ReLife Player

[Kindergarten Hero (2)]

The world moves at my will.

Just a year ago, Eunhyuk thought he was the center of the world.

His parents gave him everything he asked for. If he wanted something to eat, they would give it to him, if he wanted something to have, they would give it to him, if he wanted to go somewhere, they would give it to him.

The neighbors didn’t scold him when he got into trouble. Instead, they offered him snacks.

The neighborhood kids never stopped following him around. They thought they were out of style if they didn’t play with him. In fact, Eunhyuk was always leading the trendy play and entertaining the children.

As his thoughts became reality and his wishes came true, he thought he must be the center of the world.

Eunhyuk thought that when he closed his eyes or fell asleep, the world would plunge into darkness, as if he had turned off the lights.

That didn’t change when he started kindergarten.

In fact, it solidified.

Children couldn’t help but think he was special because he was so confident. He was their idol because he was so confident, so athletic, and absorbed math and letters like a sponge.

As he became more and more of an idol for the children, an invisible caste system emerged at Doan Kindergarden.

Children of this age knew, almost instinctively, who they should be friendly with in order to gain a better position in the world, among people and in human relationships.

And who those people were. They knew that the closer they were to someone with enough recognition to make other kids nod in agreement, the better position they would be in the social circle and the more they would have a say.

And one kid who fit the role was Eunhyuk Choi from Evergreen Pine class.

The kids knew him before he entered kindergarten and used that to their advantage. They made him look good to the other kids, and they flaunted how close they were to him.

With Eunhyuk’s name on their backs, they ran wild. The more Eunhyuk-oriented kids set the tone for the group, the more they were recognized and the more they became the envy of other kids.

It was Eunhyuk’s own little kingdom. From the beginning, there were no children who could compare to him, so it was like planting a flag on fertile ground, and it was bloodless.

All boys were expected to listen to him, and those who didn’t were relegated to the bottom of the Evergreen Pine caste. The last child to disobey would be placed at the bottom of the pecking order and treated with disrespect by the other children.

Girls were no exception. Even though Minji had become the center of the girls’ attention, Eunhyuk’s favor was unattainable.

No matter what anyone said, Eunhyuk was the most recognized and most vocal boy in the class, and there was no boy who could stand up to him.

Eunhyuk’s power over the girls made him the object of their attention and crushes. If the boys followed him to raise their voices, the girls sought to befriend him to raise their own recognition.

Thus, the Evergreen Pine Class was a solid kingdom ruled by Eunhyuk.

At home, outside, and in kindergarten. With everything going in his favor, his confidence soared to new heights.

I am the hero of this world.

The idea that he was special grew stronger and stronger.

But cracks began to appear in his kingdom.

At first, it was just a small crack.

Eunha doesn’t do this

Eunha is so nice.

You don’t know Eunha, do you?

No Eunha.

One day, he started hearing the name of a child named No Eunha.

The children who mentioned the name «Eunha» lived near Minji’s house. They were children who didn’t live near Eunhyuk’s house and didn’t have a high social status. They often couldn’t play a big role or were excluded from the games led by Eunhyuk.

From some point on, whenever Eunhyuk led something, these children would complain and mention Eunha’s existence.

Eunha is really mature for his age.

Really?

Yeah, don’t you know that? He’s Euna’s younger brother.

I know her! She’s my sister’s friend!

I saw her the other day. She’s so pretty.

It didn’t take long for Eunha’s name to come up among the girls. The girls who knew Eunha didn’t hesitate to consider him the only boy who could compare to Eunhyuk.

Who the hell is Eunha?

On the other hand, those who didn’t know Eunha couldn’t understand the way they were puffing out their chests and praising him.

No Eunha?

Yes. Minji, you said you’ve been friends with Eunha since you were a kid.

We’re not friends. We just live next door.

So? What’s the thing with Eunha?

Well, he’s better than Choi Eunhyuk.

Later, when all the kids in the Evergreen Pine class heard Eunha’s name, Minji took advantage of the opportunity to drive a wedge. She was in the highest caste among the girls, and her high regard for Eunha made even the girls who didn’t know about him start to take an interest.

What’s more, Eunhyeok’s antics were being talked about among the girls.

Eunhyuk’s status was clearly diminishing.

But he wasn’t insecure.

He still thought he was someone special.

Until Eunha came along.

‘…My name is No Eunha, and I’m six years old. Let’s get along well from now on’

Eunha’s popularity with the children was predestined the moment he entered the Evergreen Pine class.

«Hmph, what’s so cool about that kid?»

Eunhyuk couldn’t understand it.

Eunha didn’t seem to have a cheerful personality, nor did he seem to be athletic. The way he answered the questions, he was clearly bored.

Kids who were actually curious about him were quickly turned off by his disinterested demeanor.

And yet, the kids who knew him walked around with their shoulders back in a confident manner.

«I don’t like him.»

Especially when he didn’t even bother to say hello to them.

From the first time Eunhyuk saw him, he chased him away and tried to play with other children, planning to make him a loner in this class.

But then he ended up teasing Hayang, who burst into tears at times.

«How childish, so immature.»

When No Eunha uttered those words, looking down at him, Eunhyuk became so angry that his head was about to explode.

How can he say that’s childish?

It was unbelievable.

Eunhyuk glared at him, demanding an apology, but No Eunha remained indifferent. Instead, he sarcastically laughed and said the same thing again.

«Childish, really. You think that’s funny?»

«Do you want to die?»

Whenever Eunhyuk said such things, the children used to scatter.

But No Eunha was not intimidated by his threats. Seeing his face that seemed to say ‘If you want to try, go ahead,’ he was rather hesitant.

It was from that moment.

From that moment on, No Eunha was reflected as a prince charming who rescued Hayang among the girls. The girls who had taken Eunhyuk’s side quickly turned to No Eunha, showing a rapid change of attitude.

The boys were no exception. Despite Eunhyuk’s order not to play with him, the boys flocked to No Eunha, starting with the children who played with him in the neighborhood.

Every time, No Eunha snarled at the children, saying that he was annoyed. However, he still gained unwavering popularity.

Moreover, No Eunha’s occasional ideas for games were even more fun than Eunhyuk’s inventions.

Before he knew it, Eunha had become known among the children for his exceptional athleticism, intelligence, chic style, and above all, his mature demeanor.

What do children truly desire?

To become adults. (E/N: not me sir, at that age I wanted to be a power ranger)

Eunha, with his mature image, had the presence to fulfill the children’s desires. Soon, only by being with Eunha at Evergreen Pine could one be fashionable on the front lines and build a mature image.

It was unbelievable.

Eunhyuk felt like the world was collapsing. The world where everything he wished for came true was now crumbling like a lie.

He couldn’t figure out what to do as he watched the world revolve around Eunha from a distance.

His confidence plummeted.

What saved him was a TV program that happened to catch his attention while channel surfing.

The program was about a famous player, and he was captivated by the character with crimson-colored hair like his favorite anime protagonist, a face filled with confidence that wouldn’t falter in any adversity, and the image of wielding a sword with flames all over his body.

[This can’t be real.]

[Get lost.]

«Yeomma» Kang Hyun-cheol.

His impressive image defeating a kraken on the Han River left a lasting impression on him.

I want to be like him. No, I want to become him!

So Eunhyuk begged his parents to buy him a toy sword. Though his parents were surprised by his declaration of wanting to become a player, they granted his request.

From then on, Eunhyuk carried the toy sword with him to kindergarten. As it turned out, many of the boys in his class had also seen the program, and toy sword fights became more common.

Although his popularity waned, Eunhyuk’s athleticism didn’t disappear. It wasn’t impossible for him to reclaim his position among the boys.

Of course, Eunha appeared and took his place, but Eunhyuk wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.

The protagonist grows stronger in the face of adversity.

More, more, more. I have to be stronger.

Because I’m a hero, a warrior, a player.

Strangely, the more I swung my sword, the calmer I felt. I started to realize how childish and futile it was to be an alley captain among children.

So Eunhyeok continued to swing his sword, even as the children moved away from him.

«Are you practicing sword fighting again?»

«It’s not a sword fight. It’s swordsmanship training.»

«…Really?»

«Yeah.»

On this day, Eunhyuk was also in the flower bed, swinging his toy sword, determined not to rest until he had completed 100 top-to-bottom strikes.

As he was doing so, Hayang walked up to him and spoke to him. She stared at his sword, wondering what he was thinking, and then shook her head.

Then she said,

«I think Eunha swung the sword more beautifully.»

«Well, being beautiful doesn’t always mean it’s good!»

The unprepared remark caused Eunhyuk to lose his grip on the sword.

Despite his frustration, he knew that Eunha was a great swordswoman. Even if he couldn’t put it into words, he could tell that the trajectory of the sword was fluid and the way it flowed into the next move was smooth, unlike the children who swung without thinking.

Even if he didn’t tell anyone, Eunhyeok was practicing the way Eunha swung his sword in his mind.

«Why are you here, go play somewhere else.»

«I’m here for ice cream, do you want some?»

While holding a tank boy in one hand, Jung Hayang offered a Popsicle with the other. Seeing the ice cream she offered, Eunhyuk couldn’t help but salivate.

It was hot.

Unbearably hot.

Even though he hadn’t swung his sword many times, sweat was pouring down Eunhyuk’s face.

He forgot how many times he swung it, so he decided to take a break.

Wiping the sweat from his face with the back of his hand, Eunhyeok tried to take the ice cream offered by Hayang.

But then Hayang came in abruptly, saying, «Finish your work first, then you can eat…»

Still a child.

For some reason, he thought he heard those words after he stopped talking.

No, it was certain. She was looking at him with curious eyes.

«I was going to finish and then eat it anyway!»

«It’s hot, so eat your ice cream. Dad said even he could suffer from the heat.»

Is she telling me to eat it or not?

Frowning, he reluctantly took the ice cream from her.

She’s changed too.

The children who hung out with Eunha seemed to have grown up somehow.

Jung Hayang was one of them. She used to cry at the slightest touch, but now she had changed so much in just one year.

«Do you think you’re good at sword fighting now?»

«It’s not sword fighting, it’s sword training.»

«You wouldn’t beat a Eunha anyway.»

«Ugh!»

And then he was crushed. Now she was strong enough to tease Eunhyuk.

«By the way, isn’t it a little noisy?»

«What? I can’t hear anything.»

«I think the kids are just screaming.»

Noisy?

Eunhyuk, who was biting into his ice cream, listened, but heard nothing.

Just the sound of cicadas chirping-.

Huh?

Children’s screams mixed in with the cicadas’ cries.

It was as if something had happened that he didn’t recognize.