The Returner

Chapter 105

“So, what you’re saying is… . ” (mom)

Madam Park Seon-Duk’s jaw nearly hit the floor as her eyes took in the breathtaking beauty standing right in front of her .

She’d been thinking that lazy bum of her son was managing to reel in some really amazing catches lately . But, it seemed that he had caught a nonsensically massive fish now .

No, hang on a minute, was it correct to call this beauty a nonsensically massive fish in the first place?

Wasn’t this more like her idiot son going fishing with nothing more than a flimsy wooden fishing rod and ending up bringing home a freaking whale?

“… . You wish to stay in our home for a while?” (mom)

When Park Seon-Duk asked in a shocked and disbelieving tone of voice, Yi Ji-Hyuk sneaked an eye signal to her .

‘Mom, tell her it’s not going to happen!’

Park Seon-Duk quickly caught onto her son’s signal and acted accordingly .

After all, he was her only son, so this much was nothing!

“You can stay as long as you want! We have plenty of rooms left, anyway . ” (mom)

“MOM?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Don’t you worry about a thing, my boy! Let mom take care of everything!(mom’s inner monologue)

The boundless love a mother had for her child was being sent down the wrong path .

However, from Park Seon-Duk’s perspective, her son wasn’t foolish enough to reject a beauty that even a fellow woman like her found simply too bewitching to behold .

‘It’s too much to ask for marriage, but if he could stay with her for a little while, I’m sure it’d do a world of good for him . ’ (mom)

It should be enough to leave him with lasting memories .

Those memories would be more like nightmares to Yi Ji-Hyuk, though .

“I shall inconvenience you until I find a permanent residence of my own . ” (Affeldrichae)

“Oh, no . Please, do stay as long as you like . I don’t mind if you decide to live here for good, you know . ” (mom)

“M, mom, but, but, but, that… . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“You, be quiet . Let mom do all the planning . ” (mom)

“… . Ng . ”

Yi Ji-Hyuk became instantly depressed, shuffled towards a dim corner and squatted there, before mournfully scratching the floor .

Witnessing this spectacle unfold, Affeldrichae was overcome with shock .

A completely rude and inconsiderate man – Yi Ji-Hyuk was a man who flipped birds in the gods’ faces with total impunity .

So, the fact that there was yet another lifeform existing above such a being in terms of power dynamics was utterly unthinkable to her .

Hell, he was an existence that didn’t even bat an eyelid when calling her, the Lord of Dragons, with mean names like ‘fatty lizard’ or ‘that dang lizard woman’ .

So, she couldn’t help but be shocked after seeing such a man crumple in defeat from just a few words and slink off to a dinky little corner to sulk .

‘Is this the fearsome existence called one’s mother?’ (Affeldrichae)

An existence capable of subjugating a being that nearly drove an entire world to the brink of destruction with a few simple words… . One’s mother .

For a dragon who had no such concepts as mother/child relationship, she simply couldn’t understand it . However, although she may have failed to understand the emotional aspect of this situation, that didn’t mean she couldn’t figure out what was going on here using her power of deduction .

Affeldrichae instantly figured out who was in charge of this family .

“Thank you,mother . I’ll be in your care . ” (Affeldrichae)

Meanwhile, Yi Ji-Hyuk was gnashing his teeth .

The translation magic patch must’ve been working wonders; she was so eloquent in speech that others would mistakenly think this blondie’s name was Kim Deok-Soon, instead of something exotic like Richae .

“Why! Why?! Why did you come here and make a guy’s life a living hell?! Don’t you have a lot of money already?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I do, but the problem is, I don’t have any identity documents . ” (Affeldrichae)

“Just find a hotel room or something and stay there, will ya?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“… . But, it’s dangerous for a lone woman, though?” (Affeldrichae)

HUL?!

What did I hear just now?!(Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

Yi Ji-Hyuk hurriedly began digging out his ear canals .

He dug hard and fast enough to nearly draw blood, and then asked again .

“Mind repeating that again? Maybe I’m having trouble with fatigue lately, ‘cuz I keep hearing nonsense . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Nonsense… . . ” (Affeldrichae)

She lightly bit her lower lip and turned her head away .

That sight of her looked so sad and downtrodden, witnesses to this scene were almost compelled to hug her tightly and tell that everything would be alright .

“How dare an ungrateful punk like you mutter such things to a woman?!” (mom)

“Wah?! What!! I, I can’t even tell anyone what’s really happening here, too! Imma go crazy at this rate!! Dang it, yeah, the king has donkey ears!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Be quiet!” (mom)

Mom, you must not be deceived by her!

That woman only looks beautiful because of the polymorph spell! Her actual appearance is a lizard that looks so strange, you might faint from the shock!

Is this what they mean by ‘charmed by the nine-tailed fox’?!(Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

Yi Ji-Hyuk instantly grew curious as to how Madam Park Seon-Duk would react if she were to witness Affeldrichae’s actual appearance .

Oh my goodness me~ . Your fangs are so pointy and pretty .

Your scales are so wonderfully smooth and well polished, too .

Can I take one with me?

… . Yeah, that beauty is nothing but a fake image created by magic!

So, you must not be fooled, mom!(Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

“Hul . ”

Yi Ye-Won exited from her room after hearing all that fuss outside, only for her jaw to hit the ground after laying her eyes on Affeldrichae .

Plop .

She then collapsed to the floor and began shedding tears of bitter resentment .

“I was already having a hard time with Dah-Som and Hae-Min unni, yet why did the last boss have to appear now?!” (Ye-Won)

Indeed, she hadn’t even cleared the mid-level boss yet!

“Mom!! Why did you give birth to me with this face?!” (Ye-Won)

“But, isn’t your face perfectly fine?” (mom)

“How can you still say that with her standing next to you?!” (Ye-Won)

“… . Cough . ” (mom)

Who knew that her own daughter would end up looking like a squid in her own eyes?

Even though she was the very precious apple of her eye… .

I’m so sorry, my child . Even I have to concede that this woman is simply too much . (Mom’s inner monologue)

“Your oppa brought her home . She’s going to be staying with us for a while . ” (mom)

“In the same room?” (Ye-Won)

Yi Ji-Hyuk hurriedly cried out in denial .

“NOOOO WAAAAYYYYSSS!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

I am a human being!! How can I a share a room with a dang lizard?!

Richae tilted her head slightly . It seemed that there was a bit of a loading time for the translation of the words ‘living in the same room’ to be transmitted .

“Ah… . . ”

She suddenly smiled brightly and spoke up .

“Please, don’t worry about us . We’ve already lived together before, after all . ” (Affeldrichae)

“…… . !!!!!”

“…… . !!!!!”

… . .

… . .

… . Oh, so my mom’s eyes were originally that big, huh .

…Mom? Please stop glaring at me like that . Please .

And you, why are you looking at me like that, Ye-Won? Is your dear brother that untrustworthy in your eyes?

This is just impossible… .

I’m still your brother, though… .

If you continue to stare at me like that, looking so shocked and all, I’m gonna feel really awkward, right? Don’t you agree?(Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

“… . So, like, look somewhere else before I pluck your eyes out . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Oh, you mean me, son?” (mom)

“No way that’s true, mother . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Park Seon-Duk nodded her head in acceptance and gently held Affeldrichae’s hands .

“So, then… . ” (mom)

“Yes?” (Affeldrichae)

“When are you planning to tie the knot?” (mom)

“I told you, that’s wrrrrrrrrooooooong!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s frustrated and tearful cry resounded throughout the house .

*

“You aren’t going home?” (Jeong Hae-Min)

“…… . ”

“You, you don’t like me, do you?” (Jeong Hae-Min)

“Yes . So far . ” (Kim Dah-Som)

Meanwhile, outside Yi Ji-Hyuk’s house… .

Unable to accept defeat and leave for their respective homes, Jeong Hae-Min and Kim Dah-Som loitered around the vicinity of the house before finally making small talk after one solid hour of staring at each other .

“I also don’t like you, you know?” (Jeong Hae-Min)

“I’m sure you don’t . ” (Kim Dah-Som)

Would you hear this wet-behind-the-ears youngling babble like that?

Jeong Hae-Min’s personality dictated that she should yank that insolent girl’s hair down and have a proper go, but then again, what was there for her to gain by doing that? Now was the time to be open-minded and all .

“You… . You pretend to be so well behaved and demure in front of Ji-Hyuk, but when he’s not around… You really have a particular mouth on you, don’t you?” (Jeong Hae-Min)

The open-mindedness could jump in a lake for all she cared!

“I’m learning a lot from your example . ” (Kim Dah-Som)

Jeong Hae-Min began trembling from rage .

However, she was a pro idol through and through .

Wasn’t being calm and composed a necessary virtue for all idols out there?

“I really don’t like you . ” (Jeong Hae-Min)

“I know . ” (Kim Dah-Som)

“Even then, this isn’t the time for us to be at odds with one another . Don’t you agree?” (Jeong Hae-Min)

Kim Dah-Som silently nodded her head .

She was full of confidence when it came to her outer appearance . But when that woman whose name was Affeldrichae or some such entered the fray, her confidence shattered into little bits and pieces .

“They look like they know each other . You saw that too, right?” (Jeong Hae-Min)

“Yes . ” (Kim Dah-Som)

“Not only that, he took her home, too . ” (Jeong Hae-Min)

Kim Dah-Som’s eyebrows began quivering in rage all of a sudden .

Well, she still hadn’t been allowed to set foot inside his house yet!

But that d*mn fox got a free pass? How much unfair could this situation get?

“That is why we shouldn’t be fighting among ourselves . We need to unite and present a common front . ” (Jeong Hae-Min)

“Yes, I agree . ” (Kim Dah-Som)

“You too, Gah-Yun-ah!” (Jeong Hae-Min)

Doh Gah-Yun slowly emerged from Jeong Hae-Min’s shadow and stared at Yi Ji-Hyuk’s house with an unreadable expression on her face .

Her job was to follow him no matter where he went, but she too wasn’t allowed to enter that house .

But that woman… . .

Grit .

“Gah-Yun-ah . Calm down . ” (Jeong Hae-Min)

Nod .

Jeong Hae-Min calmed Gah-Yun down and continued to speak .

“Well, it’s not like I’m planning to do something with Ji-Hyuk, but to acknowledge a woman who just showed up out of the blue from nowhere, no . My pride won’t let me . ” (Jeong Hae-Min)

“I was planning on doing something, though . ” (Kim Dah-Som)

“… . I think you should learn to control yourself a bit before we start . ” (Jeong Hae-Min)

“But, if I end up as an old spinster, who’ll take the responsibility?” (Kim Dah-Som)

Hah, this girl dares to?

She’s probably talking about me, right?(Jeong Hae-Min’s inner monologue)

Jeong Hae-Min was about to start an almighty stare-down, but stopped and groaned out grandly .

She must maintain this common front for the time being!

“First of all, we gotta find out who that woman is . Gah-Yun-ah? You know what to do . ” (Jeong Hae-Min)

Nod .

“That’s right . ” (Jeong Hae-Min)

It was a bit weird to see the smallest person here, Jeong Hae-Min, order others around, but she’d been duking it out in the competitive world of entertainers for a long time . Which meant that she looked rather natural doing it .

“Let’s uncover that snake-like woman’s real identity first!!” (Jeong Hae-Min)

Well, she was already halfway there . (TL: Still remember what the Korean word for a lizard is?)

*

“Whew… . . ”

It was the early hours of the morning . Yi Ji-Hyuk lay in his bed in his darkened room and stared at the ceiling, his mind full of complicated thoughts .

“I’m going insane here . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Why did she really come?

Dragons never lied . More so, to a dragon, lying to a lower species like human beings was completely unthinkable .

Specifically, it wasn’t that dragons chose not to lie, they couldn’t lie in the first place . So, there was no reason for Yi Ji-Hyuk to suspect what she was saying .

She came to see him .

What a terrifyingly frightening prospect that was .

Hadn’t she had enough of arguing with him for the past thousand plus years?

But, more importantly… .

Gates from the demon world are opening up?

And it’s connecting to here? To planet Earth?

What a terrible situation this is . (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

If the denizens of the demon world were to invade this planet, then truly unimaginable things would unfold in this world without a doubt .

Many meanings behind that word ‘things’, obviously .

First of all, demons incomparably stronger than monsters from the Gates that had been opening up, will flood this place, and… .

Right, more importantly… . (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

Yi Ji-Hyuk slowly shook his head .

No, wait, There’s no reason to worry about that right now .

Even Yi Ji-Hyuk couldn’t open such a powerful gate without the aid of the Eye of Latrel . Even if a portal connecting this planet and the demon world opened up, since it needed to cross the incredibly vast distance existing between dimensions, it’d be very difficult for a true demon king-level character to get here unscathed .

If he were to face small fries, then sure, he was confident of doing something about them .

But, what was this?

What was this anxiety?

The combination of anxiety and disharmony bubbling from deep inside the pits of his stomach was tormenting Yi Ji-Hyuk’s thought process .

“Looks like you can’t fall asleep . ” (Affeldrichae)

Hearing that voice, Yi Ji-Hyuk growled menacingly .

“Didn’t I tell you to never intrude on my bedroom?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Affeldrichae replied while looking rather troubled .

“You sounded like how you were back then just now . ” (Affeldrichae)

“Stop provoking me . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s cold and distant eyes landed on Affeldrichae .

“I’m not sure what your end game is, but I promise you, you better do it in moderation . I may have ended up in this state, but if I really set my mind to it, I can still rip you apart limb from limb . Especially when you can’t revert back to your original form . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Even though Yi Ji-Hyuk’s voice dripped with malice and killing intent, Affeldrichae simply smiled back at him .

And that smile only served to push Yi Ji-Hyuk further into the zone of discomfort .

“How do you feel, now that you’re back home?” (Affeldrichae)

“How do I look to you?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“You look… . relaxed . ” (Affeldrichae)

“Bingo . I’ve been really enjoying myself . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Affeldrichae quietly studied him for a while, before opening her mouth to speak .

“When was the last time you slept?” (Affeldrichae)

“………… . . ”

“You know what’s happening to you right now, don’t you?” (Affeldrichae)

“I know better than anyone . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“The power of dark magic gradually eats away at a person . You were able to maintain your sanity back in Berafe even though you wielded unimaginable power . Because, both your body and mind continuously regenerated . However, even with the blessing of immortality, you came close to losing your mind several times . ” (Affeldrichae)

“So what?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“You’re no longer that immortal being . You know this too, don’t you? If you continue to rely on the power of dark magic, then that inevitable moment will come . And that’s when this world will meet its true Apocalypse . ” (Affeldrichae)

“So? Are you going to stop that from happening? By killing me?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Wouldn’t this be the perfect time for that?

What should I do, then? Give up and let her?(Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

It was then, Affeldrichae walked over to Yi Ji-Hyuk’s lying body, and gently embraced his head .

“What are you doing now?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“With my current power, I can’t purify you . No, even if I was back in my true form, that would still be impossible . But, I can give you a little bit of respite, for now . ” (Affeldrichae)

Affeldrichae’s warmth began flowing into Yi Ji-Hyuk’s head and to the rest of his body .

“… . I’m getting sleepy . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I’m sure you haven’t been able to sleep for the last few months . So, sleep . Rest . ” (Affeldrichae)

“This… Isn’t… this… too… embarras…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk couldn’t finish his sentence and fell into a deep slumber .

While listening to his soft, rhythmic breathing, Affeldrichae slowly stroked his hair .

‘What a truly unfortunate person you are . ’

She wished for him to take a long, refreshing rest .

After all, there weren’t a lot of days remaining for him to relax like this .

She gently smiled and continued to stroke his hair until the morning sun rose up over the horizon .