The Living Traffic Accident
The principal finally returned to his seat after delivering a sensible closing remark, as if a miracle had occurred thanks to the students' collective wishes. The moment his gleaming head under the lights disappeared, countless students let out sighs of relief as though they'd been holding their breath. The vice-principal took the podium next. Though he shared the principal's lack of hair, he mercifully spared everyone unnecessary rambling. The ceremony proceeded smoothly as various people crossed the stage—school staff, special guests, and students simply there to receive certificates. It was the picture of an ordinary school with ordinary people coming and going.
"Next, the Excellence Award for the Math Competition."
Come on, can't they speed this up? They'd already handed out over twenty awards, yet more were still coming. Surely they weren't planning to give one to every single student? The creeping anxiety paired with the mind-numbing reality eventually made me zone out halfway.
"Cheon Mari, Kang Sihyeok. Please come forward."
That snapped me back to attention. It wasn't because someone with a similar name to mine was receiving an award. Cheon Mari? Such an old-fashioned name. That alone pulled me out of my daze. I quickly scanned the crowd in search of the name's owner and soon found myself stunned.
"What the hell?"
"Sian, what do you mean by that?"
"Ah… um, nothing. It's nothing."
Because I saw her. Someone all too familiar. Platinum-blonde hair, crimson eyes that looked slightly unhinged, pointed ears marking her elven bloodline, and even the diamond-shaped pendant around her neck. It was far too obvious to be a mere coincidence or someone with similar features. Even accounting for childhood blur, her facial structure was recognizable, and given her age, she had to be around my age. This… this was practically a miracle-level coincidence. Staring at her, I tried to deny anything unusual, but the feeling only grew stronger. My emotions confirmed it, and a dreadful intuition lent it credibility.
"Additionally, first-year Class 1 student Cheon Mari achieved excellent results in the school math competition…"
Cheon Mari. One of the characters from the game. But not just any character. If she were, I wouldn't have been this shocked. Her true identity was none other than—
The hidden boss graduated from this school?
The hidden boss of the game. The very same one that every Gray Zone player unanimously despised as an absolute bitch. The conditions to even trigger her boss fight were notoriously strict, and once inside, players had to face difficulty beyond imagination. My eyes trembled involuntarily. Lim Hana shot me a meaningful look as I stared at Cheon Mari like that.
"Sian, do you know her?"
"No, not really. She just seems… off."
The appearance of a key game element. Was this a blessing or a curse? In most novels or game possession stories, encounters like this usually turned out to be huge boons. You could stick close and leech benefits, or actively insert yourself into the story. From that perspective, approaching her soon and extracting what I could while getting involved seemed like a solid plan. Especially since she was the hidden boss—if I somehow managed a marine-style rehabilitation, maybe the events of Gray Zone could be prevented altogether. It might even lead to a path where everyone ended up happy.
That's impossible.
But it was nothing more than an unattainable dream. About as likely as modern French people longing for early 20th-century France. Right now, she was an enormous liability. A living traffic accident in the flesh. If she suddenly killed someone, you'd just have to chalk it up to bad luck. Her extremism was that severe. Of course, someone might argue against this. The hidden boss stuff happened in the main game, and this was decades before that. Judging her now based on future crimes was unfair. Logically, that argument held water. But she was someone who existed outside common sense.
Having a regressor at the same school is just too much…
A regressor. Someone who had cheated death countless times by turning back time. And that pendant hanging from her neck—that was the item aiding her regressions. It might sound random, but this was a confirmed setting, hinted at and outright verified in the game itself. One of the essential conditions for reaching any happy ending was subduing Cheon Mari, stealing the pendant, and killing her. That stolen pendant would be used multiple times during the game's final crises.
Anyway, what did any of this have to do with traffic accidents? The fact that she was a regressor was itself a serious accident.
Regressor trait: personality destruction.
Every regressor I'd seen in fiction was like that. Either their insides were broken, their outsides were broken, or both. Tragically, Cheon Mari was basically just a piece of shit. Fitting for someone with "Cheonma" in her name, she had countless atrocities and suspected original sins attached to her. Still, couldn't she be fixed and put to use? Based on my extensive web novel experience, regressors weren't meant to be casually reformed. Even if you tried, you'd eventually get stabbed in the back or used as a meat shield and disappear. Naturally, the victim would always be the one who tried to help.
Then what if I regressed instead of her? What if I killed her and took the pendant? But how? She was the hardest boss in the game—how was I supposed to beat her one-on-one and steal it? I had zero confidence in defeating a crazy woman who'd regressed countless times. The only confidence I had was in getting my ass kicked while whining pathetically if I fought her.
So my options were obvious. Stay quiet. Keep my head down and avoid getting involved with that crazy bitch. Just as I was starting to feel uneasy about this new disaster named Cheon Mari naturally occurring in my already loose life, the vice-principal adjusted the microphone.
"Next, the Grand Prize for the Math Competition. Kang Sian, please come forward."
"……?"
Huh? Vice-principal equals award? What was this nonsense? Me? Why the hell?
"Sian, they said you got first place! Go get it!"
"Ah, no…"
I'd half-assed the math competition, so how was this the grand prize? Just how bad were everyone else's scores? I stood up in a daze and headed for the stage. The vice-principal smiled brightly at me.
"Congratulations on the perfect score."
Apparently, my half-assed attempt hadn't been half-assed after all. Blinking, I accepted the certificate along with the important person's words. Then, following the teachers' instructions, I moved to stand beside Cheon Mari—
Better not draw unnecessary aggro.
Instead, I stood next to the guy with a similar name. This way, the aggro wouldn't come my way. Naturally, she'd leave the stage without even knowing my face. It was an excellent plan.
"Sian, that's not your spot…!"
But the heavens didn't help me—they abandoned me like a dog. One of the teachers rushed over and made me stand right next to Cheon Mari. This was very, very bad. I kept my eyes forward as much as possible while holding my position. When it was time to leave the stage, I bowed and thanked the teachers with a loud voice. At the same time, my eyes casually rolled to the side.
Glare.
Look at that—the eyes of a murderer. Only then did I realize Cheon Mari was glaring at me.
"……Tch."
After that faint sound left her lips, her gaze grew even more extreme. Terrifying, considering she was just an elementary school student. Thinking about it again, the Gray Zone developers were definitely anti-Korean. Otherwise, they wouldn't have given the only Korean character such a messed-up setting. Their previous work was the third or fourth best-selling in Korea, yet this was how they repaid us. Truly ungrateful bastards.
Don't look back, don't look back, don't look back, don't look back, don't look back, don't look back, don't look back, don't look back, don't look back.
Feeling chills the moment my greeting ended, I returned to my seat. Of course, where Cheon Mari went wasn't my concern.
* * *
After the closing ceremony, I returned to the classroom. It seemed like I could head straight home, but school wasn't completely over yet. There was still one last thing left, so my classmates noisily took their seats. It was the homeroom teacher's order, and she instantly silenced the lively atmosphere.
"Class 3, everyone quiet~"
She began her usual spiel about what to do and what not to do during vacation. Though the content was somewhat boring, the kids experiencing their first vacation listened with sparkling eyes.
"Alright, everyone have a good vacation! See you in September~"
The teacher's words ended in an instant. Realizing vacation had begun, students started heading out one by one. They looked incredibly excited, as if liberated from daily life. There was no doubt they were feeling some kind of happiness.
"Sian! Let's hurry home and play! No, let's go to the playground… Actually, just the street…!"
"Hana, I've got some things to take care of first. Can you go to the playground and wait for me?"
"Huh? Okay! Sian!"
Lim Hana answered innocently while stomping her feet. After telling me to come quickly, she left the classroom.
"Better get going."
After stuffing my books and writing utensils into my bag, it looked noticeably fuller. I wanted to add more, but space was an issue. Satisfied enough, I zipped it up. And at that moment, I sensed suspicious movement beside me.