Chapter 117

    A week passed.

    “Hey, didn’t you say your hobby is visiting famous restaurants? I heard the noodles here are amazing. Interested?”

    Another week went by.

    “There’s an aquarium and a cafe? here? Let’s check it out. Whoa, why is the price like this?”

    Time continued to pass.

    Restaurants. Cafe?s. Movie theaters. Parks. PC rooms. Amusement parks. Hanok villages. Botanical gardens. Lakes. Gyeongbokgung Palace.

    The time we spent together piled up. The memories we shared increased. Slowly, a subtle tension grew between us.

    It was such a joyful time, so fun that it made me forget all the hell I’d been through in the snowy mountains of the 4th floor.

    The truth I’d come to realize again was that I was incredibly lonely. Every time I regressed, people reacted the same way. They moved as I had planned. If I used my abilities, they obediently followed my words.

    “Can’t I just have a bite of that? No? Well, I’m going to eat it anyway.”

    That’s not how human relationships work. Human relationships are about different people coming together, causing all sorts of reactions.

    It was something I’d finally come to understand.

    “Wow, today was really fun.”

    “It would’ve been perfect if you didn’t break the puzzle at the escape room cafe?.”

    “What? Kim Jun-ho, do you want to die?”

    Choi Ji-won and I were already friends. After months of being with each other, it just happened naturally.

    “...”

    In that moment of realization, I felt that the time was near. Because...

    ‘Time flows relentlessly.’

    ***

    It was a dark, deserted street. The only light came from the occasional street lamp flickering on.

    “...”

    “...”

    Choi Ji-won and I walked in silence. People say that when silence isn’t awkward between two people, they’re true friends. But the silence between us right now felt unbearably uncomfortable.

    “Ji-won.”

    “Yeah?”

    For the first time, I called her by her name. It felt awkward, but somehow necessary.

    What I was about to say would stay with me forever. And I wanted to call her by her name when I thought back to this memory.

    I cleared my throat, adjusted my clothes for no reason, and finally spoke the words I’d rehearsed countless times in my head.

    “I’m going to regress.”

    “...”

    Ji-won said nothing, but her expression wasn’t one of shock. Instead, it felt like she was expecting this moment.

    “If you look at the news these days, all they talk about are players. Who committed what crime, who’s amazing, who’s getting stronger... I heard some lunatic massacred dozens of other players.”

    “...”

    “Look at us. We’ve barely cleared the 4th floor, and we’re already more physically capable than Olympic gold medalists. If this is what it’s like now, what happens when we reach the 10th floor? The 20th? The 50th? Just how powerful will we become? How unstable will society get? If we don’t clear the tower as fast as possible, the world might be destroyed by players.”

    I stood there, reciting the words I had prepared mechanically. They were meant for Ji-won, but also myself.

    “So, for everyone’s sake... I have to regress. I can’t let the world end just because I want to enjoy myself.”

    I didn’t want to regress. But I had to. For everyone.

    -Tap.

    Ji-won’s footsteps came to a stop. I stopped as well.

    We stood under the streetlamp, both of us staring at the ground.

    “Aren’t you mad at me?”

    Ji-won asked cautiously.

    Ji-won’s voice trembled.

    Hearing that, my breath grew shallow. It felt like the blood was draining from my head.

    “At first, it was all just curiosity. But now, it’s not.”

    “Don’t do this.”

    “I know this might hurt you. Maybe you’ll end up hating me, cursing me for years, thinking I’m a terrible person.”

    “Please, no...”

    “But I think this is better than watching you turn into some emotionless machine. For you to stay Kim Jun-ho, the person you are... this is the right thing to do. Just like how you used to think of the Choi Ji-won from the tutorial whenever you struggled, I want you to remember me like that.”

    I forcefully pulled away from Ji-won’s tightly clasped hand, turning my body.

    “You’re an amazing person, really. So just keep being that way. I’ll be rooting for you.”

    In the quiet street, under the dim streetlight, I finally faced Ji-won; she was crying.

    But she was smiling through her tears, trying so hard to hold it together.

    We both knew what was right. We just couldn’t accept it in our hearts.

    “If you... do this...”

    “...”

    “If you do this, how am I supposed to leave?”

    I’ve always been alone. I had countless people around me, but none were truly friends.

    Ji-won was the first real friend I’d had in so long. No, I already thought of her as something more.

    “You could’ve just been cruel, you know...”

    At least if she had been harsh, I could distance myself. She could’ve insulted me, spat on me, made it easier to walk away. But this kind of farewell... how was I supposed to accept it?

    “I don’t want to say goodbye...”

    I pulled her into a tight embrace. Neither of us said it out loud, but we both already understood.

    We recognized each other’s abilities and character. We acknowledged each other as comrades to face the tower together.

    And as friends, we knew we were a perfect match.

    It was fun being together. But we couldn’t stay together.

    Even if I regressed and met Ji-won again, she wouldn''t be the same person.

    Just like the Ji-won standing before me isn’t the same as the one from the tutorial, the new Ji-won won’t be this one either.

    All the warmth and joy I felt up to now pierced my heart like a dagger. I considered throwing it all away, abandoning the mission, and just moving on to the 5th floor.

    -Grip.

    Her hands gently grabbed my cheeks.

    “Listen carefully. I won’t say this twice.”

    Ji-won, now free from tears, looked directly into my eyes.

    “I’m not sure if it’s love yet. But... I really like you.”

    And then, without warning, she kissed me. A sharp, tingling sensation came upon me as her tongue brushed mine.

    It was a blissful feeling, mixed with her scent, and then... came a faint taste of blood.

    You’ve been injured. Returning to the moment you first entered the 4th floor.

    ***

    “...Ah.”

    I was back on the 4th floor.

    – – – End of Chapter – – -

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