The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees – Chapter 32 – Showcase (1)

Author: CleiZz

“Gaaahhh!!”

Kim Sang-cheol screamed. The dagger he had swung at me had snapped in half and pierced his own wrist.

With death looming just a breath away, I stood frozen, mouth agape.

“Yoo-seong.”

“Yoon-hoo hyung, are you alright?”

Lee Yoo-seong calmly pried Kim Jeong-hye off my arm and looked at me with concern.

I nodded stiffly.

“Thank goodness.”

He smiled brightly. But I couldn’t bring myself to smile back. Lee Yoo-seong had always been terrified of hurting others.

Once, he had even tried to kill himself out of guilt after pushing his cousin, Lee Jin-hyuk, out of the penthouse where he lived.

There had been many incidents like that. And yet here he was, smiling.

I noticed his hand trembling slightly. Just as I was about to gently ask if he was truly okay—

“My hand! My hand!!”

A pained voice rang out.

Kim Sang-cheol was shaking violently, clutching the wrist where the broken dagger had pierced.

“Ugh…!”

“Hyung-nim, are you okay?!”

“Those bastards!”

The men protecting him quickly armed themselves, glaring as they advanced.

Meanwhile, Kim Sang-cheol barked an order.

“What are you waiting for?! Beat them to death! Kill them!!”

“Yes, hyung-nim!”

Dozens of thugs rushed at us, but Lee Yoo-seong stepped in front of me.

“Yoo-seong, are you sure you can handle this alone?”

“Yes. Hyung, please step back with my aunt.”

I knew exactly how strong he was. If I tried to help, I’d only slow him down.

So I said, “Alright. Be careful.”

“You too, hyung.”

No sooner had he spoken than—

Thwack!

A steel pipe crashed against his head.

“Yoo-seong!”

“I’m fine.”

He caught the pipe that had struck him and crushed it in his hand like paper.

“Something like this doesn’t even tickle.”

“U-urgh…!”

The thug who swung at him stumbled back in fear, then was thrown across the club a moment later.

“Gyaaaahhh!!”

His body slammed headfirst into the DJ booth and went limp.

Kim Sang-cheol’s gang, who had charged forward with confidence, faltered at the sight. But only for a moment.

“What are you waiting for?! He’s just a brat! All of you, get him!!”

At Kim Sang-cheol’s furious shout, they moved again—apparently unconcerned about their lives.

“Arghhh!”

“Ghhhk!”

“Hiiiiek!”

After all, the “brat” he mocked was tossing grown men around like rag dolls.

“C-crazy…”

Someone groaned from the floor.

“That kid’s a monster…”

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

To them, maybe he did look like a monster. But to me, the real monsters were Kim Sang-cheol and his men. It was absurd—grown men rushing to attack a nineteen-year-old kid.

“Uaaaaghhh!”

Pathetic enough to laugh at.

I stepped on the hand of the thug crawling on the floor—the same one who had called Lee Yoo-seong a “monster.”

“Hyung.”

Lee Yoo-seong stopped me.

“It’s over. I’ve taken care of them.”

Just as he said, dozens of Kim Sang-cheol’s men were lying around T.U., unconscious or groaning. But Kim Sang-cheol himself was gone.

“I lost him,” Lee Yoo-seong said, hesitating. “Should I go after him?”

“No. Leave him.”

With his personality, he’d resurface soon enough. And if not, we could always track him down.

Truthfully, I had wanted to sit back and let him dig his own grave.

‘But that won’t work this time.’

He’d said it himself—someone had leaked information about me. Not just me, but about Lee Yoo-seong too.

Otherwise, there was no way he could have taken Kim Jeong-hye hostage.

For now, thinking could wait.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Right now, checking on Lee Yoo-seong came first.

“I’m fine.”

He didn’t seem to have a single injury. Still, I asked again, just in case.

“You’re sure? You’re not hiding anything?”

“Of course not! Why would I ever lie to you, hyung?”

Well, maybe Seo Do-hwan would—but Lee Yoo-seong lying to me? Not a chance.

I lightly brushed my hand over his swollen head and turned to speak.

“Ms. Kim Jeong-hye.”

Startled, she looked at me. She had been standing there blankly, unable to process what had just happened. Her face was filled with fear, but I gave her a small smile.

“I’d like to handle this according to the contract, but…”

Unfortunately, she hadn’t violated any terms. All of Lee Yoo-seong’s assets were still intact.

If I’d known this would happen, I would have added a clause forbidding her from ever showing her face to Lee Yoo-seong again. Then I could’ve dealt with her—and her family—through the contract.

Swallowing my regret, I continued.

“I’ll let this one slide.”

But then I added,

“As for how Yoo-seong deals with you… that’s another matter.”

Kim Jeong-hye flinched.

“Y-Yoo-seong…”

Lee Yoo-seong’s eyes were ice-cold as he looked at her.

“I—I didn’t… I mean, that’s not…”

Tears began to stream down her face. Lee Yoo-seong frowned slightly at the sight, then spoke.

“Hyung, could you step outside for a moment?”

“Of course.”

Kim Sang-cheol and his men hadn’t been able to lay a finger on Lee Yoo-seong. There was no way Kim Jeong-hye could hurt him when they couldn’t.

And besides, Lee Yoo-seong wasn’t the kind of person who would harm her.

So, I stepped out of T.U. first.

***

“Hyung.”

Lee Yoo-seong came out not long after. Kim Jeong-hye was nowhere to be seen. Chances were, we’d never see her again.

Still, I asked as if I didn’t know.

“Did things go well with your aunt?”

“Yes. She won’t show up in front of me again. Or in front of you either. If she does…”

His voice trailed off before he forced a smile.

“Then I’ll really deal with it myself next time.”

I didn’t ask what exactly he meant by “deal with it.” Instead, I put an arm around his shoulder.

“Shall we head to the showcase now? If we leave right away, we might just make it in time to see Victory’s stage. Have you heard their songs?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah! They’re amazing!”

Lee Yoo-seong’s smile this time was genuine—completely different from the one he’d worn inside T.U.

“Let’s hurry, Hyung!”

“Yeah.”

As for T.U., I could have someone clean it up later. Word of what happened would probably reach my grandfather, but I’d find a way to smooth things over.

For now, the showcase was the priority.

I raised my hand to hail a taxi.

***

When Kwak Yoon-hoo and Lee Yoo-seong rushed off toward Victory’s comeback showcase—

“Fuck! F**k!”

Kim Sang-cheol was venting in the back alley of T.U.

“Those monster brats… I’ll tear them apart…!”

He stared at the dagger still lodged through his wrist bone, trembling. The blood dripping down was bad enough, but worse—he had no idea how to pull the damn thing out.

If he went to the hospital like this, nosy bastards would call the cops, and questions would follow.

And if the cops got involved…

‘No. That can’t happen!’

The investors who had poured huge sums into his company would come for him, eyes blazing.

They’d demand their money back.

“Fuck!!”

How had it all gone so wrong? He’d been living just fine, leeching off Kang Ye-seong.

‘Where did it all start falling apart?’

He ground his teeth.

“Kang Ye-seong…!”

It had to be that ungrateful brat. He was convinced Kang Ye-seong had orchestrated everything.

That kid had always been sharp, even as a child. He must’ve been the one who brought those monster brats and set them on him.

Where Kang Ye-seong had found such freaks, he had no idea.

“Son of a bitch!”

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, his whole body shaking.

That was when—

“What a sight.”

“…Who the fuck are you?!”

Annoyed, Kim Sang-cheol turned his head with a fierce expression.

“Hyun… Hyung-nim…!”

His face went pale, and he dropped to his knees.

“Who said I’m your hyung-nim?”

The man before him frowned in disgust.

“How unpleasant.”

His open disdain made Kim Sang-cheol bite down hard on his lip before he exploded.

“You son of a bitch! You knew this would happen to me, didn’t you?!”

“I didn’t expect you to be humiliated this badly.”

Which meant—he had expected Kim Sang-cheol to mess it up somehow.

Kim Sang-cheol wasn’t an idiot. Maybe from Kwak Yoon-ho’s perspective he looked like one, but he did have a brain in his head.

Just as he was about to lash out at the man again—

“Since we’re in this together, I’ll patch you up.”

“Patch me up…?”

His confusion lasted only a moment.

“Aahh!”

A haggard-looking woman suddenly appeared in front of Kim Sang-cheol in the blink of an eye.

“Wh-what the hell?!”

Startled, he tried to push her away, but she ripped the dagger out of his wrist before he could react.

For a moment, Kim Sang-cheol didn’t even register what had happened. He just blinked—until the pain hit, and he screamed.

“Gaaahhh!”

But the scream didn’t last long. The gaping wound that exposed the bone closed instantly. The shock at the sudden absence of pain left him speechless.

He stumbled back from the woman, cursing.

“Y-you crazy bitch…!”

She smirked and stepped over to the man’s side. It had all happened in an instant. As Kim Sang-cheol stared in disbelief, the man spoke.

“Heavenly Demon Technique.”

Sang-cheol blinked, as if to say, What the hell are you talking about?

The man’s voice was calm.

“If Kwak Yoon-hoo asks how your wrist healed, tell him that.”

“You think I’ll meet that bastard again?!”

“Did you ever intend to avoid him?”

The man sneered, continuing.

“Why do you think I gave garbage like you information on him?”

“Th-that’s…”