The Returner

South Korea’s President Yun Yeong-Min was in a state of panic.

But the current situation was so serious that the people around him had barely noticed his state.

The old adage went that a man facing an extreme situation would rarely display any outward signs of emotional instability, and that assertion seemed somewhat true today.

Yun Yeong-Min received the situation report, and had no choice but to ask back in a daze.

“I’m currently failing to fully comprehend the picture here, so is it possible for you to tell me only the salient points, instead?” (Yun Yeong-Min)

The defense minister looked back at the president while wiping away the sweat off his forehead.

Of course he understood. How could he not?

Everyone present here understood full well the state of mind Yun Yeong-Min would end up in after receiving such a report. The defense minister’s own position as a person tasked with delivering the unpleasant news was unenviable, to say the least.

“The southern half of Seoul has been destroyed completely, sir. The damages even extend to some portions of Gyeonggi province, as well.” (defense minister)

“...................”

Yun Yeong-Min stared at the footage shot by the satellite and his expression hollowed out.

Half of Seoul was gone?

What kind of an unrealistic event was this?

“Miraculously, the loss of life is not as severe as we initially feared, sir. However, we now have over three million refugees. Providing shelters and feeding them adequately will present a considerable challenge, sir.” (defense minister)

“I see.” (Yun Yeong-Min)

Yun Yeong-Min mechanically nodded his head.

The thing was, though, not much of what the defense minister had said was registering in his brain.

“What about the secondary damages?” (Yun Yeong-Min) 𝑓𝑟eℯ𝒘𝗲𝑏n𝑜𝚟𝙚𝒍.𝒄o𝐦

The minister of government administration replied with a deeply tense expression.

“We should receive a report from the ministry of public safety first to fully determine that, but as things have been so cleanly destroyed, there isn’t much left to worry about the secondary damages, sir. Although half-destroyed buildings in precarious states may come down at any second, since the entry into the area has been restricted...”

Yun Yeong-Min’s nods grew progressively powerless.

Half of the country’s capital had been blown apart. This was so much more serious than simply saying that some city or rather had been destroyed.

Thankfully, some of the most important infrastructure were not caught within the range of destruction, but still, the overall damage was so extensive that calculating the cost in monetary terms would be next to impossible now.

“Even a war wouldn’t be this bad...” (Yun Yeong-Min)

While Yun Yeong-Min was chuckling hollowly to himself, Song Jeong-Su was quietly staring at the defense minister before asking him something.

“Okay, so...” (Song Jeong-Su)

“Yes sir?” (defense minister)

“What happened to Yi Ji-Hyuk?”

The defense minister couldn’t bring himself to answer so he simply clamped his mouth shut, prompting Song Jeong-Su to squeeze his eyes shut in dismay as well.

“Even at the cost of losing Seoul, we should’ve protected him...” (Song Jeong-Su)

“Sir, he’s still alive. However, participating in any further battles will...” (defense minister)

“In that case, it’s no different than dying, is it? Yi Ji-Hyuk who can’t fight is nothing more than a foul-tempered brat, after all.” (Song Jeong-Su)

No one could rebut Song Jeong-Su’s assertion.

More correctly, though, no one here was going to argue back. They were far too absorbed in trying to imagine a situation with no Yi Ji-Hyuk in it.

“...What about assistance from other nations?” (Song Jeong-Su)

“No one has any spare manpower, sir.” (defense minister)

“I’m sure that’s the case. You could say we paid a relatively small price this time.” (Song Jeong-Su)

Other countries couldn’t even deal with a single demon king and were currently hitting their enemies with everything in their arsenal. So when objectively looking at the event of killing a demon king at the cost of half of Seoul, then the Koreans had done a pretty good job overall.

As far as the battle result went, this could be seen as an excellent achievement. But no one here was celebrating it. They had lost something far too important to be in a celebratory mood right now.

“And so...” (Song Jeong-Su)

Song Jeong-Su’s next words accurately pointed out the crux of the matter.

“Everything now depends on how we stop the next incursion.” (Song Jeong-Su)

***

“Mm...” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon gravely stared at the front gate to Yi Ji-Hyuk’s residence. He had walked past this doorway many times by now, but today would be his first time feeling this reluctant to go inside.

‘The mental shock must’ve been huge.’ (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon’s own mental shock had been great as well, but no one would’ve been shocked as badly as Yi Ji-Hyuk himself. Well, he now couldn’t use magical energy anymore, which he considered to be his everything until now.

Wouldn’t it be similar to the state of a regular person’s emotions after being told that he couldn’t use his arms and legs anymore?

“Mmm...” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon couldn’t bring himself to press the doorbell and he continued to sigh nonstop.

“Uh-whew.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

In the end, though, he shook his head hard and pressed the bell.

Ding-dong.

Too bad for him, though, there was no response.

Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

Even after pressing the bell a couple more times, there was still no response, so he was about to press it once more, but then, along with a familiar electronic whine, the gate opened up.

“...”

Now normally, you wouldn’t just open the door like that without confirming who was outside first. What if a robber tries to...

Choi Jeong-Hoon’s train of thoughts came to a crashing halt after spotting Oh-Sik and a slightly bigger turtle beyond the open gate.

‘Never mind a robber or a thief, nobody is crazy enough to step inside here.’ (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

No, hang on a sec – stepping inside wouldn’t be that hard. The issue would be with getting out of here alive instead.

This house, currently protected by a demon king and an Ogre Lord, should be seen as boasting an even greater level of security than the White House at this point. You surely wouldn’t find a location guarded by a demon king even back in the demon world, either.

“Is this human someone you recognise?” (Barasga)

‘...Cute.’ (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon knew that a bona fide demon king was hiding under that turtle shell, but even then, he couldn’t deny the fact that the creature was quite cute to look at. It seemed that Yi Ji-Hyuk had this hobby of capturing scary-looking monsters and turning them into adorable little things.

“I came to speak to Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

The turtle slightly shifted his head over to Oh-Sik. The Ogre nodded his head, prompting the turtle to use its chin to point towards the house itself.

“He’s inside.” (Barasga)

Who would be lucky enough to experience a turtle pointing with its chin?

Choi Jeong-Hoon thought that he’s getting to experience so many bizarre things recently, all thanks to Yi Ji-Hyuk.

“Well, then.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

He bade a simple goodbye to the two creatures and pushed open the front door to enter the house.

‘Where is everyone?’ (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

For some reason, he couldn’t see anyone in the living room. He took off his shoes and stepped in before heading straight towards Yi Ji-Hyuk’s room.

Taptaptaptap...

He could hear the sounds of a keyboard and a mouse getting furiously tapped away.

“...Eii, can’t be.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

It just couldn’t be, with the situation being what it was.

Unfortunately, reality was always crueller than one’s imagination.

He opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Yi Ji-Hyuk plugging away at his computer game.

“...”

Choi Jeong-Hoon stared at him with a somewhat dazed expression.

“Urgh, blooming hell!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

His gaming session didn’t seem to be going well because Yi Ji-Hyuk suddenly stood right up, threw his headset on the desk and yelled out.

“The enemy tower was in his tower, so why?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“...”

Choi Jeong-Hoon spat out a long, long groan.

He just couldn’t figure this man out with his common sense.

*

“...Why are you looking at me with those eyes?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Well, that’s because I’ve been thinking about a few things.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Such as?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Choi Jeong-Hoon stared back at Yi Ji-Hyuk sitting on the edge of the bed and spoke his earnest impression.

“Firstly, my utmost respect towards the game company still diligently operating the servers even in the current situation.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Well, they still have to put food on the table, right?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Secondly, my surprise towards you who are actually playing the game even in the current situation.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Well, I’ve got nothing better to do, you know.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk remained unrepentant even till the end.

“And lastly, my lamentation towards those human surplus scum living somewhere in our country who are actually playing the game with you even as said country is about to fall into ruin.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Eiii, there are far less people playing lately.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

‘...Which means only the real, certifiable human surplus scum are left, then.’ (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon was happy to see Yi Ji-Hyuk not being too down-hearted at the moment, but in another sense the situation seemed really terrible and he felt rather bitter about it.

Would this country’s future really be okay at this rate?

“What brings you here?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I just want to see how you were doing.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Aren’t you too busy for that?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“No, not really.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“...You aren’t busy?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“No, I’m not busy at all.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon wasn’t lying. He really was not busy.

The government as a whole was working overtime like a bunch of madmen, but somewhat lamentably, Choi Jeong-Hoon was left with not much to do after the events had grown far too big in scale.

Besides, what could he even do when no Gates were opening anyway?

Now normally, he’d be compiling reports on overall damage incurred, but even that had no meaning anymore. Half of Seoul was gone, so with what dragon-rivalling abilities would he be able to write up a report on the matter?

Not to mention, the higher-ups didn’t demand anything from him, either.

“I had nothing to do and got bored, so I came to see you wondering how you were doing.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Heh, so curious about so many things, aren’t you.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk smiled wryly, and Choi Jeong-Hoon asked with a sigh.

“How are you feeling? Are you alright?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Of course not.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk resolutely shook his head.

“Obviously I’m not okay since I can’t use magic anymore. The shock is just too huge.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“...Is that why you started playing a game?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“You’re supposed to focus on something else if the mental shock is just too great, don’t you know that?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I’d like to hear your honest feelings, though?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

At Choi Jeong-Hoon’s urging, Yi Ji-Hyuk furrowed his brows as if he was in a dilemma.

“It’s kinda bittersweet, actually.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Bittersweet, is it?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Now that was an unexpected reply.

Yi Ji-Hyuk looked down at his own hands and continued on.

“Sure, not being able to use magic really sucks, but on the other hand, I always have been thinking that it’d be nice to escape from this really effed up cycle, too.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I think I understand, just a little.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“It’s not like I started fighting because I like it, you know? And forget about magic or whatever, I just wanted to live like a normal person after coming back to this world. So, that dream of mine has become a reality, in a half-forced way.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Choi Jeong-Hoon’s expression hardened slightly.

“But without you, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, humanity won’t be able to resist the demon world anymore.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Yeah, that does bug me a bit, but...” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk shrugged his shoulders.

“...I don’t have a choice but to accept it and move on. There’s nothing more I can do, anyway.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“...There really isn’t any?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Hmm...” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk scratched his cheek. His fingers trembled imperceptibly just then and Choi Jeong-Hoon didn’t miss that.

“I’m sure you already know this, but well, I have never said no to something that needed to be done even though I’d complain and whine and whatever.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Yes, that’s true.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon would always be grateful about those times. Even if Yi Ji-Hyuk grumbled and whined all the time, he’d always be there when his presence was required.

“If I could do something about it with my spirit only, then I wouldn’t have backed away like this. Well, that’s what my personality is like, anyway. But if I really do try to rely on my spirit now, then the event of our annihilation arriving on our doorstep will happen much sooner than you’d like. So, what can I do about that, realistically speaking?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“...”

Choi Jeong-Hoon already knew this.

He had already heard all about it.

However, he couldn’t let go of that lingering what-if and had to come here to find out.

Despite knowing that the contents of this conversation was indescribably cruel for Yi Ji-Hyuk, he simply couldn’t stop himself.

Because if he did, everything would really be over.

But now that Yi Ji-Hyuk himself said those things, even Choi Jeong-Hoon couldn’t hold onto his hope anymore.

“...Thank you for all your hard work until now.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon) 𝒇𝘳ℯℯ𝚠𝙚𝑏𝗻𝑜ѵ𝑒𝙡.co𝑚

What Choi Jeong-Hoon said contained many different meanings.

“Nah, no need to sweat it.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“For the time being, your status as the NDF agent will remain so.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“...Are you saying that I gotta go back to work soon?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Of course. If we’re going to survive, we should survive together, and if we’re to die, then we should do so together as well!” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“You do know that sounds a bit weird, don’t you?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Choi Jeong-Hoon smirked.

“You should stop thinking that just because you’ve lost your abilities, you’ll now get to escape by yourself and live a happy ever after all alone. Even if you can’t fight anymore, your worth is still incalculable, you see. You were supposed to be on a sick leave, but I can see that you’re fine, so please come to work tomorrow.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“...Can’t I, like, quit?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“No can do!” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

With that, Choi Jeong-Hoon stood up from the chair. It’s not like he had anything to do at the office by leaving early, but staring at Yi Ji-Hyuk’s face was tormenting him inside for some reason.

“Well, then. I’ll be on my way now.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“I ain’t seeing you out.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I didn’t expect you to.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon turned around to exit from the room, but stopped in his tracks.

“Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Yes?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“You really did work hard until now. I’m truly grateful for that.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“...”

Yi Ji-Hyuk watched Choi Jeong-Hoon leave the house, then laid down on the bed.

“Worked hard, is it...” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

A certain lingering emotion contained in his voice seemed to drift around in the room.

< 412. We must ask him to keep fighting -2 > Fin.