I… I died.
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I woke up in my bed after dying 17 years ago, betrayed by the "friend I made along the way."
Yeah… that saying is definitely NOT true...
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"SEO-JOON!! Come downstairs, it's time to eat!" Mom called from downstairs.
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"Okay, Mom!!!" I responded.
I stood up from my bed, stretched, and then looked into the mirror.
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"Damn… this is… I don't know. I look sixteen or seventeen."
I curiously touched my handsome, nonchalant, pretty, beautiful face.
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Meh… I'll just ask Mom.
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As I went downstairs, Mom was standing right in front of the stairs, waiting with a spatula... in her hand...
She looked exactly the same as I remembered...
Her slit-shaped eyes, warm but sharp.
Her long brown hair falling all the way down to her waist.
She wore a simple apron, and underneath it were her usual comfy home clothes, the ones she always cooked in.
Just seeing her like that—
My chest feels badump badump. (I mean yk when you feel something. Not the romantic way okay. Don't be weird. Sussy baka)
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"Hi, Mom…?"
But the moment I said those words, tears fell down.
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I jumped forward and hugged her, startling her.
(Seee I know what Or how to spell STARTLING nowww.)
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"What are you doing, Seo-joon?" she asked as I kept hugging her, crying into her shoulder.
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"I'm going to scold you for staying up late, but…" She sighed, patted my head, and kissed my forehead.
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"I'll let you go this time. What even happened?"
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I backed away and wiped my tears with the back of my hand.
"Nothing. I just… miss you, Mom."
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So yeah… this is my mom, So-he. Her name means "bright and happy."
But she died when the first portal arrived on Earth.
The way she died was…
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I looked at her confused face..
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She got squashed… by an ogre...
By an OGRE!!!
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I dramatically jumped at her again, hugged her, and even kissed her cheek.
"Woah, woah—what's wrong with you, Seo-joon?" she said, caught off guard.
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"Mama!!!" I cried.
She patted my head again and sighed.
"Alright, enough. I love my son, but I'm still preparing dinner."
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I nodded and stepped back.
She went into the kitchen.
I wiped my tears again and looked around the house.
"Man… I missed this. It… it feels nostalgic."
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Then I heard a muffled laugh from the living room.
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I looked over and saw a girl sitting on the couch, holding her phone up while trying so hard not to burst into laughter.
("Hi step-bro." … Alright, that's a joke, guys.)
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"What's gotten into you, Seo-joon?" she asked, snickering.
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"Nothing… nothing…" I slowly approached her and stood in front of the couch.
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Yea... Same as I remembered too.
Her purple hair fell around her shoulders, a little messy like she just woke up.
Her green eyes pretty, soft-looking, deceptively kind blinked at me in confusion...
And She's was wearing her usual casual home clothes: a loose white shirt and a pair of comfy shorts.
Her eyes look kind… but no trust me. No they're not. Not yet. (Maybe in future chapters... Ehheheheeh.)
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"H-Hana."
Tears started falling again.
"HANA!!!"
I lunged at her, hugging her as tight as I could.
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"What the hell, Seo-joon?! W-what's gotten into you?" she yelped, trying to push me off.
"Hana, I missed you!!! Wahhhh—"
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"S-stop!!!"
She elbowed my back, making me groan and fall onto the couch, tweaking.
(ouch. Like damn that musta been hurt.)
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"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" I shouted.
She stood up and kicked my side.
"Pervert!"
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I groaned.
"W-wait, STOP!!!"
But she didn't stop...
matter in fact, she repeatedly kicked my sides.
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Eventually Mom came back, grabbed Hana by the ears, and pinched them hard.
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Oh, if you're curious how Hana died in my previous life—
She got… she got…
SHE GOT SQUASHED.
By a dragon this time.
She actually survived the first portal…
But she died right after, on the second one.
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I groaned on the floor, holding my ribs as Hana kept yelping because Mom was twisting her ear like she was tuning a radio.
"OW OW OW— MOM STOP—! HE STARTED IT—!!"
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"YOU KICKED HIM LIKE A FOOTBALL!" Mom yelled back.
.(Tbh I don't mind getting kicked by a baddie.)
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I slowly stood up, wobbly like an old man.
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Damn… I guess regressing didn't fix my pain resistance.
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I pat myself off, sniffed, and shuffled awkwardly toward the kitchen.
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Mom sighed and followed me.
Hana followed too, still rubbing her ear, while glaring at me like I committed something... Like a crime.
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I sat down at the dining table.
Mom slid a plate of food toward me.
Rice… friedrice. eggs… sausages…
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The smell hit me.
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God… I haven't smelled this in 17 years.
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My eyes teary again.
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I miss this... a real food... I've been eating some Protein bars. When I was still in my previous life.
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Then Hana pointed her spoon at me.
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"If you start crying again, I'm leaving."
I wanna say go ahead but.
I forced myself to stop sniffling.
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A few moments passed.
They both ate.
We three ate... Duh.
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I stared.
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Then finally, I asked—
"Uhm… Mom? What day is it today?"
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She blinked.
"What? Are you sick?"
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Hana snorted.
"He probably hit his head when he woke up earlier."
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I ignored her.
Mom sighed and answered:
"It's May 14, 2026. Wednesday."
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My stomach dropped.
May 14. May 14...
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OH. OH RIGHT.
MAY 14 IS—
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(Then before I can even explain with his mind)
HIS Mom looked at HIM with that squint.
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The same squint she did when I got caught stealing Hana's chocolate in my past life.
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"Seo-joon… why are you shaking?"
"Mom," I whispered seriously, "listen carefully."
Hana looked up from her phone.
"Here we go again."
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I slammed my hands on the table.
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"THE PORTAL WILL—"
I paused...
Will what?
I KNOW something horrible is supposed to happen.
I can FEEL it.
The memory is right there… on the tip of my brain…
But... Damn I have a bad memory!!!
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static.
error.
Like my brain is WiFi-only and someone turned airplane mode on...
.(I felt this)
"Will what??" Hana asked, raising a brow.
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"Uh… something big will appear and… uh… squash things?"
"Squash?" Mom repeated.
"Like what???"
I panicked. "A monster... A OGRE AND DRAGON OF DOOM!!"
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Hana nearly choked on her water laughing.
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I covered my face. Embarrassed
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Bro I REGRESSED but my MEMORY is BAD... I forgot I have a bad memory... See even I forgot I have. Abad memory!
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Then suddenly—
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DING!
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A blue screen flickered in front of me.
Haha... Yes... Of course system... Looks like 'I REGRESSED, WITH A BAD MEMORY'
(Wohooooo see what I did there?!?!?!? Hahahahahaha god I'm s smart)