My Childhood Friend’s Stock Will Never Fail Chapter 55

The only option available was Yes.

 

‘Is this really supposed to be a choice?’

 

It was ridiculous, but at the same time, Yoohee was curious. This meant she could actually meet a Constellation in person.

 

“……Yes.”

 

[Scenario modification has been accepted.]

 

Just then, ding, a notification from her phone messenger rang out. When Yoohee picked up her phone, she saw a message from someone named ‘Unknown X.’

 

When she opened the chat, this appeared on the screen.

 

[This is a private chat that cannot be viewed by the other Constellations.]

 

-Hi?

 

Unknown X.

 

Come to think of it, Yoohee knew that name. It was the Constellation who had saved her inside the event gate where she encountered the elves on the day of the festival.

 

-It’s been a while.

-I missed you.

 

Ding. Ding.

 

Yoohee’s eyebrows rose at the successive messages. The way they spoke made it feel as though they had known her for a very long time.

 

“What are you spacing out for? Are you really okay?”

 

Ppyakki, who was sitting on the floor, lightly tapped Yoohee’s dirt-covered shoes with its slender feet.

 

“……Let’s go back to the dorm first.”

 

***

 

As soon as they returned to the dorm, Yoohee’s first priority was to bathe Ppyakki. Its fluffy feathers were covered in dirt, bits of wood, and other debris, and it had been complaining about how uncomfortable it felt the entire way home.

 

After drying its feathers until they were nice and fluffy with a hair dryer, Ppyakki shook its wings in satisfaction.

 

“I finally feel alive again.”

 

“They say leaving home means nothing but suffering.”

 

“Who do you think I went through all this trouble for? You’d better behave yourself from now on. No, next time, I’ll just peck you and drag you back with me.”

 

With that, instead of sleeping in its own home, Ppyakki climbed onto Yoohee’s bed and settled into the softest part of the blanket. It must have been exhausted, because it quickly fell asleep.

 

When it slept, it was the very picture of an angel.

 

“……”

 

It was already close to ten at night.

 

Since Jinhee still hadn’t returned, she would probably be spending the night at her aunt’s house.

 

Yoohee watched Ppyakki sleeping peacefully like an angel for a while before reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out the fortune-cookie slip and her phone.

 

I’ll come see you soon. It’s been a while. I missed you.

 

Even after looking at the fortune-cookie slip and the text messages from Unknown X again, Yoohee still couldn’t make sense of them.

 

‘Was it someone who already knew me?’

 

Honestly, the existence of the Constellations was full of mysteries to Yoohee. She had no idea what Constellations were, where they were, or how they operated.

 

[The Constellation ‘Mother of Failure’ is curious about the text messages on your phone.]

 

[The Constellation ‘SSS-Rank F2P Player’ grumbles that if you have any sense, you should at least monologue about it.]

 

Ah, they had said that the Constellations couldn’t view this part.

 

After being able to observe everything up until now, it was understandable that they would find the sudden restriction frustrating. Though there was nothing Yoohee could tell them anyway.

 

“Can I reply?”

 

With that small mutter, Yoohee moved her fingers across the keyboard on her phone screen.

 

Tap, tap.

 

Her fingers slowly pressed the keys. The moment the question ‘Who are you?’ was sent, the little 1 next to the message quickly disappeared.

 

-Want to meet?

 

Meet?

 

Yoohee instinctively looked up. The room was still exactly as it had been. Ppyakki was asleep on the bed, breathing softly, while the yellow lamp beside the bed cast a gentle glow.

 

-Can we meet?

-If you answer me.

 

Part of her was afraid. Was it really okay to meet this person?

 

But soon, her fingers began to move.

 

Her curiosity was stronger than her fear.

 

[We apologize for the inconvenience, Constellations! Broadcasting on Channel R-29 will be temporarily suspended for a system update. We ask for the Constellations’ kind understanding.]

 

The Constellations were not the type to simply sit still after receiving such a sudden announcement.

 

Especially the Dark Mage and SSS-Rank F2P Player, among others, went absolutely berserk, but their noisy reactions suddenly cut off.

 

[—-Clank clank—-System update in progress—-]

 

The status window displayed nothing but a small loading screen.

 

It was so quiet around her that it felt as though time itself had stopped. Even Ppyakki remained asleep, completely unmoving.

 

In the profound silence, where it almost seemed as though she was the only one who could move in this space, a low voice suddenly came from behind her.

 

“Jian.”

 

A chill ran down her spine.

 

It wasn’t only because of the sudden presence behind her.

 

It had already been twenty years since she had lived under the name Son Jian. In this life, as Im Yoohee, she had thought she would never hear that name again. Yet someone had called it so naturally, as if it had always been hers.

 

Swallowing nervously, she turned her head.

 

The faster her field of vision shifted, the harder her heart pounded. She bit down on her dry lips and slowly turned her gaze all the way around.

 

And there, standing before Yoohee, was an unexpected figure.

 

‘This person……’

 

His bangs hung messily over his forehead, long enough to cover his eyes. He was wearing the same blue jumpsuit that Juhun had worn in F Building.

 

Standing face-to-face, he was just as tall as Juhun, forcing Yoohee to crane her neck to look up at him.

 

“Son Jian.”

 

The shaggy-haired man called her by her name from her past life once again.

 

But his long bangs made it impossible for her to see his face clearly. Yoohee cautiously raised a hand. She wanted to brush aside the bangs that covered his face like a curtain.

 

“Don’t you know who I am?”

 

Yoohee’s hand stopped just before reaching his forehead.

 

Through the strands of hair, she caught a glimpse of his eyes.

 

They weren’t unfamiliar at all.

 

She felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if she had already looked into those eyes countless times before.

 

‘Where have I seen those eyes……?’

 

When Yoohee remained frozen with her hand outstretched, the man who had been quietly watching her raised one hand and brushed his hair back.

 

His long bangs swept away from his forehead, revealing neat eyebrows and slightly anxious, light-brown eyes.

 

Yoohee’s eyes widened as recognition dawned.

 

How……?

 

That single question filled her mind.

 

***

 

If she had to name the person she had spent the most time with during her life as Son Jian, it was undoubtedly her partner, Do Minhwan.

 

He was a boy one year younger than her, with a somewhat youthful and innocent appearance.

 

“My name is Do Minhwan. I was recently assigned here.”

 

He spoke nervously, and her first impression of him had been, He seems like a kind person.

 

And he really was as kind as her first impression suggested.

 

He was shy yet spirited, always taking responsibility for his duties, which made him well-liked by the people at the center.

 

“You can rely on me, noona. That’s why I came here.”

 

She had thought he was simply soft-hearted, but he had a surprisingly strong side to him.

 

Even covered in wounds, he never collapsed. Together with Uncle Dohwan, he endured until they finally cleared the gate.

 

“I like it. Being by Son Jian’s side.”

 

As he received guiding from her, he had gradually started speaking casually. Before long, informal speech came naturally between them.

 

And their relationship as colleagues slowly began to change into something more special.

 

“No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”

 

It had been a promise spoken from the heart.

 

She couldn’t even begin to imagine how miserable he must have been after losing her.

 

***

 

“We finally met.”

 

His messy hair slipped back down over his forehead, leaving only the corners of his lips visible as he smiled.

 

Was he happy that they had finally met again?

 

Was he…… okay now?

 

“I thought so much about what I would say when we met, but now, I guess none of it matters.”

 

Still smiling, Minhwan took another step toward her.

 

Yoohee stood facing him, leaving about two handspans of distance between them.

 

The Minhwan standing before her now felt completely different from the one she remembered.

 

His shaggy hair was part of it, but more than that, the atmosphere surrounding him no longer felt youthful.

 

After enduring everything life had thrown at him, he had become a strong, truly solid adult.

 

“……I’m sorry.”

 

Minhwan offered a calm apology for everything that had happened in the past.

 

“I’ve regretted that day countless times, no matter how many times I replay it in my head. But what makes me even angrier is that even if I could go back, I still wouldn’t be able to protect you.”

 

His words were quiet, yet the weight behind them was suffocating.

 

She couldn’t cry. She shouldn’t cry.

 

But her chin trembled, and she bit down hard on her lower lip.

 

“This time, I really came to protect you.”

 

“You……”

 

“This isn’t nonsense. A lot happened after you disappeared.”

 

Through the strands of hair, Minhwan’s eyes shone with solemn determination.

 

She couldn’t see every part of his expression, but the uneasiness that had once filled his eyes seemed to have disappeared.

 

“I want you to hear me out.”