A Reunion with the Past
As I stepped into the palace-like mansion, over ten relatives were standing in the living room. In contrast to their flashy, expensive-looking clothes, their postures were awkward and their expressions stiff. Once I started looking at them with a critical eye, I began to sense that something was unnatural.
That was when my uncle approached with a smile.
"Welcome, Yushin. I heard the news that you woke up in the hospital. I should have visited, but making a living is so hard, you know? You’ll have to forgive me."
A man who looked about four or five years older than me also approached.
"How have you been? The whole country is in an uproar because of you lately. Hahaha!"
Who was this again...? As I pondered, the person who threw his arm around my neck turned out to be my eldest uncle’s son, Cheon Mun-hyeong.
Led by my relatives, I sat on the sofa, and they began to shower me with greetings. They were relentless with their questions—how amazing I was, how I became a hunter, whether the things on TV were true—leaving me feeling dizzy.
Then, suddenly, I looked around, and only then did I see her. My mother was wearing an apron, working in the kitchen with the hired help.
Cheon Yushin’s eyebrows twitched. My eldest aunt and youngest aunt were just sitting there, peeling fruit.
"But why is my mom working in the kitchen while my aunts are sitting there resting? Why is that?"
At that moment, my eldest uncle’s face flushed with embarrassment.
"Ah. Your aunt is like that. I told her not to, but..."
My eldest uncle spoke to his wife.
"You. Don't just sit there, go bring your sister-in-law over here."
"Ah, okay."
My eldest aunt quickly rose from her seat. She approached my mother and said in a sweet voice,
"Sister-in-law, sit down and rest."
A look of bewilderment appeared on my mother’s face.
"Oh... yes..."
It was definitely strange. My eyes narrowed. My brain wasn't slow, and if I didn't have sharp instincts, I wouldn't have survived the Abyss. A picture began to form in my mind. 'Why did my uncle say he couldn't come? And why is everything so unnaturally forced?'
The scattered fragments of my memory began to assemble rapidly. Like fitting puzzle pieces together, the moments of the past were connecting one by one in my head.
'Find it... Cheon Yushin.'
Then, suddenly, the memory of my father’s death surfaced.
'A hit-and-run... it was a hit-and-run?'
My face hardened. When I first crossed over to this world, I was too busy adapting to notice the details. Now that I thought about it, it was strange. Why would my father hand over his property to my eldest uncle? He had a wife and children who were perfectly alive.
A cold light flickered in my eyes. My lips pressed into a thin line, and my fist clenched unconsciously. It was because a thought I shouldn't have been imagining had entered my mind.
However, I forced myself to relax my expression.
"Excuse me, Uncle?"
I spoke slowly.
"Yes. Speak."
"Is my father’s company doing well?"
At the mention of my father’s company, my eldest uncle, Cheon Yeon-woo, furrowed his brow slightly. But he quickly smoothed his expression and opened his mouth.
"Hahaha. Yes, it’s doing very well."
"What was the industry again? You made something like iron parts, right?"
"That’s an old story. It was like that when your father ran it. But now it’s a completely different company. We changed the industry."
"Changed the industry?"
Cheon Mun-hyeong cut in.
"Yeah. Isn't life all about timing? A new industry has arrived, so how could we keep tinkering with old junk? So we changed it. Now, we melt down magic stone byproducts to make craft goods."
A look of arrogance appeared on his face.
"The profits are enormous. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel, you know?"
"Is that so?"
This time, my youngest uncle, Cheon Yeong-ho, chimed in.
"That’s not all. Yushin, our company was recently listed as a new growth enterprise. The government decided to focus its support on us as a future growth engine."
Excitement seeped into his voice.
"Thanks to that, we’re getting research and development funding and tax benefits. If we keep going like this, our company will soon join the ranks of the conglomerates."
"Oh, I see."
Cheon Mun-hyeong swallowed hard and asked in an expectant voice,
"So, about that... you’re a hunter, right? And they say you’re the strongest in the country. Can’t you get your hands on a lot of magic stones?"
"Well, I suppose so."
"Then could you give some to our company? We’re family, after all."
I nodded. Yes, we’re family.
"But do you work at my father’s company too, Uncle?"
My youngest uncle frowned.
"Ahem, Yushin. You have to get your facts straight. It’s not your father’s company anymore. And I’m a co-representative there."
Co-representative, huh...
"I see. Well, it’s not my father’s company anymore, that’s true. Then the other co-representative must be my eldest uncle?"
"Yes, my father is the co-representative."
Cheon Mun-hyeong nodded. It had truly become a 'family-like' company.
"But I have a question."
"What is it? Ask me anything. Your older brother here will answer everything."
"While I was in a vegetative state in the hospital, why didn’t you help us? You must have known how much my mother was suffering."
"...What?"
Cheon Mun-hyeong let out an awkward laugh.
I smirked.
"No, it’s funny, Brother. You said the profits were enormous. We’ve been living in a house covered in mold. Didn’t you have the money to help our family? Isn’t that originally my father’s company?"
My eldest uncle’s expression hardened.
"Yes. I am very grateful that your father handed over his property to me. Thanks to that, we’ve been able to live comfortably. But we had a hard time, too. We had to rebuild the foundation to switch industries. So, we didn’t have any spare funds."
Is this an excuse? What about the clothes you’re all wearing? And this house you’re living in? If you had shared even a tenth of it, we wouldn’t have lived in such poverty.
"But I have a question."
The living room had become deathly quiet. Only the sound of the hired help clattering dishes in the kitchen could be heard.
"What is it?"
"Why did my father hand over all his property to my eldest uncle? It doesn’t make sense to me."
"Well, that’s because we were exceptionally close. I wanted to help my older brother who was struggling..."
"That’s a load of crap."
As I muttered that, Cheon Mun-hyeong’s face twisted in anger.
"Hey! Cheon Yushin! That is your eldest uncle. He is the head of the family. Can’t you show some respect?"
"Ah, sorry! I was just thinking that to myself."
"If you’re going to be like this, just leave."
"Why go that far?"
There was definitely something here. As my mother sat down next to me with an awkward expression, I pulled out my phone. The signal went through, and the other person’s voice was heard. It was Team Leader Park Hae-soo.
-Yes, Yushin.
"I have a question."
The relatives were now focused on my phone call.
-Go ahead!
"Do you have any connections in the police or the prosecution?"
-Of course. I have many close colleagues... but why? Did you cause another accident?"
My expression soured.
"Ah, geez! Do you think I’m always causing accidents? It’s not that. My father died in a hit-and-run five years ago..."
At the word 'hit-and-run,' everyone in the room froze. My eldest uncle’s face turned pale, and my cousin was trembling. My eyes narrowed.
"Can that be reinvestigated?"
-No problem. Five years is well within the statute of limitations. And you don’t even need to go to the police or the prosecution. We have investigative authority as well. We will immediately launch a reinvestigation.
"Please do."
-Ah! Wait a moment!
"Yes."
While on the phone, I observed my relatives with sharp eyes. My youngest uncle was wiping cold sweat with a handkerchief. My cousin was biting his nails. My eldest aunt was sitting at the edge of the sofa, occasionally glancing at her husband as if she wanted to say something, only to stop herself.
'Damn it, it really is related to my father’s accident, isn’t it?'
I shook my head. Nothing was certain yet. The investigation hadn't finished.
-Excuse me, Hunter? Would you be available?
"Yes? Ah! I’m available."
-Understood! I will report it immediately. Thank you!
The call ended. Huh? But what did he say? I was so focused on the relatives in front of me that I couldn't remember what Team Leader Park Hae-soo had said.
'What am I available for?'
Well, that wasn't important. My mother, who had been listening silently, asked with a puzzled expression,
"Yushin. Why are you suddenly doing that?"
A sudden reinvestigation of a hit-and-run? Why all of a sudden? Since she hadn't heard anything about it from her son beforehand, Yoo In-sook was clueless.
"Oh, it’s nothing, Mom. I’ll tell you when things are certain later."
I smiled and popped a rice cake from the table into my mouth. My cousin laughed awkwardly and opened his mouth.
"Yushin. Do you have any idea how short-handed the police are these days? Why ask for a reinvestigation of a case that’s already closed? That’s a waste of manpower. A waste of manpower."
My chewing stopped.
"Brother? What kind of nonsense is that? A waste of manpower? My father was a victim of a hit-and-run. Is that the kind of nonsense you say to a son who’s asking for a reinvestigation?"
At my hardened expression, my cousin looked like he realized he had made a mistake.
"S-sorry. I made a mistake."
"Well, everyone makes mistakes. Forget it. Why are you so scared?"
But the atmosphere was already stiff as a board.
"Ah! Mom. And why did I become a vegetative patient? It’s strange. I wouldn't have just collapsed like that. Why don’t I remember?"
My mother’s face turned tearful for a moment.
"W-well..."
My mother closed her mouth.
"Mom. I really don’t remember. Why did I become a vegetative patient? Suddenly?"
At my persistent questioning, my mother let out a deep sigh.
"I didn't tell you on purpose because I thought you didn't remember... do you really have to know?"
"Yes. I have to."
My mother swallowed hard and opened her mouth.
"Actually..."
At that moment, my eldest uncle jumped up from his seat. With a pale face, he rushed out of the house. Cheon Yeon-woo walked far away from the building and hurriedly made a call. After a few rings, the call connected.
-Hello.
A heavy, low-pitched voice was heard.
"Look here. Detective Kang! Things are going sideways. You know my nephew is Cheon Yushin, right?"
There was a moment of silence.
-I told you not to call this number unless it was absolutely necessary, didn't I?
"The situation is urgent! The situation!"
Cheon Yeon-woo told him everything that had happened. And then.
-Heh heh heh, I told you not to worry. The evidence was perfectly disposed of. The dashcam, the CCTV, everything. Do I look like someone who would make a mistake?
"T-then, there’s no problem with a reinvestigation, right?"
-Don't worry, the guy who was in the truck back then is locked up in a mental hospital. Who would believe the words of someone declared insane?
"But, it’s Cheon Yushin. He’s the one making headlines lately... are you really sure it’s okay?"
-I told you not to worry. Just make sure you send the monthly payments on time.
The call ended. Cheon Yeon-woo stood there for a long time.
Meanwhile.
I heard everything from my mother. That the car had suddenly broken down, so we had stopped for a moment. That fortunately, it was a quiet roadside with little traffic, so it was safe. But that a truck driver, overcome by drowsiness, had crushed our stopped car.
"So where did that truck driver go?"
My mother sighed deeply.
"He vanished into thin air. The police investigated, but they couldn't even figure out who the driver was."
"This is like a movie. How do things fit together so perfectly?"
I shrugged my shoulders and began to giggle.