Chapter 37

I followed Eun-hyeon, who was shy in reality but playful on the phone or in games, while Ayu was being shy.

“You seem quite close to her.”

“Ah, yes, it just happened.”

Since I followed her first, Eun-hyeon spoke to me.

Then, she glanced at Ayu and smiled bitterly.

“It’s a relief. That she met you.”

Hearing that, I blinked.

Ayu is a Returner.

Just as Ggotbi suffered because of her past, Ayu must have had such times too.

Though she’s become much brighter now, playing around with me, what was she like in the past?

Ayu is a rare case of a Possessor among Returners.

Possessors lose their original bodies during Dimensional Movement, leaving only their souls to move.

Thus, the appearance of Shin Sora that Ayu shows now must be maintained by Cheon Hong-ryun’s power.

When Cheon Hong-ryun first showed her form, she said her speech changed due to the education forced upon her as a descendant of Cheonma.

What was Cheon Hong-ryun like, living on Earth, then caught in Dimensional Movement, losing her original body, forced to undergo Cheonma’s education, and eventually rising to become Cheonma?

Even now, she can’t let go of Cheonma’s speech and demeanor when she reverts to her true form.

The bright appearance Ayu shows as Shin Sora might be similar to Ggotbi’s self-hypnosis.

‘It’s a relief that she met me.’

I looked back at Ayu, who was following me.

Ayu, still saying, “I’ll make you talk. Really.”, seemed fine now.

What had I done for Ayu?

I briefly recalled my first meeting with Ayu.

The memory is hazy, but it must have been then.

When Juk-sim and I had just formed a guild and were scattered, promoting the guild.

Someone was slandering Returners in an accident article, and I got angry, thinking of my sister, and ranted.

A character in beginner equipment approached and spoke to me.

Asking if there was room in the guild.

‘Thinking about it, it wasn’t Ayu back then.’

Was it Soragae?

It was such a strange nickname.

At first, she didn’t talk much, but over time, she became close to me, fell for Yoo Ah of Blackstar, changed her nickname, and became brighter, leading to now.

If playing Road of Academy with me was a turning point for her, I could add tens of thousands more games.

So, I raised my hand and gently patted her head.

What a good kid.

“If you’re having a hard time, tell me.”

“Huh, um, what, what is it?”

“Just.”

Since she’s the closest to me, I might have missed something.

As I said that and removed my hand, Ayu looked at my hand with some regret, then subtly moved closer.

“What’s the standard for hard?”

“If you’re having a hard time, it’s hard.”

“I have a lot of hard times lately, is it okay to act spoiled?”

Ayu smiled slightly, so I puffed out my chest.

“I’ll stop acting spoiled now, so please accept it moderately.”

“Oh my, how cool. Then pretty Ayu will act spoiled, so don’t get involved with the Iron-Blooded Empress from now on, okay?”

This kid.

“Our company’s chairman, you know.”

“I’ll feed you, Oppa! I’ll buy you a house! A car! I’ll cook all three meals! And, and I’ll give you……!”

“Both of you.”

Cutting off Ayu’s overloaded shout, Eun-hyeon’s voice flew in.

She pointed to the elevator in front of her and said.

“Shall we get on and talk?”

As I got on the elevator, Ayu followed with a beet-red face.

While doing so, she kept poking my side, dissatisfied with something, and I wondered if I’d collapse soon.

Meanwhile, the elevator went underground.

The Returner Association Building is as big underground as it is above, and the elevator stopped with a ding at the 5th basement floor.

‘Digging 5 floors underground, won’t the ground collapse?’

Since it’s the Returner Association Building, I decided to let it be.

I judged that even if I got an answer, it would be beyond my understanding.

The elevator doors opened, and a pure white corridor that didn’t feel like underground came into view.

Following the corridor with electric lights here and there, after walking for a while, Eun-hyeon stopped in front of a room labeled 205.

“Here it is.”

Looking at the room, I saw the name written in front.

Sobolev Yekaterina.

None other than the Returner from Giraseong who attacked me and Si-ho.

As she opened the door and entered, inside, Yekaterina was seen leaning against the wall beyond a translucent glass wall.

Her face wasn’t visible, but a restraint-like chain was tied around her neck.

She wasn’t moving at all, as if asleep.

“It’s the effect of the Sealer’s seal. We’ll wake her mind for a while, so please wait.”

Saying that, Eun-hyeon took out a lock from her pocket.

It was a combination lock, and as Eun-hyeon clicked and matched the numbers, the lock clicked open.

Startled.

And with that, Yekaterina’s head also shook once.

She really seemed to have woken up.

‘What kind of person is the Sealer?’

Feeling an endless curiosity about Returners, I suppressed it and looked at Yekaterina.

“Since only her mind is awakened, her body won’t move at all. If needed, we can release the seal to the level of a normal human body, excluding her powers.”

“No, this is enough.”

It’s better to reduce the possibility of her harming me.

“You can just cross the glass wall. She won’t be able to see or hear from there, but don’t be too surprised. You can come out immediately if you speak.”

“Thank you.”

Thanking Eun-hyeon for her kind consideration, I was about to enter the glass wall.

Then, I suddenly felt something strange and looked back at Eun-hyeon.

Because neither Ayu nor Eun-hyeon showed any signs of moving.

“Is it okay for me to go in alone?”

I had asked Ayu to convey to the Returner Association that I wanted to meet Yekaterina, and they allowed it, so I came.

Meaning, I was brought here by Ayu.

So, it was a bit strange that I could contact the criminal Yekaterina on my own.

“Will you go in?”

As Eun-hyeon asked Ayu, Ayu made a nonchalant expression.

“Why would I?”

“That’s what I thought.”

Is this okay with the Returner Association?

“Of course, since it’s Ha-chan, such permission is granted.”

Seeing me hesitate, Eun-hyeon spoke to ease my worries.

“What did I do…….”

“Preventing the rampage of Returner Orzia, persuading and building trust, helping Returner Han Yoo-ah finally overcome her lifelong self-hypnosis, and protecting Ha Si-ho, the target of Giraseon, thereby thwarting their plans.”

I don’t know why she knows so well, but Eun-hyeon recited all the things I’ve done and smiled at me.

“Having shouldered so much of what the Returner Association should do, isn’t it natural for us to trust Ha-chan?”

Certainly, hearing that makes sense.

Ayu was also chiming in, “Yeah, yeah, our Domi Oppa is pretty amazing.”

“From now on, even without going through Cheonma, please contact us if you need help.”

“What? No! Domi Oppa, if something happens, call me first. Got it? I’m your best friend.”

I nodded, brushing off Ayu’s words.

It wasn’t for the purpose of building trust with the Returner Association, but since it turned out this way, it wasn’t bad.

For my future goals, I needed the Returner Association’s help.

‘Besides, Baekseolhyang probably vaguely knows about Baeksan’s existence.’

Baeksan had told me before he was a Returner that he was a Returner.

So, with Baeksan by my side, am I treated similarly to a Returner?

Well, maybe that’s why Baekseolhyang treated me so well.

Otherwise, there’s no reason to be kind to an ordinary person like me.

‘Who knows. Maybe Baekseolhyang fell for me at first sight.’

Oh, I might have some talent for novels.

While doing such nonsense, I left Eun-hyeon and Ayu and entered.

Then, a wall-like thing really appeared behind, and nothing was visible.

How fascinating.

“Did you come in?”

At that moment, Baeksan suddenly popped out beside me.

Had he been sleeping? He yawned long and looked at Yekaterina, then said to me.

“You come and go to the Returner Association like it’s your own home.”

Even to a third party, it doesn’t seem like a normal situation.

“Well, it’s natural, I guess.”

Baeksan, who roughly knows what I’ve done, reacted as if it’s natural for the Association to grant my requests.

Is that the average reaction?

Having lived only in games since the false MeToo, maybe I was too sensitive to society.

Looking at such Baeksan, I turned to Yekaterina.

She seemed to have just woken up, her head bowed so much that her hair covered her face, silent.

“Hey.”

And as I called her, her body flinched and shook.

But it wasn’t just a single shake.

A tremor spread throughout her body, and she began to shiver all over.

What’s this?

I know it’s scary being locked up here, but isn’t this too much?

While making a puzzled expression, she suddenly started speaking.

“Я сказал, что все скажу. почему…….(I said I’d tell everything. Why…….)”

Oh, I have no idea what she’s saying.

Help me, Papago.

That day, Yekaterina, who witnessed death through Baeksan, who was possessed by Ha-chan, was confused.

The massive red currents Ha-chan was emitting were terrifying just to look at.

The current that pierced her brain at that time.

Though she lost consciousness from that one hit, she felt extreme fear then.

And after losing consciousness, for some reason, she found herself alone in a prison-like isolated room.

But as soon as she opened her eyes, he was in front of her again, so she was scared and her thoughts were paralyzed.

She couldn’t lift her head.

If he emitted that red current again, she felt she’d lose consciousness right away.

She was like a beast, but in front of a real beast, she could only be utterly pathetic.

“What? No, what’s with the foreigner.”

At that moment, he suddenly started talking to himself.

He made a troubled expression, then looked at her as if he understood.

“I told you to speak Korean when you’re in Korea. Are you deaf?”

And as soon as she heard that similar accent, Yekaterina felt dizzy.

“Hic, hic.”

The sound of her moaning and her legs getting wet wasn’t an illusion.