Chapter 38

Chapter 38

[April 1].

Today feels more lively than usual.

April. Cherry blossoms bloomed in downtown Seoul. On the way to school, the cherry trees swayed their branches and fluttered their petals.

Euna and Minji marvelled at how the cherry blossoms greeted them in the morning.

Eunha was almost late to school as they brought him up to look at the sky smeared with pastel colours.

Not only the two girls but also the students in their class were talking excitedly about the cherry blossoms on their way to school. Some even leaned out of the window to see the flowers in the distance.

Whats so nice about flowers?

On the other hand, Eunha took in the childrens cherry blossom sensitivity. Having lived a challenging life, he didnt feel any inspiration from the flowers that bloomed quickly and faded away.

He just saw them positively because Euna and his mother liked flowers.

Do you like spring?

Who cares when the flowers bloom?

Rather, Eunha liked the song the young man on the first floor had been muttering in a nervous tone this morning. The more he thought about it, the more addictive it became.

Yeah, its a flower song for this time of year.

For him, it wasnt a matter of when the cherry blossoms would bloom and fall; that was something he could leave entirely to his father.

What he was interested in now was the position the Fairy Government had taken this morning. The Fairy Queens government had announced that they were going to clean up the Yeouido Park area, which had become a habitat for monsters.

It had been three years since Im Gaeul took office as the Fairy Queen. At the end of last year, she announced her intention to stabilize the Gangnam area by deploying cocoons in major cities nationwide.

She even promised to restore the monster-destroyed National Assembly within the year.

The cleanup of Yeouido Park, reported this morning, is a step toward stabilizing Gangnam.

Maybe this is the time when Gangnam will be stabilized.

Eunha, who was living his second life, knew that Im Gaeuls cleanup of Yeouido Park would stabilize the Gangnam area and restore the National Assembly building, and even restore the peoples support that was shaken by the Krakens appearance two years ago.

Gangnam would really be a paradise. But he couldnt even take a small part in it, knowing the future.

The stabilization of Gangnam was only the beginning, as players began raiding unidentified dungeons in the area.

Captain! Captain! Were in trouble!

Eunhyuk, who had run out to do a one-bar, shouted as he rushed in.

No wonder the kids in the classroom turned to look at him.

Why? Whats wrong?

Eunha wouldnt be surprised if the world ended tomorrow.

Captain! Hmph, hmph, hmph Monsters are smashing through the cocoon right now!

What, what!?

Monsters!?

What? The cocoon is broken?

The childrens shouts of surprise fell on deaf ears. Eunha doubted his ears.

The future was still a long way off when the cocoon surrounding the River North region would collapse and the monster army would swarm in from all directions. He had been called to the front not long after graduating from the academy, and he knew that future all too well.

Youve been lying to me since this morning.

Huh? Youre not freaking out at all? All the other kids were fooled.

Because thats 12 years away from happening.

Twelve years? Huh? How does he know that?

Oops, I said it without thinking.

Its a lie.

Eunha shrugged, avoiding eye contact.

Fortunately, Eunhyuk didnt seem to mind. Instead, he nodded in approval.

Why, how did you know it was a lie!

Because its April Fools Day, the day you can lie to your hearts content!

Thats why theyve been so loud today.

Apparently, the cherry blossoms werent the only reason the kids were being so loud and mischievous today.

Childish, childish.

Eunha clicked his tongue.

A lie is only valuable when its not a lie, so he couldnt understand why anyone would like April Fools Day when a lie is only valuable as a lie.

If youre a player, you should be able to lie at any time.

Eunhas usual poker face was also a result of his training as a player. In a players world where no one was to be trusted, there was no reason to give away information.

If you were a top player, you had to fool before you were fooled, and if you were fooled, you had to turn the tables.

Heh, boys are so childish, they dont know what theyre lying about.

Minji, who was listening to the conversation from the next table, scoffed.

What! Im not childish!

From head to toe. Do you really have to say that?

Haha.

Minji and Eunhyuk glared at each other.

Seona, who had come to join them, let out an awkward laugh. Hayang, who had gotten used to the two fighting, drank her Yulmu tea in silence.

Ho-oh?

Watching the two bickering, Eunha suddenly thought of a lie to trick Minji.

Hey Minji.

So he called Minji.

Huh? You called me now?

Minji is the only one in our class.

Minji, who was in the middle of a snowball fight with Eunhyuk, was dumbfounded. She hadnt expected Eunha to call her by a name other than Mukminji.

Now that I look at you have you gotten prettier?

What, what, what!

Hah!

Yuck!

The effect of a single lie was dramatic.

Minjis face turned bright red in an instant.

Hayang spewed out the Yulmu tea she was drinking.

Eunhyuk was suddenly hit by a water bomb.

Eunha laughed at the childrens reactions.

I didnt succeed at all.

Eunhyuks shoulders slumped as he realized that he hadnt had a good April Fools Day. The fact that no one was cheering him up made him even more depressed.

Eunhyuk was surprisingly bad at lying. Even with Eunhas advice, there was no room for improvement.

He shouldnt be left alone.

Eunha evaluated Eunhyuk, who usually said he would become a player. He was a person who would be a grumpy player without outstanding skills or a perfect partner.

Ah!

But Eunhyuk hadnt given up lying yet. Determined to succeed at least once, he spotted Julieta just in time.

Julieta noona! (2)

Ciao, Eunhyuk! (3)

Julieta, who was carrying a luggage basket, greeted Eunhyuk as he ran over.

Eunhyuk intentionally gasped for breath to strike a chord,

No- noona..! Were in trouble!

Huh?

Julieta scratched her head.

What the hell is going on?

As she tried to brush back her flowing hair,

Those foreigners in black were looking for you and Uncle Bruno earlier!

Oh no, shes going to fall for that

What!?

Julieta was so surprised that she dropped the shopping cart she was carrying. Her green eyes widened and she racked her brain, mumbling something unintelligible.

No waythe Myron familyhow did you know? I thought I wouldnt find them here. No, just go ahead and.

Julietas sister?

Sori, Eunhyuk, your noona has something important to do, I have to go! (4)

Julieta ran up to the house, forgetting to pick up her fallen shopping cart.

Huh?

I managed to pull off the lie.

Eunhyuk, who had planned to end with a haha hahaha about how it was a lie at the end, was puzzled by the strange turn of events.

What are you doing, you need to catch up with her and tell her its a lie, Julietas noona is freaking out!

Oh, okay!

He would have continued to be dumbfounded if Minji hadnt scolded him.

Eunhyuk ran after Julieta and didnt look back.

Ah!

What about you?

It was then that Hayang, who had been silent for a day, seemed to have remembered something.

I thought of a good lie!

Had she been quiet all this time to tell a lie?

Eunha was dumbfounded.

Suddenly, she gasped and ran over to Eunhyuk.

What is it?

I dont know.

Lets follow him.

Hayang arrived at the landlords grandfathers house.

The door to the house was still open today.

Grandpa~!

Hayang ran into the study and called out her grandfather. (5)

Hehe, youre early today.

He didnt think anything of it when he saw her snorting.

Grandpa, this is only for you.

She remembered the magic words Eunha had taught her at school. She whispered them to her grandfather in a very important tone.

She was more talented at acting than Min-ji, so when she lied, he took her seriously.

Yes, what is it?

Hayang opened her mouth, hiding her excitement.

Theres actually a lion living in my closet.

Huh?

So whenever I get bored, I go to the world where the lion lives.

Grandpa cocked his head; he wondered if she was talking about books. Not wanting to shatter her illusion that she was being serious, he smiled.

Its April Fools Day.

If Eunha hadnt followed up, he might have let it go.

Eyy~ you cant say that.

Hey, kids, come on over. Do you want some chocolate?

If he had granddaughters, he might have acted differently. Anyway, what are these kids doing?

Wow~!!

The children tasted the fine chocolates prepared by the grandfather and admired them greatly.

Meanwhile, Eunhyuk said.

Noona Julieta, its actually.

Sorry, Eunhyuk, I dont have time for that right now, I will contact you later!

He had a hard time stopping Julieta, who was busily packing her things.



Notes!

(1) Escape hatch: in this context, it refers to a way out of a difficult or uncomfortable situation. When Eunha speaks, he gives himself an escape hatch, meaning that he leaves himself room to back out or change his story later.

(2) Noona: is a Korean term that is used by younger brothers to address their older sisters or older female friends who are older than them. BUT in this case is a term of endearment and respect, and is commonly used in Korean culture to address older sisters or close female friends who are considered to be like older sisters. JULIETE IS NOT THEIR SISTER!

(3) Ciao: in Italian, Ciao is a common informal greeting used both for hello and goodbye. Its equivalent to the English greetings hi or bye.

(4) Sori: here Juliete misspoke, probably because she was in an urgent situation, she was trying to say sorry

(5) Her grandfather: He is NOT her grandfather, I believe its a kindly way to show the closeness between him and the kids. If its confusing Ill change it. Remember he is the landlord.