Dream Breaker - Chapter 74

How many people have experienced jumping out of an airplane?

Click! Click!

After securing evidence photos with the camera function of an ancient smartphone, I threw myself fearlessly into the dizzying void.

Whoosh!

“Molang!”

The alien lifeform that saved my life by blocking a bullet also came with me!

“Ugh…!”

It was hard to open my eyes because I hadn’t properly worn the equipment, but the altitude wasn’t too high, so it was bearable.

Flap~!

Following the rough instructions I heard from the flight attendant, I pulled the cord on the back of my parachute and spread it wide open.

‘Huh?’

Isn’t this fun?

If I make a lot of money later and become rich, I’d like to enjoy skydiving as a hobby.

“Hmm…”

Descending slowly from the high sky, I observed the ground.

Palm trees, beaches, resorts, yachts…

The overall atmosphere and scenery were that of a tropical tourist destination.

There must be an airport somewhere.

Squeeze-

The direction of the wind is the most important factor in determining the landing point, but I could somewhat control it by pulling the two lines connected to the parachute with both hands.

‘To the beach.’

There are no obstacles, so there is no risk of collision, and the ground is sandy, so the impact of landing should be minimal.

In case of emergency, I can jump into the sea and escape the encirclement-

“…Huh?!”

“Molang?!”

Splash!

I was swept past the beach by the strong wind and fell into the sea!

“Puhah!”

My clothes were soaked, but at least I arrived safely on the ground.

What should I do now?

I need to figure out where I am and go somewhere with a signal to transmit the evidence I collected.

Splish-splash.

As I came ashore, I waved my hand and greeted the people around me.

“The weather is really great for skydiving today!”

“You failed your landing.”

“Ha ha! I’m still a beginner!”

“Would you like to borrow a towel?”

“It’s okay.”

I spent some time blending in with the people to avoid suspicion. Acting hastily would be like advertising that I’m on the run.

“Molang, Molang~”

“That hat looks really cool.”

“Thank you!”

“Molang!”

While doing so, I naturally collected information and simply transmitted the collected evidence using the ‘Mobile Hotspot Connection’ feature.

For now, I plan to watch how the situation unfolds.

‘But the evidence is insufficient.’

My imagination seemed to underestimate the extent of Chairman Hwang Hae-soo’s influence deeply rooted throughout the country.

It means he’s not just a wealthy tycoon!

“Molang~”

“Right. We need to put an end to this.”

First, I took care of my wet clothes with the credit card I brought.

The prices were outrageously high, as you’d expect in a tourist area, but the money would all disappear once I wake up from the dream!

I spent it generously.

“What’s next…”

By now, they must be desperately looking for me!

But I had no intention of hiding and wandering like a fugitive. I was quite annoyed at being unilaterally threatened for my life by Nam Hae-soo.

I want to collect decisive evidence to judge him.

To do that?

“Excuse me.”

“Oh, yes.”

I randomly called out to a local who was guiding tourists.

“I’d like to rent that villa.”

I pointed to the beautiful villa on the sea.

“Did you come without booking accommodation?”

“Yes, it just happened…”

“Hmm. I don’t know how you got here, but if you go straight that way, you’ll find the management office.”

“Thank you!”

Let’s max out the credit card before leaving this world!

* * *

Was it because of my experience of being drugged with sleeping pills in the in-flight meal?

I mainly used restaurants that operated as ‘buffets’ since it’s difficult to drug food shared by many people, and I only bought ‘canned’ drinks from convenience stores.

‘I might be too cautious.’

But the shock of being helplessly drugged with sleeping pills was that great.

It broke the heart of the magical boy Choi Kang-min, who possessed absolute power, and was a founding contributor to the huge empire!

However, despite my brilliant skills and career, I was defeated by cheap sleeping pills.

“Thank you!”

“Take care.”

Jingle!

After eating to my heart’s content at a high-end buffet restaurant rich in seafood, I bought drinks and frozen food from a convenience store.

‘I wonder what happened to the plane? I’m worried about Han-hee… Oh.’

Nam Hae-soo’s wife, Park Han-hee.

Although I know the fact (reality) that she is an elderly grandmother who remembers the old days, in this world, she was in her early 20s.

And she’s pretty…

“I’m really hopeless!”

Am I always weak to beautiful women who show me kindness?

Feeling sorry for Song Seon-young, whom I dated in the dream and broke up with in reality, and Valentine…

Click.

I opened the door and entered the beautiful villa I had booked for a long stay.

The pension built on the sea.

It would be a novel experience and romance for tourists, but I chose this place because I could escape the encirclement at any time.

“…Huh?”

“Did you have a good meal?”

“I thought you would be in Korea, of course.”

Nam Hae-soo was drinking alcohol while looking at the horizon of the sea.

How did this happen?

He put down his glass and spoke nonchalantly.

“Is it strange for me to spend my leisure time at the resort I own? I bought it for a honeymoon last year.”

“Huh?”

He bought the entire resort for a honeymoon?

It was absurd, but there was a reason the plane headed here.

“I originally planned to have a brief conversation through video call, but things got complicated as you escaped.”

“So, you came to catch me yourself?”

“Hmm… If I had intended to catch you, I would have had plenty of opportunities. From the moment you stepped foot here, it was my victory. Even now, snipers on that passenger ship are aiming at your forehead and legs.”

“……”

To my eyes, it was just an ordinary luxury passenger ship carrying tourists.

Was it a bluff?

But I didn’t feel like testing it. I had been using my credit card, hoping someone would come.

‘I didn’t know it would be Nam Hae-soo…’

I didn’t think he would bring his family either.

“……”

Chirp-chirp.

A woman, presumably his wife, silently poured him alcohol,

“Softly, softly.”

And a newborn baby in a stroller was asleep with a finger in its mouth.

The reason I didn’t rush at Nam Hae-soo and responded to the conversation was because of them.

A vague belief that we wouldn’t fight dangerously in front of the family.

The same goes for me.

‘Snapping someone’s neck in front of their wife and child is a bit…’

If Nam Hae-soo’s intention was a ‘temporary ceasefire,’ then he succeeded.

“This is my family.”

“Do you like it?”

“Hmm. A sharp observation. My wife becomes a famous actress but suffers from being forced into sexual relations and commits suicide.”

“Nam Hae-soo?”

Is it okay to blurt that out in front of the person involved?

He continued without caring.

“But with my help, that future didn’t come. Are you satisfied? That’s too obvious a question.”

“……”

His wife seemed very flustered by this confession she was hearing for the first time from her husband.

I opened my lips to ask a question, but in the end, I couldn’t say anything and bowed my head deeply, like a secretary who had been instructed to wait quietly.

It didn’t seem like a normal marital relationship based on love.

“Sit down.”

“…You’re suddenly being gentlemanly.”

“I came to my senses after being hit hard in the head by you.”

“When?”

“After retaking the plane single-handedly that was occupied by armed terrorists and their accomplices, and escaping by parachute. When I first received the report of failure from my secretary, I thought I was hearing the plot of a spy movie.”

“So?”

“All the plans I’ve been preparing for a long time have been ruined.”

“What were the plans?”

“Plans to change the dark future of Korea.”

Chirp-chirp.

Nam Hae-soo wet his lips with the alcohol poured by his wife and answered.

“The dark future of Korea?”

“Don’t you know?”

“…I know. I learned history at school, too.”

Ding-

My mind became hazy.

I felt like I was the one who was hit hard in the head by Nam Hae-soo!

‘I completely misjudged!’

The swimming emperor, Nam Hae-soo.

Because his reputation was so strong, I approached focusing on swimming and wealth.

“The future of this country?”

“Yes.”

“Why would Nam Hae-soo, who is not even a politician, try to change that?”

The future of the country is a matter that politicians should decide.

What about the citizens?

If they don’t like the country they live in, they can just move to another country. They usually don’t move because of relocation costs or language barriers.

Anyway, non-politician citizens have no obligation or right to change the country.

“Do I look strange?”

“Yes. Very.”

“You don’t seem to be a person born in the old days like me.”

“I was born in the new generation after the human revolution.”

“Indeed… The new generation’s youth have no interest in politics at all. In that regard, we’re definitely different.”

“……”

It didn’t seem sarcastic.

His calm expression and tone.

It felt like he was explaining the facts as they were, like a history teacher.

“The person who created such a world, P, is a really great human being.”

“Huh?! Have you seen P?!”

P.

An unknown being with rumors of being an alien that looks like a squid.

Nam Hae-soo answered my question.

“No.”

“……”

“But I did experience the period when P was active firsthand. Do you think a monkey or an alien would reveal a great invention for humans? Of course, it’s human.”

“Ah, yes.”

Even someone born in the new generation like me could make that inference.

“How did you come to the past?”

“I fell asleep.”

“Oh! Me too!”

“……”

Nam Hae-soo seemed very delighted, as if he was glad to meet someone from the same hometown.

He looked at the blue sky of the unpolluted resort and said.

“Young Nam Hae-soo was an extremely selfish person. In order to become a national representative, I pushed out my competitors in all sorts of ways.”

“I’ve never heard that story.”

“Of course. I was never caught. I would drug a teammate’s water bottle and report it, or introduce them to a pretty woman to distract them, or get them into gambling…”

“Wow?”

With this much, he’s not the emperor of swimming but a swindler?

It was shocking.

“In the sense of regret and reflection, I devoted all my wealth to nurturing my juniors. I also helped my colleagues and their families.”

“That’s how you gained your honor.”

“Ahem! I never aimed for honor in my actions.”

Whether he intended it or not, he eventually earned the glorious title of ‘Emperor of Swimming.’

Here’s the question.

If you reflect on the mistakes of the past, you can just go back in time and not make the same mistakes.

‘But why on earth?’

Why is Nam Hae-soo running an armed organization?

“At first, I thought it was a dream.”

“Yes.”

It is a dream.

“But after pinching my cheek and seeing that it doesn’t change after a few days, I realized this is not a dream but reality.”

“Yes.”

But it’s still a dream!

I wanted to immediately argue, but I needed more detailed information to pull him out of the dream.

What made him get caught in the past(dream)?

Regret and reflection were not the reasons.

‘If so, he would have been born as Nam Hae-soo.’

He was reborn as a completely different person, ‘Hwang Hae-soo.’

A handsome face like a movie actor, a smooth baritone voice, above-average height, broad shoulders…

The first impression was definitely 100 points!

Considering that there hasn’t been an ‘ugly protagonist’ so far, it’s not surprising…

“So I thought about it.”

“What?”

“Why did I, who was just waiting for the day to die, go back to the past?”

“……”

Yes. I wanted to hear that.

“I realized it. I was a chosen human to change the dark future of Korea.”

“Chosen…?”

“Yes.”

“What about me?”

“I wanted to ask that too. Why did you come to the old days? To study history? Tourism?”

“No.”

“Then?”

Nam Hae-soo looked at me with a genuinely curious gaze.

With a smiling face, I answered.

“It’s because of you.”

“Me?”

“Emperor of Swimming, Nam Hae-soo. I am a shaman who has come to take you at the request of the Swimming Federation.”

“……”

It was time to prescribe a solution to the patient who had been diagnosed with the problem.

 

---

Read ahead by supporting me on Ko-fi

. Access 5 advance chapters with Silver Tier($10) or 10 advance chapters with Gold Tier($18) or 15 advance chapters with Platinum Tier($35).

Choose your tier by clicking the ‘Support Me’ button!!

Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Bonus chapters upon reaching specific milestones.

---

Previous Chapter

|| TOC

|| Next Chapter