The Returner - Chapter 348

– “Who?”

 

“I told you, it’s Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

– “Yi Ji-Hyuk?”

 

“Right, that Yi Ji-Hyuk! You know, the pit bull! That pit bull!” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

– “Hul….”

 

The reactions were visceral and explosive.

 

The moment the news was uploaded to the private chat room, the whole dang thing was soon flooded with panicked messages, and even before Choi Chang-Hyuk had time to check them out, his smartphone began ringing off the metaphorical hook.

 

– “Son of a b*tch!! He was away for so long, so why the hell did he suddenly decide to show up?”

 

“Didn’t you hear that he came back a while ago?” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

– “Who said that?”

 

“My little bro.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

– “Then you should’ve warned us earlier! What would you have done if we were going around minding our own business only to run into that guy?!”

 

“My bad.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Now normally, these guys wouldn’t have said stuff like this – or more correctly, they couldn’t, but Choi Chang-Hyuk fully understood where they were coming from so he chose not to let his displeasure known at this point in time.

 

Well, he’d have reacted the same as them if he were in their shoes, after all.

 

– “Okay, so what did he want?”

 

“Hey, man. It’s getting tiring trying to verbally explain everything. Let’s talk in the chat room.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

– “Hurry up.”

 

“I got it already.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk ended the call and tried to open the chat app, but more calls kept coming in without a break and he had to repeatedly make the same explanation. Only then was he free to access the chat app.

 

The chat room was in complete disarray.

 

– The pit bull? Why did that b*stard decide to come back out of the blue?

 

– He ran into Chang-Hyuk, apparently.

 

– I thought he died?

 

– Witnesses were talking about his sighting, but I figured they were talking about a ghost or something….

 

– Nope. I heard that he became an ability user and is now working for the KSF.

 

– Hul, he’s an ability user now? He was already a scumbag when he wasn’t an ability user, but now that he has those superpowers, what should we do?

 

– What do you mean, what? Just avoid him. Not like this is the first time, right? You’re supposed to avoid natural disasters, dude.

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk spat out a long sigh and typed his own reply.

 

– By the way, Ji-Hyuk wanted to do a reunion. (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

The responses came in immediately.

 

– You insane?

 

– Dear friend, you still asleep?

 

– Reunion sounds nice, school reunion and all that. It’s fine to hold one. Sure. By the way, I’m not a Dongseong High graduate from today.

 

– Currently ripping my graduation cert to bits.

 

He had expected such reactions.

 

If Yi Ji-Hyuk was your run-of-the-mill school bully, then such a reaction wouldn’t even have occurred. Most would’ve felt something like detestation, but that would’ve been it.

 

It was hard to tell whether this should be thought of as a pitiful thing or a sheer mystery, but the thing was, Yi Ji-Hyuk never ‘tormented’ anyone in the past. For example, he never once did those typical bully things that physically strong guys would do, like ripping money off someone or stealing nice-looking shoes, that sort of things.

 

No, bums that did those things got caught by Yi Ji-Hyuk and ended up getting pummelled to bits, causing the very concept of bullies to completely disappear from the Dongseong High.

 

So, when looking at the end result, you could argue that what Yi Ji-Hyuk had done was a wonderful thing, but….

 

‘…But, the issue lies with his intentions, man. His intentions!’ (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk had never beaten up bullies for the purpose of protecting other children. No, he simply went around beating people up that got on his nerves or p*ssed him off in some capacity, which naturally led him to target the school gangs and bullies, that was all.

 

It was kind of like a speeding car running over a pedestrian, only for the victim to be revealed as a serial killer.

 

To the graduates of the Dongseong High School, Yi Ji-Hyuk was basically the same thing as a suddenly-appearing natural disaster. A calamity that, while not antagonistic towards other people specifically, he would still kick your teeth in if he found something not to his liking.

 

That was the ‘Yi Ji-Hyuk’ they remembered.

 

– So? What did you say?

 

– Don’t tell me you agreed to it?

 

– I ain’t going. Let me make myself crystal clear. I will never go.

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk looked at the messages and spat out another sigh.

 

“What a bunch of pathetic fools.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

No matter how difficult they found Yi Ji-Hyuk was to deal with, they were supposed to be men, so them displaying such behaviour was hard to swallow.

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk confidently stated his position like a true man.

 

– That’s why I said we’re no longer staying in touch. (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

– Gooood!

 

– Keuh-euh, would you look at this guy’s quick wits! You might walk out unscathed even if we drop you in the middle of a desert.

 

– Now that’s a relief.

 

“Relief, my foot.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

This whole area had been confirmed as a named mob spawning ground, so how could anyone mouth off “relief” like that?

 

“But, doesn’t that qualify as relief?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“I may never be able to come to this arcade, so what bloody relief are you on about??” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

“Eiii, even then.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“Hah, sounds like you aren’t getting it, man.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

By the way…. Who am I even speaking to just now? (Choi Chang-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk and his weirded-out expression turned around to look, only to find a rather familiar grinning face standing there.

 

“Hiiiii-eeeeeek?!?!” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk jumped up in fright, and unbeknownst even to himself, he pressed his back tightly against the nearby wall.

 

T-t-this guy, didn’t he go home earlier?? What is he doing here??? (Choi Chang-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

 

The brightly-grinning face, no, Yi Ji-Hyuk forming a very open smile was walking in closer.

 

“Oho, you were chatting to the rest of the guys?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“N-n-ng.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

“To discuss the class reunion, right?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“W-well, you said you wanted one earlier, so… I, uh, well, I thought, might as well, so, uh, gave them a call to test the waters.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

“But, didn’t you say you haven’t stayed in touch?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“We’re not, but we do have a private chat room, so I thought if I started a convo, maybe they will respond.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

For some reason, his tongue was coated in pure silver today.

 

Normally, he’d never be able to come up with instant excuses like this, but everything seemed to roll off his tongue so naturally. The thing about humans exhibiting superhuman powers in times of great peril must’ve been true.

 

“Okay, so what are they all saying?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“T-they want to come.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

“Oh, really?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk scratched his cheek.

 

“I was just saying whatever, but if they really want to come, then… I better show up as well since I was the one asking for it. When you guys finish setting up the date, give me a call on the number I gave you.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“N-ng….” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

“Oh, and I forgot to tell you this earlier. Tell Chang-Sik to stop by at the NDF later. He’ll understand what that means.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“Ng.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Choi Chang-Hyuk could only nod his head mindlessly.

 

“Okay, I’m really going now.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“Ng.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk walked off into the distance, and Choi Chang-Hyuk plopped down on the ground.

 

“…We’re screwed.” (Choi Chang-Hyuk)

 

*

 

As he trudged towards his home, Yi Ji-Hyuk fell into deep contemplation.

 

“Everyone’s been living their own lives.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Even when he was gone, this world continued to chug forward without a problem.

 

“Hmm.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head slightly, before his expression crumpled big time.

 

“Tsk.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

If he felt frustrated about something, then there was no need to frown and simply take care of it. Avoiding the confrontation in this manner wouldn’t help anyone – and he knew that.

 

“Eiiing.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk waved his hand in the air.

 

“Hey.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

He addressed the ground beneath his feet, and a black silhouette rose up from the shadow.

 

“Imma head to North Korea for a bit, so if someone’s looking for me, tell them where I went, okay?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Shake, shake.

 

“Ng?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Doh Gah-Yun emerging from his shadows shook her head.

 

“Why not?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

She wordlessly walked and stood in front of the Gate Yi Ji-Hyuk had generated.

 

“You wanna go together?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Nod.

 

He studied her with a somewhat displeased face, but when he thought about it for a second, he didn’t have any reason to ditch her here.

 

She knew how to take care of herself, that’s for sure. She lunged at a demon king and still survived the encounter, so he couldn’t really drop her here with a reason of North Korea being too dangerous.

 

“Do what you want, then.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Doh Gah-Yun nodded and stared at him without saying anything.

 

So, he too didn’t say anything and stepped into the Gate.

 

Wuuuu-oooong.

 

*

 

A Gate opened up in a deserted hill not too far from Pyongyang. He had marked this coordinate earlier in case he found a need to return to this dang city.

 

“Holy sh*t.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk confirmed that the designated point wasn’t actually safe at all and hurriedly hid himself in a secluded spot.

 

‘The forest here looked pretty dense, so what the…’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

When he looked at this ‘mountain’ from afar, the forest there did look pretty thick, yet now that he was actually here, the whole dang thing turned out to be a barren mound of earth, instead. He couldn’t tell whether this was because the North Korean government deliberately cut down all the trees in Pyongyang’s vicinity, or just about every mountain in the North was in a similar condition.

 

“Where was that Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, anyway?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk scanned his vicinity, and Doh Gah-Yun pulled out her phone and began tapping on it.

 

“Hey, we came here in secret, so you can’t ask someone else.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

He tried to stop her, but she wordlessly showed him her phone, instead. And after witnessing the map app appearing on her phone’s screen, he had no choice but to nod his head.

 

“Well, Lord G*ogle is indeed almighty.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

To be able to peruse the map of Pyongyang in such detail, now that would’ve been unthinkable only a few years ago.

 

“Okay, so. It must be that way?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk compared his position to the map, found all four cardinal directions, and then shifted his head in a certain direction.

 

There it was, a massive structure with white outer walls in the distance.

 

“Why would anyone imprison people in a place like that?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

But then again, it was North Korea imprisoning their own people, so why should they care about what others think?

 

If it was South Korea, the whole country might go into a state of frenzy if a prison was found underneath the Blue House, but the citizens of the North might not find the whole concept all that strange.

 

“Shall we get going, then?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked and with an airy gait, walked towards the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.

 

‘What a weird country this is.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

North Korea would always be a country of contradictions.

 

This was the country with the least amount of freedom, and its masses were being tightly, ruthlessly controlled. But on the other hand, they simply didn’t have enough personnel to perfectly carry out that very act of control.

 

As an example, here he was, waltzing right into arguably the most important location in the North, the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, yet he hadn’t run into any security personnel so far.

 

He only spotted a handful of the members from the Workers’ Party trying to control the citizens, but that was about it – there was almost no one guarding beyond the prayer plaza located behind the palace itself.

 

‘For some reason, there’s a big crowd here today, though.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

If he were to bring up a difference, then when he came here earlier, there were almost no signs of people but now, it was teeming with them.

 

What Rhee Jin-Cheol said earlier, about the citizens being gathered in Pyongyang, it was true after all.

 

“Hey, you. Take a couple of pictures, will ya.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Shake, shake.

 

“Argh, why not? We should take some snapshots and show it to other people, right?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Doh Gah-Yun raised her hand and pointed to the sky.

 

“Ng?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“Unmanned drones, satellites, filming the masses, not an issue.” (Doh Gah-Yun)

 

“….Oh, really?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Nod.

 

If that was the case, why did anyone need stupid spies, then?

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk came to a sudden realisation that all the spy movies he saw in his life were full of sh*t.

 

Bond, my a*s.

 

“Let’s go.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Since it was like that already, he decided that finishing up what he came here for and leaving ASAP was the best course of action.

 

Doh Gah-Yun then suddenly grabbed his arm.

 

“What is it now?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“Many enemies inside. In case of infiltration, chaos.” (Doh Gah-Yun)

 

“So what?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“Infiltration, or subjugation. Need to choose.” (Doh Gah-Yun)

 

“Hng.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk wagged his finger as if to imply, ‘You think I haven’t thought about that?’

 

“Even if I’m more of a destroy-first-and-ask-questions-later type guy, I can still use basic magic spells, you dummy. For instance….” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s hand suddenly emitted a soft glow.

 

“….Like Invisibility.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

The light extending from his hand enveloped both him and Doh Gah-Yun. At the same time, their figures vanished into thin air.

 

“So, how is it? You can’t see me, right?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“….Impossible to decipher the ally’s location. Impossible to use hand signals. Voice communication the only method. Inefficient.” (Doh Gah-Yun)

 

“Eh?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

Now that he heard her, being unable to see each other did present a big problem since both of them were trying to infiltrate the building. Doh Gah-Yun always followed after Yi Ji-Hyuk everywhere, but that was only because he was visible to the naked eye, so logically speaking, she wouldn’t be able to follow if she couldn’t see him.

 

“Well, there’s only one way, then.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“One way?” (Doh Gah-Yun)

 

Yi Ji-Hyuk spoke confidently. They couldn’t see each other’s faces anyway, so was there a need to hold back here?

 

“We’ll hold hands, then.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“………………………”

 

If only he could see her expression right then – he would’ve witnessed Doh Gah-Yun forming the most intense, vehement expression she had ever made in her whole life. Unfortunately, her face was invisible due to the magic.

 

“Your hand.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“I, I refuse.” (Doh Gah-Yun)

 

“We don’t have time for this. Hurry up.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

She awkwardly reached out, and he located it like a phantom and grabbed her hand to pull her along.

 

“Stick close to me.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

 

“….I will.” (Doh Gah-Yun)

 

< 348. Feels like I’ve seen him before -3 > Fin.