The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 17 - A Thing Called Family (4)

 

 

People say that when you’re about to die, your past flashes before your eyes like a slideshow.

 

That’s nonsense.

 

I’ve died dozens—no, hundreds—of times, and not once have I seen anything like that.

 

But this time…

 

“…Yoon-hoo. Kwak Yoon-ho!”

 

This time felt different.

 

Did I really die?

 

Blankly, I looked at the man calling my name.

 

“You must be very tired. I didn’t expect to see you standing and sleeping.”

 

“Ah…”

 

A dazed sound escaped me as I pressed my fingers hard against my eyes. The 365th round—was it all just a dream?

 

No. That can’t be.

 

This moment—the present—should be the dream.

 

The moment I met this man must have been an illusion.

 

“Kwak Yoon-hoo, what exactly is your goal?”

 

Strangely, I didn’t want to wake from it.

 

“If you won’t answer a difficult question, that’s fine. I’m just curious—what are you planning to do, gathering returnees like us?”

 

Maybe it was because I hadn’t seen that face in so long.

 

“…I don’t have a particular goal. If I had to put it into words…”

 

I answered.

 

“A peaceful life.”

 

With early retirement on the side.

 

I’m pretty sure I’d given him that exact same answer before.

 

“I see…”

 

He nodded as if in understanding, then asked,

 

“Did you kill me?”

 

***

 

“Gah!”

 

I jolted awake, screaming.

 

Was it just a dream? Or a real flashback before death?

 

Panting hard, I looked around. The first thing I saw was a familiar sight—the ceiling of the VVIP room in AMA Seoul Hospital, the one I’d woken up to 365 times before.

 

“Ha… haha…”

 

So I really did die.

 

I had sworn that after the 365th round, I wouldn’t regress again.

 

“I failed after all.”

 

I was about to let out a hollow laugh when—

 

“Yoon-hoo!”

 

“G-Grandpa?”

 

“You rascal!”

 

Grandfather stormed into the room. That’s when I noticed something odd.

 

Every other time I started over, a nurse would be the first to speak to me, then call for the doctor.

 

But this time, that didn’t happen.

 

Could it be…?

 

“Just how many nails are you planning to drive into this old man’s heart?! Do you know how shocked I was?! When I heard you were rescued from the fire, I nearly collapsed right there, you brat!”

 

I was alive.

 

The 365th round wasn’t over yet.

 

“Ha… haha.”

 

“You think this is funny?!”

 

Grandpa smacked my shoulder several times, more affection than anger in the blows.

 

I gave a sheepish smile and apologized.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

 

Grandfather brushed away the tears in his eyes and asked,

 

“Anywhere hurting? Oh, right—someone! Go get the doctor! Tell him my grandson’s regained consciousness!”

 

At his order, someone hurried off down the hallway.

 

“What about the others? The ones rescued with me?”

 

“You mean your students?”

 

“…Huh? Ah, yes.”

 

Technically, both Lee Yoo-seong and Lee Jin-hyuk were my students.

 

Grandpa patted my head.

 

“They’re all safe, so don’t worry. A fine young man told me you went into the fire without hesitation because of them.”

 

“What?”

 

A fine young man?

 

“I think his name was Seo Do-hwan. Yoon-hoo, I heard you made a friend and were living together. Seems like a good lad.”

 

Seo Do-hwan, that sly bastard. What kind of act did he put on in front of my grandfather?

 

The doctor soon arrived.

 

“Please, take a look at my grandson,” Grandfather said, stepping aside but still fussing.

 

Aside from a mild sting in my throat, I felt perfectly fine…

 

Then I noticed Grandfather’s secretary team waiting anxiously behind him. They must be drowning in work.

 

If I recall correctly, one of AMA’s subsidiaries had a defective product incident around this time.

 

“Grandpa, I’m fine. You should go.”

 

Since Chief Choi wasn’t with them, the situation must be urgent.

 

“But still, Yoon-hoo…”

 

“I’ll call you right away if anything’s wrong.”

 

Grandfather let out a reluctant sigh. “If you need anything, tell Chief Choi. Understood?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then I’ll come by again this evening.”

 

“Yes, Grandpa. Please be careful on your way.”

 

I wanted to get up to see him out, but he insisted I stay in bed.

 

After Grandpa left, I waited a short while before getting out of bed. I wanted to check on Lee Yoo-seong.

 

As for Lee Jin-hyuk—he wasn’t my concern.

 

Fortunately, Lee Yoo-seong’s room was close to mine. It seemed Grandpa had arranged for my student to be admitted to the same VVIP ward.

 

“May I come in for a moment?”

 

“Yes, young master.”

 

The guards at the door recognized me and stepped aside. As soon as I eased the door open, I saw Seo Do-hwan peeling an apple for Lee Yoo-seong.

 

“You two seem to be getting along well.”

 

“Oh, boss. You’re up?” Seo Do-hwan greeted me with a smile.

 

Beside him, Lee Yoo-seong—who’d been chewing the apple pieces—looked at me with wide, startled eyes.

 

“Uh… Yoon-hoo hyung…”

 

“It’s fine. If you were about to apologize, don’t.”

 

He shut his mouth, glancing at me nervously. As I thought, he’d been planning to say sorry.

 

No need for that.

 

I gave a faint smile, sat down next to Seo Do-hwan, and asked,

 

“Yoo-seong, how’s your condition?”

 

“I-I’m fine! I could be discharged right now.”

 

“Stay longer.”

 

“He’s right. How many chances in life do you get to stay in a VVIP room? Listen to the boss,” Seo Do-hwan chimed in, cutting another slice of apple and handing it over.

 

“Here, boss, have one too.”

 

I bit into the slice he offered.

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

In the end, Lee Yoo-seong still apologized.

 

I finished the apple before answering. “I told you not to apologize.”

 

He lowered his head, fidgeting, as if he’d committed some terrible crime.

 

“If you feel that bad, just make me dinner later.”

 

“Dinner?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

His eyes widened.

 

“Don’t tell me—you were planning to go back to your house?”

 

“Seriously? You were going to stay in that burned-down place? No way. The investigation’s not even over yet.”

 

“Or were you planning to sleep on the streets?”

 

“Hey! Lee Yoo-seong, no matter how tough you are, if you try sleeping outside in this weather, you’ll freeze to death!” Seo Do-hwan jumped in at just the right moment.

 

Between our back-and-forth, Lee Yoo-seong looked flustered and cornered. I decided to press my advantage.

 

“You’re coming home with us, right?”

 

“Uh, well…”

 

“Hm? You’re not coming?”

 

Under my repeated questioning, he finally caved.

 

“Um… would it be alright if I stayed with you for a while…?”

 

Nice.

 

I was inwardly cheering when he quickly added,

 

“I’m good at cooking, doing dishes, vacuuming, and mopping.”

 

“Hey, Lee Yoo-seong, what are you, Cinderella? You don’t have to do all that!”

 

“Yeah. Even Seo Do-hwan doesn’t.”

 

“That’s only because the house staff do it before I even try!” Seo Do-hwan protested, looking wounded.

 

I was about to tell him to keep his voice down when—

 

“I’m Yoo-seong’s homeroom assistant teacher! I’m not suspicious! I just want to check if he’s okay, then I’ll leave!”

 

Someone outside was shouting louder than Seo Do-hwan.

 

“Lee Yoo-seong, do you know him?” Seo Do-hwan frowned.

 

“Yes! He’s my teacher!”

 

“Your teacher’s right in front of you.”

 

“No, Hyung, before you came, he was my English teacher.”

 

His name was Choi Kyo-bin—Cheongha High School’s only teacher Lee Yoo-seong had opened up to, and the only one who’d looked out for him.

 

“Seo Do-hwan, let’s step aside.”

 

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

 

Seo Do-hwan reluctantly followed me out. Stepping into the hallway, I turned to the guards at the door.

 

“He really is Yoo-seong’s assistant homeroom teacher. Let him in.”

 

“Yes, understood.”

 

They stepped aside, and the man—startled by the sudden change—looked at me blankly.

 

I offered him a small smile. “Hello, Teacher Choi Kyo-bin? I’m Kwak Yoon-hoo.”

 

“Oh! Teacher Kwak Yoon-hoo!”

 

It seemed he hadn’t heard yet that I’d become Cheongha High School’s chairman. Not that it mattered—I planned to hand over the position soon anyway.

 

“This is the person who saved Yoo-seong,” I added.

 

“My goodness…!”

 

Choi Kyo-bin hurriedly bowed to Seo Do-hwan. “Thank you so much!”

 

“Uh, well… sure. Go ahead and see Lee Yoo-seong. He’s inside.”

 

“Yes! Thank you! Thank you so much!”

 

Bowing repeatedly, Choi Kyo-bin hurried into the room.

 

Watching him go, Seo Do-hwan muttered, “I thought all the teachers at Cheongha High were awful.”

 

Since it was a reasonable assumption, I chuckled. “What about Lee Jin-hyuk?”

 

“That kid probably wouldn’t want to see me.”

 

“Why?”

 

“He’s in a closed ward,” Seo Do-hwan said with a smirk. “Seems the fall really traumatized him—completely messed him up. Can’t function like a normal person anymore.”

 

Is that so?

 

“That’s good.” I couldn’t help but smile with my eyes.

 

“What about Kim Jeong-hye?”

 

“Kim Jeong-hye?”

 

“Lee Jin-hyuk’s mother.”

 

“Oh, her?”

 

Seo Do-hwan’s face twisted in disgust. “Don’t even get me started. She caused a huge scene here, begging to see you.”

 

“Me? Not Yoo-seong?”

 

“Of course, she made a fuss about seeing Lee Yoo-seong too.”

 

And in the end, that gentle, soft-hearted kid actually agreed to meet her.

 

“But whatever they talked about, after that, Kim Jeong-hye never asked to see him again,” Seo Do-hwan continued. “She even stopped insisting on meeting you.”

 

“Lee Yoo-seong’s way too nice to have threatened her, so… I think he made some kind of deal, but I can’t figure out what.”

 

“She hasn’t shown up since that meeting?”

 

“Nope. Doesn’t even visit her own son, apparently.”

 

Is that so?

 

The corners of my lips curved upward. Seo Do-hwan might think Lee Yoo-seong didn’t threaten her, but I disagreed.

 

When a genuinely kind person gets angry, it’s terrifying.

 

I was sure Lee Yoo-seong had warned her—told her he knew everything, and that she’d better never show her face again.

 

“Should I try finding her?”

 

“Kim Jeong-hye?”

 

“Yeah. I could track her down easily.”

 

He must’ve chewed his way through a mountain of candies while I was lying in that hospital bed. I just hoped he brushed his teeth this time.

 

“Forget it.”

 

If I found her, I’d probably just end up seeing something unpleasant.

 

“What if she tries to get revenge later?”

 

“Who? Kim Jeong-hye?”

 

“Yeah. You know better than anyone how eccentric she is.”

 

Of course I did. But I also knew this—Kim Jeong-hye wasn’t the type to actually follow through with revenge. She didn’t have the money for it either. Maybe a bit of cunning, but that was about it.

 

“So, was there any other issue?”

 

“Other issues?”

 

“Like… any videos of you at the fire scene?”

 

This was the most important question.

 

Since my grandfather hadn’t mentioned anything, I assumed there were none, but I wanted to be sure.

 

Fortunately, Seo Do-hwan answered calmly. “There was nothing like that.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

He nodded. “Boss, you might not know, but there wasn’t anyone nearby. And with all that smoke, nothing was clearly visible. Since no footage of the fire has surfaced, there’s no need to worry—just rest.”

 

But even with his reassurances, I couldn’t relax.

 

That’s why, the moment I was discharged, I started looking into it myself.

 

Soon after, I got an unexpected call from Secretary Choi.

 

—Young master, I’ve checked into the matter you mentioned. We confirmed with the authorities, and according to them, the entire area around the apartment was under lockdown at that time.

 

“…Wait, it was under lockdown for a while?”