The Returner Chapter 243

"What the hell is the meaning of this c**p?!"
Choi Jung-Hoon turned his head around after hearing the commotion coming from behind him.
What was that all about?
"Mm?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
When he looked, he realised that an unexpected situation had begun unfolding there.
"I said, aren’t you supposed to explain to me what the hell is going on here!!"
"What the f*ck is that squishy thing?! Do you people have any d*mn idea how terrified I was when I got sucked into that thing?? How will you compensate me for this?!"
"You, you!! Are you an ability user?? If you are, then you better do your job properly! What about my house now?! Ah?? What will you do about it??"
What on earth was going on here?
Choi Jung-Hoon observed the unfolding situation with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
People brought to one place after being swallowed up by Yi Ji-Hyuk’s slime had begun complaining to the ability users around them.
Choi Jung-Hoon pulled out his phone and contacted the related official from the National Police. Normal, non-ability user citizens needed to be dealt with by non-ability user officials.
He couldn’t tell what might happen if ability users got into an argument with regular citizens. Even if ‘trouble’ came their way regardless of how courteously and logically they treated the citizens, the size of said trouble would be on a manageable scale by then.
After ending the call for help, Choi Jung-Hoon sighed softly and fixed his appearance for a bit. Seeing the NDF agents sweating buckets, not knowing what to do next, he figured that it was his time to step up and do something.
"What’s going on here, everyone?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Once he stepped in front of the agents, the angry glares of the crowd quickly gathered on him, instead.
"And who the hell are you?"
….I wonder about that myself. Even I’m not sure about that sometimes. (Choi Jung-Hoon’s inner monologue)
"My name is Choi Jung-Hoon, Deputy Director of the NDF. If you have any complaints and or requests, I believe that it’s for the best to speak to me, instead."
"Oh, so you’re the person in charge?"
"Uh, well, mm…." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Should he say that he was indeed the dude in charge? Too bad, the crowd didn’t miss the slight opening created by Choi Jung-Hoon deliberating his choices.
"Forget it! Just bring the boss man outta here!"
The ‘I want to see your manager’ skill was finally activated by the crowd, and that caused Choi Jung-Hoon’s cheek to tremble ever so slightly.
Why were they so obsessed in calling out the so-called manager, anyway???
"I’m the person in charge." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"You really can take responsibility for this?"
"Yes, I believe I can. That’s why you can speak to me." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Even though he was speaking like that, Choi Jung-Hoon still glanced around to see when the cops would arrive on scene.
‘….Ah, the slime!’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)
When he thought about it, not just the roads but pretty much everywhere was plugged up by the slime, so with what method could the cops show up here now?
"Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"Yep?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"Please, do something about the slime!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"What do you want me to do about it?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"Argh…." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Please, please, why can’t you just get to ‘B’ when I’m saying ‘A’??
How could you be this dense!!! (Choi Jung-Hoon’s inner monologue)
"Please, get rid of it. It’s time that we clean up this mess." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"Uh?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head.
"The thing is…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"Yes?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"You see, there seems to be lots of buildings covered half in cracks, so will it be fine to get rid of the slime now? Won’t they just collapse if you leave them be?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Choi Jung-Hoon stared at Yi Ji-Hyuk with a stunned expression on his face. Why couldn’t he think of that before?
Those buildings might be standing somehow through the artificial support, but who knew when they would come crashing down?
Choi Jung-Hoon normally would’ve thought of that before, but it seemed that his focus went astray after witnessing Yi Ji-Hyuk’s battle just now.
"I-in that case, can you shift the slime to the side a little, please?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"It’s difficult to control the dang thing so precisely like that, though." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk replied with an unimpressed look on his face and all Choi Jung-Hoon could do was sigh under his breath.
What a weird guy he was, always helping out but at the same time, also not helpful at all, too.
"But, the police officers need to come through…." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at Choi Jung-Hoon with a strange look on his face now.
"What’s the matter this time?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"No, it’s just that, I get confused sometimes wondering whether you’re a smart guy or a dumba*s, that’s all." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"Excuse me? What do you even mean…." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Yi Ji-Hyuk then pointed at Jeong Hae-Min nearby.
"You have an elevator here, right?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"Who the heck is an elevator?!" (Jeong Hae-Min)
Jeong Hae-Min angrily yelled out, but Yi Ji-Hyuk didn’t pay any mind to her outburst.
"You can just tell her to go and fetch them, can’t you?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"Ah….." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Choi Jung-Hoon stared at Jeong Hae-Min with an expression that said ‘Oops’.
"If not her, then you can order other guys here doing nothing but looking pretty to go and fetch the officers one by one, and that would solve everything real easy, so what gives?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Even that sounds good, no?
Sure, it sounds rather unsophisticated, but the idea does have high utility, doesn’t it? However, why couldn’t I have thought of that before? (Choi Jung-Hoon’s inner monologue)
"Please, use your brain more often, will ya?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"Ah, ah…." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Choi Jung-Hoon’s shoulders slumped forward in depression. Hearing such a thing from Yi Ji-Hyuk made him feel like killing himself.
"And you, what are you still doing here? Go and fetch the cops." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"Am I supposed to do that?" (Jeong Hae-Min)
"You are standing around doing nothing, so the least you could do is to keep your ears open, you know! Should I clean it out for you or something??" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"….How dare you speak to a noona like that?" (Jeong Hae-Min)
"Oh, what was that? You’re an auntie?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"It’s noona!! Noona!!" (Jeong Hae-Min)
"Auntie?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Sniff.
Choi Jung-Hoon went ‘Argh, that’s trouble!’ after seeing moisture pooling in Jeong Hae-Min’s eyes and hurriedly tried to pacify her.
"H-hold up, Miss Jeong Hae-Min! People are looking at us right now. Think about the people! There might be your fans among them, you know!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"Euh….." (Jeong Hae-Min)
She bit down on her lower lip. Choi Jung-Hoon was right; there was a chance that her fans might be within that crowd, so she couldn’t afford to show them the sight of her crying her eyes out.
She needed to endure this somehow, and….
"Fans, my a*s! Those so-called fans have moved on to bigger, better things a long time ago already! In this day and age, you gotta be prepared to put on a low-rent piece of c**p show if you want to remain as an idol, so what fans? Gimme a break!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"Waaaaaaaiillll~!!!!" (Jeong Hae-Min)
Choi Jung-Hoon freaked out and covered up Jeong Hae-Min’s mouth. Unfortunately, his hand was far too thin and small to block her sonic weapon from deafening the world. The sound escaping past his hand was actually making his whole arm tremble, even.
Did this woman have a train’s horn inside her mouth or something??
He just couldn’t understand how such a small body managed to produce such a loud noise like this.
"Uwaahh?! What’s this??"
"What the f*ck?! What’s going on here?? Where is that noise coming from?"
"Is North Korea attacking us?!"
The crowd fell into a panicked confusion at the sudden explosion of this sonic attack and hurriedly covered their ears.
"Tsk." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk sneaked closer to the wailing Jeong Hae-Min, lightly picked her up, and chucked her towards the slime.
Plunge!
The thick, viscous liquid swallowed her whole, and the noise was gone, just like that.
"I better sue that little girl soon or something." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Considering all the damage Yi Ji-Hyuk’s ears had received so far, the compensation claim should be quite substantial, that’s for sure!
"Why did you go and say stuff like that?!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"Hey, I didn’t say anything untrue, now did I? Fans? Gimme a break." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk snorted derisively.
A person should live in the present, and definitely not carry on drunk in the memories of the past, you know!
Those people will get a nasty shock when coming face to face with reality, I’ll have you know. (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)
"Uhm, excuse me…."
"Yes?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Choi Jung-Hoon shifted his gaze to a man who hesitantly approached him.
"That lady just now, wasn’t she Miss Jeong Hae-Min?"
"Yes, she is. But…?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"Will it be fine to ask her for her autograph?"
Without answering the man, Choi Jung-Hoon shifted his gaze back to Yi Ji-Hyuk.
The latter too didn’t mutter anything, strode proudly towards the slime and grabbed Jeong Hae-Min’s ankles, the only part of her body that was still sticking out from the gelatinous wall of slime at the moment.
Plop!
And Jeong Hae-Min, now a mess of tears and snot, was glaring straight at him after being freed from her confines.
"…..I’m sorry." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yup, he needed to apologise for this gaff.
"You….." (Jeong Hae-Min)
"You know, that guy over there says he’s your fan, and wants your autograph." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"Ng??" (Jeong Hae-Min)
Jeong Hae-Min’s hands moved at a lightning-quick pace.
"Keuk?!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Fearing that a slap was coming in his way, Yi Ji-Hyuk quickly distanced himself, but her hands were actually digging into the fanny pack around her waist, instead.
She wiped the tears away in an instant, and fixed her make-up in less than twenty seconds before turning around to greet her fan with a bright smile.
‘….Yup, she’s a monster, alright.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Was that how a pro operated?
"Oh my goodness, hello there!" (Jeong Hae-Min)
Jeong Hae-Min began speaking and behaving completely different to how she was normally. She quickly sidled up next to the person claiming to be her fan, and proceeded to sign lots of autographs and take many selfies together.
"A real sucker for that, isn’t it?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"You mean, the fan is?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"No, I meant her." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
"….."
Choi Jung-Hoon agreed with him using the power of silence. Looking at that spectacle, one would be hard pressed to figure out who was the celeb and who was the fan here.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?!"
Too bad, other people didn’t seem to enjoy that spectacle at all.
"Hey, you! You said you’re the guy in charge, didn’t you?!"
"Yes, I did. So what can I do for you?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"In that case, shouldn’t you take responsibility for this situation??"
Choi Jung-Hoon replied with a business grin on his face.
"But, sir. I’ve no idea what you want me to be responsible for. If you can be more specific on what your request entails, then I shall endeavour to better reflect on the situation." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
‘Wowsers, what a hateful mouth he’s got.’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk could only marvel as he looked at Choi Jung-Hoon reverting to that business tone of voice.
"What will you do about this situation, then?! My heart almost leapt out of my mouth from all the shock!"
"You can take care of that by going to a hospital. Let me call an ambulance for you." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"What about my house, then?! That weird thing is filling it up right now!"
"You’ll have to wait until the compensation manual has been issued, I’m afraid. This area will soon be demarcated as a disaster zone, and the relief team will soon be dispatched by your local government offices, so please wait for a little while longer." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"Is that all you can do?!"
Choi Jung-Hoon frowned ever so slightly.
"I apologise that we didn’t carry out our duties to the fullest and inconvenienced you. However, we did our best under the circumstances and came up with the most optimal solution the situation demanded from us. If you’re still unhappy regarding this situation, then I advise you to lodge a civil complaint or an administrative litigation. Don’t you agree that shouting is just an unproductive waste of our mental energy?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"What the hell, would you listen to his b*stard talk? Hey, you stinking b*stard? Don’t you have a mother or a father??"
Choi Jung-Hoon’s complexion hardened gradually.
Why did people always think that they could speak rudely to a public official like him? Even though they all acted servile towards the officials they elected, did they want to be treated like kings by those who worked hard to get to where they were?
"No, I don’t." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
"….Are you trying to get a rise out of me? Is that it?"
Once the stereotypical response that couldn’t be shot down by logic came out from these idiots’ mouths, Choi Jung-Hoon realised how stupid this whole conversation had become.
He sucked in several deep breaths.
Although it was a waste of time talking to this lot, unfortunately it was his job to manage the situation until the cops arrived on the scene. So, he should make it crystal clear - whether they should be getting angry or be thankful right now.
Just as Choi Jung-Hoon was about to say something to that effect, someone suddenly gripped his arm tightly.
"Ng?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
He turned his head to the side only to discover Seo Ah-Young shaking her head, her expression frozen stiff.
"Ah…." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
He immediately acknowledged that he had become overly agitated.
Even though the method itself had been over the top, the NDF had saved these people’s lives. It was true that he let his emotions get the better of him when these people came at him like a bunch of thieves turning on their accuser, demanding him to take full responsibility.
No matter how hard he tried to keep calm, Choi Jung-Hoon was a human being just like everyone else. There was no way he’d feel good after being treated like this.
However, Seo Ah-Young was trying to calm Choi Jung-Hoon down. She must’ve been feeling just as bad as he was, yet she was dissuading him just as he was about to give these idiots an earful.
‘I should reflect on myself.’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Seo Ah-Young’s current attitude was what Choi Jung-Hoon should’ve been carrying all along. He acknowledged that he had failed to keep a calm state of mind lately, unlike his past.
"Ah, I was a bit…." (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Just as Choi Jung-Hoon tried to open his lips to say something, Seo Ah-Young shook her head again, her expression even harder than before.
"Mm??" (Choi Jung-Hoon)
What’s gotten into her?
She used her chin to sneakily point to behind him.
My back?
Judging from her reaction, something bad must’ve happened there? (Choi Jung-Hoon’s inner monologue)
Beset with this sense of anxiety, he slowly turned his head around to look. What could possibly be the source of this worry mushrooming from deep within his chest?
What a sad thing it was, though, because….
….Choi Jung-Hoon already knew very well what the source of his worries was.
In the place he looked, Yi Ji-Hyuk was there, his expression filled with indescribable annoyance as he shot a glare at the complaining civilians.
"Paht, sh*t!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Once Yi Ji-Hyuk’s mouth opened up, so did Choi Jung-Hoon’s tear ducts.
‘We’re screwed.’ (Choi Jung-Hoon)
Yi Ji-Hyuk began taking large strides towards the crowd of people, his expression one of pure agitation.
Fin.