The Returner

From the rippling empty air that wavered and danced like the water's surface, a young female stepped out.

She sported a bob-cut hair and an appearance still too young to be called a woman yet. Her facial features were eye-catchingly cute, but her deadpan expression managed to pretty much conceal all that cuteness.

It was none other than Doh Gah-Yun.

And she just revealed herself in front of Yi Ji-Hyuk.

"How?" (Gah-Yun)

Yi Ji-Hyuk shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll tell you when you buy me a can of c.o.ke." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Non-logical trade. Information offered not valuable enough." (Gah-Yun)

"Well, then. Forget about it. Your loss." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Doh Gah-Yun's shape disappeared again. However, a few minutes later, she reappeared with a c.o.ke can in her hand.

"Why, thank you very much." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Answer, first." (Gah-Yun)

"What the, aren't you a cold one." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk reached out and lightly s.n.a.t.c.hed the can away. Gah-Yun let him take it without putting up a resistance.

Well, the can only cost, like, ₩1,000 anyways. She couldn't really start arguing with him because of that.

"I'm not an idiot, so how can I not notice you when you started following me as soon as I left my house?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"My powers, complete stealth. Impossible to detect. The target suspected of possessing an unknown ability or a skill." (Gah-Yun)

"Well, that's something you fools should try to figure out by yourselves. It's a bit of a high cla.s.s info to extract with a measly can of c.o.ke, no?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Doh Gah-Yun closed her mouth shut.

What the h.e.l.l was up with this guy?

Her stealth abilities were highly rated even within the KSF. That was why she was tasked with surveillance duties rather than partic.i.p.ating in Gate suppression operations.

But, to have her cover blown in less than ten minutes after she started tailing the target!

This was the first time something like this happened in her career so far.

'Correcting previous a.s.sessment. Evaluation, impossible.' (Gah-Yun)

She thought that this guy was nothing more than a talkative person not worth paying much attention to. That was her initial evaluation. But, every time she saw him, a new facet to his being continued to emerge.

Her pride was wounded because of this.

She had observed countless ability users until now, yet none caused her to change her evaluation as many times as this guy had.

Just how many times did she have to change her opinions while observing Yi Ji-Hyuk until now?

"Well, anyways. Can you lend me some cash or not?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Doh Gah-Yun's expressionless wall collapsed just a tiny bit.

Why on earth was he so confident about trying to borrow money from her? It was almost as if he was asking back the seed money he invested in her start-up company or something.

Besides, she couldn't understand his thought process of asking her for money, when this was their first time meeting each other face to face.

"Don't have." (Gah-Yun)

"Oh, c'mon, it's just ₩20,000!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Even Doh Gah-Yun became somewhat at a loss, thanks to that low figure. Heck, even the thought of 'wouldn't it be okay to lend him that small amount of cash' crept up in her head.

This sure was a sly negotiation tactic.

"Don't have." (Gah-Yun)

"Then, ₩10,000!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Doh Gah-Yun's dumbfounded expression was now facing Yi Ji-Hyuk.

Was this really the correct time nor place for him to negotiate on the amount of money?

After all, would she really not have the measly ₩20,000 on her? Obviously she was implying in a roundabout way that she didn't want to lend him money.

"Don't have." (Gah-Yun)

"5,000 Won!!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Doh Gah-Yun's eyes were studying Yi Ji-Hyuk as if he was a peculiar species of something.

Seeing his eyes trembling so pathetically, he must really be in a dire straits.

Well, she wouldn't mind donating 5,000 Won if she saw a Red Cross donation jar while walking on the street, so wouldn't it be okay to borrow that little amount of…

No, if I continue to refuse him, just how low will the amount fall to?

Should I bring it down to 500 Won? (Gah-Yun's inner monologue)

'….What am I even thinking about right now?' (Gah-Yun)

She was trying to uncover the methods he used to see through her stealth ability, and in turn, heal some of her wounded pride. Yet, here she was, busy negotiating how much money she'd lend him. What just had happened?

'Estimating that the target has experience in begging. Adding to the list of points to consider when evaluating the target.' (Gah-Yun)

After adding one more thing to the 'list', Doh Gah-Yun glared at him with a pair of cold eyes.

"₩20,000, for the method of seeing through my stealth." (Gah-Yun)

Yi Ji-Hyuk broke out in a smirk.

As if he had heard something unbelievable, he shook his head left and right.

'Maybe 20,000 Won, too little?' (Gah-Yun)

This wasn't the same as giving kids spending money over the holidays, so uncovering vital info like this with only 20,000 Won seemed like a laughable notion.

If today was any other day, she'd never have thought like this. But being next to this man, it seemed that even her judgement was getting sloppier.

Whether he knew her inner turmoil or not, Yi Ji-Hyuk spoke up in a dissatisfied voice.

"For real?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"No going back on your words, okay?!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Should I stop?

Was it really okay to negotiate with a man like him?

This feeling, it's like I'm losing my own dignity talking to this man. (Gah-Yun's inner monologue)

"….Real. Will give." (Gah-Yun)

Yi Ji-Hyuk became ecstatic and shouted out.

"Okay, looky here." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He raised his hand above his head. And then, swung that hand down, really hard.

Swis.h.!.+

The breeze created by Yi Ji-Hyuk brushed past Gah-Yun's face quite energetically.

"Did you feel that?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Feel?" (Gah-Yun)

"The wind. You know, the air moving past you!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"I felt it. So?" (Gah-Yun)

Yi Ji-Hyuk nodded his head.

"That's exactly it." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"…..Ng?" (Gah-Yun)

"Right, so I explained it too you, so, my 20,000, please." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

A thick vein popped up on Doh Gah-Yun's forehead.

"Impossible to understand! Lacking proper explanation!" (Gah-Yun)

Too bad for her, Yi Ji-Hyuk simply giggled away in an irritating manner.

"I definitely promised that I'd explain it to you. And you told me you'll give me 20,000 Won if I explained. So, I explained. And you listened to it. However, was there any part during our riveting conversation where it's specified I must make you understand the explanation at any cost?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"…..No." (Gah-Yun)

"So, can you

Doh Gah-Yun's eyes began trembling ever so slightly.

Wasn't the art of conversation built upon the unspoken agreement and understanding between two parties involved?!

But if he was trying to argue on something so unnecessarily picky/technical, then who would want to open their mouths in front of him, afraid of being caught out in a potentially disastrous situation?

Yi Ji-Hyuk took a look at Doh Gah-Yun's face and shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh well. Looks like you're really unhappy about this. Fine, let me give a hint. Even if you hide your body, when you move around, you still disturb the air around you. There you go." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Air?

Was he trying to say that he actually sensed the ripples in the air when she moved her body?

Doh Gah-Yun stared at Yi Ji-Hyuk with dumbfounded eyes.

Something like that was no longer on the level of an ability user and straight into the Animal Kingdom; more specifically, such detection ability was on par with a bat.

'Not a body enhancement type?' (Gah-Yun)

According to the evaluation made by others and as well as her own observation, Yi Ji-Hyuk seemed to possess two abilities - body enhancement and teleportation. But, if what he said was true, then 'powerful detection ability' had to be added to the list as well.

Just how many abilities did this guy possess?

*SFX for opening the hand in a demanding gesture*

Yi Ji-Hyuk pushed his open palm out to her.

"Money. Gimme." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

They promised, and he kept his. So, it was only correct that she kept hers.

But, what was this?

This…. this feeling of getting robbed blind, somehow.

No, this feeling was more like… back during the holidays, when she had to plant her head and knees on the floor and kowtow to her elders many, many times to earn some pocket money, only to have it sneakily stolen away by her mom, as she said something along the lines of "If you keep this, there's a chance you might lose it, so let mommy hold it for you and give it back when you need it, okay?"

Her face returned to her trademark deadpan, expressionless state. She reached into her wallet and pulled out a couple of banknotes.

She didn't like this one bit, but a promise was still a promise!

"Take." (Gah-Yun)

Yi Ji-Hyuk quickly s.n.a.t.c.hed the cash away.

"Thank you, thank you. Looks like there's some charity still to be found in this cold, cruel world, after all." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

What a shameless man…

Was there really a need to utter out that line at all?

Doh Gah-Yun's brows narrowed unhappily.

She no longer saw any merit in continuing on with this surveillance.

It was a definite thing that he possessed superpowers.

Not only that, Doh Gah-Yun could sense that what this guy had, it easily exceeded her imaginations.

However, she was not confident about uncovering anything useful about this guy even if she continued with the mission.

Gah-Yun continued to observe the pleased-as-punch Yi Ji-Hyuk quietly.

'A strange human being.' (Gah-Yun)

He definitely possessed powers. And it was only the human nature to feel the compulsion to use that power. That was, if he was a normal person.

This guy in front of her, this man who seemingly had misplaced many screws in his head, it was as if he held not even the tiniest sliver of desire to do that.

This guy… he was like the natural enemy of Doh Gah-Yun.

If not, she wouldn't have revealed herself no matter how much Yi Ji-Hyuk egged her on.

'What must be done now?' (Gah-Yun)

Actually, it was the right thing to declare the mission as failure and return to base. The moment her position was compromised, it became impossible to continue with her mission.

But, still….

Doh Gah-Yun suddenly came to realise that she possessed this inexplicable sense of pride. She couldn't let it go like this.

It was then, something began tickling her thigh.

It was her phone, so she pulled it out from the pocket.

She confirmed the caller ID on the screen and groaned out slightly. What a rotten timing for her to get a phone call from that woman.

Gah-Yun answered the call.

- "What are you doing right now?" (Seo Ah-Young)

"My mission." (Gah-Yun)

- "You gotta hold that mission for now. Please go and provide support - a Gate is opening up nearby your current position." (Seo Ah-Young)

"A Gate?? But, how?" (Gah-Yun)

Gah-Yun wasn't surprised by the fact that a Gate had appeared. No, it was from the fact that another one was opening up around here.

- "Even I'm not sure what is going on anymore. All the higher-ups are running around in full panic mode, too." (Seo Ah-Young)

The appearances of Gates had never been concentrated in a single area before. Widely accepted as a fact, a Gate wouldn't open in an area where another one had popped up already less than a year ago.

However, within the last two months, three Gates had appeared within this district.

And now, another one had appeared around here?

"The location?" (Gah-Yun)

- "I sent it to your phone." (Seo Ah-Young)

"Received. Will arrive on location without delay. Also…" (Gah-Yun)

- "Mm?"

While staring at Yi Ji-Hyuk sucking on his cigarette as if it was going out of fas.h.i.+on, Doh Gah-Yun continued on.

"Requesting permission, to move together with the surveillance target." (Gah-Yun)

- "You wanna what? Wait, are you with him right now?" (Seo Ah-Young)

"Affirmative." (Gah-Yun)

- "But, how come? Did he discover you? What happened?" (Seo Ah-Young)

Without realising it, Gah-Yun was gripping the phone a bit harder.

"Requesting permission." (Gah-Yun)

- "Hmm…. Okay, and the official reason is?" (Seo Ah-Young)

"To confirm the scope of the target's abilities." (Gah-Yun)

- "Okay, do it. However, be careful. That guy, don't forget he's still nominally a civilian." (Seo Ah-Young)

"Acknowledged. Moving to the mission area." (Gah-Yun)

- "Right. Do your best. Mister Choi Jung-Hoon should arrive there before you guys." (Seo Ah-Young)

"Roger." (Gah-Yun)

Ending the call, Gah-Yun turned towards Yi Ji-Hyuk and opened her mouth in that deadpan manner.

"A Gate appeared. Requesting your partic.i.p.ation." (Gah-Yun)

Understandably, Yi Ji-Hyuk's eyes went extra round in confusion.

"What, me?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Correct." (Gah-Yun)

"Me?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Repeated the same word. Lacks logical meaning, thus ineffective conversation tool." (Gah-Yun)

Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked lazily and leaned back against the bench.

"Looky here, little girl. I think you're mistaken about something. I'm a civilian, remember? Why should I go there? Well, you look like a busy person with lots of important things to do, so why don't go on your way now?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Doh Gah-Yun's deadpan expression didn't even twitch once as she continued.

"Offering ₩30,000, for following me and staying in the operation area." (Gah-Yun)

"What the?! You think I'm a beggar or something?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"50,000." (Gah-Yun)

"Listen here, it's not the issue with money, alright? I'm a civilian. A d.a.m.n civilian!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"100,000 Won." (Gah-Yun)

"Let's get going." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk jumped up from the bench.

While watching him react this way, Doh Gah-Yun began to wonder quite seriously if it was okay to add "human trash" to the evaluation now.

"So, where is it located this time?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"That way." (Gah-Yun)

While following after Doh Gah-Yun as she walked away, Yi Ji-Hyuk tried to s.h.i.+ft the cogs in that dead-stiff brain of his.

'What the h.e.l.l. Something feels off here, doesn't it?' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The truth was, he wasn't simply fooling around all the time, ever since he returned home.

Okay, well, most of his time was indeed spent on doing c.r.a.p, sure. But, he also had been collecting whatever sc.r.a.ps of information he could find in between all that playing around, too. One of the things he learned was that Gates didn't appear frequently in a single area.

'Could it be…. is it because of me?' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He needed more information to explain this in a logical fas.h.i.+on. But, he couldn't ignore his gut feeling that he was involved in this matter somehow. And what a regrettable thing that was - his instincts usually turned out to be spot-on almost everytime.

He was going not because of that sweet wad of cash, but his need to acquire more solid evidence.

If something went wrong while Yi Ji-Hyuk was crossing over, then there was a need for him to come up with a contingency plan. Because, there could be a good chance that more Gates would pop up around his house and that would, in turn, utterly step on and crush any hopes of him enjoying a relaxing lifestyle in the future.

If the reason for the Gates frequently appearing near here, was because he had crossed over and landed in this area, then he would….

"….I'll just move to a new house." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Mm?" (Gah-Yun)

"No, it's nothing." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk shrugged his shoulders.

He secretly made up his mind to look for a new place to live. Well, he heard that house prices had hit the doldrums lately, so the cost shouldn't be a problem.

When someone ended up causing trouble, someone else would come around and sort it out - that's just the way the world worked, you see.

Fin.