ReLife Player

Chapter 69

[Milk and Cigarettes]

Doan Elementary School served milk to its students. The caterer left a carton of milk by the door before the end of first period.

Ugh, I dont like milk.

Im Dohoon brought the milk carton back to class as soon as it was over, and some of the girls pouted their lips and grumbled.

The kids had a love-hate relationship with milk. Some said they couldnt drink it because it was empty, while others refused to drink white milk.

The class representative should come forward and take as many as the number of students. Put any empty milk cartons back in the box.

If Miss Yu Ji-na had been the homeroom teacher when Eunha was in first grade, she wouldnt have been able to calm the childrens complaints.

However, Im Dohoon, the homeroom teacher of Class 3 in second grade and also the grade coordinator, was different. The children found him difficult to read, as he maintained a blank expression all day.

Lets settle it later.

Im Dohoon was aware that the children found him intimidating. During break time, he would try to leave his seat as much as possible.

The children didnt wander off. They noticed him distancing himself and busily dealt with the milk.

Who wants to drink my milk?

Hey, hey. Dont you want my milk?

They said if you drink milk, youll grow taller.

Then you drink it.

Eunha let out a sigh but accepted a girls offer and received the milk. He quickly downed the milk in one breath as soon as he opened the milk carton.

Here you go.

Yes, thank you!

The girl smiled brightly and went back to her seat.

Ha.

A month into second grade. The kids who were afraid of Eunha were now slowly coming around, because they realized that he wasnt the troublemaker he was rumored to be, and most importantly, because his friends stood up for him.

Minji, for example, had turned the second-grade class into a clique. This is because Kim Domyoung, who would have been an influential figure within the third class, is not at school as he promised Eunha.

Moreover, unlike Sena, Domyoung was not belligerent.

It was too easy for Min-ji to bend him to her will and use him to control the other kids, and she ended up becoming the one who set the tone for the class.

Eunhyuk was the same. He had been popular among the boys even before. Starting from second grade, his excellent athletic abilities, natural friendliness, and liveliness captivated the attention of the girls as well.

When someone like him started gravitating towards Eunha, the children couldnt completely ignore him.

Captain, Captain, I saved one for you!

Whats wrong with this kid?

Eunha frowned at Eunhyuk, who was in a good mood today.

Ta-da~!

The item Eunhyuk pulled out of his pocket was a Jetty. It was a magical item that made even children who hated white milk love it.

You, where did you get this.

Shhh! Only the captain knows about it because I secretly bought it at the stationery store today.

Of course, Dohoon had warned them not to bring food to school or mix jetty with milk. The children were afraid of him, so they didnt dare bring any food.

It was Eunhyuk who did it.

What if you get caught doing this?

Captain, since when are we afraid of this?

Well, yeah.

Eunha reluctantly accepted the jetty that Eunhyuk teasingly handed him.

It had been a little while since he drank a carton of milk.

But now, he craved chocolate milk.

Hey, give it to me. Ill mix it for you.

As expected of the leader.

Using his former player instincts, he discreetly added jetty to the milk when the children werent looking.

It was a complete crime. The two of them savored the chocolate milk while watching the busy children dealing with the milk.

Since they drank two now, they might grow taller.

I prefer low-fat milk.

Minji had been staring at the milk on the desk for a long time. She wanted to pass it to another child, but considering Eunhas sneering attitude, she felt compelled to drink it herself.

In the end, she closed her eyes and quickly downed the milk in one breath.

Kya~a~!

Youre a good beer drinker, huh?

Hmph, Im a good drinker.

Eunha teased Minji for making a gurgling sound.

She took it in stride, running a hand through her hair. Her chest felt good after drinking the milk that had been giving her so much trouble.

But low-fat milk, do you really care if a little kid gets fat already?

What a child, dont you know that you have to take care of this kind of thing from a young age?

Yeah, I dont know~

Min-ji is probably the only one in the class looking for low-fat milk.

Eunha doesnt know what drama she watched that made her prefer low-fat milk, as she used to drink it casually until last year.

Muk Min-ji, you should drink as much as Seona and Hayang.

Eunha pointed to Hayang and Seona, who were sitting at the table reading a book. As soon as they received the milk, they drained it.

Hehe, I like milk.

Hayang closed her book and snapped the ribbon. She had been drinking milk since she was a child and had no objection to it. She didnt even cover it up.

You should drink milk while you can.

She had a strong life force, and like Eunha, she would drink milk for children who couldnt.

There were some kids in class 3 who shunned her.

But none of them openly expressed their dislike or bullied her, because she was close to Minji, who controlled the class and had a casual relationship with Eunhyeok.

Above all, the kids knew the consequences of messing with Eunhas friend. Eunha wasnt the troublemaker rumored to be, but the story of him beating Sena last year was true.

Not all the kids despised her. And some of them understood Eunha.

So Senas face grew brighter and brighter as the days went by, and her face began to glow.

Why do you get prettier the more I look at you?

Minji pouted her lips in half envy, half jealousy.

Dont you know? Drinking milk makes your chest grow.

Sena made a gesture of supporting her own chest.

The third class of second graders suddenly became quiet.

What the hell.

Eunha was puzzled to see the children who had been talking so loudly that it was deafening, squinting with their mouths closed.

What you said Are you serious?

It was Min-ji who broke the silence, gripping Senas shoulders with a firm hand and looking her in the eye.

I saw it on TV.

Sena couldnt get used to the sudden change in atmosphere. She averted her gaze because she felt burdened by the girls eyes on her.

Captain, whats going on?

Dont ask. I dont know.

It wasnt that he didnt know why the girls were doing this, his heart understood, but his head couldnt.

If I stay here, Ill be a nuisance.

Eunha decided to take Eunhyuk and sneak away.

Just then, the bell rang for second period.

Thank God.

Eunhas relief didnt last long.

The girls were in a death match for the milk as soon as class ended.

Hey, youre still second graders.

Eunha stopped Minji because it was too ridiculous,

Move! This is all mine!

Minji threw her arms out and jumped into the fray. As if she was preparing for a battle to the death.

Come to think of it, something similar had happened before.

Now that I think about it, I cant help but smile at the memory.

When he had met Baekryeon not long ago.

Uncle Eunha, do I have to drink milk?

Its not just milk. Its a potion that Seok-hoon Jung made for you.

Uck, I dont like milk.

What if you cant become a fairy in the future because you cant drink milk? Dont you want to become as beautiful as a fairy?

Just then, Yoojung approached to calm down Baekryeon.

Eunha decided to go along with her temperament.

But then he said something he shouldnt have.

They say that girls chests grow bigger if they drink milk. You, acting so childish if you do that youll end up like her Ugh!

Eunha, youve been called crazy and now youre finally crazy?

How hard it was then.

Eunha had to recover on its own until the anger of the Yoojung was released. He even had to fight an unsupported battle against the leader of the monster horde.

After that, Eunha never brought up the topic of chests with her again.

Not even when he was drinking milk.

I was only joking.

It made him look bad as a party leader. It was hard enough to keep the mocking party members in line.

Hey, boss, whats this stuff they sell in milk cartons these days?

Eunhyeok asked.

Eunhyeok pretended not to notice the girls bickering and pointed to a milk carton.

It was the same phrase he had been seeing on the streets for the past few days.

There is such a thing.

So, this year was the time for that.

Not that he cared anyway.

During third period recess, he had to throw away the milk that the kids drank.

Its annoying.

Today it was Eunhas turn. He had always enjoyed goofing off during break time, so he didnt feel like returning the green box that milk was dripping from.

I should quickly get rid of it.

Eunha returned the green box at the back gate of the school.

There wasnt much time left for the break. In order to go back to class, he tried to quickly climb up the path he had come down.

Hey, whats wrong with the taste of this?

Cough! Cough! Ah, why am I coughing so much?

Huh?

From the back gate to the middle of the stairs leading up to the building, in a corner where attention wasnt usually paid, Eunha heard the voices of the kids.

Whats that sound?

The sound bothered him. Smoke was also wafting through the crack.

Eunha raised his head curiously.

Oh my.

He had come across news about kids smoking cigarettes not too long ago.

At the time, he let it slide, but he never expected to see elementary school students smoking.

I also started smoking when I entered the academy.

Eunha started smoking at the age of 17. Unable to cope with the unpredictable academy life, training, and the hatred towards monsters, he turned to cigarettes as a means of relief.

But even so, cigarettes at this age?

What kind of difficulties could those kids possibly be facing at their age that they need to smoke?

Eunha was dumbfounded and shook his head.

It was their own lives anyway. It didnt matter what happened to them. He tried to pretend he didnt see and pass by.

But then

Oh!

Hey, come here!

Of all things, he made eye contact with the kids who were smoking.

Uh, what should I do?

The kids smoking didnt scare him. Eunha knew that just by giving a strong gaze to kids who gave off a tough impression with cigarettes, he could make them feel intimidated.

The problem was whether to ignore and go back or to intimidate the kids and then go back.

Its better to intimidate them before leaving.

If he ignored them and went back, the kids might unnecessarily become troublesome.

It was better to step on the bud as soon as possible.

Eunha tried to give a strong gaze to intimidate the kids.

And right at that moment

Huh? Arent you Eunas brother?

The kids who were smoking were the ones Lee Kang-hyuk was taking with him. In the farthest corner, he, with his grayish-yellow hair, was squinting through his cigarette.

Phew, I got myself into trouble. Eunas brother is my brother.

Whos your brother.

Eunha frowned, but Lee Kang-hyuk didnt care.

Hurry up, hurry up. You have class.

Lee Kang-hyuk waved his hand gently.

The kids wouldnt bother him. Irritated, Eunha turned to walk back to class.

Then he noticed a cigarette case at his feet.

Oh, its from Dangun.

It was a player-exclusive cigarette. Where did they find these small things?

It was a cigarette hed smoked in the days before cigarette potions. It was refreshing to realize that the cigarettes he smoked were so old.

By the way, Jung Seokhoon didnt create cigarette-shaped potions. They were made by another creator, and their efficiency was significantly lower.

Oh, do you know about this? Do you.

Lee Kang-hyuk squinted his eyes and smiled.

Come here, come here. Boys, make room for one.

Lee Kang-hyuk was convinced by Eunhas reaction that he was interested in cigarettes.

A cigarette from a child already?

Lee Kang-hyuk

clicked his tongue inwardly. Nevertheless, he wanted to get close to Eunha, even if it meant showing off.

And cigarettes were something that could turn an awkward relationship into a familiar one, right?

Would you like one?

Oh.

Eunha was conflicted when he saw the cigarette offered by Lee Kang-hyuk.

Ever since he regressed, he had been struggling with wanting to drink and wanting to smoke.

Looking back, its been nine years since I was forced to quit smoking and stop drinking.

I endured a lot.

I endured a lot. Eunha kept repeating to himself like a brainwashing.

Oh, Im not supposed to smoke.

But his hand kept going to the cigarette.

Thats right, he couldnt help but smoke because he asked him to.

Hey, give me a light.

Lee Kang-hyuk poked his friend in the side. The kid coughed as if he wasnt used to cigarettes and pulled a lighter out of his pocket.

I shouldnt do this.

Even as he said it, Eunha held the cigarette to the flame.

He swallowed hard. All my attention was focused on the cigarette.

He took a drag.

He slowly brought the cigarette to the corner of his mouth with the intention of taking just one puff.

No-eun-ha, what are you doing!

Oh, shit!

Eunha was so surprised that he dropped the cigarette as he brought it to his lips.

Noon, Noona, this is!

How long had Euna been here?

His heart sank as he saw Euna holding a milk carton and glaring at him with a frightening glare.

Po, poker face!

He was already wrong.

He was caught in the act.

Im going to tell mom!

Sis, let it go!

Euna scolded Eunha, his shoulders shaking.

He had never been scolded like this before. No matter how much Eunha begged, she was stubborn.

Meanwhile, Lee Kang-hyuk and his friends were slowly trying to get away.

Huh?

An invisible wall blocked their path. The kids were banging their heads in the air, unable to believe what was happening in front of them.

My sisters gotten a lot better.

Eunha admired her as he saw the barrier she created with a single gesture.

You guys too. Youll get in trouble with the teacher for this.

In front of the cigarette, Euna was unforgiving towards anyone.

In the end, Eunha had to endure scolding from his homeroom teacher and his parents.

Ha.

Eunha, cigarettes are bad for you. Do you understand?

Euna tried to comfort him, but Eunha just hung his head and sighed.

You didnt smoke, so this is just a slap on the wrist. Dont do it again. You know its scary when Daddy gets mad, right?

Youre not supposed to smoke, okay? And I dont think those kids are good friends, from what Mommy can tell.

Oppa, cigarettes are bad.

Haaa.

Eunha lifted his shoulders in frustration.

Somehow, he felt like he would never be able to smoke in this life.

The children still drank milk today.

The milk they drank was printed with a phrase that had been seen on the streets.

We are praying. For the safe return of our compatriots who are still suffering in Italy.