Chapter 83

On the contrary, there might really be something wrong with my eyes, so I just sat down and accepted it.

Poking at someone else’s sore spot won’t do any good.

“Since we’re out, I feel like having a smoke. Do you smoke, Domi?”

“No, I don’t, but should I come with you?”

“Someone needs to stay here! I’ll be back soon!”

With that, Nae-ki went out to smoke.

This girl had a vibe that wasn’t much different whether she was gaming or online.

“That girl.”

At that moment, Baeksan reacted as if he remembered something.

“Why, was she my ex or something?”

When I jokingly asked, Baeksan made a subtle expression.

As I grew curious about his expression, he stroked his chin for a moment and then spoke.

“She’s a bit unique, so I remember her.”

“Unique how?”

“She just suddenly appeared out of nowhere, helped with something, and then left.”

What’s that about?

“No, more importantly, could Nae-ki also be…”

“She’s probably a Returner.”

I blinked.

As I did, my expression began to subtly change, following Baeksan’s.

It’s not just once or twice that Returners have coincidentally ended up in the guild I created.

Ayu, Seolhyang, Ggotbi, and now Nae-ki too? A Returner?

At this point, coincidence feels more like inevitability.

“…Baeksan, do you think this situation is as strange as I do?”

“I’ve been thinking it’s strange for a while now.”

“At this rate, it feels like around me…”

“Yeah, it’s like someone’s deliberately planting Returners around you.”

Listening to Baeksan, I fell into thought.

An abnormally high number of Returners around me.

This situation is too strange to be a coincidence; it doesn’t make sense.

Feeling a chill, I looked at Baeksan and asked.

“…Should we ask Seolhyang to investigate this?”

Seolhyang is, of course, the most knowledgeable about Returners.

Thinking she might figure something out, I asked, and Baeksan also seemed to be pondering.

“…I don’t think it’s a bad choice.”

“If someone intentionally gathered Returners around me, what could their goal be?”

If someone did it on purpose, there must be a reason.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with an answer, so I was racking my brains when Baeksan slowly raised his head.

“…Kang Ha-chan, do you know that there are multiple worldlines in the world?”

“Are you talking about the parallel worlds Si-ho mentioned?”

“Yeah, you could say they’re similar.”

Parallel worlds.

A single action can create endless branches, and that’s what parallel worlds are.

“Suppose someone peeked into all those branched worldlines and found the one they most desired.”

As he spoke, Baeksan began to explain slowly with a pained expression.

“If that person wanted to reach the most desired worldline, what would they have to do?”

“They’d have to make it follow the same branch.”

“Right, but the problem is that by the time they realize it, a lot of time has passed, and to reach that worldline, they need to adjust the current world to match the worldline.”

“Then they’d need a puzzle to forcibly align it, and that puzzle is…”

“Probably you.”

Baeksan’s eyes quietly looked at me.

Facing him, I soon made a confused expression.

“…Me?”

“Just look at the people gathered around you. You can tell what kind of puzzle you are.”

I momentarily pursed my lips.

Then I soon made a face that showed I didn’t understand.

“That’s just a hypothesis, right?”

“Yeah, it’s a hypothesis.”

“But the fact that this hypothesis came up means there must have been something that made you think of it, right?”

Hearing my question, Baeksan slowly wiped his forehead.

“Yeah, you’re right. In the current world, there’s someone who can peek into all those worldlines.”

“Then that person is…”

“That’s why I don’t understand.”

Who on earth could be doing this?

“Domi? What are you thinking so seriously about?”

At that moment, Nae-ki, who had finished smoking, returned.

Not wanting to show Baeksan and me talking, I glanced at him, and he nodded.

He must mean he’ll tell me later.

“Hey, seeing Domi’s face makes me happy! You look so handsome. You look like you work out, don’t you?”

“Lately, just getting by. Thanks for saying that.”

“Thanks? Haven’t you heard people say you look good around here?”

“First time I’ve heard it.”

“Huh, are you lying?”

As Nae-ki made a strange face, I awkwardly smiled.

“Well, there was a time when my relationships were a mess. I’m not good at self-objectification.”

In middle and high school, I had no money for academies, so I just studied alone, hoping to get into university.

Once in university, I only worked part-time and studied for scholarships to pay tuition and living expenses.

So, my relationships from middle school, high school, and university were all shattered.

“No one would stay around someone who couldn’t give anything back, no matter what they did.”

At first, people approached me, impressed by the full scholarship, but since I had no time to interact with them, they naturally drifted away.

So, I couldn’t self-objectify.

Baeksan’s comment about me being clueless probably stems from these experiences.

My relationships were pretty much limited to Juk-sim, whom I met occasionally while gaming.

“But lately, things have changed a bit. Ironically, it was because of gaming.”

I truly relearned how to build relationships through gaming.

The fact that I’m here now is also thanks to those five years.

“The problem is that I almost died because of that game.”

“Ah, I heard. You didn’t even have money for rent, right?”

“I drank away my part-time job money and wasted it on coins.”

“Wow, I wish I had seen that.”

As Nae-ki giggled, I also forced a laugh.

If it weren’t for Gwak Sa-yeon’s curse, it wouldn’t have gone that far, but I wasn’t in my right mind back then.

“Alright, let’s drink to forget those times!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Taking the soju Nae-ki handed me, I downed it in one go.

“Refreshing!”

“It’s been a while since I drank.”

“Huh? Didn’t you say you’re working at a Hunter company now? Don’t you have company dinners?”

“Ah, the team I’m in charge of are both high school students, so there’s no drinking involved.”

Before that, I was too busy running around to recover, so I couldn’t even think about drinking.

“Holy, high schoolers? They must be so fresh. Are they good-looking?”

“Both are girls.”

“Gasp, high school girls!”

She covered her mouth in shock.

Then, with an uncle-like laugh, she asked.

“Well, well, Mr. Domi, aren’t you too happy? High school girls. They’re the most passionate and lively, aren’t they?”

“From an adult’s perspective, they’re just kids. What nonsense are you spouting?”

“No, but still. I was a high school girl once, so I know a bit about how they feel.”

Back then, it was good, Nae-ki said as she picked up her soju glass, so I filled it and clinked glasses with her.

“Ugh, so back then, how sensitive they were to romantic feelings. Especially towards older, adult men.”

“Actually, not much changes when you become an adult.”

“You don’t know back then, right? Anyway, if someone dated a university oppa, it would cause a stir. Everyone would swarm around asking all sorts of things.”

I thought about it from a guy’s perspective.

If I had a high school friend, and he said he was dating a university noona…

“That makes sense.”

Something about that guy would seem really impressive.

Though in reality, that university noona might not be normal.

“So, the age when everyone has the most fantasies about older oppas is around that age. In that situation, having your team members’ oppa! And a handsome oppa at that! How could they not fall for you?”

“Is 26 an oppa?”

“Well, what are they calling you?”

I stayed silent.

Si-ho might not, but Ji-eun calls me oppa.

“Haha, plus, I know Domi’s personality well. Warm, caring, responsible, always trying to do more and listen well—perfect for charming people.”

“It’s not like you’re treating me like a nine-tailed fox.”

“You’re a fox. A fox.”

This girl’s energy is hard to keep up with.

“So, the conclusion is that it’s a perfect situation for at least one of those girls to develop feelings for you.”

“Touching minors is a crime.”

“Crime is crime, and feelings are feelings. Domi, you might not feel that way, but they’re different, right? By the way, what grade are they in?”

“…Third year.”

“What? They’ll be adults in three months. End of story. Do any of them like you? Honestly, from an adult’s perspective, it should be obvious.”

Is this girl a mind reader?

As I avoided eye contact and chugged my beer, Nae-ki started laughing and clapping.

“Wow, our Domi! Loved by high school girls! Crazy. Crazy!”

“Hey, lower your voice! People are looking at us weird!”

“But it’s true. So, which one is it? One of those two fresh high school girls who’ll be adults in three months!”

I stayed silent again.

I couldn’t possibly say both.

It was clear she’d tease me about this all day.

“Ah, am I the only one being interrogated? You’re a current university student, aren’t you?”

“Me? I am.”

Then Nae-ki started laughing silently.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“No, nothing. Just.”

I clinked my glass.

“Sorry.”

“Sniff, if you’re not planning to be my boyfriend, be careful.”

“Okay.”

I decided to be careful.

“So, anything else?”

Anything else.

There’s a lot.

It’s just that I’m debating whether to say it or not.

Nae-ki is a current university student.

Honestly, Baeksan’s advice wasn’t helpful at all, so I was curious about her opinion.

‘Then.’

It should be okay to ask for advice without telling everything.

“I have something I’m worried about. Can I ask?”

“Oh, what is it?”

As Nae-ki’s eyes sparkled, I slowly began to steer the conversation.

“There’s someone who’s a bit tricky to date in this situation.”

“Like Ha-chan and those high school girls?”

“Never mind that, but someone has developed feelings for that person. The person thinks they should resolve this and maybe date or something, but it feels disrespectful to the other person.”

“That’s true. It could be seen as playing with their feelings.”

“Yeah, so that person is wondering what to do.”

Listening quietly, Nae-ki popped a snack into her mouth and chewed before speaking.

“So, does that person like the one who likes them?”

“Well, probably not yet.”

“At least they don’t dislike them, right?”

“Right. That person isn’t against dating either.”

“Hmm, honestly, I think the conclusion would differ for everyone.”

As she spoke, Nae-ki picked up her glass.

“Honestly, if it were me, I’d just date. At least there’s some romantic feeling, right? The person who likes them probably understands their situation. If it doesn’t work out, they can just break up.”

She shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.

That conclusion makes sense.

The problem is that it’s tied to the word ‘destruction’ that Baeksan mentioned.

“I’d think lightly of it, but I wouldn’t say it’s an easy problem. There’s no right answer in relationships.”

“Talking like you’ve lived a whole life.”

“Haha, it’s because you haven’t lived my life. I’ve experienced the complexity of relationships firsthand.”

Whatever she’s been through, I just accepted it.

Meanwhile, our food arrived.

Soup and meat dishes, perfect for drinking.

“By the way, Eva noona is late. When will she arrive?”

“She should be here soon.”

At that moment, Nae-ki’s phone rang.

Since Nae-ki organized this gathering, Eva noona or I would have called her to find us.

“Oh, she’s here. She’s here.”

Nae-ki picked up her phone with a delighted expression.

She peeked her head over the chair.