The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 46 - The Star's Oath (2)

 

 

“…C-CEO? CEO?!”

 

Startled, I blinked wide-eyed and looked around.

 

“CEO?”

 

When I turned toward the voice, Chris was standing there.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

I blinked blankly a few times, then pressed my fingertips against my eyes. I must’ve still been exhausted from everything with Lee Man-deuk. To think I’d let thoughts of the Star’s Oath distract me this much—

 

‘To the point it’s interfering with work.’

 

Letting out a small sigh, I answered, “Yes, I’m fine. Just had a few things on my mind.”

 

“Because of the kids?”

 

By “kids,” Chris of course meant Victory.

 

“You know their results are great! So don’t worry too much!”

 

Just as Chris said, Victory’s activities were going smoothly.

 

Their follow-up song had taken first place on music shows, and offers for variety programs and commercials were flooding in.

 

Victory’s comeback was, without question, a success story.

 

So I simply replied, “Yes, Chris.”

 

“Don’t just say that—try taking it easy at work once in a while!”

 

“I suppose I should.”

 

Because I didn’t want to die from overwork.

 

More importantly—

 

“The one who asked you to cause that “accident”… was he the same kind of returnee as me?”

 

Thinking back to Lee Man-deuk’s answer only made me more certain that I had to hold on tightly this round.

 

“Speaking of which, CEO, you didn’t come to the last company dinner, did you?”

 

“Huh? Ah, that’s right.”

 

Was it because of Kim Sang-cheol? Either way, something had come up, and I hadn’t managed to attend.

 

‘I only remember getting the company card back afterward.’

 

I hadn’t even bothered to check how much they’d spent.

 

Chris, still hung up on it, whined, “Everyone was waiting for you!”

 

“I’ll make sure to come next time.”

 

“Really? The others were saying it might be time for another dinner anyway!”

 

“Already?”

 

“Yeah! Since the kids are wrapping up their follow-up promotions!”

 

It felt like they were having company dinners a bit too often…

 

‘Well, everyone’s in high spirits these days. Might as well think positively.’

 

Even so, I didn’t think I’d be able to make it this time either.

 

“Chris, when are you planning to have the company dinner?”

 

“Today? Or tomorrow works too!”

 

I pulled the company card from my wallet and handed it to him.

 

“I don’t think I can make it this time either. I’ll definitely join the next one, so go ahead and enjoy yourselves.”

 

“What about you, CEO?”

 

“I’ve got work.”

 

“Even if we hold it tomorrow?”

 

“Yes.”

 

I stood up and grabbed my coat.

 

“I’m heading out on a business trip.”

 

“Huh? A business trip?”

 

Chris’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“It came up suddenly. Tell Team Leader Hong Ha-jin and the others to contact me directly if there’s anything urgent. For everything else, just leave it on my desk.”

 

“Uh—y-yes, got it.”

 

Leaving his reluctant reply behind, I strode out of the office.

 

I’d tried to focus on work, but my thoughts kept circling back to the Star’s Oath I’d made with Lee Man-deuk. I needed to move—do something—before I drowned in them.

 

After all—

 

“The one who asked you to cause that accident… was he the same kind of returnee as me?”

 

Lee Man-deuk’s answer had been:

 

“Yes, a returnee.”

 

That was the truth. Undeniable.

 

The memory of his amused voice made my brow furrow.

 

Only two returnees remained now:

 

Han Yeong-won, from The Return of the Mad Heavenly Demon.

 

And Ji Geon-hyuk.

 

I still didn’t know which of the two had given that order. That damned mage had vanished the moment the Star’s Oath ended, and I’d been too shaken by his answer to stop him.

 

Either way, I had no choice but to move forward.

 

“Boss, over here.”

 

I had decided to track down the two returnees I hadn’t yet met in this round.

 

First—Ji Geon-hyuk.

 

‘I hate to suspect him like this, but…’

 

Thinking back to the last round, he was someone I had a deep, bitter connection with.

 

***

 

“Why are we going to Seoul Station, of all places?”

 

“I told you, I have someone to meet.”

 

“That’s not the point—why Seoul Station?”

 

Seo Do-hwan grumbled, his expression sour.

 

“You know there are tons of homeless people around Seoul Station, right? Can’t you pick somewhere else to meet?”

 

“I can’t.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because the person I’m meeting is a homeless man at Seoul Station.”

 

“What?!”

 

SCREECH!

Seo Do-hwan slammed on the brakes of his red sports car. Fortunately, the light had just turned red—otherwise, the car behind them might’ve crashed straight into them.

Whether he realized it or not, Seo Do-hwan snapped at me, his voice sharp with disbelief.

“Don’t you know how notorious the homeless around Seoul Station are?! What if they gang up on you and rob you? They don’t care whether you’re rich or poor! Actually, if you’re rich, that’s even better—they’ll just squeeze you harder!”

 

“Well then, I suppose I’ll just get squeezed.”

 

“Hey! Kwak Yoon-hoo!”

 

Seo Do-hwan practically screamed.

 

“I don’t care how much money you have—what if they hurt you? What if your life’s in danger?!”

 

“That’s why you’re coming with me, Seo Do-hwan.”

 

To make sure I wouldn’t get hurt—or worse.

 

Seo Do-hwan let out a laugh of pure disbelief.

 

“And what if I wasn’t around?”

 

Since I’d never considered that, I simply shrugged. That only seemed to irritate him further; he clicked his tongue and popped a candy into his mouth.

 

“I’m telling your grandpa everything.”

 

“Seo Do-hwan, you know my grandfather’s still in the hospital, right? Let him focus on recovering.”

 

“You’re basically asking me to keep secrets from him, you know that?”

 

Crunch.

 

Seo Do-hwan bit down on his candy, scowling.

 

“So why are you meeting this homeless guy, anyway? Don’t tell me he’s a returnee?”

 

After getting close with Lee Yoo-seong, he’d gotten a lot sharper.

 

“Wait… he really is?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Seo Do-hwan gaped, then frowned.

 

“What, some homeless guy went off to another world too? Or was it a possession or something?”

 

He muttered to himself, tossing out wild guesses, before suddenly shooting me a sharp look.

 

“Either way, boss—when we get to Seoul Station, don’t you dare wander off alone.”

 

He looked ready to turn the car around if I didn’t agree, so I gave him a small nod.

 

“Got it. Don’t worry.”

 

“As if I could not worry.”

 

Seo Do-hwan grumbled as he drove smoothly through the changing traffic light.

 

“Seriously… first it was when I met you, then with Lee Yoo-seong and Kang Ye-seong too—you always throw yourself into things without a shred of fear.”

 

“Do I?”

 

“Yes, you do!”

 

Seo Do-hwan puffed up, clearly proud of his retort, and continued nagging.

 

“Since we’re on the subject—did you really grab that crazy bastard by the collar and shake him, boss?”

 

“Who?”

 

“Lee Man-deuk! That damned mage!”

 

“Oh.”

 

It must’ve been Lee Yoo-seong who told him. Or maybe Kang Ye-seong.

 

“What the hell were you thinking? You knew that crazy mage bastard—what if he’d snapped at you?!”

 

Honestly, Seo Do-hwan had a point.

 

Even I had to admit I’d been too emotional. But it wasn’t as though I’d acted without any thought at all.

 

“You know Yoo-seong was right there.”

 

“Boss, seriously…”

 

As if he’d already expected that answer, Seo Do-hwan’s face twisted.

 

“Neither I nor Lee Yoo-seong are gonna stay by your side forever. For once, take care of yourself.”

 

He wasn’t wrong. Neither Seo Do-hwan nor Lee Yoo-seong would always be with me. Sooner or later, they’d go on to live their own lives.

 

But I couldn’t even picture that. Probably because, across all 365 regressions, not a single returnee had ever truly managed to “live their own life.”

 

Well… in the last round, they’d come close.

 

‘Let’s not think about it.’

 

That was a failed timeline. Brooding over a past already gone wouldn’t change anything. What mattered was not repeating it. That was why I answered,

 

“Yeah. I’ll be careful.”

 

Because in this final round I’d chosen, failure wasn’t an option. Because I wanted to turn the future Seo Do-hwan feared into something better.

 

Seo Do-hwan didn’t look convinced—his expression full of doubt—but he didn’t press me further. Before long, we arrived at Seoul Station.

 

***

 

The moment we got there, I began looking for Ji Geon-hyuk.

 

The first place I checked was the farthest corner of the station. I was sure I’d find him there again, but… he wasn’t.

 

“He’s not here?”

 

“…Yeah. He’s not.”

 

The spot where Ji Geon-hyuk should’ve been crouched was now taken by another homeless man. Still, it wasn’t impossible he was somewhere else this time. After all, I’d never once come looking for him at this point before.

 

“What’s the name of the guy you’re looking for again?”

 

“Ji Geon-hyuk.”

 

Seo Do-hwan repeated the three syllables a few times as if to memorize them, then strode toward a group of homeless people.

 

“Hey, mister. You happen to know a guy named Ji Geon-hyuk?”

 

He asked in a sullen tone.

 

“Who?”

 

“Ji Geon-hyuk.”

 

Crack!

 

Seo Do-hwan easily bent the steel frame and spoke in a low, threatening voice.

 

“You’d better talk while I’m asking nicely.”

 

But that wasn’t going to make them talk.

 

Instead—

 

“H-Hiii…!”

 

Terrified, the homeless men stared at him as if he were some kind of monster.

 

The group, once huddled together, now trembled at the raw display of strength. Seeing their faces pale with fear, it was clear we weren’t going to get any information that way.

 

I was about to step forward and take a gentler approach when—

 

“Excuse me, but—”

 

“Don’t know.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I don’t know a damn thing about the guy that bastard’s looking for.”

 

Before I could even ask properly, one of the men cut me off in a sharp, evasive tone. And it wasn’t just him—all the others nearby were staring at me and Seo Do-hwan with wary eyes.

 

‘This is bad.’

 

Maybe I should’ve brought Lee Yoo-seong instead of Seo Do-hwan.

 

‘Or better yet, come alone like I always did before.’

 

That was my mistake. But this time, I couldn’t come alone.

 

Lee Man-deuk had made it clear—the accident involving my grandfather had been caused at the request of another returnee. And that returnee knew Lee Man-deuk was one of us.

 

365 regressions.

 

And in all that time, nothing like this had ever happened. Until now, returnees had never known about each other before meeting me. Each believed they were the only one in this world who had gone through it.

 

We all thought so.

 

‘So why has it changed?’

 

Seo Do-hwan, Lee Yoo-seong, Kang Ye-seong… everything with them had played out just as I remembered, and I’d managed to handle it.

 

But with Lee Man-deuk, it hadn’t. And I could bet the two remaining returnees would cause just as much trouble—if not worse.

 

‘Why?’

 

My mind grew tangled with questions I couldn’t answer—when suddenly,

 

“Hey, you.”

 

One of the homeless men called out to me.