Chapter 44: Now This Is Living
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: Now This Is Living
15
While on my way, I received a text from Si-ho.
[Manager, something’s wrong. There are two Ha Seo-hos.]
The moment I read it, I called her. She must have been waiting, because she answered immediately.
“Si-ho, can you explain in detail?”
Si-ho quickly began to explain.
She said that, just in case, she had recently placed spatial coordinates on people close to her, like Seo-ho. It was her own defensive measure after the Girasung attack.
But just now, Seo-ho’s coordinates had suddenly split into two, and she could sense both simultaneously.
“What are their locations?”
[They’re different. One seems to be moving in a car, and the other is stationary.]
My brow furrowed.
Something was wrong.
Even though we had planned this with the World Returnee Association as carefully as possible, something had gone awry.
Girasung had done something.
“Si-ho, can you give me both the stationary and moving coordinates?”
[Yeah, I’ll text them to you.]
After getting the text from Si-ho, I ended the call and dialed Baek Seol-hyang.
But for some reason, the phone rang for a long time before disconnecting.
Don’t tell me they’ve already started clashing with Girasung.
A bad feeling washed over me.
Just then, my phone started ringing again. Realizing it was Baek Seol-hyang, I quickly answered.
BOOM!
An explosion roared from the other side of the line.
As I pressed the phone to my ear, I could hear the sounds of running, shouting, and successive explosions. Then, Baek Seol-hyang’s voice came through.
[Ha-chan, please switch to speakerphone.]
Click, clack.
Hearing the distinct sound of her heels, I switched to speakerphone.
[Salopard, change lanes and get out of here. You’ll get caught up in this.]
So, the World Returnee Association and Girasung had already started fighting.
I bit my lip.
[You’re in danger too, Ha-chan, so please stay back for now. We’ll handle Ha Seo-ho and Girasung.]
“Ms. Baek Seol-hyang.”
She was about to hang up, but she paused when I said her name. After a moment of thought, she spoke.
[…It seems something has gone wrong.]
As perceptive as ever, she had grasped the situation from my voice alone.
[Tell me.]
She spoke calmly, and for some reason, just hearing her voice made me feel more stable.
“What are the coordinates of the nanorobots you said were implanted in Seo-ho?”
[Please wait a moment.]
Baek Seol-hyang immediately read the coordinates to me.
The moment I heard them, I had to cover my forehead with my hand.
The nanorobots were at the moving coordinates.
That meant the World Returnee Association was completely unaware of the stationary location.
“Ms. Baek Seol-hyang, according to Si-ho, Seo-ho’s coordinates have split into two.”
[Two?]
I could sense Baek Seol-hyang fall into deep thought on the other end. Then, as if she’d realized something, I could almost feel her bite her lip.
[…A homunculus? Don’t tell me. But it should have been impossible to create one in that time. How?]
It sounded like she had an idea of what was happening, and I could hear her muttering in frustration. It seemed an unexpected variable had appeared, one that even the Association hadn't predicted.
“And it seems the other location, the one you aren’t chasing, doesn’t have any nanorobots.”
[In that case…]
“Yes, I believe there’s a higher probability that Seo-ho is there.”
[Truly, just the kind of stunt Girasung would pull.]
The moment she clicked her tongue, another explosion sounded.
[Cheol… what… now…!]
The voice was distant and I couldn’t make it out clearly, but I could tell the situation was urgent.
The Association was on the move, chasing Girasung for an all-out confrontation. With several returnees, including Ahyu, involved in this operation, it was only natural that their main force was concentrated there.
Besides, there’s still a chance the one with the nanorobots is the real Seo-ho.
They couldn’t just stop the chase and abandon the full-scale battle. To wipe out Girasung, they had to defeat them.
I have to make a move before they realize we’ve made a mistake.
For that, I needed a force that could move immediately.
I tightened my grip on my phone.
[Ha-chan, wait! I understand something’s wrong! I know what you’re trying to do, but…!]
“Ms. Baek Seol-hyang, are there any returnees left at the Korean branch of the Association?”
[That is…]
Baek Seol-hyang couldn’t answer.
Returnees were a scarce resource to begin with. Since that small number had been fully mobilized to drive Girasung out of Korea, there was no way anyone would be left at the branch office.
But one person came to mind.
Someone who had no choice but to obey my every word.
“What do I need to do to take Catherine with me?”
[Ha-chan, please, that’s reckless! Wait. We’ll pull some of our forces back and send them!]
“You told me to trust you and the World Returnee Association, didn’t you?”
[…]
Her silence was met with a smile from me.
“Please trust me a little, too.”
Another explosion erupted.
Amidst the blast, Baek Seol-hyang was silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh.
[…When you get back, Ha-chan, I’m going to scold you. Even I’m going to be incredibly angry this time.]
“Yes.”
[Don’t come back hurt. If you’re hurt, I won’t even be able to get angry.]
With that, a text message arrived.
It was the password for the Sealer’s lock.
[Keep the Sealer’s lock with you. Just turning one of the dials on the password will instantly immobilize Catherine.]
So there’s a safety feature, too.
That was just like the thoroughly prepared Baek Seol-hyang.
[And do not fight, under any circumstances. Just rescue Ha Seo-ho and run. Understood? If things get bad, it’s okay if you’re the only one who makes it out.]
“I’ll do my best.”
I was heading into the enemy’s den, so I couldn’t make any promises. When I gave her that answer, she sighed once more.
[Keep your promise.]
The call ended.
“Mr. Kang Ha-chan, we’ve arrived at the Korean branch of the World Returnee Association.”
At some point, the elderly gentleman, Salopard, had overheard our conversation and turned the car around, stopping in front of the Association building.
I couldn’t help but admire his quick thinking.
Is this what experience looks like?
“Thank you. You saved me a lot of time.”
“Don’t mention it. Just be sure to keep your promise to our chairperson.”
Seeing his trust in the Association, I got out of the car.
“You sure about this?”
“I’m trusting my insurance policy.”
“Damn it, you idiot. Didn’t I tell you last time that your body can’t handle it when I possess you? It’s not something we can do often.”
“Still better than dying, right?”
Hearing my words, Baeksan looked furious, but he just swept his bangs back and sighed.
“The second you think you’re gonna die, you run. Your firepower isn’t bad, even against a returnee, but you’re no match in any other respect.”
“I’m painfully aware of that.”
That was also why I was planning to take Catherine.
I hurried inside the building, where the same receptionist I’d seen before was waiting for me.
“Here is Catherine’s sealing lock. Catherine is currently being transferred from the underground prison.”
“Did you perhaps…”
“Yes, I received a call from the chairperson.”
She contacted everyone while she was on the phone with me?
Just how much more reliable could she get?
As I took the lock, a ding sounded, and Catherine was wheeled toward us on a dolly used for moving equipment.
She looked rather pathetic, unconscious and strapped to the dolly, but this was no time for sympathy.
Click—
The moment I set the password Baek Seol-hyang had given me, Catherine’s head shot up.
Her head whipped from side to side until her eyes met mine, and her face went deathly pale.
“Eek, eeek.”
“Catherine, no time to explain. We’re going to fight right now, so you’re going to help me.”
At my blunt, forceful command, Catherine’s body trembled in fear. I shot her a glare that said, What are you waiting for? and she leaped to her feet, standing at attention.
“Y-Yes, sir!”
With the constant language magic cast on her, she could now speak and understand Korean freely.
Convenient.
Alright. This side is ready.
I was about to leave the Association with Catherine and head straight for the location Si-ho had given me.
But standing at the entrance was a familiar figure.
“Si-ho?”
“Manager.”
It was none other than Si-ho.
She had changed out of her school uniform and into casual clothes, looking like she had rushed straight from home.
And I knew why she was here.
“You can’t—”
“This is about Seo-ho.”
Si-ho cut me off before I could finish.
“With me, we can get there before the situation gets more dangerous.”
I couldn’t argue with that. In an emergency, nothing was more helpful than her spatial teleportation.
“You said this was for Si-ho’s sake. Do you think Si-ho will be at ease if you go alone, Manager?”
She hit me with irrefutable logic.
“And if it’s just you, Manager, Si-ho is stronger than you.”
Si-ho had seen Baeksan’s possession. Because of that, she had long since figured out that Baeksan and I were two different people. And she was right—she was far stronger than me.
“Take her.”
As I hesitated, unable to argue further at the thought of Seo-ho being in danger, Baeksan spoke up from beside me.
“The kid is stronger than you think.”
Having experienced her power firsthand, Baeksan’s voice was filled with conviction. Hearing that, I let out a small sigh and looked up.
Is this how Baek Seol-hyang felt when she let me go?
I made a mental note to treat her to a proper meal as an apology once this was over.
“Alright. Let’s go together, Si-ho.”
At my agreement, she approached me with a bright smile.
“Si-ho, can you teleport us to a place near Seo-ho where there are no people?”
“I can.”
Just having Si-ho with me boosted our mobility and stealth at once. Though I was worried, I knew I’d made the right choice. I held out my hand to her.
“I’m counting on you.”
Seeing my hand, Si-ho fidgeted for a moment before lightly grabbing the sleeve of my shirt. The tips of her ears were red; it seemed that even at nineteen, she was too shy to hold someone’s hand.
“Catherine, you grab on too.”
I told Catherine, who flinched before cautiously taking hold of my clothes. I could feel her trembling in fear, but I paid it no mind.
“Here we go.”
Si-ho activated her spatial teleportation.
I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them, I found myself in the hallway of some building.
Si-ho let go of my sleeve, walked to a door, and gestured. I followed her.
And the sight before me made me instinctively cover Si-ho’s eyes.
The back of a half-naked woman.
And in front of her, on the bed with something tied around his neck, was a shirtless and restrained Seo-ho.
It was a scene that was clearly not for all ages.
“Should you really be punished? That sister of yours, Si-ho. Are you okay with whatever happens to her?”
But the voice I heard made the blood in my veins run cold.
A voice I had heard countless times in my nightmares.
A name I would shout without hesitation if asked to name the one person in my life I wanted to kill.
Kwak Sa-yeon.
That crazy bitch was spouting that crap at Seo-ho.
In that instant, I forgot to wonder why Kwak Sa-yeon was here, or how Girasung had already made a deal with her.
“Si-ho, anyone else around?”
“No one.”
The moment I heard her answer, my body was already kicking off the floor.
I recalled what Baeksan had once told me about imbuing my body with aura. I was still a clumsy amateur when it came to controlling it.
But in this moment, I flew through the air with more skill than ever before.
Rage is the driving force of all things!
“Yes, that’s right. You have to be a good boy. Right, my dear Seo-ho?”
Hearing Kwak Sa-yeon’s voice, I channeled all my strength and kicked out toward her head like a pro wrestler I’d once seen.
“Don’t give me that shit!”
WHACK!
And that was the sequence of events that led to this moment.
With a satisfying thud, Kwak Sa-yeon’s body flew off the bed and tumbled across the floor.
Seo-ho, belatedly grasping the situation, stared at me with wide, shocked eyes as I stood up from the bed and untied my hands.
“Kyaaaaaa! Aack! It hurts! It huuurts, ugh!”
Watching her writhe and scream, my eyes filled with rage.
The very person who, after I removed her name from a group project she didn’t contribute to, framed me with a false sexual harassment accusation, forced me to drop out of university, and even placed a curse on me that stole five years of my life.
“Does it hurt? Good. I felt like I was dying from the pain for five years. Now you can get a five-year beating of your own!”
The surging anger was unbearable.
So I just stomped on her with wild abandon.
The secret technique Baeksan taught me for revenge.
Hitting the same spot again!
“Hey, you already hit there—!”
“I know!”
It felt like the nightmare of that day was finally being resolved, just a little.
“Eek, eeek, stop, stop iiiit! How could you hit a wo-man!”
“I hit men, too!”
Kwak Sa-yeon screamed, staring at me with a vacant expression as if looking at a madman.
What? What are you looking at?
Never seen gender equality before?
“There, stomp there. It won’t kill her, but it’ll hurt. Oh, yes, just like that!”
“Aargh! Aaaargh! Stop, aack!”
Meanwhile, Baeksan was next to me, giving advice on where to stomp to inflict the most pain.
What excellent teamwork.
This is true friendship.
Hooray for legal revenge!
Thrilling, always new! Revenge is the best!
After stomping on her for a good while, I felt like a ten-year weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
Now this is living.
I swept my bangs back with my hand.
Ah, that was Baeksan’s habit.
Guess it rubbed off on me.
To project my anger, there was no better model than the perpetually furious Baeksan, so it must have come out subconsciously.