The Return
How much time had passed?
It was winter, so the sun had already slipped low in the sky, and the view outside the window was quickly fading into twilight. Perhaps they had spent too long on such heavy topics. For a long while, neither of them spoke. Or maybe it was simply impossible to unload twelve entire years of life in just a few hours.
Jeong Seok-woo let out a quiet sigh. Then, as if deliberately trying to shift the mood, he stood up and refilled the electric kettle with water.
"All right, that's enough about that other world."
Kang Ihyun lifted his head. Jeong Seok-woo kept his back turned but smiled.
"Listening to all that is giving me a headache. Demon kings, wars... It's a bit much for an old man like me to digest."
At those words, Kang Ihyun let out a small chuckle as well. Jeong Seok-woo scooped instant coffee powder into a mug and continued.
"Instead, let me tell you about things on this side."
The sound of hot water pouring filled the quiet director's office. Jeong Seok-woo handed over a fresh mug and sat back down on the sofa.
"A lot has changed here while you were gone."
Kang Ihyun listened quietly.
"It started about four or five years ago. We suddenly got a sponsor."
"A sponsor?"
"Yes. A private donor, but they didn't want to reveal their name."
Jeong Seok-woo wrapped both hands around his mug.
"At first it was a small amount, but the donations grew bigger every year. Thanks to that, we were able to repair the building, replace all the beds in the children's rooms, and even build a new computer lab."
Kang Ihyun suddenly remembered the fresh paintings on the walls he had seen while coming down from the rooftop. The neatly repainted stairs. The hallway walls that used to be cracked. The pretty name tags on the children's doors. So that was all because of the sponsor.
Jeong Seok-woo smiled faintly.
"We used to worry about the boiler breaking down every winter. That doesn't happen anymore. The children's meals have improved a lot too. It's nothing like when you were here."
Kang Ihyun nodded. The words brought him genuine relief.
Jeong Seok-woo glanced out the window for a moment before speaking again.
"The kids we have now are all good children."
Kang Ihyun smiled a little at that.
"What are they like?"
"Every single one is a walking disaster," Jeong Seok-woo said, his expression softening. "One kid claims he'll become a robot scientist and takes apart electronics every day. A girl says she's going to be an idol and dances in front of the mirror constantly. Another boy swears he'll make money on YouTube and spends all day glued to his phone."
Kang Ihyun couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Doesn't sound all that different from our time."
"Heh heh, exactly. But they're good kids. All of them."
For a brief moment, a faint smile lingered on Jeong Seok-woo's face. It was the same expression Kang Ihyun remembered—the one that only appeared when he talked about the children. Seeing it made a warm feeling bloom in Kang Ihyun's chest.
Jeong Seok-woo then began sharing more detailed updates about Kang Ihyun's old friends.
"That Min-su fellow still drops by often."
"Really?"
"Even after becoming a firefighter, he comes whenever he has time. He runs around the playground with the kids."
Kang Ihyun recalled how, when he was young, Min-su—two years older than him—had kicked a ball through a window and how the two of them had been scolded together. Jeong Seok-woo chuckled.
"So-hee became a nurse at a university hospital. You remember how busy nurses are, right? Still, she comes every holiday loaded with gifts and even gives the children allowance money."
"...She's the same as ever."
"She is. And So-hee cried a lot for a long time after you disappeared."
Kang Ihyun silently gripped his mug. Jeong Seok-woo continued as if it were nothing.
"I told you Jun-ho got married and had a child last year, right?"
"He got married really early. He must still be only thirty-one."
Jeong Seok-woo laughed.
"He recently brought his daughter by to show her off. Said she was the prettiest girl in the world."
Hearing that everyone was doing well brought Kang Ihyun a small sense of relief. Of course, he had never imagined the orphanage would fall apart without him, but it still put his mind at ease.
Kang Ihyun stared at the cooling coffee in his mug and said quietly, "It's a relief to hear they're all living well."
Jeong Seok-woo didn't answer right away. Then he spoke in a perfectly calm voice.
"None of them have forgotten you."
"...Director, could you contact them for me?"
"...Yes. I'll do that."
The director's office fell silent for a moment. Outside, school must have let out; the faint sound of children chattering could be heard in the distance. Then Jeong Seok-woo cleared his throat. His expression had changed. It was no longer the face that had been reminiscing about the past, but the face of an adult who had to face reality.
"Anyway."
Kang Ihyun noticed the shift. Jeong Seok-woo set his mug down and spoke.
"Now we need to talk about the real world."
Kang Ihyun straightened his posture. Jeong Seok-woo tapped his fingers on the desk and continued slowly.
"Twelve years ago, I did file a missing persons report for you."
"...Yes."
"But I never filed the Missing Declaration."
"...What exactly is a Missing Declaration?"
"It's a legal process to declare a missing person dead."
Kang Ihyun blinked. Jeong Seok-woo shrugged.
"I just couldn't bring myself to do it."
It was a very short statement. But the weight behind those words was anything but light.
"For some reason, I never believed you were dead. I just had this feeling... that you were alive somewhere. That one day you'd open the door and walk in."
Kang Ihyun pressed his lips together in silence. Jeong Seok-woo continued as though it were no big deal.
"So legally, you're still alive. Your resident registration is intact."
The moment he heard those words, Kang Ihyun's expression brightened just a little.
"...Then I can get my identity back."
"It won't be easy," Jeong Seok-woo said firmly. "All your records have been frozen for twelve years. You've been marked as a school dropout, you have no insurance, and your bank accounts are probably all blocked. You'll need to go to the police station for verification and visit the community center too."
Kang Ihyun nodded slowly as he listened. There was more to do than he had expected. It felt like a far more complicated battle than killing the Demon King.
Then Jeong Seok-woo spoke again.
"For now, let's think about those practical problems tomorrow."
"...Pardon?"
"Whether it's your identity, the police station, or the community center, none of it can be solved in a single day."
Jeong Seok-woo stood up and checked the wall clock. The time had already passed five o'clock. Because it was winter, it was already dark outside, and the sound of children returning from school and chattering in the orphanage yard drifted in. The thud of sneakers running down the hallway. Someone calling a name loudly. The smell of dinner preparation coming from the cafeteria.
Jeong Seok-woo closed the window and said, "Just rest today."
He added casually, "Do you have anywhere else to go?"
Kang Ihyun couldn't answer. Of course he didn't. Inside his subspace pocket was enough gold and jewels to buy an entire building in the middle of Seoul. Selling even one of the gems the emperor had bestowed upon him would let him stay in a hotel suite for years. But that was only after selling them. Right now, simply finding a way to sell such assets was a task in itself.
Jeong Seok-woo looked at his expression and gave a small laugh.
"Your old room is gone, but we have empty ones. There are fewer children now than before."
"...It feels like I'm imposing on you."
"Imposing? Nonsense," Jeong Seok-woo said, sounding almost offended. "You're still a child of this orphanage."
"You're my son."
"..."
At the word "son," Kang Ihyun felt a sting at the tip of his nose again. Jeong Seok-woo took out his phone, seemed to check his contacts, then put it back in his pocket.
"I'll contact the others tomorrow."
Kang Ihyun looked up.
"Calling them out of the blue today would overwhelm everyone. They have to get off work, and they have things to do at home. Besides, hearing the news right now might upset them."
He was right. Unlike twelve years ago, they all had their own lives now. They were at an age where they couldn't drop everything just because a long-missing person had suddenly reappeared. At least for today, it was too sudden.
Jeong Seok-woo continued, "Instead, we'll go out together tomorrow morning."
"Where to?"
"The community center first."
At those few words, Kang Ihyun's expression stiffened again. Jeong Seok-woo held back a smile and added, "And the police station too."
Kang Ihyun thought that even when he had faced Ereb in his final battle, he hadn't felt quite like this.
That evening passed peacefully. The children returning from school were curious about the unfamiliar man in the director's office, but Jeong Seok-woo simply introduced him as "an older brother who used to live here." Kang Ihyun sat quietly in a corner of the cafeteria and ate dinner with Jeong Seok-woo. Silver stainless steel trays. Slightly chewy multigrain rice. Seaweed soup loaded with beef. Stir-fried pork that was neither fully front leg nor back leg. Sausage and vegetable stir-fry. Well-fermented, refreshing kimchi. After all the delicacies he had eaten in the imperial palace, this simple, honest meal tasted far better.
Before he knew it, he was already on his third helping of rice and side dishes.
"Is it good?"
"It's been so long since I've had a meal like this."
"...I see. Eat as much as you want."
Seeing Jeong Seok-woo's pleased smile, a slightly embarrassed Kang Ihyun glanced around. The children eating with the other teachers. Some were chatting while they ate. Some were complaining about the side dishes. Some were caught trying to sneak a sausage from someone else's tray. It was noisy and a little chaotic, but it was the same ordinary scene he remembered.
Yet to Kang Ihyun, that ordinary scene felt strangely unfamiliar.
He paused with his spoon in hand. And then he realized it.
For twelve years, he had never once lived a single day like this.
Night. A small empty room on the third floor of the orphanage. It had once been shared by middle schoolers, but now that it was vacant, it was being used as a temporary storage room. Jeong Seok-woo kept apologizing for the state of the room he was offering, quickly laid out bedding, checked the heating, and said from the doorway, "Call me if you need anything. You remember where the bathroom and shower are, right?"
Kang Ihyun stood by the door and gave a small bow.
"...Thank you."
Jeong Seok-woo looked at him for a moment, then waved his hand as if it were nothing.
"I'll wake you early tomorrow morning. Don't sleep in."
The door closed. Click.
The room fell silent. Kang Ihyun stood in front of the door for a long time. For some reason, sleep wouldn't come. Too many things had happened in a single day. He had returned. He had met the director. They had talked. And tomorrow, the real world would begin.
Kang Ihyun slowly untied the subspace pocket from his waist. He set it on the desk and stared at it for a while. A black leather pouch. Inside it remained every trace of the other world. Gold and silver treasures. Gems. Artifacts. And the sword that had been with him for twelve years.
After hesitating for a moment, Kang Ihyun reached inside. Soon, a long black scabbard slowly emerged. He sat on the edge of the bed and laid the sword across his knees. He didn't say a word for a long time.
He had returned. He had really returned. Yet for some reason, it still felt like he was inside a dream.
Kang Ihyun quietly ran his fingertips along the scabbard. Then he murmured very softly.
"...Maybe it'll feel real tomorrow."
But that night, Kang Ihyun could not fall asleep easily.