The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 49 - Yesterday’s Enemy, Today’s Ally (1)

 

A complete mess

 

The soup kitchen for the homeless was in utter disarray, as if a storm had torn through it. In the middle of the wreckage, Lee Man-deuk lay sprawled on the floor, exhaling weakly.

 

He must’ve blacked out for a moment without realizing it. Beside him, Lee Deok-soon and Lee Soon-deuk clung to his sides.

 

“Oppa, are you okay?”

 

“Those guys already left.”

 

“The handsome oppa said to call him with his business card if anything happens.”

 

“And he took care of everything for us.”

 

“He looked rich, too.”

 

Just like his siblings said—Kwak Yoon-hoo was rich.

 

‘And handsome, too,’ he admitted grudgingly.

 

He hated to admit it, but it was true. In Lee Man-deuk’s opinion, Kwak Yoon-hoo was the best-looking guy around—second only to the six members of Victory.

 

But that didn’t change the fact that he’d lost. Not even to Kwak Yoon-hoo, but to the guy following him around like a sidekick—Seo Do-hwan.

 

“Damn it…”

 

Even though he hadn’t been able to use magic properly at the time, he never expected to lose that badly.

 

‘I even used enhancement magic!’

 

And yet Seo Do-hwan didn’t have a single scratch. No matter how many punches or kicks he landed, the guy was completely unscathed.

 

‘What the hell is he?’

 

The answer was obvious—he was a returnee.

 

Lee Man-deuk grimaced at his own rhetorical thought. He’d assumed that after the Star’s Oath, he’d never have to deal with those people again. Clearly, that had been wishful thinking.

 

‘Damn it.’

 

If there was ever a bad string of fate, this was it.

 

‘If I’d known things would turn out like this, I never would’ve agreed to that bastard’s request.’

 

Cursing his past self, Lee Man-deuk used magic to heal his wounds, then stood up and spoke sharply to his siblings.

 

“Lee Deok-soon, Lee Soon-deuk. Starting tomorrow, you’re banned from volunteering here.”

 

“No way!”

 

“If you don’t want that, then tell me who hurt you.”

 

The two exchanged anxious glances before answering.

 

“We didn’t get hurt. Nothing happened.”

 

“We swear—it’s true.”

 

Lee Man-deuk gave a short, bitter laugh.

 

“Lee Deok-soon.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What happened to your school uniform?”

 

At his sharp tone, Lee Deok-soon gulped.

 

“You say nothing happened, but where exactly did your uniform go?”

 

“I didn’t throw it away…”

 

“Oh yeah? Then why are you wearing something else?”

 

It was an outfit he’d never seen before.

 

Lee Deok-soon blinked silently, unable to answer. Seeing that, Lee Man-deuk’s expression hardened.

 

“I’ll talk to the pastor, just so you know.”

 

“Oppa!”

 

“Hyung!”

 

“Acting cute won’t work on me.”

 

The two siblings made tearful faces, but Lee Man-deuk ignored them and stood up.

 

“Anyway, that Kwak Yoon-hoo bastard—what was he doing here?”

 

“Kwak Yoon-hoo?”

 

“The rich ajusshi you mentioned.”

 

Lee Deok-soon and Lee Soon-deuk tilted their heads.

 

“He’s not an ajusshi, he’s an oppa.”

 

“If that hyung’s an ajusshi, then you’re an ajusshi too.”

 

“Quiet.”

 

His siblings pouted their lips.

 

“He said he was looking for someone among the homeless.”

 

“Who?”

 

“We’re not telling.”

 

“If you want to know, let us keep volunteering.”

 

Lee Man-deuk let out a dry, mocking laugh. He couldn’t understand why they were so desperate to volunteer—serving food to people who didn’t even acknowledge their efforts. Clicking his tongue, he muttered, “I’m not even curious.”

 

Lee Deok-soon and Lee Soon-deuk’s shoulders drooped. No matter what they said or did, it was clear that Lee Man-deuk wouldn’t let them keep volunteering.

 

‘We can’t let this happen.’

 

Each homeless person who came to this place had a story of their own. And among them… were their parents. A truth Lee Man-deuk didn’t know—and probably wouldn’t care about even if he did.

 

‘Still… we can’t let this happen.’

 

Just as the two were about to speak up to change his mind—

 

“Lee Deok-soon, Lee Soon-deuk. Go home first.”

 

His voice came out calm and low, making both of them widen their eyes.

 

“Oppa, where are you going?”

 

“I’ve got something to do.”

 

“Something to take care of? You, hyung? Don’t tell me you’re going back to work to cancel your half-day off!”

 

If only that were the case.

 

Lee Man-deuk chuckled softly at their concern—and in an instant, teleported them away. Otherwise, they would’ve just kept pestering him with questions.

 

“That kind of reckless use of magic isn’t good for you,” came a low voice, cutting through the silence as if waiting for that exact moment.

 

Lee Man-deuk grinned.

 

“It’s fine. There’s no one around anyway.”

 

His tone was completely different from when he’d faced Kwak Yoon-hoo or Seo Do-hwan.

 

“I take it I don’t count as a person, then?”

 

“You’re… a special kind of person.”

 

Lee Man-deuk smiled slyly and said, “Isn’t that right, Mr. Ji Geon-hyuk?”

 

The man who had appeared at the soup kitchen—Ji Geon-hyuk—stared silently at the magician. His unwavering gaze only made Lee Man-deuk’s smirk widen.

 

“So the one CEO Kwak was looking for… was you, Mr. Ji Geon-hyuk?”

 

“And what makes you think that?”

 

Kwak Yoon-hoo had left not long ago—and almost immediately after, Ji Geon-hyuk appeared. There was only one thing that could mean: Ji Geon-hyuk was the “homeless man” Kwak Yoon-hoo had been searching for.

 

Instead of answering Ji Geon-hyuk’s question, Lee Man-deuk chuckled, amusement lacing his voice.

 

“I never would’ve guessed you were living as a homeless man, Mr. Ji Geon-hyuk. I thought you were the spoiled youngest son of some wealthy family.”

 

Ji Geon-hyuk’s eyebrow twitched—clearly, the remark had struck a nerve. But Lee Man-deuk wasn’t the type to apologize.

 

Still smiling, he began to cast a spell. There was no one watching, and the soup kitchen didn’t even have CCTV. In other words—he had nothing to fear.

 

Ji Geon-hyuk watched him—stance relaxed, yet ready for battle. Then he sighed softly and spoke.

 

“Lee Man-deuk, as you said—there’s no one around except people like us. Special people. So…”

 

Shiiing—!

 

A sharp, gleaming blade materialized in midair.

 

“Show me what you’ve got.”

 

Lee Man-deuk pursed his lips, then broke into a grin—genuinely looking forward to what came next.

 

***

 

Rumble!

 

“Whoa, that came out of nowhere!”

 

Startled by the sudden thunder, Seo Do-hwan—who’d been lounging on the couch—jumped up in surprise.

 

“Was there a rain forecast today?”

 

“No, there wasn’t,” I replied.

 

“Then why does the sky look like that?”

 

“I have no idea.”

 

The weather, by its nature, was always unpredictable. And with climate change worsening, that unpredictability had only grown.

 

Staring at the sky now thick with dark clouds, Seo Do-hwan muttered anxiously, “I wonder if Lee Yoo-seong’s okay.”

 

Lee Yoo-seong still hadn’t come back from school. He’d said he had a career counseling session with his homeroom teacher, hadn’t he? At least the new teacher seemed to be taking good care of him.

 

‘That’s why I picked that person for the job,’ I thought.

 

I replied calmly to Seo Do-hwan’s concern.

 

“He’ll be fine.”

 

If it was Lee Yoo-seong, he could probably walk straight through a rain of steel without getting a scratch. But Seo Do-hwan still looked uneasy.

 

“If you’re that worried, want to go pick him up?”

 

“I’d like to, but…”

 

He grumbled, rubbing his shoulder.

 

“That damn magician hit me hard. It still aches.”

 

He said that even though he didn’t have a single visible wound. Maybe he noticed the look I gave him, because his face flushed red as he shouted,

 

“Just because there’s no wound doesn’t mean I didn’t take internal damage! Do you even know how Lee Man-deuk attacked me?”

 

“Nope.”

 

There was no way I could’ve known. After all, both Lee Man-deuk and Seo Do-hwan were on a different level entirely.

 

Even if we were all returnees, I was nothing more than a slave—while they were an archmage and a potion-fueled hunter.

 

Lee Man-deuk wielded magic, and Seo Do-hwan grew stronger the more potions he used.

 

And me…

 

‘Let’s not think about it.’

 

Dwelling on the past would only hollow me out. I had enough wealth now that no one could look down on me. That thought gave me a small sense of comfort—until my phone began to ring loudly.

 

It was an unknown number, but I answered without hesitation.

 

“Hello?”

 

—H-hello? Um, I’m Man-deuk’s sister.

 

“Yeah, I know. What’s wrong?”

 

She must’ve called after finding the business card I’d given Lee Man-deuk. Had that damn magician gotten himself into trouble again? But something about her voice… felt wrong.

 

—Um, it’s just that…

 

The girl’s voice—Lee Deok-soon’s—was trembling uncontrollably.

 

I frowned slightly.

 

Seo Do-hwan looked up. “Boss, what is it? Who’s calling?”

 

I mouthed her name to him, then spoke gently into the phone.

 

“Did something happen to Mr. Lee Man-deuk? Don’t hang up—just tell me slowly.”

 

Finally, Lee Deok-soon spoke.

 

—Oppa… our oppa’s really hurt. There’s no one else we can ask for help, so… um…

 

Lee Man-deuk? Seriously hurt? No way. He could heal from almost anything with magic.

 

Something wasn’t right.

 

“Where are you right now?”

 

—A-at the hospital. AMA Seoul Hospital, in the emergency room.

 

The emergency room? 

 

Then he really was seriously injured. At least there was one bit of good news—it was AMA Hospital, a place where I had full authority to act.

 

—I’m sorry. It’s just… you were the only person I could think of. I know I shouldn’t do this—it’s wrong to call someone I just met, but…

 

Her voice trembled, rambling in panic. I hurried to reassure her.

 

“It’s okay.”

 

I stood up, grabbed my coat, and said firmly,

 

“I’ll be there right away. Just hang in there for a bit, okay?”

 

—Y-yes, okay.

 

The call ended. As soon as I slipped my phone into my pocket, Seo Do-hwan asked,

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Mr. Lee Man-deuk is badly hurt.”

 

“Man-deuk?!”

 

Seo Do-hwan’s eyes widened in shock.

 

“Wait—was it because of me?”

 

He looked genuinely worried, as if realizing he might’ve gone too far when he fought Lee Man-deuk earlier.

 

But—

 

“I don’t think so.”

 

It didn’t make sense. Sure, Lee Man-deuk had fainted from Seo Do-hwan’s punch earlier, but that had happened right in front of his siblings, Lee Deok-soon and Lee Soon-deuk.

 

And now, not even an hour later, they were saying he was seriously hurt?

 

“Stay home, Seo Do-hwan.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Someone needs to be here when Yoo-seong gets back.”

 

“He’s not a little kid, you know…”

 

Still, Seo Do-hwan sighed like he was being forced to babysit.

 

“You sure you’ll be okay?”

 

“I’ll be fine.”

 

Just in case, though, I decided to set up a few safeguards—in case Lee Man-deuk caused any trouble at the hospital.

 

But more than that…

 

‘What happened?’

 

It hadn’t even been an hour since Lee Man-deuk left the free soup kitchen. What could’ve happened in that short time to put him in the ER?

 

There shouldn’t be anyone capable of injuring him that badly.

 

‘Unless it was a returnee…’

 

Two names briefly crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed them as I got into the car. Right now, checking on Lee Man-deuk’s condition came first.

 

‘…I just hope it’s not life-threatening.’

 

As that thought crossed my mind, the car carrying me pulled up in front of AMA Seoul Hospital.