CHAPTER FIFTY!
────restart player 2 (1).

❝AND LIKE AN IDIOT. I WATCHED THE ONE PERSON I'D GIVE MY LIFE TO, WALK AWAY.❞

"JIN-WOO!" [Y/N] SCREAMS AS she opens her [e/c] eyes for what feels like to be the first time in years.

she sits up in fear, feeling her heart beat in her ears, short of breath and body coated in sweat. she clutches her chest, heaving trying to calm herself.

"hah..."

memories of her last moments appear in her mind and she blinks rapidly, clearly confused on how she was still alive.

"was it all a dream?" she whispers to herself. "no way, it can't be. it all felt way to real."

she could feel the ghost pain of the injuries she had gotten her fight from the monarchs. her hand grazing above her heart, feeling it thump.

then, [y/n] inspects her surroundings. she notes the very distinct smell of disinfectant, the iv embedded in her wrist and the bed she was sitting on.

"am i, in a hospital?" she wonders, looking out the window to her left seeing the sun already setting.

"AH, YOUR AWAKE!"

the sound of an unfamiliar voice almost makes [y/n] jump as she sees the door to her room open. in walks a kind looking nurse, holding a clipboard.

the woman gives the player a sad smile before walking over to the girl, getting ready to check up on her.

"how you feeling? are you in any pain?" she asks her and [y/n] could only silently shake her head.

her [e/c] eyes caught sight of the flowers in the glass vase next her bed. it was pretty boquete of white tulips.

'where have i seen those before...'

"you're friend brought those for you while you were unconscious." the nurse mentions, noticing her staring as she check something down on her clipboard.

'friend? was it hae-in? or jin-ho?' she ponders before someone else came to mind. 'wait a minute, where's woo?'

"uh, ma'am? did a person by the name
of sung jin-woo come by?"

"hmmm, no there's wasn't."

[y/n] only slowly nods, leaving herself to her thoughts. 'that doesn't sound like woo. he would be by my side 24/7 if i was emitted to the hospital.'

that's when the player realizes she's wasn't speaking korean but [your language]. the [h/c] haired woman wasn't in seoul, she was back home in [your city].

'did ray do this? no way, jin-woo would have killed him if he found out. so why am i back home all of the sudden?!' she frantically thinks, ruffling her hair in a manic manner.

turning to the nurse who was checking her iv machine, she asks. "miss, can you tell me what date it is."

"OH, ITS APRIL, XXXXX."

[y/n]'s eyes widen as her heart racks in fear. that wasn't possible, it was september not april.

more importantly, today's date was close to that date. the day it all went down in the double dungeon.

things weren't matching up with her memories nor her surroundings. where the only conclusion could only be one thing.

'DID I REGRESS TO THE PAST?'

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

AFTER BEING TOLD she can leave, it gives [y/n] to privately check her stats and inventory.

she changes into more comfortable clothing that she had stored in her inventory. she slides on a black hoodie that was multiple sizes bigger than her figure.

the player brings the collar to her nose, the hint of an amazing smelling cologne hitting her senses. her heart cracks as she knows exactly who this smell belongs too.

she shoves her face into it the hoodie as tears pricked her eyes. she had such an urgency to see him. she needed to see him.

knowing it's not time to regret past actions, [y/n] begins to checks her player system.

'everything stayed the same. like it was before.' she muses as goes to her inventory. 'even kamish's mercy is still here.'

but there was no mention of being a player 1 or the the skill she and her lover share, language of the players.

then, her eyes catch a familiar item and she immediately brings it out to her hand. it was thick black metal key, embedded with white/grey jewels.

[y/n] doesn't hesitate to bring it around her neck and wear it with the chain that was attacked to it. she clutches it close to her heart as she knows exactly where this key could led her too.

'god, i miss him. is this how jin-woo feels when he doesn't see me?' she thinks, fully understanding her boyfriend's possessive feelings.

shaking her thoughts away, she puts on her hood and begins to walk out of her room.

'in any case, i need to leave this place.' [y/n] concludes, her mood turning serious. 'i need to rebuild my army and transfer myself to be hunter for south korea.'

she walks out into the hallway of the hospital and seems a familiar face standing by the door, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"mari..." she mumbles in shock while young girl was almost scared out of her wits.

"what the?! who are you!" she exclaims, frantically looking at [y/n] from head to toe.

it takes mari a moment before she's realizes who exactly she's looking at. her face blushes bright red as her posture immediately straightens.

"oh, it's you."

"that's all you have to say?"

[y/n] teases with a smirk making the girl roll her forest green eyes at her.

mari could only take a glance at the player, inspecting her sudden small growth spurt. she was confused on how the supposedly weak hunter got so gorgeous all of sudden.

she clearly remembers e-rank to be shorter her and to be generous by her standards, kind of adorable.

"are those for me?" [y/n] asks, pointing to a different bouquet of flowers in her hand.

this time, the flowers were blue hyacinths.

the young brunette glances at the item in her hand, embarrassed she got caught with them in the first place.

she rubs the back of her neck. "uh, yeah, believe whatever you want."

'so she really didn't lie about
coming to visit me...'

"anyways, are you discharged already?" she bluntly asks, crossing her arms. "too bad, two weeks wasn't enough for your weak and pathetic self."

her insults didn't phase [y/n] in the slightest, knowing this how she was in the past. of course they've would have bothered if was still an e-rank hunter.

but the player knows about mari's true
feelings, so she lets it slide.

[y/n] smiles at her warmly at the young girl before patting her head making her freeze in utter confusion. didn't she hate her guts after leaving her behind in the double dungeon?

"i'm gonna get going, i need visit the hunter association here." the player says, beginning to walk away

"what, why?" she questions, knowing there wouldn't be any reason for her to visit the building.

she turns to give the young brunette a wink and a knowing dazzling smile.

though [your city] is [y/n]'s birthplace and the same place she grew up in. she harbored no feelings for it. unless it was visiting her parent's grave.

her real home was someplace else. someplace half way across the world.

"SO I CAN MOVE TO SOUTH KOREA!"

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

AFTER BEING RE-EVALUATED again for her rank, [y/n] makes a beeline to the president of the hunter association in [you country].

she walks straight to the elevator, entering and picking the floor that would led her to see the president. but before the doors could even close, someone rushes into the small space and makes it inside.

"hah, i made it just in time." they huff, their voice incredibly familiar.

[y/n]'s [e/c] eyes widened realizing who stood in front of her. she recognized the confident and classy aura of this woman.

IT WAS NAVIER WING, FUTURE PRESIDENT OF THE [Y/C]'S HUNTER ASSOCIATION.

was it a twist of fate that she'd encountered her today of all days? the player couldn't guess but knowing what happens in the future, she can't help but feel sorry for her.

her and her husband were a popular among the media, calling it the perfect pairing of the century.

that was until her husband was caught cheating by navier with one of his employees.

the media and most government officials favored the blonde woman more than her husband, so it was only natural for her take the position of president.

'if i remember correctly. it was around the time i left to korea is when she caught him cheating.' [y/n] recalls, glancing at naiver who seems to doing business on her phone.

should she help her?

"he's cheating on you." the player says suddenly, grabbing the woman's attention. "he's been playing around with one his employees without you knowing."

navier raises a brow and looks at her confused. "excuse me, who are you?"

"i'm not lying." [y/n] continues, her eyes glowing a beautiful gold. "don't you notice he's coming home later than normal or he's been distant?"

her words have the woman utterly appalled, refusing to hear such a thing.

"i don't know why you are bringing this up. but a stranger such as you, shouldn't be meddling—"

"you're a smart woman, navier. don't let
him fool you."

the statement struck a cord within her, making her unknowingly think. she's right, navier has seen the signs and more, but she ignored them.

because there was still a small part of her that thought, maybe it wasn't true.

until now that is.

she clears her throat and straightens her posture. "i-, thank you for your advice. you've must be experienced with this sort of thing."

'experienced she says?' [y/n] chuckles and she shakes her head. 'as if that could ever happened to me.'

she couldn't really relate to navier when it came to the matter your partner cheating on you. because, well, she had the most loyal boyfriend ever known to man in the palm of her hand.

and god, what a man he is.

[y/n] won't lie, it's only now that's she understands how jin-woo truly feels when they're apart. she never really gave it much thought, because at the end of the day, she's the one in his arms.

but it's that underlining possessiveness. her desperate need to claim what is rightful her's. it's almost unhealthy how much space he takes up in her head.

'i want more of him.' she thinks as the elevator dings, reaching her designated floor.

the doors open and as [y/n] walks out, she is stopped by navier. calling out to her for something.

"thank you, again. you truly saved me from a bit of heartache." she says, giving the player a sad smile.

she only gives a wink and a grin. "no problem. i know what it feels like to be fooled like that and you feel stupid after it."

the blonde woman laughs at her words as the door begin to close again.

"still, thank you."

"anytime."

then the doors finally close again. leaving [y/n] alone again so she can walk to the president's office.

'i'm glad i helped her.' she thinks with a chirpy expression as she begins walking down the hall.

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

[Y/N] GIVES NO warning in entering the president's office. because why would she, he was arrogant bastard who thought he ruled the world.

the president jumps out of his seat, when she swings the door open. confused on who barged in all of sudden.

"i'm here to meet the president." [y/n] announces in a monotone voice as she casual walks in.

said man, looks at her utterly confused and speechless as she sat down across from him, a snarky smile on her face.

"AND WHO ARE YOU, EXACTLY?"

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

INTRODUCING...

SOVIESHU WING, THE FORMER PRESIDENT

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

the expression on his face was hilarious to [y/n] that she could only look at him amused. her glowing golden eyes throughly judging him.

"are you going to answer me?"

"nah."

sovieshu's grumbled something under his breath before his eyes glow a rich silver. he may be arrogant but he wasn't stupid. he knew the woman that sat before him was a powerful hunter.

an s-rank at that.

'she seems to want some from the way she barged in here.' he analyzes, his eyes narrowed.

"so, tell me what you want? money?" he asks, clearly tired of the conversation already.

[y/n] scoffs at his question, rolling her eyes. "unfortunately for you, at least, i don't want your dirty money."

besides her insult, the sovieshu was confused. what in the world could she want?

"then, what is it?"

"transfer me, hunter [y/n] [l/n] to a hunter for south korea."

sovieshu was appalled, in the time he's been president for [y/c], he's never seen a hunter reject the country they resided in so openly.

"do you not want to become a hunter for [y/c]?" he quickly questions, disbelief lacing his voice.

she shakes her head. "not in the slightest." she states, her face unamused. "why would i want to stay in a place where i will only be used for the greed of others?"

the look on the president's face hardens, cursing under his breath. it seems he misjudged this woman entirely. 'she's smart.'

"in case, i won't be staying her for long. i wanna leave immediately." she continues, laying her cheek against knuckles.

now, this he couldn't allow. "do you know the long the paperwork that goes into a transfer?!" sovieshu argues immediately, eyebrows furrowed. "do you really think i'll let a women..."

his words falter and he flinches back. the atmosphere of the room changed drastically as he stares into [y/n]'s glowing golden eyes.

her once bright and laidback demeanor was easily switched out with something else. she poured out an aura that made him feel so minuscule, so insignificant.

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN ORDER ME AROUND. AS IF I WERE A MUTT?"

she mutters, her voice laced with pure arrogance.

with her words alone, the man couldn't help but almost lower his head. sweat beaded down sovieshu's face, feeling the air to be ridiculously hot even though he was inside a building. he was utterly terrified of the woman that sat feet away from him.

'this is a woman with power.' was the thought that lingered in the president's mind.

who was he in her presence? he was nothing. he questions if there someone in the world who could ever stand up to her?

there was no one that came to mind
and it was the truth.

seeing him basically quiver in fear brought a little joy to [y/n] but, now that's not the time to play with mere checker piece.

"SO, ABOUT THE TRANSFER THEN?"

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

IN ONLY A matter of long hours, [y/n] was able to walk down the streets of seoul, south korea.

the player breathed in its air, missing it like a child that missed their comfy bed after a long day.

'okay, let's find woo.' [y/n] sighs, looking around the familiar and bustling streets.

she rushes through people, not caring the lingering stares that she gained. the radiant woman had only one goal in mind and it's to find the man she loved the most in this world.

find the man she considers her
soulmate, her other half.

her heart ached in her chest with each passing second, it was beginning to become so unbearable to even feel.

she runs past someone else as she lead herself into an area, surrounded by tall cherry blossoms trees.

'where is he?' at this point, [y/n] was looking around desperately. she feels as if though that her search was pointless.

but she wasn't going to give up. especially not on him. 'no, don't doubt yourself! i'll find him!'

she moves forwards to go into another place where she might find jin-woo.

that was until she bumps into someone.

"gah!" she yelps almost falling as she really wasn't expecting to lose her focus so easily.

the person who she bumped into firmly held onto her arm, making sure she wouldn't fall.

"i apologize!" they say in korean, though it was somewhat monotone, it held genuine worry.

[y/n] shakes her head, silently scolding herself for being so clumsy. "it's fine." she replies, in the best korean she could muster, before looking at who helped her.

her breath hitches and it feels like her heart's about to burst out of her chest.

she had found him.

it honestly felt like she could breathe clearly again. not letting herself hold back a bright smile, like she always does.

the moment doesn't feel real to her, not in the slightest. she was standing right before him and yet she couldn't believe it.

"MISS? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

sung jin-woo was alive. his beautiful and handsome self was here, he was alive and breathing. [y/n] couldn't believe it.

'thank you, thank you.' she repeated in her mind like a prayer, tears pricking her eyes as she looked up him, smiling warmly.

jin-woo couldn't help but blush at the sight of her smile, even at her mere presence at him weak in his knees and he wondered, why? who was this woman and why did she suddenly have so much power over him.

then, tears managed to escape her eyes which honestly alarmed him. but he let her cry, sensing to be patient to the beautiful and foreign woman.

he had a question that couldn't help but hesitate to say. because if he did say it, this fragile woman might shatter like glass. though, he had no other choice too.

"MISS, DO I... DO I KNOW YOU?"

for such a simple question, [y/n]'s world falls apart at the seams. deep down, she knew the answer but she feigned ignorance.

now, she must come face with reality. to face a fear she didn't even know she had.

THIS WAS NOT HER SUNG JIN-WOO.

he was in fact, sung jin-woo. but he didn't know her like the way [y/n] knows him. this was not the man who knew her secrets, her presence or her sunlight.

he didn't even recognize her.

he was the same person but, yet so different all at once. he looks like he trying to accustom himself to his newfound strength. barley testing the waters.

this was before they even met. if she did the math, it would be months before they actually met for the first time.

but what would be the point?

at the moment, these were two different people. one who knows everything and one who knows nothing. what use is to meeting now? her feelings for him would serve no purpose.

and there's was only one thing she could do.

'part of me knew....' she thinks, squeezing her eyes shut as he lets go her arm. 'it would come to this. but i was in denial.'

she looks up at him, her [e/c] eyes filled with tears. and it broke her, he gazed back at her with such unfamiliarity that she can feel herself falling apart.

SHE HAD TO LET HIM GO.

her delicate hand reaches for jin-woo but he doesn't dare move away from her. on her toes, she grabs the stray pink petal that was in his hair.

he feels the warmth that she gave off, feeling
like a home he didn't know of yet.

this jin-woo looks at [y/n] staring at the petal sadly before letting it flow in the wind, escaping her pretty fingers. she clenches her hand before letting drop to her side as she adverts her gaze for a moment.

'i have to let him go...' she reminds herself, while jin-woo continues looked at her curiously. 'nothing good will come out of it if i stay.'

"i... i apologize. i don't know you." she mumbles, her voice cracking. "you just... you looked like someone i once knew."

her korean was broken and her accent was thick but, her tone felt so lost and alone.

'is it really just that?' he thinks, looking at her beautiful face, wondering if there was something deeper.

it hurt jin-woo, it hurt to see this ethereal woman so heartbroken over something that seemed out of her control. he didn't know why he felt so empty because of it.

"i'm sorry for interrupting your day." she says again, taking a step back away from him.

'let him go [y/n].'

ignoring the feeling of emptiness inside of him, jin-woo lets this encounter be a thing for the past. she was a simply stranger to him, he didn't know her.

"it's alright miss." he replies, his voice soft. "i hope you find the person you're looking for."

'but i already found him.'

then, he does something that makes her freeze. something that this jin-woo wouldn't dare do to if the person wasn't family.

he smiles at her, it was apologetic and genuine. it made her want to fall to her knees crying. because even in this second life, even if he didn't know her at all.

he showed himself.

the real him. the kind and soft spoken jin-woo she came to love unconditionally.

the sung jin-woo who she did not immediately fall love at first sight, but the sung jin-woo who she fell in love with like she was sleeping.

slowly, then all it once.

"AND I DO HOPE YOUR HEARTACHE HEALS MISS."

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

after uttering those words, he slowly turns away from [y/n], waking. glancing at her for moment before looking straight ahead.

and she does nothing to stop him. it needed to be done. she needed to let him go.

no matter how much it hurt her.

'let him go.' he walks further and further away from her as she clenches her hands over her heart. 'you need to let him go.'

and so, like an idiot. [y/n] watches the one person she'd give her life to, walk away.

WITH NOTHING BUT A FLEETING
MEMORY OF HER.

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

ONCE HE WAS out of sight, [y/n] stayed in her spot, just staring off where his figure disappeared from her view.

she felt lifeless. it was as if she lost her reason to smile again. usually, she could at least bounce back and pretend like nothing was wrong.

but this was different.

so, [y/n] puts her hood up and walks in the other direction, her head hanging low.

'it was the only way.' she thinks, trying to convince herself. 'it had to be this way.'

tears well up in her eyes again, feeling the pit of her stomach to be churning. it was nauseating. this pain swelling in her chest felt worse than anything she's felt.

it wasn't killing her, but something is dying inside her.

[y/n] covers her mouth with her hands, holding back a gut wrenching sob. letting her hot tears spill down her cheeks, her body shaking as if it was trying to find some stability.

but there wasn't any.

'i had to let him go, i had to.' she repeats in her head, continuing to convince herself that she made the right choice. she wipes her tears but they keep overflowing like a fountain.

and, with out meaning to, the [h/c] haired player began to wander aimlessly. with no destination in mind, she cried silently.

the sound of city seem drain out before going completely silent. and instead of walking on pavement, she walked on petals, pink petals.

looking up, [y/n] finds herself to be surrounded by tall cherry blossoms trees. it's petals floating with the wind and covering the ground with its color.

the shade of a nearby tree covered her, creating speckles of sunlight onto her body. but it didn't feel warm as it use to be.

the woman looks up to the blue sky, it's white clouds decorating it.

NOW SHE KNOWS
SOMEONE IS MOCKING HER.

with the grit of her and a sharp glare pointed at the sky. she could feel it, a presence witnessing her lowest moment and judging her by it.

"ENOUGH OF THESE GAMES! I KNOW YOUR HIDING UP THERE!" her voice filled with a fiery fury echos in the air, but receives no answer in the process.

the last standing wall of her composure and self-respect she had was gone in an instant. she crumbled, the pain in her heart was too much to bear.

"PLEASE ENOUGH!" she yells out to the sky, tears streaming down her face. "COME FORTH! ENOUGH OF THE ILLUSIONS! DO YOU ENJOY WATCHING ME SUFFER SO MUCH?!"

again, no response. which only caused [y/n] to just scream in frustration, covering up her broken sobs. she heaves, trying to get a normal current of air back into her lungs. 

then suddenly, right under feet came out a light. she watches as it stretches out to cover the area and consume it with its radiance.

she no longer stood within trees instead, she was surrounded by the sky itself. she was on an astral plane of pristine water that reflected the sky and its clouds.

and by pure coincide, the only thing that stood out was the black key, hanging around her neck. pulsing like a shadow made by the light.

then, the sound of the system's notifications alerted her. it's annoying beeping invading her ears repeatedly and quickly, all with the same message.

[WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESTART THE WORLD?]

[ACEEPT] [DECLINE]

"i don't care!" [y/n] retorts angrily, waving away the notifications, not even sparing a glance.

she looks up at the being who was watching her, sensing their gaze. "I WANT HIM! GIVE HIM BACK TO ME, PLEASE!"

once again, she received no reply.

it was childish, to begging to a higher being like they were her god to have such a simple desire to be granted to her, even if it was just for a moment.

then, the sound of very light footsteps comes her way, the rippling water hanging in the air. they were right behind her.

so, showing no fear, [y/n] looks over her shoulder to meet the eyes of a figure unknown to her.

the colors of bright [e/c] and an enchanting magenta-ruby collided beautifully. fully turning to face the figure, [y/n] gives them an expression that can only be described as disbelief.

"IT'S YOU."

CHAPTER FIFTY! END!
────restart player 2 (1).