The Boss Is Too Weak (9)
The Boss Is Too Weak (9)
"My dad was a kendo instructor. My mom passed away giving birth to me."
Choi Ji-won spoke calmly.
"Strong... righteous... kind... funny... he was a dad so good it felt like I didn't deserve him."
Choi Cheol-soon, a promising kendo practitioner. And his only daughter, Choi Ji-won.
Because she had a respiratory condition as a child, Choi Ji-won spent more days resting at home than going to school.
She would lie in her room, listening to the laughter of other kids outside.
Maybe he couldn't stand seeing her like that.
"My dad... told me to give the sword a try. He said if I found exercise fun, my health would naturally improve."
As long as it didn't strain her lungs, Choi Ji-won was allowed to learn kendo.
What began as a casual pastime in the backyard.
Over time, the sword became her only hobby.
Whether it was thanks to kendo or the hospital medicine, Choi Ji-won's health recovered.
In middle school, thanks to her pretty looks, she was able to make plenty of friends.
But no matter how many friends she made, the most precious time for Choi Ji-won was always practicing the sword with her dad.
To her, her dad was a parent, a teacher, and a role model.
"Dad used to say things like: don't mess around even with a bamboo sword. Always be humble. Those with strength should give. An upright mindset completes an upright martial artist. You can't save everyone, but don't turn away from the person right in front of you. Don't do things you'll regret."
Choi Ji-won's father, Choi Cheol-soon, was a man who truly lived up to the title of a righteous person.
After Choi Cheol-soon subdued an armed robber at a convenience store, there wasn't a soul in the neighborhood who didn't know him.
When he walked through the market, merchants would hand him food, and students he passed would bow at the waist.
Everyone respected Choi Cheol-soon.
Until the incident, the year Choi Ji-won turned eighteen.
"Dad... died saving people."
Choi Ji-won carefully stroked Boongboong-yi's hilt.
"There was a gas explosion and fire at a villa... and Dad was the very first one to find it..."
The average time it takes for a fire truck to reach the scene is five minutes.
The moment he finished calling 119, Choi Cheol-soon rushed into the flames without hesitation.
He managed to pull four citizens out of the blaze.
But he couldn't save his own life.
"..."
I remember seeing this story online. I even left a comment on YouTube that said, "May he rest in peace."
I had no idea that was Choi Ji-won's father.
"...You okay?"
"I'm okay."
Choi Ji-won's face was far too serene for someone who had just opened up about her parents' death.
"Honestly... I resented my dad. Saving others is one thing, but you still have to look out for your own life."
He had saved so many people.
But he hadn't saved himself or his daughter.
"I kept thinking... are other people precious, and I'm not...? I just couldn't understand it..."
Along with praise from the media came an endless line of mourners.
But none of it made the slightest dent in the heart of Choi Ji-won, who had lost the most important person in the world.
And so, she closed off her heart and shut herself inside her home.
The backyard that still held her dad's traces. The room that still held his traces. The closet that still held his traces. The sword that still held his traces, Boongboong-yi.
For over a year, that was Choi Ji-won's entire world.
"I hated him. He had to know there was a high chance he'd die. He could've just lived, even as a coward, and atoned by saving even more people later."
"..."
"But then, at some point... I got curious."
Why did he make that choice?
Even knowing there was a high chance he would die, why did he rush into the flames without a second thought?
Choi Ji-won, who had been curled up in the corner of her room clutching Boongboong-yi and lost in thought,
came to her senses inside the Tower.
"I was in a 'whatever happens, happens' kind of mood."
Choi Ji-won let out a small laugh.
"Why did I defend the clearing? Just... because I had the ability to. The strong are supposed to protect the weak."
"..."
"Why did I volunteer to lure the Minotaur? Simply... I was curious. What it felt like to sacrifice your life for someone else."
"...I see."
"But after we pushed that Minotaur together this time... I finally understood my dad. It wasn't that he didn't care about me."
Choi Ji-won grinned.
"There are just... moments where if you don't step up, you know you'll regret it forever. Moments where it's better to bet everything you have than live with that regret."
"So the reason you're so calm right now..."
"Exactly. I don't regret my choice. We lost, but we did our best."
"..."
That was why the Choi Ji-won I'd talked to here in the clearing felt so much more human than the Choi Ji-won I'd known until now.
"Phew. I feel so much lighter."
Choi Ji-won stretched nonchalantly.
"Okay, your turn now."
She handed the conversation over to me.
"...Hoo boy. What should I even say."
I knew I had to say something, but my lips only moved soundlessly. My voice wouldn't come out.
I didn't have any special story or tragic backstory.
"...My life is really nothing special."
"Tell me anyway. I'm curious."
"...Alright."
I started talking too, but it was a truly boring story.
Born in Korea.
Went to school. Made a decent number of friends.
Took the college entrance exam, went to university.
The story of a twenty-something Korean guy you could find anywhere.
A perfectly ordinary life.
But just telling Choi Ji-won about this ordinary life made me feel far more at ease.
Simply having someone to relate to is enough to make a person feel comforted.
"Thanks for sharing. I feel like I understand you a bit better now."
Choi Ji-won closed her eyes and nodded.
And the glow of the sunset fell across her face.
The setting sun was fittingly beautiful.
I looked at the sun for a moment, then shifted my gaze back to Choi Ji-won.
"...Hey. Choi Ji-won."
"Yeah?"
"Do you have any golden orbs stashed away?"
I rummaged around and pulled out a single golden orb.
I had three golden orbs saved up. I'd given back the one Choi Ji-won tossed me, and I'd given two to the Goblin Shaman, so one was left.
"If you have one... should we just swallow these?"
"...What?"
If Choi Ji-won still had even one golden orb hidden away.
What if we both swallowed a golden orb and moved on to the next stage?
I didn't know if the next stage would be easy or hard.
But one thing was certain: I'd be able to secure Choi Ji-won's full support.
Of course... everyone except the two of us would starve to death.
Rationally, I knew that regressing was the right call.
"But if I regress, and this world line stays as it is...?"
Then whether I moved on to Floor 1 or regressed, these people would all starve to death anyway.
The outcome would be the same.
On top of that, I didn't want to give up my connection with Choi Ji-won.
She was the first person who had ever confided her life story to me. The first person I'd ever confided my life story to.
The first person in this Tower who had ever understood me as a person.
"If I regress... you become a total stranger. All the things we talked about up until now, you'd forget it all."
Inside the repeating regressions, I was always alone.
I hadn't even noticed it, but I was slowly being worn down.
The bond I'd carefully built with Choi Ji-won this cycle.
I didn't want to tear down that tower I'd worked so hard on.
Now that I'd felt human warmth, I was afraid of being alone again.
"..."
Choi Ji-won didn't answer.
"Look, think about it for a second. Even if I regress and use the knowledge I got this time to get close to you again, would I be able to get this level of full-on cooperation from you? Actually, from a long-term perspective..."
As I started rambling to persuade her—
"Pfft... pffahahahahahahaha!"
Choi Ji-won suddenly burst into laughter.
"Jun-ho, Kim Jun-ho. Do you know what your face looks like right now?"
"...What does it look like?"
"You're talking, but your expression says even you don't believe what you're saying."
"..."
"I think I finally understand you completely."
Without realizing it, I touched my face. Exactly what kind of face was I making to get a comment like that.
"Kim Jun-ho... you're really strange. At first I thought you were a good person like my dad, but the more I hear, the more I think you're not."
Choi Ji-won smiled softly.
"Sometimes you seem kind, sometimes you seem like a lunatic, sometimes you seem smart and calculating... and right now you seem pathetic and selfish."
"...People are just like that."
"Right. People are just like that."
Choi Ji-won stood up, then plopped herself down next to me, the sunset at her back.
"But what makes you strange... is that even so, you're always wrestling with it. In the story you told me, you were always agonizing over something."
"..."
"Agonizing over the details of your trait or your regression conditions. Agonizing over how to escape the clearing. Agonizing over how to get me to like you. Agonizing over how to beat the Minotaur without taking damage. Agonizing over what happens to this world if you regress."
Tap.
Choi Ji-won rested a hand lightly on my shoulder.
"I'm impulsive, but once I decide on something, I push it through to the end. But you agonize and think until the very last second, wondering if there's a better way. I think our tendencies are complete opposites. That's what makes it strange."
Choi Ji-won pulled out a golden orb from her clothes, same as me.
"Okay, so, Jun-ho. Let's think about it. If we each swallow an orb, pass all the upcoming trials, and make it to Floor 1... would you regret it?"
If I regress, no one knows whether the others will starve to death or regress along with me.
But... if we just swallow the orbs and head to Floor 1, they'll be annihilated. One hundred percent.
Memories with Choi Ji-won bought at the price of other people's guaranteed deaths.
Would I... regret it?
"...I thought about it, and I think I would."
I barely managed to force the words out with a trembling voice.
"I thought so too."
Choi Ji-won met my eyes.
I could feel emotion flowing from her.
"I think that's your strength. Always agonizing. Thinking. Trying to find a better way."
- Curiosity [A]
- Opposites are inherently drawn to each other. People feel an inexplicable curiosity toward you and instinctively fix their attention on you.
"Right now, you're wavering. Get a grip. Don't stop thinking. Don't give up. I'm sure you'll find an answer that satisfies you."
She was wearing the brightest, most radiant smile I'd ever seen on her.
It must have been her way of refusing, her way of saying goodbye, and a heartfelt cheer from the bottom of her heart.
"I'll be... looking forward to it. How you're going to find the answer you want. I'm so curious about the future you'll paint."
The smile was so beautiful, and the sunset was so dazzling, that I squeezed my eyes shut without thinking.
"...Alright. I'll show you. I promise."
I already knew what I had to do.
Thwack!
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]
-The Regressor's emotional level has exceeded the threshold.
-Storing the target's memories.
-Target : [Choi Ji-won]
-Memories will be returned when conditions are met.
***