Chapter 2: Back to Seventeen (2)

One hour later.

"Are you okay? Are you sure?"

My father and stepmother were deeply concerned, believing that I should go to the hospital after I fell while trying to retrieve Chloe's kite from a tree.

"I'll just get some fresh air and be back soon."

I brushed off my clothes and left the house, trying to appear unaffected.

As I strolled through a nearby open field, my mind was filled with questions.

'Have I really... gone back to being seventeen?'

Maybe I was just going mad.

Perhaps I was mistaking a hallucination for reality..

After a moment's hesitation, I pinched my face.

"Ouch."

I could actually pinch my face.

I stared blankly at my fingers moving freely according to my will.

My arms and legs, full of strength and vitality, were perfectly functional.

As I looked up, I saw my seventeen-year-old self reflected in the window of the house next door.

And most of all, my healthy body, with no sign of illness.

"..."

I bit my lip to suppress the swelling emotions.

Even now, it feels as though the smell of alcohol from the hospital room where I lay for over a year is still lingering.

"Phew."

The immense pressure that had weighed down on me in my final moments.

The pain that I vividly remembered.

'Did a miracle really happen?'

I was astonished to see the face of my long-deceased father.

"..."

I began walking again, deliberately calming my overwhelming emotions.

At first slowly, then picking up speed, I ran without looking back.

"Huff, huff..."

How long had I been running?

Breathing in the fresh air seemed to clear my head, and I could feel my brain functioning rapidly.

My mind, processing the situation, arrived at a simple conclusion.

'I must prevent such a future from recurring.'

Although there is a family history of aneurysms, it can be prevented with careful attention.

No smoking, no drinking, exercise.

Maintaining these habits consistently to avoid being trapped in a physical prison in my mid-thirties.

"...And father."

I remembered my father's awkward hesitance and my stepmother's immense joy at my slight changes.

Yes, how much I regretted it in my past life.

My father, who passed away while I was in college.

Our relationship was never repaired.

As memories of trying to repay Kate and Chloe's sincerity came back to me.

'I remember that my father had similar symptoms...'

So, taking care of my father's health is my top priority.

And I must also be good to my stepmother and sister.

Perhaps this is a chance given by the heavens to ensure that I never regret again.

"...Haa."

As I came to this conclusion, I unwittingly closed my eyes.

"..."

The hot, humid air on my cheeks, the fresh smell of the trees, and the warm sunlight falling from above.

At that moment, all my senses clearly confirmed that I was here.

'...!'

Just like when I was lying in the hospital bed.

I realized that letters were appearing in my dark vision.

[Novel] [Non-fiction] [Genre Classification] [Era Classification] [Author Classification]

...

References I had organized according to my own standards.

Drafts written while bedridden, and ideas I had conceived, were all still alive and breathing in my mind.

Thump, thump.

Feeling my rapidly beating heart, I opened my eyes.

The countryside scene I had longed for filled my view.

'Now... I can write.'

With the realization, my heart swelled with hope.

I had an overwhelming urge to write anything as quickly as possible—

'But, I mustn't rush.'

There are countless ways to succeed with a novel.

I am well-versed in industry trends and conditions.

'I am confident.'

I am confident that I can write much better than before.

I am no longer the young Kwon Yu-jin who despaired over her lack of English skills.

With nearly ten years of working in the publishing industry in the US, where the most advanced English is spoken, and with a major in humanities from college.

'I am confident that I write much better than most natives.'

So, I will write many stories and different narratives—

"Long, happy writing."

In this life, I believe I can certainly do that.

With an unshakable confidence flowing through me.

"...Shall I head back?"

Smiling, I turned to head home.

Our Eugene has changed.

That was the realization that Kate Kwon, Kwon Eugene's stepmother, had on a Sunday morning.

'Not just changed, but he's like a completely different person.'

The Korean boy born to the Korean father's late ex-wife.

Even after living together for over a year, Kwon Eugene still acted distant.

After becoming a sophomore, he became even more aloof, ignoring even when eyes met.

He rarely came out of his room even when called for meals...

"Kate, should I just take out the dishes?"

"Oh? Um, yeah."

While Kate was preparing breakfast, she naturally set the table and asked.

"Is Chloe still asleep?"

My Younger Sister's High Chair and Tableware

'Will the sun rise in the west tomorrow?'

Kate couldn't get used to the drastic change in Eugene's attitude.

Was it because he hit his head falling from the tree yesterday?

Kate glanced at her son's side profile and carefully spoke.

"Eugene, you're really being kind today."

"What?"

"Thank you for helping with the meal preparation."

Eugene, seeming to realize something late, made an "Ah" sound.

'Oh no.'

Kate regretted speaking up and quickly continued.

"No, no, it's just that I'm genuinely happy. I'd love for us to continue like this. ...But don't feel pressured, okay?"

Startled by her own rambling, Eugene smiled brightly with a clear face.

"Well, I must have caused you a lot of trouble all this time. Haha."

"..."

At that moment, his smile made Kate think he seemed like an experienced professional.

"Eugene, why are you up so early on a Sunday?"

Her husband, Eugene's father, walked in.

The distant and authoritative father and his rebellious son didn't get along well.

Kate tensed up without realizing it at that moment.

"Did you sleep well, Father?"

"..."

Both Kate and her husband were astonished by Eugene's cheerful reply.

"The pancakes you made are really delicious. You should eat them before they get cold."

"Um, ah... I see."

It was quite a spectacle to see her normally meticulous husband—flustered and spilling maple syrup on his sleeve.

'What on earth is going on?'

But what shocked Kate more was seeing Eugene so cheerfully interact with his father.

Later.

After spending the whole evening scolding her father, the next day, Monday.

'I never knew even math class could be fun.'

Maybe it was because it was the first time in years that I had attended school.

The words I could barely understand before were now making perfect sense.

Teachers were astonished at how I listened with bright, lively eyes.

Moreover.

'Oh, ugh, I can't breathe.'

'What's up with you? Did hitting your head from the tree make you... weird?'

'Guys, I love you.'

'Holy Shit! Eugene, you're really crazy!'

My best friends Ned and Adele, meeting me in front of the locker room, treated me like a madman when I hugged them tightly and confessed my feelings.

"...Yeah, this is true happiness."

Ned, who had been happily slurping noodles, suddenly exclaimed.

"Why are you like this today? I mean, the Shin Ramyeon at your place is always amazing, but... Did something seriously shock you over the weekend?"

"I told you earlier, it's definitely a concussion."

Adele shrugged her shoulders.

Her red bobbed hair swayed on her shoulders every time she slurped noodles.

'I'm serious.'

The fact that I can chew and swallow food.

The taste of soup going down my throat, savoring it fully.

All of this feels like a blessing and a miracle.

Remembering the time I had to eat through a tube inserted into my body gives me chills.

'Speaking of which.'

What were those words I heard right before the regression?

It was something about a contract or a miracle...

Lost in thought, I was suddenly interrupted.

"Hey, let's go upstairs!"

Ned and Adele, having finished their meal, naturally headed toward my room.

"Eugene, did you see the latest issue of [Watchmen]? It's totally insane."

Ned, with his pale skin and horn-rimmed glasses, is known throughout the school as a superhero geek.

"Hold on, I think I've heard about that Watchmen thing a hundred times since this morning."

And Adele Ashburn, who lives next door.

Thanks to these two, I managed to adjust to this new American school.

"Even if you say it a hundred times, you still don't know much about Watchmen."

"Do I need to? But, Eugene"

"Hmm?"

Adele turned to me with a cheeky expression.

"Do you know you're being unusually talkative today? You used to answer with just one word no matter what anyone asked."

Ned chimed in.

"Oh, that's it!"

"What's that?"

"You fell from the tree, right? The impact must have activated your neurons. So now you can automatically learn any language just by hearing it—"

"Do you even know what neurons are?"

I couldn't help but laugh at the usual bickering between the two.

"But when are you guys going to leave?"

"A bit later."

"I don't have much to do today either. Why?"

Unlike these two, who had nothing to do, I had plenty of things on my mind.

My head was full of ideas that were clamoring to be expressed.

But the most urgent task was...

"...The assignment."

"What? What assignment?"

Unlike Ned, who tilted his head in confusion, Adele immediately clicked her tongue.

"You mean the AP English Literature assignment? I told you not to sign up for that. Even 11th graders struggle with it."

"Oh, I heard from a senior in the comics club that Leonard Sam is notoriously strict."

And I only found out today that the assignment deadline had already passed.

I figured it was better to do it late than not at all, and both of my friends looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

"Good luck, Eugene."

"Best of luck, my friend."

With that, they focused on their own activities.

Ned was chuckling while watching YouTube game reviews.

"Don't be that way..."

Adele picked up Kate's acoustic guitar and started singing Billie Eilish songs.

Her sweet voice played in the background as I sat down at my desk and turned on my laptop.

The assignment topic was...

[Write a parody of William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet as a short story of 5-6 A4 pages.]

'Not bad for a warm-up.'

I had been writing incessantly in my head, but since it had been a year since I wrote anything down, this was perfect practice.

Plus, I had written a paper on Shakespeare during college, so I was somewhat confident about the topic.

At that moment, I noticed a file in my 'Assignment' folder titled [Romeo and Juliet_Parody].

Was this something I wrote before the regression?

"..."

Clicking on it out of curiosity, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

Perhaps because it was written in broken English, the sentences were so poorly constructed that none of it was usable.

'But the idea itself is interesting.'

The point of the parody written before the regression was...

Changing the 'narrator' of this classic tragedy.

'Changing the perspective...'

Suddenly, the first sentence popped into my mind, and I started typing.

Tap, tap, tap, tap-tap—

The vivid images in my head took shape as words, one by one.

The rhythmic sound of the keyboard softly resonated in my ears.

Lost in the writing, I reached about two-thirds of the way through the story when I felt a sharp gaze on my back.

Looking back, I saw Ned standing behind me, his eyes intensely scanning my writing.

"What... What is this?".

"What do you mean?"

Seeing his expression, I shrugged.

"Are you saying that this is your writing assignment? For your English Literature class?"

Ned continued in a voice that sounded like someone who had been strangled.

"So you mean, it's not an existing story but something you actually just wrote right here, right now?"

"Uh, yeah. So?"

Ned's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.