The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 362

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Maxed-Out Player’s 100th Return – Side Story Episode 7
7. Min Ju-ri in the 101st Cycle (Part 1)
“Oh, hello? I’m Min Ju-ri. Nice to mee….”
Reality crashed down on me mid-sentence as I stared at my reflection in the mirror.
Anyone could see how awkward I looked.
‘What am I even doing?’
The school year was nearly over, yet I still hadn’t managed to speak to him.
Ryu Min, my classmate.
‘Being in the same class gives me a natural reason to talk to him, doesn’t it?’
But that excuse only worked at the beginning of the semester. Now?
‘Winter break is coming soon, and then graduation. I can’t believe I haven’t said a single word to him….’
How much longer would I keep stalking him like this?
How much longer would I harbor this one-sided crush?
“That’s it. I need to be brave, Min Ju-ri. Come on, you can do this!”
I clenched my fists and spoke to my reflection with determination.
“What do you mean, be brave?”
“Kyaaaah!”
Someone suddenly emerged from one of the restroom stalls.
It was Ham Jung-ah, my classmate.
“Ju-ri. What did you just say?”
“Oh, nothing. Never mind.”
“You think I’ll just let that slide? ‘I need to be brave, Min Ju-ri. Come on, you can do this!’ Come on!”
My face burned as she mimicked my words perfectly, and I couldn’t even lift my head.
“C-can’t you just pretend you didn’t hear that?”
“How could I? I already heard it. Who is it? Tell me.”
“W-who do you mean?”
“The person you like.”
I had no memory of ever mentioning liking anyone.
Being class president, Ham Jung-ah’s intuition was sharp as ever.
Not that I planned to tell her anyway.
“No, it’s not what you think. I don’t have anyone I like.”
“Oh come on. You do, don’t you? Just tell me. I won’t tell anyone, promise?”
“I can’t tell you.”
When I refused firmly, Ham Jung-ah stopped pressing me.
Though that didn’t necessarily mean she’d given up.
“Hmm, okay then. But I think I know who it is anyway?”
“What?”
“If you like someone, it has to be someone in our class, right? Do you like Hyun-bin?”
“That’s not it. I told you, there’s no one.”
“So it’s not Hyun-bin. Then is it the handsome Song Min-hyuk?”
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“Playing dumb to the bitter end, huh? Who is it anyway? Don’t tell me it’s Ryu Min?”
“….”
Min Ju-ri, caught off guard, fell silent.
“Ryu Min? If it’s Ryu Min, I’d be a little disappointed….”
“What do you mean by that?”
In that instant, Min Ju-ri’s expression hardened.
Without even realizing it.
“I mean, Ryu Min is just so gloomy, you know? Never talks all day, always looks depressed….”
Was this what they called prejudice?
Without ever exchanging a single word with him, she judged him as if she knew everything about him.
Though I’m guilty of the same thing.
“Ryu Min isn’t like that. He works harder than anyone despite how he looks.”
“Really? Anyway… I’ll cheer you on. Though I think you’re wasting yourself. Actually, I think you’re wasting a lot. Hehe.”
Watching the class president leave with a snicker, I felt my mood sour.
What right did she have to belittle people like that?
Did she even know that Ryu Min was suffering terribly under the delinquent gangs while still pushing himself to work at the Meat Restaurant?
“Speaking without knowing anything.”
As I grumbled, the tension drained from me and I let out a long sigh.
‘That was close. Almost got caught.’
Fortunately, it seemed I’d gotten past the crisis.
But what did she mean by “cheer you on”?

* * *
The weekend arrived after school ended.
Min Ju-ri helped out at the Convenience Store without fail, as always.
Beep—
“That comes to 3,800 won.”
It wasn’t difficult work since I’d been doing it all along.
Neither was studying.
Nor living alone with my father.
‘Mom….’
Suddenly, thoughts of my divorced mother surfaced.
The divorce that came from Father’s business failure.
It was a common story, but for us it felt like a bolt from the blue.
‘If the business had succeeded… how wonderful that would have been?’
If it had, Father and Mother wouldn’t have divorced, and we wouldn’t have taken on debt to open this Convenience Store.
“Excuse me. Aren’t you giving me a bag?”
“Oh? Ah, here it is. I’m sorry.”
I’d been lost in thought and forgotten to put the customer’s items in a bag.
I told myself to focus, but I noticed the book I’d left beside the register.
‘Right. I was studying, wasn’t I?’
Whenever I had a spare moment, I seized it to work through practice problems.
Even on weekends, studying was non-negotiable.
Not if I wanted to reach my goal of becoming a doctor.
My reason for choosing medicine as my future aspiration was quite simple.
‘I’ll get into medical school and give Father a comfortable life. I must.’
I wanted to be of help to Father, who was struggling to raise me.
That’s why I’d firmly refused when Father wanted to work weekends too, insisting I take his shift instead.
Watching him work all week long broke my heart.
Ding—
“Welcome… Dad!”
Father had shown up without any warning.
“Get ready to leave, Ju-ri.”
“What are you talking about? My shift isn’t over yet.”
“I told the part-timer I’d pay him extra to come in early.”
“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”
Min Do-hun seemed hesitant, but finally opened his mouth.
“Your mother said she has something to tell us and wants to meet.”
“What?”
“You, me—all of us together.”
In that moment, something flashed through my mind.
An ominous premonition.

* * *
Unlike my father, my mother was not a warm-hearted person.
Cold as ice, through and through.
The moment the business collapsed, she thrust divorce papers into his hands and left without a backward glance—that much was certain.
The way she was announcing this now proved it.
“I’m getting remarried this month. He’s a good man. Rich, too.”
“What?”
Min Do-hun stared at his ex-wife with bewildered eyes.
“You didn’t call me here just to tell me this, did you?”
“What else would I call you for? To say we should try again? Did you really think I’d say something so absurd?”
“You’re heartless. How could you say such things in front of your daughter?”
“I have a daughter too. Even if she’s the daughter of my new husband and his ex-wife, I intend to treat her as my real daughter.”
“It’s only been a few months since the divorce, and you’re already setting up a new household?”
“Once you divorce, it’s over. What do you mean ‘already’? Is there some grace period I should be given?”
Speaking with cold precision, my mother glanced at Min Ju-ri.
Min Ju-ri couldn’t even bring herself to meet her eyes.
“Are you studying well?”
“….”
“I see. You must hate me for abandoning you both. But think about it rationally. What was it like living as a family of three on your father’s meager income? How do you think I felt being married to a man who squandered every penny we’d saved?”
“You! Can’t you just—!”
“You be quiet. I’m not saying anything untrue, am I?”
“Why are you doing this? By your own logic, we’re already finished. So why come here and tell me about remarrying or not?”
“I just wanted to make our relationship clear. You still have lingering feelings for me, don’t you? When we part, we should part decisively.”
“Does that make you feel better? Hmm?”
“Don’t take it the wrong way. I couldn’t just leave this unsaid in a text message before remarrying. I felt I should at least see your face and tell you in person. There’s no other intention behind it. I simply wanted to say this, which is why I called you here.”
My mother rose from her seat.
“Before we end up seeing each other in a way we’d regret, I’ll leave first. Let’s each live our own lives now. I’ll pay for the meal, so take your time and eat. Live well. Both of you.”
Leaving behind those bland, emotionless words of farewell, my mother departed.
Steam still rose gently from the steaks on the table.

* * *
That day, my father practically guzzled the bottle down without pause.
“Stop drinking, Dad!”
“No, don’t stop me! On a day like this, I need to be drunk!”
“You’re already drunk!”
The humiliation was so profound that I couldn’t bear it sober.
The day my pride as a man, as a father, as an ex-husband—all of it came crashing down.
How could I not drink on such a day?
I understood.
But the moment the divorce was finalized, the moment I was left alone at home with my daughter, I had sworn to quit drinking.
“You said you’d never drink again! You told me to stop you if I saw you drinking in front of me! You said we’d make it work, just the two of us! You promised! Didn’t you?”
“…Ugh, ugh….”
My father remembered his own vow and stopped reaching for the bottle, breaking into sobs instead.
For a long time.

* * *
After that day, my father never drank in front of Min Ju-ri again.
Instead, he made another promise.
“Ju-ri. From now on, you won’t see Dad being pathetic. I’ll never cry again.”
“You promise? You can’t break it like yesterday.”
“Of course! Absolutely. I won’t even think about that woman anymore. Thanks to this, I’ve completely let go of any lingering feelings. Though I did have a little attachment before.”
Since the divorce had been one-sided on her part, lingering feelings were inevitable.
‘Maybe it was for the best?’
Min Ju-ri believed that when her mother came looking for her father, it had made him stronger.
A blessing in disguise, as they say.
“Good for you, Dad! You’ve grown up now!”
“What? Are you treating your dad like a kid!”
“Ahahaha!”
My father playfully pretended to punch her while she stuck her tongue out and ran away.
Anyone watching would have felt the happiness radiating from father and daughter.
“Never cry again, Dad!”
“Right! I can’t embarrass myself by crying in front of my daughter.”
That day’s tears were the last tears Min Ju-ri would see from her father.
Or so she thought.
Until January 1st arrived.

* * *
December 31st, 11:45 PM.
A cold winter’s night.
“Hoo, hoo.”
Min Ju-ri rubbed her hands together, buttoned her coat, and stepped outside.
There was a specific reason for venturing out into the night.
She was going to pick up her father, who was working late.
Ding—
“Dad.”
“Huh? Why did you come? I told you to stay home because it’s cold.”
“Come on, how could I not? You’re working so hard out here alone.”
“You really are something….”
They normally employed a night shift worker, but Dad had insisted she not come in today and said he’d handle it himself.
He even said he’d pay her for the shift anyway.
Min Ju-ri wasn’t satisfied with that.
“Dad, don’t exhaust yourself trying to save money. Have the part-timer come in now.”
“Ah, it’s the end of the year. That kid needs to spend time with family, watch the bell-ringing ceremony, and all that.”
Watching Dad look after his part-time employee like a proper employer tugged at my heart.
It was especially painful knowing how much he was drowning in debt.
‘I don’t want to see Dad struggling like this. I need to succeed quickly.’
I had taken the college entrance exam, but my scores came back below the threshold.
Not quite good enough for medical school.
That’s why I was considering repeating my senior year.
‘I haven’t told Dad yet, though.’
Once midnight passed and the new year arrived, I had already decided on my first wish.
To do really, really well on next year’s college entrance exam.
To get into medical school, succeed, and earn a lot of money.
Then Dad could finally hold his head high as the father of a doctor.
He could even brag to his friends that his daughter became a physician.
‘I’ll even make Mom regret choosing another family over us. The one who only ever thought about money.’
Lost in my own resolve, I noticed a TV hanging in the Convenience Store.
The bell-ringing ceremony was in full swing.
“When are we going in, Ju-ri? It’s cold, so hurry inside.”
“Oh, just a bit longer. But Dad, did you make a wish for the new year?”
“Huh? A wish?”
“In just one more minute it’ll be the new year. You need to make a wish.”
“Hmm, a wish, you say….”
After thinking for a while, Min Do-hun smiled gently and spoke.
“My wish has already come true. Living happily with my daughter.”
“Happy? When we’re struggling like this?”
“Hardship doesn’t mean happiness is absent. What’s happiness, anyway? It’s moments like these—spending intimate time with a daughter I love so dearly. That’s happiness. That’s a memory.”
“Surprisingly sentimental. Are you an F, Dad?”
“Huh? F?”
“Oh, you know. MBTI and all that….”
That was when it happened.
Dong! Dong!
The sound of the bell rang from the TV screen.
The new year had finally arrived.
“Min Ju-ri, happy new year….”
Thud!
Min Ju-ri suddenly collapsed to the floor.
Min Do-hun’s eyes widened at that moment.
“Ju-ri! Ju-ri!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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