< Ending Maker SS #12 To Earth (5) >
Ending Maker SS #12 To Earth (5)
Kang Jin-ho.
A twenty-nine-year-old man who chose to retire in his twenties and live in seclusion, a retiree to put it nicely, but a day laborer to put it badly. He is about to turn thirty.
His hobby is teasing Yellow Storm, and his specialty is teasing Yellow Storm.
Of course, it wasn’t like this in the past.
Before he retired, Kang Jin-ho had much more brutal hobbies and special skills.
Even after 6 years, he still possesses excellent skills, although he is slightly inferior to that time.
But six years is by no means a short period of time.
Kang Jin-ho’s skills may have been maintained through habitual training, but the continued peace and the mental treatment of the Yellow Storm brought about many changes in his state of mind.
‘Even so, it’s just me.’
Yuder knew Kang Jin-ho well.
Although 18 years have passed since his reincarnation, it was only 3 years ago that Kang Jin-ho’s memories were awakened.
Of course, human memory isn’t perfect, and three years was enough to blur memories, but Yuder was Yuder.
He remembered clearly what he was like at that time.
‘It’s a little different from me now.’
There were some things that changed after reincarnation.
Growing up as a Uder, several things happened that caused some personality changes.
And most importantly, Cordelia.
Uder himself had Cordelia, but Kang Jin-ho did not have Cordelia.
Of course, the Yellow Storm – that is, Hong Yu-hee – existed, but the meaning Cordelia had to him now and the value Hong Yu-hee had to Kang Jin-ho were bound to be different.
‘First of all, I didn’t even know she was a woman.’
I didn’t even know her age, let alone her gender.
Of course, if you wanted to know, you could have found out.
Kang Jin-ho and Noh Bok had been together for six years, so just by synthesizing the indirect information heard during those six years, it would have been enough to profile Noh Bok and the person.
But Kang Jin-ho didn’t do that on purpose.
He even profiled NPCs he met in the game, but he didn’t do that for Nobok.
When I play with Nobok, I even intentionally empty my head.
‘Anyway, what’s clear is that Kang Jin-ho is very suspicious.’
I could roughly guess what would happen if Cordelia and Hong Yu-hee met.
Hong Yu-hee, who has a keen intuition one way or another, was sure to ask this question.
“But how does Cordelia know Abok?”
Then Cordelia will answer like this.
“I know because it’s a dream!”
It was an answer that was illogical, no, it had logic but was extremely weak, and so it could easily be destroyed by another question, but Hong Yu-hee would probably say this.
“Wow! I see!”
It must be like that because it’s a dream! – he said.
It was difficult to think rationally in dreams.
Even things that would normally be considered absurd were accepted as common sense.
For example, Uder had seen this case in a book before.
“I saw ducks lying down with their heads down in my dream. I thought, ‘That’s how ducks should be.’ This is not a dream, this is reality!”
And Hong Yu-hee was probably so excited by the fact that her favorite character, Cordelia, appeared before her eyes that she likely didn’t care about other ‘little things’.
‘You’re probably too busy liking each other.’
Hug Cordelia, hold her hand and jump around together, or ask her to cut your thighs and dig out your ears.
‘hmm.’
Thinking of Yellow Storm and Hong Yu-hee holding hands and running around together, a smile naturally appeared on Yuder’s face.
What a cute and lovely sight this is.
But the thought was fleeting.
Uder returned his focus to the subject.
‘But Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t do that.’
If he showed up and told the story of Nobong, he would probably say this.
“Dreams are something I dream, and all the material for dreams ultimately comes from my head. That is to say, everything you say is ultimately nothing more than a delusion that I created based on the material in my head.”
Of course, it was possible that Kang Jin-ho, who couldn’t think rationally in his dreams, listened to Yuder’s words as if they were Alexei’s, but Yuder didn’t think so.
Although he was not as good as Cordelia, he also had the instincts of a beast.
So, the argument that I knew Nobok well because it was a dream didn’t make sense.
A different kind of persuasion was needed.
‘Think about the winning conditions.’
The ultimate goal was to make Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yu-hee love each other, but that was the final goal. The current goal was different.
‘The goal is to get Kang Jin-ho to attend the meeting.’
That is, Hong Yu-hee – there was no need to list No-bok’s merits and increase the favorability rating for him.
‘You just have to make them feel like going to the meeting.’
Uther didn’t lie to Cordelia.
Kang Jin-ho thought of the girl next door, Hong Yu-hee, as a cute and pretty girl, but did not look at her as a romantic interest.
When I first saw her, she was a middle school student – and I’ve never been so corrupted that I thought of her as a lover, especially a girl who had just entered middle school.
After that, I watched her grow for six years, so even though Hong Yu-hee was an adult, I still only recognized her as a cute girl next door.
But what if the girl next door finds out that she’s an adult and a pervert?
What if you found out that Nobok was actually a cute and lovable girl?
Moreover, the girl was none other than Cordelia, whose fate was intertwined with that of Uther himself.
It was clear that he would fall for Cordelia, just as he had for Yuder himself – that is, for Hong Yu-hee.
‘We just have to meet.’
If you just open the floodgates, everything will work out fine on its own.
Uther, with a confident and cool smile on his face, thought about the following:
‘So how do we convey the message?’
The messenger was as important as the message.
Since it was Nobok who was telling the story, it was too easy to assume that he would appear as Yuder, a character from the Heroes Chronicles.
A more effective means was needed.
Uther thought for a moment, and then, as always, he was able to come up with his own answer.
&
Kang Jin-ho opened his eyes.
It was familiar, but it wasn’t the bedroom I’d been sleeping in and waking up in for the past six years.
Another room.
A large, ornate, yet messy room filled with memorabilia from all over the world.
As I said before, Kang Jin-ho was familiar with this room.
It was Alexei’s room.
“Alexey?”
Kang Jin-ho called out the name of the person sitting with his back turned across the desk where the chessboard was.
“It’s been a while.”
As my will turned, the expected face appeared.
Alexey.
A man with too many surnames, most of which are fake, so no one knows his real surname. And if what Alexei said is true, then Alexei himself doesn’t know his real surname in the first place, so there can be no such thing as a real surname in the first place. And so he’s just Alexei.
As the thoughts continued endlessly, Kang Jin-ho realized that this was a dream.
Kang Jin-ho himself was not the type to have such sticky thoughts.
Moreover, Alexei died.
With Alexei right in front of me, I said, “It’s been a while,” so it was clear that this was a dream.
If I was simply reminiscing about the past, I wouldn’t have used the expression ‘long time no see’.
A being in the shape of Alexei spoke.
“I know what you’re thinking. Yes, this is your dream. I am Alexei, but I am not the real Alexei. I am the Alexei created by your memories.”
Of course it was a lie.
It was just Yuder who took Alexei’s form through magic.
But Kang Jin-ho didn’t think about that possibility.
In the dream, Alexei appears, saying that he is a fake Alexei whose memories have been recreated.
During this time, Kang Jin-ho was not the one who thought about the fantasy element called magic.
Kang Jin-ho was probably thinking this right now.
‘That makes sense.’
Kang Jin-ho, trained by Alexei, had a habit of being rational in everything he did.
Alexei appeared in my dream.
Of course, this is not the real Alexei. This is the Alexei created by memory.
How reasonable an explanation this is.
But still, it was Kang Jin-ho.
Even though he thought it was a dream, instead of immediately relaxing, he looked straight at Yuder, who was in the form of Alexei, and asked.
“What’s up with the fake Alexei?”
“Kang Jin-ho, this is a dream. It’s hard to discuss logic in dreams. When you were young, you had a lot of irrational dreams, right? You had a dream about Natasha’s naked body that you happened to see at the night pool and got excited by it······.”
“That’s it. Is this really the person from my dreams?”
Because I never told anyone about that.
Kang Jin-ho blushed slightly and flinched in embarrassment, and Yu-der continued speaking, feeling equally embarrassed.
“Okay, so this is a dream. Don’t be too logical about it.”
“But for something like that… that’s strange. You’re speaking too logically.”
He is telling us logically that we should not think logically in our dreams.
Kang Jin-ho himself gives evidence that he cannot help but accept.
“That’s why it’s your dream, Kang Jin-ho, and no one else’s. Isn’t it truly your dream?”
“hmm······.”
Kang Jin-ho was silent for a moment.
Natasha’s – I mean, when she had a dream about her older sister who used to love her, she remembered it not being this logical.
The development in the dream was truly irrational.
But since it was extremely embarrassing to mention that incident, Kang Jin-ho decided to let it go for now.
“What happened anyway? Did I unconsciously miss Alexei?”
“I wanted to see you. Whenever there’s a problem, you always think of Alexei’s teachings first.”
It was an undeniable story.
That’s why Kang Jin-ho remained silent again and looked at Alexei’s face.
Uder said.
“Since the labor pains are already over, I won’t tell you what Alexei wants to hear. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Another story?”
“Yeah, that’s another story. It’s about your life these days.”
“Why is my life like this?”
“Even being a freeloader has a limit. Wasn’t six years too long?”
Kang Jin-ho felt a sting, and Yu-der, who was speaking, also felt a sting.
They may be strangers now, but if you go back further, they are two people with the same roots.
“It’s already been six years since you retired. And for those six years, all you’ve done is sit in the corner of your room, playing games, teasing someone on the other side of the monitor who you don’t know—maybe someone much younger than you. I wonder what the real Alexei would say if he saw this. And… Kang Jin-ho, you’re also unconsciously thinking similar thoughts. The fact that I appeared in your dreams is proof of that.”
Of course it was bullshit.
But Kang Jin-ho swallowed a groan, and Yuder, who had the form of Alexei, continued speaking.
“I’m not saying that we should go back to what we used to do. To be honest, we have enough money to last a lifetime, so we don’t really need to earn money. But I’m saying that we shouldn’t just stay cooped up in a corner like we are now. Youth doesn’t last forever. Now that we’re retired, it might be good to live the life of an ordinary person. Meet people, socialize, and if we get the chance, date. It might also be good to make new friends.”
“If we’re friends-.”
“Don’t tell me you have an internet friend. I’m essentially you, and it’ll just make the two of us miserable together.”
The two were silent for a moment, and then Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth again.
“Dating… is that what you wanted to do?”
To the point of creating a dream character and preaching like this?
“You’re a man too. How many times have you had a dirty dream······.”
“Up to there.”
“Yeah, be thankful I didn’t show up in Natasha’s guise.”
Kang Jin-ho swallowed another groan at Yuder’s words, but in fact, there was something unfair about it.
I’ve only ever had a dirty dream about Natasha once.
In fact, Kang Jin-ho’s own dirty dreams – so-called erotic dreams – were a bit strange.
There was always a woman with red hair that was almost pink.
When I woke up, my memories were always blurry and I couldn’t remember the face, but I clearly remembered the color of the hair.
‘Now that I think about it, Nobok’s hair color kind of resembles Cordelia’s.’
Kang Jin-ho, who had been collecting himself for a moment with random thoughts, raised his head again.
“So, you came out so that you could go out and date a bit? Or do some club activities?”
“It’s not bad. But I’m not telling you to do anything right now. I’m just saying that if you happen to have an opportunity to interact offline instead of online, don’t skip it too much.”
And then Uther paused for a moment.
After moving his lips several times, he finally continued speaking.
“Get social. Don’t be afraid to meet new people. The environment has changed. No one is shooting at you anymore, and no one is shooting at people close to you. You won’t be shooting at anyone. If you’re afraid of meeting new people, try to connect a little more with people you already know online.”
This is enough.
Anything more would be counterproductive.
“Kang Jin-ho. Don’t run away.”
After completing his last request, Yuder came out of Kang Jin-ho’s dream.
And then another few seconds.
“Phew.”
After emerging from the afterglow of the dream, Yuder let out a long breath and looked around.
Cordelia was having a very pleasant dream – no, she was smiling brightly as if she was having fun in Hong Yu-hee’s dream.
Kang Jin-ho didn’t know yet, but Yuder knew.
A woman with red hair that is almost pink, who has often appeared in my dreams since childhood.
Now, thanks to Angel Flower, her hair has turned completely pink······ But Yuder, who was once again smiling, kissed Cordelia’s forehead as she was sleeping.
Kang Jin-ho also caressed Cordelia’s cheek, hoping to meet his own Cordelia.
&
The next afternoon.
Kang Jin-ho, who was looking at the monitor screen, was lost in thought.
Namman Cat: [Shouldn’t we get together sometime?]
A story that suddenly popped up in the chat room.
Kang Jin-ho would normally have made excuses and backed out immediately, but this time it was different.
‘Don’t run away, Kang Jin-ho.’
Alexey.
What I said in my dream.
Moreover, there was one more reason why it was not easy to get out.
Yellow Storm: [Yeah, yeah. Okay. I’ll go.]
A yellow storm is coming.
An unknown entity that has given Kang Jin-ho the strength to live for the past six years appears in reality.
‘That’s a dream worth having.’
Healed his PTSD by teasing someone he didn’t even know the name of, age or gender of for 6 years.
It was a story that seemed great, but was also truly pitiful.
‘Besides, the opponent is almost certainly younger than me.’
I didn’t consciously do any profiling, but there were some things that just looked natural.
‘Okay, let’s meet.’
I don’t know what we’ll do when we meet, but let’s just meet up.
Kang Jin-ho, who had made up his mind, placed his hands on the keyboard.
&
And three days later.
now.
Uder and Cordelia held each other’s hands tightly and looked at the Hongdae street – the place where the chatroom members were supposed to gather – with excited faces, and there, Kang Jin-ho and Hong Yu-hee found each other.
“uh?”
He’s the guy next door.
Hong Yu-hee blinked and then blushed in embarrassment.
I came out dressed up nicely, but the guy next door caught me.
‘Oh, no. Rather than saying I got caught?’
Actually, I was secretly hoping to run into the guy next door when I came out.
Since I decorated it nicely, I wanted to show it off.
But I never thought I would run into you on the street like this.
‘But what’s going on?’
Now that I look at it, it’s different than usual.
His beard was neatly trimmed, and his clothes, while not flashy, were neat and tidy.
Is that what you call a semi-formal suit?
A casual, light suit look with a white round tee and no tie.
‘Wow, that’s cool!’
He’s really cool! He’s just like the guy next door!
It can’t even be compared to Abokki.
Yeah, yeah.
It can’t even be compared to that of a grade school student!
Cordelia kept saying that Abok was handsome, but he was still Abok.
‘Hey, should I say hello? Is it okay if I say hello?’
Cordelia blushed bright red and didn’t know what to do. Kang Jin-ho, who found Hong Yu-hee like that, was also flustered, but only for a moment.
‘I guess you came out to play.’
Now that I’m a college student, should I meet a boyfriend?
It was a natural thought, but for a moment I felt a stabbing sensation in my chest.
Why is it like this?
She’s just the cute girl next door.
“Oh, hello!”
While he was hesitating for a moment, the girl next door – Hong Yu-hee – approached and bowed, and Kang Jin-ho greeted him back with a small smile.
“Oh, hello. Do you have an appointment?”
“Uh… yes. I decided to meet some friends.”
“Okay, have fun.”
“yes.”
Now you can go your way.
We’ve already exchanged brief greetings when I saw him near my house.
But something strange happened.
The guy next door was standing still.
The girl next door also stood without moving.
“Uh… Did you decide to meet here?”
“Yes, you too, oppa?”
“Oh. Me too here.”
“Oh, what a coincidence.”
“I know.”
It wasn’t a very unlikely coincidence.
This place was so prominent that people often chose it as a meeting place.
‘What kind of people will I meet? Oh, will I meet a girl?’
Hong Yu-hee, startled by her own thoughts, glanced at the guy next door.
The guy next door who is always cool and handsome when I see him.
I’m sure I’ll meet a really pretty, great-looking, and awesome older sister.
‘Ugh, I don’t like it······.’
I don’t want to see that kind of thing when I come out to play.
And at that moment, Kang Jin-ho also thought.
‘But who are you meeting? Is he your real boyfriend?’
I don’t know why, but this time I felt a little sick.
Why is it like this?
And so for a few minutes.
It was when Hong Yu-hee and Kang Jin-ho were sneaking glances at each other without even taking out their phones.
KakaoTalk!
Hong Yu-hee was startled by the sudden notification sound and quickly took out her phone. Kang Jin-ho also felt the vibration sound and took out his phone.
And although the two people did not know each other, they were looking at the same open chat room at the same time.
Namman Cat: [Something came up at work suddenly, so I can’t go. I’m really sorry. I’m really sorry for hosting this and then doing this.]
AAA: [I’m really sorry. Oh, I was really about to leave. Suddenly, a lot of group orders came into the store······.]
Kowabunga: [No, that… I’m sorry for suddenly calling you on that day. Something urgent came up, too. I’m really sorry.]
Hong Yu-hee blinked in bewilderment at the news of the non-attendance that kept coming in, and Kang Jin-ho was no different.
Yellow Storm: [What? Then they won’t all come out?]
Namman Cat: [I’m really sorry. But isn’t Aboki coming out?]
Outboxer009: [First of all, I’m at the meeting place right now.]
Yellow Storm: [Me too.]
And that was the moment.
Hong Yu-hee and Kang Jin-ho, who were looking at their cell phone screens, looked at each other without realizing it.
The cell phone was taken out at the same time.
And the two people who were typing just now.
There was even a message in the chat room saying that they had already arrived at the meeting place.
“uh······.”
“uh······.”
W, really?!
Hong Yu-hee and Kang Jin-ho’s pupils dilated at the same time.
to be continued
< Ending Maker SS #12 To Earth (5) > End
