Finally Got Stronger but Ended Up Regressing

Chapter 10 Leave (1)

The means of transportation was a bus. There was a bus stop just a short walk from the unit’s main gate.

“Yoonho, you took the 59 too, right?”

“Yes.”

“Hehe, it won’t be boring on the way… Oh! It’s the 59! Let’s hurry and get on!”

They quickly ran and boarded the 59 bus that had just arrived.

Since the unit was close to the city, most of the passengers were civilians.

Even though it was early in the morning, all the seats were taken except for one.

“Corporal Jung Yesom, please have a seat.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll stand. Just switch with me when you get up later.”

“I feel bad sitting alone, though.”

Corporal Jung Yesom pulled herself onto the seat and patted her lap.

“Come, sit on your sister’s lap.”

“…I respectfully decline.”

“Why? I’m a magic soldier, but I’m pretty strong.”

The power of magic is determined by magical energy, but after chanting spells and dodging monsters, it ultimately comes down to physical strength.

So magic soldiers never neglect physical training.

Anyway.

“It might look a bit odd to others.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit odd for a man to sit on a woman’s lap. Let’s do it the other way around.”

“That’s… what?”

“Sit here. I’ll sit on your lap.”

Corporal Jeong Yesom tried to get up. I was startled and pressed her shoulder down.

She was an incorrigible woman.

“Pfft. You’re still cute, our Yunho.”

Corporal Jeong Yesom was just teasing. She found my reaction amusing.

“By the way, are you spending time with your family?”

“Yes.”

“All day? Continuously?”

“Hmm, I think it will end by evening.”

“When in the evening? Around 7 PM?”

“Probably?”

“Oh, then let’s hang out.”

“Don’t you have plans, Corporal Jeong Yesom?”

“I do, but it’s just a dinner appointment, so it should end early. I’ll be free after that. How about it? Want to hang out with me?”

“Oh, sure. I’d love to.”

“Great, great. Is 9 PM okay? Near Modang Station.”

“Isn’t Modang Station far from your place, Corporal Jeong Yesom?”

“My dinner appointment is near there.”

“Well, then, let’s do that. But what shall we do?”

“What else.”

She mimicked holding a soju glass and made a “Krrr” sound.

“Let’s have a drink.”

Of course.

Our Yesom nuna can’t go without alcohol.

“It’s a rare opportunity to drink with me. Consider it an honor.”

“Yes, yes, it’s a great honor.”

I responded playfully but I had to admit it. I might not feel it because we’re so close, but Corporal Jeong Yesom boasts a stunning appearance that any man would be attracted to.

Her figure is also amazing.

If you were to pick an example of a bagel, you could point to Corporal Jeong Yesom.

There are quite a few people in the unit who admire Corporal Jeong Yesom, right?

“Sis, I have to get off now. See you later!”

“Understood. Loyalty.”

“Oh, even outside. Enough.”

After chatting for a while, I sent Corporal Jeong Yesom off first. She got off without looking back, perhaps because she didn’t want to hear the word “loyalty.”

I transferred after a few more stops and went quite a distance.

Then I got off.

Gocheon City, Gyeonggi Province.

My hometown where I’ve lived all my life.

If you turn your head this way, you see the city; if you turn it that way, you see fields.

Humming a tune, I walked towards the fields.

Our house is in that direction.

My parents rent a plot nearby to run an orchard. When I make money, I should help them with the land price first.

“Wow.”

Everything I saw was a memory. I even noticed a few utility poles that would be gone by 2055.

This is one good thing about regression.

Being able to face things that had disappeared again.

Of course, the best thing is.

“I’m home!”

“Son, you’re here?”

It’s that I can see my parents in their prime, not in their old age.

“You should have called from the station. I would have picked you up.”

“I wanted to look around since it’s been a while.”

“Where? The fields?”

“Yes.”

“You used to say you wanted to get out of this countryside as soon as possible. Do you miss it because you’ve been in the unit?”

“Haha. I guess so.”

“You silly boy. Come on in.”

“Yes.”

Seeing my healthy mother just makes me feel good.

I took off my shoes and went inside. Unlike the outside scenery, the house wasn’t much different. Whether it was 25 years later or now.

Only the family photo hanging on the living room wall was different.

The elderly couple had become a middle-aged couple.

The sisters who got married and had children were now in their twenties.

They had become so young.

Of course, so had I.

The man in his fifties was nowhere to be seen, and there was a young man instead.

Come to think of it, I had forgotten the greatest advantage of regression.

Youth.

I had gained something that couldn’t be bought with billions.

“Where’s father?”

“He went to work. Mom has to go out soon too.”

“Did you wait because of me?”

“We have to feed our son. Everything’s ready, so wash your hands and come out.”

Knowing this would happen, I barely ate breakfast. The food made by the military cooks is good, but it can’t compare to my mother’s cooking.

“How is it? Does it taste good?”

“Yes, it’s all delicious.”

“Eat a lot. You’ll get indigestion, drink some water too.”

“Yes.”

“We’ll have lunch together as a family for the first time in a while.”

At the kitchen table, I said while taking a big bite of japchae.

“That’s right. Let’s go out and eat something delicious.”

I have three older sisters. The eldest works as a journalist, the second as an actress, and the third, like me, is a hunter.

They made time to come see their youngest sibling.

I’m grateful to all of them.

Even the second sister, who always bickers with me, is appreciated today.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Mom will be back from the orchard soon.”

After filling my stomach, I quickly changed into work clothes.

“What are those clothes? Are you going too?”

“Yes. I need to help.”

“Oh, no need. You’ve been training all this time, you should rest at home, our dear son.”

“There was no training this week.”

There was, but let’s say there wasn’t.

“Really? But there’s not much work. It’ll be done soon. I’ll go with your father and be back quickly, so just watch TV and relax.”

“Helping out is my way of relaxing.”

No matter how many times I said it, he would only tell me to rest. I quickly slipped out the front door.

“Let’s go, ma’am.”

“Goodness.”

My mother shook her head as if she couldn’t win and went behind the house.

It was where the orchard was.

Before long, a well-built man walked towards us.

Limping on one leg.

It was my father.

“Yoonho, you’re here.”

“Have you been well?”

“Of course. And you, Yoonho?”

“I’ve been well too. Eating three meals a day.”

“Hahaha. Yes, eating is the most important thing.”

My mother, who was watching the father-son reunion with satisfaction, said,

“That’s right. You can skip everything else, but not meals.”

“I might become a pig from eating too much.”

“Listen to him talk. You’re still the same.”

The youngest of three daughters and one son. I was always the prankster in our family.

But I also caused a lot of trouble at one time.

Hunter.

Despite my parents’ strong opposition, especially my father’s, I didn’t bend my will.

Like my third sister who became a hunter first, I was stubborn to the end.

In the end, my father raised the white flag.

I can fully understand my father’s feelings.

My father didn’t oppose it because of my lack of skills.

He was worried that I might end up like him.

My father was a hunter. Like me, he was a case of being stuck in the hunter corps.

But around the time he became a sergeant, he had a major accident.

Not only did he lose most of his abilities, but he also ended up with a limp.

Even the [healing] of medical hunters couldn’t fix it.

It was that serious. It was a relief that he survived at all.

The hunter’s job is always dangerous. You could die tomorrow, or even today.

He opposed it because he had actually faced such dangers himself.

I’m sorry, but what can I do?

I still wanted to be a hunter. I wanted to be an excellent hunter like my father.

The image of my father running out late at night to protect the citizens is still vivid.

That’s why I didn’t give up despite all the insults I endured before my return. If I gave up just because it was hard, I wouldn’t be able to face my father.

“What should we have for lunch?”

My father asks, trimming the branches. I quickly went to help.

“How about duck bulgogi? You know, the place we go to often.”

“That’s a good idea. Let’s do that.”

My father has never scolded me. At least not about the hunter’s work.

He must know it too.

It’s obvious, isn’t it, when I’ve been here for so long and still have only one stick?

But he still didn’t say anything.

He just waited silently.

He supported me.

My respected father.

This son of yours will be more successful in this life.

I will become a son who is not ashamed to be presented anywhere.

I promise you.

I continued my work, speaking softly in my heart.

The clear sky felt especially beautiful today.

*

As lunchtime approached, a small green SUV drove into the yard.

It’s been a long time since I last saw that car.

Having just finished my work and returned, I waved cheerfully at the car.

It was my sisters.

My eldest sister had brought my second and third sisters along.

“Our youngest!”

As soon as the woman with round glasses got out of the driver’s seat, she ran towards me.

It was my eldest sister, Koo Min-kyung.

“Have you become more gallant after eating some military food?”

From the passenger seat emerged a woman with a ponytail and a sturdy build.

My third sister, Koo Min-ah.

After being discharged from the Hunter Corps, she joined a private guild, just like me.

“Ugh, you’re already here?”

The last to get out, rubbing her eyes, was my second sister, Koo Min-ji.

In dramas, she’s a perfect lady, but in reality, she’s quite the opposite.

She scratches her belly with her hands inside her T-shirt.

And at home? She burps and farts anywhere she pleases. She doesn’t wash her hair for at least three days.

Ugh.

“When did you get here?”

“I came this morning.”

“You came early. Where are Dad and Mom?”

“We’re here.”

My father and mother also entered the yard.

Our family of six gathered after a long time.

I quietly looked at their faces.

Seeing my parents and everyone looking rejuvenated made me feel at ease for no reason.

“Have you decided on the menu?”

“Duck bulgogi. The place we often go to.”

*

“Ah, that’s a nice place.”

We decided to have a meal first. After quickly finishing our showers, we headed to the restaurant.

Since there were many of us, we split into two cars.

Parents in one, children in the other.

“How’s life in the military these days?”

“Yeah, tell us about it.”

My sisters were very curious about me. There’s quite an age gap, and since I’m the youngest, they worry about me.

No wonder they sent our parents separately.

Especially my third sister, who was also in the Hunter Corps like me, asked persistently, “Are your seniors treating you well? No one’s bullying you, right?”

I answered with a smile.

“It’s great. The seniors are nice, and of course, there’s no bullying. What era do you think this is?”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Half of it was a lie. Thinking about Corporal Byun Ji-tak and Private Kang Sung-joon.

But it’s not like I can tell the truth.

They’d obviously worry.

If worrying was all they did, it would be fine, but my third sister might storm into my unit.

She’s the one who sent the neighborhood bullies who used to extort and beat me in high school to the hospital with eight-week injuries.

I know too.

It’s not always good to hide such things.

But I have a way to deal with it.

It’s different from before the regression.

I have no intention of letting those b*stards, who deserve to be ground to dust, off easily.

“You’re not hiding something, are you?”

My second sister, who had been listening with her arms crossed, said. She was always sharp about these things.

“I’m not. And you know I can’t lie.”

“Yeah, right. Who was it that skipped night study sessions to go to the PC room?”

Ahem.

“Maybe it’s because you’re an actress and memorize scripts so much, but your memory is impressive.”

“Exactly. I even remember when you wet the bed while sleeping.”

“What, what are you talking about! When did I ever!”

“You’re denying it now. I cleaned up everything for you.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Wow, instead of repaying the favor, you’re pretending it never happened. Ungrateful brat.”

“I don’t know, I don’t know. All I remember is you crying your eyes out in front of the gate after breaking up with your boyfriend.”

“Hey! Why are you bringing that up!”

The car quickly became noisy. The third sister in the passenger seat shook her head as she watched us.

The eldest sister focused on driving as if this was a daily occurrence.

“You’re dead meat!”

“I won’t lose in a fight.”

I tussled with my second sister, who was throwing light punches at me. We always did this when we met, but in truth, my second sister took care of me just as much as my eldest and third sisters did.

Even though she’s an unknown actress and probably doesn’t earn much, she still gave me her earnings as pocket money.

Now it’s my turn to take care of them.

So that my second sister can become a successful actress.

So that my eldest sister can rise from a junior reporter to the 9 o’clock news anchor.

So that my third sister can be promoted to an executive in a large guild.

So that my parents can stay healthy for the rest of their lives.

So that they can live in comfort.

So that they can boast about their children to their heart’s content.

That’s right.

I can make it happen for myself too. I can be much more successful than I was before my regression.

Of course, to do that, I need to finish my military service first.