Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: The Man from 21 Years Ago
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Kim Hyeok-jung, age thirty-two.
A devoted father to one child and the breadwinner for his family.
The trigger that shattered his peaceful life was simply stopping by the library to borrow a book he wanted to read.
Nearly twenty unimaginable years had passed since then, so it was only natural for him to react this way.
"Where... where am I...?"
The landscape around him felt nothing like the library neighborhood he remembered—it was as if he'd been dropped into a distant future, overwhelming his senses and clouding his mind.
The mysterious man who had helped him was gone before he knew it.
It felt exactly like being reincarnated alone into some utterly alien otherworld.
Kim Hyeok-jung tried to contact the Tale Management Bureau, but on second thought, he realized none of his possessions remained—not even his cell phone.
In the end, all he could do was grab a passing citizen and use their unidentified smartphone to make the call.
"Ahem. So, your name is Kim Hyeok-jung, and you escaped from the tale inside the National Central Library, correct?"
"Yes... that's right."
Since the existence of the tale within the National Central Library was already known to the Bureau, it wasn't the New Tale Investigation Squad handling his case.
"Yes, you've been missing for exactly twenty-one years. And yet your fingerprints match Kim Hyeok-jung himself..."
"Pardon? Hold on, what year did you say it is? Twenty-one years? Something's wrong here, isn't it?"
"I'm a bit confused myself. Please hold on a moment."
The Victim Support Division lived up to its name, handling compensation for victims as a rule.
The staffer had dealt with countless people from all walks of life, but he'd never had a headache quite like today.
"Twenty-one years... If this is real, it's a new record..."
The staffer muttered quietly to himself before standing up.
"We'll need to run some checks. Please come inside."
Kim Hyeok-jung's current state could only be described as utterly exhausted in body and mind.
Considering his son Kim Do-hyun's current age and the life his family must have lived, he had no room for any other thoughts.
To an outsider, he just looked dazed.
"Mr. Hyeok-jung, Mr. Hyeok-jung!"
"Ah, yes?"
"Everything you've told us so far is true, correct?"
"Yes... it is."
"So, you were turned into one of the library's patrons, but at some point, you snapped out of it while looking at a photo in a rocket. And in the end, a mysterious man with incredible power helped you escape?"
The staffer felt like he was reading a fantasy novel—or losing his mind.
"Sigh... We have no way to verify what happened inside the library itself, but the surveillance footage does show some man there with you, so no issues there..."
"Um, so... what about my family...?"
"Ah, to be upfront... I'm sorry, but your wife passed away in a traffic accident five years ago..."
The staffer couldn't finish the sentence, but it was enough to convey the meaning.
"Aaaah... No! That can't be! I never even got to see her face one last time... Hic... sob!"
The staffer watched Kim Hyeok-jung carefully and spoke only after his cries quieted.
"...And as for your son, we've confirmed he's currently employed by the Tale Management Bureau."
"Ah... Do-hyun... So he's twenty-six now. Old enough to work... Yeah. And at the Bureau, doing that dangerous job all alone!"
Kim Hyeok-jung unwittingly cursed the years that had passed, wailing in anguish.
"He must've forgotten all about me. Of course he has... He's past the age where he needs his dad. But still, I just want to see his face once! Please, sir, I beg you—let me see my son."
"I'm sorry, but that's not possible right now."
Kim Hyeok-jung dropped to his knees, clutching at the staffer's clothes as he pleaded.
"Even if he's joined the Bureau! A father and son bond is special... Please, I beg you."
"Ah, don't do that. It's not for that reason—Do-hyun is..."
"Pardon?"
As the staffer had said, when Kim Hyeok-jung arrived at the hospital, he could scarcely believe his eyes.
"Ah! Is that Do-hyun? His face... Yeah, it's Do-hyun, definitely my boy's face... But why the hell is he in a hospital bed like this?!"
Kim Hyeok-jung teared up at the sight of his son lying helplessly in a private room, still unconscious.
"He's taller than me now, built like a bear—why?!"
At that moment, voices drifted in from outside the door.
"I mean, if you'd just told us sooner, how much easier would this have been?"
"I'm sorry..."
"He told you himself how much he'd been suffering alone. And he'd done so much investigating by himself too."
"Well, true, but still. If you'd let us know ahead of time, we wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble."
"I really am sorry..."
The door opened.
"I hope Do-hyun comes to his senses soon... Huh? Who...?"
It was Park Se-jin and Do-hyun's other colleagues.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "So... you're Do-hyun's father?"
"Yes..."
Park Se-ji, suspicion not fully dispelled, heard Woo-seok approach and whisper.
"I checked with contacts—it's legit."
"What the...?"
Park Se-jin could only blink in disbelief at the surreal situation.
"But how in the world...?"
"Some unknown benefactor helped me..."
"Could you maybe explain in more detail?"
"Of course."
Kim Hyeok-jung's heartfelt explanation would have tugged at anyone's heartstrings, but for Park Se-jin and the other two, it was more like a jolt than a tug.
"So he used tentacles, and he was incredibly strong?"
"Yes... that's right."
"No matter how you slice it..."
"The Merchant, right?"
"Sounds like the Merchant..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I should stop paying attention to Kim Hyeok-jung's situation.
Honestly, even I don't fully get it, and there's no reason for me to show him any more goodwill.
"More importantly, it's time to make use of 'The History of 4500 BC' first."
What was the reason I borrowed this book?
To uncover the watch's true nature—or rather, its owner's location.
But to be frank, 'The History of 4500 BC' can't fulfill either role perfectly.
That's part of why I couldn't think of using it without the liquor glass's help.
"It's not easy to wield this book in that way."
So, isn't it about time I explained what this book really is?
"Curious?"
Not particularly, but knowing this will let me help you too.
"If you're curious, just say so. No need to beat around the bush."
No sooner had I spoken than a barrage of new windows popped up before my eyes, but I'll just ignore them.
The book 'The History of 4500 BC'—as the name suggests—is a chronicle of human history.
One look at its hefty thickness, filling an entire shelf, and you can guess its sheer volume.
And when you actually open it...
The first civilization of humanity, Sumer, was established in 4500 BC... Isn't this just a regular history book?
I trust you didn't borrow it for history homework.
"Yeah, to the uninitiated, it looks like any ordinary book."
Then what?
"Well, it is a history book, technically."
What?
But books obtained from tales always have a twist.
In simple terms, this one is like a mass-produced version of the Label Library.
Every midnight, a new page appears in 'The History of 4500 BC,' recording what it deems the most significant event on Earth that day.
And another key feature: this book was genuinely created in 4500 BC.
With these traits, what can I do?
Pray that the book's pages mention the watch's whereabouts?
As if I'd rely on luck like that.
What did I pick up at the shopping mall? The barcode reader.
Its ability: reading an item's history.
'The History of 4500 BC' has genuinely endured thousands of years, and its content spans the entire globe—it's like it's witnessing everything at once.
In other words, the reader can access all the omitted details.
Sure, it'll overload the device and probably fry it the moment I scan, but it should hold out for one go.
Shall we?
Beep— Two wolves enter a small rural village and kidnap two children, enraging the village chief—the children's parents—who sets out on a wolf hunt. Following their procession leads through a forest that fades into a desert, passing by water sources where the first civilization, Sumer... A torrent of texts overlap and tangle, forming an incomprehensible essay.
It's scrolling so fast that even my sharp dynamic vision can barely keep up.
It's as if eight thousand years of history are being compressed into a single instant.
There's only one thing I'm after.
A thousand ants burrow through the earth to build a nest as a widow trudges overhead. Beside the widow walk twenty-five humans and one ghost; passing the ghost, crossing the alley's center, and entering the Bureau's interior reveals Hyeok Tae-jun there. As for Hyeok Tae-jun, he just met the previous angel for a deep conversation and received a wristwatch. The contents of his talk with the angel were...
"Found it!"
That's definitely the wristwatch.
And its owner...
"Hyeok Tae-jun?"