If you’re thinking of sharing my content, please give credit where credit is due! It takes a lot of time and effort to create something, so it’s always appreciated when people respect that and acknowledge the source. Thanks for being a responsible and considerate sharer!
Bibell[What are you doing out there? (2)]
It was a rainy day. Even with an umbrella, I couldn’t avoid getting the hem of my skirt wet.
Still, I felt light.
The children came to visit after a long time.
Eunha liked meat, and Euna liked fruit. If Eunae is three years old this year, there must be something she can eat.
With the death of her beloved and the marriage of her only daughter, the house felt spacious. Sometimes she felt lonely whenever she entered a house with no one to greet her.
Noh Seobang and her daughter talked about living in Seoul again and again, but she was against it.
Even though she was lonely, this house was filled with memories of her loved ones and her daughter’s growth.
It was hard to imagine leaving it.
«Uhh.»
Returning from the market.
«My clothes are going to get wet.»
The rain had picked up. Thank goodness there was no wind. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to relax while getting soaked.
«Come to think of it ….»
I smiled as I suddenly remembered something.
Rainy days always brought unexpected encounters.
The day I met him was also a rainy day. I didn’t have my umbrella with me, so I was sheltering from the rain under the eaves when I ran into him, who was also sheltering from the rain.
The day my daughter was born was also a rainy day. The newborn daughter cried until she was deafening as if she feared the rain would drown out her cries.
Was it also raining on the day my daughter brought her husband home? The two of them, drenched in rain, felt as if they had emerged from somewhere in the water.
Then Eunha and Euna. And finally, Eunae.
«It’s strange. I wonder if my family has a connection with the rain.»
It was interesting to think about.
If so, I wonder if there will be some kind of meeting today.
That’s what I thought.
«Uh….»
A sound drowned out by the rain. I heard an intermittent moan.
Did I hear it wrong?
I looked around, but there was nothing.
«Ugh….»
But the sound didn’t go away.
I stopped walking and looked around again. Still nothing.
«Ah.»
Maybe.
Just in case, I stepped into the alleyway.
There, under a dimly lit telephone pole, was a large trash can.
I lifted the lid of the trash can,
«…Oh my God….»
A child was curled up in a ball, whimpering.
«Why is he here….»
Then I realized it was an Ain.
«Ah.»
She had experienced the End of the Century Disruption firsthand.
It was an unspeakably horrible world. Friends you met today could be eaten by monsters tomorrow, and people fought over what they could eat to stay alive.
Children who had lost their parents poured into the streets.
But no one could afford to take them in. They were left to fend for themselves.
Children who grew up in this way developed a deep-seated animosity and hatred for monsters.
The most serious victim was the Ains. Children born under the influence of the omnipresence of mana or monsters while still in the womb had the appearance of monsters.
Humanity hated monsters, and those who were unable to defeat them, unlike players, vented their hostility on Ain as if they were monsters themselves.
As a result, parents who gave birth to Ain often abandoned their children in the face of social disapproval.
Even orphanages rarely took them in.
Left with nowhere to go from birth, they ended up in slums or sewers.
And this alley was one of the streets leading to the slums.
«…Hey, are you okay?»
She too was carrying the scars of the End of the Century Destruction in her heart.
But a child around Eunha’s age was lying in a trash can. She couldn’t let it go.
«Ugh….»
The child was curled up, so I couldn’t see how badly he was hurt.
But he was dressed in rags, with nasty bruises all over his exposed body. His face looked puffy and swollen.
«Who the hell….»
Who would beat a child and then throw him in a trash can?
I was furious with the ghetto people who said that strength is law.
«Hey, are you okay?»
Her first priority was to save the child. She reached into the trash can to pull him out.
Just then.
«Kaaaah!»
The wide-eyed child screamed like an animal and burst out of the bin.
The trash can tipped over, spilling its contents at her feet. Covered in trash, the child glared at her with the childlike gaze of an enemy.
«Sh…ack…. What are you doing!?»
Like a cat puffing itself up to defend itself.
The child was just like that.
«Go away, go away!»
He yelled.
He couldn’t take her foot off the ground.
The child’s condition was dire: skinny and wounded, every inch of him.
Most of all, his face was full of poison.
How could she leave him like this?
She shook her head.
What was her best option?
If she called the police, the child would be sent back to the slums.
It’s not uncommon for children to be abused anyway.
The people they’re supposed to be protecting aren’t the ghetto or the child.
The best option is to take them home.
If it was fate, then, that on a rainy day, she met a child who looked as if he might collapse at any moment.
She thought to herself.
The house was large enough for her to live in alone.
If there had been anyone at home, anyone raising a child, it would have ended at the point of turning the child over to the police, revealing everything right before their eyes.
«…If it’s meant to be, it is.»
Smiling softly, she approached the child.
«I told you not to come!»
The child shouted in a cracking voice.
She didn’t hesitate to approach and bend down to her knees. She held out her umbrella.
«If you have nowhere else to go, will you come to my house?»
That was the first time she and Jin Parang had met.
A meeting that would have only been a passing glance in the past.
☆
«You could have at least told us.»
After hearing the whole story, his father took a deep breath.
«Yeah, it’s not like we’d object.»
My mother pouted her lips and grumbled. She seemed to regret that Grandma hadn’t spoken up until now.
«You said you were coming anyway, so I thought I’d tell you then.»
Grandma said, pouring herself a drink like it was nothing.
«Mhm….»
«Ha.»
My father and mother could say no more. They both knew that once Grandma made up her mind, she rarely changed it.
Now they realized that Euna looked exactly like her grandmother.
They ended up drinking only what Grandma poured for them.
«What is it? What are you trying to do?»
Meanwhile, Eunha was looking at Jin Parang, who was greedily eating chicken.
How surprised he was a moment ago.
I never thought I’d see him in my grandmother’s fuzzy pajamas, eating snacks and watching TV.
…The future has changed.
I had to admit it.
The future had changed. By saving my family from the Kraken, by choosing a future with my family and not my grandmother.
Hadn’t he said it before?
If there had been one person in the house, he might not have brought Jin Parang home.
Before the regression, Eunha, who had lost his family, had spent several years as an autistic child under his grandmother’s care.
Even if she had met Farang then, she would never have brought him home.
What a coincidence.
Now that I think about it, Farang was also from Incheon.
I didn’t realize that she and Farang had been connected since childhood.
«…How much has the future changed?»
«Huh? What’s wrong?»
«Nothing. Nothing.»
Eunha shook his head at Euna, who was eating chicken next to him.
He couldn’t help but think that the future had changed more than he realized.
He couldn’t predict what would happen next.
If someone interferes, I’ll just kill them.
Of course, I’m happy to see Jin Parang again.
But,
«Why do you keep looking at me? This is mine, and I’m not giving it to you, so get lost.»
«Parang, I thought your grandmother told you not to use that kind of language.»
«Damn, he keeps glaring at me.»
«Damn?»
«Just ignore him.»
I’m going to have to break this habit.
Eunha laughed out loud as he watched Farang talk down to her grandmother.
«What, what, why are you laughing to yourself?»
Come to think of it, he did. From the first time they met, Parang was a mad dog who would bite anyone and everyone.
«A crazy dog is just a flea.»
Then he met Eunha.
They met when he had just graduated from the Academy.
Ostracized from a party he was attending, Jin Parang got drunk on a whim and was unfortunate enough to be caught and beaten by Eunha.
‘Hey, you asshole! Wait a minute! Who starts without saying anything?!’
‘A dog can say everything’
‘I’m not a dog, I’m a wolf, and I’m a year ahead of you in the academy, don’t you realize that?’
‘Wolf or dog, you’re going to whine the same anyway, and why should I know who’s on top of me?’
‘Wow, me, this stone-head… stop hitting me, I’m going to spin! I’ve heard of psychos, but this guy is a total psycho, isn’t he?’
‘Maybe.’
It was no exception to the fact that Farang was drunk and unable to control himself.
On the contrary, he took this opportunity to beat him so that he would never get up again.
‘Ah, damn it….’
Jin Parang couldn’t even fight back that day.
Later, he said it was the first time he’d ever been beaten so badly that it brought tears to his eyes. He said that even in the slums, people don’t beat people like that.
But still, if it was fate, it was fate. The reason Jin Parang was expelled from the party at the time was because he was treated unfairly due to being an Ain, and he claimed his rights to receive proper compensation.
Eunha didn’t care if the other person was an Ain. He was solely focused on how many monsters he could kill.
So, Jin Parang’s recruitment was as good as decided.
«A crazy dog is just a flea.»
«Why, why are you tearing it apart? Did you eat the chicken wrong!?»
Parang stepped back in fright.
Whether he said it or not, Eunha, who was still tearing apart a chicken leg, raised his shoulders as he continued to watch him.
This guy needs a good beating to sober up.
Later, Jin Parang became one of the representatives of Ain players, serving as a hunter and telepathist simultaneously.
However, his personality was so dog-like that no one wanted to recruit him. He caused trouble more than once in the party commanded by Eunha.
It took a long time to tame him and turn him into someone resembling a human.
In that case, it would have been better to let him know who his true owner was from a young age.
Above all else,
Don’t talk like that to my grandmother.
Farang’s tone hadn’t changed since before the regression. The way he spoke to his grandmother was his way of being friendly after living in the slums.
But Eunha couldn’t ignore his demeanor. He promised herself that he would take this opportunity to correct his speech habits.
He also had some research to do.
Eunha still remembered the boasting Parang did while being cocky before his regression.
‘Heh, heh! Why don’t you people realize how amazing I am?’
‘How few children can be telepathic from a young age! You’re lucky to have me as a telepath, you bastards!’
‘And I’ll hunt for you, and I’ll fetch water for you, and I’ll make a fire for you, and I’ll do everything for you, and you’re lucky to have me, you boys!’
‘Yeah, yeah. Jin Parang, just get in. Next time you’ll have something interesting to say.’
‘Unnie, unnie, I don’t really like men who only have a big mouth.’
‘Me neither. A man should be strong down there, what if only the top part is alive?’
‘I’ve just had an idea. Then, let’s leave the top to Parang oppa and the bottom to the leader. How about that?’
‘Wait, kid. We still don’t know if the leader is alive down there. Let’s ask Yoojeong first…’
‘Ha, can you guys please keep your mouths shut?
‘Shut up, all of you.’
The day they camped outside the city. Parang was furious that he should be excluded from the invasion.
He even claimed to have been telepathic from a young age.
I didn’t know his childhood, so I let it slide, but now I can see for myself.
He could see if Parang was better than anyone else.
If Parang had lied to her, he was going to make him pay dearly.
Eunha lifted the corner of his mouth,
«I’m going to go play outside with Parang hyung.»
«Huh? At this hour?»
«Huh? At this time?»
Father raised his head in surprise.
«I want to go too.»
«No, no. Sister is eating chicken.»
Euna nodded her head while peeling the crispy skin.
«Okay, take your time and come back.»
Grandmother, who was taking care of Eun-ae, had no suspicions at all.
«Come on, let’s go, Parang.»
«…Why are you like this? When did I say I’ll play with you?»
Parang glared at Eunha with his ears and tail standing straight.
Whether he liked it or not, Eunha grabbed him by the collar without giving him a chance to resist.
«Heyyy!! What is this? Let go!? Do you want to die, huh!?»
Eunha dragged him out without giving him any opportunity to struggle.
«Hey, wait! At least let me eat the chicken!»
«Ah, seriously! Just one thing! Let me eat just one!»
«Hey, you bastard, you don’t even touch a dog when it comes to eating, and you won’t even let me eat chicken!»
I flicked it into the yard.
Then I laughed.
«What did you say? Because it’s a dog, I won’t touch it? Well, dogs like that─.»
Eunha cut through the air with his hand.
Mana spread like ripples, creating a soundproof barrier around the two of them.
«─Should let the owner know.»
From now on, he would let him know who the owner is.
Realizing that, Parang bowed his head and mumbled,
«My, my chicken….»
He looked down at the fallen chicken on the floor, his voice choked with tears.
«Oh no, not that.»
If you’re thinking of sharing my content, please give credit where credit is due! It takes a lot of time and effort to create something, so it’s always appreciated when people respect that and acknowledge the source. Thanks for being a responsible and considerate sharer!
Bibell[What are you doing out there? (2)]
It was a rainy day. Even with an umbrella, I couldn’t avoid getting the hem of my skirt wet.
Still, I felt light.
The children came to visit after a long time.
Eunha liked meat, and Euna liked fruit. If Eunae is three years old this year, there must be something she can eat.
With the death of her beloved and the marriage of her only daughter, the house felt spacious. Sometimes she felt lonely whenever she entered a house with no one to greet her.
Noh Seobang and her daughter talked about living in Seoul again and again, but she was against it.
Even though she was lonely, this house was filled with memories of her loved ones and her daughter’s growth.
It was hard to imagine leaving it.
«Uhh.»
Returning from the market.
«My clothes are going to get wet.»
The rain had picked up. Thank goodness there was no wind. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to relax while getting soaked.
«Come to think of it ….»
I smiled as I suddenly remembered something.
Rainy days always brought unexpected encounters.
The day I met him was also a rainy day. I didn’t have my umbrella with me, so I was sheltering from the rain under the eaves when I ran into him, who was also sheltering from the rain.
The day my daughter was born was also a rainy day. The newborn daughter cried until she was deafening as if she feared the rain would drown out her cries.
Was it also raining on the day my daughter brought her husband home? The two of them, drenched in rain, felt as if they had emerged from somewhere in the water.
Then Eunha and Euna. And finally, Eunae.
«It’s strange. I wonder if my family has a connection with the rain.»
It was interesting to think about.
If so, I wonder if there will be some kind of meeting today.
That’s what I thought.
«Uh….»
A sound drowned out by the rain. I heard an intermittent moan.
Did I hear it wrong?
I looked around, but there was nothing.
«Ugh….»
But the sound didn’t go away.
I stopped walking and looked around again. Still nothing.
«Ah.»
Maybe.
Just in case, I stepped into the alleyway.
There, under a dimly lit telephone pole, was a large trash can.
I lifted the lid of the trash can,
«…Oh my God….»
A child was curled up in a ball, whimpering.
«Why is he here….»
Then I realized it was an Ain.
«Ah.»
She had experienced the End of the Century Disruption firsthand.
It was an unspeakably horrible world. Friends you met today could be eaten by monsters tomorrow, and people fought over what they could eat to stay alive.
Children who had lost their parents poured into the streets.
But no one could afford to take them in. They were left to fend for themselves.
Children who grew up in this way developed a deep-seated animosity and hatred for monsters.
The most serious victim was the Ains. Children born under the influence of the omnipresence of mana or monsters while still in the womb had the appearance of monsters.
Humanity hated monsters, and those who were unable to defeat them, unlike players, vented their hostility on Ain as if they were monsters themselves.
As a result, parents who gave birth to Ain often abandoned their children in the face of social disapproval.
Even orphanages rarely took them in.
Left with nowhere to go from birth, they ended up in slums or sewers.
And this alley was one of the streets leading to the slums.
«…Hey, are you okay?»
She too was carrying the scars of the End of the Century Destruction in her heart.
But a child around Eunha’s age was lying in a trash can. She couldn’t let it go.
«Ugh….»
The child was curled up, so I couldn’t see how badly he was hurt.
But he was dressed in rags, with nasty bruises all over his exposed body. His face looked puffy and swollen.
«Who the hell….»
Who would beat a child and then throw him in a trash can?
I was furious with the ghetto people who said that strength is law.
«Hey, are you okay?»
Her first priority was to save the child. She reached into the trash can to pull him out.
Just then.
«Kaaaah!»
The wide-eyed child screamed like an animal and burst out of the bin.
The trash can tipped over, spilling its contents at her feet. Covered in trash, the child glared at her with the childlike gaze of an enemy.
«Sh…ack…. What are you doing!?»
Like a cat puffing itself up to defend itself.
The child was just like that.
«Go away, go away!»
He yelled.
He couldn’t take her foot off the ground.
The child’s condition was dire: skinny and wounded, every inch of him.
Most of all, his face was full of poison.
How could she leave him like this?
She shook her head.
What was her best option?
If she called the police, the child would be sent back to the slums.
It’s not uncommon for children to be abused anyway.
The people they’re supposed to be protecting aren’t the ghetto or the child.
The best option is to take them home.
If it was fate, then, that on a rainy day, she met a child who looked as if he might collapse at any moment.
She thought to herself.
The house was large enough for her to live in alone.
If there had been anyone at home, anyone raising a child, it would have ended at the point of turning the child over to the police, revealing everything right before their eyes.
«…If it’s meant to be, it is.»
Smiling softly, she approached the child.
«I told you not to come!»
The child shouted in a cracking voice.
She didn’t hesitate to approach and bend down to her knees. She held out her umbrella.
«If you have nowhere else to go, will you come to my house?»
That was the first time she and Jin Parang had met.
A meeting that would have only been a passing glance in the past.
☆
«You could have at least told us.»
After hearing the whole story, his father took a deep breath.
«Yeah, it’s not like we’d object.»
My mother pouted her lips and grumbled. She seemed to regret that Grandma hadn’t spoken up until now.
«You said you were coming anyway, so I thought I’d tell you then.»
Grandma said, pouring herself a drink like it was nothing.
«Mhm….»
«Ha.»
My father and mother could say no more. They both knew that once Grandma made up her mind, she rarely changed it.
Now they realized that Euna looked exactly like her grandmother.
They ended up drinking only what Grandma poured for them.
«What is it? What are you trying to do?»
Meanwhile, Eunha was looking at Jin Parang, who was greedily eating chicken.
How surprised he was a moment ago.
I never thought I’d see him in my grandmother’s fuzzy pajamas, eating snacks and watching TV.
…The future has changed.
I had to admit it.
The future had changed. By saving my family from the Kraken, by choosing a future with my family and not my grandmother.
Hadn’t he said it before?
If there had been one person in the house, he might not have brought Jin Parang home.
Before the regression, Eunha, who had lost his family, had spent several years as an autistic child under his grandmother’s care.
Even if she had met Farang then, she would never have brought him home.
What a coincidence.
Now that I think about it, Farang was also from Incheon.
I didn’t realize that she and Farang had been connected since childhood.
«…How much has the future changed?»
«Huh? What’s wrong?»
«Nothing. Nothing.»
Eunha shook his head at Euna, who was eating chicken next to him.
He couldn’t help but think that the future had changed more than he realized.
He couldn’t predict what would happen next.
If someone interferes, I’ll just kill them.
Of course, I’m happy to see Jin Parang again.
But,
«Why do you keep looking at me? This is mine, and I’m not giving it to you, so get lost.»
«Parang, I thought your grandmother told you not to use that kind of language.»
«Damn, he keeps glaring at me.»
«Damn?»
«Just ignore him.»
I’m going to have to break this habit.
Eunha laughed out loud as he watched Farang talk down to her grandmother.
«What, what, why are you laughing to yourself?»
Come to think of it, he did. From the first time they met, Parang was a mad dog who would bite anyone and everyone.
«A crazy dog is just a flea.»
Then he met Eunha.
They met when he had just graduated from the Academy.
Ostracized from a party he was attending, Jin Parang got drunk on a whim and was unfortunate enough to be caught and beaten by Eunha.
‘Hey, you asshole! Wait a minute! Who starts without saying anything?!’
‘A dog can say everything’
‘I’m not a dog, I’m a wolf, and I’m a year ahead of you in the academy, don’t you realize that?’
‘Wolf or dog, you’re going to whine the same anyway, and why should I know who’s on top of me?’
‘Wow, me, this stone-head… stop hitting me, I’m going to spin! I’ve heard of psychos, but this guy is a total psycho, isn’t he?’
‘Maybe.’
It was no exception to the fact that Farang was drunk and unable to control himself.
On the contrary, he took this opportunity to beat him so that he would never get up again.
‘Ah, damn it….’
Jin Parang couldn’t even fight back that day.
Later, he said it was the first time he’d ever been beaten so badly that it brought tears to his eyes. He said that even in the slums, people don’t beat people like that.
But still, if it was fate, it was fate. The reason Jin Parang was expelled from the party at the time was because he was treated unfairly due to being an Ain, and he claimed his rights to receive proper compensation.
Eunha didn’t care if the other person was an Ain. He was solely focused on how many monsters he could kill.
So, Jin Parang’s recruitment was as good as decided.
«A crazy dog is just a flea.»
«Why, why are you tearing it apart? Did you eat the chicken wrong!?»
Parang stepped back in fright.
Whether he said it or not, Eunha, who was still tearing apart a chicken leg, raised his shoulders as he continued to watch him.
This guy needs a good beating to sober up.
Later, Jin Parang became one of the representatives of Ain players, serving as a hunter and telepathist simultaneously.
However, his personality was so dog-like that no one wanted to recruit him. He caused trouble more than once in the party commanded by Eunha.
It took a long time to tame him and turn him into someone resembling a human.
In that case, it would have been better to let him know who his true owner was from a young age.
Above all else,
Don’t talk like that to my grandmother.
Farang’s tone hadn’t changed since before the regression. The way he spoke to his grandmother was his way of being friendly after living in the slums.
But Eunha couldn’t ignore his demeanor. He promised herself that he would take this opportunity to correct his speech habits.
He also had some research to do.
Eunha still remembered the boasting Parang did while being cocky before his regression.
‘Heh, heh! Why don’t you people realize how amazing I am?’
‘How few children can be telepathic from a young age! You’re lucky to have me as a telepath, you bastards!’
‘And I’ll hunt for you, and I’ll fetch water for you, and I’ll make a fire for you, and I’ll do everything for you, and you’re lucky to have me, you boys!’
‘Yeah, yeah. Jin Parang, just get in. Next time you’ll have something interesting to say.’
‘Unnie, unnie, I don’t really like men who only have a big mouth.’
‘Me neither. A man should be strong down there, what if only the top part is alive?’
‘I’ve just had an idea. Then, let’s leave the top to Parang oppa and the bottom to the leader. How about that?’
‘Wait, kid. We still don’t know if the leader is alive down there. Let’s ask Yoojeong first…’
‘Ha, can you guys please keep your mouths shut?
‘Shut up, all of you.’
The day they camped outside the city. Parang was furious that he should be excluded from the invasion.
He even claimed to have been telepathic from a young age.
I didn’t know his childhood, so I let it slide, but now I can see for myself.
He could see if Parang was better than anyone else.
If Parang had lied to her, he was going to make him pay dearly.
Eunha lifted the corner of his mouth,
«I’m going to go play outside with Parang hyung.»
«Huh? At this hour?»
«Huh? At this time?»
Father raised his head in surprise.
«I want to go too.»
«No, no. Sister is eating chicken.»
Euna nodded her head while peeling the crispy skin.
«Okay, take your time and come back.»
Grandmother, who was taking care of Eun-ae, had no suspicions at all.
«Come on, let’s go, Parang.»
«…Why are you like this? When did I say I’ll play with you?»
Parang glared at Eunha with his ears and tail standing straight.
Whether he liked it or not, Eunha grabbed him by the collar without giving him a chance to resist.
«Heyyy!! What is this? Let go!? Do you want to die, huh!?»
Eunha dragged him out without giving him any opportunity to struggle.
«Hey, wait! At least let me eat the chicken!»
«Ah, seriously! Just one thing! Let me eat just one!»
«Hey, you bastard, you don’t even touch a dog when it comes to eating, and you won’t even let me eat chicken!»
I flicked it into the yard.
Then I laughed.
«What did you say? Because it’s a dog, I won’t touch it? Well, dogs like that─.»
Eunha cut through the air with his hand.
Mana spread like ripples, creating a soundproof barrier around the two of them.
«─Should let the owner know.»
From now on, he would let him know who the owner is.
Realizing that, Parang bowed his head and mumbled,
«My, my chicken….»
He looked down at the fallen chicken on the floor, his voice choked with tears.
«Oh no, not that.»
