The Returner Chapter 264

(TL: Unedited. My usual editor’s too busy with RL stuff. Still looking for someone from CrN who’s available….)

Wife?
Did she just say his wife?
Wait, that wife, is it the same ‘wife’ that I know?
So, let me get this straight…. she meant to say the marriage partner of someone when she mentioned the word wife, right? (Jeong Hae-Min’s inner monologue)
Jeong Hae-Min dazedly stared at the woman before her eyes.
"And your name is Erukana." (Jeong Hae-Min)
"Yes, Erukana."
Her name, Erukana….
But, how was that important right now, when Yi Ji-Hyuk’s wife popped out of nowhere without warning?
"H-hang on for a second, please!" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
Choi Jeong-Hoon shouted out. Quite unlike his usual self, his voice was filled with trembling, panicky confusion.
"You’re his wife?" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
"Yes." (Erukana)
"D-does that mean Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk is a married man?" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
"That’s correct." (Erukana)
"Hul…." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
Choi Jeong-Hoon stared at Erukana with utterly shocked, frightened eyes.
So, Yi Ji-Hyuk was a married dude, and this woman is his wife!
So!! (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)
"But, you said you’re a demon king!" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
"Yes, that’s correct, too." (Erukana)
"A demon king is Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk’s wife??" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
"Is there something wrong with that?" (Erukana)
No, you’re supposed to ask if there’s nothing wrong with that, instead!
Everything is wrong! Everything!! (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)
"Oh, my goodness." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
Even the one and only Choi Jeong-Hoon couldn’t readily accept this situation. He just couldn’t figure out what was what and his head was rapidly blanking out.
"M-married?" (Jeong Hae-Min)
Jeong Hae-Min’s voice trembled more and more.
"Hul…." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
Choi Jeong-Hoon hurriedly approached her and grabbed both of her shoulders.
"Please, calm down." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
"Married?" (Jeong Hae-Min)
Indeed, it’d be one hell of a flabbergasting situation from Jeong Hae-Min’s perspective.
Exposing that man as married would be enough already shock and stun the person on the other side, but now, even the wife had showed up, too.
It was almost like, she was sharing a cup of coffee with a boyfriend in a nice cafe, only for an ahjumma equipped with a baby carrier to suddenly pounce on her and began yanking and pulling on her hair.
"Euh, euh, euh….." (Jeong Hae-Min)
"P-please, you mustn’t rev up your engine, either!" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
Hey, you ahjumma! We have a demon king right before our eyes, so don’t fire your sonic weapon!! (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)
Too bad, it seemed that Jeong Hae-Min was currently not in the right frame of mind to care.
"Waaaaaaaail~!!!"
"Keok!" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
Choi Jeong-Hoon spat out a pained gasp as the sonic weapon went on full blast right next to him.
The high-tone wailing digging painfully into his ears made him feel as if all of his innards were tumbling around.
"Kyahk! Unni!!" (Seo Ah-Young)
Seo Ah-Young also screamed alongside, but it was too late to stop the sobbing that had already begun.
"Waaaaaiiil!!!"
"Oh, my? What is this?" (Erukana)
Erukana stared at Jeong Hae-Min as if she was mystified about something.
This girl, suddenly breaking out into a loud sobbing was already a pretty strange spectacle, and the decibel of her crying was no joke either. Even back in the demon world, it’d be very uncommon to find a lifeform capable of emitting such a loud wail, so it was quite mystifying to see a human with small physique like her produce that level of sound.
"P-please, calm down!" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
Jeong Hae-Min showed no signs of listening to his pleas and continued to wail away, so Choi Jeong-Hoon looked at Affeldrichae with an ardent, pleading look on his face.
"Silence." (Affeldrichae)
She cast silencing magic, which quietened down the surroundings in an instant.
– Cheeiiik!
It was then, Choi Jeong-Hoon’s radio suddenly came to life.
– "W-what happened in there?" (Christopher McLaren)
That racket could be heard that far away?
"I-it’s nothing to worry about. I’ll contact you again later, so please remain on standby." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
– "Got it." (Christopher McLaren)
Choi Jeong-Hoon thought he could hear Christopher McLaren grumble away in the background, but he decided to ignore that for now. Well, he couldn’t afford to waste his mental energy with that at the moment.
Because, a massive bombshell had gone off this side, after all.
"A-and, so….." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
Choi Jeong-Hoon attempted to unpack the situation once more.
"S-so, this lady here is… a demon king from the demon world, and…." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
"Yes." (Affeldrichae)
"A demon king from a demon world, and at the same time, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk’s wife. Is that right?" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
"Yes." (Affeldrichae)
"Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk was actually married?" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
"Indeed he is." (Affeldrichae)
Hiccup.
Jeong Hae-Min suddenly stopped crying, and while hiccuping away, listened in on the conversation.
She must’ve figured that, although crying was important, maybe listening to the explanation should take priority for the time being.
If that’s the case, you should’ve done that from the beginning! (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)
"Being married…. Why didn’t he say anything about it until now?" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
Well, sure, Yi Ji-Hyuk had no real duty to inform them about his marital status, but the fact that he concealed such an important information did make Choi Jeong-Hoon feel a bit betrayed somehow.
He considered himself to be his friend and all….
"Wouldn’t it be because it wasn’t something new to him?" (Affeldrichae)
"Pardon?" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
"It wouldn’t his first time marrying, after all." (Affeldrichae)
"……………."
What on earth was she even talking about??
Choi Jeong-Hoon’s eyes shone in the light of a man desperately searching for more clarification, and Affeldrichae answered in a nonchalant manner.
"You are aware of how long Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk have lived, yes? He has lived for thousands of years as a young man. If you want to count all of his dead wives, then both of your hands wouldn’t be enough for the task." (Affeldrichae)
"………………………………."
Hul.
What the hell is…..
"Waaaaaaaaiiiiil!!!"
Ah! Why did you undo the Silence?!
I’m really losing my mind over here! (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)
*
It took a long time for Jeong Hae-Min to calm down.
"Sniff." (Jeong Hae-Min)
Jeong Hae-Min continued to sniff away as Seo Ah-Young tried to diligently calm her down by petting her on the back. The latter would get super annoyed by the former’s crying if this was any other time and start her barbed verbal attacks, but for today, she was cautiously doing her best.
"Unni, please calm down." (Seo Ah-Young)
"Sob, soooob…" (Jeong Hae-Min)
"I told you not to get involved with that guy, didn’ I?" (Seo Ah-Young)
"Still…." (Jeong Hae-Min)
"I mean, it’s obvious that you’ll run into problems after you decided to associate yourself with someone that dastardly and crappy!" (Seo Ah-Young)
Right at that moment…
KWA-DEUK!!
Seo Ah-Young’s eyes opened up wider. Pitch-black demonic aura, now shaped like a ultra-sharp needle, threateningly hovered near her neck as if it’d pierce her at any given moment.
"H-m-mm, what were you saying about my darling?" (Erukana)
"……"
Seo Ah-Young had a ton of stuff to say, but now was perhaps not the best time to say them.
"A measly little human dares to badmouth my darling? You will not die gently and painlessly, that I assure you." (Erukana)
Erukana’s sticky, heavy voice dug into Seo Ah-Young’s ear canals like a grim reaper’s whisper.
"Please stop." (Affeldrichae)
"Ng?" (Erukana)
Affeldrichae was unable to stand back anymore and tried to dissuade Erukana, prompting the latter to shift her attention towards the former.
"Were you trying to stop me just now?" (Erukana)
"These people are highly valued by Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk. He wouldn’t like it if he finds even a slight scratch on them." (Affeldrichae)
"Oh, is that so?" (Erukana)
The demonic energy aiming at Seo Ah-Young’s neck got sucked back into Erukana in an instant.
"Well, in that case, I guess I need to hold back, then. However, it’ll be for the best that you stay prudent, human." (Erukana)
Erukana walked up to Seo Ah-Young and slowly stroked the latter’s cheek with the tip of her fingernails.
"You see, I detest those who speak ill of my darling. Should I say it verges on hatred? You seem to be more like a much-loved pet to my darling, so I shall overlook this one time." (Erukana)
"Euh…." (Seo Ah-Young)
Seo Ah-Young could only keep her mouth shut for now.
It was a monumental task for her to endure such provocation with her personality, but then again, the presence of the demon king right in front of her eyes was scary enough to easily shut her mouth up.
This incredible pressure, where she thought her entire body would explode if she opened her mouth right here and now.
‘This is a demon king?’ (Seo Ah-Young)
Up until now, she either attacked one from afar, or got pressured alongside other people so she never had the chance to bear the brunt of the demon king’s aura all by herself.
‘And Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk fought against such demon kings all alone?’ (Seo Ah-Young)
He was not ‘human’.
Erukana was, most likely, not showering her with powerful aura. Even then, Seo Ah-Young’s back was soaked in cold sweat of fear. Yet, that man still fought against demon kings like this woman until now?
That was not something a human could do.
"Wife?" (Jeong Hae-Min)
However, it seemed that such a sentiment wasn’t shared by Jeong Hae-Min.
Her eyes were filled with clear signs of animosity and even Seo Ah-Young could sense it. The latter’s heart nearly tumbled down to the pit of her stomach, realising that former was glaring at a demon king like that.
"H-mm?" (Erukana)
Erukana stared at Jeong Hae-Min as if this whole thing was amusing.
"You, you must be romantically interested in my darling." (Erukana)
"Hiccup." (Jeong Hae-Min)
Jeong Hae-Min began hiccuping again.
"But, that won’t do. Not at all. You see, my darling isn’t into humans. I mean, they all start dying just as you get affectionate with them and all, so there’s no way he’d like spending time with them, right? Don’t you agree?" (Erukana)
Affeldrichae sighed helplessly from the side.
"He’s also no longer an immortal, you know. Indeed, he’s become a regular human being. The longest he can possibly live is around 100 years." (Affeldrichae)
"Ng?" (Erukana)
Erukana tilted her head.
"But, that’ll be taken care of by not being a human?" (Erukana)
"Although true, he’s also excessively obsessed with his own identity, so…." (Affeldrichae)
"That was only because he can no longer be a human, that’s why. And well, he’ll soon realise how annoying and tiresome it is to live as a human and try to go back to how he was. If all else fails, he can simply become a demon, no?" (Erukana)
"…..But, I believe he hates that idea the most?" (Affeldrichae)
"It’ll be fine, fine. It’s the role of the wife to set the husband on the correct path when he veers off to the wrong one. And besides, I’m very good at performing the wife’s duties, don’t I?" (Erukana)
Affeldrichae sighed under her breath again.
It was pretty much impossible to reason with this woman. A perfect example of going at ‘my pace’. She never even cared about what other people felt or what their position was.
She’d been like that, she was like that now, and she’d continue to be like that into the future.
The only person she did care about was Yi Ji-Hyuk, and she held not one speck of interest towards anyone else. The problem was, her interest towards him was, well, veering off in the wrong direction, far from what he actually wanted.
"You’re his wife?!" (Jeong Hae-Min)
Jeong Hae-Min opened her eyes wide and glared straight at Erukana.
The latter grinned at that hostile glare. Seo Ah-Young sensed something ominous about that grin and before she knew it, found herself standing protectively in front of the diminutive former idol.
"H-ng, aren’t you an interesting specimen. But, I wonder. What did I ever do wrong~? Why are you looking at me with such scary eyes?" (Erukana)
Erukana’s grin was getting deeper and deeper.
"Where is your proof?" (Jeong Hae-Min)
"Proof?" (Erukana)
"Yes!! Proof!!" (Jeong Hae-Min)
Seo Ah-Young looked behind her with a pair of totally flabbergasted eyes.
This unni, what’s gotten into her?
Why is she arguing about proof and stuff?
That place is not Earth, and they might not even have something like the system of legally-binding marriage, so how would she even produce a tangible proof now?? (Seo Ah-Young’s inner monologue)
"U-unni, why are you…." (Seo Ah-Young)
Before she could finish her sentence, though, Erukana suddenly went "Kyah!" and rushed towards Jeong Hae-Min.
Seo Ah-Young tried to stop the demon king’s unannounced advance, but too bad, the latter simply slipped past the former as if she wasn’t even there and tightly embraced Jeong Hae-Min.
"Ng??" (Jeong Hae-Min)
What is up with that demon now??
What is she trying to do?! (Jeong Hae-Min’s inner monologue)
"Kyahk! Proof? You asked for proof, didn’t you! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" (Erukana)
Was she really insane….?
Seo Ah-Young dazedly stared at Erukana.
For sure, all those related to Yi Ji-Hyuk in some way were not quite right in their heads.
"I do!! I do have! Did you know how much I wanted to show that off? But nobody on that side was even remotely interested in it, you know?! Idiot demon kinds lack any sensibility whatsoever, so they weren’t interested from the beginning, too!" (Erukana)
"Eh……" (Jeong Hae-Min)
Jeong Hae-Min’s trembling eyes landed on Erukana next.
This woman, she said that she’s a demon king, but…
Wait, are all demon kings like her? (Jeong Hae-Min’s inner monologue)
She sure felt different when compared to all the other incredulous demon kings Jeong Hae-Min had seen until now.
It was hard to chalk that down to whether it was due to the difference between male and female types, or maybe because of the differences in individuals.
"Look, look! Here!" (Erukana)
Erukana slipped her hand inside her pocket, and then, pulled something out.
‘Hul.’ (Jeong Hae-Min)
That pocket was definitely small, yet the stuff that came out of there was a huge book. This wasn’t some kind of a magic trick, so how could something that big come out from such a small pocket?
"Look here! Look!!" (Erukana)
Erukana hummed joyously and flipped the book open.
"HUL??" (Jeong Hae-Min)
Jeong Hae-Min’s eyes opened to their maximum width as she stared into the book.
There were none of the expected texts, but instead, the pages were decorated by what looked to be ‘photographs’.
"T-this…." (Jeong Hae-Min)
And each of these photos captured the moments of Yi Ji-Hyuk and Erukana sharing affection towards each other.
"I heard from my darling that, you humans make such photo albums when you get married. Our side didn’t have a tradition like that, so I tried to make one with magic. I wanted to show this to other people so much, but no one there got the point, so I was really distraught until now…. Hehehe." (Erukana)
Jeong Hae-Min’s shoulders sagged real low to the ground.
This was a perfect KO.
"What an awkward situation this is." (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
Choi Jeong-Hoon and his not-so-quick wits managed to land yet another solid blow in the back of Jeong Hae-Min’s head.
"By the way, where did Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk go?" (Choi Jeong-Hoon)
"H-ng?" (Erukana)
Erukana grinned like a crafty cat.
Fin.