The Returner

Although Choi Jeong-Hoon pleaded with Yi Ji-Hyuk to stop by at the Blue House to find more about the unfolding situation, the latter cleanly ignored the former and opened a Gate leading to the NDF, instead.

Sure, both Choi Jeong-Hoon and Jeong In-Su felt the urgency, but the ability users including Yi Ji-Hyuk weren't particularly interested in whether a coup d'etat took place in North Korea or it was some kind of a Gate crisis. So, they had no need to personally court a potentially annoying matter.

"Aigo~, my joints and sinews…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

As soon as he emerged from the Gate, Yi Ji-Hyuk lightly pounded on various parts of his body.

Squeeze.

Suddenly a pair of hands reached out from nowhere and began ma.s.saging his body.

"I-it's so refres.h.i.+ng!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Obviously he got spooked when a pair of unidentified hands started ma.s.saging him, but the gentle refreshment those hands brought about caused his reasoning to fly away almost immediately.

"W-what is this??" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

What could possibly be this feeling? This feeling of his body relaxing completely?

Yi Ji-Hyuk was led around by the ma.s.saging hands and started back pedalling. This seduction was even more inescapable than a Siren's.

Plop.

He then plopped down a cushy chairman's chair that seemed to have been readied for him a while ago. The gentle pair of hands resumed ma.s.saging his neck and his shoulders.

The soft gentleness made it feel like his soul would slip out and ascend to heaven, causing him to purr like a cat next.

"Hey, you! What do you think you're doing?!" (Jeong Hae-Min)

Jeong Hae-Min cried out in sheer rage.

"What's wrong?" (?)

"How dare you busy touch someone without permission?!" (Jeong Hae-Min)

"I'm just ma.s.saging him, though? Isn't he enjoying it?" (?)

Indeed, Yi Ji-Hyuk was forming a truly happy expression. His whole body had been feeling really c.r.a.ppy lately after he had to perform so much hard labour, so this enjoyable comfy-ness was threatening to even completely take over his consciousness if this continued on for a bit longer.

"Heok!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk regained his wits and quickly turned his head around.

To think, she was capable of making him, a man who didn't bat an eye against demonic temptations and Sirens seducing him, let his guard down like this!

He discovered the ident.i.ty of the one ma.s.saging his shoulders and nearly freaked out.

"Hul?! What the h.e.l.l, it's you??" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Kim Dah-Som smiled awkwardly and waved her hand.

"How was your trip?" (Kim Dah-Som)

"Y-you, since when did you know how to perform such a skill?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"I learned it." (Kim Dah-Som)

"Learned it?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Yes. There are lots of places that teach you. So, I went and learned how to ma.s.sage. I originally thought about learning the Thai style, but apparently it's a bit more physical, so…." (Kim Dah-Som)

"Euh, euh…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk shuddered grandly.

"N-no, hang on. You surely can't make me feel this way with a simple ma.s.sage alone, so what gives?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Indeed, it'd be impossible to turn Yi Ji-Hyuk into a purring cat with a regular ma.s.sage.

"I learned magic from Affeldrichae-nim. I tried to integrate healing magic in my own way, you see." (Kim Dah-Som)

"A h-hybrid, is it?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk felt the greatness of mankind right then.

This was the difference between here and Berafe. Unlike that fantasy world where people rigidly followed the rules once they had been set, the Korean citizens would try to mix and match first, see what pops out next.

Korea gave birth to freaks who would take a peek at every single skill tree available regardless of what game it is; besides, whenever a Korean saw a video sharing platform, didn't they deliberately go out of the beaten path to seek out all sorts of seriously perverted c.r.a.p just for kicks?

Grafting healing magic on top of ma.s.sages?

‘….Hey, wouldn't she be able to make a killing with this?' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

This was precisely the moment a powerful skill was born, one capable enough to buy her a huge building with ma.s.sages only if she got serious about it.

"This way." (Kim Dah-Som)

"Uh, uh." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk shuddered even more as her gentle hands went to work on his shoulders again.

"Uhm, you know, it's normal for me to be in pain after healing magic touches me?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"I'm just applying on the surface. It won't dig inside you." (Kim Dah-Som)

"Aha!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Was that why?

"But, isn't it more effective if you inject it under the skin?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"That'll hurt you, so I can't, Ji-Hyuk oppa." (Kim Dah-Som)

"….But, wouldn't controlling magical energy this way much harder for you?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"I'm doing it to make you feel better, Ji-Hyuk oppa. So, it's fine. Well, even if it's harder, there's no meaning if it's not performed this way." (Kim Dah-Som)

*SFX for tears welling up*

Yi Ji-Hyuk suddenly felt the emotion that made one tear up in an instant.

Lately, all sorts of idiots had been trying their darndest to use and abuse him. However, none worried about how tough it had been for him during all that nonsense.

From their perspective, it'd be like Yi Ji-Hyuk only needed to use his powers for a few seconds and everything would be sorted out. But not a single person seemed to think about how he'd have to experience incredible pain if he wanted to use that power for a short while.

However, Kim Dah-Som here actually went out of her way to prepare things like this for him.

Now that he looked back on his life after his return from Berafe, he realised that the person who looked out for him was not his mother, not his little sister Ye-Won, but none other than Kim Dah-Som.

"….I was too foolish." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Why was he avoiding such a kind-hearted girl until now, with a flimsy excuse of being scared? A man should be more open-hearted, after all.

Fondle, fondle….

Yi Ji-Hyuk was infinitely moved by the refres.h.i.+ng sensation spreading out from his shoulders. This was what human life was like, being moved by something quite inconsequential at times!

That demon-girl-and-dragon-woman-combo would never understand this feeling! Because they weren't humans!

"Why don't you give it a rest already? Where do you

Ah, there is this shorty too. She won't get it, either. (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

"You're supposed to ma.s.sage this part as well, you know." (Kim Dah-Som)

Now that he thought about it some more, this kid had become more talkative, too.

Although it was nice and all to see her become warmer than before, shouldn't a person have a sense of ident.i.ty? Was it really alright for someone to change this much in a span of only a few months?

‘When I think about it that way, this kid…. Wasn't she, like, a juvenile delinquent before?' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Not even a hint of such a thing could be spied on Kim Dah-Som now.

For sure, she'd be a wonderful girlfriend material if only her personality was changed somehow. Her face was so pretty that you could safely consider her as the peak of natural beauty that human genes could achieve, and to top it off, she was extremely devoted to Yi Ji-Hyuk, as well, willing to even sacrifice herself if it needs be.

She was a type you just couldn't hate, as long as you had properly functioning eyes, that was. Except that she was a wee bit cold, and something about her was just plainly scary, which made interacting with her a somewhat awkward event every single time.

"Thanks, I guess, but it's fine to stop now." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Okay." (Kim Dah-Som)

Kim Dah-Som seemed a little rueful just then, but still cleanly withdrew her hands and lowered her head with a shy expression on her face.

"By the way, how did you arrive at the office with such good timing? How did you know we'd show up now?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"I just thought that you'd arrive soon, so I waited here." (Kim Dah-Som)

"Hul." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk looked at her with a surprised expression.

She basically waited for him here with no plan, even though she had no information at hand.

"Aren't you showing off too much??" (Jeong Hae-Min)

Jeong Hae-Min strongly raised her objections.

Her position had been hanging in the precarious balance after two giant boulders in the shape of Erukana and Affeldrichae rolled in to knock her off her perch. Okay, fine, they were already secured in the place way before her, but whatever. In any case, she was obviously unhappy at Kim Dah-Som's s.h.i.+ning achievements right now.

"By the way, did you say magic?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head before staring at Kim Dah-Som. He could detect some Mana in her.

"I was thinking that with no Mana, you'd go nowhere even if you learned magic. So where exactly did you get that Mana?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Affeldrichae-nim left me with some, saying that it's an experiment." (Kim Dah-Som)

"Oh, really?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

But, Affeldrichae shouldn't have enough for herself, though? Yi Ji-Hyuk looked at her, and she nodded her head.

"I was about to speak to you regarding that issue." (Affeldrichae)

"Okay…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Just hearing her tone of voice alerted him to the possibility of it not being a pleasant topic.

"Well, fine. Let's talk about that after we rest a bit first, shall we? It's not like we'll be in a big pickle if we don't talk about it right now, right?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Alright." (Affeldrichae)

Yi Ji-Hyuk nodded his head too, and stood up.

"Well, in that case. I'll be clocking off for today." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"But, it's only lunch time now!" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

"Why don't you consider yesterday as overtime, then? I just returned from a business trip, so how dare you even bring up regular office hours?!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"….Enjoy the rest of your day off." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

While Choi Jeong-Hoon was making that reply, he shot a fierce glare at the rest of the NDF agents, silently ordering them to not even entertain the idea of going home now.

"But, we also went on a business trip, didn't we?!"

"Didn't I go with you, too?? Didn't I??" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

"Well, uh, it doesn't look like there's a whole lot of things to do here, anyway…."

"Aren't you supposed to write up a report first if you're back from a business trip? And also, the KSF is having such a hard time with the shortage of personnel, so how could you even be thinking about fooling around one more day? Besides, all of you didn't do a single thing and just went around sightseeing, anyway!" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

"What do you mean, sightseeing?!"

Yi Ji-Hyuk ignored the arguments happening behind him and opened the door to exit the premises.

"Hmm~. The scent of freedom." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The sight of s.h.i.+ny buildings outside the headquarters filled up Yi Ji-Hyuk's heart to full. This was it, the unique odour of South Korea, something that couldn't be smelt from the all-sorts-liquorice building styles found in Pyongyang.

"Alright, Oh-Sik-ah." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Oh-Sik trotting after him obediently let him attach the leash on the collar.

"You gorged yourself this time around, so you better not go around starting things, okay? I already know all about the ahjussi from the butchery down the street calling the cops over the theft of his stock." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Whimper….

"You shouldn't be doing that, especially when Mister Choi Jeong-Hoon is feeding you on the side, you know? If you wanna eat some meat, you should just say so, got it? Don't go around stealing stuff from now on. This place is different from where we used to live, so you mustn't just eat whatever you find, okay?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Woof!

Oh-Sik replied energetically, so Yi Ji-Hyuk nodded and patted the monster on the head.

"By the way, where did your wifey disappear to?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Woof! Bark!

"Hey, it's your wife if you live together, you fool!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Woof!

"Alright, alright. Seriously, though. Where did it go? Even if I did suck out its Mana, it's still strong enough to wreck a dump truck all by itself, so it shouldn't just roam around unattended…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Although he figured nothing bad would happen, he still felt it tugging at the corner of his mind.

"Anyways. Time to go home." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk began walking towards his house.

He felt as if it had been a long time since he got to go home like this. When was the last time he got to kick back and relax at home post-American crisis?

"Let's go together." (Kim Dah-Som)

Kim Dah-Som trotted towards him from behind.

"You going home, too?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Yes." (Kim Dah-Som)

"What about your oppa, though?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"He says he can't get off work right now. But, I can't stay there forever, either." (Kim Dah-Som)

"Hmm, is that so?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Without saying anything else, Yi Ji-Hyuk began walking home with Kim Dah-Som in tow.

"Oh, right. Are you good with studying?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Yes." (Kim Dah-Som)

"Oh, really? I'm gonna ask Ye-Won for confirmation, you know?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Please don't." (Kim Dah-Som)

"Why not?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Ye-Won'll start convulsing if you mention studying to her." (Kim Dah-Som)

"….Sorry about that." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

But then again, that girl was Yi Ji-Hyuk's little sister, so there was just no way she'd be good with studying. He too maintained a less-than-stellar academic record when he was attending school, after all.

"It's the problem with the genes, I tell you. Stupid genes." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Mom might have served him with super spike on his back if she heard his carefree utterances.

"Fuu-oh." (Kim Dah-Som)

Kim Dah-Som gathered her hands and blew warm breaths at them. Only then did he notice that the weather had gotten chilly.

"Are your hands cold?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"….No, not really." (Kim Dah-Som)

"Place them in your pockets. Why are you letting them hang outside?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Okay." (Kim Dah-Som)

Kim Dah-Som pushed her hands inside the pockets without arguing back.

"There you go. Why were you acting so thoughtlessly like that? Are your pockets just for show?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"….I'm sorry." (Kim Dah-Som)

Yi Ji-Hyuk lectured her for a bit before hurrying up with his steps. Since the kid said she was cold, he figured they should reach home as soon as possible.

"Okay, so. Your house is that way, right?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"…Yes, it is." (Kim Dah-Som)

"Okay, take care on your way home now." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"See you later. Bye." (Kim Dah-Som)

Kim Dah-Som bowed her head with a stiff expression.

"Mm, by the way…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Yes?" (Kim Dah-Som)

"I'm free tomorrow, so like, wanna go to a department store with me?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"To a department store? What would you like to do there?" (Kim Dah-Som)

"To buy new clothes. This guy's a bit worn out, you see." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"….You mean, that very type of clothing?" (Kim Dah-Som)

"Ng. Don't they look a bit worse for wear? Looks like they got busted up after I went a bit overboard this time. A person should try to look neat all the time, am I right?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"…….."

It was at that moment that Kim Dah-Som realised something new. She thought that he only owned a single set of tracksuits since that's what he had been wearing come rain or s.h.i.+ne, but he actually owned more than one set. No, he indeed owned several similar articles, and simply swapped them out.

"Don't you want to buy different designs?" (Kim Dah-Som)

"But, this is easiest to move around in." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"….Let me pick one out for you. Please consider buying something new this time." (Kim Dah-Som)

"Should I?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk seemed to be seriously pondering this quandary, but eventually nodded his head.

"Alright, then. I was thinking that it didn't look right wearing it even in the middle of the winter, anyway. Got it." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Okay. I'll give you a call tomorrow, then!" (Kim Dah-Som)

"Ng." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk watched Kim Dah-Som's departing back jumping up and down in delight, and finally managed to say that one question he couldn't ask a moment ago.

"B-by the way, how do you even know my phone number….?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Is there anything you don't know?

Really?

Fin.

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