The Returner

How far the preparations had gotten along was outside the scope of Yi Ji-Hyuk’s interests.

It’s not that he didn’t give a d*mn about it, but rather, he figured that leaving it to Choi Jeong-Hoon would be the most efficient way to go about it, instead. And that’s why he didn’t interfere as well.

But that didn’t mean his boredom would go away somehow – and that was indeed a problem.

“How grand is the preparation that he’s taking this long, anyway?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He didn’t even think about how the Americans would react to the news of South Korean ability users wanting to participate in a group training session with America’s most wanted criminal organisation. As such, he simply couldn’t understand why it was taking so long to teleport a few people over there.

“So weird. He’s not incompetent, so what’s going on?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Despite Choi Jeong-Hoon stepping forward to handle this matter, things were still taking too long which could only mean that the situation wasn’t as easy as they thought. Whatever the case might have been, Yi Ji-Hyuk had a deep trust of Choi Jeong-Hoon’s competence.

“...Eiii.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk got up from the chair and headed to the kitchen. He flung open the fridge’s door, but then...

“...Huh?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

...There was no Cola.

His hands trembled in shock for a bit, before he began scratching his head.

“Not even a bottle of water, too?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He inwardly thought, ‘What’s mom doing?! How can the fridge be empty like this!’ then headed to the front door while scratching his tummy next. After confirming that his wallet was indeed inside his pocket, he opened the door and exited into the sunlight. He began stretching his arms grandly and yawned.

“Awwww...” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Now that he thought about it, he had been living like a slacker lately.

After his workplace that he had to commute regularly in the morning practically ‘vanished’ from existence, he found himself with way too much free time on his hands. Whether it was a fortunate thing or not, even the number of people joining his favourite game had decreased so much that finding a single match online sometimes took over forty minutes, and that forced him to almost stop playing it altogether.

The TV channels were dominated entirely by emergency news bulletins, special programming and documentaries filled with despair-inducing stories, which sure as heck were no fun to watch. It seemed that the idea of ‘entertainment’ had gone the way of a dodo at this point.

“Just what’ll happen to this world... Tsk, tsk.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Back when the spots connected to the demon world opened up, Yi Ji-Hyuk was rather puzzled by the seeming lack of change displayed by the world at large, but now the ripples were starting to show themselves.

Customers stopped visiting the diner run by his mom, while a massive bombshell dropped in his father’s trading company, too.

South Korea was a country that made a living through exporting stuff. So the matter of all international commerce grinding to a halt had a major impact on the country’s situation. The beginning might have been small but by the end, everything had ballooned to incredible proportions.

He lightly kicked away Oh-Sik dashing towards him and wiped his nose.

‘I can’t see anyone.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The streets of the ability user residential area were a lot more quiet compared to other areas to begin with, but they never were so deserted to the extent that not a single shadow could be spotted.

Wondering if this was all because it’s still the middle of the day, Yi Ji-Hyuk set off towards his destination only for his eyes to nearly pop out of their sockets.

“What’s this? It’s closed?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The convenience store closest to his house had closed its doors. As if all of the shop’s stock had been taken out as well, the interior visible through the glass was completely empty, too.

“Man, that other store also closed down the last time, too...” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He furrowed his brows.

Stores that couldn’t survive the current climate were gradually growing in numbers these days. What with the economy at its historical worst, trying to keep a shop going was proving to be too much for these folks.

“Do I have to go to a supermarket, then?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk groaned loudly. There weren’t all that many convenience stores found inside the residential area. He could more or less guess the status of the remaining ones already, so it seemed wiser to just step outside the area and get his stuff elsewhere.

Yi Ji-Hyuk opened a Gate right away and strode inside.

*

“...And what’s the story here this time?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Thankfully, the large supermarket he headed to was still in operation. If such a store had to close up shop then that would indicate South Korea needing to close shop too, so one could say that it was indeed a relief of all reliefs.

But when Yi Ji-Hyuk walked inside, he couldn’t tell whether he was inside a supermarket or mistakenly walked into a furniture shop, instead.

Only the empty shelves were here to greet him, lending an atmosphere that went straight past desolate and into depressingly bleak.

“B-but, what about Cola?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He had already given up acquiring bottled water by now. There was no way such items would’ve been stocked under the current situation. Since everything from ramen to instant rice had been swept up by the masses already, there was just no freaking way that storable water wouldn’t be among the very first things to be sold out.

“COLA!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk dashed like a lightning bolt towards the cold drinks fridges. If he couldn’t get his drink here, then he might as well kiss Cola goodbye for a while.

With the purifier installed at home, he could do something about the water issue, but if no Cola could be found...

“There it is!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s eyes gleamed dangerously.

He had discovered the very last case of Cola bottles nestled almost out of view right at the bottom shelf in the cold drinks section. He dashed like the wind and grabbed the box.

Actually, he tried to.

The moment he reached out...

A millisecond before his hand could touch the box, someone else’s hand powerfully grasped it and dragged it away.

“Hul...” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s hand vainly crossed the empty air and awkwardly landed on the box. Flames lit up in his eyes and he began hurriedly glaring at the one holding the box.

“My Cola!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I grabbed it first so why don’t you try another supermarket?” (?)

“...............”

Veins bulged on Yi Ji-Hyuk’s forehead. However, no matter how arrogant a person he was, he still possessed some modicum of morales that held him back from forcibly tearing away the stuff the other party had procured first.

Sure, he’d not hesitate to murder during a fight, but he’d never turn himself into a thief.

“C-can you, like, gimme half?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“That many?” (?)

“T-then, one-third?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“How much will you pay me?” (?)

“How about double the price?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I’ll think about it if you’re prepared to shell out ten times the original amount.” (?)

...What kind of a daylight robbery was this?!

Even if the world was on course for total destruction and securing food supply was crucial, and even though people were busy slaughtering each other for food...

Ah, hang on, that’s a bit too much.

In any case, I know that food supply is important, but ten times?! This fool might even hawk off the waters of Daedong river if he gets half a chance! (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue) [1]

Just before the grandly-shuddering Yi Ji-Hyuk could start his rant...

“Ng?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head.

“Hey, is that you, Chang-Sik?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“...Hul?! H-hyung-nim??” (Chang-Sik)

Yi Ji-Hyuk slowly extended his hand forward.

“Hand that over. Now.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“..........”

Chang-Sik’s suffering was about to begin anew today, it seemed.

*

“You’re working part-time now?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Yes.” (Chang-Sik)

“But, why part-time, dude? Aren’t you a high school senior?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Hyung-nim, with the world in this state, what’s the point in going to some university? Might as well jump in head first at the forefront of industry and make one more penny to get myself ahead of everyone else, you know.” (Chang-Sik)

“...And it’s not because you got no chance in hell in going to a university?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“...I’d like to ask you to refrain from dropping fact bombs today, please.” (Chang-Sik)

“My bad.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Like good buddies that they were, Yi Ji-Hyuk and Choi Chang-Sik were chatting away with a bottle of Cola in their hands while sucking on cigarettes.

“By the way, what happened to all the stuff in your shop?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I hear that no supply’s been arriving lately. Apparently, there’s a supply shortage everywhere.” (Chang-Sik)

“A shortage, is it?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Yes. Although people did panic-buy most of the stuff, to be honest we haven’t been receiving much supplies, to begin with. Factories all stopped running and nothing is being made now, at least from what I heard.” (Chang-Sik)

“How come?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Well, there are several reasons, you know. One’s the lack of raw materials, and then there’s the issue with shortage of manpower, too... People still worked despite feeling anxious initially, but more and more stopped caring as time wore on, you see.” (Chang-Sik)

“Mm...” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“And I think all those nukes falling was the final clincher. I guess people think there’s no more hope left.” (Chang-Sik)

Yi Ji-Hyuk slowly nodded his head.

Those people who couldn’t do anything but look on from the sidelines must’ve been feeling really terrible right about now. If it was, say, another country invading you, then you could have picked up a pitchfork or whatever to fight back, but what could a normal, powerless individual do against the demon king army that even the ability users or humanity’s armies were helpless against?

“Hyung-nim?” (Chang-Sik)

“Ng?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Is this really the end?” (Chang-Sik)

“Whose end?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“The world’s, of course.” (Chang-Sik)

“...”

Chang-Sik’s face was filled with anxiety.

“I used to think that things will somehow work out in the end, but lately I can’t help but get worried, you know? Honestly, I’ve been wondering if there’s any meaning in me working like this, too. I mean, if money ends up worth less than some toilet paper then all this hard work would be for nothing, right?” (Chang-Sik)

“You’re worried about some weird stuff, man.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I guess so.” (Chang-Sik)

Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked back.

“Hey man, listen. People who’ll suffer the most when the money becomes worthless are the ones with plenty of it, so you think they’ll let something like that happen under their watch? Things are different from the past. Even if the country is ruined, the money won’t.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“...You know, that does sound rather persuasive.” (Chang-Sik)

“Besides, the world won’t be destroyed.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk) 𝒇𝙧𝚎𝐞𝙬𝒆𝑏𝑛𝑜v𝚎𝒍.c𝑜m

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s eyes seemed to quietly simmer just then.

“And even if it is somehow destroyed, everyone will die at the same time anyway, so no need to feel missed out, either.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Wait, does that mean we’re doomed?” (Chang-Sik)

“I said, it’s not going to be destroyed, man.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk took a big gulp of the remaining Cola.

“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen, so live your life without cowering away. I’ll create a future where you can look back to now and smile while saying, ‘Wow, there used to be a time like that in the past’, got that?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Can I believe in you?” (Chang-Sik)

“Nope.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk shrugged his shoulders.

“Anything’s possible with words, you know.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“But, hyung-nim?!” (Chang-Sik)

“Sure, the current situation is pretty messed-up. But well, even if the sky falls on you, there’s always going to be a hole that you can rise through, am I right?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“...But there’s no guarantee that rising up after the sky fell on me means I’ll be able to live on, though? Especially when everyone else might be dead?” (Chang-Sik)

“Eh?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

What the heck, this fool’s sharper than he looks? (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

For a brief moment there, Yi Ji-Hyuk wondered if Chang-Sik was far smarter than he gave the kid credit for.

With this much, wouldn’t this kid be a pretty good rival to Oh-Sik?

“Hey, Chang-Sik?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Yes?” (Chang-Sik)

“People have their own individual roles to play. I’ll do my part, so you focus on yours. If you give up and do nothing then when hope suddenly slaps you in the face, you are going to bitterly regret all the times you’ve wasted.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“...That sounds plausible.” (Chang-Sik)

“And in that sense, why don’t you hand over the rest of the Cola bottles?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“............”

Yi Ji-Hyuk watched how Chang-Sik’s hand trembled so noticeably while pushing forward the bottle of Cola towards him, and ended up guffawing out.

“Forget it, dude. You drink them later.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“N-no, let me just...” (Chang-Sik)

“I said, it’s cool.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk sounded as if he was being very generous.

“I can just hop over to the United States and get my stuff there, anyway. It’s a pretty short trip, you see.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“..............................”

Yi Ji-Hyuk let out a soft grunt and stood up from the spot, then stubbed the cigarette dead.

“By the way, how’s school these days?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“It’s in the pits, of course. Some rumours made rounds that there won’t be a national university entrance exam anymore so not many are attending school properly. They all kinda can tell for real that our country is going to end soon, you see.” (Chang-Sik)

Well, if the high school seniors were not going to school then sure, that was a telltale sign of a country about to collapse. A sign that hit far closer to home than most others, actually.

Yi Ji-Hyuk groaned after sensing the severity of the situation once more.

“Man, what are the government folks doing when the whole country is in this state?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

In reality, Song Jeong-Su and Co., were running around everywhere until their feet were on fire while trying to de-escalate various situations until they were about to lose their voices from all that persuading. Unfortunately, there was only so much the governmental interference could do.

Because, it wasn’t just South Korea’s problem but the whole world was facing similar issues right now.

And to make matters even worse, China losing its central governing structure caused Korea’s manufacturing industry to grind to a halt as well.

Rrrr...

It was then, Yi Ji-Hyuk’s phone went off.

“Hmm...” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The old saying went that when you speak of a devil, one would show up so how would you label a person that called on the phone without you even thinking about him?

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

– “Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, the preparations are complete. Please come to the office.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Okay, got it.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk ended the call and looked over to Chang-Sik.

“This hyung is on his way to work now.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Chang-Sik tossed him a brand-new bottle of Cola. Yi Ji-Hyuk lightly caught that and smirked a little.

“What’s this?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“That’s the only thing I have that I can give you.” (Chang-Sik)

“Cool. I’ll enjoy it.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk turned around to leave, but Choi Chang-Sik loudly shouted out at him at the last minute.

“Hyung-nim!” (Chang-Sik)

“Ng?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“It’s going to be alright, yes?” (Chang-Sik)

Yi Ji-Hyuk didn’t reply and simply waved his hand.

While trudging towards the offices, he felt this immense weight crushing down on his shoulders.

‘Ah, so this is what that must’ve felt like.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Those people who tried to stop him in front of Terra Latel, did they feel something like this back then, too?

Even though they knew they had no chance in hell, they still stood in his path for the sake of their world. Yi Ji-Hyuk used to find them truly foolish, but now, he began to understand their hearts just a little bit more.

They weren’t doing it because of ‘possibility’, but because they simply had to do it.

“...Because, it needs to be done.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk clenched his fists tightly and opened a Gate.

< 441. That’s the only thing I can give you -1 > Fin.

(TL: Daedong river is the Korean peninsula’s fifth largest river and is located in North Korea. Not sure why the author decided to go with that river, but there you go.)