The Second Start
School path. The conversation with Eunhye was delightful.
They shared a close bond, and their friendship felt comfortable and easy. Perhaps because of that, the school route now felt shorter than usual. Before they realized it, they had already reached the school gate.
“Eunhye, see you later.”
“Yeah. Study hard for midterms too, Doun.”
“I will.”
.
.
After second period ended, during the break.
They headed to the snack bar.
Kim Juho’s group wasn’t bothering anyone or making them run errands, so school life felt relaxed.
Perhaps because the tension had finally eased, just like any ordinary male student, hunger hit them the moment second period finished.
They placed a hamburger in the microwave, sat at a table, and Eunhye approached.
“Doun, hi.”
“Yeah….”
It felt awkward.
It was as if their dream of holding hands with Eunhye had been caught.
“It’s almost midterm exam period. Are you studying well?”
“Just… I guess so.”
“One week before the test, how about we go to a café and study together?”
“Eh? Me and you?”
There had never been such an offer before.
Studying together?
This had never happened.
Thinking about it, they had never even sat together at the snack bar eating something.
In the past.
Whenever they crossed paths in middle school, Eunhye would smile and greet them, but sharing food at the snack bar?
Why had it become like this?
After returning to middle school, they had tried to keep distance from Eunhye.
They had pulled away.
It was difficult to face her directly.
They found it hard to suppress the desire to see her.
That was why they had distanced themselves.
They had tried not to meet at all from the start.
Yet the world was not the way they wanted.
They had worked so hard to avoid Eunhye, yet now they were sitting together at the snack bar eating.
And on top of that, she wanted to study for midterms together?
“That… I don’t study much….”
Don’t beat yourself up, heart.
At this moment, the body was clearly in control.
Their thoughts wanted to flatly reject the offer, but their words came out softer.
“Doun, you need to study. I’ll help.”
Eunhye was genuinely a good student.
They had studied diligently after high school.
There was nothing else.
They wanted to surpass Kim Juho, the one who had tormented them.
If they didn’t, life would be too difficult for them once they started working.
They studied so hard they got into a top university.
And Eunhye?
She entered one of Korea’s highest-ranked universities.
Both had attended prestigious schools, but rankings mattered.
Eunhye’s university ranked higher than theirs.
She had maintained the top spot in class since middle school.
After high school, there was no way they could catch up to her no matter how hard they tried.
“How about going to the café like today?”
“Sorry. I have plans today.”
“Plans? Today? Then tomorrow it’s settled, right?”
Why did hesitation feel so strong?
They should have refused firmly.
But raising a Hero character was far more important than a middle-school exam.
Yet rejecting her this easily felt impossible.
“Alright. See you tomorrow.”
“Okay! I’m going to the classroom first. Doun, don’t forget tomorrow.”
“Yeah….”
After Eunhye left, a small sigh escaped.
They couldn’t refuse her offer.
Of course.
Studying for exams with Eunhye?
Wasn’t this the wish they had longed for and dreamed of in the past?
Wasn’t this the event they had desperately wanted as a middle-school student?
“Haa….”
How could they tell Eunhye?
They spent the entire day thinking only about that thought during class.
.
.
After class, on the walk home with Eunhye.
“Eunhye.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll log into Hero a bit late tomorrow.”
“Why?”
Eunhye looked surprised.
This had never happened before.
They had always been passionate about Hero, pouring every spare moment into it, even cutting into sleep.
“To prepare for midterms.”
“Studying for midterms? Want to do it together?”
“That… I have a friend to study with.”
“Friend?”
Eunhye looked even more surprised.
It seemed like she wondered if you had a friend at all.
Of course, it might have been because of your own self-doubt alone.
“Who’s your friend?”
“Eunhye.”
“Eunhye….”
Eunhye repeated the name softly.
She couldn’t have not known Eunhye.
She was beautiful, a top student, and kind.
She was the ideal for middle-school boys and a different kind of ideal for girls.
“Just the two of you studying? Can I join too?”
At Eunhye’s question, they hesitated for a moment.
The thought of wanting to be alone with Eunhye, along with the realization that Eunhye had always been important to them in both the past and present, rose together.
Eunhye would become the strongest swordsman among players in the future.
Simply because they were friends with her, their future looked bright.
Ha… Doun.
Self-doubt hit them hard.
Was I really that selfish?
Was meeting Eunhye simply because she could help?
That was how it had started.
It was correct to approach her because she was the top warrior among players.
Even so.
Right now, she was a precious friend.
How lonely would they have felt without her?
How difficult would playing Hero alone have been?
They steadied their heart and answered Eunhye’s question.
“It would be good if you join too. I’m planning to study at the café after school tomorrow. Come with me.”
“Eh? At the café…?”
Ah…
Their face, covered by long bangs and a mask, came into view.
“I’ll change the location. Let’s study together.”
“Thank you, Doun.”
“No. I should be thanking you for being there….”
Our precious friend, Kim Eunhye.
In just a short time since returning to the past, they had made a friend they could never have built in thirty-five years of real life.
In middle school.
Their mind and values, which had not been properly formed due to school violence during adolescence, were being rebuilt here.
Creating a friend when they themselves were so lacking.
Eunhye felt even more precious than before.
They returned home and hunted the Fox with Eunhye.
The hunt was repetitive, but having someone to enjoy it with was enough.
**
The next day.
During break at the snack bar, they met Eunhye.
“Doun, you didn’t forget, right?”
“Yeah. But I hope Eunhye joins too.”
“Eunhye??”
Eunhye thought for a second about the name Eunhye and then widened her eyes.
“Th-that’s Kim Eunhye, right? Okay, let’s do it together.”
Eunhye agreed without much thought.
Any other student would have refused or insulted Eunhye.
That was how Eunhye was treated at school.
Students saw her burn scars and cursed her, even though they weren’t her fault.
Some even spoke vicious words, calling her a demon.
Yet Eunhye did none of that.
Eunhye…
As much as they wanted to deny it, she was kind.
Her beautiful appearance and kind personality.
As a middle-school student, they had no choice but to like her.
No, not just them — other boys liked her too.
“Then instead of the café, how about the classroom? I’ll ask the teacher. Some students do it, so they’ll probably allow it.”
“Really? Then thank you….”
During exam period, the classroom was apparently open to students.
The teacher stayed behind to supervise…
.
.
After school, the three of them — Doun, Eunhye, and Eunhye — studied together in the empty classroom.
“Um…”
Korean, English, Math.
It was too easy.
They could score 100 on the test right now.
On the other hand, for memorization subjects, there were quite a few areas they didn’t know.
Of course, even those came back when they read them again.
They had studied intensely for a long time.
They had returned to middle school and barely attended classes.
During class time, they either took retakes or spent it thinking about Hero.
Because of that, they had been called to the front several times and solved problems on the board, but they got them all right.
The teacher, probably because they knew everything, only complained if they weren’t asleep.
Scribble.
Scribble scribble.
The sound of pencils writing on both sides filled the air.
They solved the workbook to the rhythm.
Studying once in a while was fun.
In the past, it had been intense — high school, university, job preparation — but it was difficult then.
They studied like a machine, whipping themselves to keep going.
Now?
It felt more like play.
And.
With someone else, it felt even better.
They glanced at Eunhye and Eunhye sitting at the three desks side by side.
Everyone was seriously reading the textbooks.
“Why? Doun, if there’s anything hard, ask.”
Eunhye looked at them and turned her head.
“Eh? Uh… I’ll ask if I come across something I don’t know.”
“Okay!”
They studied together until evening.
In between, they didn’t ask each other questions.
Eunhye was naturally good at studying.
Yet Eunhye also seemed skilled.
They watched Eunhye solve math problems effortlessly.
They?
No need to say it.
Honestly, they studied better than the current Eunhye.
There was no student at school as knowledgeable as them.
They had finished high school and even studied university material.
.
.
6 p.m.
The teacher said it was time to go home.
“Let’s eat dinner together.”
Eunhye said, heading to the door.
They had no objection, but Eunhye hesitated.
Perhaps it was because eating at a place would make her feel burdened because of her scars.
“Let’s buy bingsu and eat in the park.”
They said it while thinking of Eunhye, and both Eunhye and Eunhye agreed.
They bought rabokki and sat on a bench at the far end of the park.
Many people were strolling, but their bench was secluded, so they weren’t easily seen.
Plus, it was sunset.
“Tasty.”
Eunhye picked up a noodle and said.
They picked up a rice cake too.
And.
Eunhye turned her head completely, lowered the mask, and ate.
She wanted to show them her face.
That sight…
It saddened the past self, but it saddened the current Eunhye even more, perhaps even more so.
They wanted to comfort them as an adult, but they couldn’t.
Even with the knowledge of thirty-five years, the right words didn’t come to mind.
The only thing they could do was continue the conversation naturally so Eunhye wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
.
.
The rabokki on the three chopsticks was already at the bottom.
They tidied up and stood up.
“Let’s study together tomorrow too.”
Eunhye said with a bright smile.
And.
Their habitual words came out.
“I’ll walk you home.”
“Eh?”
Eunhye said in surprise, and Eunhye beside her turned to look at them.
“Ah… It’s dangerous at night….”
After drinking until late at university, they often walked girls home.
They had done the same before.
Yet.
Looking at Eunhye and Eunhye’s expressions, this didn’t seem like a normal action.
Weren’t they taking girls home when they were middle and high school students?
They should know…
“Really? Thank you, Doun.”
Eunhye, who had been heading in another direction, turned back.
And the three of them walked together to Eunhye’s apartment.
“You live here.”
“Yeah.”
Eunhye said casually.
The apartment Eunhye lived in was in an extremely expensive complex.
Prices would only rise further in the future.
Just seeing the apartment showed how well off they were.
“Thank you for walking me home, Doun. And Eunhye, be careful.”
“Take care.”
“Yeah.”
They walked out of the fancy apartment complex and toward the rental apartment where they lived.
“Doun, are you close with Eunhye?”
“Close…? I don’t know.”
It was sincere.
They still didn’t know if they and Eunhye were close.
They didn’t know why Eunhye was treating them better than in the past.
“You’re not even close but you’re studying together?”
“Um… Just studying together is fine. Better than studying alone.”
It was sincere.
Studying alone.
For high school, university, job preparation, they mostly studied alone.
Studying with someone like today… felt good.
It felt overwhelmingly good from the bottom of their heart.
“So until midterms are over, this is the plan? What about Hero?”
Hero was important too, but…
They didn’t want to give up the happy time of the next week.
Comparing to the thirty-year-olds who had fallen into deeper darkness from the pit of life, everything right now felt enjoyable.
“Let’s do this until midterms are over.”
“Yeah….”
Eunhye’s voice lacked strength, but they ignored it.
Investing a week to get a good score on midterms wouldn’t be bad for her either.
They returned home and logged into Hero to hunt Fox with Eunhye.
As levels rose, the speed of catching Fox increased.
That way, until the day of the midterms,
They spent the time balancing studying and playing Hero.