How a legendary returner lives

Chapter 2

“This place does a good job,” Jeong-bin remarked with a subtle smile.

Of course, the food was delicious. The name of the restaurant, *Kimchi Jjigae Cham Jalhaneun Jip* (The House That Makes Really Good Kimchi Stew), made that obvious.

This place was very famous in Cheongju as well.

It had been serving only kimchi stew for over 40 years, and it was always crowded with people, constantly busy.

If the kimchi stew hadn’t been good, it wouldn’t have lasted even 4 years, let alone 40. This restaurant ranked high on Jeong-bin’s list of favorite spots, so the food was guaranteed to be excellent.

Having finished his meal, Jeong-bin asked,

“You’re not planning on staying here for a few days, are you?”

“I don’t know. Why, do you mind?”

“…Would I like it? My preferences are perfectly normal. I don’t want to live with a man for several days.”

“Really? That’s surprising.”

“…Come on, let’s be honest. What exactly do you want from me?”

Jin Shi-hoo didn’t intend to speak at length either.

It wasn’t his preference, and honestly, he didn’t have any desire to live with a man for days on end either.

It was simple.

“I just want to know where one person lives.”

“You want an address?”

“Yes. You’re a police officer, right?”

“That’s true, but without a legitimate reason, I can’t look up someone’s identity.”

“What kind of police officer are you?”

“…Police in dramas and real police are different. Also, if you’re from the Gate Safety Management Department, you’re not exactly a regular police officer, you’re a pseudo-police.”

“What’s a pseudo-police?”

“You can think of it as a police officer who doesn’t do typical police work.”

Jin Shi-hoo shrugged. He didn’t know the details, but it seemed like the world had changed.

Anyway.

“So, you’re saying it’s possible, but it’s hard, right?”

“There’s a risk involved… Sigh, so who’s this? Whose address do you need? Please don’t tell me… is it…?”

“Yeah, it’s probably that.”

Jeong-bin was losing his mind.

He had already seen where genre fiction writer Jin Shi-hoo lived. He saw it when he checked Jin Shi-hoo’s fingerprint earlier.

Jeong-bin had seen it, but Jin Shi-hoo had not. That’s all there was to it.

Now, let’s consider the situation.

Whether the Jin Shi-hoo in front of him was real or fake, that didn’t matter for now. Let’s assume he’s real.

Then, this meant that the Jin Shi-hoo who was currently active as a writer and broadcaster in the present world was fake. That was a bigger problem.

Who was Jin Shi-hoo’s sister?

It was Jin Song, one of the Seven Kings.

And the “Seven Kings” were crucial here.

Before the Great Cataclysm, there weren’t many countries considered superpowers in the world.

The United States, China, Russia (which had become a paper tiger due to the Ukrainian conflict), the United Kingdom, and maybe some others like Germany, Japan, South Korea, and France.

But in the current world, the definition of a superpower was determined by whether or not a country had an Awakened One.

Currently, there were seven Awakened Ones, called the Seven Kings: one each in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, South Korea, and Japan.

Thanks to Jin Song-yi, South Korea had firmly secured its place as a superpower in this world.

If even Jin Song-yi didn’t notice this, it meant something was seriously wrong.

What should he say?

Maybe it felt like he shouldn’t get involved?

If he wanted to live a normal life, it was probably best not to interfere. This was his gut feeling, his instinct. He didn’t want to ignore it.

Jin Shi-hoo asked,

“Why? Are you scared you’ll get caught up in this?”

Jeong-bin swallowed nervously.

Is he really this perceptive?

“You seem scared. Speechless, even.”

“…That’s not it.”

“Seems like it’s exactly that.”

Okay, let’s be frank.

Truly honest.

“I don’t want to get involved.”

“Because it sounds like it’s going to be troublesome?”

“Yes. Jin Song-yi is even more remarkable than you might think, Jin Shi-hoo. Her younger brother really did go missing, and someone else took his place… And you didn’t even know about it? And earlier, you said 200 people?”

“200, including myself.”

“…Things like this, regular people like me can’t handle.”

Jin Shi-hoo chuckled lightly.

“You’re an interesting person.”

“Me? No way.”

Jin Shi-hoo truly thought so.

“There’s nothing dumber than wasting the talent you have.”

“…What’s this all of a sudden?”

“It’s just how I feel.”

Jin Shi-hoo stood up.

He didn’t really want to drag Jeong-bin into his own affairs.

He needed to get to the point.

“Just tell me one thing.”

Jin Shi-hoo smiled and continued,

“Where does that guy who’s impersonating me live?”

* * *

Unexpected things happen all at once.

He put on his neatly pressed clothes and stepped outside.

Despite wearing a suit, his muscles couldn’t be hidden.

He wasn’t very tall, but thanks to his broad shoulders and natural frame, he appeared quite tall and striking.

He stopped by a café near his home, as he always did, and bought an Americano before strolling slowly.

Every now and then, people recognized him, asked for autographs, and took photos with him.

It was the typical routine of a famous person.

This fame was entirely due to being Jin Song-yi’s brother.

Even though he was active as a broadcaster, Jin Shi-hoo was neither particularly good with words nor a skilled writer.

Since we’re on the topic, he had published a few books. And those books did well in sales. However, the reviews were not great.

It was simple.

They sold because of his sister’s fame. The people who said the books were interesting were all fans of his sister, not his own fans. That was the life he was living.

Despite this, he walked with ease until he suddenly froze.

This couldn’t be explained in words.

It was instinct, maybe.

He slowly turned his head.

There was a man.

He was sitting on a granite bollard, and the people around him and the passing cars didn’t even recognize him.

He seemed completely detached from this world.

He was just there.

Like in a famous painting where everything is the background and the protagonist shouts their presence.

The man spoke.

“Interesting. Are you ‘me’?”

Although the distance was quite far, the words clearly reached his ears.

He heard them, but pretended not to.

No, he shouldn’t acknowledge them.

Why was that man here?

How was he alive?

How was this possible?

Was it excitement?

Trying to hide his emotions, he turned and began to walk away, but then—

“There are two choices.”

He ignored it.

One step, two steps.

“The third step—once you take it, all your choices will disappear and you’ll die right here. I’ll tear your eyes out and pull off your limbs. If you think you can handle it, go ahead.”

He stopped abruptly.

An eerie silence filled the air.

“Mr. Great Author, are you ready to listen?”

As soon as he nodded, the voice continued.

“I’ve been through hell—things you, like a worthless bug, couldn’t even imagine.”

“….”

“But a person can’t live their life always suffering, right? Now I want to rest, but the planet I suffered so much to get to is a mess. No matter how I look at it, it seems like you’re involved in this. It’s okay though, don’t panic. Really, it’s fine.”

The world knew Jin Shi-hoo as a *non-awakened* individual.

Yes, non-awakened. He had nothing to do with gates or such things. Jin Shi-hoo spoke to himself, addressing his own name.

“My sister’s been called a hero, can you believe that? It’s absurd. What kind of hero is that fool? But then I thought about it, and I guess she could be called one. She’s amazing at taking care of others. Don’t you think?”

“…..”

“Let’s get to the point. First, like I said, I want to rest. So I’ll let this slide. Just disappear into a place where I can’t see you, feel you, or detect you. Disappear as if nothing ever happened.”

From a distance, the man spoke confidently.

“What’s the second option?”

The voice of the man, known as a non-awakened, carried *mana*.

It pierced the distance, and like the man speaking now, he seemed completely detached from the world.

As the two men stood, people passing by didn’t even glance at them.

They were erased from the sight of the world.

They existed but didn’t.

A bizarre phenomenon, and not something just anyone could cause.

The two men continued their conversation.

“Second, simple. I’ve suffered enough, so I’m planning on suffering more. In 2024, there were 200 ‘doppelgangers’ sent to Titan, and it seems like some of them are here. I don’t care about the others, but you, at least, are going to die by my hand. And…”

“And?”

“The one who orchestrated all this will also die by my hand. I won’t kill them easily. I’ll beat them until they beg to be killed, then keep hitting them, and keep hitting them. You understand what I mean?”

A man known as the doppelganger, and the man calling him a doppelganger.

Anyone who knew them would call them both by the same name.

Jin Shi-hoo.

It was a ridiculous situation. The real Jin Shi-hoo was being addressed by his own doppelganger.

“If you’d give me just one day to think about it.”

“Do you really need time to think about this?”

“I need some time to prepare.”

*Chuckles* The real Jin Shi-hoo laughed.

“Fine, a day is too long. I’ll give you three hours.”

“…I understand.”

“Go.”

The world resumed its motion. As people began to approach, recognizing Jin Shi-hoo—who was known as a genre fiction writer in the current world—they asked all sorts of questions about his sister.

He didn’t respond.

It was noisy. He scanned the crowd with a furrowed brow. Those who met his gaze flinched.

He turned his body and began to walk away.

“What’s that? Why are you ignoring us?”

People like this didn’t like anyone who took advantage of their family background instead of their own abilities. It was just repulsive. When someone like that started glaring around with murderous eyes, it naturally provoked anger.

“…Look at those eyes. Someone’s going to get hurt.”

“That third-rate author, who does he think he is ignoring us?”

“His sister is Jin Song, huh? Guess he’s too good to even look at us.”

The real Jin Shi-hoo was watching all of this from a distance.

* * *

Jin Shi-hoo, who had his hat pulled low, was approached by Jeong-bin.

“……Jin Shi-hoo.”

“Yes?”

Jin Shi-hoo turned his head and asked as Jeong-bin spoke.

“……What was that just now?”

“What do you mean?”

“……Didn’t something just happen?”

Jin Shi-hoo chuckled lightly. He had mentioned it before, but since it came up again, he thought he’d mention it once more. There’s nothing more foolish than wasting one’s talent.

“You said you’re a B-rank awakener, right?”

“Yes.”

“If you’re a B-rank, how does that rank here?”

“……You know what ‘Gukpyeong-oh’ means?”

Gukpyeong-oh.

It was a kind of internet meme referring to the average IQ of South Koreans, being the median score (Grade 5) of the College Scholastic Ability Test.

“A B-rank awakener would be about Gukpyeong-oh level.”

“So, average?”

“Yes.”

“Expressing it in grades makes it easier. Even if your awakening grade is 5, the talent I felt from you, Jeong-bin, is at least a 2. In some cases, it could even be a 1.”

“……Excuse me?”

“I’m simply talking about your talent for mana. How you develop and awaken it is up to you, so I won’t say more, but well done.”

Jeong-bin’s expression turned strange. Why is he complimenting me? It’s none of his business.

“Are you curious about what just happened?”

“Yes, I’m very curious.”