Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 158

I had to agonize over how to handle this situation—or more accurately, what kind of position I should take while speaking with him.

 

In the first place, I questioned whether I should believe him at all, and if I did, to what extent. He’d put together a fairly convincing story about his background, but there was no guarantee that everything he was saying wasn’t simply an elaborate lie designed to make me accept him.

 

Even if parallel worlds and a war against Towers actually existed, there was no guarantee he was really the one codenamed <Wizard>. For all I knew, he could be some villain known by a codename like <Psychopathic Murderer>. Even if I conceded that he was <Wizard>, there was still no guarantee his goal wasn’t to seize Kim Haejun’s body for himself.

 

I had heard various explanations, but from Lee Unha’s perspective, not a single word the guy said was trustworthy.

 

Naturally,

 

The Kim Haejun in front of me—or whatever it was—likely knew better than anyone that I didn’t trust him.

 

‘I don’t know how this material energy works or what an S-class Hunter even is, but….’

 

Essentially, he’s a mage, right?

 

‘Aren’t mages known for being intelligent? Wait, do these guys study magic books too?’

 

Regardless of his intelligence, if he possessed a normal thought process, he would understand perfectly well that I was in no position to trust him. Sure enough, he continued to add further explanations.

 

“Of course, I know this must be difficult to believe. Even if I asked you to trust me outright, I understand you wouldn’t be able to. For now… perhaps I should begin by explaining that dimensions other than this one truly exist.”

 

“…….”

 

“You likely know this better than anyone.”

 

“…….”

 

“Because you’ve been aware of the existence of other dimensions—whether through yourself, through Joo Wooyoung, through Jegal Hwi, or… no… you’ve already perceived it.”

 

“…….”

 

“Where did you come from?”

 

“…….”

 

“No, you don’t have to tell me. Right now, it doesn’t matter which dimension you fell from. What matters is that something is happening here.”

 

“…….”

 

“Since we’ve already recognized through experience that multiple dimensions exist, my claim that I came from a similar parallel world shouldn’t be particularly suspicious… What do you think?”

 

‘He’s not wrong.’

 

If I hadn’t known about Jegal Hwi’s existence, a conversation with this guy wouldn’t have even been possible. I would have dismissed his words as nonsense or judged that Kim Haejun was suffering from mental illness.

 

The existence of another world was already absurd enough. The reality that I, Lee Unha, was a returnee already implied that something was wrong with current reality. Even if there were multiple worlds and several people who had crossed over, it wouldn’t be particularly strange or unbelievable.

 

‘But, <Wizard>… you….’

 

“…….”

 

‘You don’t realize that Joo Wooyoung and I come from the same place, do you?’

 

He seemed unable to even entertain the possibility. Just as I couldn’t grasp his or Jegal Hwi’s energy sources, cross-world travelers didn’t properly understand ours either.

 

‘Should I consider that a good thing?’

 

It was best to think of it that way. If he realized that I wanted to keep my connection to Joo Wooyoung hidden, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t use that information against me.

 

I let out a silent sigh of relief. Perhaps because the mask I wore to hide it looked a bit stiff, <Wizard> spoke once more.

 

“Are you really… not going to say anything?”

 

“…….”

 

“What must I do… to earn your trust?”

 

“Trust?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Do you really think I can trust you? It’s impossible for me to trust you based on such fragmentary information. I guarantee that if you were in my shoes, you wouldn’t be able to trust me completely either. How about now? Can you say for certain that you trust me?”

 

“That is….”

 

“I can believe that other dimensions exist. So… as you said, I am aware that parallel worlds of Earth exist. But that fact isn’t evidence that I can trust you. I can’t trust that you are Kim Haejun, or whether you intend to steal the body of the Kim Haejun I know. No matter what you say to persuade me, believing you is impossible.”

 

“I can understand that.”

 

“However….”

 

“However?”

 

“I can at least listen to what you have to say. Specifically, why you approached me.”

 

“…….”

 

“Or….”

 

“…….”

 

“Whether there’s anything the two of us can offer each other.”

 

“I… see.”

 

“Of course, all of this is predicated on the assumption that you won’t steal Kim Haejun’s body. If your goal is to take over….”

 

After letting my voice trail off, I stared at him.

 

Maybe it was because I’d been the one applying pressure from the very beginning, but he seemed strangely cautious. More than that…

 

‘Is he on guard?’

 

It was evident he was wary of me.

 

‘What’s with him? Why is he like that?’

 

Could it be….

 

‘He doesn’t realize… that I’m actually weak?’

 

The thought occurred to me. We knew nothing about each other. We had no idea what energy source the other used, what abilities we had, or what our combat levels were. While people like Joo Wooyoung or Jegal Hwi radiated a massive presence, the world was also full of strong people who left no trace.

 

This was especially true for those with supernatural powers rather than physical ones. Perhaps <Wizard> viewed Lee Unha as being on par with Joo Wooyoung or Jegal Hwi?

 

As a test, I subtly shifted. Even though I only put the hand holding my phone into my pocket, I saw <Wizard> react sensitively to the movement.

 

‘Seriously? He really doesn’t know?’

 

I felt a little more at ease. No, I felt significantly more relaxed. I could now observe the situation with a slightly wider perspective.

 

“Before that, you need to answer a few questions.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What were you doing at this hour? Can I assume this meeting was a planned attempt to contact me?”

 

“No. It wasn’t. I didn’t think I would contact you, Lee Unha, in this manner or share this conversation. I… simply….”

 

“Yes.”

 

“In a situation I didn’t anticipate, Kim Haejun’s consciousness cut out, and immediately after my own consciousness awoke, I simply judged that staying in the dormitory was dangerous.”

 

“…….”

 

“Because I didn’t want Joo Wooyoung and Jegal Hwi… to notice my existence yet.”

 

‘Ah.’

 

“They did not seem like people who could be reasoned with.”

 

‘I know what you mean. One is known as the Demon Slayer, and the other has the eyes of a killer who has sliced through thousands.’

 

He likely considered the risk. I didn’t know how much combat power this <Wizard> possessed, but…. Joo Wooyoung and Jegal Hwi were monsters.

 

The kind of monsters no one else could compare to. Even if Kim Haejun stood on equal footing with them as a mage… as long as he claimed the title of <Wizard>, a fight in such a confined space would likely result in his head being separated from his body in an instant.

 

I felt he had made the right choice. If he had to confess his identity to someone, Lee Unha was a better choice than Joo Wooyoung or Jegal Hwi.

 

‘Given the problem he’s dealing with. So… he said Kim Haejun’s consciousness cut offt?’

 

“Haejun hyung’s consciousness switches off, and you wake up?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Suddenly?”

 

“It wasn’t always like this. I have spent most of my time within the consciousness of this world’s Kim Haejun.”

 

“…….”

 

“Lately, this has been happening frequently. Personally, I believe the cause is Kim Haejun’s stress….”

 

“…….”

 

“Whether he is constantly hiding due to excessive pressure or fear….”

 

“…….”

 

“To be honest… I actually feel lucky to be speaking with you like this.”

 

“What?”

 

“There is something I wish to ask of you directly.”

 

“…….”

 

“Would it be possible… for you to separate our souls?”

 

“Separate souls?”

 

“I have seen you handle spirits. And I assume you possess some sort of technique for manipulating souls.”

 

‘No. I can’t do that. I just handle minor ghosts; I can’t perform high-level necromancy like soul separation. How am I even supposed to do something like that?’

 

“In my world, there is no one who possesses the skill to handle souls as you do. To be precise, I’ve never even heard of it. Perhaps you….”

 

‘Seriously, I am telling you, I can’t do that at all. I have no idea how. Only someone like my Master could pull that off.’

 

“It’s impossible.”

 

“What?”

 

“For now.”

 

“Have you… lost your power?”

 

“No comment. However, I can’t guarantee whether it will be possible in the future either. Manipulating souls is delicate work. I could force them apart, but even the slightest mistake would leave irreparable wounds on the soul.”

 

“Ah….”

 

“If you’re worried about Joo Wooyoung or Jegal Hwi, reducing Haejun hyung’s stress would be more helpful.”

 

“…….”

 

“I’ve been worried about him too, after all.”

 

I didn’t know what he was thinking, but his eyes wavered. Perhaps because we had shared a more human conversation, the atmosphere felt much more relaxed compared to the stiffness of before.

 

As if he sensed this, the guy threw out a somewhat redundant question.

 

“May I ask one more thing? What is… your objective?”

 

Naturally, I had to provide a redundant answer. It was a risky move, but it was an opportunity to pull someone useful into my camp.

 

“…….”

“…….”

 

“My objective is to be faithful to my current life. That’s all. For now… focusing on the upcoming acting activities, the next full album, and the fan meeting is my objective, if I have one.”

 

“I… see.”

 

“Now. It’s my turn.”

 

“…….”

 

“This is related to what we were just discussing…”

 

“…….”

 

“What is Haejun hyung thinking? I think I have a general idea, but tell me exactly as it is.”

 

Nodding slightly, <Wizard> opened his mouth again.

 

“He is at his mental limit.”