The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees – Chapter 68 – Han Yeong-won (1)

Author: CleiZz

“CEO, are you sure you’ll be okay alone with her? Wouldn’t it be better to bring Mr. Lee Man-deuk with you?”

Kang Ye-seong asked anxiously, but I simply smiled and told him not to worry. If I brought Lee Man-deuk along, I wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation with Han Yeong-won anyway. And so, I found myself sitting alone with her in a quiet teahouse.

“Nice atmosphere,” Han Yeong-won said idly, her eyes drifting toward the garden and its small pond. “Is this place yours?”

I nodded lightly.

“I’m letting someone else use it for now. There were… a few circumstances that made it difficult for me to manage.”

“Circumstances?”

Han Yeong-won muttered.

“You’re a rich bastard, so I doubt it’s a money issue…”

She stood, stepped onto the grass barefoot, and closed her eyes as though feeling the earth’s energy. After a brief silence, she finally said:

“This place… it was burned before, right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

I admitted calmly.

“It was a villa I used to visit with my parents when I was a kid, but… there was an accident.”

“Hmm.”

Her lips curled slightly, as if she were testing me.

“So you handed it off to someone else because you’re afraid of those memories?”

“It might sound boring, but I don’t remember that time.”

“Still, it must be full of happy memories with your parents, right?”

She seemed curious why I’d left this place in someone else’s hands. After a moment of thought, I answered—because if I didn’t, she might try to forcefully dig through my memories.

“My parents always had a simple dream of running a small teahouse. As their only child, I wanted to fulfill that dream for them. It just felt right.”

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason, but she didn’t need to know the rest. And not sharing the full truth had never caused an issue before. As expected—

“How filial.”

Han Yeong-won laughed as if she found me amusing.

“It’s hardly a modest little teahouse, but the atmosphere is nice. Easy on the eyes.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

As soon as I replied, she sat down and urged:

“Now, talk.”

She wanted something more entertaining than stealing Kang Ye-seong’s body.

“First, I’d like to hear from you, Ms. Han Yeong-won.”

“Ji Geon-hyuk.”

At the sound of that name, I flinched before I could stop myself. She caught the reaction immediately and smirked.

“Looks like you’re very curious about that bastard.”

I answered in a low voice.

“…We were friends.”

“He didn’t seem to think so.”

My fists clenched tightly. I knew better than anyone that Ji Geon-hyuk didn’t see me as a friend. He’d pointed at his chest—

Kwak Yoon-hoo.

The moment he called my name flashed vividly, searing through my mind. I raised a hand and pressed my fingers hard against the corner of my eye.

“Ms. Han Yeong-won, how did you even meet Ji Geon-hyuk?”

“Did I ever say I’d tell you about that bastard?”

“No. You haven’t said that yet.”

“It sounds like you’re very sure I’ll give you the answer you want.”

“Yes.”

I didn’t deny it. Instead, I began.

“Ms. Han Yeong-won, your life must be boring, isn’t it?”

A story I knew would pique her curiosity. One of her eyebrows twitched—a small sign of irritation that made me smile.

“And not very fun, either.”

“So?” She leaned forward. “What are you trying to say?”

“I want to make your life more exciting.”

Originally, I had planned to give her tasks that benefited the environment—little diversions she might enjoy.

‘But that ship had sailed.’

Just seeing her cooperate with Ji Geon-hyuk told me enough. Clearly, he’d offered her something far more thrilling than hunting invasive species and receiving press praise. I needed to offer something better—something truly exciting.

“Ms. Han Yeong-won, did you know there’s an organization in our world that resembles the Demonic Sect?”

“Oh?”

She pursed her lips.

“And this world also has something like the Main Sect?”

Interest brightened her eyes.

‘This world.’

To Han Yeong-won—someone who had lived the life of The Return of the Mad Heavenly Demon—our world must have felt like an afterlife.

No worthy foes sought her out. No followers knelt at her feet. To her, this world was nothing more than a dead, stagnant place.

So she chased any shred of amusement she could find—unable to let go of the intoxicating madness she’d tasted as the Heavenly Demon. In many ways, she was the hardest kind of person to handle.

I had once tried letting her live as a mercenary to recreate that thrill, but it had been a complete disaster. Anyway—

“It’s what you’d typically call a cult.”

She tilted her head slightly, signaling me to go on. I took out a photo and handed it to her as I spoke.

“Parents hand their own children over to the leader. He treats them like toys—does whatever he wants.”

Her brows drew together.

“That so-called leader isn’t ashamed of doing that?”

I nodded.

“He’s a man blinded by money.”

“Seems he has no interest in cultivation.”

“If he did, he wouldn’t be doing this.”

Han Yeong-won snorted softly in agreement, then looked at me with clear displeasure—one eyebrow twitching again.

“So you want me to take care of that bastard for you?”

“Of course not. I just want to make you an offer.”

Han Yeong-won was never the type to lift a finger just because someone asked nicely.

“An offer, huh? Alright, let’s hear it.”

Given her generous permission, I spoke without hesitation.

“How about you take over that place and become the new cult leader? Create a ‘Demonic Sect’ in our world—one obsessed with martial arts, using any means necessary.”

In reality, it would just be a welfare organization disguised as a demonic sect.

“Interesting.”

There was no way she could see through my plan. Either way, I had her interest.

“You asked how I met that bastard Ji Geon-hyuk, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

I nodded and focused.

“I met that bastard on Gwanak Mountain—right when I’d accumulated the equivalent of a hundred and twenty years of internal energy.”

Gwanak Mountain. The place she often visited for cultivation—and the place I was supposed to meet her too, if nothing had gone wrong.

Han Yeong-won continued.

“He told me he’d provide everything—food, shelter, whatever I needed. Said I’d never achieve anything living like this, even had the nerve to provoke me.”

Her jaw tightened.

“I wanted to kill him… but I couldn’t. Every time I thought I had him cornered, he’d summon weird things that zigzagged around out of nowhere…”

With an irritated click of her tongue, she went on,

“Anyway, that’s how I ended up working with the bastard.”

Apparently, he offered her food, a roof over her head, and sparring matches whenever she wanted—so she joined forces with him, she said with a laugh.

“But being with you might be entertaining too.”

“It’s an honor you think so.”

I smiled and added,

“There’s one more thing I want to ask.”

“What now?”

“Why didn’t you go with Ji Geon-hyuk?”

“I had zero desire to leave the country with that bastard—and he told me to stay home and guard the house. As if I’m some watchdog. So I came out to wander around instead.”

Han Yeong-won said it proudly.

“Ah, speaking of that bastard… something comes to mind. You’ll like this one.”

Then she smirked—and set a condition.

“But I’ll only tell you if you agree to a favor.”

There was no reason to hesitate.

“Alright.”

Before I could even ask what the favor was, she dropped it.

“Ji Geon-hyuk, that bastard—he’s dying.”

“What?”

Dying?

“After he came back from a big fight with that sapa bastard, his condition started getting worse.”

At her words, something clicked.

“And that’s everything about Ji Geon-hyuk.”

The mage—the one who had lost miserably to Ji Geon-hyuk. Lee Man-deuk had insisted that even though he lost, he’d slipped in some nasty tricks during the fight. I thought it was just a pointless curse.

‘So it wasn’t?’

Han Yeong-won continued calmly,

“To be precise, it’s his lungs. He’s having more and more trouble breathing. He even coughs up blood.”

Come to think of it, my grandfather had mentioned seeing the illegitimate son of the High-End Group’s chairman coughing nonstop at dinner. So it was because of the curse.

“And you just left him like that?”

“I did what I could. Before he left the country, I pressed his acupoints to slow the deterioration. But he’ll be in real danger soon.”

It was only a temporary measure. The curse on Ji Geon-hyeok was still active.

“That sapa bastard definitely meant to kill him.”

Lee Man-deuk…!

I couldn’t say I didn’t understand why that crazy mage would go that far, but—

‘To actually try to kill him!’

There was no way modern medicine could fix a body damaged by a mage’s spell. We’d have to get to the U.S. as soon as possible. Even if I couldn’t go, Lee Man-deuk at least had to be sent overseas.

“Alright, bastard. Now fulfill my request.”

“Ah, of course.”

Pressing my fingers against my throbbing forehead, I forced a smile.

“I’ll grant you anything you ask for, Ms. Han.”

“Good.”

Her lips curled upward.

“Fight me. A duel.”

She dropped the words like a thunderbolt.

‘A duel?’

A former Heavenly Demon… and me, someone who had once been nothing more than a slave?

“I—I’m sorry, but maybe you could ask for something else—”

“No.”