How a legendary returner lives

“Good morning, Team Leader.”

At the cheerful greeting from the new recruit, Ji Chang-soo stared blankly for a moment.

“Are you okay? Are you feeling sick or something?”

“…Ah, no. I’m fine.”

Yesterday had been an incredibly unlucky day.

The gate measuring device, which had almost 100% accuracy, kept malfunctioning. On top of that, the new recruit, who was celebrating their birthday, got caught up in a sudden gate.

Ji Chang-soo was a reasonably flexible man.

To be honest, it was his mistake. Planning a surprise party right at the time of clock-out couldn’t be an excuse.

Sending the new recruit alone had been the cause of everything.

It had been a chaotic day, and he felt so bad that he let the new recruit leave early.

However, the new recruit’s expression this morning was a bit unusual.

It wasn’t that the recruit looked worried or troubled.

It was simply too bright.

“Hey, new recruit.”

There was only one person who could be called a new recruit in the Gate Safety Management Team.

Jeong-bin turned and spoke.

“Yes, Team Leader. Would you like me to make you some coffee?”

“No, I’ll make my own coffee. But are you okay?”

Jeong-bin smiled softly.

“Yes, I’m fine. Sometimes things like what happened yesterday just happen, right?”

The truth was, things like that shouldn’t have happened.

But for Jeong-bin, the events that took place yesterday felt like a blessing.

He wasn’t talking about the abnormal gate.

What really mattered was the situation with Jin Si-hoo and Jin Song. He didn’t want to get involved with them. That much was certain.

Even now, his feelings hadn’t changed.

However, he had already become like a brother to Jin Si-hoo, and if he thought back to before, Jin Si-hoo had saved his life.

A life-saving benefactor, who had also given him a surprising reward.

Even if he didn’t want to get involved, he could offer some help.

No, if he could help, he wanted to.

He had received something, after all.

Ji Chang-soo’s face, still looking lost in thought, caught his attention.

Ah, I’m in the middle of a conversation.

Jeong-bin smiled gently and continued.

“As for the gate issue, it was my mistake for being careless, but I’m just glad everything ended well. Thank you for your concern, Team Leader.”

“…Ah… Well, I appreciate that. Hmm… what was I going to do?”

Jeong-bin, as if waiting for this moment, handed over the meeting materials to Ji Chang-soo.

“Th… Thank you.”

“No problem. I’ll start preparing for the meeting.”

People don’t change easily.

If they appear to have changed, it’s either because the mask they had been wearing was removed, revealing their true self, or they were acting.

Jeong-bin was the former.

He had gained confidence, and hope had entered his heart.

Since becoming an Awakened, Jeong-bin didn’t place much importance on money or power.

What Jeong-bin really wanted was strength. To grow stronger.

To become stronger, kill more monsters, and bring true freedom to the world.

It wasn’t just Jeong-bin. Many Awakened ones thought like this. The difference was that Jeong-bin, as mentioned earlier, had gained a sense of confidence and hope for greater strength. That’s why he appeared to have changed.

Jeong-bin recalled the source of this hope, and the conversation he had earlier that morning.

“When do you get off work?”

“I finish at 6 PM unless something unexpected happens.”

“Got it. Bring some chicken when you come back. And put about 100,000 won on the desk.”

If a stranger overheard this, they might think he was a thug, but no. 100,000 won? That was nothing. He could give a million won if needed.

“Do you have somewhere to go?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you going?”

“It’s a secret.”

“……”

“Take care.”

Jeong-bin then left the money on the desk and left.

Suddenly, he remembered.

What was Jin Si-hoo doing right now?

—

Gyeongbuk Gimcheon Innovation City.

The SRT station there was quite empty.

After the S-Class gate that erupted in Yulgok-dong, which destroyed everything within a several-kilometer radius, all the residents had fled to the nearby gate safety zones.

Jin Si-hoo looked around.

Hmm.

“They haven’t come yet.”

Jin Si-hoo took a small device from his pocket.

A phone that had become obsolete with the advent of the smartwatch era. This was a model from 2024.

iPhone 15 PRO.

Jin Si-hoo turned on the smartphone and opened the messenger app.

There was only one chat window.

And the most recent message was from an hour ago.

Jin Si-hoo tapped on the chat window.

[Kim Min-jae, Licensed Realtor: This room is amazing. It gets plenty of sunlight, it’s very secure, and the rent is cheap. In today’s world, the rent is only 300,000 won. If you come now, I’ll try to negotiate with the landlord to lower the deposit.]
[Me: I’m on the train now. I’ll contact you about 10 minutes before I arrive.]
[Kim Min-jae, Licensed Realtor: I’ll come to meet you at the station.]
[Kim Min-jae, Licensed Realtor: Where are you now?]
[Me: Just passed Cheonan 10 minutes ago.]
[Kim Min-jae, Licensed Realtor: You’ll be here soon. I’m heading out now.]

Jin Si-hoo called Kim Min-jae, the realtor.

The call rang through.

After about five rings, he picked up.

– Hello?

“It’s the person who was coming to look at the room today. I’ve just arrived. Where are you?”

– Oh, Jeong-bin? You’re already here? Sorry, sorry. Something came up, so I couldn’t come out to meet you.

Jin Si-hoo chuckled at the strange mixture of formal and informal speech.

– You know the address, right? Just take a taxi. I’ll cover the taxi fare for you.

It was simple.

This is Gimcheon. I came all the way from Seoul to Gimcheon, but if I turn back because of bad attitude, that’s just another hour wasted.

Kim Min-jae was acting like he didn’t care at all.

He was truly the kind of man who could get the lowest rating as a certified real estate agent online.

Jin Si-hoo hung up the phone without saying a word and got into a taxi.

The distance was only about 5 minutes.

He walked toward a small commercial building, the sign reading ‘Kim Min-jae Real Estate Agent.’ After seeing the sign, he approached and looked through the window. Kim Min-jae was visible inside.

He was lounging on the sofa, with his feet up, watching TV. His laughing face looked strangely unsettling.

Kim Min-jae.

He had been Jin Si-hoo’s colleague on the Titan continent.

A colleague, and he had died about two years ago. Jin Si-hoo still remembered the way he had died—it was vivid in his mind.

‘Ah… life’s a mess. Hey, Si-hoo.’

‘Yes, hyung.’

‘You must survive and return to Earth. Before you go, make sure to deal with all those lizard bastards. No one else can do that except you.’

‘You could’ve done it too, but what if you drop dead here? You’ll end up looking like a premature ejaculator.’

‘Bastard… your words are pretty, huh? Well, do you remember that favor I asked of you before?’

‘Yeah.’

‘I trust you. My grandmother’s health has been declining a lot. She’s been searching for me, suffering terribly. If I pass, I’m really counting on you. Seriously.’

Jin Si-hoo tightly gripped his dying hand.

‘Hyung, have you ever seen me break a promise?’

‘No.’

‘Then it’s settled. I’ll take care of your grandmother when I return to Earth.’

‘But… if… if I really die…’

Jin Si-hoo shook his head. He already understood what he was about to say.

‘…Even so, I’ll do it. If you really die… when you die… could you please perform the memorial rites for me? Just once. Just once.’

‘I’ll do it twice for you.’

‘Bastard, forget what I said earlier. Be well. I’m going ahead.’

‘Yes, hyung. You’ve worked hard. Rest in peace.’

Kim Min-jae was a warrior.

He had been the first commander of the Holy Empire’s infantry regiment on the Titan continent, leading tens of thousands of soldiers in the war against the dragons.

At the time of his death, he was 32 years old, as of 2024, and had been working as a real estate agent on Earth before falling to Titan.

It was simple.

The Kim Min-jae watching TV and laughing through the window over there was a fake. The real Kim Min-jae, whom Jin Si-hoo knew, had died.

Jin Si-hoo was here to keep a promise. That was all.

He opened the door and entered.

Kim Min-jae, who had been watching TV, widened his eyes.

“What’s this, why are you here?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you in Seoul?”

Jin Si-hoo quietly took out his smartphone. Kim Min-jae tilted his head in confusion.

“What’s with that old thing? What are you pulling that out for?”

When Jin Si-hoo pressed the call button, Kim Min-jae’s watch vibrated. Kim Min-jae looked at it with a surprised smile.

“Why are you using two names now? What’s up with this? Didn’t you have a duty to monitor awakened individuals?”

Jin Si-hoo ignored him and kept walking toward the door. There was a lock button. He pressed it.

Then he turned the ‘OPEN’ sign to ‘CLOSE,’ walked over to Kim Min-jae, and sat right in front of him.

“What are you doing right now? Why are you in someone’s business place—wait a minute.”

Kim Min-jae’s eyebrows furrowed. He had clearly noticed something was wrong. He asked,

“Are you… Jin Si-hoo?”

Jin Si-hoo didn’t answer.

“I’m setting one rule now.”

“…A rule?”

“I’ll ask the questions, and you’ll answer. Nod if you understand.”

“…Did you take some drugs or something?”

Jin Si-hoo ignored him again.

“Your grandmother’s name is Hong Seung-ja, right? Where is she now?”

“She’s in heaven, of course. Why would you ask that?”

Jin Si-hoo closed his eyes for a moment and sighed softly.

It was the worst answer. The answer he had been dreading most.

He slowly opened his eyes, and a cold killing intent radiated from him. Kim Min-jae, shocked, looked at him.

Jin Si-hoo asked,

“When did she pass away?”

“…”

“Did you take good care of her until the end?”

“…”

“Did you at least have a meal with her before she died?”

It was then.

A foul smile spread across Kim Min-jae’s face.

“What’s this? Are you really asking me because you don’t know?”

“I don’t know, so I’m asking.”

“You’re speaking too briefly.”

“Answer first.”

Kim Min-jae, with a smile, gave the most terrible answer.

“I killed her. The moment I got to Earth.”

“…”

“You didn’t forget, did you? I told you about that old lady’s face, dying in the hands of her grandson. What’s with you today? Do you have a grudge against me?”

He killed her.

That answer, “I killed her,” was one of the worst responses Jin Si-hoo had feared.

That was enough.

No, that was more than enough.

Whoosh!

White smoke began to emanate from Jin Si-hoo’s body.

Kim Min-jae, startled by the overwhelming energy, watched in shock. At that moment, Jin Si-hoo reached out and grabbed Kim Min-jae by the hair.

“Today, you’re going to take a beating.”

Jin Si-hoo’s fist crashed into Kim Min-jae’s face.

Boom!

The building collapsed.

***

200 people.

It could be seen as a lot, or very few depending on how you look at it.

Not all 200 people had close relationships with each other, and not all of them had asked me for help—only 199 of them did.

How can I explain it?

At this moment, I can confidently say that all of us, including myself, were exceptional talents, each possessing at least one extraordinary ability.

The person with the least talent had still reached the rank of ‘Grand Master,’ a level even higher than a Master on Titan.

We were known as ‘Iibaekgwae’, or ‘The 200 Monsters from Another World,’ by the residents of Titan.

Some of us became citizens of the Holy Empire, others sought refuge with the Beastkin, some became Dungeon Masters, and some even became kings.

We were enemies to some, allies to others.

The 200 of us were friends, comrades, and also enemies.

Kim Min-jae had been my colleague. He was someone I trusted, one of the few I could rely on.

To hear that he had killed his grandmother, and to speak about it so casually, should I really let that person live?

I reached out and grabbed Kim Min-jae’s neck.

Crack.

Without a word, I tightened my fist.