The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 69 - Han Yeong-won (2)

 

 

No. I needed to think again. Even if the sky collapsed, there had to be a way out. First—what did I have?

 

‘Money.’

 

I had so much that I could use banknotes as scratch paper if I wanted. But that was useless. To Han Yeong-won, money might as well be tissue. If I offered half my assets and asked her to pretend the duel never happened…

 

‘I’d die.’

 

She’d crush me into dust without blinking. Okay. Next—what else did I have?

 

‘Real estate?’

 

For fuck’s sake. Was that really the best I could come up with? Again. What do I have?

 

‘Luxury goods?’

 

Fuck. My brain was completely fried. This was the first time in all 365 regressions that Han Yeong-won had ever challenged me to a duel, so maybe that’s why my head felt frozen solid.

 

“No answer?”

 

Her voice made me flinch. She must have interpreted the fear on my face in the worst way possible.

 

“Bastard, you must be dying to fight me too.”

 

Otherwise she wouldn’t be saying this kind of nonsense.

 

Han Yeong-won: the Heavenly Demon who made the world tremble in Return of the Mad Heavenly Demon.

 

And me: a nameless extra who spent a thousand years as a slave in The Returner Saves.

 

We were both regressors, but our lives couldn’t be more different.

 

‘Wait.’

 

Something came to mind. I did have something besides money and land.

 

“Ms. Han Yeong-won, could you duel someone I designate first?”

 

“What?”

 

“I’d like to see exactly where you stand.”

 

“Oh?”

 

What I had was connections—relationships I’d rebuilt over 365 regressions. I intended to use them.

 

Han Yeong-won curled her lips, unimpressed. A killing glare hit me, as if to say: You dare measure me? A chill ran down my spine, but I forced myself to stay calm.

 

“Even if you lose that duel, I’ll still honor the condition you asked for. So don’t worry.”

 

“Me? Lose? In a duel?”

 

Her eyes sparkled with twisted amusement.

 

“The bastard you’re introducing me to—is he a sapa bastard?”

 

“No. If anything… he’s closer to the Righteous Sect.”

 

…No, wait. Considering he gets stronger the more drugs he takes, maybe he’s closer to the Sichuan Tang Clan that specializes in poison arts?

 

Either way, she looked intrigued.

 

“I’m curious how strong someone has to be for you to speak so confidently.”

 

Well… he’s a guy who gets stronger the more ‘candy’ he eats. If she was the Heavenly Demon, then he was the world’s strongest—no, the world’s worst—hunter.

 

I swallowed the truth down and gave her a polite smile. She stared at me a moment, then nodded.

 

“Very well. Before fighting you, I’ll cross swords with this other one first. But—date, time, and place will all be decided by me.”

 

Thank god…!

 

I kept my composure and nodded calmly.

 

“Of course. I’ll wait for your message.”

 

And just like that—my life was now in Seo Do-hwan’s hands.

 

***

 

“Alright, Seo Do-hwan.”

 

“…Boss, what are you doing?”

 

“From today onward: three in the morning, three at lunch, and three at night.”

 

A total of nine.

 

“You’re going to take nine pieces of candy a day.”

 

Seo Do-hwan stared at me, dumbfounded.

 

“Are you crazy?”

 

“No, I’m not.”

 

I shoved the nine candies into his hands with grim determination.

 

“Seo Do-hwan… my life depends on you.”

 

“What are you even talking about?”

 

He blinked, confused, until I explained everything about Han Yeong-won.

 

“That’s why I prepared the candy.”

 

“You crazy bastard!”

 

Seo Do-hwan exploded.

 

“HEY! Kwak Yoon-hoo!”

 

“What?”

 

“You are seriously…!”

 

He grabbed his head in frustration and shouted:

 

“What are you going to do if I lose!?”

 

“If that happens… there’s nothing I can do.”

 

With a sorrowful smile, I gave him the only answer possible.

 

“I’ll just have to go die.”

 

“HEY!!”

 

Seo Do-hwan sprang to his feet, yelling as he clutched his hair.

 

“Goddamn it, why did I ever get involved with someone like you?!”

 

Grumbling, he unwrapped one of the candies.

 

“So you’re selling me off because Lee Yoo-seong is stronger than me?”

 

“Yoo-seong is younger.”

 

“He’ll be an adult next year.”

 

“He’s still a minor right now.”

 

Even if he lived as nineteen-year-old “Joo Si-hyun” from High School Seniors Are Too Strong all the way into his early twenties—still.

 

“Boss, I’m in my twenties.”

 

“And?”

 

“Can’t you cut me some slack?”

 

“No. Absolutely not.”

 

He glared at me, but I ignored it. As expected, he sighed deeply, popped another candy into his mouth, and muttered:

 

“So this Han Yeong-won—am I going to collapse from a toothache before I even fight her?”

 

“I’ll send you to a dentist first. Get your cavities fixed.”

 

“Wow. How generous.”

 

He rolled his eyes and asked,

 

“So how strong is this Han Yeong-won, exactly?”

 

“Probably about the same as Yoo-seong.”

 

“And you want me to fight her?”

 

“There are things called matchups, you know.”

 

Han Yeong-won didn’t rely solely on the Soul Dominion Art. She used everything—Heavenly Demon Divine Arts, Heavenly Demon Dominion Steps… anything in her arsenal. But among all of them, there was one she adored most: Poison Arts.

 

She loved watching her enemies slowly die, toxin by toxin. But those arts didn’t work on Seo Do-hwan. In fact, they strengthened him. I knew because the two had fought once—in a regression I could never return to.

 

“If it’s you, Seo Do-hwan, you can fight her on equal footing. Winning might be tough, but even a draw is enough to cancel the duel with me…”

 

“Boss.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“You think I’m going to lose?”

 

“No, that’s not—”

 

“I’m not losing.”

 

Seo Do-hwan cut me off, voice firm.

 

“You said she’s around the same level as Lee Yoo-seong, right?”

 

Crunch. He bit into the candy, grinning.

 

“I’ve always wanted to go all-out against Lee Yoo-seong. I’ll treat this as practice and enjoy myself.”

 

A minute ago he’d been cursing me for dragging him into this—now he was practically excited. Seriously. What a weirdo. But maybe trusting him made me just as weird. A laugh slipped out of me.

 

“What’s so funny, boss? You’re laughing now?”

 

“You’re laughing too, you know.”

 

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

 

The candy-addicted hunter let out a low chuckle.

 

“Guess it makes me happy, knowing you trust me that much.”

 

Liar. The shameless way he said it only made me laugh harder. But then—

 

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

 

At the voice echoing back in my head, my laughter vanished instantly.

 

“Boss?”

 

“…It’s nothing.”

 

I forced a smile.

 

“Anyway, I’m counting on you.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I got it.”

 

Seo Do-hwan picked up another candy and said he’d take care of everything. Even though he had every right to grab me by the collar, he accepted it all without complaint.

 

And I was grateful. And guilty. And above all—disgusted with myself. Disgusted that I was using the bond I’d rebuilt with Seo Do-hwan over 365 regressions like this. And I regretted it. Regretted failing in the 364th regression and creating so many pointless variables.

 

‘Ji Geon-hyuk.’

 

Back then, was there really no way to end this cursed regression cycle without killing you? Was there no possibility—using the bond we forged in the 364th regression—of saving you instead?

 

There was no answer.

 

***

 

“Morning, Do-hwan hyung.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Crunch. Seo Do-hwan bit into a candy as he greeted Lee Yoo-seong. Lee Yoo-seong rubbed his sleepy eyes.

 

“Where’s Yoon-hoo hyung?”

 

“He left early. Said he had business with Lee Man-deuk.”

 

“With Man-deuk hyung?”

 

Lee Yoo-seong’s drowsiness evaporated instantly.

 

“You didn’t go with him?”

 

“He’s not a kid. Why would I tag along?”

 

Seo Do-hwan replied bluntly.

 

The truth was, he had planned to go with Kwak Yoon-hoo. After everything with Han Yeong-won, he was too uneasy to leave him alone. And since it was the weekend, he didn’t need to look after Lee Deok-soon or Lee Soon-deuk, so he’d said he would accompany him.

 

But—

 

“If you come with me, Lee Man-deuk won’t talk to me properly.”

 

—was what Kwak Yoon-hoo said, leaving Seo Do-hwan without an argument.

 

Considering that crazy mage would absolutely pick a fight the moment they met.

 

“…Still, maybe I should’ve woken you up and sent you after him.”

 

He regretted it belatedly.

 

“Huh? What did you say?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

Seo Do-hwan let out a long sigh.

 

“You’re worried about Yoon-hoo hyung, aren’t you?”

 

“Of course I’m worried.”

 

“Don’t worry, Do-hwan hyung! Yoon-hoo hyung has his stun gun!”

 

“…Yeah. That’s true.”

 

Now that he thought about it, the only person who’d never been stun-gunned by Kwak Yoon-hoo was Lee Yoo-seong. Seo Do-hwan looked at him with quiet envy.

 

“But Do-hwan hyung, are you seriously eating candy for breakfast?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

He answered bluntly, crunching on another piece. Lee Yoo-seong looked at him with worry.

 

“Are you sick or something?”

 

“No. I’m doing it to protect the boss. Mind your own business.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Lee Yoo-seong blinked, confused, but Seo Do-hwan just waved him off.

 

“Just eat. The boss told me to make sure you eat a proper breakfast.”

 

“Yoon-hoo hyung shouldn’t be worrying about me—he should be worrying about you, Do-hwan hyung. If you keep eating candy like that, you’re gonna get cavities and suffer later.”

 

“Shh…”

 

Seo Do-hwan shot him a sharp glare that clearly meant don’t jinx it. At that, Lee Yoo-seong slumped a little and lifted his spoon with a sulky look.

 

Crash!

 

The window exploded inward as something came flying through.

 

“The hell?!”

 

Seo Do-hwan leapt to his feet.

 

“Lee Yoo-seong! You okay?!”

 

“Yeah, I’m good.”

 

Lee Yoo-seong wasn’t holding a spoon anymore—he was holding a dagger. He’d caught it the instant it came flying. He untied the note attached to the hilt.

 

[This weekend, before sunrise, I will be waiting at Gwanak Mountain.]

 

“Sunday? Gwanak Mountain?”

 

What was that supposed to mean?

 

While Lee Yoo-seong tilted his head in confusion, Seo Do-hwan said,

 

“Must be Han Yeong-won.”

 

“Han Yeong-won? Who’s that?”

 

“Someone you don’t need to know.”

 

Seo Do-hwan snatched the note from him and clicked his tongue.

 

Saturday or Sunday—what day was she even talking about? And “before sunrise on Gwanak Mountain”? What time? And where on the mountain?

 

“What a pain.”

 

He crumpled the note and unwrapped another candy just as—

 

“You seem to be enjoying your breakfast quite a lot, Mr. Lee Man-deuk.”

 

Kwak Yoon-hoo said, sitting across from Lee Man-deuk.