ReLife Player

[Good Morning (3)]

It was dawn.

Did he kick off the blanket while sleeping?

Eunha woke up to a breeze and saw Euna lying next to him and realized the situation.

It seemed like Euna had tossed and turned during the night. The blanket that he had covered was lying far away and he was holding onto himself tightly.

Eunha got up to make sure that Euna wouldn’t wake up. He took the blanket from the bed and passed by his father who was frowning in his sleep and his mother who was embracing him in her sleep as well.

Now he realized that his mother was a light sleeper.

He covered Euna with the blanket, who was shivering from the cold.

«Whew….»

Eunha turned on his father’s smartphone and saw that it was 5am. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but Eunha, who had slept soundly in the car the day before, couldn’t sleep anymore.

He quietly got up from his seat and opened the sliding door. He remembered living in his grandmother’s house before his regression, so he didn’t get lost and stepped out into the hallway with the courtyard.

«Whoa….»

Outside, the dawn air filled the room. Dressed only in his pajamas, he warmed himself with the mana in his body.

«Sure enough, my mana has increased.»

Once a day, at intervals. He had been practicing increasing his mana for two days, and he realized that it had increased. His mana had been subtly increasing since the day he faced the Kraken.

«It must be the Gift.»

The reason was obvious.

The Gift had manifested in that fight. That day, when his mana had been drained, when the Kraken had thrown the bodywork. That’s when he’d felt the sensation of his physical abilities surging with only a small amount of mana.

«But that was…. What the hell was that?»

At that time, there was no time to think about anything. Now, thinking about it, he ruffled his messy hair with his hand.

A Gift is a quality of mana that everyone is born with. As the name implies, it is a natural quality.

«My Gift, it wasn’t this»

However, the Eunha’s Gift is not the same as the Gift he had before the regression.

Before the regression, Eunha’s Gift was Berserk. <Berserk> was a gift that increased your physical and magical abilities as you spent mana. However, as the name suggests, Berserk came with a price: the more mana you spent, the more irrational and frenzied you became.

Therefore, Eunha, who had little mana in his body, could only be called a Berserker, a person who could destroy monsters like crazy. Even so, Berserk was the best gift for him because he had little mana in his body.

«There’s no way… that the Gift could have changed.»

The Gift that manifested in the field two days ago was definitely. However, even though I felt like I was getting stronger as I consumed mana, I didn’t lose my cool.

It was hard to think that the gift had changed after the regression. And even if it had, I couldn’t figure out why it had changed.

Rather,

«Perhaps I misunderstood the nature of or….»

Eunha remembered the time when he had his Gift verified by the Mana Management Bureau. The researchers, who confirmed that the more mana he consumed, the more his physical abilities increased and his mind became unstable, said that the wavelength and characteristics of his mana were similar to those of a Berserk holder in the United States.

But what if their gifts weren’t similar, or what if even the American Berserker didn’t know what it was?

Maybe Eunha’s Gift or the researchers misunderstood the nature of the Berserk. Maybe the loss of sanity and frenzy was just a side effect of the Gift.

Then how did I manage to use it without the penalty? If I could use it without penalty in the future, I wouldn’t envy any other Gift.

In order to manifest Gift once again, which is held in the mind known as a seal, I decided to consume mana, but,

«Oh. What are you doing?»

«Ah.»

He seemed to be deep in thought. It wasn’t until the old woman was within earshot that Eunha realized and looked up.

«In the car, I slept a lot.»

«I see. But you still need to sleep more to be an adult»

«Hehe.»

Still, Grandma didn’t bring up the subject of growing up.

Sitting down on the patio, Grandma slowly pulled the cardigan off her shoulders and put it on Eunha. As she buttoned it up and felt the soft gaze of her eyes on him, Eunha smiled back.

This was the kind of person Grandma was.

The kind of person who didn’t speak, but would sneak up on you whenever you were lost in thought and spend time with you.

She must have been waiting for me to speak.

Whether it was a problem, a thought, or just small talk.

But he never got around to tell her what was on his mind. And the pain of not being able to confide in anyone festered inside him, leading him down the path of the Undead, the ones who don’t die.

«Why did you come out if you’re not sleeping, Grandma?»

«Because Eunha was out and not sleeping.»

«Tsk.»

Grandma brought a hand to the corner of her mouth and teased Eunha.

With regression. Eunha, who hadn’t seen her grandmother in a long time, puffed out his cheeks in protest.

What?

Eunha was surprised by the reaction, even if he thought it was uncharacteristic.

Then he realized that he had regained the innocent child he had once abandoned.

Ah I was hoping for something like this.

I had hoped for this. Now that he was facing his grandmother, it was coming out.

Unbeknownst to Eunha, he had harbored feelings of fondness and longing for his grandmother, a childlike longing he had given up on since the day he last lost his family.

«I had a dream. I saw him again.»

«You mean grandfather?»

Eunha asked, surprised.

Grandma had never talked about him before. She hadn’t even talked about his parents.

He knew why. Grandma knew that for Eunha, family was a scar that wouldn’t heal.

So Eunha never spoke to her grandmother about his family, and I’m sure she was waiting until the day she closed her eyes for him to share his longing for them.

Now, with the future changed, without the loss of his family, Grandma, remembering his grandfather, gazed into the distant sky with a smile Eunha had never seen before.

«Well, he showed up out of nowhere again and said he was lonely and needed to go outside.»

«That’s why you went outside?»

«Yes, so I went out, and there was a pretty deer.»

«Haha. What’s that?»

Eunha laughed awkwardly at her grandmother’s comparison of him to a deer.

Unaware that he was once an old man who people called crazy and freaked out whenever he made eye contact with them, she seemed to see him, her grandson, as a cute baby deer.

Eunha with a terrible past, didn’t know how to react.

«Would you like some hot milk?»

«No, thank you.»

«Oh, really?»

When did my mother arrive?

Eunha suddenly noticed her mother’s arrival, realizing for the first time that his grandmother and mother were mother and daughter.

What about my sister? Oh, she’s not here.

Although his grandmother and mother were both beautiful, Euna was more of a lively beauty. He didn’t think she would become a woman with the same atmosphere as the two of them when she grew up.

«So who should drink this?»

Her mother playfully pointed to the mug on the tray.

«Me, me, me!»

If Eunha could be so foolish with his grandmother, there was nothing he couldn’t do with his mother. He reached out and took the mug, feeling a little lighter since defeating the Kraken.

He lifted the steaming milk to his mouth. As he clucked his tongue and frowned, his grandmother and mother grinned.

«Hoo hoo~ and drink it.»

«Do you want mommy to blow it?»

«I can blow it too.»

«Really?»

Now they tease me for being so young.

Embarrassed to be treated so childishly, Eunha cooled the hot milk and brought it to his mouth.

«By the way, Mom. Do you know how surprised I was when you first called?»

«That’s why I said it was okay.»

Meanwhile, her grandmother and mother chatted with Eunha between them. The patio was wide enough, but they clung to him, using the excuse that it was a chilly morning.

Ah, so it was.

The first topic she brought up was his grandmother’s collapse a few days earlier.

«You know, the old lady next door is noisy.»

«Still. I was so surprised when I got a call during dinner saying that you fainted.»

The grandmother who stumbled on the stairs only suffered a minor injury and did not get seriously hurt. The reason she was hospitalized was due to her age, and they wanted to observe her for a day.

As expected, grandmother was okay.

«I just lost focus for a moment.»

«Why did you lose focus?»

«Isn’t that what they call daydreaming? I saw him as I was climbing the stairs.»

«Mom…»

«I’m not senile yet, dear. Listen to me till the end.»

Is it another dream about grandpa?

Eunha had heard a dream about his grandfather before. When his grandmother mentioned another dream about his grandfather, he listened curiously.

«… He was waving his hand frantically. He said you shouldn’t come here.»

«What?»

«At first, I thought it was my time to go, but now I realize he was talking to you guys.»

«Ah…»

Her mother let out a sigh.

It was too strange to be just a dream. In reality, if they made a mistake, they could end up going to the place where his grandfather was taken by the Kraken.

Grandpa… If he was going to appear in a dream, he should have been clearer.

Eunha made a sickening sound inwardly.

If he was going to show up in her dreams to tell her, he should have told her the truth and kept his family away from the place of its appearance!

Her mother, worried about her grandmother, decided to go to Incheon, and Eunha couldn’t help but be unhappy that he was going to have to deal with the Kraken.

«But it’s funny, isn’t it? I had a dream about him earlier. He said there was a pretty deer outside and it was lonely, so I went outside and there was Eunha.»

«Huh? A deer?»

«Well, actually, I had a dream earlier, too….»

The story of my mother’s dream was even stranger, starting with the keyword deer.

My mother’s dream also included my grandfather. Grandpa, who the hell are you….

«I dreamt that my dad suddenly walked into our house carrying a deer, and I was like, ‘Are you going to eat it?’ And he was like, ‘Why would I eat it, he’s so cute,’ and he handed it to me.» (1) (E/N: There’s a note about it!)

«Oh my….»

«Huh?»

The little old lady stared at her mother in awe.

«You can’t be….»

«A~»

Eunha, who didn’t understand, cupped his cup to his mouth and shook his head.

«Grandma, what’s wrong?»

«It’s nothing.»

«Really?»

«Yeah, it’s nothing.»

When they both said that it was nothing, Eunha thought that it must be so.

He didn’t believe in precognitive dreams. The dreams were interesting, but that was it.

«Eunha, what do you want to be when you grow up?»

«Huh?»

As the conversation continued, her mother asked him out of the blue.

Eunha, who had never thought about the future, was speechless. Until now, he had only thought about saving his family.

«I….»

What do I want to do, what do I want to be?

Eunha couldn’t answer. Having accomplished his goal of saving his family, he didn’t know what to do anymore.

Save them.

Save me.

Help me.

Then he heard a mocking voice from somewhere.

«What’s wrong?»

His mother and grandmother, worried for the frightened Eunha

He shook his head in disbelief as he realized that the sound he heard so close to him was echoing in his head.

«Nothing.»

With a forced smile, he waited for the ringing in his head to go away.

To his surprise, his mother took his hand and the sound disappeared.

«…I don’t know.»

Before the regression, Eunha was a player who killed monsters.

But he wasn’t ready to walk the path of a player again. He no longer had a reason to kill monsters, and he didn’t want to live in a player world where malice lurked.

That was after defeating the Kraken. Something inside me was empty. I felt joyful and relieved, but at the same time, something inside me felt empty.

«You don’t have to know.»

«Huh?»

Had she seen through it?

«You don’t need to know. You’re still young, and you’ll just have to figure it out. You’ll have your ups and downs. You’ll make friends, You’ll fight. Study hard, play hard, and one day you’ll know what you want to do. And if you don’t, you’ll live until you do.»

It’s like she’s telling me to live with nothing.

Eunha stared at his grandmother in disbelief at the seriousness with which she spoke.

«…I see. Grandma is right, we can think about it later. Time is on our side, since you’re a Galaxy»

«…What is that?»

«It’s your name Eunha, wich means a galaxy with infinite possibilities. You are a galaxy, so you can do anything.»

That’s what my name means?

He stuck out his tongue as he realized how he had come to be named Noeunha. The vastness of his mother and father left him speechless.

«I see. The galaxy is so big.»

Grandma joined in.

Two people talking about nonsense in all seriousness. At this point, I couldn’t help but laugh. Eunha laughed out loud, his shoulders shaking.

They look like a mother and daughter.

I didn’t know that my grandmother and mother could be so wacky. I laughed so hard I was on the verge of tears.

«I’ll support you, son. I want you to find what you want to do. I’ll believe in you. You can do anything.»

On his left and right, his grandmother and mother hugged him tenderly.

Eunha forgot to take a sip of the warmed milk and let the hands run through his hair.

Before he knew it, the morning sun was rising.

The morning air was cool, and he felt his heart leap out of his chest.

«Ah! Mom, I want some warm milk too!»

«Euna, are you awake? You should have slept in.»

«Hoo-hoo, come here. Would you like some of what your grandma used to drink?»

«I want to drink! I want to drink!»

Maybe she couldn’t fall asleep by herself.

Euna walked down the hallway after twirling the blanket and when she saw the three of them huddled together, she puffed out her cheeks in disgust.

«Wow! The sky is beautiful, isn’t it Eunha?»

«Yes. It is.»

Sitting next to her grandmother, Euna hummed while holding a mug in her hand. She was enjoying the morning air as she chatted about what was so good.

«Ah, wait.»

As he watched the three of them chat happily, Eunha jumped up from his seat with a sudden realization. He stormed down the hallway and rummaged through his bag.

«Ah, what is it?»

A rustling sound woke his father.

Eunha stirred lightly,

«Morning, Dad!»

He waved back and ran to his grandmother.

«Grandma, this.»

«Oh.»

Eunha handed over the carnation he had folded in kindergarten.

Grandma’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting a carnation. Then she smiled, a smile he had never seen before his regression,

«Thank you. I’ll hang it on my front porch to show off to the neighbors.»

Huh? Was that why?

Before her regression, she used to hang carnations made by Eunha on her front door and around the house.

I didn’t think her reason for hanging them was to show them off to the neighbors.

Then he said.

«…Thank you for taking care of me.»

Eunha opens his mouth so quietly that no one can hear him.

The grandmother who took care of him before his regression, until the day she closed her eyes. The grandmother he remembers is no longer in this world.

The grandmother who receives the carnations now is not the same grandmother who has longing and sadness for her family.

But Eunha sees the grandmother who was happy to receive the carnations as the grandmother who cared for him until the day she died.

Grandma doesn’t know.

It didn’t matter if she didn’t. He had been given a second life, and since he hadn’t been able to do anything for her in his previous life, he would give her nothing but pleasant memories in this one.

The morning sun was rising.

The morning air was cool, but the mug was still steaming.

The future had changed.

The future from now on will be another future.

I didn’t know what the future would bring, but I hoped it would be a happy one─,

Good night,

and good morning.

Notes!

(1) dreaming about a deer is often considered a symbol of new life or new beginnings. It is believed that if you dream about a deer, it may indicate that you will experience a positive change or transition in your life, such as a new job, a new relationship, or a new project. (or new baby!)