ReLife Player

[April 1].

«Today feels more lively than usual.»

April. Cherry blossoms bloomed in downtown Seoul. On the way to school, the cherry trees swayed their branches and fluttered their petals.

Euna and Minji marvelled at how the cherry blossoms greeted them in the morning.

Eunha was almost late to school as they brought him up to look at the sky smeared with pastel colours.

Not only the two girls but also the students in their class were talking excitedly about the cherry blossoms on their way to school. Some even leaned out of the window to see the flowers in the distance.

«…What’s so nice about flowers?»

On the other hand, Eunha took in the children’s cherry blossom sensitivity. Having lived a challenging life, he didn’t feel any inspiration from the flowers that bloomed quickly and faded away.

He just saw them positively because Euna and his mother liked flowers.

«Do you like spring?»

Who cares when the flowers bloom?

Rather, Eunha liked the song the young man on the first floor had been muttering in a nervous tone this morning. The more he thought about it, the more addictive it became.

«Yeah, it’s a flower song for this time of year.»

For him, it wasn’t a matter of when the cherry blossoms would bloom and fall; that was something he could leave entirely to his father.

What he was interested in now was the position the Fairy Government had taken this morning. The Fairy Queen’s government had announced that they were going to clean up the Yeouido Park area, which had become a habitat for monsters.

It had been three years since Im Gaeul took office as the Fairy Queen. At the end of last year, she announced her intention to stabilize the Gangnam area by deploying cocoons in major cities nationwide.

She even promised to restore the monster-destroyed National Assembly within the year.

The cleanup of Yeouido Park, reported this morning, is a step toward stabilizing Gangnam.

«Maybe this is the time when Gangnam will be stabilized.»

Eunha, who was living his second life, knew that Im Gaeul’s cleanup of Yeouido Park would stabilize the Gangnam area and restore the National Assembly building, and even restore the people’s support that was shaken by the Kraken’s appearance two years ago.

Gangnam would really be a paradise. But he couldn’t even take a small part in it, knowing the future.

The stabilization of Gangnam was only the beginning, as players began raiding unidentified dungeons in the area.

«Captain! Captain! We’re in trouble!»

Eunhyuk, who had run out to do a one-bar, shouted as he rushed in.

No wonder the kids in the classroom turned to look at him.

«Why? What’s wrong?»

Eunha wouldn’t be surprised if the world ended tomorrow.

«Captain! Hmph, hmph, hmph… Monsters are smashing through the cocoon right now!»

«What, what!?»

«Monsters!?»

What? The cocoon is broken?

The children’s shouts of surprise fell on deaf ears. Eunha doubted his ears.

The future was still a long way off when the cocoon surrounding the River North region would collapse and the monster army would swarm in from all directions. He had been called to the front not long after graduating from the academy, and he knew that future all too well.

«You’ve been lying to me since this morning.»

«Huh? You’re not freaking out at all? All the other kids were fooled….»

«Because that’s 12 years away from happening.»

«Twelve years? Huh? How does he know that?»

Oops, I said it without thinking.

«…It’s a lie.»

Eunha shrugged, avoiding eye contact.

Fortunately, Eunhyuk didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he nodded in approval.

«Why, how did you know it was a lie!»

«Because it’s April Fool’s Day, the day you can lie to your heart’s content!»

«That’s why they’ve been so loud today.»

Apparently, the cherry blossoms weren’t the only reason the kids were being so loud and mischievous today.

Childish, childish.

Eunha clicked his tongue.

A lie is only valuable when it’s not a lie, so he couldn’t understand why anyone would like April Fool’s Day when a lie is only valuable as a lie.

If you’re a player, you should be able to lie at any time.

Eunha’s usual poker face was also a result of his training as a player. In a player’s world where no one was to be trusted, there was no reason to give away information.

If you were a top player, you had to fool before you were fooled, and if you were fooled, you had to turn the tables.

«Heh, boys are so childish, they don’t know what they’re lying about.»

Minji, who was listening to the conversation from the next table, scoffed.

«What! I’m not childish!»

«From head to toe. Do you really have to say that?»

«Haha….»

Minji and Eunhyuk glared at each other.

Seona, who had come to join them, let out an awkward laugh. Hayang, who had gotten used to the two fighting, drank her Yulmu tea in silence.

Ho-oh?

Watching the two bickering, Eunha suddenly thought of a lie to trick Minji.

«Hey Minji.»

So he called Minji.

«…Huh? You called me now?»

«Minji is the only one in our class.»

Minji, who was in the middle of a snowball fight with Eunhyuk, was dumbfounded. She hadn’t expected Eunha to call her by a name other than Mukminji.

«Now that I look at you… have you gotten prettier?»

«What, what, what…!»

«Hah!»

«Yuck!»

The effect of a single lie was dramatic.

Minji’s face turned bright red in an instant.

Hayang spewed out the Yulmu tea she was drinking.

Eunhyuk was suddenly hit by a water bomb.

Eunha laughed at the children’s reactions.

«You, you…!»

Minji realized he was lying when she saw Eunha’s reaction. Still blushing, she couldn’t contain herself and slapped him on the back.

«Captain, you’re amazing. I thought it was real too. You’re a good liar.»

«You’re supposed to be serious when you say things you don’t mean.»

«What’s so serious about serious, I thought you’d finally lost your mind!»

«Phew, thank goodness.»

«Seona, what are you doing? Don’t just stand there, try to trick him!»

«I, me…?»

Seona, who had been patting Hayang’s back, was flustered. She hadn’t expected to be accused, so she gaped like a crucian carp.

«Ah!»

Then she remembered something,

«Eunha.»

«Yeah. What’s up?»

Let’s see how skilled Seona is.

Among the kids, Seona was the only one who was good at poker face.

Eunha decided to watch how she would try to deceive him.

«Actually, my ears are detachable.»

«Huh?»

What a clever fox voice is this?

Ain detaches her ears?

Eunha just looked at her as if to say, «Go on.»

Seona, who was right on the mark, pointed to her head.

«Look, look! That’s why my ears aren’t visible today.»

«»»Ha ha ha!»»

Oh, what is she!

The fourth-grade students were secretly listening to Seona because she had claimed she was lying, and then they couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

«Ugh…»

Seona, who had been holding her head up and hiding her ears, shrank back when she saw the kids’ reaction. It may have seemed like a creative lie to her, but to the kids, she was just a hopeless liar.

But it seems like she’s fitting in with her class now.

Maybe it’s because it’s been a month, but the kids in Class 4 have gotten used to her. They still didn’t approach her, but at least they didn’t ignore her outright.

Of course, some kids still looked at her in a less-than-favourable light.

«Can you be quiet? This place isn’t just for you.»

It was Jin-sena’s group. Sena, also wearing a dress today, crossed her arms and gave Eunha a pinch on his arm.

«No Eunha, if you’re the vice president, shouldn’t you be able to keep the kids quiet? But the vice president doesn’t set an example, he just plays with the kids….»

Ha, here we go again.

Ever since the presidential election was over, Sena has been berating Eunha for the title of vice president.

But Eunha, who had endured Minji’s backbone for years, took Sena’s criticism in stride.

«Yeah, yeah~»

Oh, bother, go away, go away.

She wasn’t about to back down.

Sena snorted,

«What do you think you’re doing, don’t you know what my dad does?»

«Haa….»

He hesitated to get angry with a child, so he just sighed and decided to ignore her.

If only he didn’t feel like playing a prank.

«Come to think of it…»

«Yeah?»

Sena was about to take the initiative on how to embarrass Eunha, but Eunha suddenly said, «Baek Hyun-yul likes you.»

«W-what? What does that have to do with me?»

‘What does it have to do with me?’ Ha.

It’s pretty obvious from how red her face is.

Baek Hyun-yul. He was a boy with doll-like good looks who had been attracting the attention of girls since the beginning of the school year, and he used to hang out with the alchemy combi.

There was no way Sena didn’t recognize him from time to time in the fourth period, and even if she acted like she wasn’t interested, it didn’t mean she didn’t have a crush on him, who was just as pretty as the rest of them.

«That, that story. Where did you hear that?»

Sena snapped. She grabbed Eunha’s arm, indicating that she wasn’t going to let him go until he answered her.

We’re already past this.

Oh, I shouldn’t be laughing, I’m not supposed to laugh in here.

Poker face, poker face….

«I’m friends with Hyun-yul. Where else would I have heard?»

Eunha’s every word gives him an escape hatch(1). Later, when Sena huffed and puffed, he would tell her that Baek Hyun-yul had said that he was interested, not that he liked her, or that he hadn’t heard from him.

If he wanted to fool people, he had to be vague.

«But Hyun-yul said he likes quiet girls. But you….

«Hmm, hmm. What? What did I do?»

Sena cleared her throat and began to sift through her thoughts.

Eunha giggled inwardly.

«Oh? The meeting is over. As the Vice President, President Sena showed exemplary behaviour, so everyone should return to their seats.»

As Sena was advised to show a good example as the Vice President, Eunha intentionally spoke as if reading a Korean language book.

Sena seemed to want to ask something more, but Eunha wasn’t a gentle person.

Since then, Sena’s habit of grumbling decreased.

For a while, it will be quiet.

To someone who thinks they are the center of the world, their ego is fragile.

Sena was the same.

Eunha thought he should actively use this weakness from now on.

☆

«I didn’t succeed at all.»

Eunhyuk’s shoulders slumped as he realized that he hadn’t had a good April Fool’s Day. The fact that no one was cheering him up made him even more depressed.

Eunhyuk was surprisingly bad at lying. Even with Eunha’s advice, there was no room for improvement.

He shouldn’t be left alone.

Eunha evaluated Eunhyuk, who usually said he would become a player. He was a person who would be a grumpy player without outstanding skills or a perfect partner.

«Ah!»

But Eunhyuk hadn’t given up lying yet. Determined to succeed at least once, he spotted Julieta just in time.

«Julieta noona!» (2)

«Ciao, Eunhyuk!» (3)

Julieta, who was carrying a luggage basket, greeted Eunhyuk as he ran over.

Eunhyuk intentionally gasped for breath to strike a chord,

«No- noona..! We’re in trouble!»

«Huh?»

Julieta scratched her head.

What the hell is going on?

As she tried to brush back her flowing hair,

«Those foreigners in black were looking for you and Uncle Bruno earlier!»

Oh no, she’s going to fall for that…

«What!?»

Julieta was so surprised that she dropped the shopping cart she was carrying. Her green eyes widened and she racked her brain, mumbling something unintelligible.

«No way…the Myron family…how did you know? I thought I wouldn’t find them here…. No, just go ahead and….»

«Julieta’s sister?»

«Sori, Eunhyuk, your noona has something important to do, I have to go!» (4)

Julieta ran up to the house, forgetting to pick up her fallen shopping cart.

«Huh?»

I managed to pull off the lie….

Eunhyuk, who had planned to end with a ‘haha hahaha’ about how it was a lie at the end, was puzzled by the strange turn of events.

«What are you doing, you need to catch up with her and tell her it’s a lie, Julieta’s noona is freaking out!»

«Oh, okay!»

He would have continued to be dumbfounded if Minji hadn’t scolded him.

Eunhyuk ran after Julieta and didn’t look back.

«Ah!»

«What about you?»

It was then that Hayang, who had been silent for a day, seemed to have remembered something.

«I thought of a good lie!»

Had she been quiet all this time to tell a lie?

Eunha was dumbfounded.

Suddenly, she gasped and ran over to Eunhyuk.

«What is it?»

«I don’t know.»

«Let’s follow him.»

Hayang arrived at the landlord’s grandfather’s house.

The door to the house was still open today.

«Grandpa~!»

Hayang ran into the study and called out her grandfather. (5)

«Hehe, you’re early today.»

He didn’t think anything of it when he saw her snorting.

«Grandpa, this is only for you.»

She remembered the magic words Eunha had taught her at school. She whispered them to her grandfather in a very important tone.

She was more talented at acting than Min-ji, so when she lied, he took her seriously.

«Yes, what is it?»

Hayang opened her mouth, hiding her excitement.

«There’s actually a lion living in my closet.»

«Huh?»

«So whenever I get bored, I go to the world where the lion lives.»

Grandpa cocked his head; he wondered if she was talking about books. Not wanting to shatter her illusion that she was being serious, he smiled.

«It’s April Fool’s Day.»

If Eunha hadn’t followed up, he might have let it go.

«Eyy~ you can’t say that.»

«Hey, kids, come on over. Do you want some chocolate?»

If he had granddaughters, he might have acted differently. Anyway, what are these kids doing?

«»»Wow~!!»»

The children tasted the fine chocolates prepared by the grandfather and admired them greatly.

☆

Meanwhile, Eunhyuk said─.

«Noona Julieta, it’s actually….»

«Sorry, Eunhyuk, I don’t have time for that right now, I will contact you later!»

He had a hard time stopping Julieta, who was busily packing her things.

Notes!

(1) Escape hatch: in this context, it refers to a way out of a difficult or uncomfortable situation. When Eunha speaks, he gives himself an escape hatch, meaning that he leaves himself room to back out or change his story later.

(2) Noona: is a Korean term that is used by younger brothers to address their older sisters or older female friends who are older than them. BUT in this case is a term of endearment and respect, and is commonly used in Korean culture to address older sisters or close female friends who are considered to be like older sisters. JULIETE IS NOT THEIR SISTER!

(3) Ciao: in Italian, «Ciao» is a common informal greeting used both for «hello» and «goodbye». It’s equivalent to the English greetings «hi» or «bye».

(4) Sori: here Juliete misspoke, probably because she was in an urgent situation, she was trying to say «sorry»

(5) Her grandfather: He is NOT her grandfather, I believe it’s a kindly way to show the closeness between him and the kids. If it’s confusing I’ll change it. Remember he is the landlord.