The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 53 - Yesterday’s Enemy, Today’s Ally (5)

 

 

“…You want to work together?”

 

“Yes. I’m not asking you to be my ally.”

 

“Then what?”

 

“Just a bit of cooperation, if you don’t mind.”

 

Lee Man-deuk snorted.

 

“Don’t you think your way of asking for cooperation is a bit off?”

 

“Is it because of this?” I said, switching the electric taser to its lowest setting and smiling gently. “I’d appreciate it if you could be a little understanding.”

 

“What?”

 

“Because I don’t know how you might try to attack me.”

 

Of course, his only option was magic — and if he used it against me, the taser would instantly lose its charge. Still, I kept up the act of a helpless civilian.

 

“To be honest, that night at the junkyard really scared me.”

 

“For someone who says they were scared, you sure had a lot of fun tormenting me.”

 

“Please don’t say things that could be misunderstood.” 

 

Everything Lee Man-deuk called harassment was him getting what he’d brought on himself. In short, he was reaping what he’d sown.

 

“So, what will you do?” I asked.

 

Lee Man-deuk’s enemy was now Ji Geon-hyuk. For me, Ji Geon-hyuk was someone I had to treat as an enemy as well.

 

‘I didn’t know how Ji Geon-hyuk discovered who Lee Man-deuk really was, or why he made that request.’

 

But that was something I could uncover step by step. All I wanted was one thing — that Ji Geon-hyuk and the other returnees not die in the process.

 

Lee Man-deuk fell silent for a long moment, thinking, then finally said, “No. It’s not gonna work.”

 

A flat refusal.

 

“Even if you’re not on that bastard’s side, I still can’t trust you.”

 

“Even if I swear on the Star’s Oath?”

 

“Yeah.” He pulled the syringe from the back of his hand.

 

Drip, drip. His blood stained the floor. He stared at it for a beat, then tried to leave. I stepped in front of him.

 

“Move.”

 

Instead of stepping aside, I said,

 

“Mr. Lee Man-deuk, do you really think Ji Geon-hyuk spared you because he couldn’t kill you?”

 

“What are you getting at?”

 

“Ji Geon-hyuk let you live on purpose.”

 

To let me know he existed.

 

‘Why, though?’

 

I already knew the answer, but I asked myself the question anyway.

 

At my words, Lee Man-deuk flinched slightly, his expression twisting in irritation.

 

“Are you seriously underestimating me? That’s kind of insulting.”

 

“Can you blame me? Look at the state you’re in.”

 

“That’s because—!”

 

“You said it yourself: you got hurt because you let your guard down.” I cut him off calmly and smiled. “But when you meet Ji Geon-hyuk again…”

 

I paused, careful.

 

“…can you honestly say you’ll beat him then?”

 

“Yes — I can say that with confidence,” he replied. “So stop trying to provoke me.”

 

I kept pressing. “Let’s say you can beat Ji Geon-hyuk.”

 

“It’s not ‘let’s say’—I can beat him.”

 

“Fine. But you’ll still get hurt—just like today.”

 

Lee Man-deuk went quiet.

 

I continued in a low, steady voice.

 

“And when that happens, your younger siblings will worry. Ji Geon-hyuk will target them next.”

 

“You…!”

 

“So, how about it?” I asked with a faint smile — making him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“Whenever you’re away, I’ll protect Lee Deok-soon and Lee Soon-deuk. With my life, if I must. You don’t want your daily life to fall apart, do you?”

 

To Lee Man-deuk, the most precious thing was his ordinary routine — the repetitive, dull-seeming days others might dismiss. That’s what he valued. Though he acted like he might storm off, he hesitated.

 

After a long silence he finally said, “What do you want?”

 

“I want to confirm something.”

 

“About Ji Geon-hyuk?”

 

“Yes.” 

 

How did he know about Lee Man-deuk, and why had he made such a request of him? To gain certainty about those lingering questions, I asked Lee Man-deuk for a favor.

 

“Please track Ji Geon-hyuk’s trail. Anything related to him will do.”

 

Anything — no matter how small — would help.

 

“I thought you’d ask me to fight him.”

 

“That’s for later. First, we need to understand our enemy.”

 

That much was essential if we were to face Ji Geon-hyuk properly.

 

Lee Man-deuk, looking clearly displeased, thought for a moment before speaking.

 

“Swear it.”

 

With that, he reached out his hand.

 

“If anything happens to Lee Deok-soon or Lee Soon-deuk—even one of them—you’ll pay with your life.”

 

“All right.”

 

Without hesitation, I clasped his hand. A flash of light burst between us, and a magic circle formed briefly before fading away.

 

“The moment anything happens to one of my siblings, your heart will stop.”

 

The warning sent a chill down my spine, but I only nodded with a calm smile. Regardless of the process, I had joined hands with Lee Man-deuk.

 

‘Ji Geon-hyuk may still be a variable…’

 

But that was fine. If my suspicions proved true, there were dozens of ways to counter him.

What I didn’t know, however—

 

“Hey, you. The trash carrying flowers.”

 

“…Me?”

 

“Yes, you.”

 

—was that the returnees had already begun to move differently from the memories I had.

 

“Come here for a second.”

 

And Ji Geon-hyuk wasn’t the only one.

 

***

 

Kang Ye-seong froze. Not only had someone just called him “trash,” but the woman who stopped him was stunningly beautiful.

 

“…Why are you staring like that?”

 

“A-ah, sorry.”

 

“If you’re sorry, then have a little chat with me.”

 

“Huh?”

 

How did the conversation end up like this?

 

“I’m sorry, but I’m in a hurry.”

 

Even with his hat pulled low and a mask covering his face, it would be a problem if someone recognized him. And what if someone saw him talking to a woman like this?

 

‘Absolutely not.’

 

Victory was just starting to take off—he couldn’t let its wings be clipped because of her.

 

“Sorry,” he repeated, bowing politely before turning to leave.

 

“Stop, trash.”

 

The woman blocked his path.

 

Kang Ye-seong’s eyes widened. Just a moment ago, she’d been behind him—but when he blinked, she was suddenly standing right in front of him.

 

‘What… how?’

 

His confusion was brief.

 

“I’m busy too,” the woman said confidently. “And yet, I’m taking the time to talk to you right now.”

 

“Ah, um… thank you?”

 

Unsure whether that was something to be thankful for, Kang Ye-seong relied on the tact he’d learned in the entertainment industry to brush off her words. Apparently satisfied with his answer, the woman smiled and stepped closer.

 

“You—serve me.” She spoke softly, but her tone carried an undeniable command.

 

***

 

Rumble―!

 

Thunder roared as the rain began to pour. The rain seemed to ease for a moment, but it didn’t look like it would stop anytime soon.

 

“Muse is running late.”

 

Lee Man-deuk, who had pulled out his IV needle earlier, was now resting in bed after being thoroughly scolded by a nurse. He’d looked ready to discharge himself at any moment, but after our talk, he’d calmed down considerably.

 

That was when Kang Ye-seong returned.

 

“Sorry, I’m really late, aren’t I?” he said with an awkward smile. “Some fans recognized me on the way here, so I stopped to sign a few autographs.”

 

Then he turned to Lee Man-deuk.

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

“I-I’m fine now! It doesn’t hurt at all anymore!”

 

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll leave the vase here—just change the water once a day.”

 

“Yes! I’ll make sure the flowers never wilt!”

 

Knowing Lee Man-deuk, he’d probably cast a preservation spell on them anyway. Leaving him behind—eyes sparkling like a child’s as he looked at Kang Ye-seong—I stood up.

 

“Well then, we’ll be going now.”

 

There was nothing more to do here. At least, not today.

 

“Ah…”

 

Lee Man-deuk slumped his shoulders, clearly disappointed.

 

“Um, Mr. Lee Man-deuk,” said Kang Ye-seong, “Victory’s holding a concert at the end of the year. Would it be all right if I sent you some tickets? I’ll pass them along through the CEO.”

 

“O-of course!”

 

Beaming, Lee Man-deuk tried to see us off personally.

 

“There’s no need to get up,” I told him.

 

Even if he looked better, he’d been admitted to the ER as a critical patient. The best thing he could do was rest.

 

But Lee Man-deuk insisted on seeing us off—

 

until Kang Ye-seong said,

 

“That’s right, Mr. Lee Man-deuk. If your wound opens up again, it could be serious.”

 

At that, Lee Man-deuk obediently sat back down. I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. The favoritism was absurd—but apparently, it wasn’t over yet.

 

“Get home safely, Muse!”

 

“Thank you. I hope you recover quickly too, Mr. Lee Man-deuk.”

 

It was as if I didn’t even exist—Lee Man-deuk only said goodbye to Kang Ye-seong. For a moment, I considered reminding him I was still there, but decided against it. If I said anything, I’d probably just get another look of pure annoyance.

 

As Kang Ye-seong and I left his hospital room together, he asked curiously, “What were you and Mr. Lee Man-deuk talking about? You two seemed deep in conversation before I got back.”

 

“Nothing much,” I replied. “Anyway, thank you for coming. It must’ve been inconvenient to come here so suddenly.”

 

“No, not at all!” Kang Ye-seong quickly waved both hands.

 

“Mr. Lee Man-deuk is practically my benefactor. If the CEO hadn’t told me he was hurt, I would’ve been really upset.”

 

His bright, sincere smile made me feel oddly grateful.

 

“Shall we part ways here?” I asked.

 

“Yes?”

 

“My grandfather’s upstairs. Since I’m here, I thought I’d stop by to visit him.”

 

“Oh, right. How’s Chairman Kwak Jin-tae doing?”

 

“He’ll be discharged next week.”

 

“I’m glad to hear that.”

 

As we chatted, the elevator arrived.

 

“Well then, Kang Ye-seong—get home safely.”

 

“Yes, CEO.”

 

Kang Ye-seong gave a quick bow and stepped into the elevator.

 

“Ah…”

 

As the doors closed, I immediately regretted letting him go like that. Tomorrow was Victory’s final music show for their follow-up song, Cheol-i.

 

“I should’ve cheered him on for the last performance.”

 

A small regret—but I’d just send him a message later.

 

Ding—!

 

After seeing him off, I took the elevator back up to my grandfather’s room.

 

Maybe I’d been more drained from talking with Lee Man-deuk than I’d realized; my steps felt heavy. I just wanted to see my grandfather and collapse into his warm embrace.

 

At least, that’s what I thought—

 

“What? You’re getting discharged this week?”

 

My grandfather’s words struck me like a bolt from the blue.