Description The Returner

      This story is centered around the man named Yi Ji-Hyuk, who has spent 1000 years in a Medieval Western fantasy-like world before returning back to the modern-day Earth. When he returns, he finds that his home is facing monster threats, and that humans with superpowers have appeared to protect the innocent people of Earth.

     The thing is, Yi Ji-Hyuk himself lived like a true, bona fide Demon King in...

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     Chapter 1: Stop spreading false rumours, please 1

      The land was truly vast.

     A massive, white fortress exuding an austere and noble aura stood firm in the middle of this stunning green landscape – the Holy Land of the God of Light, Latrel.

     Many pilgrims thanked their benevolent deity for all of his blessings while they crossed the sea of green to seek out this Holy Land. When they laid their eyes upon the majesty of the white fortress, they could certainly sense the mighty awe of their god.

     So, it wasn’t an exaggeration to call this piece of land a place of peace and divine blessing, filled to the brim with happiness and piety of the believers.

     …That was, if today was any ol’ regular day.

     Currently, there was an air of uncertainty whirling about this paradise, where the God of Light, Latrel, usually called home.

     Outside the white walls of the fortress symbolising Latrel, countless soldiers decked out in white-coloured gear were stoically taking guard. To see so many soldiers standing in line while wearing armours that seemed to be shrouded in holy light, was indeed truly a grand sight to behold.

     And in front of these gathered soldiers, Knights wearing full body armour that shone in pure silver light, rode on white steeds that seemed to have not one speck of blemish on their perfect hides.

     These magnificent men and women were none other than the Holy Knight Order of Latrel, the agents of the God of Light’s will.

     If there was one odd thing about this situation, then it would be the fact that all these men and women, who possessed overwhelming martial might and would normally be seen traversing the vast lands to spread the name of their god Latrel, were all gathered here.

     If one looked through history books, Latrel’s Holy Knights had never ever gathered en masse like this at a single location in several hundreds of years. making this event quite vexing, indeed.

     That wasn’t the only strange thing, though.

     Besides the large army of Latrel, another large army wearing deep scarlet armour could be seen.

     And the size of this army didn’t lose out to that of the Latrel’s own white soldiers.

     They were the Knights serving the God of Sun, Dran, as well as the divine soldiers that served the Sun God himself.

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     That wasn’t the end.

     A brown army symbolising the God of Earth, Gabein.

     A red army symbolising the God of Fire, Faro.

     A blue army symbolising the God of Water, Bhgeucoate.

     The grand armies of all 12 churches existing on the continent of ‘Berafe’, which means all lands united as one, had gathered here.

     Even the regular soldiers, from the various Divine Kingdoms, exorcists and sorcerers that formed the very core of numerous Magic Kingdoms, as well as an army consisting purely of the Barbarian horde who were normally looked down upon in Berafe, were all present and correct.

     It was a cacophony of colourful soldiers filling up the seemingly endless plain.

     This was the might of Berafe.

     This was everything that Berafe could offer.

     It was the largest alliance of humanity ever, something never before seen in the history of this world.

     If one were to understand the significance of this gathering, then that person would be overcome with many profound emotions.

     However… within the eyes of a certain old man who managed to bring together all these disparate forces, rather than pride, one could spy his deep-seated anxiety, instead.

     “All the preparations have been completed.”

     This old man turned his head towards another old man wearing a red robe and slightly nodded his head.

     At the same time, all those who were waiting for the old man stood up from their seats of honour.

     “Are they coming?”

     “Soon……”

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     It was a simple answer.

     But the expressions of the two old men who heard it got harder as they nodded their heads.

     They were lightly biting their lips. They were praying to their respective gods while crossing their hearts. They were frowning deeply all the while openly displaying their hostility.

     And there was uncertainty.

     Also, a slight hint of terror.

     Their eyes focused on the old man.

     This old man – he was the first servant and the one true voice of Latrel, the largest religion on the continent.

     He was Pope Dioreh the First of the Latrel’s church. The man responsible for this unprecedented union of humanity in history did not shy away from their gazes and met them all, one by one.

     And looking at him, the Popes of other religions as well as kings and emperors of many nations gravely nodded their heads.

     The gaze of Dioreh the First was then redirected to the far distance, towards the end of the plains, the end of his eyesight, to the horizon.

     Anxiety that didn’t fit his stations was slowly creeping into his eyes.

     “A truly powerful army has amassed here.”

     The Pope of the Dran’s church, Veresigurl spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

     “The humanity will never lose.”

     “That is a matter of course!!”

     Aggressive voices of agreement called out from here and there. Dioreh the First steeled himself while listening to their calls.

     Every possible preparation that could have been made, had already been made.

     He had gathered the remaining strength of humanity to this place as the will of his god had dictated.

     The factionalism between different religions, the conflicts between different nations – these typical yet still serious issues continued to trouble him

     It was a hard and painful process, but Dioreh the First was able to complete what was initially deemed impossible. He relied on his unshakeable faith to get this job done.

     However, what was this anxiety that didn’t want to go away, no matter what?

     How could he possibly explain this cautiously blooming buds of anxiety flowering in his heart?

     “Y, your Holiness!!”

     It was then, a hurried voice reached him.

     “T, there it comes!! Your Holiness, over there!!”

     At the end of the pointed finger, at the place where the blue sky and the green fields seemed to meet.

     A spot on the once-flawless horizon began to dye in darkness.

     That ‘thing’ approaching the fort while blotting out the sky and the land was akin to an unstoppable tidal wave.

     Dioreh the First let out a bitter chuckle after seeing that slow but steadily approaching ‘thing’.

     That was pure darkness.

     That was the sum of all despair.

     That was the representation of true suffering.

     Seeing the fields blessed by Latrel’s grace becoming dyed in black, even Dioreh the First’s heart darkened.

     “Oh, dear god….”

     “….My god…”

     The distant, countless number of metallic giants, seemingly filling up the horizon, accompanied by the innumerable number of horrifying evil creatures rushing in behind them.

     Above their heads, demonic creatures with colourful wings flew around in the sky like storm clouds, casting dark shadows on the plain.

     The roars and cries of the vast army of monsters, and the metallic clangs from the movement of the giants, combined to create a dissonant orchestra of solemnness.

     Those who could see, would see only the despair from this spectacle.

     Those who could hear, would realise their fate from this spectacle.

     The restlessness borne out of those with eyes and ears soon became a powerful wave that managed to shake the world.

     The metal giants stopped their march.

     The monsters let out horrifying screeches as they stood right behind the giants, facing the army of humanity. The noises they made suggested that they could attack at any moment.

     It was a sight so overwhelming, one’s soul might have been crushed just by its pressure alone.

     The Pope of the Dran’s church, Veresigurl, cried out.

     “Everyone, look!”

     At the place he was pointing at…

     From there, the roars of the evil monsters began subsiding.

     From there, silence and stillness spread out among the seemingly endless roars and cries of the monsters, and soon, all of it came to a stop.

     And this sight was far more terrifying than the festival of roarings and growlings. All those frenzied evil creatures and demons all held their breaths and began kowtowing on the ground.

     Complete silence.

     A total, chilling silence descended on the world.

     As if the spectacle of before was nothing more than just an illusion, a silence so eerie one could hear one’s own heartbeat reigned over the entirety of the vast plain.

     *SFX for sounds of metal scrapping on the floor (I think.)*

     Breaking this silence, everyone could hear gloomy metallic screeches. Two of the metal giants slowly turned to face each other, before kneeling down on one knee.

     Step.

     Step.

     Soft footsteps could be heard.

     There was no way such soft footsteps could reach him from that far, yet Dioreh the First had clearly heard them.

     Monsters made way while still keeping their heads buried in the ground. The metal giants solemnly greeted their master.

     From the dense forest of monsters that was parted like the Red Sea, a man slowly walked out.

     How should he be described?

     This man – the sight of him wearing a thick black robe wasn’t anything too strange. Only that, his face was obscured from view due to the darkness cast by the robe’s hood.

     From the corner of the abyssal black robe that seemingly absorbed all light, a hand peeked out, and it was reeking with deep crimson aura. And many, many jewels visibly hanging through the gaps of the robe glistened beautifully under the sunlight’s reflection.

     In other words, it was an attire of a regular sorcerer.

     However, the reason why this appearance managed to instill such unbridled terror in the heart of all the onlookers, was the black-ish aura busy circling around the man.

     Resembling flames one second, and then black fog the next, these eerie and ominous black aura circled around its owner and burned fiercely before dissipating away.

     As a person who served the God of Light, Dioreh the First knew instinctively just what that aura was – that was the origin of all evil, the flames of Hell. It should not even exist in this plain of existence.

     Dioreh the First’s heart tightened. That man in front was the cause of all this.

     The man who wrought the end of the world.

     The king of the dead.

     The despair of all living things.

     The man who swallowed whole the nations of the living, and took away the breaths of all who lived.

     The archenemy of all twelve main religions.

     No, the enemy of all who lived.

     The man capable of causing the 12 gods, who protected the land of Berafe, to scream out their divine messages; the man capable of causing the kings and emperors of 48 nations ruling this land of Berafe to put aside their differences and insecurities to unite as one, as if they no longer had any choice in the matter.

     The man, capable of forcing all these disparate powers into a single location through sheer terror and despair.

     Dioreh the First struggled to cry out.

     “Oh, hear thee, the Bringer of Apocalypse!!”

     His voice was amplified and resounded around the vast plain.

     “Oh, the king of the dead, the despair of all living creatures, the ruler of ten thousand demons and millions of beasts!!”

     As if to reply to those words, all the evil creatures that were keeping dead still lifted up their heads and broke out in a thunderous commotion.

     Immediately, Dioreh the First felt his blood run cold. Although there were millions of human soldiers between them and him, it seemed like only the sound of their roars could be heard and nothing else.

     “The humanity does not fear thee. The humanity will never perish. On this land blessed by the gods, this is where thy dark ambitions will crumble, and thy army of darkness shall return to the embrace of nature, and disappear altogether!!

     “We shall never surrender, even if we shed our blood and offer our lives!!

     “Our flowing blood will become the milk that sustains this continent, and our flesh will become the fertiliser that enriches this world!!

     “And our souls shall return to the warm embrace of our benevolent 12 gods and finally rest in peace!!”

     With the cries of Dioreh the First, the human soldiers began raising cheers as well.

     Millions of them cheered out until their throats were hoarse.

     Dioreh the First’s eyes became bloodshot.

     Yes, this was the power of humanity. This was the will of humans, carrying the blessings of the 12 gods.

     The despair and terror that were wringing out his heart crumbled, and instead, powerful, inspiration emotions filled it up.

     “On this land, we might flicker like a dying candle. We might fall like worthless things! But!! Our unyielding will shall drive the blade of faith into thy heart!! Can thee sense our undying will, evil sorcerer!! Can thee feel our undying might, the Lich who have forsaken even the death itself!!”

     “CHOTTO MATTE!!!” (TL: Lol. It’s actually, “No!! Stop right there!” Well, I just couldn’t resist.)

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     Chapter 2: Stop spreading false rumours, please 2

      It was then, a loud voice rang out in the vast open plain. Those who were searching for the origin of this voice soon came to realise that it originated from none other than the demon himself, the Bringer of Apocalypse, standing in front of them.

     The Bringer raised his hand and slowly pulled his hood back.

     The face below it belonged to a still-considerably young man. His skin was slightly reddish yellow, most likely due to the influence of the darkness, but besides that, he was completely unremarkable in any shape or form.

     The short hair style was something uncommon in this world, but the face below it attested to the reason why he was now referred to as the Bringer of Apocalypse.

     A pair of small eyes and flat-ish nose under those narrow eyebrows; strange skin colour and the unexplainable aura that was a human’s, yet at the same time, not really.

     He was a creature with a human’s appearance, yet was no longer one.

     The Bringer of Apocalypse shouted out loudly.

     “Who the f*ck is a damn Lich?! Hah? I was planning to keep my mouth shut but you treat me like a damn bag of bones!! Hey, have you ever seen a Lich with this much fatty tissue?!”

     Dioreh the First became utterly speechless.

     Of course, he had never seen one. After all, a Lich wasn’t an existence that was commonly seen. Plus, there was no recording of a Lich with all his flesh and skin intact in the history books. Indeed, a Lich should be a skeleton wearing a black robe, that was for sure.

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     Suddenly, Dioreh felt lots of pointed stares.

     Slightly distorted eyes were stabbing his backside.

     To receive such stares from his allies and nobles just because of a simple slip of a tongue – and it wasn’t even all that important whether he was a blooming Lich or not…

     Dioreh the First sheepishly cleared his throat and shouted once more.

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     “Everyone on this continent knows of thy rejection of death with the sorcery of the demons and that thee hath lived for hundreds of years already!! Oh, thee who are no longer confined by the chains of logic, although thy exterior resembles a human, no one here mistakes thee for a human!!

     “Even if thee once was human, thee hath abandoned the paths of humanity already!! Can thee not recall how many kingdoms you have destroyed during thy march? Can thee not remember all the lives thee hath reaped all these years!!!”

     The Bringer of Apocalypse listened to the passionate ravings of Dioreh the First with indifference, and replied nonchalantly.

     “Hey man. Stop spreading false rumours about me, please. I didn’t reject death, I just can’t die, that’s all. Hell, I’ve literally tried everything and anything to die, so what the hell do you want me to do, eh? And also, I did not destroy anyone. They just killed themselves. Seriously now, just who the f*ck was it that rushed in like a pack of wild dogs, when I just wanted to quietly pass by and head off to Latrel’s church headquarters? Ah? So why are you blaming me for that, huh?”

     Dioreh the First dumbfoundedly stared at the Bringer of Apocalypse.

     When someone was corralling all those metal giants and all those evil demons while saying, “We’re just passing by~~”, who in their right minds would get up and reply, “Yes, please do~”, huh?!?!

     Wasn’t that the basic of all basic common sense?! A bloody common sense, man!!

     “Whatever. You, you look like the leader here, so let’s negotiate.”

     “Did thee say negotiate?”

     “Me, I don’t want to fight you, and I don’t want to destroy this continent either, unlike what some of you have been yapping on about. All I want is…”

     The Bringer of Apocalypse raised his finger and pointed at the very tip of the tallest spire of the fort.

     And there was a beautiful jewel on the tip of this spire, emitting five different colours of light.

     The unquestionable evidence of the god Latrel caring after this blessed land, the ‘Eye of Latrel’ was placed there.

     “Gimme that, and I shall quietly leave you guys alone in peace. I will return all these demons back to where they came from, and I will stop all the Golems, too. Hell, if you want them, I’ll give you all these Golems. All you have to do, is to give me that.”

     “Keukkeukkeuk…”

     Dioreh the First chuckled in a creepy and low-pitched voice.

     “Did thee seriously believe we do not know that thee will use the sacred Eye of Latrel to bring about the Apocalypse of this world?!”

     “What the?! Just where the hell did you hear all this crappy rumour about me? Who was it?”

     “The divine oracle that implored us to never hand over the Eye to thee have been received by us!! Us, all 12 churches!!”

     The Bringer of Apocalypse groaned out.

     “I bloody knew it. That’s why they were so desperate.”

     “Thee want to steal the Eye of Latrel? Try it. But it shall not be so simple. Even if only one of us draws breath, thee shall never lay thy filthy hands on the Eye!! If our sacrifices can ensure the survival of Berafe, we shall gladly offer up our lives!! And thus, thee shall never overcome our might!! Because, the divine blessings of the 12 gods are together with us!! Praise the lord Latrel!!”

     With the declaration of Dioreh the First, millions of human warriors began making their own individual signs of worship while praising their gods.

     “No point in talking anymore, huh.”

     Well, the Bringer didn’t have much hope of talks resolving all misunderstandings, even as he was on his way here. These guys in front simply didn’t want to understand him, anyways.

     Since he had gone through roughly the similar thing until he was sick and tired of it all, the Bringer just accepted it as a normal occurrence now.

     Dioreh the First shouted out again.

     “Thee shall see the end of thy long road today, right here!! Oh, the man who rejected the providence of the gods!!”

     At these words, the Bringer of Apocalypse began giggling like crazy.

     Dioreh the First squinted his eyes. It wasn’t just because the laughter of that evil and vile sorcerer was getting on his nerves, no. He acutely knew. He had met many, many people and heard their terrible ordeals and shared tears with them so, he could tell.

     Although that laughter could be seen as one of ridicule, there were so many different emotions contained within it.

     Delight and despair, bitterness and grief, and even, deep, profound sadness…

     “Hey, man. Did you know?”

     The Bringer of Apocalypse murmured slowly.

     “That… is my wish.”

     His voice was tranquil.

     “But, I realised it won’t happen. Especially, in this place. That is why, I gotta go back to where it’s possible again. For me to die and make all your wishes to come true, I need that Eye, see?”

     His voice started off quiet and calm, yet became louder and louder.

     “You are right, I’m just a goddamn monster in this place!! A damn demon!! A demon, who can’t die and can’t disappear!! That’s why, I want to go to a place where I can!! I want to go to a place, where I can be a human again!! So I can die, just like how all of you have been praying for!!”

     His voice now contained his true feelings.

     In the form of a rant.

     “But why the f*ck do you keep getting in my way!! Huh?! Why the f*ck do you still try to stop me, right until the godd*mn end!! I’m trying to die like you’ve always wanted, yet why do you still keep blocking me?!!! Huh?! Do you have any godd*mn idea how many hundreds of years I wasted trying to get here?! You wanna stop me? You want to try and stop me, again?

     “Fine. Then die. Die, and die again. I will gift you that one thing, this thing that I’ve yearned for so long, to receive, but to never feel its embrace. Soon, you all will realise how nice a blessing it truly is.”

     The appearance of a fun-loving young man dissipated altogether.

     The only thing left behind was a sight of a demon spitting out frenzied raving.

     The only man to climb up to the unprecedented heights as a sorcerer, a monarch of darkness who lead millions to despair.

     The worst of all heart-wrenching despair that turned the half of the continent into the land of the dead, and driving the survivors into this tiny piece of land so he could torment and mock them.

     The man, who would bring about the end of the world.

     He was the Bringer of Apocalypse.

     “We shall never surrender!!”

     “Riiight. So obvious.”

     The eyes of the Bringer gleamed ominously.

     “In that case, die where you stand.”

     The moment he finished his sentence, every one of the once-silent demons and monsters bared their fangs.

     The aggressive roarings of these creatures, no longer controlled by the Bringer of Apocalypse, exploded forth and covered the entire plain.

     KKKKIIIIIEEECKKK

     There was no particular signal.

     But, as if they had known it all along, demons and monsters spat out terrifying screams and began rushing forward. Countless creatures stumbled and perished under the mad dash yet they continued to run forward. And even the metal giants began taking one massive stride after another.

     Every step these giants took crushed several demons and monsters underfoot, causing ear-piercing screams to ring out, yet the emotionless creatures simply continued on with their relentless march.

     The remaining might of all humanity had gathered here. That might was powerful. That might was great. However, even this mighty force was cowering before the crazed frenzy of the evil monsters.

     The white army began to waver. Soldiers unknowingly taking half a step back caused the formation to be pushed back and caused a ripple effect.

     “Oh, supreme and omnipotent being, here thy servants long to receive thy divine wills!! The light of the dawn that drives away the darkness of the night, grant thy favour to thy servants!!”

     From both of Dioreh the First’s hands, divine white streams of light exploded out and began blessing the soldiers guarding the fortress. The other Popes also began calling out to their chosen gods and blessed the soldiers as well, leading the army to regain their spirit and make their charge against the incoming waves of monsters.

     And finally, the armies of humanity and armies of monsters collided.

     Torn flesh and broken bones were flung about everywhere, as blood rained down on the ground.

     If there existed a real hell, this place would be it.

     “Do not get bogged down!! Charge!!”

     Several clerics and priests located here and there within the army continued to pour out divine power while covered in sweat. Evil demons became much weaker in front of these priests, and the wounds on the bodies of their allies were healed in an instant.

     “WUOOOOOHH!!!”

     In that moment, there were several men that broke off out from the standoff.

     They were clothed in fur and leather from head to toe, wielding a huge battleaxe on one hand and a terrifying hammer on the other.

     The Barbarian horde that once plunged the continent into chaos was now fighting for its very survival. Their axes cleaved demons in half, bones and all, while their hammers shattered the heads of demons as if they were busting watermelons.

     However, the counterattacks of demons and monsters were nothing to scoff at.

     Countless sharp blades shot out from the ground below and sliced up the formation’s rear. Helplessly getting their legs and ankles cut up by these suddenly-intruding blades, soldiers rolled on the ground while screaming out desperately.

     “Do not falter!!”

     Magic spells fired by the sorcerers fell where demons and monsters were gathered the most.

     No matter how strong the monsters and demons were, no matter how huge the metal giants were, they were still outnumbered one to one hundred. There was no end to the human army, while the number of monsters fell drastically at the suicidal charging attacks by the unafraid soldiers.

     The sky might be still dominated by the flying demons, but as far as the ground battle was concerned, humanity had the advantage.

     “Oh, great Latrel!! Bless thy servants!!”

     “Receive the cleansing fire of the god Faro!!”

     Many wide-scale blessings descended, and fatigued soldiers regained their vigour at the same time.

     “Oh, great god Latrel!!”

     Dioreh the First shouted out without realising it.

     Finally, the end to the 30-year long war of hardship was coming ever so closer. The war potential of the demons were great, but the powers of united humanity were greater. The demon army was slowly being pushed back.

     “Hmm?”

     It was then. Dioreh the First spotted the Bringer of Apocalypse finally making his move.

     This man called the Bringer of Apocalypse, the world’s most vile sorcerer and a man who transcended past the death itself and had supposedly found the Truth.

     The Bringer of Apocalypse, who had been standing like a stone statue and observing the situation until now, slowly lifted his hand.

     Black smoke rose from his hand, which formed a huge magic circle in the air. No, not just in the air – a total of four magic circles formed around the Bringer, one in his front and two on either side, and began emitting black beams of light.

     “What is that?!”

     It was hard to tell what type of magic they would produce, but the results would definitely terrible, solely judged from the vast sizes of each magic circle.

     “S, stop him!!”

     The best method to stop a sorcerer was attack before the chanting was completed. All those who knew this fact didn’t let the Bringer do his thing.

     Rangers fired countless arrows at his direction; wizards poured their magic spells.

     In the meantime, the Bringer’s lips slowly parted and an emotionless command rang out quite clearly.

     “Open up!!”

     The magic circles emitted a chilling light, and an enormous black gate suddenly materialised. All the arrows and magic spells aimed at the Bringer of Apocalypse were sucked into the newly-appeared gate standing before him.

     Dioreh the First opened wide his eyes and glared at this gate. He could tell the purpose of this gate more or less after sensing the dreary aura seeping out from beyond it.

     His urgent mind became a scream.

     “STOOOPPP HIM!!!!”

     Contrary to the urgency of Dioreh the First, the Bringer leisurely opened his mouth.

     “Devour them all.”

     In that moment.

     From the gate, devils with grotesque shapes began pouring out like crashing tidal waves. The devils jumping out from the gate floating in the air got flattened somewhat after falling to the ground, but none gave a rat’s a*s about the crushed flesh and ravenously dashed forward.

     And more poured out.

     And more poured out.

     And yet, more poured out.

     Although there were more than enough monsters and demons and devils to completely cover the land, more kept pouring out. Evil creatures continued to pour out, as if the only way to end this was when the entire world was filled up with these foul creatures.

     The sky was now completely inundated with the flying demons. These demons even began attacking one another, roaring out and got into a messy brawl. It was as if the entire sky was made up solely of these monsters.

     From the front, and from the sides – even under the feet.

     Monsters rushed in. No matter how many heads were crushed, no matter how many necks were cut, no matter how many lengthy legs were broken… No matter how many they killed, monsters kept rushing in.

     The evil beings that could easily rip a person into pieces with nothing more than their fingertips now outnumbered humans.

     It was a ‘monster wave’.

     It was the unstoppable waves of demons.

     Despair filled Dioreh the First’s eyes. There were simply too many monsters to kill. And even as killings continued, more monsters poured out from the gate, their numbers ever increasing higher and higher.

     Truly, would that man bring about the destruction of this world?

     It was then…

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     Chapter 3: Stop spreading false rumours, please 3

      Kaaaaaaaaaaahaaaa!!!

     A massive spear of flames pierced the sky. Rays of brilliant light shone like countless stars in the sky, while white winds of storm froze and shattered just as many demonic monsters.

     When thousands upon thousands of arrows pierced the sky like the ascending Imoogi, many lifeless corpses of flying demonic creatures rained down and crashed heavily into the earth below.

     “The Uruks!!”

     “Run, you short-legged ones!!”

     The corners of Dioreh the First’s eyes became moist with tears.

     Elves decorated the skies with a beautiful parade of magic and arrows.

     Dwarves and Orcs flanked the hordes of evil monsters from their side.

     And the mighty Dragons smacked away the flying monsters and spat out their unstoppable Breaths.

     It wasn’t just humanity only.

     No, it wasn’t just humanity that was fighting in this war!

     Kwaahhaaa!!!

     A Breath of purest flames bore a hole through the jet-black clouds in the sky, and the blessed light of the sun pierced through this gap.

     Dioreh the First couldn’t help but think of that light as Latrel’s ray of hope.

     The Breath from the Dragon destroyed one of the summoning gates floating in the air.

     [Oh, hear me, the Immortal Soul. You shall not receive what you seek.]

     The will of the huge, golden Dragon resounded out towards the Bringer of Apocalypse and then spread out even further.

     Dioreh the First bit down on his lips to rein in the emotions of appreciation trembling within his heart. His eyes were already wet with falling tears.

     ‘It’s not just mankind only.’

     To stop the advent of the end of the world, every species living on the continent of Berafe had gathered here.

     The Bringer of Apocalypse deeply frowned as he looked at the skies full of Dragons and armies of Elves and others seemingly covering the entirety of the land as far as eyes could see.

     “Does this mean you’ll stand against me until the very end, Lord Affeldrich?”

     [You shall not receive it. You are the Bringer of Apocalypse. I can not allow the the Dimensional Key to fall into your hands.]

     “Right, right. I heard you enough times already. Just how many times have you told me that sh*t already? Just how many times you stood before me with that nonsensical excuse? Eh?”

     [I’ve lost count. And do not doubt, there will be countless times more in the future. You are the Immortal Being, while I am the being who lives on the boundaries of Immortality. The enmity between you and I shall continue on, and on.]

     “Nope. You got that a bit wrong, see.”

     The face of the Bringer distorted.

     And his outstretched hand was pointing at the massive golden Dragon, Affeldrich.

     “Everything will end here, today.”

     Right away, a massive black smoke exploded out from the outstretched hand of the Bringer, encircling the golden Dragon like a coiling snake.

     *SFX for a loud cry*

     The roaring scream of the golden Dragon reverberated the heavens.

     “You should have realised this by now. The reason why someone like me, someone with infinite time on his hands and an unshakeable mind, have come here – the meaning behind my arrival at this place. Already, everything has…”

     Before the sentence even finished, countless Dragons flying in the air all released their mighty Breath attack towards the Bringer of Apocalypse.

     It was truly an eye-searing spectacle to see the rainbow colours of Breaths focusing only on one specific spot.

     And then, there was an incredible explosion.

     No one could hear anything in the aftermath.

     The ginormous shock wave of the unimaginable magic attacks shook the whole continent of Berafe.

     Nothing could be seen, nor be heard anymore.

     By the time the awesome power of the attack began subsiding…

     Everyone and everything were rooted to their spots.

     Demons and devils were holding their collective breaths, while the warriors of humanity were writhing around on the ground with blood seeping out from their eyes and ears.

     And the land where the Bringer of Apocalypse was standing had transformed completely.

     Now, there was an inconceivably deep, massive crater instead, as if a world-ending meteor had fallen; and surrounding its rim, stones and rocks with mirror-like smooth surfaces could be found, tempered repeatedly by the high heat, intense pressure and then by the ultra-low temperature.

     But, what about the Bringer of Apocalypse?

     A pile of meat that was once him could be seen at the bottom of this crater, burnt black and squashed flat.

     All those demonic gates he had summoned were shattered into pieces by the impact and were cancelled, while his remains scattered into the air like ash and dust.

     Seeing this scene, Dioreh the First clenched his fist tightly.

     No matter how incredible an existence that man was, surely now, he couldn’t have…

     ‘…Survived that?’

     It was then. Dioreh the First felt his back skin crawl.

     A strange thing started happening on the spot where only the traces of the Bringer should have been found. From that remains which resembled nothing more than ash, white bones slowly revealed themselves one by one, which was then swiftly followed by reconstruction of blood vessels and muscle tissue. The blood began circulating again, then the outer skin formed.

     Soon afterwards, a pale and seemingly dead naked body was fully revealed to the world.

     And so, this was it.

     The man who had transcended death.

     The man who couldn’t die, even if he wanted to.

     The man destined to forever wallow in the agony of undying life.

     Before anyone could come to their senses, the Bringer of Apocalypse had extracted another robe out from the subspace and put it on. He adjusted his accessories to their correct places, then he bared his teeth in an angry growl.

     The Bringer slowly surveyed his surroundings.

     The warriors of humanity, numbering in the several millions.

     The rulers of the sky, Dragons.

     Elves and Dwarves, reputedly been in the constant state of war against humans for millennia.

     Even the Orcs, seen as monsters by everyone else, were glaring at him and throwing endless stream of curses.

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     Plus, spotting a rising cloud of dust from the far end of the distant horizon, it seemed that this gathered force wasn’t the end.

     Without a doubt, it seemed that Berafe itself was trying to stop him.

     “Right. I knew it.”

     The Bringer of Apocalypse chuckled hoarsely.

     This was such an interesting place.

     So, so interesting, indeed.

     Forcibly dragging someone over here against his will, but trying to stop him with just about everything when he wished to return? With an absurd reasoning, to boot?

     If he could forget, then he might have given up.

     If he could die, then he might have chosen death.

     Unfortunately, he was a man isolated in this world.

     He was not allowed to die, and he was not allowed to forget.

     The memories he had before he fell into this world, all those countless years and decades and centuries ago, he hadn’t forgotten single one of them. The memories he created in this new world were lost like grains of sand, but the things he knew and experienced in the previous world became a fossil deeply lodged in his head the moment he came here.

     So, he had to return.

     If he couldn’t forget, if he couldn’t die… then he must return.

     “I’ll tell you this for the last time, Lord Affeldrich.”

     He only needed one thing.

     He only wanted one single thing.

     “Hand over the Eye of Latrel. Then, I will quietly walk away.”

     Even suffering under the powerful black magic, the golden Dragon Affeldrich did not submit.

     [Even if this world comes to an end, we will never hand over the Eye to you. That item can not and must not fall into your hands.]

     “I thought as much – you people just don’t want to listen.”

     [Let it go, Immortal. As long as you let it go, everything will return to order.]

     “You telling me to let it go?”

     Affeldrich could easily decipher the many hidden meanings contained within his reply. She quietly looked at the Bringer of Apocalypse.

     I wanna go back.

     A boy, swept up by the unfair tides of fate and lost within its maze of pain and suffering, transformed into the Bringer of Apocalypse at the end of a long, long journey.

     This new world was incredibly cruel to this boy and eventually, his bizarre, inexplicable fate had caused him to stand against this world.

     Even if this was the case, she could not forsake the entire world just to appease one person’s sorrow. If a sacrifice had to be made, then there was only one right choice, the life of one individual.

     [The incarnation of immortality, just because you are unable to die, this does not mean we won’t be able to stop you. It is indeed possible to seal you away forever. We the Dragons, possessor of endless lives, will maintain the seal for eternity, and you shall never taste the air of freedom forevermore. This is our final warning. Give up.]

     “Well, I’m done with warning you, people of Berafe.”

     He addressed not just Affeldrich, but the rest of Berafe as well. He declared to all those beings standing in his way.

     “This… is the result you have brought upon yourselves.”

     Both of his hands became shrouded in darkness. At the same time, the evil creatures that were keeping quiet up until now, sprang into frenzied activity.

     GOHOOOOOO—!!

     Sensing the fluctuation of incredible magic power from the Bringer once more, Dragons spat out another round of Breaths all at the same time.

     But it was only that.

     All those Breaths were extinguished before they could reach the Bringer. No, rather than extinguished, they simply vanished.

     Affeldrich had to swallow her words.

     The Bringer of Apocalypse definitely did not block the Breaths coming his way. He simply summoned a warp gate in front of every incoming Breath attack and guided them all away to another area in the continent.

     Although it was a ballsy but smart move, one could even argue it was a foolhardy endeavor as well. If he was off by millimetres with the locations of warp gates summoning, the Breath would collide with the gate instead and cause an almighty chain of explosion.

     Wait, that didn’t matter. He wouldn’t have died anyway.

     Easily taking care of the Breath attacks, he then gathered both of his hands to his chest. A sinister black light shone out from his palms. At the same time, the necklace hanging on his neck as well as jewels embedded in his bracelets began to resonate.

     A colourful arrangement of several jewels – known as the hearts of Dragons, they began to resonate with the dark Mana oozing out from the Bringer and became dyed in darkness as well. Meanwhile, beneath the feet of the Bringer, a gaping black hole suddenly opened up, spewing out lots of black smoke that enshrouded the man.

     [Stop!! Stop him at once!!]

     Finally realising what the Bringer was about to do, Affeldrich cried out in haste.

     Dragons responded to her cry and rushed towards the Bringer, but then – they stopped in mid-air, before slowly turning into stone statues. The Mana from the otherworldly dimensions coming out of the Bringer was preventing them from getting close to him.

     Although it looked like a swirling black smoke to the rest, as Dragons were beings of Mana, they knew exactly what that thing was. They knew very well just how terrifying the storm of power accumulating inside was.

     And it weren’t just the Dragons who were panicking at the emergence of that evil energy.

     Even the demons and devils, beings of evil themselves, ran away screaming as well.

     When the black smoke touched a monster that couldn’t run away in time, the creature withered rapidly and dried up into a mummified corpse. A single strand of energy formed, which was then absorbed by the Bringer of Apocalypse.

     His surroundings became the land of death in a heartbeat. Grasses dried up, trees withered and fell.

     The Bringer of Apocalypse opened his tightly-closed eyes amidst all these deaths and destruction.

     He lifted both of his hands into the blue sky which was now clear of flying monsters. Then, in the middle of this clear sky, a black cloud formed.

     Dioreh the First stared at this cloud with dazed eyes.

     That ‘cloud’.

     Could anyone call that… a cloud?

     Fluffy black smokes coagulated and expanded; black lightning struck ceaselessly. Black flames burned within, and black hailstones began falling down.

     It was the perfect darkness, where not one ray of light could escape from it.

     And that darkness quickly spread out until it completely blotted out the entire sky.

     Even the humans,

     Even the demi-humans…

     Even the monsters…

     Even the Dragons…

     They all witnessed this unfolding event with dazed eyes.

     Dragons, referred to as the originators of magic, couldn’t even begin to comprehend how this event could have been performed in the first place. Only Affeldrich could vaguely suspect that the black hole below the Bringer’s feet was connected to some unknown place, perhaps to the origin of all evil magic.

     “Oh, benevolent god, Latrel!!”

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     Dioreh the First drew the holy sign in the air.

     He could feel it instinctively.

     That thing was death.

     An avoidable death sentence surpassing all limits of logic.

     All of them were seeing death itself materialise.

     “I! Just!”

     A cry loud enough to tear his throat.

     All those rage and suffering built up over the countless years finally exploded out in this very moment.

     “…Want to go home!!!!”

     The Bringer of Apocalypse lowered his hands angrily. At the same time, the black clouds blanketing the sky descended down to the ground.

     “You sons of bi*ches!!!”

     That day, the Apocalypse descended from the skies of Berafe.

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     Chapter 4: Ah, is that so? 1

      “I’m going to quit.”

     The life of an office worker – of sorts – being an effed-up slog was the truth shared by pretty much every office worker around the world. Whether one was a low-ranked office gopher, or someone in a senior managerial position, they all had their own trials and tribulations to suffer through.

     So, who would not ever fantasize about walking out of their jobs? Well, many would dream of this several times a day, but they endured simply because they had to think about their cutie-pie offsprings and beastly significant others waiting back home.

     “I will definitely quit.”

     But now, the situation was just too dang terrible to endure no longer.

     The organization this guy worked for – it looked oh-so glittering and shiny on the outside, but inwardly, it was rotten to the core.

     From the perspective of outsiders, he was a government employee with a pretty sweet numeration package – a dream job, indeed. But the reality was… his working hours seesawed like the swinging moods of a woman going through menopause, the pressure from his work reminded him of eternal hell, and the level of stress he suffered due to the inter-office politics was so high that his own shrink recommended he find another line of work, lest he lose the last vestige of his sanity.

     Today was the same.

     Seriously, he was only able to go home at 5 in the morning, so how could being told to get back to work at 11 make any sense?

     No, he understood. He could very much understand why.

     He could understand, since the work was demanding and constant.

     But still. Ordering a man, who was finally freed from the hellish job and went home 5 in the morning after two straight days at work, to return at 11 as if that was a benevolent gesture – how the hell could that even make sense?

     “Today, I’ll use this resignation letter. I swear.”

     Mister Choi Jung-Hoon reached inside his jacket and fingered the resignation letter. It had been already one full year since he began carrying around this letter.

     Only a week ago, he changed the envelope that had become stained with dirt and grime from his fingertips to a brand new one.

     Today, he would definitely shove this letter in the face of his damnable team leader, his boss.

     As he walked to his office on the empty streets, what with everyone else having gone to work already, he kind of felt low spirited, but at the same time, not that bad at all.

     Just how could a street this wide have no other souls on it?

     Oh well.

     Those with jobs would’ve made it to their respective place of employment by now; students would’ve started their lessons in schools a long time ago, and as for the rest, either housewives coming out to do their daily grocery shopping after earning some spare time by sending their kids to school, or the unemployed. Maybe even….

     It was at this moment Choi Jung-Hoon’s sights landed on a man.

     With a tattered cape no one could tell where it fell from draped all over his body, this guy was on all fours, busy touching and rubbing the ground.

     ‘Ah, I forgot about the homeless, too.’

     Obviously, the homeless with nothing better to do would be seen loitering around this time, as well. However, the things this particular one was doing seemed a bit queer. The tips of the man’s fingers busy touching the ground spasmed every now and then; then all of a sudden, his entire body began to tremble noticeably.

     ‘A seizure?!’

     Choi Jung-Hoon quickly pulled out his mobile phone.

     If that man was ill, then he had to call for an ambulance, since, regrettably, he didn’t have any emergency first aid knowledge in a situation such as this one. Also, didn’t 119 service exist precisely for a moment like this? (TL: the Korean emergency number is 119.)

     However, a somewhat strange moaning could be heard from the man.

     “Ah…. ah, ah….”

     “Hmm…”

     While still holding the phone in the open, Choi Jung-Hoon continued to observe the actions of this strangely dressed man.

     Although it did sound like a moaning, the voice itself sounded rather young. Of course, even young people could suffer from seizures, but Choi Jung-Hoon figured that it would be prudent to watch for a bit longer.

     ‘Doesn’t look like he’s a homeless.’

     Now that he took a closer look, that cape thing had this unmistakable whiff of made-at-home smell to it. It was kinda obvious, really, since no one would sell a cape like that anyway, so if someone wanted to wear one, then he would have to make it by himself.

     This man was young.

     His fashion sense was obviously peculiar.

     And his clothes were all seemingly hand-made, the more Choi Jung-Hoon looked.

     He didn’t look ill, either.

     Adding all these together, Choi Jung-Hoon could roughly guess the identity of the weird man right in front of his eyes.

     This man… was a cosplayer.

     Not only that, a cosplayer who had gone as far as a cosplayer could possibly go – a man who puts on a costume not for the sake of others, but to satisfy his own deluded ‘settings’.

     Probably, the current setting must be that he was being contacted by the magical energy from the depths of Hades or some such.

     There had been an increase of many somewhat ‘insane’ fools with the similar sort of ‘settings’ after the world went to hell in a handbasket several years ago. They all wanted to possess amazing powers, but since they didn’t, the only place they could were within their own delusions.

     As the guy kept on saying “ah, ah, ah”, was he trying to shout out “Asmodeus”? Or “Astaroth”?

     Not as common as “Diablo” or “Beelzebub” but still appropriate enough.

     It seemed that this young man had come up with a pretty unique ‘setting’ for himself.

     Which was unfortunate, because Choi Jung-Hoon’s expectations were completely off the mark.

     “Ah… Ah, ah!! Asphalttttttttt!!!!”

     The strange young man rubbed the ground nonstop, and then, proceeded to plant his face on the ground and began rubbing it passionately.

     “Asphalt!! It’s asphalt!! It’s so hard!! Hard!! Euhahahahat!!!!!”

     Choi Jung-Hoon watched the youth throw a seizure-like fit and smiled to himself rather warmly.

     It seemed that, regrettably, he was wrong.

     He then unlocked the phone and dialled the emergency number.

     “Hello? 119? There is a person in the middle of a street and his condition does not look so good. I think it could be a psychological issue. Please hurry to this place and take him away. Excuse me? I should call the cops? No, wait, he hasn’t committed a crime, and simply a disabled or has gone insane instead by the look of things. Yes? The police? Wait a minute, are you refusing to dispatch someone? No? It’s not?”

     Completely disregarding whether Choi Jung-Hoon was on the phone talking or not, the youth rolled on the ground – before he suddenly shot back up and started searching around frantically. It was this moment when Choi Jung-Hoon realised just how dangerous his current situation was.

     It seemed that the crazy man was busy looking for something, a target of some sort, and on top of this wide but empty street, it was only him and the madman.

     “Ah, I think I might be in some kind of danger here. Call the police for me as well in the meantime. And please dispatch someone at the same time – I might not be in one piece by the time you guys get here.”

     Thankfully, it seemed the youth didn’t put Choi Jung-Hoon in his eyes. Instead, the direction where his pointed gaze landed at was one of the modern world’s convenient inventions, a box-shaped metal object standing next to a wall.

     “A v, vending machine!!!!!”

     The strange youth crawled towards the vending machine on all fours, and as if to reenact the scene of Gollum longingly gazing at the One Ring, he reached out and tried to rub the cold drinks behind the glass display.

     “A v, vending machine!! It’s Cola!! Sprite!! A vending machine!!!!!”

     This looked to be a serious illness. What if this youth went on a rampage before the emergency services arrived…?

     It was then. The mad youth turned his head around and his eyes fixed on Choi Jung-Hoon.

     Shudder.

     Choi Jung-Hoon imperceptibly shrank back in fright. The bloodshot eyes of the mad youth glaring at him seemed so bizarre and eerie. It was like looking at a wild, untamed beast.

     Choi Jung-Hoon had seen his fair share of madmen at his job. Some of them were even murderers, and some of them were even ‘beyond’ that.

     But the light radiating from the eyes of this youth was on a completely different level altogether. Hard to tell what was so different this time, but the ripples coming from the powerful emotions in his eyes made Choi Jung-Hoon to backtrack automatically.

     The face underneath the dirty hood was no more than twenty, at most. However, his eyes that completely did not match his young face made it impossible to estimate his true age.

     The mad youth studied the top of Choi Jung-Hoon’s head all the way down to his feet while slowly approaching ever closer.

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     The way he walked was almost exactly like a predator slowly cutting off the paths of retreat of its newly cornered prey.

     Gulp.

     Choi Jung-Hoon took a big gulp unconsciously.

     There was a voice desperately calling out to him coming from his phone, but Choi Jung-Hoon’s mouth didn’t want to move.

     His head felt like it was getting all messed up.

     He knew he had to come up with some kind of something, but he couldn’t form one coherent thought at all.

     The mad youth finally stood right before him, then revealed a row of surprisingly white teeth as he grinned.

     “Ahjussi.”

     “…….”

     “Ahjussi!!”

     “Mmph? Mm?”

     A sudden bout of silence.

     He seemed to hesitate slightly, before a somewhat gloomy voice leaked out from his mouth. The youth’s unhurried and slowly spoken words landed squarely in Choi Jung-Hoon’s ear canals.

     “Can you borrow me 1,300 Won so I can buy a Coke?”

     “…….”

     “Well?”

     Choi Jung-Hoon ended the call.

     *

     *SFX for a soda can opening*

     The sound of a Cola can opening was as refreshing as always.

     Choi Jung-Hoon took a light sip of his Cola and then cast his gaze at the youth next to him who was busy gulping it down.

     This strange youth, impossible to figure out just where he managed to appear from, had forcibly appropriated Choi Jung-Hoon’s money, and then, shoved that money into the vending machine and got himself a can of Cola.

     As if one can was not enough, he got three in a row and emptied them in one go. And now, he was leaning back against the vending machine like a smiling cat with a warm back and a full stomach, while letting out a loud burp!!

     ‘God, my hard earned money…’

     Although it was only 5,000 Won, precious things would always be precious regardless. If Choi Jung-Hoon was donating to a charity, fine, he’d not feel this bad. But, this youth was less of a neighbour in need, and more of an unfortunate encounter, instead. (TL: there’s joke here using wordplay in Korean, but when TLed into English, this is the result…)

     ‘And he looks more or less okay, too…’

     If one were to scrutinise the youth properly, he wasn’t a bad looking guy. He wasn’t what some might consider handsome, but on the flip side, he wasn’t an eyesore by any measure. The slightly raised eyebrows made him look a bit short tempered and a bit mean spirited, but even with that, he had fine enough facial features.

     But then, why would a guy like him…

     “Why are you walking around wearing that?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “I’m not wearing this get-up because I wanted to, you know?”

     “What, you being bullied at school or something? Some sort of a childish game of dare? Wear that outfit, grab a nearby person and get a can of Coke, is that it?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “It’s nothing like that. Well, let’s just say things somehow turned out this way.”

     A clear sign of irritation was all over the strange youth’s face. It was like, Stop bothering me with these pointless questions as I’m full and got a warm back right now. What an ungrateful b*stard he was.

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     “People will scoff at you. You should get some proper clothing.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Yes, yes. That is my plan.”

     Suddenly, Choi Jung-Hoon felt wronged. He was worried for this bizarre youth, yet this crazy, ungrateful a*swipe still displayed his annoyance and on top of that, by using his frowning eyes and sullen expression, he was proclaiming these words: “now you’re done giving me stuff, better be on your way now; there ain’t a thing I am giving you, so why are you still here?”

     “What are you doing at this time of the day? Why aren’t you at school?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Why aren’t you at work?”

     Seeing the youth not answer his senior first and instead retort back, it was now clear this man was hopelessly lacking in social etiquette.

     “I was on my way.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Well, then you should hurry. There’s no one else on the road, so doesn’t that mean you’re really late for work? But wait, now this is really weird. Why isn’t there anyone else on this wide street, I wonder?”

     “Well, the time being what it is, so…” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon spoke out, before abruptly closing his mouth shut.

     For real now, this was indeed way too strange – why hadn’t anyone pass by on this street until now? Besides, his call to 119 just now got cut off suddenly too, so why hadn’t an ambulance or some such show up yet?

     “Huh?”

     Choi Jung-Hoon had a sudden and inexplicably bad premonition.

     He quickly surveyed his surroundings. If his thoughts were correct, then this could be the absolute worst of all bad situations.

     And Choi Jung-Hoon’s gaze stopped at one particular place.

     At the distant end of the road, he saw a blurry shape. And that shape was rapidly growing larger. More correctly, the shape was approaching him and the mad youth so fast that his perception got fooled into thinking the shape was growing larger.

     “We’re finished.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon finally understood the situation he was in. He also understood that there was no way he could run away from this place as well. The worst situation possible had happened at the worst possible timing.

     ‘I should have quit my job yesterday…’

     …If he knew he was going to die like this today.

     Choi Jung-Hoon sighed deeply, and then, looked at the strange youth next to him with a pair of compassionate eyes.

     ‘By the way… what is he doing here, of all places?’

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     Chapter 5: Ah, is that so? 2

      It was ‘possible’ for Choi Jung-Hoon to be here. Since he was not seen as a civilian, no one would’ve stopped him even if he had stepped into an active area of operations. The code scanners wouldn’t have reacted to his presence, after all.

     So, that explained how he was able to enter this area completely unawares. While the agents were busy evacuating civilians by locating them with the code scanners and establishing a barricade, he must have missed them by a whisker. Fine.

     But, what about this youth?

     Regrettably, there wasn’t much time left to worry too deeply about this lost youth anymore. The previously-blurry shape had gotten so close that its appearance could be deciphered properly now, and pretty soon, that thing would rush towards their position.

     Choi Jung-Hoon studied the soon-to-arrive creature.

     A shape of a person – no, if one was being fastidious, a shape of a giant.

     Although it was as least 3 metres in height, and possessed a rough appearance of a human with two arms and two legs, no sane person would call that “thing” a human, not by a long shot. By flaying a person, pumping that poor sucker full of banned substances and bloating him four, five times the normal size, only then would you have arrived at the rough appearance of that creature.

     What was the name of that creature?

     “Was it… Jarchev?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     It was probably something similar to that. Wasn’t it named after the first person who discovered it? What an evil and cruel irony, to name a monster after its victim, who had most likely been ripped to shreds by the monster.

     Strictly speaking, it was not a rare entity. That monster was quite commonly seen. It wasn’t enough to raise such a huge fuss about.

     The problems it might cause wouldn’t be too serious. Didn’t they say that this monster possessed enough strength to rip apart a bear with its own bare hands, as if it was a dried up squid? And that the monster never gave up pursuit of a prey it spotted beforehand? What about the fact that, even with that hulking physique, its top speed was as fast as a cheetah’s?

     All of those were only minor issues.

     Out of the above mentioned things, the monster seemed to have picked Choi Jung-Hoon and the youth as its targets, but even that was a minor issue.

     The most important thing here was… the fact that he was going to be ripped to shreds by that monster. Considering that, everything else was a minor issue, really.

     Even the strange youth seemed to agree with his notion.

     “Wow? What is that? Why is a thing like that here?”

     As if he was mystified, the youth stood up, slowly walked towards the rapidly approaching monster’s direction, and stuck his head out.

     “Gross!! Why the hell does it look so terrible? Hey, ahjussi, what is that thing?”

     “It’s a monster.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “But, why is there a monster here? Since when?”

     “Been a while.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Ah, but that’s no good. Did I come to a wrong place?”

     Choi Jung-Hoon chuckled bitterly.

     Since he was about to die anyways, he put his mind at ease. This was nothing new really, since his job demanded that he put his life on the line all the time anyways.

     However, this youth didn’t have the same job as Choi Jung-Hoon. He also probably didn’t have much experience seeing a monster, but as if he had several dozen screws loose in his head, he showed not one bit of fear even when facing a madly-dashing monster.

     “Don’t run and just stay there. When he catches you after chasing you down, it’ll definitely rip you to shreds, but if you stay still, there’s a chance that it might simply kill you cleanly in one shot.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Wow. So it attacks people? That’s so crazy.”

     You’re the crazy one here, you b*stard. – Choi Jung-Hoon.

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     There was no more time for chit chat.

     The monster got within a dozen metre or so, before kicking the ground. Its large body became airborne and the creature flew towards the youth. Its right arm was pulled back tightly and one could clearly see the exposed muscle tissues wiggling around in a grotesque manner. Even an elephant would die immediately after getting struck by such a mean right hook.

     However, the youth didn’t flinch, even after witnessing that spectacle.

     ‘Does he have something up his sleeve?’

     Seeing the youth’s leisurely posture, Choi Jung-Hoon began developing a sliver of hope, which he shouldn’t have. Maybe, that youth had something going for him. Especially considering those bright eyes of his from before, which no ordinary youths should possess.

     Could he be an ability user? Not only that, a high-level ability user that could take care of such a weak monster in a blink of an eye?

     The youth confidently raised a finger and with a somewhat suspicious voice that contained a hint of sneer, he spoke.

     “Shield!!”

     KWAAAHAAANG!!

     There was an ear-splitting explosion, and then…

     Leaving the final words of shield!! behind, the body of the hapless youth was flung away, and like a stone thrown by a Major League Baseball pitcher with all his might, skipped and bounced on the surface of the asphalt floor as if it was water until his head eventually got buried in the asphalt.

     It was such a spectacular, bouncy event that, rather than feeling the dread and shock after witnessing the scene of someone dying, Choi Jung-Hoon simply muttered out an exclamation instead.

     ‘A human can fly around like that too, huh.’

     Choi Jung-Hoon then prayed for the dead. He also prayed he’d die less painfully than that. Thankfully, he had learned something valuable before meeting his maker – even if one was crazy, be a nice crazy, so when one was to die, death would be nice as well.

     ‘He shouldn’t even tried to stand out in the first place…’

     But that youth should find solace in the fact that, soon, Choi Jung-Hoon who had witnessed that Darwin Awards-worthy final moments, would also go through ‘evidence destruction process’ himself. No, was that supposed to be ‘witness destruction’, instead?

     *SFX for a loud growling*

     After blowing away the youth, the Jarchev turned its frenzied eyes towards Choi Jung-Hoon. He simply closed his eyes, and hoped for a painless death

     It was then.

     “Euha, ahahahaha!!! I nearly died just now!! I really, really almost got killed!! Wow!! I could have died, you know!! Dying!! Ehehehehe!! Wow. My shield didn’t activate at all. What a big shock, that was.”

     From the far end of the street, the voice that could only be described as completely bonkers mad resounded out.

     Choi Jung-Hoon opened his eyes in total disbelief

     The youth that was bouncing around like a skipping stone on the water’s surface just now was walking closer while dusting himself off.

     “What the… hell is going on?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Did it make any sort of sense to see someone so unscathed like this youth, after being flung around and bounced on the hard asphalt many times before landing head first into the ground?

     Well, he wasn’t completely unscathed, though.

     The youth had suffered a bloody nose. Two streams of blood dribbled down from both of his nostrils, but as if he was unaware of this, the youth was brightly smiling as he walked closer and closer in energetic steps.

     It was as if… he was beyond ecstatic by the fact that he almost died after getting struck by this monster or something.

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     ‘No, wait a damn minute here. What doesn’t make sense in the first place is him saying he almost died!!’

     Choi Jung-Hoon was right, the youth should have been killed.

     If one had any morals whatsoever, as a human it was his duty to die after getting hit by that kind of an attack.

     *SFX for a loud growl. Again.*

     The Jarchev monster too, lost his interest in Choi Jung-Hoon and shifted its gaze to the incoming youth.

     ‘You’re at a lost too, huh.’

     Choi Jung-Hoon wasn’t sure how intelligent a Jarchev was, but if it had even the modicum of intelligence, surely it would be dumbfounded or panicking by now.

     *SFX for an angry, loud growl*

     ‘Nope. It’s just p*ssed off.’

     The Jarchev monster roared out suddenly and flew towards the youth. With an even more ferocity and speed than before, no less!

     The youth stared at this scene and giggled as if he was really enjoying himself.

     “Hey, ahjussi, did you see just now? I almost died back there. Euahahahat!! I can’t stop my nosebleed. It doesn’t want to stop!!”

     ‘Yes, yes, I saw it just fine. And now, I’ll also see you die for real this time…’

     Choi Jung-Hoon ended up groaning out. He suddenly felt unhappy by the fact that his new friend accompanying him down the road to King Yama’s Palace was a crazy nutter.

     “I mean, I almost died, you see… Eii, stop bothering me!”

     Uttering some incomprehensible stuff out, the youth grew irritated by the Jarchev monster flying towards him. Regrettably, the Jarchev monster didn’t respect the irritation of the youth, and as if to finish its job properly this time, it struck with both of its large fists gathered together.

     No, it should have struck.

     But no such thing happened.

     The youth simply took a step closer towards the descending Jarchev monster that had gathered both of its fists and lifted them way above its head. And then, as if he was waving a fan, the youth waved his hand towards the monster’s head.

     Phur-urk!!

     In an instant, with a sound reminiscent of a watermelon shattering, the Jarchev monster’s head blew up.

     Kkhuong!

     That huge body powerlessly fell down to the ground in a heap.

     “Argh, disgusting.”

     The youth spotted bits of blood and flesh stuck to his palm and freaked out a little, and started shaking his soiled hand towards the ground. And when the brain matter didn’t want to come off, he squatted down next to the headless Jarchev monster and wiped his palm on the broad back of the dead creature.

     Choi Jung-Hoon’s soul escaped as he stood there, watching all of this.

     ‘What the hell did I just see?!’

     Whatever it was, it was something really big.

     He was so, so sure of witnessing something big just now. He saw that young man put down a scary and powerful monster with one hit, so indeed, it was a big something, alright.

     But, Choi Jung-Hoon’s shock wasn’t simply because of that alone.

     He had seen a Jarchev before. He also had seen the killings of Jarchevs before, too. The problem here was, he had never, ever seen any human being so easily waste a Jarchev, as if he was simply picking his nose.

     No, if he was to get technical, then there were a few people who could kill a Jarchev just as quickly. With one gesture of hand, they would burn it, freeze it, blow it away, whatever.

     The difference being, one could take a guess the process on how such a result would come about, especially if it was Choi Jung-Hoon doing the analysis. However, that youth simply waved his hand around as if to chase away an annoying fly, and the head of Jarchev was gone the next second.

     Choi Jung-Hoon could not figure out just what happened between that flick of a hand and the resulting scenery.

     “Hey, ahjussi.”

     “Uh? Ah… yes, sir!!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Before he knew it, honorifics started jumping out of Choi Jung-Hoon’s mouth.

     The youth quietly studied the older man for a bit, before speaking in a deliberately pained voice.

     “I am kind of feeling thirsty right now, after being flung around for a bit, so would you be nice enough to buy me another can of Coke?”

     “……It would be my pleasure.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon walked personally to the vending machine and politely delivered the can to the youth. The youth smiled loosely and popped open the lid before downing the cold liquid in one go.

     Choi Jung-Hoon’s face showed a whole bunch of complicated emotions as he gazed at the youth. Well now, just what should he do here? Just what could he do now that might resolve this absurd situation without an incident?

     What helped out the undecided Choi Jung-Hoon’s mind was the distant wail of sirens.

     *SFX for police siren*

     “And they finally show up.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon sighed out while listening to the sounds of sirens fast approaching him.

     They were beyond late by this point already.

     “Uh? What’s going on?”

     The youth didn’t seem to understand what was happening and looked this way and that.

     *SFX for a heavy machinery making way*

     What arrived before their eyes were a wheeled armoured combat vehicle.

     Several of these armoured vehicles that seemingly felt out of place in this urban environment forcibly entered the street from all exits and entrances. A squadron of armoured vehicles in the middle of a regular city – it sure was a weird sight to behold.

     When the hatches of the armoured vehicles opened up, many, many soldiers armed to the teeth with guns rushed out and surrounded the two men.

     “Ahjussi, did we do something wrong?”

     Choi Jung-Hoon shook his head.

     “Well, no, not really.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Then, what’s wrong with these people?”

     “Oh, it’s nothing to worry about, as long as you go with them for a little bit.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Eh?”

     Choi Jung-Hoon pulled out a slender wallet out from his inner pocket and brought it out in the open. There was a silver badge inside the wallet, reflecting the sunlight brightly.

     “My name is Choi Jung-Hoon from the KSF. I need to investigate the matters that had happened to you just now. It won’t take long, so please, come with us.” (Choi Jung-Hoon) (TL: No explanation given by the author as to what the acronym stands for, but my guess is the Korean Special Forces.)

     “Eh?”

     “Under the provision of the Special Defense Law, a person of interest deemed to be an ability user can be held up to the maximum of 72 hours at the behest of an official with a level two clearance, provided there is a clear basis for the action.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Eh?”

     “Please, accompany us.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     With the end of those words, and followed by the sounds of guns cocking, the muzzles of those scary rifles trained on the youth.

     The youth looked at this sight, tilted his head slightly, and replied.

     “Eh?”

     “Take him.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     The youth was still tilting head in confusion, even as the soldiers were dragging him away by both of his arms.

     “Eh?”

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     Chapter 6: Ah, is that so? 3

      The woman staring into the monitor tilted her head in confusion as well.

     “Are you telling me that that runt inside the room blew away a Jarchev’s head and rescued you, Mister Choi Jung-Hoon?”

     “Yes, I am.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “And that he’s not registered as an ability user, at all?”

     “Yes, ma’am.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “In that case, we can simply arrest his sorry a*s for resisting the compulsory register?”

     “The situation is a bit queer, actually, for that.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “How so?”

     Choi Jung-Hoon spat out a sigh.

     “It seems that he’s been missing for over five years. He is even listed as deceased, so he’s not someone who resisted registering, but someone unable to; also, even the person himself is unaware of such a law in place, and we don’t have a suitable method at the moment to deal with him.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Well then, cut him loose.”

     “But that’s quite bit unsatisfactory, ma’am.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “And now, why?”

     “I witnessed him kill a Jarchev with my own eyes, yet I can’t figure out how he did it.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Why not?”

     “I just can’t explain it.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     This time, the woman spat out a sigh and stared at Choi Jung-Hoon.

     “Choi Jung-Hoon-ssi.”

     “Yes, ma’am.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Our Choi Jung-Hoon-ssi, being overworked to death. Our Choi Jung-Hoon-ssi, who so dearly wishes to go home and sleep while not giving a rat’s a*s at phone calls and whatever.”

     “…….Yes.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Yet, our Choi Jung-Hoon-ssi, who loves this line of work so much!! I finally make you go home after three days of trying, yet in this short moment, you bring in another trouble?! Are you a damn workaholic or something?”

     Choi Jung-Hoon facepalmed.

     What the heck did she mean by “workaholic”??

     He was a person on the brink of killing himself from overwork.

     Not one man alive would be this offended if his three generations of ancestors were dragged through the proverbial mud. What made this situation so regrettable, was the fact that he had no means to retort back to this grave insult to his very being.

     “Holy cow. How incredulous. It’s already unacceptable that a KSF employee wandered into a restricted area like a drunken fool, yet you cause an incident inside the said area? And what should I even call this whole situation?”

     ….No, hang on. Aren’t you supposed to console your subordinate who brushed past the death’s grip instead?! (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     The level of dissatisfaction Choi Jung-Hoon was feeling at the moment was too dang high, but for now, he kept his mouth shut. If he started arguing unprepared with this woman, then he’d waste his precious time listening to her yap on and on about useless junk while more work gets piled up on his lap.

     The woman shook her head and shifted her gaze back to the monitor.

     ‘Why can’t you act like how you look?!’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Her outer appearance, at least, left nothing more to be asked for. Hell, her messily-tossed hair somehow found their way back, causing Choi Jung-Hoon to nearly ask her what brand of shampoo she had been using.

     And what about the face peeking out between her hair?

     You would be hard-pressed to find more beautiful women than her, even when there was a deep frown etched on her face. And, let’s not forget her body. Oh yes, of course not. Her height was the ideal 170 centimetres and where “volume” should be, volume amply existed, so even if she did not have that face of hers, her figure alone would still be enough to blind a man for life.

     Overall, her countenance seemed a bit on the edge, but that didn’t tarnish her beauty and that killer figure one bit.

     But… what a waste.

     ‘Her personality is the worst.’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

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     The so-called the Captain Witch.

     The personification of the legendary Lady Bathory.

     The walking, talking Miss Surround Sound Speaker System.

     Well, the benevolent God was truly fair in His judgement. He had blessed her with a beauty that put many famous celebs to shame, as well as a personality that would probably cause her to b*tch-slap a superior military official. Thus, He had prevent the destruction of the natural balance, somewhat.

     So, what could Choi Jung-Hoon do? That accursed woman in front of his eyes just so happened to his superior officer.

     Seo Ah-Young.

     That was the name of the woman staring at the monitor, letting off lots of unhappy steam right now. Unfortunately, she was Choi Jung-Hoon’s direct superior, and the very cause for the habitually-flaring ulcer that tormented him.

     Seo Ah-Young groaned after looking at the monitor for a little while longer.

     “So, you’re saying that this runt is a ‘special’ special ability user, yes?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     The runt Seo Ah-Young pointed to, must’ve been bored out of his mind while waiting, since they could see him blowing on the surface of the two-way mirror and started drawing a heart on it.

     He looked okay-ish from the outside, yet it seemed that there were quite a few screws loose in his head.

     “Most likely.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Looks like he’s not sane.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “That’s a definitive.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Definitely sane?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “No. Definitely not sane.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Seo Ah-Young and Choi Jung-Hoon’s gazes collided in the air. Yet, he showed not one sign of being embarrassed. Obviously, there was no problem calling a crazy person insane, after all.

     “So, you’re telling me….” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young spat out yet another sigh. She was about to say something, before shaking her head. Then, she got up from her seat.

     “Okay, fine. Let’s go. We’ll find out once we talk to the guy.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Yes, ma’am.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Seo Ah-Young took large strides towards the interview room.

     The so-called interview room was a small enclosed space built in a huge, empty floor of a building. It was designed in such a way to contain ability users that couldn’t be contained by regular walls.

     Seo Ah-Young went past simple security checks to get to the room’s door, took a several sharp breaths, and pushed it open.

     A youth quietly sat on the chair before looking at her with ‘scared’ eyes.

     ‘What a crafty b*stard.’ (Seo Ah-Young)

     Look at him, pretending to be all shriveled up and scared, when he was busy drawing hearts only a minute ago. Look at this rotten SOB.

     But Seo Ah-Young didn’t let her inner thoughts be shown on the surface. There was no need to make the subject she was about to interrogate unresponsive from the beginning, after all.

     “Hello there. May I ask what your name is?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     The youth replied innocently enough.

     “It’s Yi Ji-Hyuk.”

     “Ah, so it’s Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk. It’s a pleasure. I am Seo Ah-Young, in charge of this particular team.”

     Seeing Seo Ah-Young’s bright smile, the youth named Yi Ji-Hyuk also smiled.

     “Thanks. It’s my pleasure, too.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “It’s a simple procedure we need to follow, so I’d like to ask you a couple of questions. How old are you currently?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Uhm, I am not too sure?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “You’re unsure how old you are?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Yes. My sense of time is a bit out of whack, you see.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Ah, is that so?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young shifted her gaze towards Choi Jung-Hoon’s direction.

     ‘Looks like he is really crazy?’ (Seo Ah-Young)

     ‘I told you as much, didn’t I?’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Seo Ah-Young nodded her head and moved on.

     “Well, how old you are isn’t really all that important anyway. Then, where do you live?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Seoul.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     ‘You are suppose to tell me the address, you numbskull.’ (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young knew how to differentiate what she needed to say and what she was thinking of. Besides, his age or the current address weren’t important. To get the conversation going, they were merely the starters that could be skipped if need be.

     “Is that so. Okay, we’ll skip unimportant questions, then. Mister Ji-Hyuk, you defeated the monster, a Jarchev. Is this correct?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk replied without a shred of hesitation.

     “Nope.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Excuse me?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “I didn’t do what you said I did.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young’s gaze shifted back to Choi Jung-Hoon once more.

     “W, wait a minute. Stop looking at me like that, please. I saw the whole event with both of my eyes wide open.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “And so he says?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Oh well. That ahjussi was shaking so bad back then, and must’ve seen a phantom or something. I haven’t done what he said I did. Not at all.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young’s gaze landed on Choi Jung-Hoon again.

     “That’s what he said.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “No, it’s the truth!! I saw it as plainly as a day!!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Eiii, that’s just nonsensical. How can a little ol’ me kill a monster like that, now? Did you see exactly how I allegedly killed that creature?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “That is….” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon described the event as he witnessed right down to the minute detail.

     “You swung your hand like so, and then, the Jarchev’s head went Phung!! and then….” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Swung his arm? Phung?!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young’s threatening voice leaked out. If one were to measure the threat level present in her voice, a little bit more would break past being merely a voice and end up grinding him into a bloody mush.

     “So, so, he swung his arm this way, like that!! And…” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Phung.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk spat out a soulless SFX and it shattered the final bit of persuasive energy from Choi Jung-Hoon’s words.

     “Oh well. You must’ve seen some funny things, since, you know, the situation back then was really urgent and all.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Choi Jung-Hoon felt that he was wronged very badly.

     Would you just look at that smug, crafty little b*stard!!

     “Wow, I might go crazy and jump off this d*mn building.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “I can’t do anything about you losing your sh*t, but I sure can shove you off this building, so you better go to a corner over there and shut it.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “…Yes, ma’am.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     After crushing Choi Jung-Hoon with a truly terrifying facial expression, Seo Ah-Young replaced that with a business-like smile and looked at Yi Ji-Hyuk.

     “It seems that one of our employees has made an error, somehow. Would you like to explain what exactly happened?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “I was just walking there, minding my own business, then a monster suddenly ran up to me. I was standing there scared, when some other dude jumped out from nowhere and popped the monster’s head like a balloon and then, he disappeared.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk gestured with his hands and feet to explain his version of the events in absolute detail. Of course, ‘absolute detail’ was only when viewed from his perspective.

     Seo Ah-Young’s smile became even more radiant.

     “Ah. So, you were coincidentally taking a walk there, then you coincidentally ran into a monster, and coincidentally, a passing gentleman… No, I mean, a simple passerby rescued you. Coincidentally.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk smiled brightly and replied.

     “Yes, that’s correct!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “In other words, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk has absolutely nothing to do with the killing of the monster?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Of course.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “And my subordinate saw a phantom, is that it?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “I think he’s under a lot of stress. He wasn’t even surprised at seeing a monster running towards us.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Ah, is that so.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young halted the conversation, and picked up her phone.

     “Hey. Did you secure it? Hmm? You did? Connect it to here.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Ending that short phone call, Seo Ah-Young resumed that business-like smile and looked at Yi Ji-Hyuk.

     “If the event unfolded as Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk has described, then there shouldn’t be any problems. We will let you go home right away.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Thank you very much. In the future, please check properly so no innocent people will have to go through such an inconvenience like I have.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “My sincerest apologies. I should’ve paid more attention. However, since there is the procedure to follow, there is one more thing we need to confirm.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “There’s more?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “It’s a much simpler one this time. You don’t even have to answer. All you have to do, is to watch something with us.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Watch what, exactly?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “This.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young pointed at the wall.

     “What are you tal…”

     Before Yi Ji-Hyuk could finish, the wall flickered and then, became a screen, instead.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk dumbfoundedly stared at the new screen.

     And on it, a footage showed a grotesque creature, a monster, dashing towards a youth wearing a weird get-up. The monster raised its arms, ready to smash, and the youth simply took a small step forward and lightly swung his hand.

     And then, the monster’s head went….

     “PHUNG!”

     Choi Jung-Hoon inserted the appropriate SFX that contained all of his pent-up righteous anger.

     The footage stopped at that precise moment, and then, the youth’s face got progressively enlarged. At first, by one level, then by two levels… Until finally, the youth’s face filled up the entirety of the screen – and it was the face of Yi Ji-Hyuk.

     Unable to let go of his lingering resentment, Choi Jung-Hoon added one more SFX at Yi Ji-Hyuk, who was still dazedly looking at the screen.

     “Swung. Phung.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “………”

     “Swung, phung.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     It seemed that he was feeling really, really aggrieved at the moment.

     “Okay, okay!! I got it already, so stop!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young pushed Choi Jung-Hoon away slightly, then resumed that business-like smile and spoke up.

     “Is there anything you’d like to add?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk shifted his gaze from the screen to Choi Jung-Hoon, then to Seo Ah-Young, and then, back to the screen again, while slowly opening his mouth.

     “Nowadays….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Nowadays?”

     A slightly trembling voice leaked out of Yi Ji-Hyuk.

     “….The quality of CCTV footage is pretty nice, isn’t it?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     He was about to throw in the towel.

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     Chapter 7: Ah, is that so? 4

      “They’ve been swapped to KG products, you see.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “KG makes the best electronics, you know.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Finally overcoming the feelings of injustice, Choi Jung-Hoon threw out a rather spicy comeback.

     “Well, then. Shall we resume our conversation?” (Seo Ah-Young)

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     Seo Ah-Young’s refreshing smile seemed to declare victory.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk smiled a little awkwardly. However, Seo Ah-Young wasn’t planning to go easy on the youth at all.

     “Looks like it was you who killed the monster?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “It wasn’t me, though?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Eiii, it looks like it, doesn’t it?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “But, it wasn’t me, though?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Anyone can tell that it was you.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “It wasn’t me, though?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young’s palm slammed the table, hard.

     KWAHNG!!!

     The table shook. Even Yi Ji-Hyuk got jolted. Just how did such a slender arm generate that much force, he couldn’t tell. The poor table withstanding that much violence was definitely worthy of praise.

     “Now look here, Mister Ji-Hyuk!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Yes?”

     Yi Ji-Hyuk sobered up in the blink of an eye and replied.

     “It’s not going to go well for you if you continue behaving this way. You see, we are rather busy people, and if you just quickly admit to what you have done, then we can start on taking care of the aftermath.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk suddenly raised a hand.

     “What is it?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “I have a question.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young snorted and nodded her head.

     “Please, ask away.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Well, uh, you’ve been asking me whether I killed that monster or not.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Yes, so?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “If I did kill that monster, isn’t that a good thing? I mean, that’s reducing the damage to the civilians, and well, a monster should be killed in any case, am I right?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Yes, you’re correct.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “If so, then why do I feel like I’m being treated like a criminal?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “You don’t know?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “I’m asking you ‘cuz I don’t know.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     As if a migraine was assaulting her, Seo Ah-Young massaged her temples and shook her head. Just how should she go about explaining this? No, wait, why did this ‘gent’ not know of such common knowledge in the first place?

     “According to the law governing all ability users, every user must be registered with the country. Those who are not registered when causing an incident out in the open are arrested and jailed.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “There’s a law like that now?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Just what were you doing until now that you don’t even know of this important law?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk pretended to not hear her. If he told her the truth, then well, he would get dragged to a sanitarium for sure. So, he wasn’t going to confirm their suspicions that he was indeed, quite insane.

     “So, whatever the case may be, the problem is that I killed a monster when I’m not registered, is that the gist of it?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Killing a monster isn’t a problem, but it’s actually with you being an ability user or not. It’s simple, isn’t it?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Yes, ma’am, I get it now.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young smiled in satisfaction, knowing that this matter had been resolved at last. Unexpectedly, it didn’t take as long as she had feared, too.

     “Well, then. Let me clarify something. It seems that you have your own circumstances, so it’s quite likely you won’t be prosecuted for not registering during the required period. After all, it’s not like you’ve caused an incident, right? All you have to do is register now and receive the requisite training on the subject, so please, I’d like to hear you answer without fearing for the consequences.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young spoke up the words of victory.

     “That was you killing the monster, yes?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     There was no way he could deny it now. She was ready to start the victory ceremony while taking in the sight of Yi Ji-Hyuk’s expression since he had been utterly “checkmated” now.

     However, the many screws-loose Yi Ji-Hyuk smiled brightly and replied to her.

     “But, it wasn’t me, though?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “You son of a…” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Uh-huh!! Captain, you mustn’t!! He’s a civilian!! A civilian!!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Seo Ah-Young forced herself to swallow back down several meaty swear words that came this close to escaping her lips, and took a deep breath. This was so strange – there was no reason for her to be this worked up over this matter at all…

     ‘Something’s really p*ssing me off here.’ (Seo Ah-Young)

     Was it because of his smirky attitude, or his surprisingly relaxed/carefree demeanor even when confined to this place?

     Or maybe…. it could be those slightly-arching eyebrows that seemed to poke all the wrong places in her nerves.

     “Whew-woo, okay, fine!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young took several more deep breaths before glaring at Yi Ji-Hyuk with eyes of an angry predator.

     “Shall we hear your reason why you walked into a restricted zone? Also, you’ve been listed as missing for the past five years so, I’d love to hear what you’ve been doing until now. You can answer me on those, yes?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Ah, the thing is….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Yes?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk lightly grasped his head and tilted it this way and that. Seeing his gesture that ‘suggested’ he might remember something or might not, both the bodies of Seo Ah-Young and Choi Jung-Hoon shivered greatly.

     ‘He wouldn’t…’

     ‘He wouldn’t go there, right?’

     They could now picture the most classic of all classical excuses in the history of poor acting from the ‘textbook’ way Yi Ji-Hyuk was moving his head around.

     “Uh, well, my memory is….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young and Choi Jung-Hoon became utterly speechless.

     “Ha, haha.”

     “Haha.”

     “Hahahaha.”

     “Hahahaha.”

     Awkward laughters were shared by the two of them. They were laughing, but their eyes were definitely not.

     “Ahh…. So, it’s amnesia.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Looks like it.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “So, to confirm, you can’t remember anything from the past five years for some unfathomable reason?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Wow. Are you a doctor?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “But what a serious problem this is. Since he is an amnesia-suffering person, we can’t torment him, as he won’t be able to remember, anyways.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “If I can remember, I would’ve definitely been able to resolve this misunderstanding. I’m very sorry.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Ah, is that so.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     When Seo Ah-Young raised her right arm in a certain manner, Choi Jung-Hoon desperately clung on to her and stopped her from moving any further.

     “Wait!! Wait, he’s a civilian, a dang civilian!! You mustn’t beat him up!! Everything’s being recorded in real time in here, remember that, please!!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Who’s gonna beat his a*s up, ah? Who? Can’t you see that speck of sh*t on his cheek? I’m just gonna slap it off for him, that’s all!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Please, calm yourself down, calm down!! Do not get worked up on this, Captain!!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “*SFX for heavy, repeated breathing*”

     Seo Ah-Young breathed in and out heavily while holding on to Choi Jung-Hoon’s shoulders, before shooting a nasty glare at Yi Ji-Hyuk while gritting her teeth.

     “So, you’re insisting that it wasn’t you. Correct?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Yep.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Definitely, absolutely, it wasn’t you?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “But of course.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Alright, fine. Let’s say it wasn’t you, then. Are you admitting that you’re an ability user?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk asked back, instead.

     “Just what on earth is this ability user thing you keep talking about?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “The term refers to people who possesses special abilities that no normal civilian should have.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “In that case, nope, I am not. Because I’m an ordinary civilian.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “So, that’s your final answer?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     *SFX for gritting teeth fiercely.*

     Seo Ah-Young shouted at Choi Jung-Hoon.

     “Choi Jung-Hoon-ssi!!!! Bring in the ‘equipment’!!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Understood.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     As soon Choi Jung-Hoon hurriedly left the room, Seo Ah-Young pulled her chair right next to Yi Ji-Hyuk’s. Although there was a smile etched on her lips, protruding veins were pulsing on her forehead, displaying the high level of her hostility.

     “So, let’s summarise your statement. What you’re saying is, you ne~~ver ever killed that monster.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Yes, that’s right.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “But the head of that Jarchev exploded right in front of your face? How will you explain that one?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “I don’t know. Seriously now, you people are the experts, yet you don’t have a clue, so why do you expect me to have one for you? I dunno, maybe the monster self detonated or something.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Oh, so now the monster killed itself?” (Seo Ah-Young)

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     “No, all I’m saying is that it is a possibility, that’s all.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young did absolutely everything in her willpower to stop her hands from slapping that stupid grin off this youth’s smug face. She then somehow managed to continue speaking.

     “But, it’s completely different from what you just told us earlier on?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Oh, yeah. See, the thing is, my mind is not stable at the moment. What did I say to you before?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “A passing gentleman rescued you.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Hah, I must’ve read one too many folktales. I really like them, you know? I speak nonsense because of them, but still.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Ah, is that so?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young suddenly pulled out her wallet. Then, produced a business card and shoved it into Yi Ji-Hyuk’s hands.

     “What’s this?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “It’s got a contact number for a law firm. I’ve utilised their services before, and they know their craft really well. They also happen to be the foremost specialists when it comes to suing the government entities.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head in confusion.

     Why was she giving him this card, then?

     “Uh, what should I do with this?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “I’ve got a feeling that you’ll need it very soon. When the equipment arrives, we will measure your output, and when the results say that you’re an ability user…. well, it’s going to get a lot more interesting than compared to now, you see? By hanging you with the following charges – refusing to register, lying to an officer of the law, obstruction of justice, illegally trespassing into a restricted area, etc etc, we’ll totally grind you into a pulp… Oh, I’m sorry, you’ll find yourself in a bit of hot water very soon, so I was thinking that you might need a legal representation. If you don’t get a capable lawyer, then your life might come to a sudden and very tragic end before you know it.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Her friendly smile was laced with heavy killing intent.

     “Sounds like a threat to me, though?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “A threat? Eiii, no it wasn’t. Why would I threaten you? Besides, this doesn’t even amount to ‘threat’ at all. A real threatening goes something like this. Did you know that, as soon as you’re registered as an ability user, you have to go through a period of ‘reorientation’ process? Since I feel that Yi Ji-Hyuk-ssi will become a wonderful user in the future, I shall personally take over the reins as your tutor and make sure that you will receive a proper, straight and strict education.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young spoke enthusiastically, as if the mere thought pleased her to no end.

     “You aren’t planning to murder me, yes?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Eii, no way I’ll murder you. However, I’ve seen some people who wish for that, though? They say they would rather prefer death, but, oh well. Ah, you don’t have to worry. When you’re half dead from hard work, you won’t even be able to mutter out something like that.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Ah, so that’s how it is.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk’s voice became progressively smaller.

     “If you cooperated from the very beginning, such a measure wouldn’t have been necessary. Such a pity.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Seriously, it really sounds like you’ve been threatening me for some time now… Is this how a government institution operates nowadays?” (Yi Ji-Jyuk)

     “Ah, looks like you don’t know this. Controlling ability users are very difficult, so this ‘much’ is the accepted norm now. Even the governing laws are a little bit different, as well. If you’re not an ability user, then I’ve wronged you, so let me apologise in advance.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Then, how about apologising to me in advance?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Eiii, there’s no way.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     At the same time, the door to the interview room opened, and Choi Jung-Hoon entered while carrying a thing that kind of resembled a blood pressure monitor.

     Indeed, it did look like a blood pressure monitor, yet the part that went around the body was much bigger. As if it was…

     “Isn’t this a maternity belt?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “It’s a mobile Ether measuring equipment.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Looks like an electronic maternity belt to me, though?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “It’s a mobile Ether measuring equipment.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “No, hang on a minute. It really looks like…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Please stop wasting time and put it on now.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     When Yi Ji-Hyuk stood up, Choi Jung-Hoon wrapped the equipment around the youth’s chest.

     “It really looks like a maternity belt, though….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Another vein bulged on Seo Ah-Young’s forehead. She oh-so badly wanted to wring the little neck of the b*stard who was still acting so carefree even in this kind of situation.

     “This is your last chance. If you admit to everything and apologise now, we will take into consideration your unique mitigating circumstances.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Should I do that?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Nicer things are nice for a reason, don’t you think so?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Of course, Seo Ah-Young had no thoughts of doing that. No, she wanted to witness with her own two eyes, this little b*stard’s face when his last ray of hope crumbled to dust, no matter what.

     “Eiiii, I ain’t gonna do that.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Unfortunately, it seemed such an idea also popped in Yi Ji-Hyuk’s head as well.

     Seo Ah-Young gritted her teeth loudly.

     “I should warn you now to give up, if you think you can hide your Ether emission. With the cases of ability users hiding his or her Ether emission happening frequently, this latest, cutting edge measuring equipment can even catch that out. No matter how crafty and wily your methods might be, it cannot fool this machine.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young’s final threats fell on Yi Ji-Hyuk’s deaf ears.

     “I ain’t gonna fool no one since I don’t know anything, anyways. I’m telling you, I really don’t know what’s going on here.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Oh, really? Why don’t we take a goooood look, then?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Ppeebikk….

     When Seo Ah-Young pressed a button, the measuring equipment’s screen came to life. It bleeped and blopped noisily while the screen flashed the confirmation that the measurement was taking place, and soon, the result appeared on it.

     842.

     Seo Ah-Young stared at that number dumbfoundedly. Even Choi Jung-Hoon’s brows scrunched up real tight.

     “So? How is it?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young didn’t reply, and pressed the button one more time. Once more, the machine beeped noisily, showed the same words of measurement taking place, and this time, the number 841 showed up instead.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk asked in genuine curiosity.

     “What does this number mean?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young unwrapped the equipment off Yi Ji-Hyuk’s chest and tried to place it another body part of the youth, giving Choi Jung-Hoon a chance to explain.

     “That’s the ‘value’ of Ether present within you.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Did the result come out okay?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “How should I say this… Even a normal person will show some signs of Ether emission.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Okay.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Now normally, an average value of Ether found in an ordinary person is around 500. However, there are some people with higher number as well, and it’s these folks that can use special abilities. That’s why they are called the ability users.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Okay, so how high must one be, if it’s not ‘normal’ value?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “To be classified as an ability user, the minimum value needs to exceed 1000. A person with Ether value higher than 1000 is then classified as a beginner ability user.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Ah, is that so.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Ppeebeebick.

     This time, the number ‘848’ showed up on the measuring equipment wrapped around Yi Ji-Hyuk’s pelvis. The machine got hurriedly pulled off and then, got wrapped around his thigh now.

     “So… since I am around 800 or so, that means I’m not an ability user, no? You said the average was around 500, but there is no such thing as me being classified as a user because my number’s a bit higher than that, right?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Yes. Anyone below 1000 are not classified as an ability user.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Ah, is that so.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Ppeebeebick.

     The value for Ether measured on his legs were around 700. Yi Ji-Hyuk pushed off Seo Ah-Young busy trying to wrap the equipment on his other leg and sat down on the chair.

     “That means, I’m a civilian, then?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Classification wise, yes, you are.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “That means, I got dragged here for no reason whatsoever?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “No, it’s incorrect to say there is no reason.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “If I recall correctly, you said something about irrefutable evidence and a 2nd level personnel and whatnots….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “I did, yes.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “The irrefutable evidence is?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Mm, well, if you look at the screen, then….” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Eiii, eiii~. I’m a civilian, so you can’t call that footage of a civilian blowing away a monster’s head an irrefutable evidence at all, can you? Isn’t it more correct to say, some other unexplainable something happened, instead?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Well, yes, in a way, that is….” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon’s face crumpled even further. A person with Ether value of 800 blew away a Jarchev’s head? He’d be treated like an uneducated moron if he uttered this out aloud in public.

     If one were to compare this to a more common sense-like occurrence, it’d be akin to a passing housewife throwing a punch to the side of a tiger and killing it instantly.

     “Sooo, in other words, without any proper proof, I got dragged in here and got showered with insults and thinly-veiled threats, am I right so far?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Thuk.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk leaned back on his chair and put his feet up on the desk.

     “Hey, where do you think you are right now!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Hey, ahjussi.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Yes?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Give me a smoke.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “…….”

     “Seriously, today’s weather is really fitting for a nice little cigarette, don’t you think so?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Choi Jung-Hoon’s voice rose up in anger.

     “Hey, man, look here!!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     But before he could continue, Yi Ji-Hyuk cut him off.

     “If you don’t want to, then gimme my phone call.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     The image of the youth busy waving around a certain business card stabbed painfully into Choi Jung-Hoon’s retina.

     SHINRYE LAW FIRM

     ‘Shinrye law firm?!’ (TL: ‘shinrye’ means trust/faith in Korean.)

     Why on god’s green earth was that card doing in that youth’s hands?

     Known as the specialist in suing the government, they were infamous as blood sucking leeches that wouldn’t hesitate to lodge an appeal to a higher court if it meant they get to bleed out even a single cent more.

     Why did the business card of the tax extractors – called as such, as they seemingly enjoyed ‘placing’ an oil pump on a government entity and then proceeded to extract tax money as if they were pumping out oil – end up in that youth’s hands?!

     Out of all the other lawyers and law firms on this planet, why must it be them?!?!

     Out of all the 1000+ graduates from law schools around the country, why must it be them?!?!

     Completely dazed, Choi Jung-Hoon slowly shifted his gaze towards the person he suspected of producing that business card in the first place.

     Shudder.

     The guilty one knew her crimes and she quickly averted her gaze. Choi Jung-Hoon told himself many times that today, as soon as he left this room, he would throw his resignation letter straight to that rotten bi*ch’s face. To hit her with the edge, no less!!

     But that was for later. Right now, this was something else. Choi Jung-Hoon rolled his brain desperately to say something to reverse this horrifying situation.

     If they were pushed into retreat, then there would be no end for them. They needed to admit to some of the mistakes and must negotiate for a fair settlement. Well, he had been rolling around in this field for the last ten years or so; lobbying and making suggestions were Choi Jung-Hoon’s special powers!!

     Choi Jung-Hoon desperately calculated all the angles and eventualities and finally found the most suitable response for this situation!!

     “If you have a tobacco brand you prefer, I shall go buy a pack for you.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Yep. Time to throw the towel in.

     You are reading

     The Returner

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     Chapter 8: Ah, is that so? 5

      However, Yi Ji-Hyuk was ‘generous’ enough.

     “It’s cool, I say. We have a shared history and all. Just give me one on you.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Here it is.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon produced a cigarette from his pocket and politely delivered it Yi Ji-Hyuk’s hand.

     And as he was about to pull out his lighter, Yi Ji-Hyuk called Seo Ah-Young out.

     “Excuse me, ‘older sister‘?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “…..Yes?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     She was jolted out of the state of a prolonged denial while stuck inside the pits of despair, and quickly made her reply. Yi Ji-Hyuk ruthlessly hit her with the finisher.

     “Light it up for me, please.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young weakly reached out, and Choi Jung-Hoon wordlessly placed his lighter in her hands. Her arms were shaking badly, but Choi Jung-Hoon firmly grasped them.

     ‘Endure it. You lose control here, and everything’s finished. Finished.’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk’s eagle-like eyes were busy minding the CCTV camera right above their heads.

     Too bad, Seo Ah-Young couldn’t just let it go.

     “It’s a non-smoking area here….” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “How much is the fine?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “It’s ₩100,000…” (TL: just over $90.)

     “As much as a pack of gums, eh? Well, I’m sure it’s fine to shave that off from the damages payment, am I right?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Click.

     Seo Ah-Young very politely lit the cigarette hanging loose on Yi Ji-Hyuk’s lips and retreated, her eyes completely soulless now. Yi Ji-Hyuk dragged the bluish smoke deeply into his lungs and slowly let it out.

     “Yeah, so. I told you it wasn’t like that, yet why did you keep insisting that it was? Is it really okay to forcibly arrest and threaten a weak civilian like myself, eh? You haven’t provided me with a warm meal, even!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Ah. Let me get you something to eat.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “No, don’t even bother. No need to force you to bow to me. Besides, when looking at what the scary ahujmma over there is doing, I might end up easily sucking in seolleontang through my nose instead, so how can I eat in peace now?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk) (TL: “ahjumma” is the female equivalent of “ahjussi”. Basically, you don’t call a young woman with this term unless you don’t like your life and wish to die early. “Seolleongtang” is a soup-type dish made from the broth of ox bones.)

     Seo Ah-Young’s body trembled in fury.

     *SFX for teeth grinding furiously*

     The sounds of gritting teeth reverberated like a surround sound effect within this closed off small room. Even then, Yi Ji-Hyuk relaxedly sucked on his cigarette.

     “P, please, hold on for a sec…” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon grabbed and dragged Seo Ah-Young out of the interview room.

     “*SFX for a heavy, repeated breathing*”

     “Why did you give him that business card in the first place?!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Mister Choi Jung-Hoon!!!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young tightly grasped both of his arms.

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     “What now?!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “That, that b*stard, can I just slam my fist into that smug p*ssant face of his, just once? Pretty please? I can’t? I really can’t? If I land the blow ju-st right, I’m sure his teeth will remain, but I’ll knock him out for good!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Have you lost your mind?! Are you gaining weight lately or something? Why are you volunteering to go on a diet of bean rice?” (Choi Jung-Hoon) (TL: “eating bean rice” means eating prison food, BTW.)

     “Right now, I feel like I can brave a trip to Hade’s pits if I can just land one solid blow to that smug SOB’s chin!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Then, brave it alone, please. Don’t drag me into your mess, please!! So, why did you threaten the guy? You know we record everything via CCTV!! There’s been a lot of heat over our department, so you know well enough that if we get sued over this, it’ll be the end for us!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Seo Ah-Young began biting her thumb nail as if she too could feel the urgency of the situation.

     “We can erase the CCTV tape, can’t we?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “You want to destroy government property, too? Holy moly. It’s not enough for you to sleep in a jail cell, so you also wish to get fired to boot, as well?!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Ahahark!! Just find me a way, Choi-raemon!!!! I really, dearly, really want to kill that SOB right now!!” (Seo Ah-Young) (TL: LOL. Doraemon reference FTW.)

     “Cutting him loose quickly is our best and only solution. On top of that….” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “On top of what?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “You know. Nothing good will come about antagonising that guy.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Kkheung.”

     Seo Ah-Young spat out a pained groan and admitted to this fact. Threats and court summons and whatnots could be ignored, in reality. If they really get sued, then in all honesty, it wouldn’t cause too big an issue.

     It was just that Choi Jung-Hoon was exaggerating the danger level somewhat, since the weight of the work entrusted to Seo Ah-Young, as well as her true ‘abilities’, formed a solid foundation that wouldn’t be shaken up with something this small.

     ‘The real issue is that guy inside…’

     Choi Jung-Hoon was now more convinced than ever after seeing that CCTV footage.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk was an ability user.

     However, his ability seemingly had no similarity to the myriad of abilities already revealed to the world, and even the Ether measuring equipment failed to get a bead on the guy.

     In that case, there were two possibilities.

     Either that Yi Ji-Hyuk possessed an immense ability that broke past what’s accepted as common sense to Seo Ah-Young and Choi Jung-Hoon, or his ability was a special one that operated differently to that of every other ability known to the world.

     Whichever the case it may be, antagonising him would be unwise.

     Currently, they needed every single ability user they could find. So, it would do them no good at all to sour the relationship with a user possessing a unique ability.

     “Why can’t we measure him properly? Why? Ah, so dang frustrating!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     If his Ether value went past 1000, they could’ve tied him down with many different laws and regulations. And they could gradually pull him in to their fold, but since the value was below 1000, there was nothing they could do.

     Every bait they have prepared could only be used against an ability user. They might possess extra-legal authority within the restricted areas, but outside of such places, they were worth less than a passing patrolman, no, a dang police reservist even, to regular civilians.

     If they wanted to arrest Yi Ji-Hyuk, then they needed to prove that he was an ability user. And the sole proof was the value spat out by the Ether measuring equipment.

     What if they argued that the value from the equipment showed that he was a civilian, but from their view, he was an ability user?

     Right now, there was a lot of fuss kicked up by many human rights organisations that accused them of violating many, many human rights – so, it stood to reason that they would come for Seo Ah-Young’s blood next.

     Well, of course they would. Why wouldn’t they? If her arguments got accepted, then that meant normal civilians could be marked as an ability user according to her whims, and end up being controlled by the special law governing the users.

     Choi Jung-Hoon desperately soothed her.

     “Let’s cut him loose for now. We know who he is now, so we can simply observe him from afar. If we try to hold him, we won’t gain anything and our relationship with him will only worsen.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Whew. I understand.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young sighed out in defeat.

     She didn’t like this result one bit, but even she was well aware of the fact that there was no other way.

     ‘Right, cut him loose for now, and search for another way. I can break his a*s down after finding a way to tie him up. That’s all.’ (Seo Ah-Young)

     Didn’t someone once say that, for a wise man, or a wise woman in this case, waiting ten years to get her revenge wouldn’t be considered tardy at all?

     Seo Ah-Young told herself this and took another deep, deep breath. She organised her chaotic mind and entered the interview room to find Yi Ji-Hyuk and his totally disinterested face.

     “Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Yep?”

     “There has been a small misunderstanding. My sincerest apologies. I shall make sure to get you released as soon as possible.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Sure. Well, I do understand. I really do. You hit a poor frog with a carelessly thrown pebble, and when whales fight, it’s always the weak shrimps that get squashed to mush, am I right? I mean, I got threatened because of some small misunderstanding by people in high places and nearly got my life obliterated, but I shouldn’t hold grudges over such things, right? I’m just a lowly commoner, after all.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Hah, hah, hah, hah.”

     Seo Ah-Young laughed very awkwardly. This youth possessed a heaven-defying ability to say old idioms in such an irritating way. If she were to measure the level of sarcasm inherent in his voice, just how high would he set the bar at?

     “It is truly regrettable that you had to endure such unnecessary troubles due to the misunderstanding of the officer involved.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Eiii. No need for wordy apologies in our modern society, are there? Don’t feel sorry. We have all these wonderful laws in place, so I don’t quite get what’s up with all this lengthy chat.” (Yi Jung-Hoon)

     Fuu-woo, fuu-woo…

     Seo Ah-Young began to draw in heavy breaths. They said that drawing three “In” consecutively would prevent a murderous heart from exploding. (TL: it’s a Korean idiom. Not sure what else I can do here other than TLing it directly. The Hanja word “In” means endurance/suppress/patience.)

     Wait, why should she avoid murdering someone? Wouldn’t it be better to not avoid it at all?

     She was sure of one thing, though.

     The longer she talked with this rotten SOB of a man in front of her, the worse it would be for her mental health.

     “I’ll show you the exit. Please, stand up.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     She braced herself for the youth running his mouth off saying something about lawsuit and stuff, yet Yi Ji-Hyuk stood up without saying a word.

     “This way, please.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young led Yi Ji-Hyuk out of the building altogether. Anxious Choi Jung-Hoon followed them closely behind.

     As soon as they exited the building, Seo Ah-Young bowed her head slowly.

     “I apologise for any inconvenience caused to you.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     She had lost her cool back then, but now, her face was an exemplary model of calmness.

     “Well then, be careful on your way home.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     However…. Yi Ji-Hyuk didn’t leave right away.

     Did he have something else to complain about?

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     Seo Ah-Young’s eyes narrowed to a slit.

     “Shouldn’t you be heading home now?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk didn’t reply.

     Although she wanted to ignore this man, it definitely looked like he had something to say, but was debating on whether he should speak up or not.

     Getting anxious now, Seo Ah-Young was about to tell him to speak up, when Yi Ji-Hyuk broke the silence with a really small voice.

     “There is something else….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young gritted her teeth.

     “If you wish to sue, then go ahead. I won’t hide and meet you head on. Whatever you ask for compensation, we will honour it. I mean, how much can you ask for, anyway?”

     “Eh-heiii!! Captain, no!!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon panicked and tried to stop Seo Ah-Young.

     “No, wait, it’s not that…. I wasn’t planning to sue you, it’s just that…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Yes?”

     Awkwardly hesitating for a while, Yi Ji-Hyuk finally opened his mouth unwillingly.

     “Can you give me taxi fare for the ride home?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “………………..”

     “I’d like to go home, but I’m as broke as a church mouse….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young spat out a long sigh.

     “Oh, uh, well. Taxi fare isn’t that important, really. I can take a walk, instead. I’ve got two healthy legs, after all. But….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk’s voice was trembling.

     “My clothes look a bit….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young took a sweeping look at Yi Ji-Hyuk, top to bottom. The youth was wearing the kind of shoes one might see in an anime, a huge cape thickly coated in dust, and the fabric spied from the gaps of the cape seemed to be made out of unidentifiable material.

     If he walked out on the streets looking like this, no doubt he’d become the centre of the attention in no time at all. Even the A-list celebs would be envious.

     Choi Jung-Hoon reflexively pulled out his wallet. Then, he extracted a few ₩50,000 notes and pushed it to Yi Ji-Hyuk. (TL: ₩50,000 = $46)

     “Here.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk showed how moved and grateful he was with his entire body while receiving the cash.

     “Thank you very much!! I’ll be on my way now!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Watching the giggling Yi Ji-Hyuk walk away, Choi Jung-Hoon couldn’t hold back his sigh from escaping his lips.

     “What a strange fellow.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “You put a tail on him, yes?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Of course.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Seo Ah-Young looked on at the distant back of Yi Ji-Hyuk, so far away now he’s no more than a single dot on the horizon, and gritted her teeth fiercely.

     “Keep a very close eye on that guy, you hear me? We don’t know just what’s up with that man, but whatever happens, we need to secure him.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Yes, ma’am.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     According to the reports, Yi Ji-Hyuk simply appeared in the middle of the restricted area. Not like Choi Jung-Hoon, whose ID was registered with the KSF so he could slip in and out of such areas unhindered, but as the word implied, he simply popped in there with no prior warning.

     At a bare minimum, he could be someone with a teleport ability, or even, someone possessing a greater power than that.

     “I may be letting you go for now, but you just wait and watch, we will see each other very soon!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young was looking forward to the day she’d confront Yi Ji-Hyuk once more.

     ….Unfortunately, she couldn’t have imagined how soon it’d be before she meets him again.

     “By the way, how should I submit receipts for today’s expense?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Receipts?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “The cash I gave to Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk. I need to submit the amount spent. After all, it’s an expense spent on an ability user.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “What are you talking about? That man is officially not an ability user. Didn’t you see the measurement values?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “No, wait. He is actually an ability user, isn’t he?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Seo Ah-Young smiled refreshingly.

     “I was wondering what got into you, being so nice and all. You do your thing submitting the expense report on your own. Although, I doubt you’ll get your money back.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young turned on her heels and trotted back into the office building, while Choi Jung-Hoon’s face crumpled unsightly.

     “My money!!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Nothing seemed to go smoothly today.

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     Chapter 9: But, I didn’t return to do this! 1

      “So, I did make it back home, but….”

     Yi Ji-Hyuk counted the cash in his hands while whistling out loudly. Things did get complicated for a bit back there, but he still ended up with free cash. This was a fine profit for wasting a couple of hours being dragged around here and there, that’s for sure.

     Besides, he got to find out just what had been cooking on this side for free as well, so he killed two birds with one stone, indeed.

     The most important fact was that, it had been only five years since he got sucked into the world of Berafe.

     Only five years!!

     He imagined the worst case scenario of this world in total ruins. If the time flow was the same between here and Berafe, then it wouldn’t have been strange to see the mankind nuked themselves to oblivion, and for a new dominant species to emerge and rule the planet afterwards.

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     But, it’s been only five years!

     How wonderful this was from his point of view, since, at a bare minimum, he wouldn’t have to squeeze his brain dry while trying to come up with ways to eradicate some mutated cockroaches or stuff like that.

     Also, it looked like he had found the correct dimension, too. Although monsters and strange stuff have been happening here, fortunately enough, his original identity was still intact.

     In the end, he had escaped that hellish world of Berafe for real.

     On top of that, this body of his had sustained an injury.

     After experiencing nosebleed, his nose stung, even now. He hadn’t fully recovered yet, in other words. This was unimaginable back in Berafe, where his body would revive in full from a handful of ashes in three seconds flat.

     He would be able to get hurt here, and also, die.

     Yes, he had reverted back to being a ‘human’.

     Unknown emotions welled up inside him.

     The things that caused the most suffering during the intolerable length of time that side, weren’t the loneliness he felt by finding himself in a foreign world, nor was it the insatiable longing for his homeworld.

     No, he overcame those pretty quickly. Probably around 150 years after he was stranded in Berafe?

     What caused him endless grief was the fact that he couldn’t forget, and couldn’t die.

     He wouldn’t have gone uber-nuts insane trying to return home, if he could just forget about the things on this version of earth with the natural passing of time and/or if he was able to die, even if that meant he’d be ripped apart limb from limb.

     He would’ve lived in Berafe and died there eventually.

     But, the forgetfulness had not been granted to him. And with the body that didn’t want to die and didn’t want to age, he was forced to live on forever.

     He was a human who wasn’t a human.

     That was the Bringer of Apocalypse, Yi Ji-Hyuk, in a nutshell.

     But now, he could get injured! He could die, too! He was now a human, through and through.

     However…. now that he had returned with nothing but the unbending desire to return, he was at a loss. Well, he didn’t return here because he wanted to do something, after all….

     “Okay, let’s go home, for now.”

     He decided on what to do next.

     He should head home. Home.

     But, before that….

     Yi Ji-Hyuk looked down at his get-up.

     “Time to buy some new duds.”

     It was a wise decision.

     He sought out the nearest shopping mall, and entered the shop with ‘SPA’ written out in front. With his hood deeply covering his face, Yi Ji-Hyuk began picking out clothes. It felt like that all the stares he received while walking to this store were lots more than total number of stares he had received in his entire life.

     It’d been more preferable to be looked at like a caged monkey in a zoo. Stares of pity, as if he was some sort of a hopeless loon, were making him cringe inside so much.

     ‘Feels like I might die from the embarrassment…’

     Well, he didn’t deliberately choose this get-up. Oh no. Initially, when he got to Berafe, he sought to stake out his own identity so he tried to make denim by his own hands. He tried to imitate modern clothing, too. But after one year, two years, hundred years, two hundred years later, all of that lost meaning. So, in the end, he chose to fuhgeddabout style for performance, instead!

     The robe of his that others thought of as an old doormat, was a precious treasure that any self-respecting wizards in Berafe would resort to selling their own spouses to buy. It featured physical damage resistance, magic damage resistance, and on top of that, automatic correction of the Mana flow and assist in magic formulas as well.

     Most importantly, it possessed its own magic circuit, so even with a simple chant, he could get a magic spell activated. In other words, it was a treasure beyond the level of an artifact and into the realms of a gift from the gods.

     ‘Doesn’t matter, does it? It’s just a trash now.’

     What an unfortunate thing, the robe that showcased cheat-like powers in Berafe was no different than trash here. Mana that used to flow richly within the magic circuit now was completely dried up. And even when he forcibly shoved Mana into the darn thing, nothing happened.

     He had no idea where should he even begin mending this thing, since the very laws of this world were different from that of Berafe’s.

     Which meant that he should change his clothes without regrets. No, rather, even if this robe was performing to 120% of its capacity, he needed to throw it away. Yi Ji-Hyuk was no longer an immortal. He might die of embarrassment and shame if any more people saw him in this rag.

     Although, it was a trending fashion item back in Berafe…

     He picked up a nice enough shirt and pants, some underwear and socks, even a pair of shoes as well. When he headed towards the changing room, one of the employees blocked his path.

     “Dear customer, you must purchase the items first!!”

     “Since when must I pay for clothes that I want to try on first? Something like this never happened five years ago!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “We’re fine with clothes, but socks and underpants are not. While you’re on it, you should pay for the rest as well.”

     “What the?! What do you take me for, a bum or something?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     The employee’s eyes and facial expression said ‘obviously’. Yes, Yi Ji-Hyuk’s outer appearance did resemble a bum, sure. No, well, he was flat-out broke until a few minutes ago, so technically, he was a bum.

     ‘Aaand, I can’t even beat this guy up now…’

     Yi Ji-Hyuk licked his lips.

     He might have made a killing if it weren’t for the Latrel’s Eye completely destroying all of his magic accessories like the dragon heart and stuff; only possessions he had on himself were the robe with its broken magic circuit, and the other items of clothing that had lost their resistance to magic.

     That was why he couldn’t use any magic whatsoever back when dealing with that monster known as the Jarchev. If he hadn’t learned body fortification technique back in Berafe while wandering aimlessly, he might have become a headless corpse by now.

     After paying cash for the clothes, Yi Ji-Hyuk was finally allowed to use the changing room. The employees behind the cash register shot him a suspicious glare while Yi Ji-Hyuk pulled the cash out from his pocket, but thankfully, no incidents involving policemen occurred.

     Once he was finished changing, and tied the laces of his shoes, he began worrying about how to dispose these junk clothes from Berafe.

     They were too useless to take with him, but it also felt somewhat regretful to simply chuck them away in a trash can.

     In the end, Yi Ji-Hyuk threw all the clothing and the shoes from Berafe into a paper bag to carry them with him.

     He exited the changing room and took one more look at the body-length mirror, and a handsome youth was smiling back in the reflection.

     “Nice.”

     He felt good, now that he was wearing modern clothes. While grinning like a fool, he left the store and immediately, all those stares that were trained on him as if he were some sort of ape in a cage all disappeared.

     While carrying the paper bag, he headed off to the subway.

     He got slightly worried about making a hash of boarding a train, yet his body seemed to know what to do and he smoothly bought a ticket – one advantage of his memories not fading even after all those years.

     There was no need for him to re-acclimatise, at all.

     His body might have been stuck in Berafe, but his memories and soul still belonged here. Everything felt so natural.

     He rode on the subway just fine and finally arrived at his old suburb.

     With mixed emotions, Yi Ji-Hyuk looked at the old and shabby Jugong apartment building. He was always embarrassed by the fact that he had to call this place home, yet for some weird reason, now it felt really nice seeing that old building today. (TL: “Jugong” is an abridged name of the Korean government entity that builds low-cost housing complexes. Houses and apartment buildings built by them are all referred to as Jugong this and that.)

     He climbed on the elevator and soon, stood before the door to his family’s old apartment.

     ‘Ah, I guess I’m not that calm, after all.’

     He felt his emotions well up.

     He thought that, due to his never changing memories, he’d feel quite indifferent about returning home that he proverbially had left yesterday, but, judging by his emotions fluctuating like this, it seemed that all that time wasted in Berafe wasn’t a child’s play, after all.

     If not that, maybe the restrictions placed on his memories had been lost and his experiences in Berafe were now affecting his old ones. But who the hell cares.

     *SFX for a doorbell chiming*

     Yi Ji-Hyuk pressed the doorbell.

     “Who is it?”

     He heard a voice of a middle-aged woman through the door. Yi Ji-Hyuk suppressed this powerful, surging tide of emotions and made his reply.

     “It’s me, mom.”

     I sounded a bit shaky there, didn’t I…?

     But, it should be fine, right?

     From mom’s point of view, it’s been five years already, so she must be really surprised, probably? What if she asks me what I have been doing until now? How should I answer her?

     So many thoughts danced around in his mind, but he still felt good in this very moment. The most important fact was that he had finally returned to the loving embrace of his family.

     “My son?!”

     The door flew open and a middle aged woman dashed out.

     I’ve come home.

     Finally, I’ve returned.

     Just as Yi Ji-Hyuk forced back the tears laden to the brim with powerful emotions, the woman asked him loudly.

     “Who are you?”

     “…………”

     Did this ahjumma forgot the face of her own son only after five years?

     Yi Ji-Hyuk ended up shouting out in a voice full of disappointment and irritation.

     “And who are you supposed to be?”

     The two of them stared at each other for a while, not saying anything else.

     *

     They knew they would see him again.

     Pretty soon, even.

     That was the reason why they let him go without too much fuss. Because… a suitable excuse would arise after they had observed him for a period of time.

     Seeing him as quickly as possible naturally meant that an excuse had been found quickly, which also meant that the skills of the agents observing the target were excellent as well, so it would be good either way.

     Unfortunately, there was a small fly in that ointment.

     “Isn’t this way too soon?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young massaged her temples fiercely. Her head hurt like hell. She let loose a rabbit caught in the trap after it resisted way too much, and stuck a tail on it in the meantime. But then, this rabbit walked right back in with his own two feet after not even half a day had passed by.

     Seo Ah-Young glared at the slightly embarrassed rabbit, no, Yi Ji-Hyuk, standing in front of her.

     “Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “……..Yes, ma’am.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “You must take us for granted or something, but in truth, we are very busy people, do you understand? Over there, can’t you see Mister Choi Jung-Hoon? He can only go home every three days or so. That’s how busy we are. But, what do you expect us to do, when you just barge in here, demanding to see us and speak to us, like this?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk’s shoulders shrivelled even further.

     “So, what’s the matter this time? Didn’t you say you were going home?” (Seo Ah-Young)

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     “I did, but…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “But, what?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk’s lips trembled noticeably.

     He trembled in embarrassment like this for a while before finally speaking up in a very weak voice.

     “They….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “They?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “They moved house….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Seo Ah-Young became utterly speechless.

     Choi Jung-Hoon continuously wiped the corners of rapidly-reddening eyes.

     Coming home after five years of absence, and the family had moved on to an address unknown.

     Of course, they thought it was only five years.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk forced down his quivering shoulders and screamed inside his head.

     ‘But, I didn’t return to do this!’

     Yi Ji-Hyuk was reminded once more how tough the life on the planet Earth could be.

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     Chapter 10: But, I didn’t return to do this! 2

      “Please, eat slowly. Slowly.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon looked at Yi Ji-Hyuk with eyes of pity. Seeing the youth shove food into his mouth as if the god of hunger had taken over, he was feeling rather sympathetic here.

     ‘Looks like it’s been a few years since he had rice in his diet.’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Sure, Yi Ji-Hyuk had many gut-busting feasts before. During the latter half of his stay in Berafe, he had become the wealthiest man there, after all. The only sticking point was that there was no obvious way he could eat a Korean meal over that side.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk literally drank the entire pot of kimchi stew. The initial takeaway portion for one person was finished real quickly, so to be on the safe side, three more portions were ordered, yet the youth hoovered them all up, and now, he was busy scraping the bottom of the pot.

     ‘Was there an ability related to eating food?’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     They couldn’t help but stupidly wonder if there was indeed a person out there whose sole ability was to eat food like crazy.

     Clang.

     The thoroughly-cleaned out pot made a rather refreshingly clear noise.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk sucked on his finger as if something was still missing, but Choi Jung-Hoon resolutely didn’t inquire if the youth needed more. A person should have morals, after all.

     The door to the office opened and an employee entered while carrying a printed A4 paper. Choi Jung-Hoon received it and read the contents.

     “Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, take a look at this.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Okay.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “This is your parents’ current address. Originally, we’re not supposed to access such information. Next time, please utilise the services of the local police. We only helped out this time because it might get complicated with you registered as a missing person currently.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     In the case of a ‘regular’ missing persons case, then it only required re-activation of his residential registration card, but Yi Ji-Hyuk was also listed as deceased as well, so the process became quite cumbersome. Choi Jung-Hoon, however, used the excuse of taking care of that process and accessed all the private information available on Yi Ji-Hyuk.

     What with the times like this, a person missing for over two years was treated as deceased, killed by a monster or something similar to that effect. Well, monsters that could swallow whole a person, along with any identifiable articles, popped up way too often these days, after all.

     “I will!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Suddenly, Yi Ji-Hyuk became a well-behaved child.

     “You can go there now you’ve seen the address, yes?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     *SFX for a shake of Yi Ji-Hyuk’s head*

     “You can’t?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     *SFX for a nod of Yi Ji-Hyuk’s head*

     Rather than a well-behaved child, it was more like talking to a dog which could understand basic commands, instead.

     “Then, how should we handle this…?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon fell into a dilemma.

     There would be no problem by simply handing over this piece of paper with Yi Ji-Hyuk’s home address written on, and push him out the door, telling him to find it himself. No one here had any reason to waste time on something this minor whatsoever – seriously, wasn’t it the job of the police to help a lost child – no, a lost idiot?

     However, the idiot in front of Choi Jung-Hoon’s eyes wasn’t a normal idiot, but an idiot with special abilities. Not to mention, an idiot that his team Captain was licking her lips in anticipation for that inevitable ‘chance’.

     Treating such an ability user poorly would only worsen their relationship and that would become an unnecessary headache down the line.

     “Please, wait here for a moment.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     In the end, Choi Jung-Hoon chose to leave the decision making responsibility to someone else. But, when he went to speak to the ‘decision maker’, she simply frowned deeply and didn’t even want to listen to him.

     “But, Captain.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Argh, what now?! What?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Choi Jung-Hoon quietly drew in his breaths. ‘Get annoyed after listening to what I have to say first!!’

     “It’s about Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Didn’t you find out his address already?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “I did.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Then, tell him and send him away.” (Seo Ah-Young)

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     “Apparently, he won’t be able to find it.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     With the eyes that screamed she had enough of this sh*t, Seo Ah-Young’s sharp gaze pierced past the office wall and glared at someone beyond it.

     “Can’t you call the cops and tell them to give him a ride, instead?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “That is indeed not a bad way to handle it, but I was wondering whether we should.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Eh-whew.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young could understand very well what Choi Jung-Hoon was on about. They could dispense with this matter as easily and carelessly if they wanted to, but if they could become more friendly with the guy right now, then their future working relationship would be that much more smoother.

     More importantly, Yi Ji-Hyuk was being seen as a teleporter. Such an ability user was very rare, and incredibly important as well.

     They could let the cops take the dude home, but that wouldn’t leave a good taste in her mouth. But then, to take him home personally…. the wasted time doing that was far too precious. That was why Choi Jung-Hoon had sought her out.

     “Take him home, please.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “You mean, I should?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Mister Choi Jung-Hoon found him first, so you take the responsibility.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Well, that’s true, but regrettably, I need to attend a meeting soon.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “About what?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “I have to make an official statement on what had happened during this incident, ma’am. It shouldn’t be anything serious, though. I waltzed into a restricted zone without permission due to negligence, so I’ll just receive a couple of demerit points or something.”

     Seo Ah-Young chuckled slightly.

     So, that was the reason why he came to speak to her, even though he could’ve easily made the decision without doing so.

     “I’ll take care of that, so take him home, please. Instead, buy me something for supper on your way back.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “That shouldn’t be a problem. What would you like?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “I’d like a steak takeaway, and as for the drink, get me the Lemon Twist Strawberry from The Slush King. And for the dessert, the cheese box special from The Cheddar King. Also, it would be bad manners to eat alone, so buy a cup of Americano each for everyone working tonight.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “….Demon.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Mm? Did you say something” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “No. It’s nothing.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     The grumbling Choi Jung-Hoon left the office while saying he’d be back soon. Compared to getting his performance review affected negatively, her demands were a smaller price to pay. Much, much smaller.

     But still, he felt wronged, somehow.

     ‘I’m also a highly valued individual, too…’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Blessed with academic records that would make him an elite wherever he went, not to mention he also passed the Civil Service Examination with flying colours, yet here he was, a shuttle for suppers and coffee.

     But what could he do? This was that kind of a job. If he was to get technical here, then his boss lady was one of the most valuable manpower in the whole country, yet all she did was lots of work that seemed to have very little real world applications. Which was the sorry tale of most government entities, but still.

     Choi Jung-Hoon was unable to mount any tangible protest and left the office, heading to where Yi Ji-Hyuk was.

     “Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk. Let’s get going. I’ll take you home.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     *

     “Wow, this is a nice car!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk got very surprised after checking out Choi Jung-Hoon’s car. With the salary of a public worker, how could he afford such a luxurious foreign saloon?

     “You must come from wealthy stock?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Choi Jung-Hoon waved his hands in denial. Regrettably, he was born with a mud spoon in his mouth; he was one of those self-made men with nothing but pure talent.

     “My numeration package is pretty substantial.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Even though you’re a public worker?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “I get a fair amount of… ‘life-related’ extra pay.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Holy cow, what a nice job.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Choi Jung-Hoon smiled bitterly.

     The so-called ‘life-related’ extra pay for facing up to scary monsters wasn’t actually a lot. The reason why he got such large paycheck in the first place, was because….

     ‘…It’s because guys like you.’

     Choi Jung-Hoon was not an ability user, yet he was solely responsible for managing many users. And most of his work involved twisting around the law and civil rights. If he was to be honest here, then one little punch from an irate ability user would be enough to make him the star of his own funeral.

     *SFX for a car’s alarm being undone*

     Yi Ji-Hyuk was deposited into the front passenger seat, and soon, Choi Jung-Hoon drove out of the parking lot.

     “Wait, weren’t you heading to work on foot earlier today?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “I was walking to the subway station.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Why a subway, when you got a nice car?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Choi Jung-Hoon’s shoulders trembled ever so slightly.

     “I wasn’t confident of arriving home in one piece, what with the state of my mind being so and so, after three straight days at work, you see.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Oh…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     So, this car wasn’t just any ol’ car, after all.

     Choi Jung-Hoon worked his butt off to afford one, so he might as well get a nice car, should he not?

     Yi Ji-Hyuk hid all traces of pity on his face – he got a feeling that Choi Jung-Hoon wouldn’t be too happy to see such an emotion from his passenger, for some reason.

     As if the car was infused with the blood, sweat and tears of Choi Jung-Hoon, it featured an excellent ride quality.

     “You still can’t remember anything for the past five years?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Yep. Nothing at all.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Where does your memory stop? Do you remember anything before the Black Monday?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Black Monday? What’s that? I know what’s a Black Friday, though.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Ah, so you don’t know the events of the Black Monday.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

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     The Black Monday.

     It was the term denoting the day that Gates opened up simultaneously all around the globe.

     Gates opened up throughout the planet and monsters poured out into the world that was severely unprepared to face these creatures. Only around 100 Gates opened, yet the damage caused was incredible.

     People started calling that fateful day the Black Monday, so they wouldn’t forget what happened, as well as to remind everyone the battle for their survival that began on that day.

     “In a nutshell, it’s the day when the Gates first opened.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Gates?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “It’s where the monsters pour out from.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Where monsters pour out from….

     Does he mean ‘warp gates’? That means creatures originate from other dimensions…. (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk’s expressions became a bit more somber.

     For a small fry he ran into as soon as he returned, hitting it repeatedly with submachine guns would do the trick. If not, one of those big guns Rambo favoured.

     However, if these gates Choi Jung-Hoon mentioned were really ‘warp gates’, then no one could tell for sure just what sort of monstrosity might pop out next. If examples from Berafe were used as a yardstick, then if a drake popped out from a ‘Gate’, the hand-held weapons of the modern day soldiers weren’t going to cut it.

     ‘What if it’s a fighter plane?’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     As far as speed was concerned, they couldn’t even be compared at all. A modern day fighter jet could rip past the Mach barrier like it’s some kind of a paper wall. But when it came to manoeuvrability, it was quite the opposite. A living creature could suddenly drop in altitude or rise higher quickly. It was hard to imagine a fighter jet designed for maximum speed to match such agility in the air.

     Jets would shoot past the target and fire air-to-air missiles, trying to take the drake down, while the flying monster would evade them, and so, that would be how the battle might unfold…

     “Will be a waste of time, though.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     The problem would be that, the power of such an air-to-air missile wouldn’t be able to penetrate a drake’s scales. (TL: Uh, no, mister author, a modern day air-to-air missile packs quite a punch. Unless you don’t know much about how powerful real military weapons can be… Shouldn’t be using Hollywood movies as your benchmark, there. Oh wait, maybe a drake has really thick scales?)

     Besides, hitting it wasn’t the end of the problems, either. If a drake appeared in the middle of a city, then well – the dang thing flying and weaving around the buildings would probably render those missiles useless, leaving no other alternatives to kill the monster.

     So, the military would resort to surface-to-air missiles, but they wouldn’t be able to use KM-SAM class rockets in fear of causing massive collateral damage to the surroundings, while KP-SAM would only end up tickling it. (TL: a KP-SAM “Shin-Gung” missile is a shoulder-launched surface to air missile developed in Korea. Same for KM-SAM “Cheon-Gung” except that it’s launched from a dedicated launch vehicle.)

     If only a measly drake could cause this much headache, then what if, seriously speaking, a real dragon crossed over?

     Utter destruction, that’s what.

     The method to kill it, would be to nuke the hell out of it.

     Honestly, he suspected whether a nuke could actually pierce past the nonsensical damage resistance of a dragon.

     Also, there would only ever be one chance.

     If it wasn’t killed with the first strike, then the dragon would simply teleport to elsewhere and evade the second missile.

     Although modern day firepower did trump that of a dragon’s, if said firepower couldn’t hit the target in the first place, then there was no answering that.

     ‘Wait a minute. Things are more serious than I thought….’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Of course, all the ‘capable’ folks in higher places should be doing their utmost something about this quandary, but still, the existence of ‘gates’ was a serious threat nevertheless.

     And he was only thinking of examples from Berafe. That Jarchev or whatever monster was something he’d never seen before in Berafe, so, although one could argue that there wouldn’t be stronger monsters than that coming out, that wasn’t a certainty at all – what if a dragon or something even worse pop out?

     However!

     ‘That’s none of my business.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk leaned against the seat with a carefree attitude.

     He had suffered enough. He was very confident that there was not one person alive who had suffered more than him even after an exhaustive search throughout the entire planet.

     But, to ‘work’ again after his return to the modern world?

     Eiii, what an unfunny joke that was.

     Such a matter was for the ‘good guys’ still willing to fight to take care of. Really, it’d be akin to calling back a retired soldier enjoying his freedom after spending decades in hellish, death-filled warzones, just because there was a sign of a new war starting.

     It’d be a praiseworthy effort if he didn’t rampage around in anger, even.

     “By the way, isn’t it difficult for you to acclimatise?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Yeah, I’m not sure what’s going on here at all. Gates and whatnots, monsters popping out and all that, plus other people strangely accepting all of this as if it’s a normal thing. Feels like I’m a sore thumb sticking out.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     The youth’s attitude showed how little he thought about this matter, yet the contents were of weighty subjects. Choi Jung-Hoon ended up frowning.

     ‘Is he telling the truth?’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     He was actually probing to see how well Yi Ji-Hyuk was sticking to that lie of convenient amnesia, yet the reaction he saw was from a person who genuinely had no idea. Folks who had lived all their lives in deep rural areas, where contact with modern world was limited at best, would behave this way after seeing soldiers entering their area in order to subjugate a monster running loose there.

     They weren’t particularly excited about it, nor were they unnervingly calm – only showing some signs of finding this whole thing quite absurd.

     ‘I need to probe more.’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     There simply wasn’t enough information on this youth to begin with.

     Although he was definitely an ability user, no one could tell what kind of power he possessed, and also, it was nearly impossible to find out just what he had been doing during those five years as well. No matter what avenue of investigation was taken, he was simply ‘missing’. There was not one trace of Yi Ji-Hyuk to be found anywhere.

     If Choi Jung-Hoon was to follow the precedence set beforehand, then a guy like this youth was either ‘this’, or ‘that’.

     Either he was an incredible ability user, or he was a complete nobody.

     Only after confirming which was which, then would the correct countermeasure be cooked up accordingly. If he was the former, then he had to be pulled in no matter the method, but if it was the latter, let the lower branches of government take care of him.

     ‘However, how should I go about doing that?’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     It wasn’t possible to attack Yi Ji-Hyuk under the pretense of finding out what his true powers were, nor could he be chucked in front of a nice ol’ Gate, either. If the numbers from that Ether measurement came out nicely, then they could’ve tested and poked him all over the place to figure out the mystery, but, since the equipment failed to pull out a decent number, Yi Ji-Hyuk couldn’t even be arrested, and the ‘textbook’ wouldn’t even apply in this case.

     ‘Isn’t there another way?’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     *SFX for a smartphone’s alarm*

     It was then. Choi Jung-Hoon’s phone issued an alarm. He slammed the brakes and pulled up to a curve, parking the car there. Then, pulling out the phone, he checked his messages.

     ‘It’s Level 1. The location is…?’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     …It was nearby!

     Complicated emotions surfaced on Choi Jung-Hoon’s face.

     It was fine for him to not respond. Although this was his jurisdiction, in the case of Threat Level 1, the responsibility fell not on the KSF, but to the local military defense force.

     However, to ignore a Gate opening up nearby and merrily going on his way also didn’t sit too well with him, either. Unfortunately, a small flicker of his professional pride was showing signs of life at this bad moment.

     “Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Yes?”

     “There’s a Gate opening up nearby, and due to my professional obligation, I must go there.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Oh, is that so? Well, in that case, you should…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Would you like to come with me?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk’s forehead creased up after hearing Choi Jung-Hoon’s words.

     “There shouldn’t be any danger. It’s the weakest Threat Level. I’m sure the clean-up will be smooth. I’ll take you home as soon as I’m finished there.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “How long will that take?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “At the longest, within three hours.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Three hours. Three…..

     Yi Ji-Hyuk slid into a dilemma of sorts. Well, it wasn’t all that difficult to exit this car now, call for a taxi, and tell the driver the address. Plus, he sure as hell didn’t want to go to a place where monsters would pop out and he might end up doing something annoying unexpectedly.

     However, there was this one thing.

     ‘I am curious….’

     Yi Ji-Hyuk was curious about how these Gates operated, and also, curious about what sort of monsters might appear, as well as how they appeared.

     There was a possibility that he needed to know such information if he were to live in this world from now on. Investing three hours to learn that – well, it wasn’t such a bad trade, he mused to himself.

     “Yeah, let’s.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Then, I’m starting the car.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     As if Choi Jung-Hoon was scared of Yi Ji-Hyuk’s mind changing at the last second, he slammed on the accelerator and sped away.

     At the same time, he rolled down the windows and placed something on the roof.

     *SFX for a police siren wailing*

     As soon as the siren went off, cars in front of them parted ways miraculously.

     “Oh, oh!”

     Yi Ji-Hyuk ended up exclaiming out after feeling the satisfaction of the might of the ‘Authority’ spreading out like an invisible aura.

     “When we arrive at the location, you must abide by every one of my commands. It can get dangerous.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Yes. Don’t worry.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “I’m saying this out of caution, but please, do not try to stand out. Beginner ability users trying to show off and then causing an incident happens way too often.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Eiii, what are you talking about here? I’m not an ability user, you know.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Right. Yes, you’re right.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon only nodded his head a couple of times.

     ‘We’ll see, after we get there.’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     He had this feeling that, the more he got involved with this youth, more complicated the situation would get. So, there was a definite need to establish their roles in this relationship.

     You are reading

     The Returner

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     Chapter 11: But, I didn’t return to do this! 3

      Chapter 11: But, I didn’t return to do this! (3)

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     The area was already under a lockdown.

     The evacuation of civilians was carried out in an efficient and professional manner, while the flow of traffic was also under strict control.

     “Please provide your ID.”

     The sentry took a look at the siren placed on top of the car and asked for the identification. Choi Jung-Hoon pushed forward his badge and the ID.

     After confirming the ID, the sentry performed a dignified salute, and Choi Jung-Hoon nodded his head in reply before driving his car towards inner area.

     “Looks like these Gates pop up just about anywhere?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “There doesn’t seem to be any set pattern; sometimes, one appears in a remote mountainous area, sometimes in the middle of a street. The only saving grace is that, Gates hasn’t opened in a place where there are buildings or such, so no structures have been destroyed yet – it’s about that much.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Then, what about water?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Excuse me? What do you mean?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “If Gates pop up pretty much anywhere, then doesn’t that mean one could appear in the middle of the ocean, or even underwater? What about one appearing up high in the sky? Maybe they’ll just fall from there and go splat?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     A certain imaginative scene rose up in Choi Jung-Hoon’s mind. A Gate opened up deep underwater and countless number of monsters poured out. However, as soon as exiting the Gate, monsters hurriedly grabbed their throats and struggled before they all drowned, and then, schools of fish rushed in after a nice source of nutrients were suddenly presented to them…

     Choi Jung-Hoon shook his head quickly.

     “There has been not one report of Gates opening up in the sky. And it’s impossible to know if a Gate had opened somewhere in the ocean. But, judging by the fact that no monsters have showed up on a shore until now, we can infer that no Gates have opened underwater, or that the monsters ended up drowning, instead.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Ah, I see.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head.

     If those words were true, then the position of each warp gate wasn’t random at all.

     On top of the warp gates’ locations not being random, they were summoned on land and only land-bound monsters popped out. Sure as hell smelt like someone’s calculated move to him.

     ‘Let’s just confirm only. Just confirm.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     He harboured no thoughts of poking here and there in order to uncover a sinister plot or some such. But, it should be fine simply to confirm the ‘Gate’ in front of his eyes only.

     When the car entered deeper into the street, armoured personnel carriers similar to those he saw earlier in the day could be spotted. He also spotted support weaponry installed on many of the tall buildings.

     Choi Jung-Hoon parked his car on the far corner and opened the door.

     “Please, exit the vehicle.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Can’t I just stay here?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “It shouldn’t be a problem, but also, it could get more dangerous here.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “I’m coming!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk immediately unbuckled his safety belt. Well, his life was precious, after all.

     Choi Jung-Hoon led Yi Ji-Hyuk and entered a tent erected behind two armoured personnel carriers.

     “Loyalty!”

     “Yes. Carry on.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     A soldier saluted Choi Jung-Hoon as soon as seeing him, and the KSF agent reciprocated the salute. (TL: In the South Korean army, it’s a common practice to say the phrase “Loyalty/충성” out aloud when performing a salute.)

     ‘Wow, this ahjussi must be ranked higher than I thought?’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     He looked like a low-level government paper-pusher the way he ran around doing errands and getting nagged on incessantly like a chump by a young girl, but after arriving on the scene, he seemed like he was overflowing with the Force right now.

     Now that Yi Ji-Hyuk thought about it, the masculinity oozing from that dandy suit and well-combed hair of Choi Jung-Hoon was no joke, either.

     “How’s it looking?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Around one hour left, most likely.”

     A middle-aged soldier monitoring the situation out in front of the bank of screens replied to Choi Jung-Hoon’s query.

     “Have you called for reinforcements yet, sir?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “It’s been decided not to call for help when the level is only a ‘1’, didn’t we? So, why are you here?”

     “I was around the area, that’s why, sir.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Looks like you guys really don’t have much to do.”

     Choi Jung-Hoon formed a bitter smile.

     The Supernatural Entity Defence Command.

     Also known as the Defcom.

     It was a new organisation created by the military for the express purpose of combating monster threats with a corps of specially trained soldiers.

     Not only were the methods of fighting against people and monsters, as well as training for those said methods, noticeably different, but because the old ways of placing importance on defending each region couldn’t cope with the Gates that appeared in various places seemingly at random, a new unit that didn’t follow the existing structure of the military became a necessity.

     However, although their goal was the same, the way to achieve that goal was the polar opposite, with the defense force that placed emphasis on firepower and the KSF that centred around ability users, leading to frequent clashes, both big and small, between the two. It wasn’t to the point of hatred, but well, oil and water weren’t meant to be mixed, after all.

     So, even if the attitude of Colonel Jeong In-Soo in front showed how unwelcoming this intrusion was, this reaction could be seen as on the side of being very moderate for a member of the Defcom.

     “And he is?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Colonel Jeong In-Soo pointed at Yi Ji-Hyuk.

     “Ah, we were in the area so we stopped by together.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “He’s an ability user?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “No, he’s still a civilian.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     The face of Colonel Jung In-Soo crumpled.

     “Look here, mister Choi Jung-Hoon! Are you insane? You brought a civilian into an active area of operations?!” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Choi Jung-Hoon frowned slightly while taking in the reaction of Colonel Jeong In-Soo. He had inserted the word ‘still’ so there could be some room to wiggle around, yet, this reaction seemed to suggest that the Colonel was deliberately looking for trouble here.

     It wasn’t as if he couldn’t oppose them, but with the KSF no longer involved, all responsibilities of handling a Level 1 situation was given to the Defcom. So, such a reaction was understandable, since the resulting problem from dragging a civilian in, and an accident arising from that, wouldn’t be pretty at all. Well, in that case, it should be fine to get rid of the room, then.

     “Our side will be taking all responsibilities.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Are you speaking as ‘mister Choi Jung-Hoon’, or from your side of the fence?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “From the KSF.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “For real?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Yes, really.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     When Choi Jung-Hoon cleared up the matter of responsibility, Jeong In-Soo took a step back. There shouldn’t be an issue if the other side were to take the responsibility.

     “I’ll go and take a look around the Gate, then.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Be careful. And don’t cause an incident.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Haha. Don’t worry.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Exiting the tent, Choi Jung-Hoon let out a soft sigh. These jarheads didn’t seem to possess one iota of spirit of cooperation. The KSF had come to their rescue many, many times before, yet here they were, not even remotely grateful for that.

     “How obstinate and stuffy.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk complained audibly. It was like he was saying the words Choi Jung-Hoon had to swallow back down, because the target of the scorn was in front.

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     “What the, did he just put on a gamtu or something? Should’ve tucked in his stomach first, since he’s a soldier.” (TL: a gamtu is a hat worn by a government official in the Joseon era. Wearing it meant you’ve become a serious player now, so must behave as if a pole is stuck up your bottom.)

     Huh?

     He’s got a pretty good timing there, doesn’t he?

     Maybe he’s the type that will do well in the social life? (Choi Jung-Hoon’s inner monologue)

     Choi Jung-Hoon changed his impression of Yi Ji-Hyuk from “someone who might inflict a cerebral infarction on his boss out of pure stress if he became an office worker” to “a surprisingly sensible type that could end up under the barrage of insults and abuse after becoming an office worker.”

     “That’s because of the nervousness. Well, a battle is about to begin pretty soon, after all.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon walked past the barricades and approached the Gate located beyond.

     “This is a Gate. Originally, it’s not something you can approach so easily and take a gander.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Ah, sure.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Not really caring whatever Choi Jung-Hoon was saying, Yi Ji-Hyuk fixed his gaze on the Gate.

     ‘This, isn’t this really a warp gate?’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     The doorway in front of his eyes was a very familiar object.

     A mirror-like blue doorway.

     The methods of manifesting magic were different from a school of sorcery to another school, and also, slightly different from an individual to another individual as well. However, it was still possible to figure out the process since there were some similarities in the essence of a spell.

     And so, the thing in front of him was a warp gate, without a doubt. Although its form was different from any warp gates he knew, Yi Ji-Hyuk could tell its purpose with a single glance.

     ‘This, can’t I cancel it by interfering with Mana?’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     There was some merit to trying that out, but now wasn’t the right time. That wasn’t something he should perform in front of the others, and even if he could succeed, it didn’t feel right to hand over the information to those who created these gates, that there was someone this side capable of interfering with Mana.

     Besides, summoning gates wasn’t all that special a magic anyways; if cancelled, another one would simply pop up somewhere else. In other words, it was a fruitless endeavor.

     “How do you differentiate that level thing?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “The size is used for the classification. A Gate not exceeding 1 metre in diameter is classified as level 1. The level changes according to size after that. The biggest discovered so far is a level 10 Gate.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     From Yi Ji-Hyuk’s perspective, that was a really crude method.

     A humanoid-type monsters could easily crawl out from this size of a Gate. If something like a Lich escaped from a level 1 Gate, then that one would become a Hell Gate, instead. But, he still had no desire to interfere, since the folks this side must’ve their own standard of judging.

     “When this blue colour changes completely to the red colour, the Gate opens up fully. The remaining time is…” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon turned around and gazed at the timer.

     “There are 15 minutes left. We should retreat now.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at the timer with mystified eyes.

     “This, how does this thing measure the remaining time?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “The principal is unexpectedly simple. After dividing the time taken for the changes in colour into units, it measures that and then calculates.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Eh?”

     “A Gate opens up fully when the colour changes from blue to red, so it measures the change in colour in real time to estimate when it would become completely red.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Ah, so you could do it that way.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Not measuring the Mana, but the changes in colour… That sure was a simple, yet unexpected method. Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked slightly after he found himself in the middle of coming up with formulas to calculate the rate of Mana coordination for the spell’s activation.

     ‘Looks like I still refer to magic first, whenever I’m about to think of something, huh.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

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     He thought that he should discard the mentality of being superior to ordinary people just because he learned magic.

     “Well, let’s leave this area. It should be fine for us observe from the back.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     While Yi Ji-Hyuk was buried deep in his own thoughts, Choi Jung-Hoon pulled out his ringing phone and answered it.

     “Hello, Captain. I’m at the scene. Yes? No, I still should come regardless. Even if we don’t have the jurisdiction, who knows what might happen? It won’t do if we respond too late and get civilians hurt, so can you dispatch someone over here? Eh? There’s no one?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     While holding the phone, Choi Jung-Hoon began sweating nervously.

     “But, what should I do if there’s no one? But, that’s no good if there’s no one. How come no one’s available? Eh? You sent them out as a reinforcement somewhere? Wait a minute, our area is over here, yet, why did you send them elsewhere and leave this place empty?!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Holding on to the phone and bitterly complaining for some length of time, Choi Jung-Hoon finally ended the call while breathing angrily.

     “Seriously, I gotta quit this damn job.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     When discovering Yi Ji-Hyuk awkwardly standing to his side, Choi Jung-Hoon resumed that business-like smile at once.

     ‘What the, is he a chameleon or something?’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     The changes in Choi Jung-Hoon’s emotions were so colourful.

     “Ah, looks like they are laying the mines now. Let’s go back. Over there, we should get a good view.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Sure.”

     Yi Ji-Hyuk followed Choi Jung-Hoon and headed towards the rooftop of a building a bit of distance away.

     “This is a good view.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     The Gate now almost entirely bathed in a crimson hue, as well as armoured personnel carriers and platoons of soldiers surrounding it, could be seen in one view.

     Behind the Gate itself, a huge concrete wall had been erected with a method Yi Ji-Hyuk couldn’t really tell.

     “And what is that?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “That’s the fast-setting concrete. We told them to use ‘Securefoam’ countless times, yet here they are, still insisting on using concrete, instead.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Se, cu… ? What? A succubus?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “It’s ‘Securefoam’. It’s hardened styrofoam. It’s fast acting, and is cheaper too, yet the topic of safety keeps getting brought up. I don’t understand what all the fuss is about, since we can just have the mold be a bit thicker when erecting it. Could this be corruption in the defense contracts, I wonder?

     Ignoring Choi Jung-Hoon, who was busy yammering on about stuff no one else could understand, Yi Ji-Hyuk concentrated on the Gate itself.

     It was then, the Gate began emitting bright rays of light.

     “Looks like it’s starting now.”

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     Chapter 12: But, I didn’t return to do this! 4

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     Choi Jung-Hoon pointed towards the direction of the Gate.

     “Monsters start to pour out as soon as the light from the Gate dies down. This is actually something you don’t see everyday, so please pay attention.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     And just why is this dude so excited about? (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s internal monologue)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head slightly while looking at the oddly excited Choi Jung-Hoon.

     He sensed magic power from that superior officer, the woman named Seo Ah-Young. Although he couldn’t be totally certain, she could easily take care of a group of those small fry monster things he saw this morning, a Jarchev or whatever, quite easily.

     However, Choi Jung-Hoon was definitely a normal person.

     Seeing a person like that getting so excited while looking at a Gate that was about to spew out monsters, now that was really not normal.

     “Here they come!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     When the emitted light began to wane, green-coloured monsters came stampeding out of the Gate.

     “Fire!”

     The moment the order came down from the command centre, the muzzles of guns began spitting out licks of flame.

     *SFX for sustained gunfire*

     Kkiiieeeck!!

     Kyaaahack!!

     Soldiers spread out wide on the frontline all fired simultaneously. Since there was that concrete wall erected behind the Gate, they could fire away without any worries.

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     The green-coloured monsters fell one after another as soon as they came out, with fountains of blood shooting out from all over their bodies.

     “There’s more of them! It’s a wave, a wave!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     ‘A wave, huh…’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked.

     If that much was called a wave, then, what should the demonic gates he had summoned before be called now?

     If those people who fought against him in Berafe were here, they might have beaten up Choi Jung-Hoon while telling him to never run his mouth off so dang lightly.

     “These are Goblins, the most frequently appearing monsters. The actual scientific name is different, but everyone just calls them Goblins.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the bloodied mess of green monsters. Height of around 1.2 metres, green-coloured skin, and that crumpled face.

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     ‘Not the same?’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     They were similar to the Goblins he knew, but the appearance was totally different. The version of Goblins he knew weren’t light-green short legged creatures like these, but darker green-skinned wild beasts.

     However, their mannerisms seemed somewhat similar.

     Just by seeing the poison blowguns rolling around the feet of dead Goblins, there was little doubt about it.

     ‘Are they distant cousins or something?’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     If this was the case, then it seemed that they were being summoned from a dimension with a similar ecology as Berafe’s. Or, there might be more than one dimension where monsters were being summoned from.

     Whatever the case might have been, if those Goblins were similar to the versions Yi Ji-Hyuk knew, then it was indeed a dangerous matter with that many being summoned here. It only took around ten Goblins to completely wipe out a single village. So, there wasn’t even a need to mention what would happen if a Goblin horde that numbered past 100 launched an attack.

     Kyahaack!!

     However, the strength of modern weapons was definitely too overwhelming.

     Goblins that could be fought one on one only with a trained soldier were being ruthlessly massacred. Seeing them falling in a fountain of blood as soon as they popped out of the Gate even made Yi Ji-Hyuk feel sorry for these Goblins.

     “Now that’s what I’m talking about!!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon was completely psyched right now.

     Well, the thing was – if one’s safety was guaranteed, then violence could become a really enjoyable spectacle to behold. There was a reason why boxing and other combat sports were famous, after all.

     But, the Goblins didn’t remain getting pummeled one-sidedly.

     Piling the dead bodies into a makeshift barricade and surviving the barrage, Goblins then used the corpses as shields and rushed forward. If one were to consider the hardness of a Goblin’s flesh, then it was indeed difficult to damage the Goblins by piercing through the corpse shields with bullets from a rifle.

     But, then again, only a moment later, the previously installed mines below the Goblins’ feet began exploding.

     A Goblin with twisted-off ankles rolled all over the ground, yet, as if there were more mines down there, this poor sucker kept on bouncing around all over the place.

     Too bad, a mine was a one-time use item.

     They couldn’t completely stop the swarm of Goblins.

     “God damn it. It’d be so much better if it’s a claymore instead.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     ‘You should calm down a bit…’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Using a claymore in the middle of a city…. No, with friendly forces crammed in this place, using a claymore would lead to him witnessing people getting killed by the blast coming from their rear, instead.

     If this battle was taking place in the middle of a field, then instead of a close formation for firing, claymore mines would’ve been installed everywhere and cleanly blow them all away. Regrettably, this was inside a city, so if claymore mines were used to refreshingly blow away the Goblins, then the dude in charge of that particular operation would also see his head refreshingly fly away, too.

     When the Goblins neared the ranks of soldiers, an urgent voice called out.

     “Cease fire! Second unit, to the front!” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Along with Colonel Jeong In-Soo’s loud shout, shield carrying soldiers waiting at the back rushed to the front while carrying massive body bunkers. (TL: a body bunker is actually a ballistic shield, but “Body Bunker” moniker is far more well known. Think of “Hoover” instead of people saying vacuum cleaner.)

     Khoong!

     Huge body bunkers slammed into the ground.

     Kyaaaahhh!

     Goblins screamed wildly and attacked, but they couldn’t penetrate past the body bunkers crafted specially out of hardened ceramic.

     *SFX for sustained gunfire*

     Towards the Goblins yet to attach themselves to the body bunkers, MG50s fixed to the rooftop of a building began firing. Fitting for a machine gun of its size, rather than fountains of blood, one could see each bullet punching through a huge hole on the bodies now.

     To shoot those weak-looking Goblins with MG50s was akin to a monster genocide, that’s what this was.

     However, such a destructive power was a double-edged sword. The muzzles of MG50s couldn’t be aimed closer to the friendly forces. Even if the bullets didn’t directly hit, the shrapnel from said bullets impacting the asphalt below would surely turn a human’s body into a bloody mess.

     The role of fighting against the Goblins clinging on fell to the riflemen and the shield soldiers.

     “Endure! You sons of b*tches! Can’t you endure properly?!”

     “Ahahahck!! Sh*t!”

     Only a few handful of dwarfish Goblins jumped on him, but the shield soldier’s body was being forced back; the body bunker scraped against the ground with ear splitting screeches.

     Humans were animals that lacked physical prowess considering their body sizes. They couldn’t even catch a rabbit with their bare hands, for instance.

     “Check properly first where you’re aiming at!!”

     Gun muzzles peeked out between the gaps of the shields and spat lead out. Guns lifted over the heads of the shield soldiers proceeded to shoot down those Goblins trying to climb over.

     “Look! That side’s being pushed back! Reinforce from the rear!” (Jeong In-Soo)

     They were fighting well, but ranks to the one side were collapsing.

     Choi Jung-Hoon’s complexions darkened.

     “This, wouldn’t there be casualties at this rate?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     If the ranks collapsed, Goblins would infiltrate into the midst of soldiers, meaning guns couldn’t be used anymore. If things went south, rather than Goblins, there would be people getting killed by friendly fire, instead.

     “Those sons of b*tches sitting upstairs.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Swear words leaked out automatically from his mouth.

     They might not enjoy an amiable relationship, but still, this wasn’t the fault of Colonel Jeong In-Soo. He had mobilised quickly just after the event broke and formed an optimal defense line, and he had concluded all preparations well before the Gate even opened.

     So, the reason for the ranks collapsing wasn’t his fault at all. No, it was actually the limitations placed on the type of equipment that could be used within the city limits.

     To put it bluntly, if that Gate opened up in the middle of a mountain, then the surrounding area would’ve become a sea of fire by now – the soldiers would’ve swept them all away with powerful weapons. Unfortunately, within the city limits, nothing more powerful than the light assault weapons and SAWs (Squad Automatic Weapons) could be used.

     Well, destroying a couple of buildings just in order to defend against waves of monsters would eventually lead to the total destruction of Seoul itself in a few years, so there’s that.

     It was all understandable. Understandable, but still….

     “A human life is more precious than a building, isn’t it?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Or, did the jarheads not count as human beings in the first place?

     Maybe the higher-ups didn’t treat these soldiers as human beings, but the commander leading them certainly valued them very dearly.

     “Fall back to the second defensive line! Do not break the formation, you fools!! The moment you show your backs, you’ll all get shot in the head!” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Colonel Jeong In-Soo’s urgent voice blared out from the loudspeakers. As if they had trained for this kind of situations, the riflemen positioned at the rear orderly moved to the second defensive line formed by the armoured vehicles.

     However, if something was earned, then something must be lost; with the widening of the distance, the Goblins’ area of activity increased as well. As soon as the shield soldiers fell back, Goblins began destroying the barricades erected in front of buildings instead of giving chase, while some of them began scaling the concrete wall standing behind the Gate.

     “Fire, fire!! Shoot those f*ckers down from there!! You miss a single one, prepare to die afterwards!!!” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Goblins trying to scale the concrete wall were shot down, one by one. But, at the same time, as the guns were concentrating on one direction, several Goblins began scaling the buildings that stood as blockades between the Gate and the defensive line.

     “Those b*stards, damn it!!” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Jeong In-Soo gritted his teeth. He wanted to shoot them down as soon as possible, but the ones rushing towards the soldiers had to take priority. If he issued incompetent orders now, then that might cause the concentration of fire to be split unevenly, and then the Goblins might run past the armoured vehicles and scale the concrete wall standing there as the ‘back barricade’ to infiltrate into the city.

     “Three of them!” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Soon, the Gate should close, so if they could hold on for a bit longer, they would be able to thoroughly sweep away these worse-than-manure b*stards.

     And then, those three escapees would be dealt with soon enough! If lady luck was on his side, then those monsters would be killed within the vicinity. But if not, then he’d have to catch a couple of Goblins rampaging around outside the combat zone, but dealing with only three was still within the scope of the operational management.

     ‘For now, send the request for assistance to the local police and tell them to send combatants over to that area. We just need to avoid civilian casualties….’ (Jeong In-Soo)

     That’s right – as long as there were no civilian casualties. Watching these boys that were like sons to him getting hurt made him shed tears of blood, and seeing them die pained him as if his innards were twisting apart, but… But, that was the life of a soldier. Protecting the civilians was the responsibility of all soldiers.

     No matter what, as long as Goblins didn’t enter the civilian area, then….

     It was then, Goblins scaling the wall of a building jumped to a nearby rooftop.

     And then, like performing parkour, they bounced and jumped between buildings, heading towards a certain direction like crazy.

     ‘Civilian casualties….’ (Jeong In-Soo)

     The location those Goblins was charging at, there was a pale-faced gangling fellow wearing a fashionable black suit, and a civilian brought along by that fellow.

     “That stupid son of a b*tch!! I knew he’d cause a problem!!” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Swear words escaped out from the mouth of Colonel Jeong In-Soo.

     *

     Choi Jung-Hoon formed a strange expression while looking at the Goblins charging towards his direction.

     It had been four years already since he began rolling around in this field. Within those four years, had there ever been a time when a monster targeted him specifically and rushed in like crazy? Even going as far as to scale and jump across several buildings?

     ‘God damn it!’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     There was no time to think.

     Choi Jung-Hoon planned to drag Yi Ji-Hyuk and climb down from the building, but then, his steps came to a stop.

     If they were to enter the lower floors, it might seem safer for the time being, but they wouldn’t be able to receive outside help. No one would detach a number of soldiers in order to save one person while ignoring the masses of monsters in front.

     Even if he closed the doors shut, that wouldn’t last long before being ripped to shreds in the blink of an eye if the Goblins were really targeting him. And, if he ran into a Goblin while trying to get to the lower floors, then that’d be curtains, right there.

     ‘It’s not like there are no options available here…’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     There was one hidden card still left. However, if he was to pull that out here, then it might get a little awkward with Yi Ji-Hyuk later on, not to mention the relationship with the Defcom would become pretty frosty, too.

     Then, what should he prioritise here?

     Choi Jung-Hoon scanned left and right. He spotted snipers positioned on the windows of the opposite building. Choi Jung-Hoon shifted his gaze downward to meet Colonel Jung In-Soo’s eyes, and pointed at the snipers.

     He’d buy time at a more open location.

     If he became the target for sure, then the movements of the charging Goblins should become more predictable, which also meant that the snipers could take out the monsters easily as well.

     “Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, this way!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon dragged Yi Ji-Hyuk towards the very ends of the railings, in order to maximise the distance.

     As expected, all three Goblins were making a beeline towards his location.

     Could all three be shot down with this much distance?

     Pow!

     The first gunshot!

     From the head of one Goblin, blood rose up suddenly, then it collapsed to the floor.

     ‘Two more. Two more rounds!’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Pow!!

     Another gunshot.

     The second Goblin too, expired from an accurate headshot.

     The last remaining Goblin must’ve realised that it was under fire, yet it chose to increase its rushing speed, instead.

     “Take the shot already!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Pow!!!

     Along with Choi Jung-Hoon’s voice, another gunshot rang out!

     However, the Goblin didn’t fall down. A small part of the roof’s floor got caved in and dust particles rose up.

     At the same time, the Goblin pounced on Choi Jung-Hoon.

     “God damn it!!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     It missed!

     But, why now?!

     Choi Jung-Hoon gritted his teeth and stepped forward. If Yi Ji-Hyuk was indeed an ability user, this might be resolved quickly, but if he was not, then he had to be protected.

     Sacrifice himself and try to widen up some distance. With that, a skilled sniper should be able to hit only the Goblin.

     Unfortunately though – the Goblin completely ignored the resolve of Choi Jung-Hoon, jumped past him, and ran towards Yi Ji-Hyuk standing behind him.

     Choi Jung-Hoon hurriedly shouted out.

     “What the?! Stop that thing!! Mister Yi Ji…”

     Before the words ‘Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, run away’ could leave Choi Jung-Hoon’s mouth, he could hear an annoyed voice, instead.

     “Did this b*tch lose its mind?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     In the blink of an eye, Yi Ji-Hyuk grabbed the lengthy ear of the Goblin charging at him, spun around, and then, slammed the monster hard on the floor.

     Kwahng!!!

     A peculiar sound that shouldn’t have been heard from a tachi-waza came out. (TL: “Tachi-waza” is a throw technique performed while standing straight in Judo. Not an expert on that martial art style, so Google it yourselves if you’re curious.)

     The Goblin’s body rebounded one metre into the air after hitting the floor.

     Just how strong was the slamming power that could cause a Goblin to bounce around like that?

     Quietly witnessing the scene unfold with a pale face, Choi Jung-Hoon finally got to solve one of the mysteries that had been plaguing him for some time now.

     “So, he’s a body enhancement type…” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon’s misunderstandings were getting deeper.

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     Chapter 13: But, I didn’t return to do this! 5

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     Yi Ji-Hyuk firmly stepped on the head of the Goblin sprawled on the floor once, before climbing up on its stomach.

     “You think I’m an easy mark?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     He raised both of his fists up high, and then, proceeded to pummel the Goblin’s face with them.

     Puk! Puk! Puk!

     ‘Take a gander at that waist.’

     Seeing how Yi Ji-Hyuk’s waist bounced about energetically everytime he smashed down with his fist, he must’ve done this several times before. Seriously, his pounding skill was so good that, if he went to the nearest MMA gym right now, the instructor there might give his heartfelt applause.

     “Where did a b*stard like you, that would kiss the ground and tremble in fear ten kilometres away if you saw me back in the other place, get the balls to come at me?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Choi Jung-Hoon was overcome with this odd feeling while listening to Yi Ji-Hyuk’s angry, loud rant.

     He’s probably talking to the Goblin, right? (Choi Jung-Hoon’s internal monologue)

     PukPukPuk!!!

     Still not stopping his beatdown on the Goblin, Yi Ji-Hyuk shouted out.

     “I said, just when did a weakling like you grow the balls to jump at me, ah?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Definitely, he must be talking to the Goblin.

     Definitely, for sure….

     But why am I dripping in cold sweat? (Choi Jung-Hoon’s internal monologue)

     Whenever the fists landed, the small body of the Goblin rose and fell.

     “M, mister Yi Ji-Hyuk!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Yeah?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “I, I think it’s probably dead now?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Hearing Choi Jung-Hoon’s words, Yi Ji-Hyuk grabbed the Goblin’s chin and tilted it this way and that, before clicking his tongue.

     “Why is it such a weakling?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     ‘There’s no way that thing’s a weakling!!’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     An ordinary person would die as soon as running into a Goblin. Well, no matter how hard a human trained, it was still very difficult to win against a single chimpanzee with a similar physical size to a Goblin. Humans were like this against regular animals, so how wide the gap would be between a Goblin, a monster no less, and that of a human?

     Even teeth couldn’t sink into the hardened body of a Goblin. Its physical strength alone could break human bones and rip off flesh simply by grabbing hold.

     But, to kill a Goblin with a ground & pound?

     “As I thought, you are an ability user.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk glared back as if to say, what the hell are you even on about?

     “But, I am not?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “So, are you a body enhancement type?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Eh? No, I’m not.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “You’re not a body enhancement type, yet you still beat up a monster with your bare hands?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk got back up to his feet and kicked the bloodied mess of the Goblin a couple of times.

     “No need for special abilities when handling a weakling like this one.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Oh, right. So, you don’t even need abilities to do that.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “I’m telling you, I’m not an user.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     In the middle of this, Colonel Jeong In-Soo climbed up to the roof, having taken care of the Goblin horde down on the ground.

     “Just what the hell happened up here?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Since he was on the ground, he couldn’t have seen what transpired up on the roof. All he heard was a report that said the Goblins were neutralised, and that the situation had been resolved.

     Colonel Jeong In-Soo frowned deeply after spotting the dead Goblin lying sprawled on the floor.

     “What the, you said he was a civilian!” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “That’s his current status.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “I was wondering about what made you to bring in a civilian here, but, you should’ve mentioned that he’s an ability user. I worried for nothing.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Oh, sorry about making you worry.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Well, it’s fine.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Colonel Jeong In-Soo took a look at the Goblin’s face and frowned again.

     “You have beaten it up real good, haven’t you.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     The good Colonel’s eyes then sifted towards Yi Ji-Hyuk’s fists, where large drops of blood could still be seen falling down from them.

     “You an ability user?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Nope.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “……”

     Even under this kind of circumstances, Yi Ji-Hyuk remained adamant.

     “It kinda looks like you’re.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Nope, not an user.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Colonel Jeong In-Soo’s brows quivered.

     “What the?! You say you’re not an ability user, even after beating a monster to a bloody pulp? Hey, didn’t you beat this thing up?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “I did.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Then, you’re a bloody ability user!” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “But, I’m not.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     This SOB is?! (Jeong In-Soo’s internal monologue)

     When Jeong In-Soo’s face reddened up noticeably, Choi Jung-Hoon hurriedly got in the middle between the two men.

     “Hahahaha!! Look, Colonel. This guy is not joking with you.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Then, he’s trying to mess with me, is that it?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “No, nonono. I already told you before. He’s currently a normal civilian. Even if he could kill a Goblin or a buffalo with his bare hands, a civilian is still a civilian.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “What the hell are you even talking about? Are you making fun of me?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “I mean, what can we do? The measurement didn’t go past 1000.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “What?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Jeong In-Soo was flabbergasted.

     What sort of bulls*it was this?

     “For real?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Yes. The measurement values came out to around 840. That’s why he’s a civilian.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Ah…….”

     Seeing Jeong In-Soo’s head slowly nod in an exaggerated manner, Choi Jung-Hoon breathed out a long sigh.

     This guy over here, he didn’t like ability users. Like, hated them.

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     This guy was one of those headache-inducing individuals who went around picking fights with every ability user he met, while busy yapping on and on about them popping out of nowhere and grind everyone’s gears about fighting monsters and some such, while totally disregarding real soldiers and stuff.

     The only reason why Choi Jung-Hoon could talk to Jeong In-Soo was simply because, he was a non-ability user. Being affiliated with the KSF, he was not seen as a civilian, but, because he happened to not be an ability user, some form of communication could be held between the two men.

     It was unknown just what might have happened if Yi Ji-Hyuk was introduced as an ability user. So, it was the right call to reveal the truth and get past this matter smoothly. Besides, Jeong In-Soo was….

     Jeong In-Soo suddenly stood up straight and saluted at Yi Ji-Hyuk.

     “I’d like to apologise. It was a misunderstanding.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     ….Jeong In-Soo was really cordial towards civilians, after all.

     This completely unreasonable and stuck-up man, who wanted nothing more than to cause pain in the neck and misery to every single ability user he met, would suddenly become the politest soldier anyone could ever hope to meet.

     ‘Gives me goosebumps everytime I see him. And he’s not even suffering from a multiple identity disorder, either…’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Oh, uh, it’s alright.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Even Yi Ji-Hyuk seemed flustered by this sudden change.

     “In that case….” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Jeong In-Soo stopped talking and grinned, before quickly grabbing Yi Ji-Hyuk’s hand.

     “Why don’t we enjoy a cup of coffee together?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Eh?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Jeong In-Soo’s hand gripped on tighter.

     *

     “….So, the thing is…” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Hey, you. Don’t you have something to do? How about going away for a bit?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “I’d like to do that as well, but I’ve been tasked to bring this gentleman back home, you see….” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Where is it? Is it far? I can take him for you, instead.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “The thing is, the Captain told me to take a good care of this, so….” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Tell her that I took him home. And if she feels shortchanged by that, then she can come and see me personally. That should do.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     The left side of Choi Jung-Hoon’s head began throbbing like hell. A migraine was developing already.

     ‘Just what the hell is this situation?’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Sure, there were no civilian casualties, and damages to nearby buildings had been largely avoided, but still, did it make any sort of sense for the man in charge of the operation to drink coffee with a civilian inside the command centre/tent?

     And just why couldn’t he ignore this absurd situation altogether, and instead behave like a total nervous wreck?

     The reason was quite simple, actually.

     “If I knew you weren’t an ability user, I’d have introduced myself sooner. By the way, how did you kill that Goblin?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “It just came at me, so I beat it up.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Kyah! Of course, of course. If something’s coming at you, then the correct answer is to beat the living daylights out of it. Are your hands okay?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “They are just fine.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “The face of a Goblin might look full of wrinkles and all that, but it’s surprisingly hard. But, you’re still fine after turning that into a meat paste! You must exercise a lot.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Not really, I haven’t exercised that much.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Then, it must be your inborn talent. A talent, I say!” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Would you look at his reaction now?

     Such a reaction would be accepted just fine on most entertainment shows on air today.

     Not even caring whether Choi Jung-Hoon was watching or not, Jeong In-Soo was passionately working his schtick. At this rate, pretty soon they might end up calling each other older brother, younger brother, and go somewhere to share a bottle of soju together.

     Of course, there was no way he’d let that happen. How dare that man try to steal a prey he already called dibs on?

     Also, why was Yi Ji-Hyuk, who was so full of sarcasm and thorns back at the KSF, behaving so well here, of all places…?

     *SFX for snack packets rustling*

     *SFX for gulping down food*

     *SFX for super-fast chewing*

     The sight of Yi Ji-Hyuk literally sucking in cold drink and snacks entered Choi Jung-Hoon’s vision.

     ‘Ah, so that’s the winning tactic.’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Now that he thought about it, when they first met, Yi Ji-Hyuk did empty out several cans of Cola, and then drank kimchi stew like water, didn’t he?

     With that in mind, Choi Jung-Hoon took a second look and found that, although Jeong In-Soo was busy running his mouth off, Yi Ji-Hyuk didn’t even really care and threw out one or two simple answers, choosing to devote all his attention on eating only.

     *SFX for a loud burp*

     After completely emptying out the drinks and snacks, Yi Ji-Hyuk leaned back on the chair and formed a satisfied face.

     “So, may I ask just how old you are?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Mm….”

     Yi Ji-Hyuk took a sneaky glance at Choi Jung-Hoon.

     What? Why?

     Do I have to tell you your own age now, too? (Choi Jung-Hoon’s inner monologue)

     “According to the birth certificate, he’s 23.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Aigoo, you have such a baby-like face. I really thought you were still a high school student.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk slowly got up from his seat. Then, he promptly lowered his head.

     “Thank you for the food.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “You’re leaving already?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve been home, so….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Aigoo, so that’s how it was. In that case, since the roads could get dangerous, should I loan you an APC?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     And just which crazy buffoon would roll around in an APC in the middle of a city because of some ‘danger’?!

     This dude is seriously not right in the head, too. (Choi Jung-Hoon’s inner monologue)

     “I’ll take him home safely.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     When Choi Jung-Hoon interferred, Jeong In-Soo’s expression became openly unhappy. However, as if he realised he couldn’t vacate his position right now, he took a step back.

     “Well, this counts as a fated encounter, how about a contact number?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “He doesn’t have a phone.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Jeong In-Soo licked his lips and retreated peacefully. Such a clean exit seemed suspicious indeed, but it was also not enough to call out on, either.

     “Well, then.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Choi Jung-Hoon led Yi Ji-Hyuk out of the tent.

     Jeong In-Soo quietly watched them leave, and when they had gotten far enough away, he asked the Executive Officer who was in the middle of handing out orders.

     “Oi, XO.” (Jeong In-Soo) (TL: XO = Executive Officer)

     “Yes, Commander.”

     “Can our boys fight a Goblin barehanded and win?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Bare handed, you say? How many men?”

     “One on one.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Eii, that’s just impossible.”

     “You think so?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Even if we gave them a sword, unless it’s the properly trained boys, they won’t be able to kill a Goblin, sir. Those monsters aren’t the type to feel pain by getting hit with a human’s fist, and even if stabbed by a sword, the blade doesn’t even go all that deep, anyway. Because of their physical strength, even the joint locks don’t work. If there’s a scuffle breaking out, you know very well that the arms and legs of our boys would be ripped out, instead.”

     “Right. That is the norm.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Jeong In-Soo nodded his head exaggeratedly and spoke.

     “In that case, what do you think will happen if it’s a guy who’s not an ability user but might be one? If we hand over an M60 to him, he’d be exactly like Rambo, no?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     “Being strong doesn’t necessarily equate to fighting well, sir. However, it’d be fun to train someone like that, surely. With enough training, not only would he kill monsters well, he would also cut off the necks of those ability user b*stards, too.”

     “Right, that might be so.” (Jeong In-Soo)

     Even Jeong In-Soo knew this was a meaningless dream. The army was a place where, rather than investing 100 into a single person in order to gain a return of 100, invest 10 on ten people to extract 80, instead. In other words, a place that made possible for ten people to do the same job as a single elite possessing an ability of 100.

     The reason for that was, if an elite got killed in action, then there would be no immediate countermeasures for that, but with investment of time and money, the strength of an army could be increased at will.

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     Even if Yi Ji-Hyuk possessed incredible abilities, establishing a suitable method of training and equipment that matched him, as well as training/combat protocol, would end up being a massive undertaking. And it was also inefficient, too. Such a thing was for the KSF to fumble about.

     So, he should totally forget about this whole thing, yet, he couldn’t let it go completely.

     “By the way, I wonder if he’s been to the army already?” (Jeong In-Soo)

     And so, the lingering attachment began to tighten around Yi Ji-Hyuk’s neck.

     You are reading

     The Returner

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     Chapter 14: What a “soya powder” family 1

      Chapter 14: What a “soya powder” family (1)

     Learn More about CrN 3.0: Legacy!

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     (TL: A “soya powder” family is a Korean slang term denoting a totally dysfunctional family and all the dynamics that come with one.)

     “Well, then – until next time, take care.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Yes, thank you.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Choi Jung-Hoon waved his hand outside the car’s window, and then drove away.

     However, did Yi Ji-Hyuk make a mistake when he thought he saw a mysterious hint of relief briefly flashing by on Choi Jung-Hoon’s face? Probably.

     “My home is….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

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     Yi Ji-Hyuk frowned deeply.

     He groaned out while gazing at the apartment building that looked even more ancient than the ‘Jugong’ building from before.

     “They must’ve been suffering a lot.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     There wouldn’t be a reason for anyone to leave behind a perfectly nice home and move to an even worse place. However, judging by the fact that they were still staying at an apartment, the financial health of the family must not had declined completely, it seemed.

     While riding in Choi Jung-Hoon’s car, he got to learn about quite a few things. Well after the advent of the Black Monday had come and gone, many folks who had lost their jobs and were worrying about their livelihood, continued to appear everywhere. Some stability had finally settled on the world, yet, there were still a lot of people going through hardship at the moment.

     The financial state of Yi Ji-Hyuk’s household before his excursion to Berafe couldn’t have been described as secure, but neither was his family starving outright. His mom worked in a restaurant, while his dad was a perennial middle-level manager in a middling corporation. And also…

     “I wonder, has Ye-Won grown up well…?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     The last time he saw his little sister was when she was still a fifth year elementary schooler, so she should’ve become a high school student by now. Thinking of a little kid that kept on chasing after him while calling out Oppa, oppa, brought a smile to his lips.

     He entered the foyer and climbed into the elevator. Exiting on the seventh floor, he searched for the apartment number written on the piece of paper.

     ‘It’s already so late now.’

     What with being dragged around here and there, the time now had passed 11 in the evening. The first day of his return to this world was coming to a close. Although it sure had been a ‘colourful’ day so far, it was a relief to return to the loving embrace of his family at the end of it all.

     He took a quick breath and pressed the doorbell.

     Ttingtong~

     – “Who is it?”

     A familiar voice came out from the intercom.

     Ah, it’s really mom this time. (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s internal monologue)

     “Mom, it’s me.”

     – “Who is ‘me’?”

     “It’s me, mom. It’s Ji-Hyuk.”

     A heavy breathing could be heard from the other side of the door. Her reply couldn’t he heard.

     “Mom, it is really me, so please open the door.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     – “Ji, Ji-Hyuk-ah!!!!”

     A loud cry that bordered on screaming, and a couple of thudding footsteps, could be heard from other side of the door.

     Then, the said door got flung open, and a woman leapt out from within. When she spotted Yi Ji-Hyuk, she powerfully hugged him.

     “My boy!!! Aigoo, it’s my boy!!”

     “Mom!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Even in the midst of this, Yi Ji-Hyuk sneakily confirmed mom’s face first. Well, he’d like to avoid an event similar to the last time, after all.

     “Aigoo, my son! We thought you had perished!!”

     Yep, you registered me as a deceased already. Without hesitation, even. (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     He was slightly annoyed inside, but Yi Ji-Hyuk didn’t show that outwardly. It was his fault for disappearing for five years before coming back, after all. It should be more strange to say they didn’t wait for him for five years, especially under the current state the world was in.

     “Just what were you doing until now? Just what?”

     “I’m not sure myself. Might get complicated if I tried to explain it.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “No, no, it’s fine. It doesn’t matter what you’ve been doing. Let’s go in, my boy.”

     Mom wiped tears off her face and continued to pat Yi -Ji-Hyuk’s back.

     ‘This… this feels kinda strange.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     He did feel good and happy after seeing his mom, but still, his emotions didn’t waver enough for tears to flood out, either. No, instead, it felt like his emotions were acting up only because his head said now was the correct time to feel emotional.

     This might be an obvious occurrence, though. To Yi Ji-Hyuk, the last time he saw his mom was the proverbial eons ago, yet, it could also be seen as the proverbial ‘yesterday’, too.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk entered the apartment, pulled in by mom’s hands.

     His heart quivered faintly, but his mind didn’t seem like so. Just how much did they suffer? While he was absent, just how bad have the situation with his family become, what with monsters appearing everywhere?

     ‘Mom, don’t you worry now. I’ll soon make lots of money, and then…. Then…’

     Eh? What’s going on? (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     The place was…. huge.

     No, not only that. The furniture filling up the house seemed somewhat more upmarket than what he remembered, too.

     Huh?!

     Now that he took another look, the clothing on mom seemed luxurious as well, with all those fur bits ruffling about.

     From the outside, this whole apartment looked ancient and decrepit, yet the inside was somewhat unexpectedly grand.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk settled down on the couch that shined brilliantly and tried to console his mom. Mom continued to pat and stroke her son’s face and back, while simultaneously wiping away her tears.

     Some amount of time was needed before mom could calm down sufficiently enough. Even though her pounding heart had regained composure, she still held onto his hands tightly and didn’t let go.

     And she began sobbing once more after hearing her son couldn’t remember the events of the past five years. But she still patted his head while repeatedly mentioning how relieved she was when he told her that he was only able to come home after regaining his mind earlier in the day.

     “Mom, just how did we get this place?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Mom wiped away the pooled tears and smiled brightly.

     “What do you mean, how? With money, of course!” (mom)

     “Where did we get that money from?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “You really don’t remember anything, do you, son? The one thing that’s available in abundance is empty houses. You know, what with many people dying. Also, a Gate opened in the vicinity, so the prices around here are really low, you see?” (mom)

     “Eh?”

     “Ohoho~. It’s 48 pyeong here, but cost us less than half the price of the old house. That’s why we moved.” (TL: 1 pyeong = 3.3058 square metre.)

     So, that’s how it was.

     Really, this was for the best.

     Yet, why was he feeling this hollow emptiness right now?

     “Then, what about the furniture?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Your father works for an energy company, no?” (mom)

     “Okay.”

     “Nowadays, those companies make a lot of money, you see? I can’t even tell you just how high your father’s salary has become now.” (mom)

     “Oh…..”

     So, even dad was doing really well.

     What a relief.

     He should’ve been relieved, yet why did he feel so weird right now?

     “Look how thin your face has become. Aigoo, my boy…” (mom)

     Mom, my face looks exactly the same as it was five years ago. Even if you deduct the calories I used up today, my face has not thinned even by a single millimetre. (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Mom stroked Yi Ji-Hyuk’s face repeatedly, before resolutely making an announcement.

     “You must have suffered so much hardship, getting so thin like this. But, don’t you worry about a thing anymore. Mom will take care of everything!” (mom)

     ‘But, those lines weren’t supposed to be spoken by mom…’

     Those should’ve been my lines… (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “There’s nothing for you to worry about now. Just trust your mom from now on!” (mom)

     Even those should’ve been my lines…. (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     How odd.

     Whenever he thought about his family while still stuck in Berafe, he planned to say those words out aloud when he’d eventually make his return.

     He had spent many hundreds of years dreaming of what he should do, if he got to return home. Hell, he was this close to perfectly organising every solution to all the problems he might face this side.

     However… even before it could properly start, Yi Ji-Hyuk’s ‘Family Support Project’ that he had mapped out for centuries, was torpedoed already.

     “Where’s dad?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Oh, my!! I completely forgot!” (mom)

     Mom hurriedly pulled out her phone and called someone.

     “Dear! Where are you?! Come home, right now, quickly!! Ji-Hyuk came back. Your son Yi Ji-Hyuk came back home!! Ng? No, I’m saying, it’s Ji-Hyuk…. Wait, are you drinking right now, dear?” (mom)

     The tone of her voice was gradually rising up higher.

     And Yi Ji-Hyuk found himself slowly retreating into the farthest ends of the couch, away from her.

     “What in the blazing hell do you mean, you want to see him?! I told you, he’s home right now!! Just how much did you drink that you can’t even understand what I’m shouting about?! You know what, don’t come home!! Just b****r off, you bloody idiot!!! On a day like today, you drown in liquor until you p*ss on yourself?! The moment you come home, I’m going to kill you, you hear?!” (mom)

     And the call got ended there quite violently.

     Mom quickly took several deep breaths to compose herself, then a gentle smile formed on her lips and she began patting Yi Ji-Hyuk’s head. Somewhat thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice him getting ever so slightly startled by her approaching hands.

     “Your father might be arriving home a bit late today.” (mom)

     But, you just told him to b****r off, mom… (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Of course, he couldn’t say that out aloud.

     “Well, being a salaryman, you’ll have to meet clients every now and then, and work can get busy sometimes, right?” (mom)

     Ah, so that’s why you told him he’d be a dead meat if he comes back home. So he can remain ‘busy’…. (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Mm. Right, right. My son….”

     Perhaps recognising that she had shown a side of her that shouldn’t be shown to her missing-for-5-years son, mom became quite embarrassed. And well, wasn’t it a proper display of filial piety to help disperse that embarrassment in moments like this one?

     “Mom, I’m starving.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Ng? Right, you must be hungry. Mom will ready dinner for you quickly.” (mom)

     “Okay.”

     While wiping the tears away from her eyes, mom headed off to the kitchen.

     What was filial piety, by the way? It’s actually giving one’s parents a peace of mind, really.

     Satisfied now, Yi Ji-Hyuk gazed at mom’s departing back. However, mom’s thought train seemed to have headed to elsewhere.

     “This won’t do. There are nothing but leftovers. Wait a little while longer. Mom will have to go to the shops for a bit.” (mom)

     “Uh? Mom, It’s midnight already.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “I’ll go to a supermarket that opens for 24 hours. Wait for me. I’ll finish shopping really quickly. For today, we’ll just have to make do with Bulgogi and doenjang stew. Tomorrow, I promise, mom’ll come up with something even more delicious.” (TL: Bulgogi is a beef dish. Very tasty. And anyone who’s read a Korean novel before should know what is a doenjang stew by now… If not, Google can explain far better than I can.)

     “Mom?! It’s midnight, right now!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “I wonder if the veggies are still fresh, what with hours being so late and all. Son, you can watch the house alone for a little bit, yes?” (mom)

     “Moooom!! It’s 12 in the night!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     She was exactly like an unstoppable bulldozer.

     Only after he had begged her that he was too hungry to wait and she should just give him whatever was left in the house, along with a promise of eating something good on the following day, mom began preparing the meal.

     She only pulled out some leftover dishes from the fridge and some soup, yet it looked like a veritable feast to his eyes. It wasn’t simply because his mom’s cooking skills or whatever, but actually, every type of cuisine from the Earth felt like a feast to Yi Ji-Hyuk at this moment.

     Stuff from the other side wasn’t on the level of whether he could adopt to the taste or not. He just shoved them in, that was all.

     And just as he was about to eat his first spoonful while deeply moved by this sight, the front door was pushed open, accompanied by the electronic door lock bleeping.

     “Uh? The man of this house has arrived, yet no one opens the door for him?!”

     It was a somewhat inebriated voice.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk stood up from his seat.

     “Aigoo, you foolish man!! Just how much did you drink today?!” (mom)

     “Ohhh, is my lovely madam Park feeling lonely today? Busy talking about a son, out of the blue like that. How ’bout it? Wanna make another son today?”

     Annnnd, with the repeated sounds of her palm slapping something, dad’s screams could be heard. Carrying an awkward expression, Yi Ji-Hyuk popped his head around the corner and showed himself.

     “Dad.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Uh, uh? Hang on, who are….” (dad)

     “It’s me, Ji-Hyuk.”

     “Yes, Ji-Hyuk is my son’s name, but…. Uh?” (dad)

     Dad began inspecting Yi Ji-Hyuk’s face with a pair of reddened eyes, before he cried out in alarm.

     “J, Ji-Hyuk-ah!!!!!!”

     “Dad!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Dad powerfully embraced him.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk could feel dad’s thin…. no wait, surprisingly strong arms wrapping around him.

     Has dad been working out? If he hugged any tighter, Yi Ji-Hyuk’s spine might break in half.

     “You unfilial son!! My son!!” (dad)

     “Yes, dad. I’ve come home.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Right, right! Right, my son! It’s fine, fine…” (dad)

     Dad firmly held Yi Ji-Hyuk’s face with both of his hands and stared long and hard, before opening his mouth.

     “By the way, who are you?” (dad)

     “………………..”

     “AIGOO!!!! You stupid husband of mine!!!” (mom)

     And so, pinkish handprints became engraved on dad’s back nonstop. Along with Chwack, Chwack!!, sounds of harsh impacts.

     Dad’s body twerked painfully every time mom’s hand spat out the proverbial flames. (Not real flames, obvs.) This scene reminded one of the distant past when the slaves were getting mercilessly whipped by their masters.

     “R, right, Ji, Ji-Hyuk!! Ji-Hyuk-ah, you’ve come home.” (dad)

     “Yes, dad.”

     “Right, my boy! Just why have you only come home now? You foolish son of mine!” (dad)

     Thick tears fell from dad’s eyes.

     “Something happened back then. I’m truly sorry, dad.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “No, no. Everything’s fine now. You’ve come home, so it’s all good. All….” (dad)

     As if it was difficult to control the overwhelming emotions, dad’s head dropped lower as he continuously wiped his tears away. He trembled ever so gently while rubbing his face, before raising his head again and firmly grasping Yi Ji-Hyuk’s shoulders.

     “By the way, who are you and what are you doing in my house….” (dad)

     Please stop!!

     Please stop with this. My dad wasn’t like this at all!! (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     When dad began spouting out nonsense once more, mom wordlessly dragged her husband and deposited him into the couch.

     “Dear, please get me a cup of honey tea.” (dad)

     “Better shut your damn mouth unless you want see blood.” (mom)

     “….Yes, ma’am.”

     Mom’s thick killing intent seemed to be rather effective in dispersing dad’s intoxication.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk went back to the kitchen and sat down on the dining chair. It looked increasingly likely that the joyful reunion with his dad would have to be postponed until the following morning. So, he should just finish this meal first…

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     *SFX for electronic door lock bleeping*

     *SFX for a door being pushed open*

     The front door was pushed open gallantly, and yet another figure stepped in.

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     Swiiiish!!

     At the same time, mom’s head rapidly turned towards the door.

     “Yah, you rotten girl, have you any idea what time it is now?!” (mom)

     “Argh, what now? It’s not that late, so what’s up?!” (daughter)

     A girl Yi Ji-Hyuk never saw before entered the house.

     However, her attire seemed a bit suspect.

     She was wearing a pair of white hotpants, but, said hotpants were really short. No matter who saw it, they would have to say, that thing might as well have been underwear, instead. And to add to this, she also wore a thin, loose-fitting blouse on top, causing a sense of fashion unbalance there. Up until to this part, one might be tempted to say, “Oh, she knows how to play around a bit, doesn’t she?”

     However…

     ‘A blonde?!’

     Her hair reaching down past the shoulders was golden in colour. She was a blonde. Not dyed in brunette, but actual, bona fide blonde.

     ‘Definitely a hooligan.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Although her face looked young, by checking out her fashion sense and that hair style, anyone could tell that she was a total lowlife scum.

     And why did a kid like that barge into my home? (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Dad! You are drunk again?! This is why I don’t wanna come home, seriously!! Argh, so irritating!” (daughter)

     Dad. She said dad….

     Since that thuggish girl uttered out the word that denotes one’s biological paternal parent, it means my dad is that girl’s old man too, and that girl also happens to be my dad’s daughter… And my dad is, uh, my dad, and then, I’m my dad’s son, so…. (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     It was then, the thug-like girl’s eyes met Yi Ji-Hyuk’s.

     “And who the hell are you?” (daughter)

     The person replying to that cheeky girl’s grating voice was mom.

     “It’s your Oppa! Your Oppa, Ji-Hyuk!!” (mom)

     “My Oppa?” (daughter)

     The ruffian chick began scanning Yi Ji-Hyuk top to bottom.

     Oppa. Mom said Oppa…

     That means, this girl is my younger sibling. Mmm…. My dongsaeng… Just what happened during the five years I went missing for a dongsaeng I never had before to pop out like this? Besides, my only other dongsaeng is…. (Yi Ji-Hyuk) (TL: “dongsaeng” is a collective noun denoting a younger sibling, regardless of gender.)

     “Ji-Hyuk-ah, this is your sister, Ye-Won.” (mom)

     …Right, I only have Ye-Won as my sister.

     Ye-Won. Our little Ye-Won…

     Our little cry-baby Ye-Won, who kept on crying because a boy named Chang-Sik in her class bullied her.

     Our little Ye-Won, who clapped in delight like a circus seal when I Brazilian Kick-ed Chang-Sik’s chin.

     Our kind-hearted little Ye-Won, who wanted nothing more than to sleep next to her Oppa whenever it rained hard.

     So, in other words, the most cutest girl in the whole world, our Ye-Won, is standing over there…. (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s internal monologue. Lol. He’s defo confused…)

     “Ye-Won?”

     Right, this crazy, uninhibited blondie just so happens to be our kind little Ye-Won…

     Just what the f*ck happened in the last five years for a gentle, sane-minded child to become a crazy b*tch?!

     Really, does this world not have a god? Not even a buddha?!

     Do I need to drag Latrel over to this side now?

     Do I need to call Berafe and inquire what’s the going rate for renting out a god of Light nowadays?! (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s internal monologue)

     After checking out Yi Ji-Hyuk from top to bottom in a rather disrespectful manner, Ye-Won then sneered.

     “Oppa? What Oppa? A guy who’s been AWOL for five years suddenly appears and wishes to be treated like one?” (Yi Ye-Won)

     But, uh, I never said that, though?

     I’d like not to be treated as your Oppa from now on. No, hang on a minute. To be brutally honest with you all, I’d like not to be associated with you, completely. (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Are you f*cking with me?! Oppa, my a*s!!” (Ye-Won)

     “This rotten kid!! Watch what you say in front of your older brother!!” (mom)

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     And, as the somewhat moving sight of a mother and a daughter sharing their intense emotions continued to unfold, dad stopped watching it and stood up from the couch.

     “Aigoo, my daughter came home? Give your daddy a hug, will you dear?” (dad)

     “Hey, you moronic husband! Just go to sleep already!! Just go!!” (mom)

     “There just isn’t a single godd*mn day in this family that’s normal!! Seriously, this is so f*cking irritating!!” (Ye-Won)

     An utterly incoherent father, and a younger sister busy grumbling in irritation. And in the middle of them, a mother who was shouting at the both parties.

     Yi Ji-Hyuk took a long look at this sight, chuckled quietly to himself, and sat back down on the dining table to finish his meal.

     After taking the first spoonful of now-cold miyeok soup, he raised his head up once more and found a family of three who were busy arguing with one another, fingers wagging and all. (TL: a miyeok is a strand of edible seaweed.)

     Mm. So, what was this… This situation… Mm.

     What would be the perfectly apt term to describe this situation….?

     That should be…

     ‘What a soya powder family this is.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Now, that was just perfect!

     Yes, it was a perfect fit indeed, yet, for some weird reason, Yi Ji-Hyuk’s eyes were getting moist.

     He wiped the rapidly-moistening eyes and silently continued eating the bowl of miyeok soup.

     Whatever the case might have been, he had returned home after spending an exorbitant amount of time away.

     “Get out!! You stupid husband!!!” (mom)

     ….However, he might get chased out again at this rate…

     *

     Choi Jung-Hoon reported back every little thing he went through, without leaving anything out.

     “A body enhancement type?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young tilted her head.

     “Are you sure about this?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “I am not 100% sure but, if he wasn’t a body enhancement type, then it’d have been physically impossible to beat up a Goblin as if it was rice cake dough.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “That is true, but still….” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Turning a Goblin into a meat paste wasn’t all that difficult to do, if one was an ability user. Even a noob elementary user could defeat a Goblin in a one-on-one battle.

     However, the story changed if one were to mount on top of a Goblin and pound it to the ground.

     Without being a body enhancement type, no one would be able to do something like that. The Goblin trapped below grabbing onto legs or the waist would result in legs getting broken and waist being torn out in half, after all.

     “Gah-Yun-ah, what’s your opinion on this?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young’s gaze went past Choi Jung-Hoon.

     *SFX for fabric silently rustling*

     In the empty space behind Choi Jung-Hoon, a silhouette of a person slowly emerged.

     However, both Seo Ah-Young and Choi Jung-Hoon were not surprised in the slightest.

     And the person who finally emerged was a young girl with a bob-cut hairstyle.

     “Nothing much.” (Gah-Yun)

     “Really?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     The young girl called Gah-Yun nodded her head.

     “Ether reaction, a level of an ordinary human. When fighting Goblin, also an ordinary level of Ether reaction. Fighting style, not organised, but practical.” (Gah-Yun)

     “But, he did kill a Goblin using an Ether reaction comparable to an ordinary person, no?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “A momentary flux of Ether detected. The Ether operation, extremely efficient. However, considering the amount, still ordinary.” (Gah-Yun)

     Seo Ah-Young’s brows narrowed.

     She might possess good eyes to spot talent, but this girl standing in front of her was very objective in her observation. When two opinions collided, it was usually the young girl’s that proved to be correct.

     “What about his growth potential, then?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Extremely low.” (Gah-Yun)

     “Any possibility of him hiding something?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Somewhat likely.” (Gah-Yun)

     “Explain it more.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “The Ether value less than 1000, difficult to detect Ether in one’s body, equally difficult to train. Thus, must consider, unable to use Ether.” (Gah-Yun)

     “Right. That is why only those with values over 1000 are treated as ability users.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “His Ether, 800. However, his proficiency in Ether control, above expert level. Most likely, he encountered a lucky chance, sensed Ether in body. Continuously trained, since then.” (Gah-Yun)

     “So, does that mean he can use abilities?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Impossible.” (Gah-Yun)

     “Woooowoooowooowooo………..”

     Seo Ah-Young grabbed her head and shook it. Her hair came loose rather messily thanks to that.

     “Look like an old hag. Ugly.” (Gah-Yun)

     “Shut up! I’m still in my prime, you know?!” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “A wilting flower.” (Gah-Yun)

     “Get the eff out!! You little…” (Seo Ah-Young)

     The pen in Seo Ah-Young’s hand flew like a bullet towards Gah-Yun’s direction. But the young girl simply snatched it off the air and spoke.

     “A problem?” (Gah-Yun)

     Seo Ah-Young opened the drawer on her desk and pulled out a new pen.

     “It feels like we’re missing something, somehow.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Why?” (Gah-Yun)

     “It’s his attitude that’s the problem.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Difficult to understand.” (Gah-Yun)

     Seo Ah-Young glanced at Choi Jung-Hoon. He nodded his head and agreed with his boss’s opinion.

     “Anyone with only a regular level of abilities – no, even a fifth level ability user would start getting nervous the moment they step into the KSF’s interview rooms. Especially so with ability users, because they don’t usually get to feel the pressure of daily lives. But, with mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, although we had him confined to the room and pressured him for some length of time, he was acting like an elementary schooler out on a school field trip.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Seo Ah-Young added her own voice then.

     “So, the conclusion is, either he’s a powerful ability user who can take the KSF very lightly, or a loon with a dozen screws missing in his head, but….” (Seo Ah-Young)

     The young girl, Doh Gah-Yun tilted her head.

     “Possibility of him not having information on this place, thus not being scared?” (Gah-Yun)

     “This was the guy, while able to see a cordon of armed soldiers just past the toughened acrylic glass surrounding all around him, proceeded to draw a pair of hearts after blowing on that said acrylic glass.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “A certainty, his screws missing.” (Gah-Yun)

     “It would’ve been wonderful if that was the case, but he did blow away a Jarchev’s head and pounded a Goblin to death.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     The girl nodded her head if she understood.

     “Impossible to determine.” (Gah-Yun)

     “Yeah, that’s what I’ve been saying.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Seo Ah-Young sighed out and asked.

     “If that b*stard is really somehow hiding his true abilities, then how high would his ability level be, in your estimation?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “Impossible to evade my detection during operation of Ether. But, if possible, then judging his level, very difficult. Estimation by reverse calculation, then at minimum, above level eight.” (Gah-Yun)

     “An eighth level, you say….” (Seo Ah-Young)

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     There were only a handful of the level eight users in Korea. And that was the lower end of estimation. So, it was pretty unimaginable what Yi Ji-Hyuk’s true ability level could actually be.

     “How high is the possibility?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “3%.” (Gah-Yun)

     “It’s a lot less than before?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “The higher the level, the harder it is to block the dispersion of Ether. Especially, when trying to enhance one’s body, the stronger the flow. An impossible ability. 3% only after considering the situation and my potentially deceived judgement. The realistic percentage, zero.” (Gah-Yun)

     “So, it’s a Nagari.” (Seo Ah-Young) (TL: This is a Go-Stop card game reference. For the game itself, you can check out Wikipedia. Basically, it means whatever has been happening, it’s all meaningless/gone to sh*t.)

     Seo Ah-Young asked Choi Jung-Hoon this time.

     “What about surveillance?” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “For now, everyone’s in place.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     Seo Ah-Young finally came to a decision after a lengthy deliberation.

     “We will maintain the surveillance for a fortnight only. Report back to me if there is any form of movement from his side during this time period, and if we find nothing remarkable by then, we will change how we deal with this ‘mark’. Hand this matter over to the support and management department.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     Choi Jung-Hoon frowned slightly.

     “But, can the S&M department handle someone whose abilities and pretty much everything about him are a complete mystery?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     “Doesn’t mean we can continue watching him forever, though. If he’s a thorn hidden at the bottom of our pocket, then he will pop out sooner or later.” (Seo Ah-Young)

     “That is true, indeed…” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

     When the special law governing ability users was first enacted, quite a few of said users criticised it for being utterly pointless. The argument was that, why would anyone suffer the disadvantages by registering, when they could simply hide their powers and carry on with their lives?

     If one were to think about it logically, then their view was indeed correct. Unfortunately, the matter of the world didn’t always revolve in the most logical fashion.

     The unregistered ability users ended up using their powers anyways. One got p*ss drunk and started a fire, some went on crime spree, and others came up with a variety of creative ways to utilise their powers.

     The issue was with how they went about using their powers. It was almost impossible for a person to live on while trying to completely ‘forget’ that he or she possessed special powers.

     Well, if one were blessed with a pair of wings, wouldn’t that person want to experience flying, at least once?

     And then, would there be anyone in this world who didn’t want to fly again, after having been to the skies already?

     That was the meaning behind Seo Ah-Young’s words, and Choi Jung-Hoon agreed with her.

     If they watched that guy long enough, then he’d slip up and use his powers in some way – and then, there’d be no god dang way he’d talk his way out of that one!!

     Seo Ah-Young and Choi Jung-Hoon gazed at each other and smirked. And the young girl watching the two tilted her head slightly.

     “An office waifu?” (Gah-Yun)

     “Get the hell out, you dumba*s!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

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     In conclusion, Seo Ah-Young’s and Choi Jung-Hoon’s wishes were nothing more than an impossible dream.

     It was indeed true that a person possessing super powers would feel the undeniable urge to try his or her abilities out sooner or later.

     Unfortunately, what this duo failed to even realise was the fact that Yi Ji-Hyuk wasn’t a noob ability user who had only awakened his powers mere five years ago. He was a sorcerer who had climbed to the very peak in sorcery, as well as a scholar of magic who had touched upon the threshold of the ‘Truth’.

     In other words, there was no freaking way he would act like a noob magician wanting so badly to show off his magic skills and whatnot.

     And currently, the Nightmare of Berafe, the Bringer of Apocalypse, was staring at the dining room table, completely dazed and speechless.

     *SFX for meat sizzling on grill*

     The sound of meat being grilled was one of the most enjoyable noises anyone could ever hope to hear.

     However, even those ‘anyone’ would feel a bit awkward after seeing meat being grilled atop a table full of a veritable feast of food this early in the morning.

     ‘Ribeyes in the morning?’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

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     Yi Ji-Hyuk’s mom, madam Park Seon-Duk, couldn’t catch a wink during the night due to the sheer joy she felt at her son’s return after five years of absence. And then, that joy had transformed in full into the energy that spurred on the instincts of the housewife, the result now being displayed rather proudly on the dining table.

     His mouth watered as he looked at the steaming bowl of samgyetang sitting pretty next to his rice bowl. (TL: “samgyetang” is basically a chicken stew with lots of expensive ingredients thrown in, such as high-grade ginseng. Seen as a “health” food more than a regular dish.)

     “Now, now, now. Chew slowly, and eat lots, okay?” (Mom, Park Seon-Duk)

     Warmth could be felt from her gentle eyes gazing at him.

     ‘But still, isn’t this a wee bit too much?’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     He could accept both the ribeyes and samgyetang, sure, but just when did she find the time to cook up bulgogi and galbi-jjim? Also, that steamed whole chicken over there, didn’t that, like, take a whoopa*s long time to cook? (TL: Oh, boy. I’m getting hungry TLing this. You guys should know what’s a “bulgogi” is by now; “galbi-jjim” is braised short ribs.)

     Meat over here, meat over there. Meat everywhere.

     This was a feast consisting of easy-to-digest meat dishes only.

     “My son, you love meat, right?” (mom)

     That was why Yi Ji-Hyuk wordlessly hoovered up the meat.

     This was excessive. Excessive, indeed, yet… this was also very good.

     It’s meat, after all. MEAT!!

     “Uh? What’s all this?” (Dad)

     Dad finished up getting ready for work and came to the kitchen for breakfast, only for his eyes to go completely round at the sight.

     “Are we having a party in the morning or something?” (Dad)

     “Our child returned home, so isn’t that a reason enough to have a party?” (Mom)

     “Huhuh, this is….”

     Dad sat down on his seat. And madam Park Seon-Duk placed only a bowl of rice and soup in front of him.

     After checking out the moist cooked rice and tasty-looking miyeok soup, dad cautiously asked.

     “What about samgyetang?” (Dad)

     “Miyeok soup is good for your health.” (Mom)

     “But, samgyetang is also good for me…” (Dad)

     Mom declined to reply any further.

     Wisely enough, dad also didn’t ask anymore as well. Although it did feel a bit depressing, he couldn’t really expect to receive a similar sort of treatment like his son who had just returned home after going missing for five years, no?

     Dad then directed his chopsticks towards the ribeyes soaked in tasty gravy, almost cooked to perfection atop the grill.

     “Ohh, this looks really delici…” (Dad)

     Then, a pair of tongs rapidly dug in front and shoved away the chopsticks, before snatching away the ribeye portion.

     And the very same portion that had endlessly tempted dad’s palette proudly showed off its soft, sizzled sides while landing on top of Yi Ji-Hyuk’s rice bowl.

     “Eat well, my boy.” (mom)

     “Ng, thanks mom.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “There, there.” (mom)

     Dad stared at the sight with a pleased expression. But, although his mind felt all warm and fuzzy, his hands felt somewhat awkwardly empty at the same time.

     “Huhuh. Right, eat well, my son.” (Dad)

     “Yes.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Dad’s chopsticks headed towards another well-cooked piece of ribeye once more.

     Tak!!

     However, a pair of tongs descended smoothly and shoved away his chopsticks again, picked up the very portion of meat and delivered it to Yi Ji-Hyuk’s bowl.

     Tak!

     Tak, tak!!

     When the same thing happened a couple more times, dad put down his chopsticks and raised his voice in a huff.

     “What are you doing?!” (Dad)

     “What!!” (Mom)

     “I am the head of this family!! Treat me at least a little better than this!!” (Dad)

     “You’re being noisy!! Our kid might get indigestion!!” (Mom)

     “Groan~.” (Dad)

     Dad’s shoulders drooped noticeably. Sure, his level of importance compared to a son who had just returned after five years was far, far lower, but still, as the head of this family, couldn’t he be allowed to eat one single piece of meat, at the very least?

     Dad gave up on the grilled meat and instead reached out to galbi-jjim with his chopsticks.

     Tak!

     And…. dad’s despairing eyes were directed towards madam Park Seon-Duk, but her tongs remained merciless.

     “Dear…..” (Dad)

     “Meat dishes aren’t good for relieving a hangover, so eat the soup, instead. Just the soup.” (Mom)

     And just who came up with the notion of meat not being good for a hangover?!

     Dad was just about to start his counter argument, but then, spotted the wifey’s eyes that screamed let’s see what happens when you utter out one more word and he quietly poured the rice into his soup. (TL: In Korean dining culture, soup and rice dishes are supposed to be combined into one. Not always the case, but most people eat that way.)

     ‘I should drink a bit less from now on.’ (Dad)

     How could he expect a gentle treatment after he couldn’t even recognise his own missing-for-five-years son and behaved like an utter moron?

     “Right, Ji-Hyuk-ah.” (Dad)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk put his spoon down and gazed at his dad.

     ‘Mm… So, what am I supposed to say here?’ (Dad)

     If dad were to meet his son with a clear head first, there should’ve been lots of things to say, for sure. More than likely, he might have broken down into sobs and tears. But, after putting on such a disgraceful act last night, he hadn’t the foggiest clue what to say, now that his head was much clearer.

     To become emotional now was a bit awkward, and to be all rational now was also a bit embarrassing as well.

     “So, well, this is…” (Dad)

     When dad remained hesitant for a while, mom’s eyes became more hostile.

     “Just speak up what’s on your mind already, will you!! What are you doing, forcing your son to stop eating?!” (Mom)

     “Ah, right, uh… Welcome back, son.” (Dad)

     “Thanks, dad.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Let’s eat. Yes. Eat.” (Dad)

     “Okay.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk resumed stuffing the food into his mouth.

     Bulgogi became bulgogi noodles and got sucked in like a stream, and galbi-jjim transformed into white, spotless bones and were piled neatly to one side. And a dish of stir-fried noodles was gone without a trace after only two swishes of his chopsticks.

     ‘Couldn’t you at least leave me behind something?’ (Dad)

     Dad sucked on his spoon regretfully.

     It was then, Yi Ye-Won emerged from her room, wearing the school uniform.

     “Eat your breakfast.” (Mom)

     “Don’t wanna. I’m going to school.” (Yi Ye-Won)

     “Just eat your dang food already, will you!! It’s not even that late anyway, so what’s the rush?” (Mom)

     “Eii, sh*t.” (Yi Ye-Won)

     Yi Ye-Won grumbled as she sat down on her seat.

     “What’s up with this meat party? I can see nothing but meat here.” (Yi Ye-Won)

     “Your Oppa likes his meat, doesn’t he?” (Mom)

     “What an overkill.” (Yi Ye-Won)

     Yi Ye-Won sneaked a glance at Yi Ji-Hyuk in the middle of his bulgogi-sucking escapades. When their gazes met, he carefully slid the bulgogi dish towards her.

     “Want some?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Hah?!” (Yi Ye-Won)

     So, she could impart such a variety of negative emotions with a single word, huh.

     Her ability to form expressions is top notch. She could even become an actress in the future. Probably. (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

     Yi Ji-Hyuk pulled the bulgogi dish back.

     And why was she acting so irritable since yesterday, anyways?

     Yi Ye-Won mixed in her rice with soup and feigned eating it for a couple of spoons, before standing up from her seat.

     “Mom.” (Yi Ye-Won)

     “What?” (Mom)

     “Gimme pocket money.” (Yi Ye-Won)

     Mom’s eyes became super-sharp.

     “Why are you asking for money, when it hasn’t even been that long since I gave you some?” (Mom)

     “I spent it all up by buying supplementary textbooks, you know!” (Yi Ye-Won)

     “Textbooks?! TEXTBOOKS?!?! You bought books??? Maybe a stray dog passing by bought those books. No way in a blue moon you’ll buy a dang textbook!!” (Mom)

     “Mom?!” (Yi Ye-Won)

     “Go to school, before I rip that hair off your scalp!! Also, didn’t I tell you to dye that hair of yours? Yet why are you still walking around looking like that?” (Mom)

     “Everyone rocks this look now, so why are you only picking on me?” (Yi Ye-Won)

     “Just who is this ‘everyone’? Look outside! I dare you to find anyone with a canary hair like yours walking around!!” (Mom)

     “Eiii!!! Seriously now!!” (Yi Ye-Won)

     Just as Yi Ye-Won abruptly turned around and headed towards the front door, dad let out a fake cough and stood up as well. And then, after sneakily checking out mom’s mood, he slyly handed over a couple of ₩50,000 notes over to his daughter who was busy putting on her shoes. (TL: ₩50,000 = around $46)

     She grinned faintly and pocketed the cash; meanwhile, witnessing this scene unfold, mom began shouting again.

     “Why are you giving her money? Why? Are you going to take responsibility when she develops rotten habits?!” (Mom)

     “Keuheuheuheum.”

     Dad continued to let out several fake coughs and avoided mom’s eyes.

     “You think you’re a parent just because you gave her some cash? You can’t even say anything useful about her appearance at all, yet you give her money so she can fool around even more?! Dear, are you an insane idiot, or a sane idiot?!” (Mom)

     “Come on now, she said she doesn’t have any pocket money.” (Dad)

     “I’m off now.” (Yi Ye-Won)

     As if she feared her money might get confiscated, Yi Ye-Won hurriedly opened the door and left. Watching that, mom’s eyes were set ablaze.

     “And just why would she be lacking in money, ah? It’s all because she’s wasting it away!” (Mom)

     “Hm, hm. Ah, that’s right. Ji-Hyuk-ah.” (Dad)

     Dad urgently changed the topic.

     “Dad?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Here, take this.” (Dad)

     From dad’s wallet, several stiff banknotes exited and landed into his hands.

     “But, I don’t need money, though?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Do you have any cash on you?” (Dad)

     “No.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Then, take it. A man is supposed to feel secure when his pockets are secure, understand?” (Dad)

     When Yi Ji-Hyuk remained hesitant, mom snatched the money off and pushed it into her son’s pocket.

     “Why are you hesitating, son? Your father is giving you, so you should quietly accept it. Mom will open a bank account in your name soon, so use this until then, okay?” (Mom)

     “Ng.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Mom, isn’t this treatment completely the opposite to how you treat your daughter? (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s internal monologue)

     Dad quickly evaded nagging from his wife and left for work. Mom then carefully stared at her son for a while, before speaking out as if she had made up her mind.

     “Let’s go.” (Mom)

     “Mm? Go where?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Mom’s restaurant.” (Mom)

     “Mom, you still work in a restaurant?” (Yi Ji-HYuk)

     Mom grinned softly.

     “I’m not working in the kitchen there, you know. It’s our restaurant.” (Mom)

     It seemed that she had opened her own place. In only five short years, the family’s house became twice as big and they owned a business now. Sadly, the family seemed to have grown more prosperous after Yi Ji-Hyuk was gone.

     Huh? Now that I thought about it that way, I kinda feel a bit odd, don’t I? (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “But, why do I need to go that restaurant, mom?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “I am worried about leaving you alone here. I was planning to take the day off today, but since that’s impossible, it can’t be helped. Let’s go!” (Mom)

     “Mom, wait! Please calm down. I promise I will behave and stay at home. I’d like to stay home for the time being.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     It wasn’t such a bad development for him to go to the restaurant with his mom. But there wasn’t much he could do after he arrives there, other than probably washing the dishes and stuff.

     “You mustn’t leave the house, okay?” (Mom)

     “I won’t leave, promise. Besides, I have nowhere else to go, anyway.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Mm, but I’m still worried…. Can’t we just go together?” (Mom)

     “Nope, not going!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     After a lengthy negotiation, it was decided that Yi Ji-Hyuk could remain at home, only after he got a brand new smartphone from a shop near the house. Some apps or other that could pinpoint the location of the phone were downloaded and installed en masse, and then, in case he misplaced the phone, he had to wear it around his neck like a dog leash.

     After putting secondary and tertiary safety nets in place, mom still didn’t seem convinced as she checked and rechecked the phone several times, before personally escorting Yi Ji-Hyuk back home from the store.

     “I’ve already prepared meals for you, so don’t forget to eat later, okay? And mom will come home early today….” (Mom)

     “Mom, aren’t you late now? You must get to work, you know.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     “Yes, I’m late, by a little bit. But…. eh-whew.” (Mom)

     And finally, after incessantly nagging, mom opened the door and left for work.

     ‘Ahh… From now on, it’s my ‘me time’. Really now, it was so awkward, I had no….’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     *SFX for a loud noise of something being dragged across*

     It was then – he could hear the noise of something heavy being dragged across the floor, right outside the front door.

     What could this noise possibly be?

     Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head in confusion and opened the front door.

     “Eh? Mom?!”

     Mom was in the middle of dragging several large boxes of unknown origin to block out the front door.

     When she met Yi Ji-Hyuk’s eyes, mom smiled embarrassedly.

     Only allowed on Creativenovels.com

     “No, well, what if you were to venture outside and lose the way back home?” (Mom)

     “……………”

     “Well now, mom is off to work! Please lock the door.” (Mom)

     “Y, yes, mom…..” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     As soon as he closed the door, the dragging noises resumed, and soon, another noises of those boxes pressing against the door could be heard.

     Right, this was indeed the love of one’s parents.

     She blocked the doorway, fearing that her child, lost for five years, might lose his way once more. Just how much did she worry, to do something like this….

     But, why are my eyes stinging a bit right now?

     Now that he was left alone at home, Yi Ji-Hyuk’s gaze was firmly fixed to one spot only. And it was a personal computer sitting pretty in the corner of his room, which was decorated as exactly as it was before he had left.

     “Kekeke.”

     There were three things he missed most about this world.

     First, his family.

     Second, the food.

     And finally, his computer!!!

     Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at the amalgamation of what every bit of modern technology had to offer, and formed a mysterious smile.

     Just how much did he miss his computer?

     He plugged it into the wall socket and booted it up. But, as soon as the OS booted up, all traces of said smile were wiped off Yi Ji-Hyuk’s face.

     “It, it can’t be?!”

     A long, long time later…..

     Yi Ji-Hyuk stopped staring at his computer with an empty, soulless pair of eyes, and pulled out his phone to call someone.

     “Mom! Did you change my computer?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     – “We got a new one when we moved house. You don’t have to say thanks.” (Mom)

     “Oh, uh, t, thanks mom….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

     Again, he felt the love of his mother.

     To spend money unwisely to buy a brand new computer, even after her son had gone missing for five years and was declared dead, all in the vain hope of him might returning one day – everyone said he was dead and gone, yet she alone held onto the faith that he’d return home one day, alive and kicking.

     It was such a moving thing, tears started coming out.

     Yes, it was indeed a moving thing.

     Indeed, but….

     After ending the call, Yi Ji-Hyuk dazedly stared at the monitor screen for a long, long time.

     Finally, he reined in the turmoil of his mind and squeezed his eyes shut.

     ‘Goodbye.’