The Returner

Chapter 8: Ah, is that so? (5)

However, Yi Ji-Hyuk was ‘generous’ enough.

“It’s cool, I say. We have a shared history and all. Just give me one on you.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Here it is.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon produced a cigarette from his pocket and politely delivered it Yi Ji-Hyuk’s hand.

And as he was about to pull out his lighter, Yi Ji-Hyuk called Seo Ah-Young out.

“Excuse me, ‘older sister‘?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“.....Yes?” (Seo Ah-Young)

She was jolted out of the state of a prolonged denial while stuck inside the pits of despair, and quickly made her reply. Yi Ji-Hyuk ruthlessly hit her with the finisher.

“Light it up for me, please.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Seo Ah-Young weakly reached out, and Choi Jung-Hoon wordlessly placed his lighter in her hands. Her arms were shaking badly, but Choi Jung-Hoon firmly grasped them.

‘Endure it. You lose control here, and everything’s finished. Finished.’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s eagle-like eyes were busy minding the CCTV camera right above their heads.

Too bad, Seo Ah-Young couldn’t just let it go.

“It’s a non-smoking area here....” (Seo Ah-Young)

“How much is the fine?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“It’s ?100,000...” (TL: just over $90.)

“As much as a pack of gums, eh? Well, I’m sure it’s fine to shave that off from the damages payment, am I right?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Click.

Seo Ah-Young very politely lit the cigarette hanging loose on Yi Ji-Hyuk’s lips and retreated, her eyes completely soulless now. Yi Ji-Hyuk dragged the bluish smoke deeply into his lungs and slowly let it out.

“Yeah, so. I told you it wasn’t like that, yet why did you keep insisting that it was? Is it really okay to forcibly arrest and threaten a weak civilian like myself, eh? You haven’t provided me with a warm meal, even!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Ah. Let me get you something to eat.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

“No, don’t even bother. No need to force you to bow to me. Besides, when looking at what the scary ahujmma over there is doing, I might end up easily sucking in seolleontang through my nose instead, so how can I eat in peace now?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk) (TL: “ahjumma” is the female equivalent of “ahjussi”. Basically, you don’t call a young woman with this term unless you don’t like your life and wish to die early. “Seolleongtang” is a soup-type dish made from the broth of ox bones.)

Seo Ah-Young’s body trembled in fury.

*SFX for teeth grinding furiously*

The sounds of gritting teeth reverberated like a surround sound effect within this closed off small room. Even then, Yi Ji-Hyuk relaxedly sucked on his cigarette.

“P, please, hold on for a sec...” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon grabbed and dragged Seo Ah-Young out of the interview room.

“*SFX for a heavy, repeated breathing*”

“Why did you give him that business card in the first place?!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

“Mister Choi Jung-Hoon!!!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

Seo Ah-Young tightly grasped both of his arms.

“What now?!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

“That, that b*stard, can I just slam my fist into that smug p*ssant face of his, just once? Pretty please? I can’t? I really can’t? If I land the blow ju-st right, I’m sure his teeth will remain, but I’ll knock him out for good!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

“Have you lost your mind?! Are you gaining weight lately or something? Why are you volunteering to go on a diet of bean rice?” (Choi Jung-Hoon) (TL: “eating bean rice” means eating prison food, BTW.)

“Right now, I feel like I can brave a trip to Hade’s pits if I can just land one solid blow to that smug SOB’s chin!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

“Then, brave it alone, please. Don’t drag me into your mess, please!! So, why did you threaten the guy? You know we record everything via CCTV!! There’s been a lot of heat over our department, so you know well enough that if we get sued over this, it’ll be the end for us!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Seo Ah-Young began biting her thumb nail as if she too could feel the urgency of the situation.

“We can erase the CCTV tape, can’t we?” (Seo Ah-Young)

“You want to destroy government property, too? Holy moly. It’s not enough for you to sleep in a jail cell, so you also wish to get fired to boot, as well?!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

“Ahahark!! Just find me a way, Choi-raemon!!!! I really, dearly, really want to kill that SOB right now!!” (Seo Ah-Young) (TL: LOL. Doraemon reference FTW.)

“Cutting him loose quickly is our best and only solution. On top of that....” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

“On top of what?” (Seo Ah-Young)

“You know. Nothing good will come about antagonising that guy.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

“Kkheung.”

Seo Ah-Young spat out a pained groan and admitted to this fact. Threats and court summons and whatnots could be ignored, in reality. If they really get sued, then in all honesty, it wouldn’t cause too big an issue.

It was just that Choi Jung-Hoon was exaggerating the danger level somewhat, since the weight of the work entrusted to Seo Ah-Young, as well as her true ‘abilities’, formed a solid foundation that wouldn’t be shaken up with something this small.

‘The real issue is that guy inside...’

Choi Jung-Hoon was now more convinced than ever after seeing that CCTV footage.

Yi Ji-Hyuk was an ability user.

However, his ability seemingly had no similarity to the myriad of abilities already revealed to the world, and even the Ether measuring equipment failed to get a bead on the guy.

In that case, there were two possibilities.

Either that Yi Ji-Hyuk possessed an immense ability that broke past what’s accepted as common sense to Seo Ah-Young and Choi Jung-Hoon, or his ability was a special one that operated differently to that of every other ability known to the world.

Whichever the case it may be, antagonising him would be unwise.

Currently, they needed every single ability user they could find. So, it would do them no good at all to sour the relationship with a user possessing a unique ability.

“Why can’t we measure him properly? Why? Ah, so dang frustrating!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

If his Ether value went past 1000, they could’ve tied him down with many different laws and regulations. And they could gradually pull him in to their fold, but since the value was below 1000, there was nothing they could do.

Every bait they have prepared could only be used against an ability user. They might possess extra-legal authority within the restricted areas, but outside of such places, they were worth less than a passing patrolman, no, a dang police reservist even, to regular civilians.

If they wanted to arrest Yi Ji-Hyuk, then they needed to prove that he was an ability user. And the sole proof was the value spat out by the Ether measuring equipment.

What if they argued that the value from the equipment showed that he was a civilian, but from their view, he was an ability user?

Right now, there was a lot of fuss kicked up by many human rights organisations that accused them of violating many, many human rights – so, it stood to reason that they would come for Seo Ah-Young’s blood next.

Well, of course they would. Why wouldn’t they? If her arguments got accepted, then that meant normal civilians could be marked as an ability user according to her whims, and end up being controlled by the special law governing the users.

Choi Jung-Hoon desperately soothed her.

“Let’s cut him loose for now. We know who he is now, so we can simply observe him from afar. If we try to hold him, we won’t gain anything and our relationship with him will only worsen.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

“Whew. I understand.” (Seo Ah-Young)

Seo Ah-Young sighed out in defeat.

She didn’t like this result one bit, but even she was well aware of the fact that there was no other way.

‘Right, cut him loose for now, and search for another way. I can break his a*s down after finding a way to tie him up. That’s all.’ (Seo Ah-Young)

Didn’t someone once say that, for a wise man, or a wise woman in this case, waiting ten years to get her revenge wouldn’t be considered tardy at all?

Seo Ah-Young told herself this and took another deep, deep breath. She organised her chaotic mind and entered the interview room to find Yi Ji-Hyuk and his totally disinterested face.

“Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk.” (Seo Ah-Young)

“Yep?”

“There has been a small misunderstanding. My sincerest apologies. I shall make sure to get you released as soon as possible.” (Seo Ah-Young)

“Sure. Well, I do understand. I really do. You hit a poor frog with a carelessly thrown pebble, and when whales fight, it’s always the weak shrimps that get squashed to mush, am I right? I mean, I got threatened because of some small misunderstanding by people in high places and nearly got my life obliterated, but I shouldn’t hold grudges over such things, right? I’m just a lowly commoner, after all.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Hah, hah, hah, hah.”

Seo Ah-Young laughed very awkwardly. This youth possessed a heaven-defying ability to say old idioms in such an irritating way. If she were to measure the level of sarcasm inherent in his voice, just how high would he set the bar at?

“It is truly regrettable that you had to endure such unnecessary troubles due to the misunderstanding of the officer involved.” (Seo Ah-Young)

“Eiii. No need for wordy apologies in our modern society, are there? Don’t feel sorry. We have all these wonderful laws in place, so I don’t quite get what’s up with all this lengthy chat.” (Yi Jung-Hoon)

Fuu-woo, fuu-woo...

Seo Ah-Young began to draw in heavy breaths. They said that drawing three “In” consecutively would prevent a murderous heart from exploding. (TL: it’s a Korean idiom. Not sure what else I can do here other than TLing it directly. The Hanja word “In” means endurance/suppress/patience.)

Wait, why should she avoid murdering someone? Wouldn’t it be better to not avoid it at all?

She was sure of one thing, though.

The longer she talked with this rotten SOB of a man in front of her, the worse it would be for her mental health.

“I’ll show you the exit. Please, stand up.” (Seo Ah-Young)

She braced herself for the youth running his mouth off saying something about lawsuit and stuff, yet Yi Ji-Hyuk stood up without saying a word.

“This way, please.” (Seo Ah-Young)

Seo Ah-Young led Yi Ji-Hyuk out of the building altogether. Anxious Choi Jung-Hoon followed them closely behind.

As soon as they exited the building, Seo Ah-Young bowed her head slowly.

“I apologise for any inconvenience caused to you.” (Seo Ah-Young)

She had lost her cool back then, but now, her face was an exemplary model of calmness.

“Well then, be careful on your way home.” (Seo Ah-Young)

However.... Yi Ji-Hyuk didn’t leave right away.

Did he have something else to complain about?

Seo Ah-Young’s eyes narrowed to a slit.

“Shouldn’t you be heading home now?” (Seo Ah-Young)

Yi Ji-Hyuk didn’t reply.

Although she wanted to ignore this man, it definitely looked like he had something to say, but was debating on whether he should speak up or not.

Getting anxious now, Seo Ah-Young was about to tell him to speak up, when Yi Ji-Hyuk broke the silence with a really small voice.

“There is something else....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Seo Ah-Young gritted her teeth.

“If you wish to sue, then go ahead. I won’t hide and meet you head on. Whatever you ask for compensation, we will honour it. I mean, how much can you ask for, anyway?”

“Eh-heiii!! Captain, no!!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon panicked and tried to stop Seo Ah-Young.

“No, wait, it’s not that.... I wasn’t planning to sue you, it’s just that...” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Yes?”

Awkwardly hesitating for a while, Yi Ji-Hyuk finally opened his mouth unwillingly.

“Can you give me taxi fare for the ride home?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“....................”

“I’d like to go home, but I’m as broke as a church mouse....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Seo Ah-Young spat out a long sigh.

“Oh, uh, well. Taxi fare isn’t that important, really. I can take a walk, instead. I’ve got two healthy legs, after all. But....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s voice was trembling.

“My clothes look a bit....” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Seo Ah-Young took a sweeping look at Yi Ji-Hyuk, top to bottom. The youth was wearing the kind of shoes one might see in an anime, a huge cape thickly coated in dust, and the fabric spied from the gaps of the cape seemed to be made out of unidentifiable material.

If he walked out on the streets looking like this, no doubt he’d become the centre of the attention in no time at all. Even the A-list celebs would be envious.

Choi Jung-Hoon reflexively pulled out his wallet. Then, he extracted a few ?50,000 notes and pushed it to Yi Ji-Hyuk. (TL: ?50,000 = $46)

“Here.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Yi Ji-Hyuk showed how moved and grateful he was with his entire body while receiving the cash.

“Thank you very much!! I’ll be on my way now!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Watching the giggling Yi Ji-Hyuk walk away, Choi Jung-Hoon couldn’t hold back his sigh from escaping his lips.

“What a strange fellow.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

“You put a tail on him, yes?” (Seo Ah-Young)

“Of course.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Seo Ah-Young looked on at the distant back of Yi Ji-Hyuk, so far away now he’s no more than a single dot on the horizon, and gritted her teeth fiercely.

“Keep a very close eye on that guy, you hear me? We don’t know just what’s up with that man, but whatever happens, we need to secure him.” (Seo Ah-Young)

“Yes, ma’am.” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

According to the reports, Yi Ji-Hyuk simply appeared in the middle of the restricted area. Not like Choi Jung-Hoon, whose ID was registered with the KSF so he could slip in and out of such areas unhindered, but as the word implied, he simply popped in there with no prior warning.

At a bare minimum, he could be someone with a teleport ability, or even, someone possessing a greater power than that.

“I may be letting you go for now, but you just wait and watch, we will see each other very soon!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

Seo Ah-Young was looking forward to the day she’d confront Yi Ji-Hyuk once more.

....Unfortunately, she couldn’t have imagined how soon it’d be before she meets him again.

“By the way, how should I submit receipts for today’s expense?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

“Receipts?” (Seo Ah-Young)

“The cash I gave to Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk. I need to submit the amount spent. After all, it’s an expense spent on an ability user.” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

“What are you talking about? That man is officially not an ability user. Didn’t you see the measurement values?” (Seo Ah-Young)

“No, wait. He is actually an ability user, isn’t he?” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Seo Ah-Young smiled refreshingly.

“I was wondering what got into you, being so nice and all. You do your thing submitting the expense report on your own. Although, I doubt you’ll get your money back.” (Seo Ah-Young)

Seo Ah-Young turned on her heels and trotted back into the office building, while Choi Jung-Hoon’s face crumpled unsightly.

“My money!!” (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Nothing seemed to go smoothly today.

< 8. Ah, Is That So? – 5 > Fin.