ReLife Player - Chapter 11

[CARNATIONS (2)]

«I won’t give you carnations anymore!

It had been a long time since Baekryeon shouted with a red face and revealed her true intentions.

Of course, I still made ramen every Parent’s Day.

Some days, she even came to ask for different noodles.

‘Oppa Eunha. Do you want to eat ramen at my house today?’ (1)

‘…Ugh. Look, Baekryeon. You’re asking me to go eat ramen at the Blue House. Why should I go all the way to the Blue House to eat ramen?’

‘Oppa. That’s not what I’m talking about. Are you blind or are you pretending?’

‘Where did I start raising her wrong’

‘Oppa, oppa. That’s the trend these days.’

‘What? No, I don’t want to know.’

‘Come on, just listen for a bit.’

‘Fine, what is it?’

‘You’re so clueless’ (…you could say that she´s flirting with him, I’ll explain it better on the notes!)

‘…I really don’t know where I started raising you wrong. I’ve had enough of this.’

‘You’re leaving already? Ahhhh…Oppa, next time, please make sure to boil ramen, not that ramen, but the ramen we used to eat when we were kids.’

‘Leave some space in the Blue House kitchen. I’ll chop the vegetables into small pieces for you.’

Without realizing it, the shy child had become a woman who liked someone.

He was looking forward to receiving the carnations, but when he realized her true intentions, he was embarrassed enough to lose his poker face.

But he still misses her, that little girl.

‘Don’t call me a kid!’

He saw her protesting with her arms waving.

«What are you thinking?»

«I want to go home.»

Hey, Mukminji, don’t stick your face in my memories.

Eunha replied in a blunt voice.

«You haven’t even had lunch yet. You’re doing this because you miss your mom, right? You’re a mommy’s boy.»

«My mom is prettier than your mom.»

«My mom is pretty, too.»

«By the way, my sister is prettier.»

«I know!»

They were having a verbal feast, and the unexpected reward was that Minji also thought her mother and sister were beautiful.

It’s a rumor in the neighborhood, so there’s no way the girl next door doesn’t know.

As for the father….

…I look like my father, yeah….

Ah, dust in the eyes.

«Anyway, they keep throwing things at you, are you going to ignore them?»

«Ugh….»

The stack of papers had been hitting me in the back of the head for a while now. I’d managed to ignore them, but now they were flying at me without even trying.

I know who was doing it.

It was Eunhyuk’s group, who were folding carnations at the back table. They were playing with the paper they had been given to fold the carnations.

He hadn’t approached him since he’d gotten his ass handed to him the other day, so it was like the medicine had worn off.

«Why are you ignoring him?»

«He’s just being stupid.»

«Coward, coward.»

As if they thought I was scared, they were now giggling and mocking him.

These guys haven’t gotten over themselves yet.

«Nevermind.»

Eunha told Minji, then picked up a few papers from the floor.

I told you. I’ll pay back twice as much as I got.

Just a little rummaging.

I didn’t even have to turn around and aim.

Mana detection was great.

While Eunhyeok was folding the carnation, I threw a ball of paper into his mouth without turning around.

«Ah!»

It’ll hurt a bit when I use mana.

The shouting didn’t end there, as Yeon Seongjin, who was next to him, also caught a stack of papers in his mouth, just like Eunhyeok.

«This!»

Eunhyuk threw the stack of papers on the floor.

I wonder if he had been stockpiling them.

Eunha flicked away the flying papers with his hand and finished the carnation.

«Wow!»

The children watching from the same table exclaimed.

Shrugging his shoulders, Eunha loaded up his mana and fired back at Eunhyuk, who was still throwing papers.

One shot first.

«Ah!»

Cruelly, Eunha targeted the same spot, so it was inevitable that him forehead would turn red.

In the end, Eunhyuk’s group had to crawl under the table in unison to avoid the attack.

«Wow~»

«What did you do?»

The throwing was so precise that Eunhyuk was in tears, much to the surprise of the children who were watching.

Minji grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and demanded to know the tricks of the trade.

«Eunha, you…!»

Eunhyeok, on the other hand, was fuming at the way he was treated.

He, Ma Bangjin, and Yeon Sungjin crawled out from the table and were about to burst into tears at any moment.

If they cried here, they’d be even more annoying.

Satisfied with this, Eunha decided to turn his attention away from Eunhyeok’s group.

«Let’s finish what we started. Are you guys folding it properly?»

«Don’t ignore me!»

«Eh. It’s great that you don’t know what’s scary.»

Look at him. He’s crawling so much.

Feeling ignored, Eunhyuk took away the scissors and glue that Eunha was using.

But Eunha had already made a carnation. The scissors and glue were part of the kindergarten supplies, so he didn’t mind them being taken away.

«You can borrow the scissors and glue from the person next to you. Eunhyuk, why don’t you go back to your seat and finish folding the carnations.»

«What the…!»

No matter how much Eunhyuk threatened, he couldn’t even get the shaft.

If I was intimidated by a small child, I wouldn’t be able to go around handing out business cards calling myself the Undead, a name that people would shudder at the mere mention of.

«Teacher Choi Eunhyuk keeps bothering us!»

«Yes, teacher!»

«Eunhyuk, Bangjin, and Sungjin just threw a stack of papers at me!»

Calling an adult in a child’s world was considered cowardly. It was as unwritten as the rule that if a boy shows a tear, he loses.

But I’m such a coward.

And the kids who followed me yelled at Mr. Tayo.

«How dare you do this!»

«Teacher, Choi Eun-hyuk is going to hit me again!»

At times like this, the thuds worked well. It was Minji, who was following Eunha and firing backup shots.

«Eunha~! Don’t let him get away!»

«Yes, yes. Eunhyuk, go back to your seat and make the carnation.»

It was Choi Eunhyuk who was eventually dragged out by Mr. Tayo and forced to leave.

«Eunha, you did something wrong too, didn’t you?»

«I was only making carnations.»

«Teacher knows that Eunhyuk, Bangjin, and Sungjin bullied you, but you shouldn’t make them cry, right?»

«Yes….»

Mr. Tayo didn’t forget to pinch his cheek.

Oh no.

Eunha looked down at the third carnation he’d made and thought to himself.

He hadn’t planned to visit his grandmother this year.

He wasn’t supposed to.

But with memories of growing up under her care before the regression, he couldn’t bring himself to throw the carnations away and put them in his bag.

☆

«Thank you, Eunha.»

Her mother hugged him tightly as she made dinner.

Eunha scratched his head at what had happened.

Then he noticed a paper flower hanging from his mother’s apron.

My carnation!

I put it in my bag at kindergarten today.

When did she take it out? No, she couldn’t have been checking my bag.

«Thank you. I’ll look forward to next year.»

«No, well, you can take it to….»

«They’re prettier than real carnations. Thank you, Euna.»

«Hehe! Thank you, mom, for raising me!»

«Hoo-hoo, it’s so nice to receive carnations from children.»

Even if it’s only a paper carnation…

Eunha felt unnecessarily humbled and a little embarrassed.

His mother rubbed his cheeks, thinking he was cute, a reaction she didn’t usually show.

I’m the one who should be grateful.

You don’t know how grateful I am that you’re here for me right now.

There was another carnation next to the one he’d made. Euna must have made it at school today.

Euna, you’re not very goot at it.

Next time, instead of just teaching her mana, I should teach her origami.

«Here, Eunha, here’s yours.»

For some reason, Euna offers Eunha a carnation.

Eunha, who has long since given up trying to figure out what Euna is thinking, says thank you and accepts the carnation.

It’s her sister’s, so he should keep it.

«But Eunha, there are three carnations, what about this one? Did you make it for Euna too?»

She looked at me expectantly.

I’m sorry, though, sister.

«It’s for my grandmother.»

«Maternal grandmother?»

His father was an only child, so he had only ever known his maternal grandmother.

«I see. Eunha likes her grandmother.»

His mother didn’t question the fact that he was giving carnations to a grandmother he’d only met as a baby. Instead, she smiled and patted him on the head.

«Let’s take them to Grandma next time.»

«Yeah.»

Maybe not this year, but next year.

Eunha nodded.

«Daddy’s home!»

«Daddy~! I made carnations at school today!»

Dad got home from work a little late.

Euna quickly ran to the front door and showed her father the carnations she had made.

«Is this for me? For me! Euna! You’re so cute today!»

«Hehe.»

What a dad. What’s so great about carnations made of paper?

«Here, give it to dad, Eunha.»

Mother pushed me gently on the back.

No longer embarrassed, Eunha looked back at her mother.

«Huh? Can’t you give it to dad, Mom?»

«Dad will like it if Eunha gives it to him.»

«Uh…»

As if being pushed by her mother, Eunha approached her father.

He was looking at him expectantly.

«Ew, you’re glaring! Don’t look at me like that!

Since it’s like this, I should just give it to him and be done with it.

«Dad, here.»

«Did you make this Eunha? You did a better job than your sister.»

«Dad….»

Sister complains in a low voice.

«Haha, sorry, sorry.»

Dad was smiling cheerfully.

«I made it in kindergarten.»

In his entire pre-regression life, he had never handed someone a carnation.

So he didn’t know what face to make. He was embarrassed.

—-

Notes!

(1) It’s often used when people want to flirt with someone, tempting him to come over to their place. ( similar to «Netflix and Chill»)