I Killed the Player of the Academy - Chapter 287
The morning sun was dazzling.
Her whole body ached as if her blood had dried up.
“It hurts…”
The soft touch told her that she was lying on a bed.
“Oh… Dad?”
And before her, Corin was fiddling with his smartphone, looking at the ocean view.
“…”
“Hey, you over there──”
“Be quiet for a bit. I’m thinking.”
“Ugh…”
Sirin carefully observed Corin’s expression.
‘I… lost.’
Sun Cloud Solas.
She couldn’t win against that great power.
In the previous round, she hadn’t been chosen by Cloud Solas. Of all the party members, only Corin had been acknowledged by Cloud Solas.
However, as an extra, he didn’t have the magic power to operate Cloud Solas.
But now, he was truly the Breath of Ohard… No, more than that, he was handling the sun.
‘No, that’s not the problem.’
The sun was just a large-scale fake. The real thing was the tip of the spear that had pierced through the sealed gap that even stuffed the sea and destroyed all irrational magic.
Tates Baltazar.
Like him, the talent he possessed was exerted regardless of the strength of his power.
‘Now… I can’t win again.’
Sirin realized it anew.
When did he become this strong?
“Hey.”
“Huh? Uhh, Brother…”
“Hoo…”
A small sigh. But to Sirin, it sounded like thunder.
Every move he made made her breathless and her heart pounded.
From the beginning until this moment, he had been such a huge presence in Sirin’s life.
“You’re still a bitch, as always.”
“Uuu…”
She was crushed by his reproachful words. She was so scared, she could hardly endure it.
Finally, she burst into tears.
As she wallowed in regret and self-loathing, she wanted to beg him to acknowledge her, even though he didn’t.
But if she thought that such clinginess would disgust Corin, she couldn’t help but keep her lips pursed and avoid his gaze.
However, that agony was conveyed so earnestly, as if it were a miserable emotion.
“I’m… sorry. I was wrong…”
I thought you were an NPC. I did it for efficiency. I’m trying to save the world, so isn’t it okay to tidy up?
When she was angry with herself, the excuses she had made to herself didn’t come to mind.
In the end, all she could utter was her regret and apology…
“I was wrong… I was wrong… So, so…”
Please forgive me.
She couldn’t bring herself to say those pathetic words.
Would he be disappointed?
Would he laugh and kick her out?
Or would it backfire?
She couldn’t bring herself to change her attitude like a shameless person.
When she did, she was afraid that he would be disappointed and laugh at her.
She knew all too well that she was a selfish bitch.
Wasn’t it impossible for someone like her to be accepted by someone so kind?
“Ugh… Uhh… Sob…”
Shejustswallowedthewordsthatshewishedtosayandbitterswallowedhertearssheddingthem.
Ican’tforgiveher,Ican’tunderstandher.
Itislikeexpectingwaterandoiltomix.
Shecriedandcried.
Becausetherewasnothingtosay.
Becausetherewasnothingtosay.
Duringthehoursofcryingandcrying,CorinlookedatSirinwithoututteringaword.
“Hayeon-ah.”
Suddenly,hertearssuddenlystopped.
Instead,itwashersoulthatquivered.
Yes,therewassomethingIshouldbegforotherthanforgiveness.
ShecrawledinfrontofCorin,knelt,andgrabbedhishands.
“Ha,Hayeon-ah···Ourdaughter······Shehasdonenothingwrong.So···So,please···AtleastHayeon···Don’ttakeitaway······.”
Hertearsfelltotheground.
Thewarmththatcameherlifeasecondtimeafteritwascoldandindifferent.
Shecouldnevergiveupthatwarmththathadconnectedhertoherfailedloveandfailedlife.
Becauseitcouldnotbeprotectedbyforceorreason,allshecoulddowastobeg.
“······.”
CorinlookedatSirin,whobeggedwithtears,andfeltacomplicatedfeeling.
Thearchmageofself-esteemandpride,whohadbeensocoldandindifferent,strongerthananyoneintheworld.
Shebeggedformercyinthisway,sovulgarandmiserable.
Itisnotforherownlifeorbenefit,butforpuremotherlylove.Theloveforherchildwasfranklysurprising.
Suchcruelandpridefulpeoplecanbecomethisvulgar.
Asaplayer,
Asanarchmage,
Asademonlord,
Asagreatcommander.
Theonlytimethatshe,whohadacquiredthestrongestpowerandpositionthatahumancouldpossess,becamethehumanParkSirin.
Becauseloveandmotherhoodarettrulycontradictoryandhumane.
Threeyearsaftertheregression.ThehatredandangerIhadbeenholdingontoallthistimebegantofizzleout.
“······You’reahumanbeingtoo.”
Ithoughtthatshewasamonsterthatwasnothinglikehuman.
Ithoughtthatthelovethatsheconfessedtomewasthetearsofacrocodile.
Butiturnedoutsthatshewasahumanbeing,withfeelings,andcouldbecomethismiserableandvulgar,someonewhocouldprotectthesamething.
“Letmeaskyoujustonething.”
Atthosewords,Sirinraisedherhead,herfacetrulydirtyandmiserable.Ashewipedherface,Corinasked.
“Whydoyoulikeme?”
Iwondered.
Whydoesthiscoldandselfishwomancraveandobsessovermethismuch?
“Oppa···You’redifferentfromtheothers.”
Withherheadbowed,shespokeherdesperatefeelings.Regrettingthelovethatcouldneverbefulfilled.
Sheconveyedhertruemotives,whichcouldnotbefalse.
“You’rekind,considerate···andstupid······.”
“······.”
Aninbornkindnessthatshecouldneverfollow.
Shewillinglyreachedoutahershouldiftherewassomeoneintrouble,andgavewithoutcalculatingthepros and cons.
“Ithought···youwerecool.EvenwhileIlaughedatyouforbeingastupidfool···Ican’tbecomelikethat.”
Sheenviedsomeonewhoisdifferentfromher.
Shehatedpeoplewhoweresimilartoher.
Shemockedandlaughedatthemforbeingstupidandfoolish,butshealsoenviedthem,andthoughtthattheywerecoolandrefreshing,butshealsosohatedthem.
Park Shi-rin is a villain.
She is willing to sacrifice others for her own gain and success.
She makes excuses for her evil deeds, saying that they are just NPCs or other people.
What’s wrong with using any means necessary to achieve your goals?
You have to be ruthless to succeed.
It’s better to win ugly than to lose beautifully.
That kind of thinking has become the norm.
Someone has come along to challenge that head-on.
“Why are you working as a trainer when you’re a graduate of a prestigious university?”
“The coach’s son took bribes from the association president and fixed the matches. I got fed up with him and kicked him out.”
You’re a cripple. A fool.
They laugh at him, but they also realize something.
“You were a candidate for the national team, but you don’t regret working as a gym trainer?”
“I stood up for what I believe in. I think that’s much more valuable.”
“You blew your chance at the national team? You would have regretted it if you hadn’t kicked him out.”
“My life isn’t over yet. I can always start over. Who says that the national team is more valuable? I define my own worth.”
Belief. Justice. The right thing to do.
You’re a fool. What are you talking about?
You’ll hit rock bottom soon enough. You’re just a do-gooder who talks a big game. But──
“Why do I need a reason to save you?”
That belief,
That consideration,
That justice.
When Park Shi-rin realized that he was willing to do it for her, she realized something.
“He was like a hero.”
Unlike herself, who kept everything to herself,
She looked at him, sharing everything with everyone.
Unlike herself, who sacrificed others for her own gain,
She looked at him, sacrificing himself to save others.
Devotion and sacrifice, justice.
Even though she thought it was a childish concept.
She longed for someone who could actually live that way.
She longed for it.
She wanted to be by his side.
“From the day my brother first saved me, I have been sincere.”
I love you.
This much is true.
Maybe it’s the first time.
It was a confession filled with sincerity.
* * * *
When I left the villa, Erin was playing with the child.
“Ah…”
She had black hair like her mother and cold eyes. But her ruby-red eyes and wild features resembled mine.
“Ooooo…”
Ha-yeon hid behind Erin’s back and glared at me. Of course, from the child’s point of view, I must have seemed like a thug who had suddenly attacked her mother.
“Bad uncle…”
I watched Ha-yeon pass me with a bitter smile.
“Is that her father…?”
“Haha, but Corin is like you, a strong and kind child.”
I sat down on the bench next to Erin, who was chuckling.
“Have you accepted it?”
“She’s my child’s mother.”
“Yeah, I thought so.”
“Why?”
Erin looked at me as if to ask if it was obvious.
“You’re not cruel enough to separate a child from its parents.”
“······I could have. I was going to.”
“Then why did you decide to accept it?”
“······.”
I couldn’t say anything for a while. I felt like I was caught in a paradox of self-contradiction.
“If I look into the sins of the previous life… In fact, the same goes for Miran.”
She also crossed the line that I could tolerate.
She killed many people, and in the end, she ruined herself.
The only difference is the scale of Bak Sirin.
However, I forgave Miran and decided to make her my wife.
“If there is a difference between Miran and Bak Sirin… It’s probably about two things… The first is betrayal.”
“Betrayal?”
“In any case, Bak Si-hoo of the previous life was a precious person to me.”
A fellow villager I met in a strange and frightening foreign land.
I was able to play a supporting role, if not the main character of the story, because of Bak Si-hoo’s help.
“We fought together, protected each other with our lives… and tried to save the world.”
That’s why I felt even more betrayed.
Bak Si-hoo, who was doing such a thing without my knowledge, Bak Si-hoo, who tried to take it by force without asking my consent.
It was terrible, I hated it, and I felt betrayed.
“And above all… When the bastard went berserk, I didn’t have the power to stop it.”
What if the bastard goes berserk again? Can I protect my loved ones from him?
I fought him, threatening to take the child to Bak Sirin, to confirm that.
Now I was overpowering Bak Sirin, Bak Si-hoo of the previous life, and she was desperately obeying me and yearning for love.
If I could control it… If I could turn the bastard in the right direction…
“Because I’m a stepmother, I can think about it. I had that thought.”
If I hadn’t overpowered Sirin, or if I had been pushed back by force, I would never have accepted her.
“Well, that’s what I mean. Now it’s the other people who matter.”
“Other people?”
“First, Erin.”
Erin stared blankly at my words. She soon nodded as if she understood.
“I’m fine.”
I gratefully bumped my forehead against Erin’s, who welcomed her happily.
“I’m always grateful and sorry.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to be sorry to me.”
A benefactor and a lifelong teacher.
She is like a tree that always gives me generously. But…
“······What about the others?”
“”······.””
This decision was not something that she and I could decide on our own.
“······Disassemble.”
Maria said, pouting her lips.
“The first child with Corin is our Deokgu. The eldest son is our Deokgu.”
-Keung!
“Of course.”
“Then it’s done.
As if that was enough, Maria nodded and turned her head.
“Arisha, what about you?”
Arisha has been giggling since earlier as if something was so good. Her gentle gaze is on Ha-yeon, and anyone can tell.
“Corin, I’m an illegitimate child.”
“No, why is that…”
“Are you going to make Ha-yeon an illegitimate child?”
“······You really make me speechless.”
Arisha handed the honey bomb candy to Hayan, who was wary of strangers, and smiled.
“Children should be happy. They should be filled with their parents’ love.”
“······Thank you.”
I turned my gaze to Hwaran. No, is it Ran, judging by her blue eyes?
“Hwa isn’t interested. Even if there was one more now.”
Ran stared at Corin with an ominous smile as she giggled.
“Well, chronologically speaking, you met the stork a lot earlier than us?”
“Uhm··· I’m sorry.”
“What can I do, oppa? It’s already happened.”
Ran approached me and whispered in my ear.
“I want to have your baby too.”
“Ahem···!”
Ran’s smirking face was tempting.
“Well··· can’t we do it after you graduate?”
“Well, let’s make a plan later.”
I was grateful that everyone didn’t object. I should also ask Estel, Miriam, and Rounia for permission.
“I got permission for the first time.”
At my words, Shirin, who had been peeking behind the door, carefully came out. She came out with a very hunched posture and watched the faces of my wives.
“You’re Park Shirin, right? Is there something important?”
“Oh, what, what is that······.”
“By any chance, how many children are you planning to have? Can you have eleven more?”
“?????”
Shirin was bewildered as if she had heard a strange question. Arisha··· you’re the first one I killed······.
“Park Shirin.”
“Ma, Marie··· sunbae.”
“Hmm? Oh, I heard it was a connection from a previous life. I have something to ask you.”
Marie smoothly passed over Shirin’s words because she had already told the story of the previous round.
“Do you eat potatoes well? Our Locke family can’t live without potatoes.”
“Yes? Oh, well··· I, I eat well.”
“Then that’s great! Hayan, do you eat potatoes well?”
After Marie, it was Ran’s turn. In the last round, Hwaran eventually sublimated into Ran, and Ran’s personality disappeared.
Perhaps this is the first time Shirin has seen Ran.
“I have something to ask you.”
“Oh, um··· uh······.”
Ran looked around and whispered in a small voice that I could barely hear.
“When you give birth to a baby··· does the stork really not come?”
“???”
In the end, she received the approval and consideration of the three people, but for some reason, she was depressed and hung her head low.
“I······.”
“Why? Because if you look at it, you seem to be getting over it too easily even though you’re like my enemy?”
“······.”
Shirin didn’t deny what I said.
She just sobbed and desperately tried to stop her emotions from pouring out.
“What should I do··· I······.”
Finally, I put my hand on Shirin’s bowed head, hiding her tears.
“Work hard.”
The things I’ve done wrong so far. The sins I’ve committed cannot be undone.
What has already been done cannot be undone. At least I don’t know how to make up for it.
But as a husband. As the father of the child.
“We’ll find it together.”
We will search together for the rest of our lives.