Chapter 4

"Are you going to Jeju too, oppa?"

Suddenly, a student asked me while I was absentmindedly looking out the airplane window. She was a neatly dressed girl in a school uniform, probably a high school student.

The girl, with a light makeup and large, round eyes, seemed to have a promising future. Her ponytail, which exposed her nape, added to her radiance.

The area around me was filled with students. It was correct to say that most of the airplane seats were occupied by them. I hadn’t intended it, but somehow my schedule had overlapped with a high school field trip.

The children’s faces, full of laughter and anticipation, were incredibly bright. It made me feel a bit uncomfortable to look at them. To be honest, my school days weren’t that bright. It wasn’t that I had problems with my relationships; they were actually quite smooth. The issue was more personal, family-related.

Was it even worth asking? Since I was on this flight, it was certain that I was going to Jeju. After all, it was a flight to Jeju.

After a brief pause, I answered the girl’s question.

"Sure, I guess."

This was my first time on a plane. That might be why I chose Jeju as the destination for this trip. It wouldn’t be a long flight, but it was a new experience for me.

The road outside the window was incredibly long, and the planes taking off, breaking through that stretch in an instant, seemed quite amazing.

It’s a remarkable and incredible feat for such heavy metal to fly through the sky.

The student nodded and smiled at my response.

"Then you’re just like us. Are you planning to go to Hallasan too?"

I like mountains, so I might go. Hallasan is a place you should visit at least once when you come to Jeju. I’m sure I’ll go. Yes, I will go.

"Maybe."

"Are you going alone? No girlfriend? No friends?"

"Unfortunately, no girlfriend. No friends either."

"…Did I ask something I shouldn’t have? Are you a loner?"

"Maybe."

My indifferent voice made the student scratch her cheek and avoid my gaze. I wasn’t really hurt by her words. It was something I was used to, and I didn’t pay much attention to it.

After being discharged from the hospital, I went on a trip. I traveled around the country. I went to mountains and ate sashimi by the sea. It was a goalless journey, like a ship drifting in the vast ocean.

In truth, I just didn’t want to return to my cold, empty home. As a result, I hadn’t been back home since then. The dust and the belongings of my deceased family members would still be there, and they would remain so in the future.

Traveling with a bag, wallet, and phone was quite manageable. When I felt I had visited most of the famous places, I realized there was one place I hadn’t been to.

That place was Jeju. Since it was worth visiting at least once, I decided to go today.

Other students started sitting next to the girl who had been sitting alone. I was by the window, so there was only the window to my left.

The students who started sitting near me looked at me curiously. My attire was quite casual, as I had stopped caring about my appearance after traveling to many places.

That didn’t mean I didn’t care about my looks, but it was inevitable that my clothes looked more worn compared to others.

"Who is this guy?"

"I don’t know. It seems he ended up sitting with us by chance?"

"Is that so? Since it’s a plane, there’s nothing we can do about it."

There were a few comments about me, but they were quickly forgotten. It was unrealistic to expect silence on a trip. It was almost impossible to stop people from chatting.

The plane quickly became noisy. Most of the passengers were students, and a few teachers tried to quiet them down, but it was a futile effort. The other passengers just smiled, as if it was something they couldn’t help.

The plane started to ascend, and my gaze remained fixed on the window. I observed the white clouds quietly and watched the city recede into the distance.

In the midst of this, the chatter of the students next to me continued. I didn’t intend to eavesdrop, but their voices were quite loud, so I could hear them clearly.

"Hey, what are we going to do there? Just follow the guide around?"

"I heard from students at other schools that we’re going to eat pork?"

"Oh, really? So we can look forward to dinner?"

"I don’t know. But they said the portions are really small. They called it a rip-off."

It was a common conversation, nothing special. So I let it pass through one ear and continued to look out the window. The passing scenery never got old.

But my appearance seemed strange to the children, and I could feel their curious gazes. Occasionally, I heard comments like, "Is this guy weird?"

Despite hearing such comments, I continued to look out the window. Then I noticed something strange. At first, I thought I was seeing things, but I wasn’t.

I saw white light particles forming around the plane, and my eyes widened. Perhaps it was something I had been waiting for a long time.

It took only a few seconds to confirm that it was indeed what I had been waiting for.

The light particles gradually gathered and enveloped the plane’s wings. Soon, they covered the entire body of the plane.

The plane started to shake. It wasn’t just a simple turbulence; it felt like there was a problem with the aircraft itself.

Murmurs spread among the passengers, and at that moment, the pilot’s urgent voice came over the intercom.

"What, what is this!"

"What’s happening? Is it dangerous?"

"Idiot! The chance of dying in a plane crash is very low! So, so it’ll be fine."

The shaking of the plane was far beyond normal. People who were buckled in felt their bodies tilt to one side, and the shaking became more intense. The flight attendants struggled to keep their balance by holding onto the seat edges.

"What’s happening outside!"

The light that had enveloped the plane was now visible to everyone. The students’ faces turned pale, and they trembled with fear of death.

I was the only one who remained calm. Even the teachers and flight attendants were tense and screaming.

The pilot’s voice was barely audible. The plane was filled with screams and shouts, and the muffled voice from the speaker was easily drowned out.

Amidst the chaos, I looked at the people with interest. I could no longer see the blue sky outside. All that remained was a colorless, monochrome scene.

The light particles that had started outside now invaded the plane and began to envelop the passengers. The screams grew louder.

I didn’t resist the light particles enveloping my body; I let them take over. My memories of the past were fragmented, like a cut film.

Unfortunately, the fragmented memories included how I was summoned. The only fortunate thing was that I vaguely remembered the content of the tutorial.

What was I like before the regression? Was I screaming and terrified like the people around me?

This time, I had only one thought.

"Unpleasant."

The sensation of my body disintegrating. My fingertips, completely enveloped by the light, lost all feeling. There was no strength, no sense of touch. It was not a pleasant sensation.

The light particles had already covered most of my body and were now up to my neck. The students next to me were crying. The sensation of paralysis was difficult for a normal person to endure.

Finally, when the plane was completely filled with the light, my consciousness faded.