Chapter 159

Chapter 17 – Baeksan Before Regression

After Baeksan declared his return, I quickly changed into my Martial Arts Outfit. Baeksan from this world had returned. I had to go to him immediately.

“Baeksan, where should I go?”

“I’ll tell you while we move.”

Baeksan answered with a somewhat troubled expression.

“Ha-chan, I’ll go with you.”

At that moment, as soon as I stepped out of the room, I ran into Baekseolhyang. She wasn’t his biological sister, but she was Baeksan’s sister. Naturally, as family, she had the right to meet Baeksan from this world.

“Sorry, I’m in the middle of something. This is sudden.”

“It’s okay. It’s important to me too.”

At Seolhyang’s words, I smiled and turned to Si-ho.

“Si-ho, can I ask you a favor?”

“Good thing Si-ho doesn’t drink.”

Si-ho laughed and replied immediately after hearing my request. As she said, it was fortunate that Si-ho was a minor this time.

“Let’s go.”

As Si-ho approached, I looked at the others. Since I had to leave suddenly due to an urgent matter, everyone had stopped the party and was watching.

“Sorry, everyone. I ruined the mood.”

“No need to apologize. We had enough fun.”

Hyuk-seo told me not to worry, and I managed to force a smile.

“Domi Oppa.”

Ayu sighed as she looked back and forth between Si-ho and Seolhyang.

“This isn’t my specialty. I’ll let you go, but you better keep our weekend promise, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I had no intention of forgetting that Ayu was coming to our house, so I told her not to worry. Ayu then hugged Juk-sim, who was nearby, and waved at me.

“Si-ho.”

As I relayed the Space Movement that Baeksan had told me to Si-ho, she grabbed both Seolhyang and my arms and immediately activated Space Movement. In an instant, the scenery changed, and we were in a forest.

In the distance, buildings were visible through the dark night, so it seemed like we were in a park forest.

“He’s coming.”

At that moment, with Baeksan’s words, sparks began to appear a short distance away from us. The sparks spread throughout the space and soon took on a red glow.

Seeing that, my eyes focused on the spot.

Baeksan is returning.

It was both exciting and worrying.

If Baeksan from this world appeared, I had no idea what would happen to the Baeksan currently by my side. But that worry was short-lived as the space in front of us began to open.

Whoosh!

At that moment, an unexpected sharp energy brushed past the three of us.

As everyone held their breath at the intense, unusual energy, someone walked out from the red sparks.

“…Huh?”

And as soon as I saw the person who walked out, an unexpected sound escaped my lips.

“…What the f***?”

As I stood frozen, watching the scene, a curse erupted from Baeksan’s side as well.

“What the f*** is that?! Why?!”

As Baeksan shouted in shock, the person who walked out of the Dimensional Gate noticed us.

“…Are you from the Hunter side?”

The voice was curt. The tone was quite similar to Baeksan’s, but there was one clear difference.

If Baeksan had a husky male voice, this one was so high-pitched that it was hard to believe it belonged to a man.

The evidence that it was Baeksan was the spiky hair tied back into long white hair. Ruby-red eyes. The sharp nose and eyes definitely reminded me of Baeksan, but the swelling chest below clearly showed a difference.

The Baeksan over there was none other than…

A woman.

“F***, f***, this is wrong! This is all wrong!”

My Baeksan began to scream, denying reality. It was a natural reaction, considering he had suddenly appeared as a woman in this world.

“Kang Ha-chan, get out of here now!”

And then Baeksan suddenly shouted.

“I, I can’t f***ing stand the thought of you hitting on me, you bastard!”

What the hell does Baeksan think of me? I was momentarily stunned, but someone stepped forward before I could.

“Hello. I’m Baekseolhyang, the head of the World Returner Association.”

Seolhyang, the expert on Returners, greeted Baeksan on my behalf.

“…World Returner Association? That exists?”

“It was established while you were caught in Dimensional Movement. Today is December 11, 2030.”

“December 2030… Has it been that long?”

The Baeksan from that world… Let’s just call her Heuksan for convenience.

Heuksan muttered as if lost in thought. Then, as if remembering something, she raised her head.

“…Baekseolhyang, you said?”

As she looked at Seolhyang, seemingly recognizing the name, Seolhyang smiled faintly.

“Glad you remember my name. Baeksan, nice to meet you. I’m your stepsister.”

Baeksan was none other than Seolhyang’s stepsister. So when Seolhyang recognized her and spoke, Heuksan’s eyes widened.

“Father, and mother…”

“They’re doing well. Father helped me a lot in establishing the World Returner Association.”

Hearing that, Heuksan let out a long sigh of relief.

And I noticed something about Seolhyang. She had known from the start that Heuksan was her younger sister.

That meant Heuksan had been a woman from birth.

“F***, what the… Could it be, from back then?”

And Baeksan seemed to have realized that too, as he spoke with a very serious expression.

“Did something come to mind?”

I asked Baeksan casually, and he looked at Heuksan with a stiff expression.

“…Kang Ha-chan, I was born an albino, so my body was always weak.”

Baeksan’s white and red eyes symbolized his albinism, so I knew that story. As I nodded, Baeksan continued.

“So even when I was caught in Dimensional Movement, I faced many dangers, and this time I wanted to make things a bit easier.”

As he spoke, Baeksan gritted his teeth.

“So when my late mother was pregnant with me, she planted a prophecy to awaken my Aura.”

Could that prophecy have worked?

“If parents practice Aura, it’s easier for their children to do so too. So I was born with the ability to practice Aura, but…”

Baeksan grabbed his bangs as if tearing at them.

“…It seems to have changed my gender too.”

As Baeksan spoke, seemingly in denial of reality, I felt a pang of sympathy. From Baeksan’s perspective, he had just wanted to make his past struggles a bit easier by using a little trick.

But then, out of nowhere, his counterpart from this world appeared as a woman. No wonder he was stunned.

“…And you?”

At that moment, Heuksan, who had finished talking with Seolhyang, looked at me. Her face reminded me of Baeksan, but since she was a woman, it felt like meeting a completely different person. As I awkwardly smiled, she suddenly frowned.

“What’s with you?”

At that moment, Heuksan walked up to me. She looked me up and down, then furrowed her pretty brows.

“Why do I feel the same Aura from you?”

“Ah.”

I hadn’t thought of that. Baeksan had directly taught me the path of Aura, so I was using his techniques.

So to Heuksan, I was someone who suddenly appeared with a similar energy to hers.

“Well, you see…”

How should I explain this? As I hesitated, her brows furrowed even more in anger.

“What are you?”

Heuksan’s eyes were filled with suspicion. I looked at Baeksan, but he was too shocked by the fact that he had appeared as a woman to say anything.

He looked like he had lost everything. I couldn’t rely on Baeksan for help.

“There’s a bit of a situation.”

I decided to stall for now. With others around, it would be weird to say that the regressed guy was by my side. It would be better to explain later.

At that, she slowly brushed her bangs back. It was the same habit as Baeksan.

And I knew that was what Baeksan did when he was angry.

“All this ‘situation’ talk, do you know what I hate the most?”

Heuksan glared at me with a fierce look in her eyes.

“Shady bastards always talking about ‘situations.'”

It seemed she had misunderstood something and was reacting sharply. Returners, having gone through harsh worlds, are often very sensitive before reintegrating into Earth.

Like Orzia had been.

Naturally, Heuksan, having just returned, still had her usual habits. And someone with a similar ability to hers was bound to rub her the wrong way.

Crackle-

Red sparks flew around her body.

“Wait, Baeksan!”

Seolhyang quickly stepped between Heuksan and me.

“If you feel the same Aura… Wait. Ha-chan is like this because of the spirit attached to him…”

“You said you’re my stepsister.”

Heuksan glared at Seolhyang, who was trying to mediate.

“I listened to you because of the situation, but I don’t trust you all yet.”

As Heuksan glared at Seolhyang, who had introduced herself as her stepsister, I realized why Baeksan had mentioned that I had helped him in the past.

The look in Heuksan’s eyes was one of deep distrust. She had been through some world, but one thing was clear.

Baeksan was suffering from severe distrust of people.

So while she had listened to Seolhyang’s story as her stepsister, she didn’t believe it. Until she saw it with her own eyes and judged for herself, Baeksan would never trust our words.

“And now, someone with the same Aura as me shows up. Wait, what kind of trick are you trying to pull on me?”

Red lightning surged wildly around her. Even Seolhyang couldn’t get close as the intense storm of lightning raged. I quickly shielded Si-ho and Seolhyang, pulling them away.

Crackle!

A red bolt of lightning struck the spot. Heuksan glared at me as if she wanted to kill me, and I looked back at Baeksan.

The situation was critical. Heuksan clearly wasn’t going to be reasoned with, and the only one who might know how to resolve this was Baeksan.

Baeksan looked at her as if seeing his past self, then let out a long sigh.

“Kang Ha-chan.”

Baeksan called me and stood by my side.

“Let me possess you for just one second. I’ll subdue her.”