The Returner - Chapter 402
[402] 1. Thanks to you I look like this (2)
“… Want to go home? ”
“Hiic?”
Everyone turned their heads to look at the clock after Choi Jung-hoon said.
“Five o’clock! ”
“You’re going home at five? Damn it, it’s on time! Oh my… How could this happen? ”
“You said you were doomed. Maybe you’re right. I can’t believe it’s my day off on time. ”
“Not even ‘go home’, ‘should I go home?’ Hey, you said you were going to go home! ”
Choi Jeong-hoon became upset as people began to murmur. I just told you to get off work on time, and you get this reaction.
It was a response to find out how badly the NDF had been through.
“I don’t know if this is good or wrong anymore. ”
“Me, too.”
As the dimensions of the horsepower converged, spots opened up all over the world. Humanity is on the brink of extinction, but the NDF is at peace like never before.
The dilemma about peace as a collateral damage to the world is right, but you can’t pretend to be busy when there is no work.
Seo Ah-young jumped up and yelled.
“Let’s get out of here!”
“Yes!”
I can’t say no to a deputy director’s order. People began packing their bags on Juju Island with an awkward face. Among them was Lee Hyuk.
“Ji-hyuk!”
Jung Jeong-min ran to Lee Hyuk.
“What are you doing today? ”
“Huh?”
“Do you want to go out to dinner with me? Everyone was supposed to come with us. ”
Lee Hyuk looked around at the people with a big smile and shaken his head.
“No, I’m going home today. ”
“Really?”
Lee Hyuk opened his base and got up. It felt strange to see people preparing for work in a hurry.
Then, I felt like I had never been to work together like this before.
“Aren’t we having a dinner today? ”
Seo Ah-young replied with a ghost face.
“The situation is, what would you say upstairs if you told me you were going to a party to say you weren’t working? Think about it and say it. ”
“Oh, you make a lot of money, too. ”
“It’s not enough to cover your meals. Park Sung… ”
Seo Ah-young, who was about to say that Park Sung Chan would go bankrupt, kept his mouth shut.
Everyone notices what she was about to say, and the air is subtle in the office.
“Then I’ll go first. ”
When Lee Hyuk waved his hands, everyone said, “This is the time.”
Lee Hyuk left the office with an excessive return.
“Hmm……. ”
It was colder than I thought. Lee Hyuk turned the other way. Today, I wanted to look around a little more than just going home.
‘The sun is setting early. ’
There was a sunset over the sky.
The sunset in red is beautiful. I feel like ‘you’ve lived without seeing this.’
I heard a small sound in Lee Hyuk’s ears, who was walking slowly.
“Huh?”
You hear a rustling sound beneath the thickets of the road.
Lee Hyuk pushed his head under the bush.
“Huh?”
A little kitten curls up and shudders. As I reached out my hand, the cat, who was cautious for a moment, licked Lee Hyuk’s finger.
“You hungry?”
Lee Hyuk, who had his hands off, started walking a little fast and headed to a convenience store nearby.
Water and one-time containers at the convenience store. Lee Hyuk, who had a canned tuna for the cat to eat, headed back to the bush with a quick walk.
“You got one?”
Pushing your head down, the kitten is still in place.
“You hungry?”
Lee Hyuk smiled, put tuna in a bowl, poured water into another bowl, and gave it to the cat.
“Eat.”
The cat staring at Lee Hyuk with a slightly cautious eye did not overcome hunger, but came to the bowl and began to eat tuna.
“You eat well. ”
Lee Hyuk gladly watched him.
After watching Lee Hyuk eat with a cigarette, he pushed the empty bowl inward as soon as the cat emptied the water.
“You shouldn’t freeze to death when I’m cold…. ”
Lee Hyuk reached out his hand, and now the cat is not wary, but accepts his hand calmly. As I stroked my head, it seemed to make me feel good.
Lee Hyuk stood up while stroking his cat.
As you slowly head toward the park, you see a black-headed man coming out of the bush.
“Get in. It’s cold. ”
I couldn’t help but notice the cat’s panting inside.
Lee Hyuk smiled and went to the park and sat on a bench.
Because it was still early, there were quite a lot of people in the park. The children, who left with their mother’s hands, were sniffing their noses and refusing to go home, flying a drone or playing with the dirt.
Some adults do their exercises outside the park, as well as puppies walking around in necklaces.
Peace.
Lee Hyuk smiled quietly as he watched.
The world is beautiful.
I could feel it in Beraf. I don’t know if it’s because he’s human, but this planet was definitely a beautiful place where human culture and civilization coexist.
But…….
Isn’t the beauty of this world because Lee Hyuk is here?
What does it mean to Lee Hyuk if he lives in this world without being conscious of himself?
It is impossible to understand that death protects the world. The dead return to nothing.
Then what does it mean that we saved the rest of the world from the dead?
This is stupid.
And there were too many fools in this world.
There are idiots who are prepared to die and jump into the fire to save other humans, and there are too many idiots who protect their families and carry guns.
There are many who sacrifice themselves to protect things other than me.
What do you think they were thinking at the last minute?
Empty?
Or unfortunate?
Or regret?
I didn’t know anyone else, but at least Lee Hyuk smiled and was not confident to accept the situation.
He has lived countless years.
He had excluded relationships with others for endless years and lived a life worth living.
Therefore, it is not a exaggeration to say that Lee Hyuk is a crystals of self-love.
And yet you sacrifice yourself for this world?
“That’s ridiculous. ”
I’m the one who has to have the world.
Lee Hyuk tried to erase the thoughts digging into his head.
“It’s because I listen to useless words. ”
If you must die, it is better to die together.
It’s better to live together if you can.
Some people make sacrifices, and some people’s lives as collateral are just terrible acts, even if they feel bad about it.
“What are you thinking? ”
“Oh, my God! ”
Lee Hyuk caused the match because of a sudden voice coming from behind his back.
“I came here to be popular…. ”
“ ……. ”
What kind of ninja was he in his past life?
How do you get close enough to not notice anything behind your back?
If the Assassins who sneaked in to assassinate Lee Hyuk and died within a 100m radius had seen this scene, they would not have been able to sense it because they were unfair.
Kim Da-som smiled and sat next to Lee Hyuk.
“Are you following me?”
Kim Da-som shakes his head.
“Not this time. This is where I go for walks a lot. ”
By the way, it looks like this place is close to Gimdasom’s house.
Lee Hyuk sighed and looked at Kim Da-Som.
“What are you thinking so deeply? You didn’t even know me when I first called you. ”
“… Really? ”
This time, let’s not say Kim Da-Som is great, but Lee Hyuk was frozen.
“I don’t think so. ”
“Is that so?”
Lee Hyuk asked again.
“How are you these days? ”
“What?”
“We all know the gate is open. It would have been on the news. You know we can’t stop it with the power of humanity now, right? ”
“Yes.”
Kim Da-som said without saying a word.
“Not much has changed. The subway is still crowded in the morning, teachers are nagging at school, Ye-won is still sleeping. ”
“Senior!”
Kim Da-som, who laughed at me, continued.
“Nothing special. It’s still the same day. as you’re seeing right now. ”
Lee Hyuk said with a fat face.
“Is it because you still don’t know what the world is like? ”
“No.”
Kim Da-Som shakes his head firmly.
“It’s not like that. Everyone knows that. It’s over. The news covers it secretly, and it says that we’re trying now, but we don’t have a course of action. ”
Lee Hyuk’s eyebrows twitched.
“But how can you not be? ”
“… It’s nothing. ”
“Huh?”
“The first day the gate was opened, the world was a sea of tears. So many people have died. Since then, the sacrifice has continued. ”
“Are you used to it, or is this it? ”
Kim Da-Som shakes his head decisively.
“Losing someone means never getting used to it. ”
Lee Hyuk didn’t know what Kim Da-som wanted to say.
You don’t get used to it, but you’re bold?
Kim Da-som quietly looked at Lee Hyuk.
“I’ve known since the day the gate opened, and so have others. That this day might come. ”
“ ……. ”
“The world will perish one day. So what do we do? The answer is no, but I’m buying. ”
“… Yes. ”
“If the world dies tomorrow, I’ll play at home. Even if they perish in a month, they will play. But what if we say we’re doomed in a year, we’re doomed in 10 years? ”
“Mmmm… ”
Lee Hyuk nodded.
“The end of the world can’t let it all go. We have until then to live. So I’m studying, and I’m preparing for tomorrow. When a miracle happens, the life you gave up might come back. ”
Lee Hyuk glanced at Kim Da-som quietly.
Was he this thoughtful?
“Aren’t you scared? ”
“It’s terrifying. But when I was scared, it made me feel more scared. because the more scared you are, the more open your shoulders are. ”
“Who?”
“Mother. She died on Black Monday. ”
“ ……. ”
Oh, I see.
Lee Hyuk leaned on his back on the bench and looked at the dark sky.
The world is still beautiful.
It’s not because the sunset is beautiful.
Even cats aren’t cute.
This world was beautiful because there are those who live every day waiting for tomorrow.
‘I wish I had known sooner. ’
I don’t want a familiar world. I want a world where everyone lives.
Lee Hyuk slowly got up from his seat.
“It made me feel better. ”
“Yes?”
“Come on, I’ll walk you home. ”
Lee Hyuk grinned and held Kim Da-som’s hand.