ReLife Player

[Life is about connections].

It was winter vacation, and Eunha’s routine was to stay home. All he could do was lie on the couch, read a book, and take care of his younger sister Eunae. (E/N: my life)

«Abu~»

«Didn’t I say you look ugly with pout your lips out?»

Whenever Eunae didn’t like something, she would puff up her cheeks and pout her lips, which would make Eunha scold her. However, Eunae still liked doing it, despite Eunha’s stern expression.

«Mom, where’s my sister?»

«She went to play with her friends.»

Then Eunha realized that Euna hadn’t been seen since the morning. Whenever Eunae clung to him, Euna would appear out of nowhere and cling to him too, but today, for some reason, she was nowhere to be seen.

«Eunha, why don’t you go play with your friends?»

«Abu~!»

«…Eunae said not to go, so I’m staying home.»

«Do you want mom to bring Minji?»

«…Mom, can’t I just stay home?»

Eunae is also begging me not to go. Although she’s still young, Eunae is incredibly aware of the atmosphere and holds onto his clothes to prevent him from going anywhere.

It was so cute, that Eunha hugged her. Unlike the kindergarten kids, she doesn’t realize how much Eunae energizes his life.

Come to think of it, Hayang had invited him to come over.

It was at the end of the school assembly. Her father came to thank him for saving her from the goblins. He told him to come to the cafe with their friends when he was on vacation.

It was then that Eunha realized that Hayang lived alone with his father.

In the meantime, he was not interested in people around him except his family. Although he considered the children in the kindergarten to be his friends, he was 32 years older than them and perceived them as people who needed to be taken care of.

So, even if he was close to them, he was secretly drawing a line in the sand. In other words, he was indifferent.

From now on…,I need to care a little more.

It would be wrong to say that he was interested. He must face the children on an equal footing.

For him, a future without them was now unthinkable.

«…Sooner or later, we’ll have to go play.»

Her father had invited him anyway.

Eunha agreed to go with his friends when the time came.

We’ll see.

«Great! Let’s play!»

«Come on out. I know you’re lazing around the house.»

«Hey, Eunha, let’s play….»

Eunha was at a loss for words as the children rushed into the house at lunchtime.

«…I’m not playing.»

I said we’d play, but I didn’t say we’d play today.

He snapped out of it and tried to turn around,

«Uh-oh. Come on, it’s cold outside, right? Do you want some cocoa?»

«Yes, I want cocoa!»

«No, ma’am, I’ll have milk.»

«…and thank you.»

«…Okay, go, go.»

When the mother tried to push the children in, he had no choice but to raise the white flag. No long-lived soldier would let enemies into the main camp.

«Woo-ha! Woo-ha!»

«Eunae, I’m going out.»

Eunha had to pick up Eunae, who was still crying, and go outside. He didn’t know why he was so sad to leave his sister.

«Haaa. What are you two doing here?»

«Hehe, we came to play with the captain.»

«»Right!»

When Eunhyeok called him boss, Ma Bangjin and Yeon Seongjin followed him, treating him like a boss.

Eunha wanted to hide in a rat hole because people passing by were watching them.

«Last time, Hayang’s dad asked her to come over, so I called her today.»

It was Minji who explained the situation, the tip of her nose frozen red from the cold weather.

«Why didn’t you contact me beforehand? Don’t you know that it’s a nuisance? It won’t do. You’re a nuisance from now on. Got it?»

«I’m not having any fun either. Hayang, got it?»

«Huh? What? Yeah, got it?»

It was a verbal feast on the way home. Still not used to the bickering between the two, Hayang replied, flicking the ribbon back and forth.

«Yeah, got it?»

«Oh, got it~»

On the other hand, Eunhyuk, Bangjin, and Sungjin got along well. They followed along and played with each other after listening to their stories.

<Cafe Happiness>, run by Hayang’s father, was located on a hill in the northeast of the city. Reminiscent of a cabin in the woods, the cafe was very small compared to the neighbouring cafes.

The smell of roasting coffee beans greeted the children as soon as they opened the door.

The interior of the cafe was narrow with high ceilings. The interior was also reminiscent of a cabin in the woods.

«Hello.»

Hayang’s father wore an apron that matched the forest atmosphere. Minji’s eyes lit up when she saw the adorable bear on the apron.

«»Hello~!»»

Greetings are manners. The children bowed, with Eunha and Minji leading the way.

«Hi, kids. Hello, Eunha. Please continue to be friendly with Hayang.»

But what?

Eunha stared at Hayang’s father, who was fixing his glasses.

He recognized the face.

He looked familiar.

But as he searched his memory, he couldn’t come up with any clues about Hayang’s father.

Meanwhile, the children were ushered to a seat by the window, where light streamed in.

«Are you hungry? I’ll make you a delicious lunch. Would you like a drink?»

«Me! Me! Me! I want a chocolate!»

«»I want mango juice!!»

«Sir, I’d like a yogurt.»

«Daddy, me too, yogurt.»

«Yeah, okey, and Eunha?»

«…What?»

Eunha looked up from his thoughts.

«Drinks. I asked what you wanted to drink.»

«Oh, sorry. I’ll have a double shot of espresso.»

«…Huh?»

There was silence.

Eunha was confused as to why the mood had suddenly cooled. Then he realized his mistake and quickly corrected himself

«Banana juice! I’ll have a banana juice.»

«Okay. Espresso is for grown-ups. But you can’t have a double shot.»

«Even though you told me to stop watching dramas, how much did you watch to come up with such difficult words?»

«You’re amazing captain! I thought it was a magic spell!»

«Me! I’ll make one for you when you grow up…I’ll practice until then.»

If there was a rat hole, he wanted to crawl into it.

For the first time, Eunha lost his poker face, and his ears turned bright red.

«I’ll have a double shot of espresso~»

«Stop, please.»

There was no way Minji was going to miss this opportunity. He mimicked the children’s and Eunha’s lines until Hayang’s father brought her lunch.

«Double shot of espresso.»

Even Hayang was impressed by Eunha’s line and imitated him, even raising her eyebrows in the same way.

«Wait Hayang! one more time!!»

…Please.

Hayang’s father, who brought lunch, smiled and pulled out his smartphone, capturing Hayang with raised eyebrows.

«Kids, kimchi!»

«»Kimchi~!»»

«…Kimchi….»

A group shot followed. The photo even showed the fork in Eunha’s hand rattling.

«Wow! This is delicious!»

«Is this bacon?»

Bangjin and Sungjin devoured the lunch brought by Hayang’s father. They didn’t even realize they had sauce on the corners of their mouths.

On the other hand, Minji and Hayang were quietly playing with their knives. For Hayang, cutting pancakes seemed like an ordinary thing.

«Captain, this egg dish is so delicious.»

«It’s not an egg dish, it’s scrambled eggs. And don’t talk to me while you are eating.»

«Okay.»

Eunhyeok nodded without a word as he was told not to open his mouth when he had food in his mouth.

«Wow, this is delicious!»

Bangjin, who was drinking a mango smoothie, brought up the topic. Sungjin, who was drinking next to him, nodded in agreement.

«Now do you understand? Hayang’s dad is so good at cooking.»

«But why are you being sulky?»

«Because Hayang is my friend.»

«I see, glutton.»

«I told you not to call me that.»

«Okay, Minji the eater.»

«I’m going to eat now~! Goodbye~!»

«Choi Eunhyuk you~!»

«Ahaha….»

Whenever the kids got together, topics would fly back and forth. This is why Eunha used to lie down on the couch when he came home from kindergarten.

Still, it was nice to chat after a long time.

Especially when Eunhyuk played the rhythm and came in, his thumbs went up automatically

«I have to admit, though. I feel like I’m getting stronger.»

«Well, that’s true.»

After finishing his iced chocolate, Eunhyuk changed the subject. Minji, who was raising her voice, didn’t bother to change the subject.

How good can it be?

The brunch was good, too. I could tell that my cooking skills weren’t up to par, but I couldn’t understand why they were praising the drink so much.

So I decided to give it a try.

Eunha drank the banana smoothie,

«…what.»

I was stunned and speechless.

What did I just drink?

He didn’t pay attention to the kids who were making a big deal about it.

Eunha drank the drink again, not to savor the banana smoothie, but to check the changes in his mana.

…Crazy.

My mana is up.

His sense of manipulating his body’s mana was unrivalled. He may be young, but his instincts weren’t going anywhere.

His senses had developed to the point where he could detect subtle changes in his body’s mana.

Crazy, crazy, crazy. Amazing. This is amazing.

It was a sure thing. The banana smoothie was restoring his mana.

The drink in his hand was a potion, a banana smoothie.

«This is ridiculous.»

«What? Does it taste bad?»

«No, no. It’s really delicious.»

Hayang smiled brightly at him.

For some reason, Eunha still couldn’t take his eyes off the banana smoothie.

It was a drug that helped restore mana in the body.

All players carried potions with them. Even if they didn’t have money, they always took potions with them when they went to slay monsters.

For a mana player, potions were life and death.

The problem is that the earliest potions were drugs that literally restored mana to the body. They were nothing more than drugs that allowed players to quickly absorb mana from the atmosphere.

What’s more, the earliest potions came in syringes, needles jabbed into thick thighs.

They were also expensive. They were made from specific plants, and even a poor-quality potion would cost at least 50,000 won.

«Hayang, what’s your father’s name?»

Then one day, the potion market was revolutionized.

It was when Eunha entered middle school.

Newly formulated potions not only helped speed up mana recovery, but also restored mana in the body.

There was no need to use a syringe. The new potion was available as a powder, a pill, and a drink.

«Dad’s family name is Jung, and his given name is Seok-ja-hoon.»

«Awesome! Let’s be good friends!»

«Huh? what?»

It was none of Hayang’s business as she plucked at the ribbon with a puzzled face.

Eunha was already excited to the point of excitement.

Jung Seok-hoon.

There was no way Eunha didn’t know that name.

He was the man who had revolutionized the potion market.

His gift was <Filtering>, which activated the mana in ingredients, allowing him to select mana-containing ingredients and extract the mana from them to create a dish called a potion.

By chance, he developed potions from his own dishes and saved countless players. The potions he made himself were considered premium and were even called «Elixir,» which revived players who were otherwise unable to recover.

«Why am I looking for a double shot espresso!»

Jung Seok-hoon’s homemade potions, there was also a potion called Double Shot Espresso. It was the best potion for mana recovery, no, it was coffee. (E/N: For me it’s tea)

But I heard that he didn’t have a daughter.

Eunha recalled the moment Jung Seok-hoon appeared in the potion market. Then he realized the discomfort he felt when he first saw Hayang.

«Oh.»

The puzzle was solved.

«mmm, what?»

«It’s nothing. The banana smoothie is delicious.»

«Yeah! Dad made it.»

Jung Seok-hoon. He was a person who lost his wife and daughter to monsters.

It was the day Jung Seok-hoon left his house.

Monsters, as if aiming for that moment, sneaked into his house and killed his wife.

When he returned home, his daughter was the only one crying alone in a pool of blood. (E/N: That’s too sad)

Why only the daughter was alive was considered a mystery. It could have been because the monster satisfied its hunger or because it had to leave for some reason.

However, Eunha was now able to understand the mystery that only her daughter survived. Perhaps the monster hid in the house to eat the abundant mana in Hayang’s body, and although it succeeded in killing her wife, it disappeared or ran away due to the mana that Hayang unconsciously spilled.

Anyway, the only thing left for Jung Seok-hoon, who lost his wife, was his daughter, Jung Hayang. He was said to have raised his daughter with all his love, including his wife’s share.

But in this world, there is no dream or hope.

Jung Seok-hoon lost his daughter, just like he lost his wife without knowing it…

«A goblin.»

It was a goblin that attacked the kindergarten a few months ago. The reason the academy had taught about the goblin attack was because it was related to the story of Seok-hoon’s entry into the potion market.

Before the regression, Hayang would have been killed by the goblins.

Eunha was able to figure out why Hayang, who had so much mana, was unknown in the future.

In this life, I have saved the daughter of Mr. Jung.

Having lost both his wife and daughter to monsters, all he had left was his hatred for them. Thinking he wasn’t good enough to be a monster-killing player, he entered the potion market when he was discovered to be the holder of a gift called «Filtering» by chance.

Alice Group, the ranked eighth in South Korea’s financial hierarchy, offered to invest in his business.

The combination of his skills and financial resources gave the tiger wings, and within a year of entering the market, he dominated the potion market, making Alice Group the absolute king of the potion market.

As a result, Alice Group was the third largest company in the country before Eunha’s death. And the position of the group’s chairman was taken over by Jung Seok-hoon, who had remarried the daughter of Alice Group’s chairman.

«Wow….»

Eunha was distractedly sucking on his banana smoothie, which had bottomed out earlier.

You are my best friend from now on.

That was the conclusion he came to.

The future had changed to a future where Hayang would not die. Perhaps her father would never become the chairman of Alice Group.

But the future of Seok-hoon Jung entering the potion market one day is unchanged. He’s a natural businessman

And he’s not going to let his skills go to waste.

So Eunha decided to get to know him, thinking that he might become a billionaire in the future.

Don’t call me a snob. It’s just the way people are.

I’m a selfish bastard.

Eunha had abandoned his conscience even before his regression.

And what kind of potion is Jung Seok-hoon’s?

When Jung Seok-hoon entered the potion market, the gift of becoming known to the world. Profit-conscious pharmaceutical companies hired people to make potions.

But Jung’s potions were unrivalled. Using the power of the Alice Group, he managed to capture all the potion makers from other companies. The potion market was eventually dominated by a monopoly.

His name came with a premium. As his name grew more and more famous, his potions were hard to come by. Even Eunha could get a double shot of espresso for a hefty price at first, but then he had to buy a factory-made double shot of espresso. Naturally, the potency dropped.

So Eunha decided to make a friendship with Jung Seok-hoon through Hayang. To get a potion that would command a premium in the future.

He had no intention of begging. I will get it for a fair price.

I’ll pay for it with my own money, so what do you care!

«Hayang.»

«Huh?»

«When you enter elementary school, tell me if anyone bullies you, because I won’t let it happen.»

«…Okay, thanks.»

Hayang blushes as she holds the straw in her mouth.

Eun-ha looked at her with the clearest and brightest eyes as he faced the winter vacation.

Life is all about connections. (E/N: That’s what my mom says too)

Having one good friend is enough.

And with that, Eunha pushed the rest of his elementary school life to the back of his mind.

All he could think about was potions.

─Three years had passed.

No Eunha became an elementary school student.

<End of Part 1>

Notes!

Waaa Part 1 is over!!! Let’s go Part 2!! (Sorry It’s 2 am)