Retire 304
by Cristae304 Youthful Girls (2)
April 5th is a day laden with meaning in many ways.
On April 5th, a dungeon break occurs in Myeong-dong.
It was a disaster in the heart of Seoul. Dungeon breaks can happen at any time, but on this day, the Myeong-dong incident was compounded by human error. The dungeon, originally ranked S, had its grade falsified by the responsible guild, so proper preparations were not in place.
Because it was the center of Seoul, the damage was immense. But for the same reason, the response was relatively swift.
Among the citizens who didn’t manage to escape in time were students from the demonstration high school. Trapped in the guild office near the dungeon gate, together with dozens of civilians, the students waited.
According to survivors, their initial plan was to hide in the office until rescue arrived. But soon, hungry monsters began to gather near the building.
They made a makeshift barricade at the entrance with desks and chairs. But how long could that hold against monsters? When the monsters began to charge the blocked entrance, they had no choice but to make a decision. Sitting and waiting or resisting—either way, death would be the same.
Those kids did their best. They did everything they could.
But doing your best doesn’t always yield the best result.
There were five survivors: two students from the demonstration high school, and three civilians.
That was what happened on April 5th, 2021, as I knew it.
And then, there is another April 5th, 2021.
A man who never wished for it, but ended up in the past twenty years ago by accident, awakens in an old building in Myeong-dong, isolated by monsters right after the dungeon break.
The man uses runes the children had never seen or heard of to deceive the monsters’ senses and help people escape.
To follow the instructions of a suspicious, unidentified man armed only with a sword is something no proper Hunter would do.
But the children in their demonstration high school uniforms had no experience. The fact that they’d held out with dozens of civilians, without panicking, was already impressive.
They must have known, too, that they couldn’t hold out much longer.
From their perspective, it was a gamble. Fortunately for them, the man was not someone who would toy with human lives.
Of course, that man’s name was Woo Hee-jae.
That is, me.
Does this sound like self-aggrandizement? But what can I do, it’s the truth.
The fact that there was no way for those kids to survive in that place had already been verified by many experts. Unless someone like me, who dropped in from the future, appeared, it would have been impossible.
I wonder… If things had gone according to the original plan, and if Yoo Ji-eun, my sister, had returned to the past, would she have landed in the middle of Myeong-dong as well? Who can say?
No matter what my sister and my father had planned, in the end, it was I who came to my senses in the middle of Myeong-dong, tense and surrounded by suspicious people.
Woo Hee-jae.
It would have been easy for me to run away alone. I did consider pretending not to see, in that moment.
But why did I decide to save those dozens of people who looked at me with suspicion?
Was it because I knew my father, who had regretted that day for so long?
Because I knew those who survived, only to carry that guilt for the rest of their lives?
I couldn’t say those things had no influence.
But more than anything, I had been taught that if there is a life you can save right in front of you, you must save it.
Even if it’s a person who died twenty years ago.
Of course, in the process… there were a few mishaps, but that’s not my concern. No, I did everything I could to help people get out quickly and safely. Really, the worst injury anyone suffered was a scraped knee from falling.
…Anyway, instead of the April 5th, 2021 when dozens of people died horribly, there is now a new April 5th, 2021.
People survived, and the students of the demonstration high school safely returned to their friends and families. Instead of the blame and resentment it would have received, the demonstration high school was met with a kind of suspicious recognition.
‘Ah, so that place actually did something?’
‘Well, I guess it serves a purpose after all?’
Even if it was suspicious, recognition is recognition. The demonstration high school’s official accreditation as a school came much sooner as a result.
With Yangseong High’s approval expedited, many other things changed as well. The Siren Dungeon, which would have claimed Kim Chae-min’s life during cleanup in the original timeline, was closed early by my father.
The power struggles around the Administration, which had added wrinkles and gray hairs to my father, were reduced. So much so that Hong Seok-young now seemed to have no intention of founding the Administration at all. Considering that the Administration was originally created to protect Hunters… it’s not strange that it’s no longer a priority for him.
And then there’s Lee Mi-seon, who was rumored to bring about the end of the world if she ever smiled, and my sister, who used to go through dungeons with a perpetually grim face, and Oh Hyun-wook and Park Seo-hyun as well. Even Soon Soon-jin, who once left behind nothing but a brief will…
Everything changed.
All because of my own capriciousness—because I couldn’t bring myself to leave, even knowing I was supposed to die.
“…Who suggested we do this, anyway?”
“Why are you looking at me? It was Soon Soon-jin’s idea.”
“But you were the one who said we should ask the teachers, too.”
“Was I? I don’t really remember.”
“You did.”
“I said I don’t remember.”
Grumbling voices drifted over.
Looking toward the sound, I saw Lee Seung-yeon and Seo Han-seong, feigning innocence as they tilled the soil with hoes. When our eyes met, they even smiled sweetly and waved.
And this is the result of all those changes born of my whims.
Under the gentle spring sunlight and soft breeze, students in gym uniforms, each with a hat or scarf on their heads, dug in the earth, planting saplings—whether grass or trees, it was hard to tell.
It was a peaceful scene, as if from a youth movie. Spring, brimming with life, and vibrant boys and girls.
Instead of waving back at Lee Seung-yeon, I lifted my glass. The lemonade, full of ice, looked refreshing just to see.
The parasol decoration and straw, which I’d specially requested from the Hunter manning the cafeteria in Ji Yu-geon’s absence, swayed in the breeze.
Lee Seung-yeon and Seo Han-seong’s lips trembled. It was worth bringing a drink I didn’t even like just to see their reactions.
“Mr. Woo, aren’t you bored? Want to join us?” Lee Seung-yeon called out loudly on purpose. Kim Chae-min looked up at the sound.
Cute kid. She’s still a long way from being able to tease me.
“No. I have a lot of work to do,” I replied, waving a report in my other hand.
“Hey! Lee Seung-yeon, are you going to do it properly or not?!”
And as Soon Soon-jin’s voice rang out, Lee Seung-yeon’s shoulders shrank. Her attempt to rope me in ended before it even began.
“Teacher Chae-min! What do we do next?”
“Now, like this… Be careful not to damage the roots. I can take care of them with magic for now, but not all plants are like that, you know?”
This must be the kind of scene my father wanted so desperately to protect, and the people my sister would have given anything to reclaim.
I let the lemonade linger in my mouth. The cold, tart taste snapped me awake.
This was the future I gained by changing the past.
These are the lives I saved, at the cost of my own family.
“Just this once! So watch carefully, all right? You’ll never see this anywhere else!”
Kim Chae-min spread her arms wide as the children finished planting the saplings. I’d seen this before, and Park Seo-hyun and Choi Jin-woo were used to it from class, but the other kids were different.
Yes, it really was a magic you’d never see anywhere else. A great mage, using her powers just to tend a flower bed.
“Wow.”
“Whoa…”
A gentle, spring-like magic drifted on the breeze. None of them knew how much mana or how many complex formulas went into that one spell—they could only marvel, pure and simple.
This must have been what Kim Chae-min wanted, too. I set my report aside for a moment and watched the saplings sprouting in the flower bed. Tender leaves unfurled and grew quickly.
Soon, the flower bed was full of spring blossoms.
These must be the people my father wanted to save, and the family my sister longed for.
I smiled faintly.
Just as Woo Il-ok would never become Woo Hee-jae, the people before me would never become the ones I once knew.
And that’s enough. These children won’t have to experience the same death and loss as those others did. As long as they’re human, as long as they choose the path of a Hunter, they’ll learn someday—but they won’t have to pay such a painful price at such a young age.
“Ah!”
A sudden gust of wind blew Soon Soon-jin’s hat to my feet.
I picked it up and handed it to her. With a face smudged with dirt, she smiled brightly and put her hat back on.
Only after she’d rejoined her friends did I, with a start, glance at the report I’d left on the table.
…She didn’t see it, right? It’s in English, after all.
[Busan Port Investigation – Smuggling and Stowaways Using Containers…]
Americans cram way too much information into their report titles.
With a sigh, I flipped the report over.
Well, it’s my fault for reading this kind of thing around the kids. But I wanted to work somewhere sunny, too. It’s not like this is pleasant reading—locking myself indoors would only make me feel worse.
Still, even if Soon Soon-jin saw it, what would she think?
At most, it would just reinforce her theory that this school is some kind of headquarters.
“See, isn’t this school suspicious?”
“…Only just now?”
As expected, Soon Soon-jin cautiously voiced her doubts. Seo Han-seong, watering the flower bed alongside her, replied with a sour tone.
Flower bed watering duty. I’d thought they were just making up chores, but now I realized it was also a place for secret conversations.
…I wish they’d remember that this flower bed is right outside the counseling office window.
“I mean, I’ve been suspicious for a while!” Soon Soon-jin raised her voice at Seo Han-seong’s reply.
“But it’s still weird! Even the cafeteria workers and the school nurse are all Daseon Hunters!”
“Aren’t you planning to join Daseon later? Good to make friends early.”
“That’s not what I mean!!”
Soon Soon-jin sounded frustrated. Seo Han-seong, unfazed, kept tilting the watering can over the flower bed.
Well, even if the flowers wilt, Kim Chae-min can fix it with magic, so it’s not much of a challenge. Still, the fact that they haven’t noticed me standing here… Maybe their training is lacking?
“And isn’t it weird that there’s a great mage like Teacher Chae-min here in the first place? And when are they going to get rid of that monster corpse?”
“I’m sure the teachers will handle it.”
“Aren’t you the least bit weirded out that the thing from Boston just showed up here?!”
“I’m sure the teachers will handle it.”
“……”
I couldn’t see their faces behind the curtain, but I could easily imagine Soon Soon-jin’s expression.