The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 42 - Lee Man-deuk (3)

 

 

I had no intention of helping Lee Man-deuk so easily. My plan was to take what I wanted first, and only then offer him “help”—the kind of help that could easily turn into a knife in his back.

 

At any rate, Lee Man-deuk said:

 

—Please, tell me anything! I swear I can handle it! Whatever the condition, I’ll accept it!

 

Of course he would. Without my help, he’d be endlessly harassed at his company.

 

Smiling at the desperation in his voice, I asked, “Would it be possible for me to obtain some Magic Stones?”

 

A brief silence followed. The word seemed to have caught him completely off guard. After a moment, Lee Man-deuk stammered:

 

—…Magic Stones?

 

“Yes.”

 

To make sure he hadn’t misheard, I added:

 

“You wouldn’t tell me you don’t know what Magic Stones are, would you? Not when you call yourself a magician.”

 

That must have struck home.

 

After a couple of awkward coughs, Lee Man-deuk asked:

 

—How on earth do you know about something like that, CEO?

 

“Didn’t I say I’d answer all your questions the next time we meet?”

 

In other words, his curiosity about me would have to wait. Fortunately, the magician seemed to catch my meaning. Instead of pressing further, he said:

 

—I can’t give you much. Do you know how difficult it is to get Magic Stones in this world?

 

“You’re not getting them—you’re making them.”

 

In the first place, there were no magic stones in this world. The only reason Lee Man-deuk had any was that he’d learned to craft them using materials from this world.

 

—…CEO, it really feels like there’s nothing you don’t know about me.

 

Of course. Across 365 cycles of time, I had crossed paths with Lee Man-deuk and become entangled with him in countless worlds. And just as countless were the times he had betrayed me.

 

Betrayal wasn’t all—I’d been stabbed in the back, literally and figuratively. Just remembering it made my teeth clench, but I swallowed the bitter anger and set the meeting.

 

“Then, when shall we meet? We’ll discuss the trouble you’re facing at that time.”

 

—Alright. And I’ll finally get to know who you really are, won’t I?

 

Lee Man-deuk asked with a smile.

 

—Can I decide the place and time?

 

“Of course. Send me a message.”

 

—Yes! I’ll see you soon!

 

With that, the call ended. As I stared at the darkened screen, Seo Do-hwan asked:

 

“When did you exchange contact information with Man-deuk?”

 

Man-deuk, huh.

 

“Seo Do-hwan, I clearly said Lee Man-deuk is—”

 

“One year older than us. But I don’t feel like calling someone I’ve never even met ‘hyung.’”

 

Well, whatever Seo Do-hwan wanted to call him was his business. Instead of nagging, I explained:

 

“I ran into him by chance when my grandfather had his accident. I gave him my card then—told him to call if he ever got into trouble.”

 

“So this call must be about that trouble?”

 

“Yeah. He’s probably in quite a bind.”

 

That’s why he had reached out to me like this.

 

As I grinned…

 

[010-□32■-12■□]

 

https://Ridis.me/IFjFSYPz

 

Would it be possible to meet at this location at 3 p.m.?

 

A message came through. Naturally, it was from Lee Man-deuk.

 

After saving his number, I turned to Seo Do-hwan.

 

“Are you free tomorrow?”

 

He nodded.

 

“Yoo-seong most likely can’t… since he has school.”

 

“I’m free tomorrow!”

 

Bang!

 

The door swung open so forcefully it bent in half.

 

“Ack! Sorry!”

 

“…No, it’s fine.”

 

I answered reluctantly, then called the staff to have the door replaced. Meanwhile, Seo Do-hwan started talking to Lee Yoo-seong.

 

“Don’t you have school tomorrow?”

 

“I do, but I’ll finish early! Exams start tomorrow!”

 

“Exams? What kind?”

 

“Finals.”

 

Seo Do-hwan’s eyes widened.

 

“Already? More importantly—have you even studied?”

 

“Of course! And besides, I’ll do fine even without studying. Which means—”

 

Thud!

 

Lee Yoo-seong slammed both hands on my desk and declared:

 

“I’m free tomorrow too!”

 

Well then.

 

“In that case, Yoo-seong, will you help me out tomorrow?”

 

“Yes! Of course!”

 

He beamed brightly, while Seo Do-hwan frowned in worry.

 

“But are you sure about tomorrow?”

 

Tomorrow was the day Victory would begin promotions for their follow-up track.

 

“It’s fine. I can monitor things in between.”

 

Besides, WF Entertainment wasn’t the kind of company that would collapse overnight just because I was absent. In fact, it was already functioning without me.

 

“Still, won’t Ye-seong hyung be disappointed?”

 

“Kang Ye-seong would be too busy watching Nike, even if I came to see the stage in person.”

 

“But Yoon-hoo hyung, you’re Nike too.”

 

Nike, huh…

 

Well, given what I’d shown so far, it was only natural they’d think that way. Without a word, I patted Lee Yoo-seong’s head and said:

 

“Anyway, I’ll be counting on you tomorrow.”

 

“But boss, why do you even need us? Planning to stir up trouble with Man-deuk or something?”

 

“Who knows.”

 

Maybe it was because of my evasive answer, but Seo Do-hwan asked nervously:

 

“…You’re not actually planning to cause trouble, are you?”

 

I only smiled in silence.

 

And so, the next day arrived.

 

***

 

“CEO Kwak! Over here!”

 

“Hello, Mr. Lee Man-deuk.”

 

The moment he spotted me, Lee Man-deuk shot to his feet.

 

“You don’t know how relieved I was when you said you’d help me!”

 

“I never actually said I’d help you.”

 

I smiled as I sat down across from him. Lee Man-deuk gave a strained laugh and quickly offered me a pouch.

 

“Here. The Magic Stones you asked for.”

 

When I opened it, several small stones sparkled like crystals inside.

 

“If you’d like, I can process them into whatever form you need. After all, no one but a magician can use them as they are.”

 

“Then could you make them into the form of a weapon?”

 

“Of course!”

 

Lee Man-deuk smiled broadly, as if to say, Just leave it to me.

 

“As long as CEO Kwak is willing to help me, I can shape them into anything at all!”

 

Just as I thought.

 

“Then I’ll ask you for that another time.”

 

“Not now?”

 

“Right now, I want to focus on helping you with your request.”

 

Lee Man-deuk’s face brightened instantly.

 

“Thank you!”

 

He soon began explaining his situation and the many troubles he’d been facing.

 

“You don’t know how hard it’s been. I only reached out because you said I could call if I ever needed help…”

 

He clearly doubted I could really do anything for him. His eyes weighed me, testing me. I answered with a calm smile:

 

“I’ll take care of it right away.”

 

I picked up my phone and dialed.

 

—Yes, young master.

 

“Handle the matter I asked you about earlier. Do it now.”

 

—Understood.

 

Not long after I hung up, Lee Man-deuk’s phone rang.

 

“Hello? Yes, Manager. Really?!”

 

His eyes flew wide as he looked at me. I met his gaze with a faint smile and silently mouthed the words:

 

‘Satisfied?’

 

Catching my lips, Lee Man-deuk swallowed hard and gave a small nod.

 

“…Yes.”

 

With that, he ended the call with his superior.

 

“CEO Kwak.”

 

“Yes, Mr. Lee Man-deuk?”

 

“How on earth did you do that?”

 

“Curious, are you?”

 

“Of course I am! Just who exactly are you, CEO Kwak?”

 

“Come to think of it, didn’t I say I’d explain everything you’re curious about the next time we met?”

 

“Yes!”

 

His eyes sparkled with anticipation. I let out a short laugh and stood.

 

“CEO Kwak?”

 

He tilted his head, puzzled at why I’d suddenly risen.

 

“Let’s move somewhere else.”

 

Because here, I couldn’t stab him in the back at my leisure.

 

Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud, so instead I added lightly:

 

“I think you’ll like it too, Mr. Lee Man-deuk.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

He hesitated briefly, then nodded.

 

“Alright!”

 

Apparently, he’d decided that if anything happened, he could easily subdue someone like me. And in theory, he could. But the truth was—it was me who could crush him in an instant.

 

Either way, I led him to a nearby junkyard.

 

“This place is…”

 

“It’s where Victory filmed the music video for their follow-up track, Cheol-i.”

 

“Whoa!”

 

Lee Man-deuk took a deep breath and exclaimed in admiration.

 

“No wonder it looked so familiar!”

 

“You’ve seen the music video, right?”

 

“Of course! I’ve watched it more than ten times!”

 

Clasping his hands together like he was praying, he asked eagerly:

 

“Cheol-i—that’s a diss track against that bastard Gaechul, isn’t it? I knew it the moment I heard it!”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Cheol-i was officially a dedication song to Kim Sang-cheol, the former CEO of King. But in truth, as Lee Man-deuk guessed, it was a diss track aimed squarely at him.

 

By now, Kim Sang-cheol had probably listened to Cheol-i dozens upon dozens of times in prison. After all, I’d gone out of my way to ask the guards to keep playing it for him.

 

“Do you like it?”

 

“Yes! I really do!”

 

Lee Man-deuk beamed, laughing brightly as he looked around the set.

 

“I really love it here!”

 

“I’m glad to hear that.”

 

And I meant it. Smiling faintly, I pulled a magic stone from my pocket.

 

“Why are you suddenly pulling that out…?”

 

“There’s something I need to check.”

 

Stone in hand, I walked toward a half-collapsed truck, little more than wreckage.

 

“They say magic stones respond to the mana of the mage who shaped them.”

 

That was true for naturally formed stones.

 

But the ones Lee Man-deuk had given me were different—crafted by his own hands. Which meant they should react to his mana even without being refined.

 

At that, Lee Man-deuk pursed his lips in surprise.

 

“Wow, you even know that? CEO Kwak, what are you, really?”

 

“I’m the same as you, Lee Man-deuk—a returnee.”

 

I revealed the truth without hesitation and brought the stone close to the truck.

 

At once, it began to glow.

 

Like sunlight scattering through a prism, dazzling sparks of light danced across its surface. My face twisted at the sight.

 

“Mr. Lee Man-deuk, do you know what kind of truck this is?”

 

“Hmm? Isn’t it just a prop?”

 

A prop…

 

I let out a quiet laugh, then fixed my gaze on him.

 

“When I first met you, there was that huge accident, remember?”

 

“Of course. You grabbed me by the collar back then, insisting I caused it.”

 

Lee Man-deuk grumbled about how unfair it had been. My face hardened as I spat out the words:

 

“This truck was the very one that started that accident.”

 

“Ah, I see. You actually brought it here? Strange, I don’t remember it in the Gaechul MV.”

 

“We moved it here after shooting.”

 

A faint smile tugged at my lips before slipping away.

 

“Mr. Lee Man-deuk.”

 

Taking a deliberate step closer, I asked quietly:

 

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

 

The one who caused the accident.

 

Lee Man-deuk blinked, feigning confusion, then slowly curved his lips into a smile.

 

“Ah, so you’ve figured it out.”