ugh…

«Is it nothing? Is it really nothing, that your mom came to school over this?»

«I… couldn’t… I couldn’t…»

His mom pinched his cheek.

Eunha apologized in a voice barely audible.

His mom, who had been holding his cheeks for a while, let out an audible sigh as if urging him to speak.

«Next time, you’ll have to tell me the details instead of lying, understood?»

«Yes.»

«Even if mom and dad want to take your side, they can’t if they don’t know what happened.

If the teacher hadn’t explained everything, what would we have done?»

«…Yes.»

«I hate to say this, but… don’t hide anything; just tell me everything. Besides our family, who else in this world would believe you and support you?»

«…Yeah, okay.»

«Do you really understand? Did you?»

«…Yes…..»

Eunha rubbed his reddened cheeks with his hands.

His mom’s hands were so pungent.

«It’s kind of ambiguous to go back during the middle of the class… It might be awkward to go in now, right?»

«…I think so?»

«Because of you, Eunae was left at kindergarten. Since I’m going to pick her up, how about the three of us go eat cake?»

«I’m in favor!»

His mom held out her hand.

Eunha grasped it with all his might.

☆

«How was it? You, who were directly involved, should know.»

«…You guys saw it too. I can’t even look at Eunha’s face now. Let’s just stop bothering Eunha.»

«Well… I’m scared of him too. His dad is someone really high up in Sirius Devices, right?»

«Sirius Devices… You guys still don’t know? His dad is the right-hand man to the chairman of Sirius Group. I was against bothering Eunha from the beginning. If we mess with him, we might be the ones to suffer.»

«But you agreed to bother Eunha!»

«I reluctantly agreed. Still, there were things I learned from this incident…»

«What? Tell me about it, wise one from Dangun Construction~!»

«That we can’t treat Eunha lightly. If you do, you’ll just end up in a three-way meeting.»

«Don’t ever ask me to touch the Eunha again! I swear, I thought I was going to die! I was so scared looking at him!»

«Don’t worry, we’re not touching him anymore. Thanks to you, I know that when he shows his power, other kids get scared.»

«Why is that?»

«Because it’s easy to turn him into a bully if you want to.»

«What’s the point of bullying him? He doesn’t mind being left alone anyway.»

«We’ll step on Jin seona from now on.»

«With strength? Why do we have to do that? If we step on her with power, Eunha and others might retaliate with power. I don’t want to end up like Chan-wook. So, we should step on her not with power but with other means to prevent Eunha and others from resisting with power.»

«Your story is so hard!»

«…My dad often tells me that it’s not violence that drives down land prices, it’s rumors.

Imagine a bad rumor spreading through the school about Jin seona.

Would you be able to handle it if your name was badly rumored? Do you think you could handle it?»

«…I couldn’t. I wouldn’t be able to go to school.»

«Me neither. You all would.

But do you think Eunha can do it?

No, he can’t! This isn’t something you can fix with mana.

But let’s try making Eunha an outcast. Who would listen to Eunha saying that is not true?»

«So you’re going to make him an outcast?»

«Have you heard anything I’ve said, you idiot! Anyway, No Eunha will become an outcast on his own.

The school kids already know how scary he is.»

«Hey… You said Eunha’s dad is the right-hand man at Sirius, right? And Hayang is Alice… If we mess with them thoughtlessly…»

«That’s what Jinwoo hyung said.»

«»What?»

«There’s no room for Sirius and Alice to get involved.

It’s not No Eunha, it’s not Jung Hayang, it’s Jin seona.»

«»…….»

«You know too, right? Businessmen are sensitive about profits and losses. If both groups endure the losses to protect Jin seona, do you think they’ll gain anything?»

«…No. I don’t think so.»

«That’s why we’ll mess with Jin seona. It’s the easiest target, isn’t it? Because…»

«…Because she is an Ain.»

«…And because her parents aren’t here,»

«…And because she doesn’t have any backing.»