The Way to Save the Crazy Returnees Chapter 70 - Han Yeong-won (3)

 

The spoon froze halfway to his mouth. Lee Man-deuk, hair sticking up like he’d just lost a fight with his pillow, slowly lowered the spoon he’d been using to shovel rice and growled.

 

“CEO Kwak, if you don’t want to get kicked out, shut your mouth and just eat.”

 

Almost instantly—

 

“Oppa.”

 

“Hyung.”

 

Lee Deok-sun and Lee Soon-deuk scolded him at the same time.

 

Frowning at their nagging, Lee Man-deuk reluctantly corrected himself in a more polite tone.

 

“CEO Kwak, they say even a dog shouldn’t be disturbed while eating. Please just quietly have your breakfast before the kids take it back.”

 

Lee Deok-sun blinked. “Why would we take Yoon-hoo oppa’s breakfast?”

 

Looking genuinely confused, Lee Soon-deuk chimed in:

 

“At least Yoon-hoo hyung helped us cook. You just slept like a rock.”

 

Their words finally made Lee Man-deuk snap.

 

“Then you should’ve woken me up! Why did you even bring that guy into the house?!”

 

The two answered without missing a beat:

 

“Because it’s Yoon-hoo oppa.”

 

“Because it’s Yoon-hoo hyung.”

 

Unlike Lee Man-deuk, they always had such healthy, reasonable thought processes.

 

Lee Man-deuk let out a disbelieving laugh.

 

“Why don’t you just go live with CEO Kwak, then?”

 

“No thanks.”

 

“We like you more than Yoon-hoo hyung.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You two…”

 

Overwhelmed for a moment, Lee Man-deuk placed a piece of meat onto each of their bowls. He was weak to these two kids.

 

‘And to Kang Ye-seong, too.’

 

Well—technically, to all of Victory.

 

“Anyway, why did CEO Kwak come here?”

 

“Oh, I brought something for you.”

 

I slid a neatly wrapped envelope across the table.

 

“What is it?” He took it, frowned, and said, “A plane ticket?”

 

“It’s for next Sunday morning. A flight to San Francisco.”

 

Naturally, it was first class.

 

“And?” he asked, tilting his head like he genuinely had no idea why I was giving it to him.

 

“Ji Geon-hyuk should be in California.”

 

High-End Group’s headquarters was located there, after all. Hearing that name, Lee Man-deuk’s mouth fell open before he spoke.

 

“Lee Deok-sun, Lee Soon-deuk. Go to your room for a bit.”

 

“But we haven’t finished breakfast.”

 

“You can eat later.”

 

Sensing something off in his tone, the kids hesitated but eventually went inside. The moment their door closed, Lee Man-deuk spoke in a sharply edged voice:

 

“And why is our CEO Kwak suddenly bringing up that bastard’s name?”

 

“Mr. Lee Man-deuk, you cursed Ji Geon-hyuk, didn’t you?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

A crooked grin spread on his lips.

 

“You know I’m not the type to just sit back and take a beating.”

 

That much was true.

 

“I just wanted to screw with him, so I cursed him. Why?”

 

“Because of your curse, Ji Geon-hyuk is apparently dying.”

 

“Of course he is. It was meant to kill him.”

 

He chuckled, saying Ji Geon-hyuk was probably feeling his lungs slowly rot away by now.

 

“Please undo it.”

 

“…What?”

 

The mage blinked, thinking he misheard. I repeated myself, clearly and calmly.

 

“The curse you put on Ji Geon-hyuk—please undo it.”

 

“Are you crazy?”

 

Bang!

 

His fist slammed into the table.

 

“CEO Kwak, there’s a limit to how much I can tolerate.”

 

Light crackled around him, as if he wanted nothing more than to kill me on the spot.

 

I quietly rose to my feet—

 

“…What are you doing?”

 

And knelt.

 

“Hey! What the hell are you doing!!”

 

“I’m asking you. Please.”

 

As a third-generation chaebol, pride meant nothing anymore. I’d thrown it away countless times across 365 regressions. So I knelt before Lee Man-deuk and pleaded desperately.

 

“Please… save Ji Geon-hyuk.”

 

I couldn’t let Ji Geon-hyuk die like this.

 

“You crazy son of a…”

 

His voice faded as the crackling starlight around him disappeared. Then he spoke.

 

“CEO Kwak, you know I really want to kill you, right?”

 

“Yes. I know.”

 

“And you’re still doing this?”

 

At his mocking tone, I gave a small, quiet smile. He frowned in clear displeasure before saying:

 

“Lee Deok-sun and Lee Soon-deuk—”

 

“I’ll look after them.”

 

Their room was already prepared.

 

He glared at me and warned,

 

“If those kids get hurt, I swear I’ll kill you.”

 

“Don’t worry. And if anything does happen to them, I’ll end up dead anyway.”

 

“You’re not afraid of dying, huh?”

 

“No.”

 

How could I be afraid?

 

“…You crazy bastard.”

 

That was my line.

 

Lee Man-deuk glanced at the plane ticket once, then at me twice, before finally saying:

 

“Fine. Get up.”

 

So he was planning to grant my request after all.

 

“Damn it. Why does it have to be America? If it were Japan, China, or even Russia, I wouldn’t need a plane. I could just go there directly.”

 

“Is America difficult for you?”

 

“Long-distance teleportation circles eat up a lot of mana.”

 

Then he added, as if remembering something important:

 

“And I’ve never been to America. Sure, I could just pinpoint the coordinates, but if—just if—the location is even slightly off, it’s a disaster. Thinking about Deok-sun and Soon-deuk, it’s better to conserve mana.”

 

And then—

 

“First class, huh. Never been on it before.”

 

At his cheeky grin, I bowed my head in thanks.

 

“…Thank you.”

 

“Cut it out. Your gratitude pisses me off.”

 

Stuffing the plane ticket into his pocket, Lee Man-deuk spoke irritably.

 

“If you’re done talking, take this and get lost.”

 

“What is this…?”

 

“You asked me to process some magic stones, remember?”

 

He actually remembered.

 

“I figured you weren’t gonna use them yourself, and since it’s obviously for that damn red-haired bastard, I turned them into something he can actually use.”

 

Then he added,

 

“Since it didn’t seem like you were going to hand over the magic stones I gave you, I used my own to process them. So give mine back.”

 

“Of course.”

 

After taking Seo Do-hwan’s weapon, I thanked him sincerely.

 

“Really, thank you.”

 

“Just get out already.”

 

He waved me off like I was a door-to-door salesman he deeply regretted opening the door for. In moments like these, the smartest thing was to just leave. If I stayed any longer, I’d only provoke him further.

 

I was about to step outside when—

 

“Hey. Wait.”

 

He grabbed my arm.

 

“The work at the company I’m assigned to—”

 

“I already handled it.”

 

“You really were planning to send me to America no matter what, weren’t you?”

 

At his sarcasm, I simply smiled.

 

***

 

“Young Master, we’ve arrived.”

 

At the driver’s words, I pressed my tired eyes with my fingers and stepped out of the car. In the short time I’d spent dealing with Lee Man-deuk, I felt like I’d aged ten years. Still, it was a relief he’d finally agreed.

 

Otherwise, I’d be coming home feeling thirty years older, after using every trick I’d prepared to convince him. With that exhausted expression, I entered the house.

 

“Welcome back, Young Master.”

 

“Where are Seo Do-hwan and Yoo-seong?”

 

Normally, I’d sense their presence as soon as they were home—but there wasn’t a hint of either of them.

 

“They stepped out for a moment.”

 

“Where?”

 

“I only heard they went to meet one of Lee Yoo-seong’s friends.”

 

Lee Yoo-seong’s friend…

 

Yeah, sure. ‘Friend.’

 

It was probably one of the kids who used to bully him, calling him out to apologize and grovel for help. If they were truly sorry, they should’ve apologized long ago—back when Cheongmyeong High School fell entirely under my control and Lee Jin-hyuk and his family, Yoo-seong’s cousins, were crushed.

 

“Why is the window like that?”

 

“I heard it broke during breakfast.”

 

What the hell happened for it to shatter like that? I was about to ask for details when—

 

“Seo Do-hwan-nim asked me to give you this when you returned.”

 

One of the household staff handed me a dagger and a crumpled note. It was almost certainly Han Young-won who caused the damage. She did say she’d pick the time, date, and place herself.

 

‘Real classy way to send a message.’

 

Not that I gave her my phone number. Even if I had, Han Young-won would’ve done the same thing.

 

“Shall I throw it away?”

 

“No.”

 

I took the dagger and note and headed to my room.

 

“When Seo Do-hwan and Yoo-seong return, please tell them to come to my room.”

 

“Yes, Young Master.”

 

As soon as I returned to my room, I collapsed onto the bed and unfolded the note. I put the dagger away in the jewelry box—just in case. There had been times when I’d needed one for self-defense, after all.

 

On the unfolded note was a brief message:

 

[Next weekend, before sunrise, I will wait at Gwanak Mountain.]

 

It had to mean midnight, when Saturday becomes Sunday.

 

‘Now, the exact spot…’

 

Probably the summit.

 

“I was kind of hoping she’d pick the abandoned parking lot where they filmed the Cheol-i MV.”

 

Too bad—but it couldn’t be helped. Since Han Yeong-won agreed to my request, I could afford to give way on at least one thing.

 

“Boss, we’re back.”

 

Seo Do-hwan and Lee Yoo-seong walked in just then.

 

“You’re back?”

 

“Yoon-hoo hyung!”

 

Lee Yoo-seong flopped down beside me.

 

“Yoo-seong, did your friend apologize properly?”

 

“Yes! But I didn’t accept it!”

 

“Good.”

 

I ruffled his hair and turned to Seo Do-hwan.

 

“Looks like Han Yeong-won left me a message.”

 

“You call that a message?”

 

Seo Do-hwan sat down on the sofa and popped a piece of candy into his mouth.

 

“How am I supposed to know when or where she wants to meet?”

 

“Don’t worry. I know.”

 

“And how exactly do you know that, Boss?”

 

“I know Han Yeong-won’s personality very well.”

 

Seo Do-hwan gave me a puzzled look, but I ignored it and continued.

 

“Midnight between Saturday and Sunday. At the summit of Mount Gwanak. She’ll be there.”

 

“And if she’s not?”

 

“She will be.”

 

“Boss, you do realize how irresponsible you sound, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

But there was no way I was wrong. It wasn’t like I’d only met Han Yeong-won once or twice. I’d received messages like this from her more times than I cared to remember.

 

‘Back then, I just waited like an idiot.’

 

I had wandered every spot she’d ever mentioned, from sunset Saturday to sunrise Sunday. Experience had taught me how her mind worked.

 

“Anyway, here. Take this.”

 

I handed Seo Do-hwan the package I’d gotten from Lee Man-deuk. When he opened it and saw what was inside, his eyes widened.

 

“…It’s a sword.”

 

“How is it?”

 

“Is that even a question?”

 

Seo Do-hwan’s face lit up.

 

“It’s exactly the same sword I used.”

 

Technically, it was the sword used by the protagonist of The Weak Hunter, but close enough.

 

“That’s good.”

 

Seeing him that happy lifted my mood a little.

 

“Think you can beat Han Yeong-won?”

 

“I already told you I can! Boss, do you want me to lose?”

 

“No.”

 

Preferably, he’d win.

 

If he did, Han Yeong-won would drop the idea of dueling me and latch onto Seo Do-hwan instead, demanding rematch after rematch. Honestly, I felt a little sorry for him.

 

‘So please—at the very least—make it a draw.’

 

In truth, the two of them were evenly matched. I’d talked about compatibility, but in every regression where they fought, neither had ever won decisively.

 

‘Whether it’ll end the same way this time… who knows.’

 

All I hoped was that nothing unexpected would happen and that the match would end cleanly. And so, at the stroke of midnight between Saturday and Sunday, atop the restricted summit of Mount Gwanak—

 

“You’ve come.”

 

There she stood, smiling with dignified confidence.

 

Well… Seo Do-hwan stood before her.

 

Just him.