The Returner

Chapter 330: I was too foolish (5)

Yi Ji-Hyuk looked at himself and couldn’t help but feel really weirded out by what he saw.

“W-what is this??” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

You could call what he was wearing currently as pretty normal; a white T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a simple blouson. That was all. However, he had been wearing a set of tracksuits for the past several months straight, so this get-up felt seriously unfamiliar to him.

He did try to go to shops and buy something new to wear when he first came back to Earth, but even before he had the chance to notice it, he became utterly lost in the ways of tracksuits.

“Feels just too strange.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

It’d be rare to find an occasion where the idiom of wearing ill-fitting clothes felt so right at home.

“Why does this feel so weird?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at the mirror and shuddered grandly.

“But, it looks so nice!” (mom)

“Mom, I don’t think this is the right look for me.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“What then? You wanna go out while wearing tights again??” (mom)

“It’s not tights, it’s spandex! Besides, skinny fit is all the rage these days, you know!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Oppa, the skinny fit fad is like, sooo yesterday. Like, thirty thousand years ago yesterday.” (Ye-Won)

“....Really?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Talking about something so passe and all.” (Ye-Won)

Yi Ji-Hyuk pouted in depression.

“By the way, why do I have to wear this to go outside?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Oppa, you’re going to buy new clothes with Dah-Som, right?” (Ye-Won)

“Ng.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“You go out shopping looking your usual self, and no assistants will ever give you their time of day.” (Ye-Won)

“Does that even matter? I’ll be the one choosing what to wear, so who cares about them?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“And also, people accompanying you will want to kill themselves out of embarrassment.” (Ye-Won)

“...............”

He really, really wanted to argue back that it was not as bad as she made it out to be. What could possibly be so bad about tracksuits, anyway?!

“What’s so bad about them, anyway?! Don’t they look like something the makers sell?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“.......”

Ye-Won shook her head with a huge frown as if she could no longer see the worth in conversing with Yi Ji-Hyuk anymore.

“Whatever. Just go out like this, okay?” (Ye-Won)

“But, it’s uncomfortable.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Should I make it even worse for you, then?!” (Ye-Won)

“Eii!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk pouted even harder and looked at his mother.

“Mom!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I can tell what you are about to say, so you can keep your mouth shut.” (mom)

Mom replied with a smile on her face.

“My son, can’t you see how good you look, dressed like this? You now resemble an actual person!” (mom)

Are you implying that I didn’t look like a person before?! (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

“Sure, the rack where the clothes hang was in good shape so it was fine for you to just throw on some tracksuits and go outside. However, don’t you want to dress like an actual person if you can help it?” (mom)

“.....I’m sorry.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk lowered his head and apologised. Not sure why he did that, but he felt this sense of duty that he needed to do it, somehow.

“That’s right, son. Let’s all strive to live like regular people.” (mom)

“Yep.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk quickly turned around. He needed to escape from his house, pronto.

“Oppa, get me some ice cream on your way back.” (Ye-Won)

“.......Imma shove a whole dang box down your gullet, then!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“In that case, get me the expensive one!” (Ye-Won)

“Groan....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Not even conceding an inch! Not even once!! (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

Those who always said they wanted little sisters, they should try living with this girl for a month and see what it’s like.

Yi Ji-Hyuk sighed and stepped outside the front door.

“I’m just going out to buy some clothes, so what’s all this fuss?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

If he knew this would happen, he should’ve just gone by himself. This little sister of his, since when did she get so chummy with Dah-Som and extract information so skilfully like this?

“Groan....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk shook his head and stepped foot outside. He decided to conclude his shopping trip ASAP and come back home.

“Uh??” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk stepped outside the front gate, only to tilt his head in confusion.

“What’s going on here?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Soldiers that showed up even before he noticed it were standing in attention on either side of his path.

“Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, you’re outside!”

The soldier standing right in front of the pack shouted out, prompting another soldier with epaulettes attached to his uniform standing at the rear to hurriedly rush towards him.

“Hello, there!” (adjutant)

“Well, uh, hello or whatever can wait, but....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk scratched his head and asked.

“What are you all doing here?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Ah, that. That isn’t something I can explain to you. For the time being, please answer this phone, sir.” (adjutant)

“Eh?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk received the phone the adjutant presented him with.

– “Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk? It’s the Defense Minister speaking.”

“Ahh, uh, hello. What’s up with all these people? Did I do something wrong?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “Oh no, not at all. It’s just that, our protective detail for you was deemed not up to the necessary standards, so a special forces platoon has been dispatched to your residence, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Defense Minister)

“....Are you insane??” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “Actually, I also didn’t want to do this, but.... It feels rather dumb since it’s like placing a bunch of rabbits as bodyguards of a tiger. However, this was an order directly coming from a higher up in the hierarchy, so I just couldn’t outright ignore it....” (Defense Minister)

“Higher up? Was it from the president?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “No.” (Defense Minister)

“Well?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “The thing is... Mmm, the party leader Song Jeong-Su ordered me.” (Defense Minister)

“Hul.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s jaw dropped.

“Even if he’s the ruling party’s leader, can he directly order the military around like this?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “Of course he can’t, but then again, it is the role of the ruling party to help with policy decisions by making suggestions. And also....” (Defense Minister)

“Also?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “If I ignored the order, he might have beaten me up half to death, so....” (Defense Minister)

Yi Ji-Hyuk involuntarily nodded his head.

That ahjussi, he.... his muscles were bursting at the seams, weren’t they?

Even Yi Ji-Hyuk was impressed by all those muscles so what would it be like for regular people, then? Although it was rather peculiar to feel physically threatened by a sexagenarian, reality could be quite harsh sometimes.

“Did he actually try to hit you??” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “No, he didn’t. But, every time he addressed me, something was like rippling, writhing..... (Defense Minister)

“....I don’t think he was doing that deliberately.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

How should he put this? He was getting rather intrigued on whether Song Jeong-Su’s new-found physique that could threaten other people unintentionally would aid the politician’s career or become his weakness from now on.

Even Yi Ji-Hyuk, someone who had seen countless political circuses in his lifetime so far, couldn’t easily predict the end result.

“In any case, I get it, so please take these folks away.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “That I can’t do.” (Defense Minister)

“I’ll take care of security myself, so it’s fine.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “According to the party leader Song Jeong-Su, the enemy nation might not be able to target you directly, but they might alternatively aim at your family and therefore make you feel disappointed in our government, instead.” (Defense Minister)

“Hmm?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “And I think he’s correct on this one. Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, you vacate your house every day, sometimes for well over ten hours. What will you do if something terrible happens to your family during that time?” (Defense Minister)

“Well, that....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Affeldrichae was here, so was Erukana, and then, there was Oh-Sik, too....

Now that he thought about it, those two females accompanied him most of the time. As for Oh-Sik, that guy often wandered around between the NDF offices and home. If someone decided to camp out here for a week and watch the house, then they would easily find the time period where the security was at its lowest.

“I’ve made preparations of my own, though.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “Can you be 100% certain that everyone will be safe?” (Defense Minister)

“....Sigh.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

If this dude was coming out like this, then Yi Ji-Hyuk had nothing much to retort with.

– “I’m sure that you think all of these won’t be much of a help to you. I also know that, to your eyes, this just comes across as a bunch of children fooling around. However, an elephant can’t take a gander at its butt, now can it?” (Defense Minister)

“...Gotta say, that’s a pretty weird analogy if you ask me.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “So, why don’t you leave that to us? We’ve reflected on a lot of things after the party leader Song Jeong-Su lectured us. Up until now, all we did was to avoid you, but never did we think of you as our nation’s valuable resource and do our utmost to protect you.” (Defense Minister)

“No, hang on a sec, I never wished for such a.....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “Even Mister President greatly agreed with this assessment. From here on, we shall strive to protect your daily life across the board, so even if some things inconvenience you in some ways, we ask of you to be generous and let it slide.” (Defense Minister)

“N-no, listen here....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “Well, then, take care.” (Defense Minister)

“....Ah, sure.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk found himself unable to say anything other than “yes” to the Defense Minister’s desperately pleading tone of voice.

Seriously now, just how many people on this god’s green Earth would be able to curtly refuse when the other party was so desperate?

“H-m-mm.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk pushed forward the disconnected phone.

“Are you done with the call, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk?” (adjutant)

“Oh. Yeah, I am.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The adjutant swiftly received the phone and took a step back before performing a smart military salute back to Yi Ji-Hyuk.

“Have a good trip, sir.” (adjutant)

“Yep.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk awkwardly received that salute and bowed his head a little in return.

‘What a weird feeling this is.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

There was a time when he climbed to the leadership position of a certain empire, but the thing was, the salute he received back then and the one from today felt quite different.

‘Oh well, back then....’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Although he made them submit through his powers and ability to command, they never lost their wariness as if they were looking at a non-human creature. Berafe was, and would always be, a place like that to Yi Ji-Hyuk.

It was a world blocked off by an innate wall that could never be bridged no matter how hard one toiled away.

“Urgh, I don’t know anymore.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Once he got to a place out of the soldiers’ earshot, he pulled out his own phone.

“Where are you?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Using the text message that arrived on his phone in the morning, he called Kim Dah-Som back.

– “Oppa, I’m at the office.” (Kim Dah-Som)

“Where? The NDF?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “Yes.” (Kim Dah-Som)

“Why are you there, though?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “I was waiting for you for a while but you didn’t show, and it got cold outside so I popped in for a little bit.” (Kim Dah-Som)

“How long have you been waiting for me?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “It hasn’t been that long.” (Kim Dah-Som)

“Like I said, how long?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “Maybe from around the lunch time?” (Kim Dah-Som)

And it was roughly around dinner time now, so.....

Yi Ji-Hyuk shook his head. Kim Dah-Som’s personality meant that she’d not tell him the truth straight up, so he could only guess that she must’ve showed up early in the morning even though today was bitterly cold, waited for him until it got too unbearable even for her, and then scurried to the offices.

Naturally, his fluster could be heard in his voice.

“Stay there, I’m coming to fetch you.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

– “Oh, no! It’s fine. I’ll be right there.” (Kim Dah-Som)

“Nope. I can just open up a Gate and show up there directly anyway.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk ended the call and opened a Gate connected to the office.

“She and that dang personality of hers.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

She should’ve just called him up if she came by earlier than expected. Was there a need to camp out in this cold weather while leaving behind only a single text saying “call me when you’re ready to go”?

Yi Ji-Hyuk tutted as he stepped foot inside the Gate.

*

“Ng??” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The moment he stepped outside the portal, he ended up panicking slightly at the rather awkward atmosphere within the office itself.

“Y-you’ve come?”

“Oh hey, you’re here.”

Everyone was pouting in unison as they bowed their heads towards Yi Ji-Hyuk.

“What’s up with your weird reaction?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Excluding Choi Jeong-Hoon, didn’t everyone in the NDF look at him indifferently as if he was a cow or a chicken? Sure, Choi Jeong-Hoon would greet him but even he didn’t seem all that enthusiastic about it, either.

So, what was up with this group reaction, then? As if they had agreed to do so beforehand??

“And what’s going on over there??” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The spot Seo Ah-Young originally occupied was now replaced by an absolutely magnificent, glittering solid-wood desk.

“....It’s your new spot, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Ehh?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk asked back with an utterly confused voice, prompting Choi Jeong-Hoon to smile awkwardly and explain himself.

“It, it really is your new spot, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“What are you talking about?! My usual spot is.....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk then realised Seo Ah-Young was sitting in his old spot, looking scary enough to make all of his hairs stand upright. He freaked out in pure shock and hurriedly shifted his head away.

She was panting like a raging bull, ready to tear anyone’s head off if they unwisely met her furious gaze. Even Yi Ji-Hyuk would wilt under such a scary pressure. Didn’t the old saying go that when a woman harbours a grudge, snow would fall in the middle of summer? Something like that?

“W-what is going on here??” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Ah, you’ve come?” (?)

It was then, the office door was flung open and an unfamiliar middle-aged man rushed inside.

“Ng??” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

This middle-aged man hurriedly dashed towards him, and performed a splendid 90-degree bent-forward bow.

“I thought you’d not come to the office today, but you did come in the end.” (?)

“Who are you?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I’m the newly-appointed director of the KSF.”

“Ahh, is that so?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Yes. From now on, I will be in charge of both the NDF and the KSF. In any case, I’ll be in your care.” (the KSF director)

“There aren’t all that much I can help you on that one, though. Anyways, ahjussi. Did you, you know, do this thing with the desks?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Hahaha, things won’t function properly when people fooling around all the time occupy the biggest spot in the office, now don’t you agree? Especially when there is a certain someone who’s doing all the work for them.” (the KSF director)

“....Weeeell, sure. Fooling around and all that.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“What was that?!?!” (Seo Ah-Young)

“N-no, I’m just saying, it’s me fooling around! Meee!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Seo Ah-Young’s voice infused with the Antarctic-level of coldness even managed to make Yi Ji-Hyuk wave his hands around in defeat.

Griiiiit!!!

Distinctive noises of grinding teeth resounded out. Yi Ji-Hyuk resolutely didn’t turn his head around.

“I shall properly manage the NDF from now on, so all the unfairness experienced so far will stop, that I guarantee you. If there are other things that need to be overhauled, please, just let me know.” (the KSF director)

“Sure, that sounds nice and all, but.... Just who instigated this whole thing?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The middle-aged man sneakily swept his gaze around the vicinity before whispering in a voice only Yi Ji-Hyuk could hear.

“The party leader Song Jeong-Su has made a special request, you see.” (the KSF director)

Yi Ji-Hyuk spat out a grand sigh.

That muscle yeonggam-nim seemed to have gone a bit overboard here.

“Okay, so. Where is the yeonggam-nim now?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

< 330. I was too foolish -5 > Fin.

(TL: “Yeonggam” is an informal Korean term denoting ‘old man’. With the addition of the honorific “-nim”, though, it’s now used in a sarcastic manner in this case.)