Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
43. Things which don’t change (8)
Since morning, long messages were arriving.
The first message I checked was from my disciple, Yeom Junyeol.
[Yeom Junyeol] Master-nim, hello.
[Yeom Junyeol] From this afternoon, the whole Korean Peninsula will be under a typhoon influence and it will keep raining. A typhoon weather warning had been issued.
[Yeom Juneyol] Because the rainstorms and the wind will gradually grow stronger, I was banned from going out.
Under it, Yeom Juneyol attached a Hongryong sticker, looking out of the window with a downcast expression.
As I was seeing this design for the first time, it seemed to be a new version remade according to the Hongryong’s growth.
[Yeom Juneyol] Tonight the teaser video for the Player open audition, ‘Playlist’ was released!
[Yeom Junyeol] (link)
[Yeom Junyeol] Please make sure to watch it!
In the video’s thumbnail was a picture of Yeom Junyeol with his hair combed back, wearing a roll-up jacket and holding a mic.
I heard that he was an assistant MC, but was his role more important than I thought?
As I played the three minutes long teaser video, among the people who appeared, there were more I knew than I expected.
After 30 seconds summary of the awful history of the Clash of Different Worlds and Players with the profound BGM in the background, a sophisticated compilation of the interviews with several people, with their faces and voices covered with mosaic started.
— A dream? Naturally I have one. It’s not ‘Pro-Player’.
— If we don’t fight, our friends and family will be hurt…
— If I don’t step out now, the ‘Dark Age’ may come again. That’s my only thought.
Following the interviews, dozens of student records brushed past.
The section ‘future hopes’ of the student records printed with various fonts was full of: singers, idols, artists, musicians, actors, etc.
Following the future hopes section was a close up on reference notes, but all of them had the same word written with bold font.
‘Player’.
It was a word that decided their future career.
— The world’s first and largest Player targeted audition. Start.
The star Player in charge of narration and the main MC ‘Double-side mirror Choe Jina’ appeared for a moment on the screen.
After that, there were short videos of the lower quality than the audition video, as if they were personally recorded by the participants.
A monk wearing kasaya[1] rapping with a composed smile at the mountain hill.
A girl with pink hair, dancing to the background music with intense beat in a wide practice room.
A middle-aged man singing a trot song[2] with a melodious tune in the karaoke room.
A foreigner, who seemed to be uneasy in front of the mirror, but sung with a bright voice, etc.
After the videos quickly passed, Yeom Junyeol appeared.
— Please check Your playlist right now.
After Yeom Junyeol disappeared, the audition preliminary contest schedule and recruitment notice link came up.
The video’s number of views wasn’t that high, but the number of recommendations and comments was pretty high compared to the views.
As ‘Double-side Mirror Choe Jina’, who was active as the main Player representative debater in the various current affairs and entertainment programs, was the main MC and my kind disciple Yeom Junyeol made their first fixed appearance, it was natural.
And thought it passed in the instant, I saw people I knew.
‘That pink hair seemed to be Dokgo Miro. And… no matter how I look, that rapping monk was my Playable Character!’
A few years ago, a ‘Naejang Mountain National Park incident’ occurred in this world.
When an otherworld occurred in the Naejang Mountain and the Pro Player team, which attempted to conquer it, was completely annihilated, he alone succeeded in spreading a barrier on the Naejang Mountain and saved dozens of hikers and believers.
At the time he, who only recently joined and became a samanera[3], was a Player, and received ‘Naejang Mountain Saint’ alias just after it.
‘But he is rapping?!’
Even in the world I was before there were monks who joined formed bands, but the goal of those bands was communication with the public, spreading teachings and volunteer work, so it was in a completely different direction than this audition.
‘Does it mean that he left the secular life?’
Though, in the audition video clip he sent to the broadcasting station, he was wearing a gray robe.
As it was a development that wasn’t in the game, I was flustered.
‘Did so much change because such an audition wasn’t in the game?’
I clearly didn’t know the full story, but I decided to support my Playable Character.
I pressed the recommend button under the teaser video and then checked the next message.
The next message was also a long one.
[Hong Gyubin] Uisin-ah, thanks to you, I was able to have a great talk with teacher Jegal-nim! I’m really thankful, huh?
After that, a long message that could be summarized with ‘Thank you, teacher Jegal-nim is the best’ followed line after line.
As I read it halfheartedly and roughly scrolled down, I saw a picture.
[Hong Gyubin] (picture)
In the picture I saw a strongbox holding miscellaneous items.
Among them was a 1st print of the Jegal Jaegeol special magazine made by the Newspaper Club.
No way, were all of those things in the strong box related to Jegal Jaegeol?
[Hong Gyubin] If something happens in the future, make sure to call me. Got it? If something happens to teacher Jegal-nim, contact me. If you can’t contact me, you can also contact manager Yun or employee Jeong!
Following Hong Gyubin, I received a permission to shove around Hong Gyubin’s subordinates.
After saving the device codes Hong Gyubin sent, I checked the next message.
This message was the longest.
[Jang Namuk]… Guys, are you awake?
Why was Jang Namuk suddenly like this?
The time he sent it was dawn.
It seemed he wrote fully on the dawn mood[4].
After that, messages much longer than usual poured line after line.
[Jang Namuk] Ah, I said too much, right?
Jang Namuk was embarrassed, but threw a long message again.
[Jang Namuk] It’s very early, but I’ve been thinking about you, so I wrote a message.
[Jang Namuk] When recalling the events during the entrance exam, it was truly scary and difficult. I couldn’t do anything, but Uisin brought down the Enemy and Sang-hun threw his body… I was very pathetic.
[Jang Namuk] But I met you that day, so I’m glad. I hope that we keep being good friends. I’ll work hard so I’ll also become a friend you can rely on!
[Jang Namuk] Thank you, Uisin-ah, Sanghun-ah!
At Jang Namuk’s unexpected long message, even Yu Sang-hun gave a long reply.
[Yu Sang-hun] ?;
If it was as usual, he would end with ‘?’, but as he added ‘;’, it seemed that Yu Sang-hun was very flustered.
[Jang Namuk] You’re awake now, huh? You’re not sick anywhere, right? Are you eating well? Because of the typhoon today, it would be too much to go out to train, so how about you focus on training at home? I’ll send you a video link if you need.
[Yu Sang-hun] k
After that, Jang Namuk was no different from usual, but something bothered me.
‘Why is he suddenly like this?’
I guess I wasn’t the only one that was bothered.
A new message was sent in the group chatroom created when Jang Namuk was dragged into the disciplinary room because of Tao Sihu leaving without permission before.
[Yu Sang-hun] what’s up with Jang Namuk?
He seemed to have asked because Tao Sihu was Jang Namuk’s roommate, so he should know something.
‘Yu Sang-hun stepped forward first and asked?!…’
I was also bothered by Yu Sang-hun’s attitude, but I also decided to begin with asking.
[Jo Uisin[5]] What happened yesterday? Jang Namuk sent a message at dawn, but something was strange.
The reply soon came.
[Tao Sihu] I guess he didn’t have a good dream yesterday ㅎㅎㅎ[6].
[Tao Sihu] He said he had a nightmare.
What the hell did he dream about to be like this?
I wanted to question him more, but it seemed that Tao Sihu also didn’t know what kind of nightmare Jang Namuk had, so I let it go.
* * *
Eungwang Landscape zone, around Clear Blue Lake (Cheongrangho).
Because of the typhoon, I couldn’t ride the air board, so I had to put on a raincoat and run all the way here.
Even with the rainstorm raging in the distance and the sound of thunder echoing, the surrounding of the Clear Blue Lake (Cheongrangho) was covered with a thick fog.
“You came, eh?”
As if he was blocking the rainstorm with a barrier, Baek Ho-gun was standing, not drenched in even a drop of water.
Even though you knew that I could release the Byeoksa barrier myself, you waited for me in the typhoon!?
As expected, my main Playable Character was overflowing with consideration.
After we passed through the barrier, the world became silent.
“I wanted to test something during today’s spar.”
I thought about trying to use ‘Unknown Fate’, but Baek Ho-gun shook his head.
“We won’t spar today.”
Then what did you mean to be doing today?
While I showed my doubts, we reached the central dome, where there were the West Seven Constellations and where we usually sparred.
And what I saw inside after the door opened.
‘This…’
Under the night sky, embodied with superpower, was a table and two chairs.
And on the table was a chessboard.
“Do you remember my condition?”
When I requested Baek Ho-gun’s help to hear the Nine Iron Teeth Rake’s voice.
Baek Ho-gun put one condition.
— Play chess with me.
At the time I said I’d play chess straight away, but Baek Ho-gun shook his head.
— There is no meaning facing against the current you.
The foul mood from that time returned again.
“I remember.”
I sat down first.
“Let’s play.”
* * *
The typhoon was blowing, but Jang Namuk visited Yu Sang-hun’s house.
At late afternoon, Yu Sang-hun personally called Jang Namuk to ask when he has time.
It was sudden, but Jang Namuk, who was uneasy about the strange[7] dream he had, replied he had time now.
“Hi, long time no see. Is Uisin also coming? Is Sang-hui noona home?”
“No. They’re are both not here. I don’t know when Yu Sanghui-ssi is coming back, but Jo Uisin won’t be coming.”
“Uh?”
Yu Sang-hun bluntly kicked the basketballs that were rolling around into the corner with his foot to make space.
“I heard that you- had a strange dream.”
“Uh… Did Sihu tell you? It was just a dog-shit dream.”
“I also had a dog-shit dream.”
No way, did you call me here to talk about the dog-shit dream as you also had one?
Jang Namuk thought like this, but patiently waited for Yu Sang-hun’s next words.
Because even if he didn’t know what Yu Sang-hun was thinking, he wasn’t a bastard who would act thoughtlessly.
“I dreamed exactly the same dog-shit dream two times, both of us were there. That fucker Song Mingi also was there, and the supervisor, and the wanted Enemy.”
Yu Sang-hun spoke calmly, but he was covered in cold sweat because the room was very cold.
‘Perhaps…’
Jang Namuk hesitated, and then took off his glasses and gathered the superpower wave in his eyes.
Yu Sang-hun, who had an apathetic expression and closed his mouth, made a surprised face.
It was also because Jang Namuk suddenly used a superpower wave, but it was more because Jang Namuk’s eyes were shining like stars.
The derivation of the Hundred Ri Eyes, ‘Eyes of Star Maiden’ of Astraea.
Jang Namuk stared at Yu Sang-hun with the eyes that saw through the truth and falsehood.
“It’s almost nothing but a remnant[8], but you also have it, huh?”
“What?”
“Something like a black fog. It seems to be a remnant of a superpower wave, but…”
Jang Namuk spoke with a nervous voice.
When he looked into the mirror with uncovered eyes after having a nightmare, Jang Namuk saw himself wrapped in a black fog.
That back fog itself didn’t feel scary, but Jang Namuk guessed that the source of his nightmare was that fog.
“In the nightmare I had…”
“Wait.”
Yu Sang-hun stopped Jang Namuk, who was about to summarize, and turned on the device.
“Activate the memo app and write down the content of the dream you had. Don’t show it to me.”
“Uh? Ah, so we can look at it objectively.”
The two closed their mouths and turned away to write a memo for a while.
And when the two exchanged the content of the dreams they had with each other.
A few lines of simple summary of Yu Sang-hun.
A few pages long of detailed description of Jang Namuk.
The two writings differed in form and length.
But.
“….”
“How could it….”
Supervisor, who appeared in a dying state.
Son Mingi who pushed Jang Namuk and Yu Sang-hun towards the Enemy and ran towards the door.
The Enemy who aimed at Son Mingi first, perhaps because of the loud sound.
Yu Sang-hun, who covered Jang Namuk, who froze and couldn’t flee, and the two of them being pierced by the horn and dying at the same time.
And absence of Jo Uisin.
The content of the nightmares the two of them had was the same.
*~*~*
[1] kasaya — a robe of ordained Buddhist monks.
[2] trot song — Korean music genre with repetitive rhythm created based on the Japanese, American and European music during the Japanese occupation (so 1910-1945) that later evolved into its own thing. Here is a link to the trot compilation I was listening to when translating this chapter: https://youtu.be/rcxjot1VjZ4
[3] samanera — here referring to a robe of a novice Buddhist monk.
[4] dawn mood — refers to emotional moods that hit in the morning. Think a night depression when you’re hit by all the stupid things you did and that you feel like shit about, and perhaps you even write a little poem about it and put on the internet… That kind of thing, only in the morning.
[5] Jo Uisin — not a typo, it’s like this in raws.
[6] ㅎㅎㅎ — ‘hahaha’.
[7] strange — could be also ‘little’, ‘vague’ or ‘marvelous’.
[8] remnant — the same word as ‘ruins’ used in the chapters’ title ‘Ruins of the myth’. It’s not an unusual word, I’m just sending you there for dictionary definition.
Translator’s note: Jo Uisin keeps saying long message this, long message that, and here I’m looking at it and thinking ‘It’s completely an average length of a message, what do you mean?’
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