Chapter 3: Pine Needles Flow Through My Body (1)

 

Actually, I had been deeply conflicted.

 

After meeting my wives, I was unsure how I should react.

 

Should I force my one-sided feelings onto them, even though they had forgotten all their memories with me?

 

However, as soon as I faced Alice…

 

“Y-you are…?”

 

“……”

 

‘What’s with those clothes…?’

 

All those worries disappeared in the face of an overwhelming fashion disaster.

 

A suspender skirt so blue it would surely lose all its color if put in the washing machine.

 

Contrasting with a bright red beret.

 

An outfit that looked like she was about to jump and smash blocks.

 

…No, where did she even find such a red and blue outfit?

 

Not even in Dongmyo would you find something like that.

 

‘During the first round, I wondered why she was late. It seems she was late because she got scolded, got upset, and changed her clothes.’

 

I suddenly understood the situation.

 

She was the character who interrupted the entrance exam in the game, even in the first round.

 

Apologizing for being late and asking not to be disqualified.

 

Until now, I thought it was just a typical fixed event…

 

I never imagined there would be such a backstory.

 

I was bewildered by my wife’s unknown fashion taste.

 

‘…No, I have to respect her taste. After all, Alice respected mine.’

 

Of course, no matter how much she dressed like Mario, Alice was still Alice.

 

Even after the hypnosis was lifted, she forgave me and lived her life with me.

 

I quickly pulled myself together and opened my mouth.

 

Our first meeting in the second round. I had to make a good impression.

 

“Hey, you two. You’re freshmen, right?”

 

“Huh? Ah, y-yeah.”

 

“What are you doing surrounding a scared person? Especially in such a secluded place.”

 

First, I scolded them.

 

If I used force, Alice might think I was a violent person.

 

Leaving such an impression on her delicate mind would be a bad move.

 

Of course, just talking would sound like a 35-year-old man’s nagging.

 

And if I used a gentle tone to avoid scaring Alice, it would be ineffective.

 

-Murmur, murmur.

 

“Should I ask if she’s dating anyone?”

 

“Crazy, you have a boyfriend!! If anyone’s going to do it, it should be me…”

 

‘They’re not even pretending to listen.’

 

Maybe it was because they looked like delinquents.

 

Their skill at ignoring me was impressive.

 

In the early stages of the first round, I would have been flustered and stammering.

 

But now,

 

“Hey. When someone speaks, you should listen.”

 

I actually moved closer to them and confronted them.

 

So close our noses almost touched.

 

“You guys…”

 

“……!!!? W-wait…”

 

“———don’t harass innocent people.”

 

[Activating skill ‘Complete Hypnosis.’]

 

At the same time, I used hypnosis.

 

I acted, certain they wouldn’t be able to resist.

 

These freshly awakened novices wouldn’t know how to erect a mental barrier.

 

‘Well, even if they knew, they wouldn’t be able to block my hypnosis.’

 

[Check successful. The targets fall under ‘complete’ hypnosis.]

 

“W-wow…”

 

“This is unbelievable…”

 

Their pupils quickly dilated.

 

Their cheeks flushed red, and a blissful smile spread across their lips.

 

The term ‘instant defeat’ suited their appearance perfectly.

 

I didn’t know why even in benign hypnosis, women always reacted like this.

 

Maybe it was because my abilities were specialized for erotic games.

 

‘Anyway, this should prevent Alice from being scared.’

 

“Got it?”

 

“Y-yes…♡”

 

“But, we were just trying to introduce her to a clothing store…”

 

“It’s fine, just go.”

 

I waved my hand, dismissing them.

 

I wanted to comfort Alice, who was probably scared right now.

 

“U-um, then at least give me your number….”

 

“Judging by your expressions, it looks like you both have something ‘very’ urgent to attend to. Almost as if it’s about to spill out right now.”

 

-Ding!

 

[Check successful. The targets fall under ‘complete’ hypnosis.]

 

“Now that you mention it…!!”

 

“We’ll see you next time then!! Definitely!!”

 

Though they were a bit clingy, hypnosis quickly resolved the situation.

 

The potential lemonade dispensers hurriedly fled.

 

After the commotion, what remained was…

 

Alice, who had been watching this side attentively for a while now.

 

My wife from the first round.

 

-Murmur, murmur.

 

“Getting so close to their faces….”

 

‘What? Did it look like I was threatening them a bit?’

 

Alice was glaring at me with a frown.

 

Considering her timid personality that wouldn’t even allow her to say something unpleasant…

 

That was a look she only made when she was extremely upset.

 

In the year before the regression when she turned 30 ahead of me, she made that face when I jokingly called her ‘auntie.’

 

…I completely blew the first impression.

 

‘Can I even make her fall for me without using hypnosis…?’

 

“Ahem. Sorry. I interfered without permission. You looked like you were in trouble, so I couldn’t help it.”

 

I belatedly tried to salvage the situation.

 

I’m not a dangerous person.

 

Just a very kind hypnotic breeding guy who admires you.

 

With a roughly matching expression.

 

The effect was minimal.

 

“Yes. Thank you for helping me, pervert.”

 

“……”

 

‘What a choice of words.’

 

She insulted me.

 

Using a word that even a native Korean like me had never actually heard in real life.

 

…Well. Unlike before the regression, Alice had just arrived in Korea.

 

It made sense that her vocabulary was strange since she learned Korean through webtoons and dramas.

 

She probably confused ‘pervert’ with ‘delinquent.’

 

‘Even though I am a pervert, I didn’t do anything perverted just now. She must have misspoken.’

 

“Haha… Anyway. Are you a freshman too?”

 

“Yes. I’m Alice Littlewood. From England. Hello.”

 

-Bow.

 

See? In reality, she’s quite polite.

 

There’s no way this Alice would call me a pervert. Yeah.

 

A belated introduction followed.

 

“Yeah. I’m Seo Yu-jin. A freshman just like you.”

 

“Seo, Yu-jin….”

 

Alice repeated my name.

 

It wasn’t hard to guess the meaning behind that action.

 

She was probably deciding not to get close to me. Because I seemed like a violent person.

 

That was certainly it.

 

My mouth felt a bit bitter.

 

‘Now it feels real. That I’m the only one who regressed. That all our memories are gone.’

 

Having the person you love not remember you.

 

That they don’t love you.

 

This is what it feels like.

 

Regression isn’t all good after all.

 

To soothe my bitter mouth, I slowly headed towards the vending machine.

 

‘Cola and… for Alice, it’s this. Of course.’

 

-Clunk, clunk.

 

The sound of two drinks dropping.

 

Alice, who had been repeating my name, finally looked my way.

 

“…Yu-jin?”

 

“Take it. Since we have this connection, I’ll buy you one.”

 

-Swish.

 

I handed over one of the drinks.

 

It was the drink she really liked before the regression.

 

“This is….”

 

‘I want to do more for you. But in the second round, we’re still strangers. Anything more would be too much.’

 

“Take care, Alice.”

 

Without hesitation, I turned my back.

 

Since it was our first meeting. This seemed like the best I could do.

 

For some reason, even the cola tasted a bit bitter today.

 

* * *

 

The can of drink that Yu-jin had given her.

 

Alice Littlewood stared intently at the can of drink.

 

Thinking about the man named Seo Yu-jin.

 

‘He seemed like someone I’ve seen before.’

 

At the first moment she saw him, she instinctively covered her mouth.

 

Though he was someone she had never met before…

 

He somehow felt familiar. Like she had spent decades with him.

 

Perhaps that was why,

 

‘I even called him a pervert… Why did I do that?’

 

When he approached the women who were criticizing her outfit.

 

She felt an inexplicable displeasure.

 

Why is he getting so close to other women?

 

She felt annoyed – and ended up calling him a pervert, despite her own confusion.

 

‘He’s someone I’ve just met. And he even helped me and bought me a drink.’

 

It was puzzling.

 

She considered herself a timid person.

 

Not someone who would say such things to a good person she just met.

 

The feelings she had towards Yu-jin were equally strange.

 

‘But… he was cool.’

 

Feelings she couldn’t understand herself.

 

She defined them as ‘goodwill.’

 

Goodwill towards the man who came to help her when she was distressed.

 

Goodwill towards Yu-jin, who didn’t criticize her outfit that was ridiculed by others.

 

‘He even shares my taste in drinks. Pine Needle Eyes.’

 

A drink that she loved, despite its mixed reception.

 

She felt goodwill towards him for sharing her taste and offering it to her without hesitation.

 

-Fizz. Gulp.

 

‘Maybe it’s because I met a good person? It feels even sweeter today.’

 

The drink he gave her wrapped around her tongue like honey.

 

Sweeter than anything she had ever tasted.

 

‘Yu-jin… I should get closer to him. As he said, this is a connection.’

 

-Gulp, gulp.

 

One sip. Another sip.

 

Sweet memories, sweet feelings.

 

Flowing down her throat.

 

Her heart also began to beat lightly.

 

With each sip, it beat faster and faster.

 

By the last sip, it pounded so loudly it echoed in her temples.

 

-Gulp.

 

“…Haa♡”

 

When she finally emptied the can,

 

Her expression was no different from the women earlier.

 

Her eyes slightly dazed, and her cheeks flushed pink.

 

It was that kind of expression.

 

‘Now that I’ve quenched my thirst, I should head to the exam room….’

 

-Stop.

 

‘…Are these clothes really that bad? I wore them to symbolize Korea.’

 

The clothes she liked just moments ago now felt unsatisfactory.

 

They looked pretty to her…

 

But Yu-jin tried to avert his eyes from them.

 

If he thought they were pretty, he wouldn’t have reacted like that.

 

‘I should change quickly. It’s not for Yu-jin or anything.’

 

-Tadat!

 

She hurried her steps to change her clothes.

 

It’s definitely not for Yu-jin. This is to make a good first impression on her classmates – she repeated to herself.

 

‘Where… I’m sure I’ve seen those clothes often in dramas….’

 

-Clench.

 

She tightly held onto the empty drink can, instead of throwing it away.