The Shuttle Run That Caught Her Eye
When I first met her during that shuttle run, I thought she'd just be a fleeting acquaintance.
Ding-dong. Korean age eight. With my second elementary school entrance just around the corner, I was chilling at home when the doorbell rang.
"Sihoo, Mom's busy—can you get the door?"
"Sure."
Sihoo. My name in this life. Having fully adapted to this second name by now, I opened the door. There stood a girl about my age.
"Hello!"
A bright, energetic greeting. She looked me straight in the eye and stated her business clearly.
"We just moved in next door today! So I brought some rice cakes."
Ah, right. I'd heard moving trucks yesterday—this must've been her. One of her hands held a prettily wrapped package of sirutteok.
"……."
"……."
Our eyes met as she finished speaking, her big eyes sparkling brightly. At first, I'd been lost in thought and hadn't noticed, but now it hit me—this girl was stunningly pretty.
She'll have guys falling over her when she grows up.
Her golden blonde hair gleamed vibrantly. Her eyes were like melted roses. If I didn't remember my past life, I'd have fallen for her right then and there, confessed, gotten shot down, and turned into a total shut-in. Damn, I suddenly felt sorry for myself.
But that wouldn't happen. This was my second go at life, after all.
"Got it. Thanks."
I smiled softly and held out my hand—meaning, hand over the rice cakes. But she didn't respond right away. Instead, she tilted her head at me.
"You live here?"
"Yeah? Obviously."
What, you think I snuck in? Ignoring my puzzled look, she grinned.
"Cool! Then we'll go to the same elementary school."
With that, she handed me the rice cakes while introducing herself.
"I'm Lee Sera."
Her face brimmed with confidence as she said it—Sera's smile was overwhelming, nothing like the shy girls her age.
"We're friends now!"
Ah, so this is what an extrovert looks like.
And so, Sera and I enrolled in the same elementary school. By some coincidence, we ended up in the same class every year. That meant I got a front-row seat to Sera's school life.
Lee Sera, the blonde-haired, rose-eyed beauty. She was always the most popular girl in class.
"Sera! What shampoo do you use? You smell amazing."
"Did you see that yesterday? What'd you think?"
"Wanna grab some slushies together? Yeah?"
The girls in our class flocked to her, all vying for her attention. Kids know instinctively. They sense who's the most charismatic, who holds the real power in class. And Sera checked every box.
An overwhelming appearance even at that young age. Self-confidence beyond her years. That's why she was the idol of every kid.
"Me? I don't picky about shampoo. That anime yesterday? It was fun! Yeah, I could go for a slushie!"
And Sera handled all that attention without a hint of strain, like it was only natural—like breathing. But she wasn't arrogant about it. She didn't look down on or ignore the other kids. She was aware she led the social scene but never flaunted or abused it.
Maybe that's what makes her the sweet delinquent type.
I often walked home with Sera. We were the only two from our apartment complex at school, so I'd listen to her endless chatter—she loved to talk.
"Mom says my Gift is 'Golden Ratio,'" Sera said, humming a tune. Thud, thud—she'd been kicking a soccer ball along out of boredom. It looked so natural, like she might aim for pro soccer someday.
"Golden Ratio?"
"Yeah. Apparently, it optimizes every part of my body to the ideal level. No idea what that means exactly, but it's gotta be good, right!"
She giggled.
A Gift, huh.
I knew the term Sera mentioned. This world—a mysterious one with hunters and mana—had kids born with special powers. People called them Gifts.
It had felt foreign at first, but I'd adapted by now.
It's been over ten years since I reincarnated, after all.
I had no clue how I'd ended up reincarnated into a hunter story. No idea where or even if I'd died before. And I didn't know the original plot of this world—I'd scoured the internet for familiar names or groups, but nothing.
In short, I was just an ordinary kid reincarnated into a brand-new hunter world.
Wait, not ordinary, actually.
I had one special power of my own. But I had no plans to reveal it.
"What about you, Sihoo? Got anything?"
"Nah, nothing. I'm just average."
"Yeah, you totally seem it. Hehe."
"……."
Don't agree with that!
I felt awkward, but her words were proof of how she saw me. Sure, she'd called us friends when she brought the rice cakes. But to an extrovert like her, that was just standard neighborly chit-chat. Living next door made you friends automatically. Incredible charisma.
But because of that, she didn't pay me much special attention. Sera could befriend anyone and was always surrounded by admirers. Unless you really piqued her interest, you were just "a friend" to her.
And honestly? I wasn't bummed about it.
Why would I hang with a girl like that?
Getting too close to an extrovert like her was overreaching. Guys like me—total introverts—should just mind our own business. Yeah, that's right.
Sera's Golden Ratio Gift made her shine even as a kid. Sure, her stunning looks played a part, but that wasn't all. Her true value showed in PE class.
"Alright, shuttle run today. Everyone warmed up?"
A staple of school PE. The teacher lined us up and held his smartphone. I glanced at the other kids, then my eyes landed on Sera.
"……."
Her expression was rock-solid. She knew she was the only one who'd take first. Obviously. For years since starting school, she'd dominated every PE event.
Our school was in a hunter world but just a regular elementary—no one had Gifts or even handled mana. No real competition for Sera.
"Sera's gonna win again, right?"
"Duh. She did last year, the year before..."
"I'll be happy not coming last."
The kids whispered in awe. Sera surely noticed but wouldn't feel pressured—she expected to win, naturally.
Then her gaze flickered—just a quick scan of the group.
"-."
A subtle shift, her lips twitching down ever so slightly. Barely noticeable. Not pressure from expectations, I thought. More like... loneliness? She seemed a bit forlorn, for some reason.
Right then, the shuttle run started.
"Go!"
Beep—
A song played from the phone, and the kids surged forward.
"Hey! Don't leave me!"
"I'm first!"
"This is too easy!"
Kids hadn't realized yet—shuttle runs start easy. Plenty of time between signals. They chatted and burned energy wildly.
Hmm.
I, on the other hand, paced myself perfectly. Steady steps, even breaths. Second-life experience, I guess. Waste energy early, and you're done.
Beep—
"Go!"
"My turn!"
The excited runners...
Beep—
"Ugh, tiring."
"I'm out."
...started dropping one by one.
Beep—
"Hah—hah—"
"Gonna... die..."
Soon, only two remained. The girl everyone expected to win—Sera, running effortlessly—and me.
"Whoa, Sihoo, you're lasting longer than I thought?"
Cha Sihoo, right on her tail. Sera reached the wall first and grinned back at me.
Fun for you? I'm dying here.
I hit the wall and caught my breath.
"Hoo—"
It was getting tough. I'd paced well from the start, but this kid body had limits. Every muscle screamed ages ago. Heart pounding, lungs shaking.
"You're sweating buckets. Tap out if it's too hard."
Sera said from beside me. Teasing? Worried? I wiped sweat with my hand.
"I'm fine."
"Really? You look wrecked."
"I know my body's limits."
A stubborn streak from my older mental age. I could quit, but... it hurt, yeah. Still, since I'd reincarnated, I wanted to test my willpower.
"Hmm... okay?"
Sera smirked, like she was impressed. Great, patronized by a kid girl. I'm done.
Beep—
We bolted again. Thud-thud. Sera pulled ahead effortlessly—no heavy breaths, no sweat.
"Heok—heok—"
Me? Pure grit. Totally unfair fight.
Beep—
She edged further. I chased hard.
"Heok—heok—"
Man, this was really hurting. Willpower wouldn't hold much longer.
"You got this! Fight!"
Nearing the wall late, Sera struck a fighting pose beside me. Annoying. Wanna punch her. Girl's got cheerleader vibes down.
And...
Beep—
The final signal. I squeezed every ounce to reach the wall, then collapsed.
"Heok, huk, hoo. Heok—"
Dizzy. World spinning. Abusing this kid body sucked. Couldn't even stand.
Sitting there, I heard the others.
"Whoa, he's awesome."
"What's Sihoo's deal? Why so intense?"
"Wait, isn't the point he tied with Sera for first? Crazy!"
Heh, heh. Getting props from kids at my age... weirdly satisfying. Time to rest.
Leaning against the wall, breathing steady—Sera plopped down next to me.
"……?"
I peered at her through hazy eyes. What? Why?
Blink-blink. She stared back, red eyes fixed on me. Then her lips moved.
"You're intriguing."
"Hoo... what?"
"Just... you're fun, Sihoo."
She beamed—not her usual bubbly grin, but a sly, mature smile.
At the time, I didn't realize it. But from that day, Sera stopped seeing me as just the "neighbor friend." She started viewing me... differently.