Chapter 5
My parents are good people who respond to everything I say and make it easy for me to talk to them.
But my remaining memories were of a son who became distant after his turbulent adolescence until his death, and of myself who said nothing after my regression. Because of that, a slight sense of burden and guilt kept sweeping through my mind.
“What? The parents of the younger friend you visited today are an Esper and a Guide?”
“Yes.”
As the two of them exclaimed “Wow!” at my words, I nodded somewhat sheepishly, and my parents asked with amazement if anything else had happened.
It was actually a normal reaction.
Even before my regression, until I became a Guide, there were no Guides or Espers around my parents or me.
Let’s skip over Yoon Cheong, who used to push his eraser toward me—I couldn’t remember him then, and I only had occasion to meet him a bit after I became a Guide.
In my memories before becoming a Guide, Espers and Guides didn’t just stop gates; they also appeared in interviews, and if they had a good image, they would appear in advertisements or educational and entertainment TV programs.
Somewhat like celebrities but different, more like welcoming heroes, I should say.
But after I became a Guide, I learned that such Espers and Guides were the minority, and most avoided interviews or TV appearances. Especially Espers, who often kept their distance because if accidents happened when they got involved with ordinary people, they would be subjected to all kinds of abuse.
Anyway, my parents probably felt like they had personally met a popular celebrity or famous politician.
“Their parents are both busy so they can’t look after him well, so they asked me to please take good care of Ji Yeohoon. They gave me their phone number too.”
Before coming home, I received a business card from the uncle.
At the bottom of the minimalist business card, which read “Oh Chan-seok, S-class Guide,” was a direct mobile number he gave me.
The S-class Guide, who earnestly pleaded that I shouldn’t share it with just anyone, finally said he trusted me and firmly placed the business card in my hand after I nodded repeatedly saying I understood.
“He said I should absolutely not tell anyone else. And since I don’t have a phone number, I said I’d give this business card to my parents.”
“Yes… you did well…”
Dad had a blank expression when he saw the number.
That’s because Dad worked at a company that processed items that came out of gates.
Of course, he was just an ordinary office worker, and Korean processing companies receive items through competitive bidding from associations or guilds, so Dad said he had never seen an Esper or Guide directly.
Apparently, you had to be at least a deputy general manager, department head, or section chief to have occasion to see an Esper or Guide, but our Mr. Moon was still just a supervisor.
My dad, a modest citizen with no ambition for promotion, remained a deputy manager for years until he was promoted to section chief after I became a Guide.
I wasn’t much help with Dad’s work, but apparently, companies in this field would promote you if your child was an Esper or Guide. I only heard about this after I became a Guide. (This is where I confirmed the truth behind the rumor that when someone in your family manifests, the family members benefit more than the person themselves.)
So from Dad’s perspective, it was bound to be amazing.
“I’m glad you had a good time.”
“I think I’ll go there to play often. Is that okay?”
“Of course! Just make sure to call if you’re going to be late.”
“I will.”
My parents seemed happy that I had more people I was close to.
After I told them I had a good time playing computer games with Ji Yeohoon, Dad even made the big decision to bring home a computer on his way back from work the next day, only to get smacked on the back by Mom.
Thanks to that, though, I could now play games.
Even if it was just Car Rider.
For me, who had played all kinds of games before my regression, it was a very childish and simple game, but…
Playing it again after so long, it was surprisingly fun.
* * *
For a while, amazingly, nothing happened.
Well, it would have been strange for difficult things to happen during elementary school, and the only differences from my life before regression were Yoon Cheong often slowly pushing his frog eraser toward me from the next seat, or Ji Yeohoon somehow knowing when it was break time and running over to cast his “come play with me today” spell.
Each time, since I didn’t want to be alone, I took Yoon Cheong along.
“I heard when I visited Class 2 next door that the other classes were told about the physical examination date yesterday.”
“Really? Why didn’t our class get told?”
Yoon Cheong, who had confused “dalmda” (resemble) with “damda” (contain) in the dictation test, neatly folded my dictation test paper and put it in his bag.
I don’t know why he always takes other people’s dictation papers.
After quietly listening to the conversation nearby, I looked at Yoon Cheong, and he looked back at me.
“I wonder if they told the kindergarten too?”
“If they told other places, wouldn’t they have told us too?”
“Since we have to go home anyway, should we stop by the kindergarten?”
“…”
They always get irritated and can’t control their tempers when playing games together, but it seems they don’t actually want to meet.
Before my regression, they were both strong Espers, so they had some tendencies that made it hard for them to get along with others, but did this manifest even before their awakening?
Stop fighting, you guys. You two need to become friends.
I said I would go down to see Ji Yeohoon, and though Yoon Cheong made a face as if to say “why go,” he still followed along obediently.
These kids really dislike a lot of things; they could just come along without the attitude.
As you go up to higher grades, dismissal times get later, but since the difference in ending times between 1st grade and kindergarten isn’t that significant, I thought we might see him if we just went down.
It happened to be time for kindergarteners to go home as well, as they were singing songs and standing in a line with their bags.
“Soo-young hyung!”
Ji Yeohoon waved his hand amid the children who were bowing to their teacher and either boarding the school bus or waiting for their parents to pick them up.
I thought he could see me but not Yoon Cheong, but if I mentioned that, he would just pretend not to hear, so I decided to let it go.
“I heard the physical examination dates are out. Our teacher hasn’t told us yet.”
“Really? Ours is tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I need to tell Dad.”
Ji Yeohoon folded his fingers, saying he had learned the word “moje” (day after tomorrow).
Thinking that we would probably forget and our parents would forget too, and wondering if they would tell us tomorrow, I nodded. Ji Yeohoon begged us to come play at his house again today.
“Not today. Mom and Dad said they’re coming home early today. We’re going to grill meat for dinner.”
“Then let’s invite your mom and dad to our house too. It’s delicious when we grill meat in our garden.”
“…”
Look at this kid flooring the accelerator and rushing forward again.
“How can you do that? Leaving aside talking to my mom and dad, how can we decide on our own when adults are meeting?”
“But my mom and dad’s friends come over often?”
“That’s natural because they’re your aunt and uncle’s friends… You get along well with me and Yoon Cheong, too. My mom and dad don’t know your aunt and uncle. And we need to get permission… Hey, what are you doing?”
“Dad!”
It wasn’t just an accelerator; it was a booster.
I was dumbfounded as Ji Yeohoon quickly grabbed his phone and made a call, and soon he hung up, having apparently heard what he wanted.
“What is it?”
“When your parents come, my mom and dad will come home early with meat. They said they should greet Soo-young hyung’s parents? They said Yoon Cheong hyung and his parents can come too.”
“I’ll ask when they say Moon Soo-young’s parents are coming.”
When I sighed deeply, Ji Yeohoon asked if it wasn’t okay and held out his phone to me.
It seemed he wanted me to tell my parents, but how could that happen?
But I didn’t want to refuse and be mean to Ji Yeohoon, who was still a little kid, so I took the phone.
It was because they were still little kids, apart from whether they would become heroes or villains before my regression, that I found myself softening.
For now, they’re both tiny and still look cute.
“Mom, I borrowed this phone from Ji Yeohoon.”
Ji Yeohoon’s eyes sparkled brightly.
Yoon Cheong’s eyes also sparkled, saying he would call next.
Seriously, what on earth happens when you two grow up?
“He invited us over… We were planning to eat meat together today, right?”
As I explained earnestly, I heard a faint “Uh-huh” from across the phone.
How could this be possible?
– If we’re not being a burden, that would be fine. Could you ask Yeohoon if he can pass our number to his parents?
Wait, Mom?
It seems Mom also had a tendency for sudden acceleration.
Surprisingly, Mom ended with a cool voice saying we should go if invited, and even asked me to relay her closing message that Ji Yeohoon’s parents should send her number.
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
“What did she say?”
“She said they’ll come a bit late. Where should I write down our dad’s number?”
Yoon Cheong also borrowed Ji Yeohoon’s phone to call his father, and truly, most surprisingly, this side was also OK.
Why? How?
“Hyung, you can tap it there.”
After Yoon Cheong’s call ended, I was dazed.
Apparently having received an affirmative answer from Yoon Cheong’s side as well, he looked at me saying we could go home together, and I responded with a “Uh, yes, okay” with dead eyes as I slung my bag over my shoulder and followed Ji Yeohoon.
I had been wondering if it was normal for adults to gather and talk like this, but thinking about it, wouldn’t it be better if our parents became friends?
Even if Yoon Cheong’s rampage started like before my regression, Ji Yeohoon, who would already be S-class by then, could rush in to stop it before Ji Yeohoon’s parents could, and if that happened, Ji Yeohoon’s father, an S-class Guide, or his mother, a B-class Esper, could certainly stop Yoon Cheong. And even if Ji Yeohoon was late and the same events as in my regression occurred, maybe Ji Yeohoon wouldn’t lose his mind and go around causing gates to explode.
Especially if our parents became friends, Ji Yeohoon might change his mind out of consideration for our parents and Yoon Cheong’s parents.
There were very frequent cases of ordinary people nearby dying when gates exploded.
After thinking deeply in the car that the driver uncle opened for us, I realized this wasn’t just “not bad” but actually a much better outcome.
Make Ji Yeohoon and Yoon Cheong super close friends.
Additionally, make the parents close to each other too.
I will likely have a low rank and might not attend the school dedicated to Esper-Guide ability users.
If I can’t manage these kids, at least their parents can stay close.
This became my goal.
That should be enough to keep Ji Yeohoon from having second thoughts.
“Somehow his expression suddenly looks really good…”
“Should I have invited him earlier? Is it because of the meat?”
As the two of them whispered to each other, I felt good about my new plan.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
