How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

***

I looked at the scammer’s wide-open eyes and couldn’t help but smile.

“Reborn with memories of a past life, you know? It’s harder than I thought.”

“You…”

“Shh. Just listen.”

I placed my index finger on the scammer’s lips, effectively silencing him.

He then closed his mouth, his face turning red.

“I keep thinking thoughts like this: Would it have been better if I hadn’t been born? Did I come into this world and do something that caused someone to get seriously hurt or even die?”

“That’s…”

“Just unnecessary thoughts? I know that too. But I can’t say it’s impossible. The very fact that I was born with memories means I’m an irregular in this world.”

At my words, the scammer seemed lost in thought.

Yeah. ‘Irregular.’ There must be something that resonates with you in that word.

Kang Nahyun is an unexpectedly exceptional extra who appeared out of nowhere.

I looked at the starry sky and the pitch-black sea with waves crashing against it.

I wasn’t sure how he would feel about what I was going to say next.

“Right. So let’s say I caused someone harm. But so what?”

“…”

“I was born without my own will and just lived my life. Even if someone didn’t want to have me, I was born, I got a family, and I wanted to live.”

I found myself wondering why I had to bring up the fact that I was reincarnated to comfort this guy, and I came to one conclusion.

“You’re the same, right? You didn’t come here by your own will. You were just born. And you just lived.”

“…I…”

I realized that I didn’t dislike this overly fragile guy as much as I thought.

“I took this body. And I deceived Nayuri.”

“…So, do you want to quit everything now? Because you feel guilty?”

“That’s…”

“You know it was wrong to possess someone and deceive them, yet you still want to live as Nayuhan because you feel guilty, right?”

I looked at the myriad of emotions flickering across the scammer’s face.

He clenched his fists tightly and lowered his head, mumbling.

“Yeah. That’s right. I like this life. So, even though I know it’s wrong, I…!”

“Why is it wrong?”

A humid breeze brushed past us.

I could see his pitch-black hair, resembling the night, fluttering in the wind.

The scammer looked at me in surprise at my words.

“Because, because…”

“Is it because it’s the right thing to do? Because it’s only proper to return the body to its owner?”

“Yeah.”

“That might be true. Maybe. Maybe someone will blame you and curse you for it.”

At my words, the scammer’s face contorted in distress.

He lowered his eyes as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I gently held his cheeks in my hands.

He opened his eyes in surprise at the sudden contact.

His ruby-red eyes, resembling burning flames, met mine.

“But at least I’m not one of them. And neither is the Yoori you mentioned.”

“…”

“Well, I understand you can’t agree with my advice to not feel guilty. So, instead, let me say this.”

I saw that his ruby-colored eyes were trembling as if they might shatter at any moment.

In his quivering pupils, my reflection appeared, smiling widely under the shining night sky.

“Congratulations on being born into this world, Nayuhan.”

I smiled at him like that.

Truly brightly, whispering blessings to him.

“I’m really glad you’re here.”

I felt him take a breath.

This was my sincerity.

I preferred the ‘Nayuhan’ in front of me to the real Nayuhan I couldn’t quite grasp.

Because of this Nayuhan, I could dream of a better future.

So…

“Please live in this world.”

I hugged Nayuhan tightly.

For a moment, he seemed dazed, his hands fidgeting, but soon, he slowly, very slowly, moved his hands to wrap around my back.

I felt him bury his face into the nape of my neck.

“I… I can’t believe… I’m allowed to hear such words?”

“Of course. Congratulations on being born, Nayuhan.”

I felt one drop, then another. His tears began to fall.

At first, he struggled to hold back his sobs, but once he started crying, it was as if a dam had burst; he pulled me close and wept.

I patted him gently, as if to reassure him.

Don’t worry. Even if that real Nayuhan tells you to give up your body, I’m on your side.

“I’ll be on your side whenever you need me.”

“Yeah…!”

Why is he crying so much?

…It’s concerning.

I had to acknowledge that Nayuhan had gradually come into my circle while I comforted him as he cried for a long time.

It was a hot, dark night, with the waves crashing and swirling, and the stars shining.

***

The next morning.

We gathered in the hotel lobby, deciding to play at the beach again today because we hadn’t had enough fun yesterday.

There were no significant issues since any injuries or other wounds had been treated with potions.

It was a bit funny that we were using potions just to have fun, but well, who cares?

And there was one person who stood out today:

“What’s up~ Junior, your eyes look like a goldfish!”

“…What happened?”

As Choi Soo-jung and Lee Ha-na said, Nayuhan’s eyes were puffy.

Seeing his messy hair, it seemed he had just thrown on some clothes without getting himself together.

“Just a bit….”

Nayuhan awkwardly smiled and trailed off.

Lee Ha-na silently created some ice and put it into a plastic bag before handing it to him. He nodded in gratitude and brought it to his eyes.

“By the way, we’re going to do the courage test tonight, right?”

At those words, Sin Ba-ran, who had been glancing at Nayuhan’s eyes, jumped up. He looked utterly terrified.

“D-Do we really have to go?”

“Yeah…! I’m excited!”

Min Jae-yoon, who was next to Sin Ba-ran, quickly replied with a voice full of excitement. It was clear that he was looking forward to it.

Unable to say anything to Min Jae-yoon, Sin Ba-ran flapped his mouth for a moment before suddenly coming up with an excuse, looking triumphant.

“They say places like that, spiritual spots, are private property, so we shouldn’t go! So…!”

“Oh, the place we’re going to, I bought it. So you don’t have to worry!”

Then I learned about Nayuri’s impressive spending habits and sank in disbelief.

It was somewhat amusing to see Sin Ba-ran looking at Nayuri with betrayed eyes.

“There won’t be any problems. Don’t worry too much.”

“Ugh… safety first…!”

Is it not because he’s scared?

I smiled brightly and patted Sin Ba-ran on the back.

Nayuri, who was watching Sin Ba-ran with a jealous gaze, crept up behind me and clung to me, saying, “Na-hyun, let’s go! We’re going scuba diving today!”

“Sure.”

I smiled lightly as I led the kids towards the sea.

The sun was hot, but the sky was clear, and the ocean was refreshing. We dove deep into the water, enjoying the blue waves and the beautiful scenery.

…Meanwhile, Nayuhan had been floating around, hanging onto a tube.

His puffy eyes slowly began to settle down after Choi Soo-jung created some massive waves to play with him.

When he finally returned tired to the shade of the parasol, I suggested, “Hey, Nayuhan, how about learning to swim?”

He turned his head towards me while sprawled out under the shade, drinking some ice water.

“Swimming?”

“Yeah. Just in case something like yesterday happens again, it might be a good idea to learn this time. I can help you!”

“Um….”

Nayuhan seemed to think for a moment before nodding his head.

“Okay.”

Thus, our swimming lessons began.

I handed Nayuhan a swimming float I had bought from a nearby shop, took his hand, and led him into the water at a suitable depth.

Maybe it was because of the heat, but Nayuhan’s hand felt quite warm.

“First, let’s try floating on the water and moving with the float!”

“…I can do that much.”

“Really?”

“I’ve learned a bit of swimming. I just stopped learning.”

As Nayuhan muttered, he held onto the float and lifted his feet off the bottom of the pool.

His body floated steadily on the surface along with the float. To prove he could do it, he kicked the surface of the water with his feet and moved a little.

Oh, so he can move?

I mentally gave him some points for not being completely uncoordinated.

“How’s that?”

“Awesome! I’ll learn swimming in no time!”

Buying the float felt a bit unnecessary now. What a waste of money.

But it wasn’t too bad after all.

Of course, I couldn’t say what I was thinking, so I just smiled brightly and praised Nayuhan.

His face lit up with a proud smile at my compliments.

“Looks like moving on the water isn’t a problem! Then let’s practice floating without the float!”

I smiled gently and asked him what kind of swimming he wanted to learn. He thought for a moment and answered freestyle.

“Then try leaning forward a bit and lifting your feet off the bottom!”

“…It feels a bit uneasy.”

“It’s okay. Relax your body and let yourself float in the water. You’ll be able to do it.”

“Um….”

Nayuhan stared at the surface of the water like a cat that was hesitant about getting in, then cautiously leaned his body on the water and lifted his feet off the bottom.

And then he sank.

It seemed he had tensed his body too much.

“Gulp, gulp!”

“Are you okay, Nayuhan?”

I helped him up and checked on him.

As I lifted him, my hand brushed against his bare skin, and he flinched, surprised.

“…Um,”

“What?”

“I’m fine. So, um, your hand….”

“Oh, right!”

Seeing that he didn’t seem to be injured, I quickly withdrew my hand and checked on him. Fortunately, he seemed fine except for coughing a bit from swallowing some water.

Well, yeah. Everyone struggles at first. He’ll get used to it with practice.

That’s what I thought.

“Cough!”

However, after a while, he still didn’t seem to get the hang of it at all.

To repeat, Nayuhan really was clumsy.

I swallowed a sigh that was about to burst out and forced myself to smile kindly and worriedly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

But for some reason, this guy kept avoiding my hand. Why is he doing this?

It was subtly annoying, but more than that, I felt it was time to rearrange the curriculum, so I refocused my attention on Nayuhan.

“Hey, I don’t think this is going to work.”

“…Yeah. I didn’t know I was this clumsy either.”

“So let’s start by getting used to the sensation of your whole body floating in the water!”

At my words, Nayuhan looked puzzled.

How? His expression seemed to say that.

Seeing that face, I smiled confidently.

There’s always a way!

***

“…Wait a minute, this really doesn’t seem right. Shouldn’t we look for another method? Like the float we used earlier?”

“Why? Using the float and actually feeling how to float is different. Plus, it’s easier for me to watch this way!”

“Uh, well….”

I was dumbfounded.

I was just supporting his upper body with my hand to help him feel the sensation of floating in the water. I couldn’t believe he was making such a fuss about it.

Seriously, what a naive kid.

“Don’t be too tense.”

I lightly patted Nayuhan’s stomach, which felt unusually tense.

Thanks to the hell training with Yggdrasil, I had developed a reasonable amount of muscle. However, I could feel the excessive tension in his muscles.

No wonder he can’t float.

I gently rubbed his stomach with one hand and said, “You need to relax your body.”

“Ugh….”

But for some reason, he clenched his teeth instead. What’s going on? Is he in pain?

“…Nayuhan?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

For something that’s nothing, his face was turning red like it was about to burst, and he was shivering as he barely spoke to me.

“Nahyun, um, I think I’m not feeling too well right now… Can we just call it a day?”

Seeing his face almost glistening with tears, I instinctively nodded. Then he quickly pushed my hand away and planted his feet on the ground beneath the water.

He rubbed his eyes and said softly, “…Thank you.”

“Is it that bad? Should we go rest?”

Well, Nayuhan is an Awakened, but being F-rank means he has about the physical strength of a typical adult male. He might have stayed in the water for too long compared to his stamina.

Worried that I might have made a mistake, I looked at him anxiously.

However, for some reason, he shook his head vigorously, displaying a strong refusal at my suggestion to go rest.

“No, I’m fine! Really, I’m okay!”

From the way he’s acting, he doesn’t look fine at all.

Seeing my suspicious look that was masked as concern, Nayuhan awkwardly avoided my gaze and pointed to Lee Hana, who was creating a dazzling ice sculpture with the seawater.

“I want to keep watching that.”

“Should we go out and see it?”

“From here! I want to see it!”

“Uh, okay.”

In the end, I gave in to his inexplicable stubbornness, and we stood side by side, watching Lee Hana’s splendid construction show in the water.

When our eyes met, Lee Hana waved lightly at us, and I waved back to greet her.

Her gentle smile was truly beautiful.

“Isn’t Senior Hana amazing?”

“The East Sea and… Mount Baekdu… Uh? Oh, right.”

It seemed like he was a bit slow to respond, as if he had lost his focus. Moreover, for some reason, he kept mumbling the national anthem while keeping just his head above the water.

Has he finally lost it?

Anyway, that was how our noon schedule went by.

As the sun rose high and began to move slowly toward the west, we all built a large sandcastle together.

Among the various beach items that Shin Baran and Nayuri had brought, there was also a sandcastle-making set, which proved to be quite helpful.

As we completed the sandcastle and the sun was about to set beyond the horizon, some of the kids went off to prepare dinner.

The remaining few were admiring the sandcastle we had built before getting ready for dinner.

“Wow, it’s amazing…!”

“It’s a shame that the sandcastle will disappear so quickly…”

“That’s true.”

I said this to Min Jaeyoon, who was amazed, and Nayuri and Shin Baran, who looked disappointed.

“How about taking a picture?”

As soon as I said that, the eyes of the three sparkled.

“Ugh, how could I not think of that…! Let’s do it right now!”

“How about a group photo for memories?”

“That sounds great!”

Shin Baran seemed quite frustrated that we hadn’t taken any photos so far.

“Speaking of which, I bought a Polaroid camera!”

After saying this, Shin Baran dashed off to rummage through the pile of beach supplies, while Nayuri went to gather everyone. Min Jaeyoon started hopping around, looking for the perfect angle for the photo.

“Nya-ha-ha, it’s my first time taking pictures because I want to!”

Choi Sujeong, who was dragged along by Nayuri, made a strange expression upon hearing the suggestion to take pictures but soon smiled brightly and grabbed Lee Hana’s arm, pulling her along.

Lee Hana, being pulled by Sujeong, mumbled to herself, “This is fun.”

Afterward, Nayuhan arrived. I gave him a little push from behind.

“Yuhan, come on!”

“…Okay.”

The last to arrive, Park Siwoo, had a blank expression at the suggestion to take a photo, but he soon broke into a gentle smile and nodded.

“But, who’s going to take the picture?”

“There’s a feature that automatically takes the picture after a while!”

So, we all gathered in front of the tall sandcastle and took the photo.

Everyone was happy.

I was happy too.

As soon as we finished taking pictures, Min Jaeyoon dashed toward the camera.

“There are… so many photos…!”

“Nya-ha-ha, it matches the number of people perfectly!”

“I thought I kept hearing the camera clicking; I guess it was in continuous shooting mode.”

“Yeah. I set it wrong, but I think this format is nice.”

Everyone nodded at Lee Hana’s words.

Thus, we each had one photo—similar but different in our own ways.

The kids, clutching their precious photos, moved on to have dinner.

“What’s for dinner?”

“Grilled fish~”

“Yeah, grilled fish.”

“It sounds delicious!”

I was lost in the group when I suddenly stopped walking and touched the corners of my mouth.

Without realizing it, I wasn’t pretending to be happy. I was genuinely happy.

I could hear the noisy voices of everyone.

It was loud.

But it didn’t sound like noise.

It felt just like when I was with the children and teachers at the orphanage.

I suddenly took out the photo we had just taken and stared at it absentmindedly.

And looking at our photo wrapped in the warm colors reflecting the distant sunset beyond the horizon, I realized something.

I finally faced the truth that I had been pretending to ignore and denying.

“Nahyun?”

“Nahyun?”

A humid breeze blew.

The wind scattered my hair like my fluttering heart before disappearing.

I smiled brightly and ran toward everyone.

“Sorry, I was just thinking for a moment!”

What should I do?

I like these people.

So I hope everyone stays safe and happy.

It was a belated realization of a summer day.

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