[What is life, anyway? You just live as you live.]
[What is life, anyway? You just live as you live.]
The next day at work, Baek-ri came in with a swollen face.
"No, where did you get beaten up? Which bastard did it? Should I call Lawyer Kim-nim?"
"Ruri did it."
"If it's just siblings fighting, that's not too bad. There's some good ointment for bruises in the cupboard, put that on and get to work."
"Isn't your attitude change a bit too fast?"
"Is a sibling fight a big deal? It's best not to butt into family business."
I've been burned more than once by getting involved in other people's family business. I'm basically a bystander. As long as no one messes with me, I'm the safest guy in the world.
I'm a person with thoughts, too. Even if this wasn't a civilized society like 21st-century Earth, but a fantasy medieval world where laws and ethics are distant and fists are close, I don't kill people just because of an argument. I basically prefer to talk things out.
But the bastards who don't listen even when I talk? I beat them up first. If they still don't listen after that, I kill them. In short, I just need to not cross the line. Just the line.
There aren't many people in this world who have crossed my line. If I only recall the ones I remember, it's about the bullies who talked trash about my parents back in the day.
"Ah, right. I'm planning to go visit an acquaintance with my wife this afternoon. I'll leave around 12 and be back before 3."
"There aren't many customers then, so I'll watch the shop with Auntie Jin. But if it's a hospital visit, is it that person you went to see last time?"
"Yeah, it's the father of a friend who's practically a brother to me. He's a senior Sergeant right now, so he's still in the military. Even if he gets discharged before the surgery, his son isn't by his side right now, so I have to go at least. And my wife needs to show her face too."
If it's Hyungsik's family, they're practically my own family. They are the only ones who cared for me when I was an orphan, so for me, who became a lone orphan when my parents died in the Great Depression 20 years ago, they are one of the few places I have an attachment to.
Originally, I should have at least contacted them after getting married, but I was so distracted by meeting Sion and living our newlywed life that I couldn't.
If we had held a wedding, I would have at least sent an invitation, or rather, I could have invited them to the wedding as a father-in-law figure for Sion, who really has no one—even if I don't count. But we didn't have a wedding, so that's that.
"Hey, but you must have really gotten beaten up. You've got bruises all over like a stir-fry. You've got potential, kid."
"The bruised parts throb even when I lie down to sleep, you know?! How is it easier to find the unbruised parts than the bruised ones?"
"It's youth because it hurts."
"Don't talk bullshit."
"Ah, honestly, it is bullshit. Anyway, take care of things while I'm gone."
After prepping ingredients and helping with the morning business, time flew by.
It would be fine to go like this, but it's better to go with Sion, and since I smell like oil from the clothes I wore to work, I think it's better to wash up and change into neat clothes before going.
Unlike last time, this occasion was to introduce Sion. It's nerve-wracking to go looking shabby.
To give a similar example, this occasion is practically a formal meeting between families.
"Oh, a Lamborghini."
A supercar was parked right in front of my house. The black exterior without a single speck of dust, the slim, well-defined look, and the futuristic feel, unlike regular cars, had a charm that made even me, who doesn't have much attachment to cars, feel my heart race.
Even after thousands of years, men are all the same. Transformation, giant robots, combining, supercars, drills, etc.—various romances don't disappear no matter how much time passes.
"But why the hell is it parked in front of my house? Should I call a tow truck and have it towed?"
The neighborhood around here has high land prices, so people with some money live here, but I've never seen a car as flashy as a supercar.
Of course, as much as they work in fancy jobs, even if they drive expensive cars, they drive cars with a somewhat dignified feel; a supercar like the Lamborghini series feels a bit excessive.
Think about it. If a new employee uses a chair at the company that looks like something the Chairman would use, wouldn't it be awkward?
"Ah, you've arrived."
"Yeah, were you getting ready?"
"I'm all set. I've already picked out the clothes for you to wear, so you can wash up and put them on."
"You didn't pick a suit, did you?"
"Even if it's like a formal meeting, the place we're going is a hospital, so isn't it too stiff? Black tones are also not great."
"If I go into a hospital wearing a black suit, old people might ask if I've come to pick them up."
Just as I was about to go wash up, I thought of the Lamborghini parked in front of the house and said to Sion.
"Ah, by the way, there's a Lamborghini parked in front of our house. The road is wide enough that it's not inconvenient to pass, but still, illegal parking isn't right, so let's report it to the police or a tow truck."
"That's our car. To be precise, it's not just a Lamborghini, it's a Lamborghini Centenario Roadster."
"........."
I clearly remember that the car I bought on the day I was discharged was pretty much smashed up because of the Enemy Species, so I just scrapped it instead of getting it repaired. That wasn't even long ago, that was half a year ago.
But she bought a car again?
"How much is that?"
"It's a limited edition, so it cost about 6 billion won. You can't buy it with just money, so I used some connections, and since it's a limited edition bought from overseas, it cost a bit more."
"You could have just bought a decent car, why something like that..."
"A man's pride is like his car. It's for showing off, so you can drive it when you go to meet people later."
"If you were going to buy something like that, you should have told me. There are better cars... Ah."
If I say there are cars better than a Lamborghini, honestly, I can't think of any.
For me, material things are just something I live with if I have them, and live without if I don't, so if I have to have one, I choose practicality over coolness.
"If I had told you, you would have definitely chosen a car with good fuel efficiency that can carry a lot of people."
"Right, I would have definitely driven something like a Starex."
"And we're going to see people who are like foster parents to you, so shouldn't we at least show them 'this is how well I'm living' to put them at ease?"
Even if it's a Lamborghini, the fuel efficiency is bad, and it's only a 2-seater. It's lacking if a few friends want to gather and ride together. Hmm, then I'll just have to ride it with Sion, just the two of us.
"And if you get into a car accident once, it's obvious that with your personality, it'll be a big deal, so I bought a car that the other party would have to bow down to."
"How much is the repair cost if just the bumper breaks? It'll easily exceed a billion won."
"If you include the cost of sending it to the headquarters for repairs and having it brought back, that's about right."
I'm actually scared to drive it anywhere. A scratch costs over a billion won. It's strange that a single scratch is worth more than what someone earns in their lifetime.
I put the thoughts aside and decided to wash up first. It took about 5 minutes to wash my hair, wash my face, and brush my teeth, and after 10 minutes of showering in hot water while spacing out, I felt refreshed.
Looking at the time, it was already 12:30. If we leave now, it'll be around 1 o'clock.
"Let's go quickly. I told Baek-ri about the shop, so I can go in a bit late if I call later, but I still want to be back before 3."
"Isn't that cutting it close?"
"Is it? Just in case, should I send a text?"
It's faster to shake the moisture out of my hair with my ability than using a hair dryer. Once it dried fluffy in an instant, I combed it a few times and came out.
"The keys are here."
"A car like this really doesn't suit me."
"I bought it so you wouldn't be looked down on and could stand tall, so it's no good if you keep complaining like that."
"Sorry, it's just that for some reason, I get anxious when only two people ride in a car."
Is it because I like it crowded? Anyway, when I started the engine, I felt the heavy engine sound. The sports car-specific engine sound that would sound loud outside was faintly heard inside the car. The vibration was also extremely low even when I felt it with my senses; it shows that expensive things are worth the high price.
"The ride is killer. It would be awesome if I went on the highway like this and floored it to 200 km/h."
"I'm glad you like it."
The most important thing is the sense of speed. If I floor the accelerator to the limit in a car like this, I can feel like I'm in Asurada. Ah, do kids these days know Asurada?
With the windows open, the loud engine sound is heard clearly. It feels like my insides are being cleared out.
"There's a speed bump ahead."
"Uwaaaaaaah!!!!"
I was speeding a bit, so I was startled at the mention of a speed bump. The car body is so low that if I'm not careful, I could scrape it while going over the bump.
"I almost had to send it for repairs as soon as I test drove it. Should I coat it with my ability?"
"If you get into an accident then, only the other car will be smashed, so wouldn't that be a bigger problem?"
If I drive this often, my heart will just keep pounding. Seeing as I don't get used to this even after living for a long time, I guess it's just my nature. For me, who is the type to just mix leftover side dishes with some greens, gochujang, sesame oil, and an egg and eat it when I'm hungry, a multi-billion won car felt close yet far away.
"With this, commuting wouldn't be too bad... though parking is the problem."
"There's a commercial building nearby, so please park in that parking lot."
"When did you buy that too?"
"I needed a parking lot, so I bought it yesterday."
"Uwaaaaah."
I've lived with Sion for over thousands of years, but there are still times when I wonder what on earth my wife is thinking. Ah, maybe Sion feels the same way about me.
Even if I have money, I don't invest; I just put it in a savings account and save it little by little, I don't think about growing my money significantly. In the first place, I'm the type who doesn't think about big money as long as I can eat and live.
Hey, if I wanted big money, I would have bought Bitcoin 5 years ago.
"Now I don't have to get a ride from Lawyer Kim-nim. Ah, come to think of it, what did you do when we went out together before?"
"I started a company."
"What kind of company?"
"It's a mobile game production company."
".........Did you start a company from scratch just because I said I wanted to play Hero's Record?"
"Money is meant to be spent. We have more than enough money anyway, so don't worry."
"How much do you have?"
"You'll probably have stocks in every company whose name you've heard."
In civilized society, my wife's influence is greater. That's why I sometimes feel like a kept man, but conversely, in the medieval era, I have more influence.
Sion is physically strong too, but she doesn't like to lay a hand on anyone, whether they are good or bad. Since I'm the one who just kills them if things go wrong, I have no choice but to have more influence.
"The company will be officially founded the week after next. You can come out then and say a quick hello."
"Why me?"
"As a corporation, I hold all the shares. But I put your name down for the President position."
"I'm a President without even knowing it?! Hey, I need to get some business cards made."
"I've already had them made."
"What is there that my wife can't do?"
As I was driving while talking about this and that, I could feel the gazes gathering around us. It felt good to see passersby turning their heads once, taking pictures, and whispering.
While driving, there was a feeling of people on the road slowly moving out of the way and keeping a safe distance... Hey, driving is really comfortable! If you scratch it, you're a slave for life!
While enjoying the drive, I arrived at the hospital before I knew it. From the entrance, the security guard's gaze was fixed on us, but I ignored it and took a parking ticket.
"2,000 won for 30 minutes... Parking fees are too expensive these days."
"You have so much money, why are you complaining?"
"Having money and things being expensive are two separate things."
There were no spots on the ground level (well, there were, but they were cramped. I could have parked if I wanted to, but the person parked next to me would feel sorry), so I went underground and parked in the middle of a spot with empty spaces on both sides.
"It's a car where if you scratch it, you're a slave for life, so I have to have parking etiquette."
"You thought well."
No matter how full the parking lot is, I don't think anyone would think of parking next to our car. Even someone with 30 years of safe driving experience would lose their nerve and not come near.
I remembered the hospital room where Hyungsik's father was hospitalized because I had been there before, so finding it was easy. It's just that my worries increased as the elevator floor went up.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't really care if a stranger curses at me for being a lolicon, but if someone I know does it, the mental damage is a bit big."
"Are you using your Growth Form?"
"Forget it. I'm not going to live in that form forever anyway."
Soon the elevator arrived. I love Sion, not Sion's body. She loves me even though my appearance changes every time I reincarnate, so shouldn't I also love her, who can change into any form?
"Uncle, I'm here."
"Oh my, you're a guy who works, why do you come so often?"
"I left the shop to the part-timer and came. But I have to go back later, so I don't think I can stay long. Ah... I forgot the hospital gift."
"It's fine, the fruit set you brought last time is still left. Sit down. And the kid next to you..."
Hyungsik's father turned his gaze to Sion. Sion greeted him politely and introduced herself.
"Hello, Father. My name is Sion."
"Uh, um..."
"She's my wife."
"Hmm."
As expected, the reaction I thought of came back.
When I introduce Sion as my wife to people around me, the reactions are divided into three.
The first is people who think it's a joke, the second is people who see me as a dirty pedophile. And the last third is people who think about it.
Here, the first case often moves to the second case once they realize it's not a joke. The rarest of the three is the last one, the people who think.
"Young lady, you're not a minor, right?"
"Yes, I'm twenty-four this year."
"You married because you love each other?"
"Yes, we're in the middle of our honeymoon."
"Then that's fine. If there's no big problem, it's something to congratulate, not something to look at strangely."
Hyungsik's father asked Sion a few things, then nodded and was convinced. Sometimes it happens. Fewer than the people who think, there are people who acknowledge it.
"I didn't think you'd marry a normal woman with your personality. If you like each other, what does it matter what the other person is?"
"What's wrong with my personality?"
"Among the kids who played with Hyungsik, your personality was the weirdest. You're usually the quietest, but once you snap, you don't see anything."
Having a hot temper doesn't get fixed even if I reincarnate. Whether it's my nature or my soul's character is just made that way. Anyway, I've caused trouble more than once because of my hot temper.
I've never killed anyone, but there were a few times I almost went to the police station.
What comes to mind is the time I got hit a few times while standing up to a stuck-up student dean who called me an orphan bastard. It didn't hurt, but he hit a student just because there was no one to say anything about him being an orphan. No, what kind of era is this world in?
"Go down and buy something to drink. There's a cafe or something in the hospital basement, buy it from there. I'll be talking with the young lady, so..."
"What are you going to talk about that you're trying to send me out?"
"It's nothing special. Ah, I'd like green tea."
If I want to hear, there's nothing I can't hear. Putting a hospital in my detection range is nothing, and pinpointing the sound of one hospital room from the basement to the dozen-plus floors above is easy.
But I won't do it. I don't know what the uncle is going to talk about, but it won't be a bad story.
I'll just order an Americano, and the uncle can have a green tea latte.
My wife will consistently be a caramel macchiato with an extra shot and whipped cream on top. I don't know much, but I know my wife's taste for sweet things.
Kang Hyung-sik's father, Kang Jin-soo, said to Sion with a smile.
"It wasn't hard coming here, was it? I saw it seemed blocked because of something in front."
"Ah, it was fine. It wasn't very blocked."
"Make yourself comfortable. Our son hasn't even had a girlfriend, let alone marriage, so I was worried that both Hyungsik and Choi Ak wouldn't be able to get married for the rest of their lives. Thanks to you, I'm relieved on Ak's side."
Choi Ak grew up in a facility, but he grew up like a brother with Kang Hyung-sik in Kang Jin-soo's family.
They went to the same elementary, middle, and high school, and he often went to his house to play, so the family members also considered Choi Ak like Hyungsik's brother.
Choi Ak, who had no dark demeanor even though he lost his parents and lived in a facility with government subsidies, belonged to the sociable side as long as you didn't touch his reverse scale, so he rested together on holidays or vacations, and sometimes went on vacation together. Other than the family register, they are practically half-family.
"When that child first came to our house, I knew it at a glance. That child is keeping his distance from us, I thought."
"........."
"Since he's a child who lost his parents and lives in a facility, I thought he would have some wariness. But it wasn't that he didn't come close. It was indifference. Even when playing with Hyungsik, or when I ordered chicken and fed him, he was consistently indifferent. No, isn't it strange that a child who just entered elementary school has no emotion when playing or eating chicken? It felt like he was just nodding along with eyes that said 'just let it be', so I thought, 'Ah, I shouldn't leave this child alone'."
"That's understandable."
Choi Ak is a Reincarnator. He is born, grows up, and eventually dies. Dozens of times. Even at the age of entering elementary school, the strength of his soul does not disappear, and if he makes up his mind, it is possible to rule the Earth.
Reincarnate in a fantasy world, unify the continent, and become the first Emperor?
What's the point of that, anyway, when he dies and reincarnates, he's born again with empty hands and a bare body.
Born in the Middle Ages, start a civil revolution, and change history?
What's the point of that, anyway, when he dies, status is meaningless.
Earn enough money to save a country with the knowledge he has?
Don't you know the saying "empty-handed we come, empty-handed we go"? It's the law that you come with empty hands and go with empty hands.
To Choi Ak, material things are not important. The values he considers important are humans, and the byproducts of emotions that those humans create.
"Because I showed interest and took care of him often, he slowly opened his heart as time went by. That's why he became the personality he is now, but... I often think, did he really open his heart? I wonder if a person who doesn't express what they like and tries to live as things flow can be happy. But seeing that he even got married and brought someone he likes, I'm relieved because it seems like he's completely changed now. In that respect, I'm really grateful, young lady. I'm relieved."
"........."
Sion nodded at Kang Jin-soo's words.
"He probably liked you and your family too, he just didn't express it. He's used to loving, but he's not used to being loved, that's why."
Choi Ak's reincarnation is always like that.
Cases like now, where parents died young and he grew up as an orphan.
Cases where he has parents, but for various reasons, the parents couldn't play that role properly.
Every reincarnation so far has been like that. Choi Ak could love his family by becoming the head of the household himself, but it was rare to receive love from his parents.
Even if he received love, he turned away, worrying if it would be a nuisance, if it would make them worry. To Choi Ak, love was something to give, not something he was used to receiving.
"But since I'm here, don't worry. Since I'm an externally attached conscience circuit, at least he won't be heard saying he's weird anywhere."
"That child married a good person... Ah, young lady. Is your body like that from birth?"
"Ah, I used strong medicine because of a chronic illness, and it became like this. My hair was bleached because of that too."
A set setting, a repertoire. Naturally, I couldn't just introduce myself by saying, "I am an alien. This appearance is the default for my race, so that's why."
Choi Ak doesn't have talent in corporate management or fields that require brainpower like magic, but he had excellent talent for reading people. Thanks to that, Sion could also treat the people Choi Ak introduces with a little more ease.
"How about having dinner together with your family later when you've finished treatment and are discharged? I'll treat you."
"To do that, I have to be discharged quickly. I'll look forward to it, young lady."
Kang Jin-soo was respecting her even in trivial parts. He sees her as a full adult, not a child, even though she looks young and is a foreigner.
He was also calling her 'young lady', and even if Choi Ak and Kang Jin-soo treat each other like father and son, from Sion's perspective, they are strangers with no blood ties. Calling her 'young lady' instead of daughter-in-law from the first meeting and respecting her shows that his character as a person is upright.
If you ask, "Do you judge people by such trivial things?", well. There are so many people in the world who can't even show that kind of trivial respect.
"I bought the drinks. Is the talk over?"
"Ah, it just finished. Where's mine?"
"Here's your green tea latte. But I thought about it late after buying it, I don't know if a patient is allowed to eat cold things."
"What, I'm sitting here enjoying all sorts of luxury, so what's wrong with something cold?"
"What were you talking about? It's obvious it was a background check, but..."
"We talked about other things. Still, since it's someone you chose, it's obvious she's a good person without even looking."
"No, what are you trusting my eyes with to rely on them like that?"
"Remember when you said a guy who wanted to do business with me had a swindler-like impression? I felt uneasy after hearing that and didn't invest, and that guy ran overseas with the money he got invested after that. Since then, I've trusted you."
"No, that guy looked like a swindler just by looking at him."
"That guy was my friend of 10 years."
"Ah, I didn't know that. And you shouldn't easily stand as a guarantor for investments even between friends. If Hyungsik asked me to be a guarantor, I'd kick him out on his butt."
Choi Ak, if nothing else, has an eye for people worth acknowledging. To be precise, he has an eye for identifying relatively bad people.
Having seen all sorts of human types in his life, when he faces a person, he gets a gut feeling about their character. Since it means they are a decent type of person if he doesn't get a hunch, it's a specialty he uses quite usefully.
"When you get surgery and are discharged, let's all gather with Hyungsik and have a meal. I'll find a good place."
"That would be good. Ah, you know I like beef, right?"
"After surgery, it's obviously meat for nutritional replenishment. Of course."
Sion watched Choi Ak talking quietly with Kang Jin-soo.
As time passed, Choi Ak gradually showed fewer emotions. Even though his personality isn't the type to hide emotions, he takes a calm attitude unless it's something major. Usually, he is emotional because Sion is there, but when she is not there, he becomes a person with extremely no desires.
But now, he was talking while smiling, even if it was small. It's a triviality that is natural and nothing special to others, but it was a good omen for Sion.
She drank her caramel macchiato with a lighter heart.