The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 43 - Lee Man-deuk (4)

 

 

“How did you know?” Lee Man-deuk asked, genuinely curious.

 

“If CEO Kwak were a returnee like me, a non-magician wouldn’t have noticed,” he muttered to himself, then came to a conclusion. “Now that I think about it, there’s only one possible way.”

 

Magic Stones.

 

When he saw it gleaming in my hand, Lee Man-deuk laughed.

 

“CEO Kwak, so you thought I caused that accident from the start? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have left the truck that started the whole thing here.”

 

And then—

 

“You wouldn’t have demanded Magic Stones as a condition either. Right?”

 

He added that question, but I didn’t answer. I simply stared at him. Seeing my gaze, Lee Man-deuk smirked, amused.

 

That smirk got on my nerves.

 

“Is this funny to you right now?” I snapped.

 

“Why shouldn’t I laugh?”

 

Of course he shouldn’t.

 

My face twisted and I shouted,

 

“My one and only family got caught up in the accident you caused!”

 

“I know,” Lee Man-deuk said calmly. Then, as if it were nothing, “Isn’t it fine since he didn’t die? As far as I know, he wasn’t seriously injured either.”

 

His casual tone struck me like a blow. Did he really just say that?

 

I fell silent, stunned. Lee Man-deuk continued, smiling. “Go ahead and call the police if you want.”

 

There was no way I could. How could I prove to the police that Lee Man-deuk used magic?

 

‘They’d think I was crazy.’

 

He knew that too. That was why he said it.

 

I clenched my teeth. I wanted nothing more than to punch his smug face — but I knew what would happen. The moment I reached for him, he’d use magic to escape, or worse, manipulate my memories or control me. So I held back.

 

“Oh? You’re not attacking me? I was sure you would.”

 

“And if I did, you’d just stand there and take it?”

 

“Of course not.” Lee Man-deuk chuckled. “I hate getting hurt more than anything. What a shame. I had so many questions for you, CEO Kwak…”

 

Just as his figure began to fade—

 

“I suppose that’ll have to wait for another time.”

 

He suddenly reappeared right in front of me. Inches away.

 

I saw his hand shoot toward me, and at the same time, light scattered around us as he prepared to cast a spell.

 

But just as Lee Man-deuk was about to unleash it—

 

Thwack!

 

The sound of bone cracking and flesh tearing filled the air, and Lee Man-deuk’s figure vanished.

 

Thud.

 

The impact snapped me back to reality. Seo Do-hwan and Lee Yoo-seong had arrived with perfect timing, hidden well enough that Lee Man-deuk hadn’t noticed.

 

“Are you okay, Yoon-hoo hyung?” Lee Yoo-seong asked urgently.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I answered.

 

More importantly—

 

“Is that bastard dead or what?”

 

As Seo Do-hwan pointed out, I couldn’t help but worry. Since he hadn’t triggered a regression, he was probably still alive—but even so…

 

It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had died. After all, he’d been smashed straight into a wall.

 

“Was that you, Seo Do-hwan?”

 

“No—Lee Yoo-seong did it.”

 

Seo Do-hwan admitted that before he could even throw a punch, Lee Yoo-seong had dashed forward at a speed the eye could hardly follow and sent the bastard flying.

 

“Boss, you do realize that if it weren’t for Lee Yoo-seong, you’d be in deep trouble, right?”

 

I nodded and said again, “Thanks, Yoo-seong.”

 

“No problem, Yoon-hoo hyung.” Lee Yoo-seong offered a small smile.

 

Still—  

 

‘No matter how many times I witness it, it’s unbelievable.’

 

The power to smash someone straight into a wall… I reminded myself, yet again, never to pick a fight with Lee Yoo-seong.

 

“So, what do we do with him?” Lee Yoo-seong asked.

 

The mage was still stuck in the wall, though not so badly injured that he’d need a hospital.

 

“Let’s tie him up first.”

 

“Tie him up — will that be enough?” Seo Do-hwan asked.

 

“No.” That bastard would run the moment he woke. Even tied up, he’d find a way.

 

‘I wish I could use the Magic Stones,’ I thought. Unfortunately, only Lee Man-deuk could use them properly. Still, there were other ways to stop him.

 

I took the rope Lee Yoo-seong had brought and bound Lee Man-deuk tightly, then pulled several tasers from my coat and clipped them into the gaps between the ropes.

 

“…Boss, what are you doing?” Seo Do-hwan asked.

 

“Making sure this bastard can’t slip away so easily.”

 

“That’s…?”

 

“Mmhm.” I finished, satisfied.

 

I stepped back and pulled a small remote from my pocket.

 

“And what’s that supposed to be?”

 

“A remote control.” If I hit ON, the tasers would activate. Seo Do-hwan gave me a strange look.

 

“What? Is there a problem?”

 

“A problem…” He hesitated, eyes full of things unsaid, then shook his head. “Forget it. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

 

Anyway, we had the damned mage in our hands. Smiling broadly, I pulled out my phone—not to snap a picture of Lee Man-deuk in his sorry state, of course—

 

“Hello?”

 

—but to call in extra safety measures, in case he snapped and went on a rampage.

 

***

 

“Boss, don’t you think it’s about time we woke him up?”

 

It was late. Lee Man-deuk was still out cold. Seo Do-hwan had a point, so I asked how he planned to wake him.

 

“Going to pour cold water on him?” I offered.

 

Now that I thought about it, that sounded like a decent idea — the tasers would work even better with a splash. But Seo Do-hwan shook his head.

 

“Nope.” Then he strode up to Lee Man-deuk and — smack! — slapped the mage across the cheek.

 

Lee Yoo-seong gasped. I just stared at Seo Do-hwan like a raccoon watching its cotton candy dissolve.

 

Grabbing Lee Man-deuk by the hair, Seo Do-hwan grinned. “Best way to wake a bastard out cold. Sure, dumping water works too, but that’s way too gentle, don’t you think?”

 

“Uh… um…” 

 

“Anyway, look. He’s up, isn’t he?”

 

As if on cue, Lee Man-deuk stirred.

 

The problem was—

 

“You… fuckers…!”

 

He was furious. Lee Man-deuk bared his teeth like a beast ready to lunge, and, sure enough, a sparkling light began to manifest around him.

 

Such a blatant flash of light only appeared when he was about to cast a spell powerful enough to obliterate everything nearby.

 

Seeing the sign, I pressed the remote I was holding.

 

Zap!

 

“Ughk!”

 

Sparks crackled as Lee Man-deuk groaned, and the shimmering light around him vanished in an instant.

 

Grinning with satisfaction, I said,

 

“Magic needs all kinds of precise calculations. If even one number is off—” I let the sentence hang. “If the casting is interrupted, the spell won’t complete.”

 

Lee Man-deuk glared at me, eyes bloodshot. “CEO Kwak, did you lie to me?”

 

“A lie?”

 

“Yes.” 

 

His face, already fierce, twisted into something even uglier.

 

“You know so much about magic.”

 

He sounded incredulous. I couldn’t help but laugh a little. Lee Man-deuk’s expression only hardened further—he must have thought I was mocking him.

 

“Tell me honestly.” The mage bared his teeth and demanded, “You lied to me, didn’t you?”

 

“No way.” I answered flatly, then made sure to say it straight. “You’re the one who lied, Mr. Lee Man-deuk.”

 

He’d been the one to deny causing my grandfather’s accident. Lee Man-deuk fell silent for a moment, then asked quietly, as if weighing his options, “What do you want from me?”

 

What I wanted… Part of me wanted to say I hoped he’d bite his tongue and die, but I couldn’t. If he died, I would, too — well, I’d just return again. Still, I couldn’t say that. I forced the rage down and spoke in a calm voice.

 

“First, use the Magic Stones to make a weapon for Seo Do-hwan.”

 

“Seo Do-hwan?”

 

“Yeah — the one who woke you up.” Seo Do-hwan waved cheerfully at Lee Man-deuk. Although his greeting didn’t seem very warm, Lee Man-deuk’s face contorted even more.

 

‘Not my problem.’ No matter how he felt, I went on.

 

“And second…” I fixed my gaze on the mage and asked, “I want to know why you caused that accident.”

 

The magician’s lips twisted. Judging from his expression, he wasn’t going to reveal the answer easily. I was just about to press the remote again when—

 

“Fine.” Lee Man-deuk finally spoke. “But I’d rather tell only you. If the others hear, it might cause… complications.”

 

Although his intention was obvious, I still agreed. “Alright.” I decided to play along. Seo Do-hwan and Lee Yoo-seong were right there, and the backup I’d called would arrive soon. Keeping a firm grip on the remote, I stepped closer and stood before him.

 

“Now, tell me.”

 

“Closer,” he said.

 

That bastard mage. I wanted nothing more than to slap him across the face like Seo Do-hwan had, but I swallowed it and did as he asked.

 

And then his answer came.

 

“Why should I tell you anything?”

 

Not what I’d been hoping for.

 

As I reached to activate the remote in response to his sardonic tone, he suddenly hurled himself at me, knocking me backward.

 

“Ugh!” The damned mage had used his bound body as a weapon.

 

“Yoon-hoo hyung!”

 

“Kwak Yoon-hoo!”

 

Lee Yoo-seong and Seo Do-hwan tried to move, but—

 

“You two better stay right there,” Lee Man-deuk snarled. “Unless you want to watch this guy die.” He grabbed me and moved faster than the others could react. The magician, now free of his restraints, chuckled — though the laugh was short-lived.

 

“CEO, are you here?”

 

The backup I’d called arrived at the perfect moment.

 

“Mr. Seo Do-hwan?” Kang Ye-seong’s eyes widened. “And Yoo-seong too?”

 

“Ye-seong hyung!” Yoo-seong called, delighted.

 

At the sight of him, Lee Man-deuk let out a shaky sigh. “Muse…?” He looked as if he’d seen a celestial being—so moved he might faint. He had already forgotten about me. Which is why—

 

Whack!

 

I struck his jaw with the back of my head. Lee Man-deuk collapsed without a sound.

 

“Uhm, CEO?”

 

“Perfect timing, Ye-seong.” I rubbed the back of my throbbing head and gestured for him to sit.

 

“Why don’t you sit down first?”

 

Kang Ye-seong just stared, dumbfounded. As for me—I was already seated. Right on top of the unconscious Lee Man-deuk.