The Returner - Chapter 338

And so, the mealtime came to an awkward end.

 

Choi Jeong-Hoon noticed Song Jeong-Su forming an expression of someone finding everything he wanted while climbing aboard the waiting car, and could only click his tongue.

 

“I think the politicians are the very definition of indecipherable creatures.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

 

“Urgh….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk nodded his head in agreement. He had seen countless politicians in his life so far – he lived for thousands of years, so obviously there must’ve been more than a couple of scheming b*stards showing up in his path during that time period.

 

Even then, he thought that the modern-day politicians were like a bunch of monsters with thousands of coiled snakes hiding within.

 

“It’s so weird.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“Excuse me?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

 

“Why do such folks look like morons on TV, I wonder?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“Hahaha…” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

 

Choi Jeong-Hoon ended up chuckling out.

 

There was simply no way that politicians were lacking in that aspect. Indeed, you could only try to become one if you’ve already tasted prior success in your chosen field of profession, or were backed by great academic records.

 

Using the National Assemblymen as an example, most of them possessed quite a considerable work experience even if you removed their current job title. So it was an irony of all ironies to see the gathering of such people, the National Assembly, in utter shambles every single day, while the words and actions of these people as seen on TV were proving to be a veritable comedic goldmine.

 

“Well, who knows?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

 

It was indeed one of the modern world’s unsolvable mysteries.

 

“A place packed with such folks should be an abode of scheming demons, but to think, it’d be that entertaining….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“Not every politician will be of similar capability to the party leader Song Jeong-Su. He’s got this whole country perfectly wrapped around his finger, after all.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

 

Choi Jeong-Hoon genuinely believed that.

 

Just Song Jeong-Su’s experience alone meant he had to be acknowledged as a force to be reckoned with, but what made him even more outstanding was his adaptability that, despite his two decades of stay in the other world, allowed him to sink his teeth back into the modern political scene in only a matter of days.

 

In all honesty, Choi Jeong-Hoon thought that Song Jeong-Su’s career as a politician was as good as over after hearing how the latter had to spend two decades in another world. But then, never mind simply reacclimatising to the scene, he became even more active than ever before.

 

‘He’s an amazing person, alright.’ (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

 

Whatever the case might have been, it was a big boon from Yi Ji-Hyuk’s and the NDF’s perspective that someone like Song Jeong-Su was ready to back them.

 

“It’s good this way, isn’t it? Someone with that much influence helping us out.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

 

“Well, it’s not much of a help to begin with, anyway.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“…..That’s true.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

 

Now that they thought about it, this was neither good or bad development for Yi Ji-Hyuk.

 

“Let’s go back. I’ll play some games or something.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“Right, let’s.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

 

Choi Jeong-Hoon inwardly told himself to work even harder during the time saved by eating an early lunch.

 

***

 

A certain man was hanging in the air, his whole figure in a wretched state.

 

The chains binding his wrist were digging into his flesh and the resulting blood trickled down nonstop, but maybe he was unconscious or had become too numb from the pain, the man simply remained sagging and unmoving.

 

Drip, drip.

 

Only the sounds of blood dripping on the floor rang out in this space. Which happened to be a prison.

 

This man was slowly dying in this prison where not even a streak of light could creep in. Sensations on his body were fading away gradually, and his consciousness was growing further and further away.

 

What remained in the man were dogged malice and this sense of shame.

 

‘How long has it been?’

 

He couldn’t tell how long it had been since his incarceration in this d*mned place. It was impossible to retain one’s sense of time when not even a ray of light seeped inside.

 

Some people would occasionally come in to treat his injuries, so he tried asking them but that proved to be a waste of time.

 

He was slowly withering away in this darkened isolation chamber.

 

Ka-boom!!

 

It was then, the man’s eyes snapped wide open.

 

An external stimulus reached him like a massive thunderclap trying to tear open the heavens and woke him up from his unresponsive state.

 

“Kkeuh-heuk.”

 

He raised his head only to be greeted by soul-searing pain coursing through his entire body. However, the man didn’t try to fight against it; he knew that this was hundreds of times, no, maybe thousands of times better than not feeling anything at all.

 

Boom!! Bang!!!

 

The noises of explosion grew closer and closer. The man shut his eyes and concentrated on those sounds. No explosions should be going off in this place he was currently imprisoned in.

 

This place, the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, turning into a battlefield was pretty much the signal of North Korea’s destruction itself, after all.

 

He figured that there was pretty much no chance of external enemies invading the country. In that case, there could only be two options left.

 

One, monsters have managed to invade this far, and the other one was….

 

“Comrade Chief of Staff!!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

‘I knew it!’ (Park Yong-Hui)

 

A smirk floated up on Park Yong-Hui ‘s lips.

 

His whole body was ravaged and tortured to the point where it couldn’t be recognised anymore, but his consciousness hadn’t yet lost the sense of who he was.

 

“Who goes there?!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“It’s me, Rhee Jin-Cheol!”

 

“You fool! What are you doing here?!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Obviously, to break you out of here!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Stop wasting time and escape from this place! You wish to be caught as well and get killed?! You insane fool, are you trying to kill yourself?! Where do you think you are right now, busy showing your face here?! Hurry and escape, right now!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Let’s us escape together, comrade!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

“Together, my foot!!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

Park Yong-Hui roared out in anger. Did that man seriously not realise the severity of this situation?

 

“You fool, listen! Our citizens are in danger of getting slaughtered right now, so why do you think my own neck is more important in this situation?? You really think you should be rescuing me right now?! Hurry up and run, you fool! Now!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Comrade, you need to survive so that the rest of the citizens can live, too! My men have suppressed the enemies in the immediate vicinity, sir! Please wait for a sec while I quickly open this d*mn door!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

“Are you deaf!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

Park Yong-Hui cried out almost in sheer desperation.

 

“Haven’t you figured it out yet? The ones you suppressed are only small fries!! The real deals aren’t here yet! Besides, how long do you think I will survive outside in my current condition?! We will all be destroyed in an instant! Don’t you get that?!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“…..Comrade.” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

“Do you not understand what you need to do? You must stop this insane plan from going forward. You miss the crucial opening by focusing on me, and that will doom us all!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Then, what should I do?” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

“Escape.” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

Park Yong-Hui’s voice spoke in a cadence similar to dripping blood.

 

“Escape, and head straight to the South. To South Korea.” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Sir? To South Korea?!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

“Find Comrade Rhee Ji-Hyuk, and tell him what’s going on here. Ask him for help, and bring an army or whatever here, right away!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“B-but, Comrade Chief!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

“This stinking son of a b*tch, whimpering like a little girl!!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

Park Yong-Hui was growing desperate.

 

The sole remaining hope was Rhee Jin-Cheol. So how could he not get desperate when such a man couldn’t seem to get the grips on the situation?

 

“Jin-Cheol-ah!!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“…..Sir, Comrade Chief of Staff.” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

“You’re the only one I can trust. Now that you got this far, those b*stards will stop at nothing to kill you. Do you understand what I’m saying here?” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Sir, yes sir. I do.” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

“Survive no matter what, and head to South Korea. Everything depends on you. Live, and go south. Go and ask for Comrade Rhee Ji-Hyuk’s assistance.” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“However, will he help us?” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

“He will.” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

Park Yong-Hui’s voice sounded confident.

 

“That man, it’s just the way he speaks or acts that comes across as unsightly, but in truth, did he not save our skins before? Without him, we’d all be dead by now. That’s why he will help us this time, too. If he says he doesn’t want to, cling onto his pants legs if you have to.” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“….Understood, sir!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

“Hurry up and leave, you fool! If you stay here any longer, your neck will go flying, too!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“I’ll definitely return, sir. I swear on my life, so please, survive until then, comrade!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

“You insane fool.” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

Park Yong-Hui cackled breathlessly.

 

He might not remain breathing for much longer now, so how could he wait for someone whose return wasn’t guaranteed at all?

 

‘However, there’s no reason not to say anything, now is there?’ (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Do not worry about me and escape immediately. You know how tenacious I am. Our citizens are about to get slaughtered, so you know that I can’t close my eyes until this crisis is over.” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

Rhee Jin-Cheol forcibly suppressed his boiling innards.

 

Just by hearing that voice, he could tell how serious Park Yong-Hui’s current condition was. However, Rhee Jin-Cheol knew that he might get caught if he wasted anymore time than this, just like the Chief of General Staff have warned him.

 

‘F*ck!’ (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

He believed that a path might open up by rescuing Park Yong-Hui, but unfortunately, now wasn’t the time to do this.

 

“Please, you must stay alive!” (Rhee Jin-Cheol)

 

Feeling like vomiting blood right now, Rhee Jin-Cheol shouted out and dashed towards the outside of the building.

 

“What a foolish b*stard.” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

….Survive, no matter what! You must survive! (Park Yong-Hui’s inner monologue)

 

Park Yong-Hui bit down hard on his lip.

 

“Keuh, what a tear-jerking display of comradeship that was.” (?)

 

The new voice coming from outside the prison door caused Park Yong-Hui to gnash his teeth, instead. The culprit of all these insanity was right there. If only he could, he’d have crawled and bite down on that abominable b*stard’s neck right this instance.

 

“You, Jeong Min-Seong!!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

Creeeak!

 

The solid steel door opened up, and a certain man strode in. It was a young man with a dignified outer appearance wearing the Workers’ Party uniform.

 

It was none other than Jeong Min-Seong, who introduced himself as a Major belonging to the Department of Foreign Strategies within the Joseon Workers’ Party.

 

“Please stop shouting so loudly like that. I’ve got a sensitive disposition and people screaming so viciously like you can unnerve me unnecessarily, you see.” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

Jeong Min-Seong’s sly tone of voice didn’t manage to stop Pak Yong-Hui’s gnashing teeth.

 

If only it wasn’t for this b*stard, the situation would’ve gone in the completely opposite direction. Park Yong-Hui could’ve eliminated the swine leeching off the blood and sweat of the North’s citizens by now and freed them for real.

 

However, just before the big event could take place, this d*mn b*stard ruined everything.

 

“I will grind you b*stard to death!!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“You in that state will do what now?” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

Jeong Min-Seong left behind a sly, mocking leer.

 

“From the get-go, weren’t you the one making the mistake of believing that our dear Comrade Supreme Leader hadn’t come up with a contingency plan when letting these ability users loose? Quite obviously, preparations have been made already in case you people decided to rise up one day. That’s not my fault now, is it?” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

Jeong Min-Seong cackled unsightly.

 

“You, you! Just what are you planning?!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Regarding what, exactly?” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

“Be honest with me, now! A b*stard like you would never have stopped us out of loyalty to that swine!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Oh, aren’t you a perceptive one?” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

Jeong Min-Seong’s expression suddenly cooled down.

 

“Of course, I’ve no time for a swine blinded by the greed of power. It’s just that, I have to follow the order of a certain great ‘person’, you see.” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

Right now, Park Yong-Hui wasn’t interested in the identity of who this ‘person’ Jeong Min-Seong was talking about. No, the truly important thing had to with what this insane b*stard was planning to do, instead.

 

“You, just what are you trying to do here?! How many citizens are you planning to slaughter?!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“….Hmm, well, even I can’t be sure.” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

“What was that??” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Let’s be honest, it’s not my job to come up with such estimates, wouldn’t you agree? I merely do as instructed, so there’s not much I can do about the rise of a few sacrifices in the process, now can I?” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

“A few?! Did you just say a few??” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

Park Yong-Hui’s brows shot up so high that they threatened to fly off.

 

“Don’t you dare running off that stinking mouth of yours, you hear me! You dare to take the lives of our citizens for granted?!” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

Jeong Min-Seong nodded his head as if it was par for the course.

 

“Of course.” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

“….What?” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Regardless of what, aren’t they all just trash that fell behind in the natural evolution?” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

“What bullsh*t are you spewing now??” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Kekekeke.” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

Jeong Min-Seong laughed in delight.

 

“What does it matter to me if a few good-for-nothing trash heaps get eliminated in the process?” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

“You, you…..” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“Dear Comrade Chief of Staff, looks like you’re under some sort of a mistaken assumption, but…. Your side, well, you’ve already lost. You have all fallen behind in this race called natural evolution. And soon, this world will be ruled by the new type of mankind.” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

“Are you saying that the ability users are this new type of humans?” (Park Yong-Hui)

 

“It’s a wee bit different, actually. However, I’m sure there isn’t much of a difference from your perspective.” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

Jeong Min-Seong beamed brightly.

 

“If those insect-like lives can serve as the foundation for a brand new world, then wouldn’t their deaths have meaning now? Ku-hahahahahat!!” (Jeong Min-Seong)

 

After hearing those words, Park Yong-Hui’s complexion grew paler and paler.

 

< 338. That sounds like a dangerous announcement -3 > Fin.