The Returner

"What are you talking about?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk's eyes opened real wide.

There was no place for him?

This must be the first time something like this happened after his return to Earth. Didn't these people always try so darn hard to drag him everywhere, even though he wasn't really needed?

But now, they suddenly didn't have a ‘place' for him?

"Why now?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yun Yeong-Min, perhaps finding things a bit harder than he thought, coughed to clear his throat and turned his head towards the Defense Minister.

The latter started explaining after being subjected to those eyes demanding him to step up.

"First of all, we don't really require your a.s.sistance this time, that's why." (Defense Minister)

"Eh?"

"The North's overall combat power isn't all that strong, you see. Yes, it's true that they are considered a military powerhouse that ranks in the top 20 globally. I have no desire to deny that. However, the five nations about to partic.i.p.ate, South Korea, the United States, j.a.pan, Russia and China all rank within the top ten in the world. You don't really need to step up this time, because these five countries are going to cooperate during this operation." (Defense Minister)

As if he agreed with that notion, Choi Jeong-Hoon began nodding his head.

For sure, what the Defense Minister said made some sense.

This was an operation where four of the most powerful nations on Earth were about to be joined by South Korea, considered to be the strongest in terms of ability user combat force.

No matter how almighty and prepared the North was, they shouldn't be able to fight back for long. One would be tempted to wonder if any nation on this planet was strong enough to withstand the a.s.sault of this alliance of nations.

"And secondly…. Because this is a military operation." (Defense Minister)

Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head.

"What's that got to do with anything?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"All the work you've done for us so far was to counter the threat posed by the Gates. However, this military operation is about trying to stop a Gate from opening up. I'm saying that, fundamentally, this is a different kettle of fish altogether." (Defense Minister)

"What's so different about it?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The Defense Minister pushed the gla.s.ses up slightly on his nose and stared at Yi Ji-Hyuk.

"We are about to fight other humans, not the monsters." (Defense Minister)

Yi Ji-Hyuk's expression remained unmoved.

"To put it bluntly, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, you're a civilian. You might be under contract and that's why you are required to go around killing monsters, but you're not a soldier that we can mobilise in times of emergency." (Defense Minister)

"Mm…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"We simply can't mobilise a civilian for a military operation." (Defense Minister)

"I never thought our country would be so strict about stuff like this, but I guess I was wrong on this one, eh?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Indeed. And also, other nations expressed their reservations regarding your potential inclusion, as well. This is a military operation, after all." (Defense Minister)

Yi Ji-Hyuk nodded his head and stood up from his spot.

"I get what you're saying. So, there's no place for me during this event, am I right?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Yes, you're right." (Defense Minister)

"In that case, I'll just head home, take a shower and go to bed. I'm leaving now." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yun Yeong-Min stood up from his spot as well.

"My apologies for how things turned out." (Yun Yeong-Min)

"Not at all. I think you're trying to look out for me in your own way, so I should be thankful in this case. And needing to do one less arduous labour is pretty sweet from my perspective, too." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk waved his hand once and exited from the office. Jeong Hae-Min, not knowing what she should do, sneakily got up and went after him.

"Whew-woo…." (Yun Yeong-Min)

Yun Yeong-Min watched Yi Ji-Hyuk leaving and sighed deeply.

"Should I stop by at a convenience store on my way back?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Are you alright?" (Jeong Hae-Min)

"Ng? About what?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Jeong Hae-Min heard Yi Ji-Hyuk's question and tilted her head.

"Don't you feel bad?" (Jeong Hae-Min)

"Why should I?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"I mean, it's like, you know? They've been nagging you to do things for them all this time, but they suddenly drop you like an unwanted pet, so what's up with that?" (Jeong Hae-Min)

"…Isn't it a good thing not having to work?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Well, that's true, but…." (Jeong Hae-Min)

However, did a person's heart really operate like that?

Jeong Hae-Min sneakily studied Yi Ji-Hyuk's current mood, but outwardly at least, he didn't seem any different from his usual self.

No, more than that, he looked genuinely pleased by the prospect of not having to travel to North Korea.

‘Doesn't he have, like, desire for recognition or material greed?' (Jeong Hae-Min)

Now normally, most people would feel some sort of negative emotions when faced with a situation like this one. However, Yi Ji-Hyuk wasn't like ‘most people' out there.

Even if you didn't hanker for public recognition or material greed, you should still have pride, at least. The ‘Yi Ji-Hyuk' Jeong Hae-Min had been observing so far really hated all potentially annoying things, but at the same time, he wasn't the type to lack some semblance of pride, either. He didn't really show it, but the truth was, his level of pride could sometimes get unnecessarily high and he'd display tendencies to do stuff that he didn't have to.

So, she found it quite strange that Yi

"Hey, looks like that's the new ramen. Should I try that?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Are you really alright?" (Jeong Hae-Min)

Yi Ji-Hyuk, in the middle of picking up a whole bunch of ramen packets, stopped and turned to look at her with a confused expression.

"What is it this time?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"This won't do. Follow me. Now." (Jeong Hae-Min)

"Ng?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Jeong Hae-Min grabbed him and dragged his b.u.t.t outside the convenience store.

"H-hey, let me pay for these first." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"I'm not sure if we did the right thing." (Unification Minister)

The Unification Minister's unsure words prompted the Defense Minister to speak in an unwavering tone of voice.

"No, this is the correct way." (Defense Minister)

"M-mm…." (Unification Minister)

Yun Yeong-Min too, carried a still-conflicted expression. In the end, he had to turn to the man thought to be most knowledgeable in all things Yi Ji-Hyuk-related and ask him.

"Mister Choi Jeong-Hoon." (Yun Yeong-Min)

"Yes, Mister President." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

"Do you think it was the correct choice not to bring along Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk?" (Yun Yeong-Min)

Choi Jeong-Hoon couldn't readily reply to the president's question. This matter was far too sensitive for that.

Even a three year-old child would be able to tell that, if Yi Ji-Hyuk did partic.i.p.ate in the operation, the danger level to everyone would decrease by a humongous amount.

However….

Choi Jeong-Hoon took large gulps from a gla.s.s of cold water located on the coffee table, emptied it and placed it back on the table's surface with an audible thud, and stared straight at Yun Yeong-Min.

"I believe it was the right decision, sir." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

"Why do you say so?" (Yun Yeong-Min)

"There are two reasons." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

"Mm?" (Yun Yeong-Min)

Yun Yeong-Min patiently waited for the explanation to commence.

"Firstly, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk is, no matter what, a civilian." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

"I agree with you on that point." (Yun Yeong-Min)

"The Republic of Korea expects many things from him even as we speak, but there's no doubt that he is still a civilian. A government that compels its civilians to partic.i.p.ate in military operations doesn't have a bright future waiting for them." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

"Indeed." (Yun Yeong-Min)

"We can't be stuck in the trap of temptation rising from the power Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk possesses. It's true that if we go against our own principles just this once, things might become very much easier for us. But that is exactly why we need to stick to our principle. One time will soon become two, then the two will soon morph into three. It might be hard to break the rules the first time, but breaking it for the second time will prove to be far easier." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Yun Yeong-Min silently nodded his head.

Of course he too was strongly tempted by the idea of having Yi Ji-Hyuk tag along. However, the man named Yi Ji-Hyuk was not a master key. No, even if he was such a key, it still should be used for the role it was specifically designed for. If it were to be used in every single situation imaginable, then the set of principles guiding them would break down in the end.

"And secondly, just as the Defense Minister has alluded to, the enemies we're about to face this time will be…. other humans." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

"Christopher McLaren said the same thing." (Yun Yeong-Min)

"I concede that Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk's mentality is as hard as forged steel, but killing humans is not the same as killing monsters. And it's something he hasn't done so far, either. We need to consider how Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk will react if he ends up taking the life of another person with his own hands." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

"M-mm." (Yun Yeong-Min)

Only after hearing what Choi Jeong-Hoon had to say did Yun Yeong-Min feel rea.s.sured of his decision not being wrong.

China and Russia demanded Yi Ji-Hyuk's partic.i.p.ation, but the United States and j.a.pan strongly disagreed. And the Americans were especially vocal in their opposition.

They said that, due to the continuous battles and the repeated cycle of injuries and healing, they feared Yi Ji-Hyuk might be suffering from PTSD.

The symptoms might not be serious right now, but if the illness worsened after experiencing battles against fellow humans, then a calamity exceeding that of a Gate opening up would occur, warned the Americans. That warning was the important turning point in Yun Yeong-Min's decision making process.

‘Indeed, we did ask a lot out of him.' (Yun Yeong-Min)

It really was not their intention, but after Yi Ji-Hyuk showed up, he had to be embroiled in one battle after another.

Even a well-trained veteran combat personnel would complain of high levels of acc.u.mulated stress in such a situation. Yet that man wasn't a soldier receiving focused military training but a simple civilian who had to go through that many battles, so it'd be most unwise to ignore the potential implications from that.

‘We've been too lax.' (Yun Yeong-Min)

Yun Yeong-Min began thinking that maybe they should start a mental health care program for Yi Ji-Hyuk before it's too late.

"In any case, we won't have Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk accompany us during this mission. We've already informed other nations, but well, let us take this opportunity to internally set our direction for good." (Yun Yeong-Min)

"Yes, Mister President." (Defense Minister)

The Defense Minister nodded his head.

"How goes with our preparation?" (Yun Yeong-Min)

"The KSF, the army, and the air force will be deployed at the same time, sir." (Defense Minister)

"What about the navy?" (Yun Yeong-Min)

"The j.a.panese have agreed to send their fleet, so in order to avoid any confusion, we won't deploy ours, sir. We aren't planning to perform a naval blockade but to strike fast and withdraw quickly, so the core of the operation will focus on the land-based skirmishes, sir." (Defense Minister)

"I see." (Yun Yeong-Min)

Nervousness slowly took root in Yun Yeong-Min's eyes.

‘This is war.' (Yun Yeong-Min)

Although it had been repackaged as an ‘operation', what's to happen was, all intents and purposes, a war of the Korean Peninsula taking place half a century after the last one.

If the operation proved successful, then the North Korean ruling system would completely break down.

Meaning, the fate of another country would be over. No matter how it was branded as a limited-scale military operation carried out by the special forces, no living soul could deny that this whole thing was war.

The burden on Yun Yeong-Min's shoulders couldn't even be described, now that he became a sitting president to preside over another warfare to take place in the last half century. It being a joint operation did console him just a tad, however.

"What about the KSF?" (Yun Yeong-Min)

"Many will partic.i.p.ate, sir. However, there is a threat of confusion and friendly fire, so I'd like to rely mostly on the NDF, sir." (Defense Minister)

"Hmm, even then, wouldn't it be more prudent to deploy as many ability users as possible?" (Yun Yeong-Min)

The Defense Minister vehemently shook his head.

"If you give guns to civilians, then their firepower theoretically wouldn't be too different from the trained soldiers. However, militia can never exercise the combat potential rivalling that of regular soldiers. You'd need training that makes your soldiers react instantly to any given orders and see other humans not as fellow humans but as targets. But the majority of the KSF agents were trained to prioritise saving humans when they find some during their missions. Meaning, confusion is inevitable." (Defense Minister)

What he said indeed made perfect sense.

"I'm sure you're right, Defense Minister." (Yun Yeong-Min)

Yun Yeong-Min knew well about his own limitations. He might be the President, but that didn't automatically mean he was blessed with an abundant level of military knowledge. No, he simply was given the final say in the matter, that's all. So, listening to the opinions of the ones that knew better than him was the smartest thing to do.

"Not just the fate of the Republic of Korea, but the whole world hangs in the balance with this operation." (Yun Yeong-Min)

"Yes, sir." (Defense Minister)

"And do not forget that, in case of failure, it will be us needing to face the consequences head on." (Yun Yeong-Min)

"We won't forget, sir." (Defense Minister)

"And, Mister Choi Jeong-Hoon." (Yun Yeong-Min)

"Yes, Mister President." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

"Realistically speaking, you're the one in charge of the NDF. Meaning, your role in the upcoming operation will be crucial. You know this, don't you?" (Yun Yeong-Min)

"Yes, sir." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

"We'll leave it in your care, then." (Yun Yeong-Min)

"I shall do my best, sir." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon lowered his head, and at the same time, his eyes grew gloomier.

‘This is going to be difficult.' (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Didn't matter who they were facing off against, the North Koreans, Chinese, or the Americans, whoever - he was confident of the NDF not losing out to any of them when it came to the ability user combat force.

However, the North Korean ability users most definitely would have received anti-personnel combat training. Unfortunately, their South Korean counterparts had no experience in fighting fellow humans.

That part weighed especially heavily on Choi Jeong-Hoon's mind.

Fin.

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