The Demon Next to Me
Following him, several subordinates in black suits stepped out of the car and lined up neatly on either side.
They were all well-trained hunters or individuals with abilities on par with them.
The aura they emitted was entirely different.
Kim Minseok descended from the car with elegant grace, as if he were a model striding down a runway, and stepped on the dirt of the yard with shoes that hadn't picked up even a speck of dust.
His gaze was fixed straight ahead, locked precisely on the house—on me.
A mask-like face, hardened and expressionless, wore a polite smile, yet within his eyes flashed an unmistakable wariness and a calculating glint.
"Long time no see, Mr. Kang Taejun. Or should I say, 'Sword Demon' now suits you better?"
He stood before the front door and spoke in a respectful yet subtly intimidating voice.
I glared at him without a word.
"I don't know what business you have, but this early in the morning is quite noisy."
Father spoke without concealing his displeasure.
Kim Minseok offered father a light bow, but his eyes never left me.
"My apologies for the intrusion, elder. It's a matter of national importance, so I had no choice but to visit from the early hours. I need to speak with Mr. Kang Taejun for a moment."
His tone remained polite, yet the content felt like a one-sided announcement.
I sighed and opened the front door.
"Please come in. But keep the matter brief. I'm busy."
"Of course."
Kim Minseok entered with a satisfied smile.
His subordinates remained outside the front door.
We sat facing each other on the living room sofa.
Me and Kim Minseok.
An awkward and uncomfortable silence filled the room.
Mother fidgeted, wondering whether she should offer tea, but father quietly signaled her to stop.
Yoon Seoa sat quietly on the seat beside me, a little apart, observing the situation.
Her presence registered, and I unconsciously straightened my posture.
Kim Minseok pulled a latest-model tablet PC from his bag and placed it on the table.
With familiar movements, he tapped the screen a few times, and a flashy presentation appeared.
Accompanied by my face photo, the headline [Sword Demon Kang Taejun, Sole Survivor Returner from S-rank Gate 'Abyss Rift'] floated into view.
"Mr. Kang Taejun. The great achievements you've accomplished after ten years of journey have already become legend. Your sacrifice of fighting countless monsters alone in the Abyss Rift to protect humanity is beyond words."
Kim Minseok read the prepared lines in an admiring, respectful tone.
The tablet screen flashed through records of my activities inside the gate.
Most were blurry or indirect, yet they included analytical data on the vast information and resources obtained.
Of course, core details regarding the awakened powers were absent.
It meant the Bureau still didn't know everything.
"The nation has prepared rewards commensurate with your contributions."
The screen shifted, revealing a detailed list of rewards.
Hundreds of billions of won in immediate cash payment.
Provision of the highest-class apartment complex in Seoul's Gangnam district.
Award of the national highest-grade martial arts medal.
Assignment of dedicated medical and living support teams.
Various other minor benefits were listed densely.
It was an unprecedented treatment that ordinary people couldn't even dream of earning in a lifetime.
I sat with arms crossed, staring at the screen expressionlessly.
What meaning did any of this hold for me?
Money? Fame? A comfortable life? Those things I had discarded the moment I was dragged into the Abyss Rift ten years ago.
The only thing that mattered to me now was one thing.
A normal life.
And... my people.
Kim Minseok continued, watching my reaction.
"This is the nation's minimum courtesy for Mr. Kang Taejun's great sacrifice. I am prepared to provide everything immediately."
He paused, then looked straight into my eyes and slightly altered his tone—serious, earnest.
"But... Mr. Kang Taejun. The current situation is dire. New forms of gate rifts, unprecedented in past records, have been reported simultaneously across the world. While the cause and scale remain unclear, experts warn this could become a catastrophe far greater than the Abyss Rift."
His eyes flashed sharply.
"The nation—or rather, humanity—still needs your sword. Only your experience and overwhelming power can avert this crisis. Please... reconsider your retirement decision."
I listened to every word.
Then, after a moment of silence, I spoke coldly.
"You said my war is over."
My voice was low and dry, yet the refusal was unmistakable.
"There's no reason for me to concern myself with your circumstances."
Instantly, the mask-like smile vanished from Kim Minseok's face.
I felt his gaze turn icy.
Kim Minseok slowly closed the tablet.
"Mr. Kang Taejun's personal wishes... of course, I respect them. But..."
He lowered his voice.
Instead of earnestness, a secretive and ominous tone now seeped through.
Threat.
Yes, this was his true intention.
"...the elderly parents who are staying here..."
His gaze briefly flicked toward my parents, then returned to me.
"...and the peaceful daily life of the young and beautiful... ex-fiancée... Can that truly continue?"
His eyes sparkled coldly as they turned to Yoon Seoa beside me.
I saw the faint, cruel smile curl at the corner of his mouth.
At that moment.
Thud.
A sound echoed inside me as something snapped.
The burning rage I had suppressed for ten years surged back—the pure destructive energy of Cheok Jun-gyeong's will, honed by crossing the threshold of death countless times, erupted like a horse freed from its reins.
Kwaaadduk!
The air in the living room froze instantly.
No, it went beyond freezing and turned into tangible pressure, crushing everything around it.
The walls and ceiling vibrated faintly, and the windows trembled dangerously.
The sturdy wooden table between me and Kim Minseok twisted with a crackling sound like taffy.
Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface, and the legs bent unnaturally as if about to snap.
"Kuhuk...! Kuhek...!"
Kim Minseok gasped for air, choking.
His face had turned deathly pale with terror.
Without the aura of an S-rank hunter, he crumbled helplessly before my killing intent.
His pupils lost focus and shook, and his entire body trembled like aspen leaves.
The subordinates behind him stood frozen, unable to move.
They couldn't.
They didn't even have the courage.
I slowly rose from my seat.
Each movement of mine intensified the killing intent wrapping around Kim Minseok.
I spoke in a voice as cold and calm as ice, yet clear enough for everyone in the living room to hear.
"Just once more."
My voice was low, but the rage and killing intent within it could not be hidden.
"If you put my family... into that filthy mouth..."
I looked down at Kim Minseok, who was slumped on the floor beyond the twisted table, breathing heavily.
"...I'll rip your head off and place it on the manure pail in the front yard. So remember that."
Kim Minseok's eyes widened further with fear.
He couldn't even scream.
He simply stared up at me with a pale face.
In his eyes, instead of the cunningness or arrogance that had flashed earlier, primitive fear mingled with faint hatred.
Yes, fear.
And remember.
Who dared to touch.
I held his gaze without withdrawing my killing intent.
The living room fell into suffocating silence.
"Hic-!"
From the side came my mother's faint sobs, father's rough breathing, and Yoon Seoa's slightly trembling shoulders, but I had no leisure to look back now.
I had to make them understand.
What the price was for touching my reverse anger.
Kim Minseok barely managed to stand.
One of the subordinates hurriedly supported him as his legs gave out and he staggered.
He couldn't meet my eyes and barely spat out words in a trembling voice.
"...O, today... I'll be going now!"
He nearly fled from the living room toward the front door.
The subordinates followed in panic.
After a while, the roar of engines and the sound of black sedans hurriedly leaving the village echoed.
Only after they vanished completely from sight did I withdraw my killing intent.
The living room remained heavy with silence, the afterglow of the rage that had raged moments ago lingering faintly.
The twisted table stood as proof of the tragedy.
I slowly turned around.
Mother covered her mouth with a hand, tears streaming down her face. Father stared at me with a stiff expression.
In both their eyes, fear mingled with relief and complicated emotions.
And Yoon Seoa.
She still stood beside me.
Her face was pale, yet her eyes remained steady, staring straight at me.
Within her gaze, I read not fear, but understanding... and deep sorrow.
Was it regret that I could only protect myself and my precious people in this way?
I said nothing.
I simply alternated between the messy living room, the frightened family, and Yoon Seoa's sad eyes looking at me.
First, I had to fix this mess.
I slowly withdrew my killing intent.
The violent waves that had swirled inside me receded like the tide, leaving a bitter aftertaste and intense fatigue in their wake.
After awakening Cheok Jun-gyeong's power inside the S-rank gate 'Abyss Rift' ten years ago, I had swung this power countless times.
I cut, tore, and crushed enemies to survive.
But ironically, the fact that I had given them fear even while swinging it to protect them in front of the family who had waited for me brought me an even deeper self-loathing.