The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 4 - Weak Hunter (1)

 

In the end, Seo Do-hwan did what I asked. That was just the kind of guy he was—a thug with a twisted sense of justice. He couldn’t stand wrongdoing… at least when he wasn’t high.

 

“Boss, can you untie me now?” Seo Do-hwan asked.

 

But I couldn’t grant his request.

 

“You think those bastards are still out cold?”

 

“Doubt it.”

 

Sure enough, the junkies had already returned. And oddly enough, there seemed to be more of them than before.

 

‘Why the hell are there more?’

 

There was no time to think. As soon as we heard their voices, Do-hwan and I instinctively shut our eyes at the same time, like it was rehearsed. We started faking unconsciousness.

 

Would they buy it?

 

“They’re still out.”

 

It worked.

 

“Are those the guys?”

 

“Yeah. The redhead’s the one we were gonna rope in as a client, and the guy next to him’s the bastard who got in our way. Damn it, how the hell did this leak?”

 

“Whatever. It’s already done. Let’s deal with them and move the goods.”

 

Ah, so that’s why they brought reinforcements—to help move the stash. Makes sense.

 

“Anyway, wake them up.”

 

“Can’t we just dope them up now? Just roll up their sleeves and stick ‘em.”

 

“No.”

 

Ting!

 

A recording started.

 

“We need to film them going nuts on the drugs.”

 

That voice—it was that bastard Santa again.

 

“What the hell would you film that for?”

 

“Some clients are into this stuff. It sells well. Just wake ’em already.”

 

What a sick freak.

 

And it wasn’t just me who thought so. Even the other junkies snickered and muttered about how crazy Santa was. Not that it made a difference—they were all the same trash.

 

Still, judging by how excited they were to see us lose it, they started trying to wake us.

 

“Hey, wake up.”

 

A lazy tap on my shoulder. I groaned and slowly lifted my head, pretending to come to.

 

Do-hwan was still acting unconscious.

 

He was sweating bullets. It seemed like Santa’s perverted comments had genuinely scared him. What a guy—tough exterior, soft heart.

 

Then again, Seo Do-hwan off drugs was just a regular person.

 

But right now, that didn’t matter. What mattered was getting us out of this mess.

 

I let out a quiet breath and spoke.

 

“Do you really think you’ll get away with this?”

 

A cliché, I know—but it came out before I could stop it.

 

And as always, villains in movies respond the same way:

 

“Yeah, I think we’ll be just fine.”

 

Of course.

 

Just as expected.

 

Without missing a beat, I threw out another line:

 

“Please, let us go. If you do, I’ll keep my mouth shut. I won’t call the cops, I swear. I’ll disappear quietly.”

 

Yet another cliché.

 

“You actually think we’d believe that?”

 

The junkie who’d woken me took a bag of drugs from Santa and grinned. He looked like he was about to force-feed me the stuff.

 

But that wasn’t the real problem.

 

“Boss, you must’ve had a real easy life—still so clueless at a time like this.”

 

Now that was the problem.

 

Smooth life? Who the hell lived a smooth life?

 

Something snapped inside me.

 

It was the last thread holding my sanity together.

 

In that damn book The Returner Saves, I’d spent a thousand years cleaning up orc and goblin piss and shit. And that’s not all—I lived an existence where I couldn’t even die.

 

I wanted to, but I couldn’t. How could an undead die? If the protagonist hadn’t erased me, I would have continued to live miserably for thousands of years without dying.

 

And as if that wasn’t enough…

 

When I finally returned, the goddamn returnees were wreaking havoc. Thanks to those crazy bastards, I had to go through 365 regressions. Just thinking about it still makes my jaw clench.

 

And what did he say?

 

That I’d led a smooth life?

 

I couldn’t take it anymore—I slammed my head into the junkie. At the same time, I slipped free from the loose ropes.

 

“Argh!”

 

The guy toppled backward.

 

“W-What the hell?!”

 

“He got loose! Who untied him?!”

 

To that question, I offered a polite response.

 

“Mr. Seo Do-hwan was the one who helped.”

 

“What?!”

 

Some of the junkies who recognized him glanced over at Seo Do-hwan, who was still lying motionless.

 

“How does a knocked-out guy untie someone?!”

 

Turns out Seo Do-hwan was a better actor than I thought. Something I missed—even after 365 regressions.

 

“Mr. Seo Do-hwan, I think it’s time to get up now.”

 

“Ugh… damn you, boss…”

 

He groaned and opened his eyes, scowling at me.

 

“If you’re so eager to die, go do it yourself! Why drag me into this?!”

 

Well, because I had no plans of dying alone. I didn’t want to die at all. And I definitely wasn’t going to say goodbye to this world with Seo Do-hwan in tow.

 

“They’re awake! What do we do?!”

 

“Kill them!”

 

“I told you we should’ve buried them!”

 

The junkies panicked, yelling and scrambling.

 

In the chaos, I picked up a plastic bag that had fallen earlier—the same one the guy dropped when I headbutted him.

 

“Boss, why are you picking that up?”

 

“Because Mr. Seo Do-hwan might need it.”

 

“For me?”

 

Seo Do-hwan looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I was about to flash a smile and explain when—

 

“Boss! Behind you!!”

 

I turned my head at Seo Do-hwan’s shout and quickly ducked.

 

A fist flew over my head—

 

“Gah!”

 

—and hit Seo Do-hwan square in the face.

 

“Damn. I was aiming for the boss,” the guy muttered, clicking his tongue.

 

It was a familiar face—T.U’s bouncer, Kim Chul-man.

 

Smiling coldly, I asked, “Trying to get yourself fired?”

 

“Still cracking jokes in a situation like this? And for the record—”

 

He raised his fist.

 

“—I have no intention of working under a brat like you!”

 

“Oh, is that so?” I said with a smirk.

 

“Well then—you’re fired.”

 

I pulled a stun gun from my coat pocket and shocked him.

 

“Gaaaghhkk!”

 

Kim Chul-man let out a hideous cry and dropped to the ground.

 

Thud.

 

As he collapsed, Seo Do-hwan—still clutching his face—looked at me in disbelief. The junkies wore the same expression.

 

“Wait—what?! Didn’t we take that from him?!”

 

They had.

 

Those junkies took my stun gun. Or rather, I dropped it when I blacked out.

 

So what was I holding now?

 

Another one, obviously.

 

I always carry a backup in case the first one gets lost or taken.

 

That’s the rule for third-gen chaebols: always be ready to defend yourself. Preferably with two tools.

 

Well, my rule, at least.

 

“Shit! Let’s all rush him!”

 

Oh no, you don’t.

 

I raised the stun gun again.

 

Bzzzzt!

 

It sparked, glowing a fierce blue—beautiful, really.

 

“Try me,” I warned.

 

At that moment, I was ready to zap anyone who dared make a move.

 

Apparently, the threat worked. The junkies froze, then began backing away. No one seemed eager to end up like Kim Chul-man.

 

Still on guard, I turned to Seo Do-hwan.

 

“Mr. Seo Do-hwan, I need your help.”

 

“How am I supposed to help when I’m still tied up?!” he snapped.

 

“And even if you untie me, do you really think I can take on all of them?! Look around! It’s impossible!”

 

He wasn’t wrong.

 

But even so—

 

“Numbers don’t matter.”

 

I tore open the plastic bag and dipped my hand into the drugs. Seo Do-hwan looked bewildered by what I was doing and asked.

 

“Boss, what are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re about to get high right now? Wait—were you a junkie this whole time?!”

 

Says the real junkie. Well, former—for now.

 

I ignored him and raised my powder-covered hand.

 

Then—

 

“Mmph!”

 

—I clamped it over Seo Do-hwan’s mouth.

 

“Go on. Inhale.”

 

“Mm! Mmmph!!”

 

He struggled violently, muffled protests escaping his throat. Judging from the tone, he was probably swearing at me.

 

“What the hell are they doing?”

 

“Looks like that guy’s trying to drug Seo Do-hwan.”

 

“You think I didn’t notice?!”

 

“Doesn’t matter. Now’s our chance—get him!!”

 

“Hyaaah!”

 

A junkie came charging at me with a club—who knows where he got it from.

 

I moved fast and dodged.

 

But Seo Do-hwan wasn’t so lucky.

 

Thwack!

 

The club struck him in the head and he collapsed. He could’ve dodged, but with the struggle and forced inhalation, he probably wasn’t in full control.

 

Thankfully, he wasn’t seriously injured. Not that getting hit was fortunate—but in this situation, it was good that he’d inhaled the drug.

 

“Shit!”

 

The guy who struck Seo Do-hwan cursed and raised the club again—but this time, he didn’t get the chance to swing.

 

“Argh!”

 

In the blink of an eye, the club was snatched away, and the attacker was hurled into a pile of drugs. It had been a while since I’d seen someone literally go flying.

 

“Boss,” said Seo Do-hwan, who had just flung the junkie aside.

 

He staggered to his feet, glaring at me.

 

“What the hell did you do to me?”

 

His voice was sharp and accusatory. But I just smiled casually and said,

 

“Don’t look at me like that. All I did was awaken the power that was already inside you, Mr. Seo Do-hwan.”

 

“The power I already had?”

 

His already fierce expression twisted into something even more terrifying. Any ordinary kid would’ve broken into tears just from the sight.

 

Blood trickled down from the spot where he’d been struck with the club, dyeing his red hair and flushed face even darker—he looked less like a person and more like a demon risen straight from hell.

 

But that only applied to people seeing him like this for the first time.

 

I’d seen Seo Do-hwan like this plenty of times before, so it didn’t faze me at all.

 

Instead, I just gave him a pleasant little smile.

 

Seo Do-hwan scoffed in disbelief and twisted his lips.

 

“You’d better explain everything to me later.”

 

He meant who I really was.

 

I nodded at his low, ominous tone.

 

“Anytime.”

 

I’d always intended to tell him. That was the only way to get him to open up. Seo Do-hwan wasn’t the kind of person to trust unless you laid all your cards on the table.

 

That was something I’d learned through 365 regressions.

 

As I watched him, blood still dripping as he marched toward the drug dealers, I couldn’t help but smile.

 

This moment—it was Seo Do-hwan’s time to shine.

 

He tossed aside the club he’d taken and smiled just like I did.

 

“Hey, you.”

 

Santa—the bastard who was still recording everything on his phone—flinched and looked around in a panic.

 

“Who are you looking for? I’m talking to you, dumbass.”

 

Seo Do-hwan said it with a laugh.

 

“What exactly are you filming?”

 

In the next instant, he was standing right in front of Santa.

 

“Gyaaah!”

 

Santa, who had been recording so eagerly, shrieked and fell back on his ass.

 

Seo Do-hwan crouched in front of him and muttered, “You said you wanted to film me getting high, right? Well then—go ahead. Take your shot.”

 

And he grinned—like a man completely out of his mind.

 

Correction—he was out of his mind.