Past Life Returner

His eyes opened naturally with the realization that he had unknowingly fallen asleep. The moment his eyelids lifted and his pupils were revealed, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Due to the sudden rush of blood, veins bulged on the surface of his fist.

He sucked in breath deeply through his nose. It must have been a split second before it exploded with the intent to fight, but Kwon Seong-Il’s expression soon changed to a wistful smile.

This was not a battlefield. The war had ended yesterday.

I should sleep more.

Seong-Il pulled the blanket up to his chin.

Ah, this feels so good. Why is it so fluffy? Feels heavenly. Isn’t this true happiness?

***

After a long and deep sleep, he woke up. It was past noon, and Ki-Cheol, who had gotten up earlier, was engrossed in his phone.

Seong-Il said while approaching Ki-Cheol, “You will hurt your eyes. Do something else.”

“Why do you always say that? Maybe I should change my name,” Ki-Cheol grumbled.

“You are always spouting nonsense. What is wrong with your name? It means a bright person. Such a good name. Without positivity…”

“That is not what I meant! Even foreigners are making a fuss. But Dad, don’t you need to sleep more? Should I turn off the lights? Or leave?”

“Do you have a girlfriend or something?” Seong-Il asked.

“What girlfriend? I don’t have such a thing…”

“What have you been doing without dating? Maybe I should snip off your penis.”

“Do you think I am a kid?” Ki-Cheol snapped.

“Be thankful. I might not know about other things, but I passed that one good thing to you. Haha. That is the treasure of men in our family. You might not know now, but hehehe.”

“What about you, Dad?”

“What about me?”

“Take care of your own business first.”

“What?”

“Be careful around women.”

“Ah, you think you have grown up and can now talk back. Sassy.”

Ki-Cheol sighed. Even as Seong-Il ruffled his son’s hair and walked by, Ki-Cheol continued to stare at his phone. After learning that outer space was a battlefield where people were dying, Ki-Cheol had given up all his social media and video channel activities.

Yet, many people continued to look at his last post. Mainly since yesterday, a number of people had visited his channel. Since the start of Ki-Cheol’s social media service on Facenote, his personal account had recorded the highest number of visits.

Ki-Cheol activated the translation feature but only frowned after doing so. Of course, the majority of comments expressed profound gratitude to the heroes who saved humanity. However, among them were comments like this.

「Mr. Caliber, please meet me just once.」

「I can give you everything only to you, Mr. Caliber.」

「You are my hero, Mr. Caliber. I cannot sleep out of excitement whenever I think about you.」

It was not just random girls who did that. Even famous people, including models and celebrities, were doing it too. These were slender, glamorous, blonde beauties. Ki-Cheol was displeased about that.

Just then, a huge face suddenly appeared next to Ki-Cheol’s face. He was startled and tried to hide his phone, but it was already too late.

“Are they talking about me?” Seong-Il asked.

“Then, who else would they be talking about?”

“Why have you been so grumpy lately? Why? Did someone say bad things about me? What is it?”

“Who…who would do that? To you!”

“Let me see.”

Though flustered, Ki-Cheol quickly managed to turn off the translation function on his phone. He did not want to show his dad the comments from foreign girls.

The fortunate thing was that there were also comments in Korean with similar content, but they were buried hundreds of pages deep due to the overwhelming number of comments from all over the world. Another thing that made him relieved was that while English was the common language in the Stage of Advent, his dad had not learned it at all.

He said he was so strong he did not need to learn English… It should be okay now, right? He would not understand. He should not know.

He grumbled, “It is my account, so you can’t touch anything. Okay? Just look.”

“It is your account, but everyone is talking about me. Let’s see if anyone left hateful comments. I will teach them important lessons.”

“No, no, they don’t seem to leave hate comments. Most of them are in English, so I don’t really know either.”

Seong-Il rolled his eyes. “Ah, stop beating around the bush. I should just make an account myself.”

“Why would you do that? If you get hacked, it will be a huge problem.”

Ki-Cheol hastily handed his father the phone and began to watch him intently as he sat down. However, his father spent a long time looking at the comments. He was moving his gaze from one comment to another as if he could read English. Then, he started muttering discontentedly.

Ki-Cheol regretted it. “Give it to me…”

He wanted to take his phone back, but his father’s grip seemed impenetrable.

“Is this why you were upset? Do you wish I wouldn’t see other women? You brat. I am a man too. You can’t interfere with my life. I plan to make my life more exciting from now on. Since we are on the subject, I should clarify this. I have no plans to get back with your mother. If you think otherwise, give up. Hehehe.”

Ki-Cheol felt like his chest was about to burst, but he could not confront his dad. So all he could do was grit his teeth.

Seong-Il’s expression became more complicated as he looked at his son. He wasn’t sure if he needed to reprimand him or not. It was only natural from his son’s perspective to hope that Seong-Il and his ex-wife would get back together.

However, too much time had passed. With not much time left until his son became an adult, it was meaningless to get back together with his ex-wife.

But it is not acceptable for you to fume in front of your dad.

“Hey, I just got back yesterday. Is it necessary for you to be so angry?”

Seong-Il’s voice became stern.

Ki-Cheol raised his head and shouted, “Are you not angry at all?”

***

Seong-Il felt like he had been slapped on the back of his head. Ki-Cheol was mad not because he was conscious of his mom.

“Do you think the King of Hell and Uncle Lee Tae-Han would hear stuff like this? How could they think so little of you to do this? Especially in public on social media. How could those who seek attention cling to you like this? How could they do that to one of the…heroes…” his son stuttered.

Seong-Il was stunned. However, seeing Ki-Cheol not pester him about getting back with his mother, he realized how much his once young son had grown. He felt proud.

“Do you want people to fear your dad? Like tremble at just a glance?”

“...”

“The Awakened all respect me. Before becoming an Awakened, I only received such gazes. Isn’t that dope?”

“...”

“Some of them even pee and poop involuntarily when they see me. So, don’t you think Dad should at least breathe a little easier here? It is nice when people like me the way I am.”

“...Are you going back to outer space again? Everything is over.”

“Then, should I give a dog the bone after boiling it[1]?”

“Huh? What does that mean?” Ki-Cheol asked.

“I will tell you if you promise not to post on the internet.”

“I stopped doing that a long time ago.”

“Promise?”

Ki-Cheol nodded. “Promise.”

“Dad has accumulated a vast amount of territory. You would have learned in your history classes. When an emperor wins a war, how does he reward his subordinate kings? He divides the conquered land first. But let me ask. How much land did your dad accumulate? A lot.”

He continued, “Hey, Ki-Cheol. Do you know how big Saint Dragorin is? It is much larger than Earth and has great views. It has such a pleasant environment to live in as well. Do you get it? If I go there, I will be a king. Since I was born a man, why not try being a king once? What do you think?”

“Then what about me? What should I do? Should I go to that old man again?” Ki-Cheol asked.

“Hey! He is not just an old brat. He is your mother’s husband.”

“Then, why did you say all that yesterday in front of everyone…?”

Seong-Il reflected on many things while looking at his son who was trying hard not to cry. Ki-Cheol seemed to have grown up until just moments ago, but now he was childlike again. He was about to cry like a baby just because Seong-Il acted a bit against his wishes. Well, becoming an adult was not just about aging. Before Seong-Il met Odin, he was like a baby too.

Seong-Il made a decision after contemplation. Although his memories of the battlefields had faded, he still had a son who had not fully grown.

If I cannot take you with me, I won’t go. No, I can’t go.

Perhaps, watching his son grow up and passing on the teachings he received was more rewarding than ruling as a king. In other words, living as a father would have been the most manly thing he could do.

***

“I might not go.”

“What do you mean ‘might?’”

“I cannot leave Ki-Cheol here.”

“Hyung… Odin will soon block our abilities. If we don’t return, we won’t be any different from the civilians here,” Lee Tae-Han said.

“Nah, I have beaten bastards before with my bare hands even without powers. I can still live like a king here. I don’t know if you understand, but I am popular here. I can easily rule, right? Hehe.”

“Hyung…”

“Honestly, isn’t it better for our relationship if I stay here? If we go there together and take care of our own groups, there will be occasions when we cannot avoid conflicts.”

“We were on quite good terms in the Stage of Advent, Hyung.”

“That is your opinion. I handled all the troubles, man. The citizens of the Savior’s City dealt with the rest. That is why Kim Ji-Hoon is always mad at me.”

“Do you feel the same to me?”

“To you? Maybe a bit, but I am more grateful for you. You have been through a lot, bro. Good job.”

“Ah… Why are you doing this? If you make such sudden decisions impulsively…”

“It is because you don’t have children. I had forgotten for a while, but before my child grew up, his life was my life. If you miss me, then secure a spot for me. Once Ki-Cheol is grown up, I will come to see you. It won’t be too long. Just wait a bit.”

“Hyung.”

“Why are you clinging so much? Do you think it will be hard to handle Hera? If you are going to be so fearful, maybe you should quit. Don’t be scared. Why do you think Odin has kept you by his side?”

“As you know, Hera is not what she used to be.”

“She was excellent at what she did, so…it can’t be helped. It might be tough, but…”

“...”

“If you crave liquor, come visit me. I know a place with incredible hangover stew. Or should we go now? I was just about to go with Ki-Cheol. I am already salivating.”

Seong-Il put his hand on Tae-Han’s shoulder and grinned.

“You should have a bowl of stew before you leave. It will give you lots of energy.”

1. It is a Korean idiom that is used to describe a situation where someone gives something to another person, but that thing has lost its original value or usefulness. ☜