How a legendary returner lives

It was a natural question.

How much of a difference in skill would there have to be for something as simple as tapping one’s body to create such an effect?

It was beyond imagination. It gave me goosebumps.

But that was secondary. The important thing was that Si-Hoo had helped me greatly.

My life had been saved, and my abilities had increased.

I collapsed onto the sofa.

‘…I’ve received too much.’

I hadn’t given anything in return.

Lost in this strange feeling, Jin Song-I eventually looked down at her ringing watch. The caller was Si-Hoo.

She answered immediately.

“What’s going on? I still have some time before going to Korea…”

– Jin Tae-Seop is dead.

For a moment, she was stunned. Did she hear that correctly?

“…What?”

– He was thrown from the 26th floor of the apartment. He didn’t survive. So, I’m asking—what have you been doing all this time without killing him?

The sense of reality seemed to crumble.

“…You killed him?”

– Yeah. There was no reason to keep him alive.

“…”

– Why? Did you want him kept alive?

She couldn’t answer easily.

Jin Song-I was still human. Even if Si-Hoo didn’t remember certain things, Jin Song-I did. She knew that even if Jin Tae-Seop was a piece of trash in Si-Hoo’s memory, he hadn’t always been like that. Of course, his memories were marred with violence, but there were tiny fragments of good moments—very small, but they existed. That was certain.

Because of those small fragments, it hadn’t been easy to cut ties completely.

All he really wanted was money, and money was something Jin Song-I could make easily.

If the greatest awakened person in South Korea couldn’t make money, that would be more surprising. This wasn’t the age of awakeners for nothing.

The reason she hadn’t killed Jin Tae-Seop was because there were multiple factors. One of them was that Si-Hoo had treated Jin Tae-Seop well.

Jin Song-I, despite being kind, pure, and decisive, was weak when it came to family.

Here, “family” meant “Si-Hoo.”

The 200th Apostle had been exceptionally good at pretending to be Si-Hoo.

He had lived like a despicable scoundrel, and to some extent, the reason he was able to function as a person was because of Jin Tae-Seop’s influence. She later learned that everything had been calculated, but at the time, she hadn’t known.

Jin Tae-Seop’s presence had brought stability to Si-Hoo. Jin Song-I was a hero.

And so, she endured.

If she alone could endure, then her family would remain stable.

That was the real reason.

But now he was dead.

“…Si-Hoo.”

– What?

“Did I… misthink things?”

Was it wrong to keep Jin Tae-Seop alive?

Even when the 200th Apostle had been impersonating Si-Hoo, Jin Song-I had suspected something. She never ignored the sense of unease she felt.

But…

Could she really break apart her “stable family” over that unease?

It seemed like a gamble.

But it was a gamble Jin Song-I hadn’t been willing to take.

If the Si-Hoo she had known was a fake, then Jin Tae-Seop would have been the only remaining blood relative to Jin Song-I.

It was understandable that the Si-Hoo who had returned from Titan couldn’t comprehend this.

For 10 years, Jin Song-I had lived with fakes.

The real Si-Hoo didn’t know the life she had lived.

The two of them were silent for a moment.

They had both lived through a lot, so they didn’t need to speak much. Just the atmosphere and their personalities were enough for them to deduce each other’s thoughts close to the truth.

After all, they were family.

Si-Hoo understood why Jin Song-I hadn’t killed Jin Tae-Seop.

And Jin Song-I understood why Si-Hoo had killed him.

There were reasons on both sides. The issue was whether they could accept them, but as family, they would understand each other’s reasons and move forward.

After a brief sigh, Si-Hoo spoke.

– The secretary said he would take care of it.

“The secretary?”

– Yeah.

“Then it should be fine.”

– What about the funeral?

“Do we need to do that?”

Si-Hoo answered firmly.

– We have to.

“Why?”

– If we don’t, people like loan sharks will come after us.

Jin Song-I doubted it at first.

Jin Tae-Seop had borrowed a lot of money. Not only from friends but also from loan sharks.

Jin Song-I hadn’t paid back any of it.

So, who would the people owed money by Jin Tae-Seop target next?

It was obvious.

Jin Song-I was a hero in South Korea, but that could also be a weapon or a weakness.

If it had been Secretary Yoon, he would have gone to all the loan sharks and paid off the debts. He would have handled everything cleanly.

But Si-Hoo didn’t seem like someone who would do that. In fact, she didn’t even think he had considered that possibility. Si-Hoo spoke.

– I don’t want to get caught in this later. Let’s settle it all now.

* * *

A person had fallen from an apartment and died.

Detective Joo Seong-Hyun, from the Gangnam District Police Department, stood silently, observing the scene.

This didn’t seem like a simple suicide.

He looked back and forth between the shattered window and the body. Something was off.

If it was an accident, maybe, but it was obvious that the person had been thrown after breaking the window. If it were an accident, the distance would have been much shorter.

His brow furrowed.

Joo Seong-Hyun’s mood was not good at all.

The reason he was in a bad mood was simple.

He had received orders from above. This was to be closed as a suicide case.

More specifically, he was instructed to conclude it as a suicide.

The motive seemed sufficient.

The deceased, Jin Tae-Seop, a 54-year-old man, had a hobby of gambling. He gambled everywhere—domestically and abroad. Baccarat, Seotda, Blackjack, even One Card.

He didn’t care about the type of gambling or whether it was legal or illegal. He had significant debts—loan sharks, as well as first and second-tier financial institutions. If someone looked at him, they’d think he was born to gamble.

The reason he had spent and borrowed so much money was thanks to his daughter, Jin Song-I. Jin Song-I and Jin Si-Hoo’s credit had guaranteed it. In fact, Jin Song-I had helped repay the debts in some way, so from the lenders’ perspective, he was the perfect mark.

This was the motive.

The scenario had already been written.

The 54-year-old Jin Tae-Seop, disillusioned with his life burdened by gambling debt, threw himself from the apartment and committed suicide. Or, he came to meet his son, Jin Si-Hoo, but with no income and an increasing sense of regret over his disappearing money, he decided to commit suicide.

Either of these scenarios could be used. If needed, they could even create a third scenario by adding a few more details.

But honestly, even though they were saying this, there were several suspicious aspects that didn’t add up.

Jin Tae-Seop was the father of Jin Song-I, a hero in South Korea.

Yet, this man had died, and things were so quiet? They were asking to bury the case like this?

Endless questions arose, but what could he do? If orders came from above, he had to follow them.

Just then, his watch vibrated.

When he checked the name, Joo Seong-Hyun furrowed his brow.

It was a familiar name.

Kang Hyun-Soo, the inspector.

He immediately pressed the call button.

– Hyung!

“Yeah, what is it?”

– Are you investigating the Jin Tae-Seop death case?

“That’s my assignment, why?”

– The murderer is Jin Si-Hoo.

A sigh escaped Joo Seong-Hyun.

“That guy’s a non-awakened. Do you think a non-awakened can throw someone that far? Do you seriously believe that?”

– He has an artifact, doesn’t he?

“Do you think I’m a rookie? I’ve already checked, there were no signs of an artifact. He just threw him with pure strength.”

– …That’s not possible. Jin Si-Hoo is the murderer.

Joo Seong-Hyun sighed again.

“Cut it out, you bastard. And what the hell were you doing down in Gyeongbuk that the chief is asking about you? Were you taking money down there too?”

– Hyung, what are you talking about? Why would the chief be asking about me?

“You little brat. The chief asked me what you’ve been up to. Why the hell are you mixing with the Guild of Salvation when you should be stuck in Gyeongbuk?”

– ….

“Listen, if you’re going to go there, go alone. Don’t drag me into this. Hang up.”

With a click, the call ended. Joo Seong-Hyun muttered to himself.

“Close it as a suicide.”

* * *

Enraged, Kang Hyun-Soo slammed his fist down onto the desk.

Bang!

Damn bastards.

The news was already reporting that Jin Tae-Seop had committed suicide. It was strange if he wasn’t angry.

So, they really concluded it as suicide?

Those idiots, the murderer was definitely Jin Si-Hoo. And the Salvation Guild was definitely involved.

The Salvation Guild was undoubtedly the top guild in South Korea. What would happen if they investigated a crime involving such a guild? There would be resistance, but what if they could prove the guilt of the perfect crime?

Naturally, promotions would follow. It would be a done deal.

They might come to silence him, but what kind of world did they think this was? It wouldn’t be easy to shut someone up these days.

Moreover, Jin Song-I wasn’t that kind of person.

Personally, Kang Hyun-Soo didn’t know her, but just by looking at the path Jin Song-I had taken, he could tell what kind of person she was.

After the Great Change, Jin Song-I had worked in the Gate Structure for two years.

Thanks to that, her growth was slower compared to other unique awakened individuals, and she had faced ridiculous restrictions that prevented her from coming to Seoul. Yet, she never made excuses and had never acted recklessly, not even once.

She was not the kind of person who would commit a crime. But her younger brother was a different story. Honestly, he had only recently been seen as a suspect in the murder of a certified realtor in Gyeongbuk, but the moment Kang Hyun-Soo laid eyes on him, he felt something was off.

This bastard, he’s a goner from the start.

Jin Si-Hoo is the kind of human trash that could be compared to a serial killer with a crime spree.

There was an unsettling smell coming from him.

And now, he had killed his own father.

Concluding it as a suicide? Jin Song-I, I never thought she would apply pressure like this.

Criminal bastards should all be locked up in prison, including awakened ones.

Lost in thought at home, Kang Hyun-Soo soon began gathering information on Jin Si-Hoo.

[Admitted Jin Si-Hoo. Jin Si-Hoo walking around outside. What’s the truth?] [The national hero’s brother, taking a break from his works, a world full of lies…] [The leading suspect in the murder of a real estate agent in Gimcheon, a national hero’s brother…] [(Breaking News) Jin Song-I, father’s death.] [Jin Tae-Seop: Who was he?] [Why couldn’t Jin Tae-Seop escape death?]

Various articles were flooding out.

Among them was:

[The Guild of Salvation attempting to enter Seoul, ignoring past national agreements.] [SSS-level awakened Lee Seong-Jae, must prevent the Guild of Salvation from entering Seoul. National agreements are not to be taken lightly.]

It seemed like everyone in the shadows was working diligently.

Kang Hyun-Soo, determined to prove Jin Si-Hoo’s criminal charges, was about to send a message to his fellow detectives to fax over all information on Jin Si-Hoo when…

“Did you think when I told you to stay quiet it was just an empty threat?”

The sudden voice made Kang Hyun-Soo shiver.

He turned his head and froze.

It was cold.

There was something against his neck.

A sharp metal object—definitely a dagger or kitchen knife.

But identifying who it was wasn’t hard. Their eyes met.

“…Secretary Yoon Young-Soo?”

“Why do you keep crossing the line?”

“…Have you lost your mind? Breaking and entering…”

“If you can’t understand when I tell you to stop, what else can I do?”

Yoon Young-Soo’s expression was chilling. Kang Hyun-Soo couldn’t speak a word. His skin was crawling.

“You can resent me all you want, but if there’s a next life, don’t get involved with us again.”

That was it.

Swish—

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yoon Young-Soo slashed Kang Hyun-Soo’s neck.

Blood spurted out, but at the same time, a transparent barrier appeared in front of Yoon Young-Soo, blocking the blood. Yoon Young-Soo stepped away from the collapsing Kang Hyun-Soo.

He watched until Kang Hyun-Soo stopped moving.

Just then, a ‘man’ spoke to Yoon Young-Soo.