The Returner Chapter 207

"Orabeo-nim~~!!" (Ye-Won)

Yi Ji-Hyuk heard Yi Ye-Won's voice calling out to him and turned his head towards her.

"Mm?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Why was this rotten girl wagging her tail all of a sudden? Now typically, in situations like this one, she….

"….I don't have it, you dang rotten girl!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"You don't even know what I want yet, so how can you not have it?!" (Ye-Won)

"Doesn't matter! I don't have it!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He didn't have to be a genius to figure out that she wanted him to do something for her, wanted something from him, or just as worse, wanted him to buy her something.

Indeed, he didn't have to think too hard to figure out what was in Ye-Won's brain.

"Buy me a handbag, please!" (Ye-Won)

"…A handbag?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Ng, a bag." (Ye-Won)

Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked after hearing that.

"So, that's what you wanted, eh…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Well, only this much should be considered as adorable. Just a handbag, was it?

But then again, Ye-Won was also of that age now, where carrying around a fashionable handbag was the norm, not the exception.

Only an old fogey ahjussi would recite the cliched line of "You don't need one before graduating from  high school", and even Yi Ji-Hyuk knew that very well.

One of the things he realised during thousand-plus years of living was that the world constantly changed. And you trying to enforce the old generation's point of view on the new generation would be nothing more than you being a disagreeable geezer.

"Alright." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Ohhhhh!" (Ye-Won)

Yi Ye-Won's expression brightened in an instant when her brother agreed to it so easily, and rushed in to hug him tightly.

"Wow! Really?" (Ye-Won)

"Of course." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Sure, she might have been rude, uncouth, and a nasty brat of a little sister, but still, buying a bag for her shouldn't pose a big problem. Yi Ji-Hyuk couldn't be described as an exemplary older brother either, but he could still be an older brother with abilities to her, at least.

"What kinda bag is it?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Oh, it's this guy." (Ye-Won)

Ye-Won pulled out her phone and showed the screen to Yi Ji-Hyuk. There was an orange-coloured handbag on display, but well, he couldn't really tell whether that was a nice-looking bag or not….

‘Does it matter what it looks like to me, though?' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Even if the world's most beautiful bag was to be brought in front of him, he'd not see anything different from looking at one of those cheap knock-off backpacks sold in the flea markets, anyway.

Yi Ji-Hyuk might be number one when it came to destruction and violence, but as far as discerning eyes for aesthetics was concerned, he had built up a solid distance away from it.

"Ng, okay. Here." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk pulled out his wallet from his inner pocket and gave her his card.

"Thank you!! Orabeonim~~!!" (Ye-Won)

"That's why you gotta be nicer to your orabeonim a bit more, okay?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Yes, yes. I'll really be nice from now on." (Ye-Won)

"Fut." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

A smile automatically broke out on his lips as he watched his little sister jump up and down on the spot in pure joy. Her orabeonim was making a killing every month, yet to think, she'd be over the moon like that just for a single handbag.

She might try to come across as tough and jaded and all that, but at the end of the day, she was still a high-school kid, wasn't she?

‘Yeah, she's kinda cute when she's like this.' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Was it because they shared the same blood? Probably. Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at Ye-Won still hopping about in happiness with a pleased face. He could understand just a little bit where Kim Dah-Hyun was coming from as he clung so desperately to Kim Dah-Som.

Of course, what that guy had was a sickness. Regardless, shouldn't one be able to admit one's younger sister acting cute as, well, being cute?

As an oppa, he could definitely say something like that.

"Orabeonim!!" (Ye-Won)

"Mm?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"You gotta approve the purchase with the phone. Can you tell me the passcode they'll send you?" (Ye-Won)

"Oh, that. Well, okay." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk nodded his head, and his phone began vibrating right away as the security passcode arrived on it. He confirmed the code and called it out to her.

"It's 2580." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Ng, thank you! Oppa, really, really thank you!" (Ye-Won)

"Hahaha." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Suddenly, Yi Ji-Hyuk's shoulders opened up wider than ever before.

‘I see. I've been too inattentive towards her.' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

All he did was bring home a lot of dough and not much else. Their house might be different now, but he didn't buy that, did he?

When thinking about this money being his, then it was rather obvious that his family members wouldn't have been able to spend it as they pleased. Which meant that he should've proactively taken steps to buy his sister new clothes or bags or whatever, but he was just far too busy and couldn't spare any time for his family.

"….I've forgotten why I came back here, haven't I?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Upon his initial return to Earth, he had made a mental list of things he needed to do for his family, but then, mom's uber-powerful presence completely disrupted his thought process.

‘Yup, I should start taking care of them better.' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

If he couldn't ensure his own happiness, he might as well make sure his family was happy, at the very least.

Vrrr…

His phone vibrated again to signal the arrival of a text message.

"Oh, it's been approved." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Kyaaaahk!" (Ye-Won)

Yi Ye-Won jumped around in sheer joy while holding her phone.

‘It's just one handbag, though….' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yup, she can be simple and honest sometimes, this kid sister of mine.

Yi Ji-Hyuk smiled contently and checked the rest of the message out.

"Let's see. The approved purchase price is 2.4 million Won…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk) (TL: Around $2,111 US)

2.4 million?

Yi Ji-Hyuk's eyes trembled softly.

Two point four million?!

What kind of  bag was this expensive?!

What the hell?? With that amount, I could probably buy a used hatchback or something. But, you wanna walk around with something this expensive around your waist?! (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

‘Did she lose her dang mind?' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Instead of his eyes, his entire body began trembling now.

I've never even bought a backpack costing over thirty grand in my life, yet what do you wanna do with a handbag costing 2.4 million?! (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue) (TL: 30,000 Won = Just over $26.00)

Yi Ji-Hyuk recalled the thoughts of only a few moments ago and held back his rising temper as much as he could. Enforcing the way of the older generation would make him come across as a disagreeable geezer.

And also, if no one sold a bag costing 2.4 million, then no one would be buying it, to begin with. Meaning, it wasn't Yi Ye-Won who was ‘unique', it was the world that had changed.

So much had changed in only five years! What a scary world this was!

"As expected, progress waits for no man, does it?!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk once more felt the renewed weight of all those years he had lived so far.

"Oppa!! Thank you so much!" (Ye-Won)

"….Ng."

Yi Ji-Hyuk could only reply awkwardly. Seeing her being so happy like that, his stifled chest seemed to be softening up somewhat, too.

‘Right, right. It's just money.' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk was no longer a high-school thug who only lived off on the allowance money from his parents. In other words, there was a need to readjust his sense of financial thriftiness now. He had well over tens of billions of Won collecting dust in his bank account, so shivering over 2.4 million seemed rather uncool.

‘Well, if it's only this much.' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Still, he couldn't really get rid of this bitter taste out of his mouth, so he made sure to drill this point home.

"I did buy it for you, but I have to say, it's a bit too expensive for your age. So, I'm telling you now, you shouldn't buy stuff like this again." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Ng! Don't worry, Imma use it for the rest of my life!" (Ye-Won)

"…….."

Didn't she come across as rather simple and honest just now, again?

"That's right. There's a good girl." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Ng, orabeonim~." (Ye-Won)

Yi Ye-Won rushed up to Yi Ji-Hyuk and hugged him tightly again and went on a full-on aegyo assault.

"Hmm, hmm…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

What's this, this strange feeling?

Doesn't it kinda feel good? (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

His little sister was one of those nasty pieces of work, but now that she had switched on her aegyo mode like this, she came across as rather adorable at this moment in his eyes.

So, this was the reason why a man would melt at the power of aegyo, then.

"Keuuuuh-mm!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk didn't want to lose this swelling emotion of pride, so he began preaching again.

"Even still, 2.4 million is too much for a student!" (Yi ji-Hyuk)

"Ng?" (Ye-Won)

Yi Ye-Won suddenly began looking at Yi Ji-Hyuk with weird eyes.

D-did I come across like an old fart just now?

N-no, it can't be!

I've been paying so much attention to avoid being labelled "he's so old fashioned even though he's still so young" until now!

Sure, I've lived for over a thousand years and then some, so I can't really say anything about being called a grandpa, but at the least, I want to live like a young man, you know? (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

"Two point four million? But, that wasn't it, though?" (Ye-Won)

"….It wasn't?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Was it only two hundred forty thousand and he saw it wrongly somehow? Yi Ji-Hyuk pulled his phone out and checked the message again, before both of his brows shot up real high.

What the hell is this?

How many zeroes… are there?

One, two, three….

"….T-tw-twenty four million Won?!?!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk) (TL: Over $21,110 USD)

Twenty four?

Twenty foooour million?!?! (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

Yi Ji-Hyuk shot a wide open-glare at Yi Ye-Won.

She had been still clinging onto his arm to carry on with her aegyo attack until then, but she began sneakily avoiding meeting his gaze with an awkward expression etched on her face.

"Oh, well. I thought you knew?" (Ye-Won)

Tehee, Yi Ye-Won suddenly formed one of those cutesy giggles. Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at her and began smiling contentedly again.

"Ehehehe, orabeonim~~, thank you so much." (Ye-Won)

"Oh, no. No need to say your thanks." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk's hand burst forth with an almighty momentum and snatched Yi Ye-Won's hair.

"Kyyyaahk?!" (Ye-Won)

He yanked her hair down as she screamed, but he didn't lose out and yelled at the top of his lungs in pure rage.

"You've finally lost your mind, you crazy rotten girl!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Adorable, my foot!!

Yi Ye-Won's screaming and Yi Ji-Hyuk's yelling reverberated throughout the Yi house.

…Yet another day in this family had begun.

"Keep your hands up, or else!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Hing…" (Ye-Won)

Yi Ji-Hyuk made sure that Yi Ye-Won remained on her knees with both of her hands raised up high, and gritted his teeth.

"You really have grown a huge pair of balls, haven't you?? Should I perform an operation on you? Should I remove them for you??" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Whyyy…." (Ye-Won)

"Why?! Did you just ask me why??? You want me to beat you until you get the reason why?? Should I beat some common sense into your brain? When I was growing up, reading up on logical thinking was a must, but this?? Is the generational gap at fault here or something?! Ng??" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk glared at her with scarily-burning eyes, prompting Yi Ye-Won to lower her head.

"No, but, other girls also carry around their own bags, you know…." (Ye-Won)

"Oh really? Do they also cost 20 million?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"….No." (Ye-Won)

"Hah….." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk shook his head in disbelief.

This girl wanting to walk around with twenty million plus handbag was a crazy buffoon, sure, but the ones making such bags were just as guilty as her, too.

Just who'd want to walk around with a ‘car' hanging around their waists?

"It's the end of the world, that's what this is." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

This was even more shocking than learning about monsters popping out of Gates, indeed.

Oh. My. God.

Both the ones selling it, and the ones buying. All crazy. (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

"What's going on here?" (mom)

Park Seon-Duk returned home after finishing her errand outside, only to find her daughter kneeling on the corner of the living room with her hands raised up high. She tilted her head and asked her son.

"Mooooom~!" (Ye-Won)

Yi Ye-Won finally found her saviour and quickly jogged over to Park Seon-Duk.

"Get your a*s back here!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk angrily shouted at her, but she had already hidden herself behind mom and only peeked her head out like a frightened child.

"Son, you're going overboard on this one. A child can make a mistake, you know. Besides, she's not a little girl anymore, so it's not okay to punish her like this." (mom)

"Groan…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk pounded his chest in frustration.

"Okay, so. What happened?" (mom)

"I asked him to buy me a handbag, but he's punishing me because it's too expensive!" (Ye-Won)

"Oh, my?" (mom)

Park Seon-Duk stared at her son with a slightly sharpened gaze and addressed him.

"Just how long will you treat your little sister like a little kid? High school girls walk around with branded bags nowadays, don't you know that? If it doesn't suit her age, fine, you don't have to buy it for her, but how can you punish her for asking you to buy it? Do you think you'll get married at this rate?" (mom)

Yi Ji-Hyuk didn't bother to reply to her scolding and simply pulled out his phone to show her the price of that bag.

"Mm?" (mom)

As soon as she confirmed the price, a visible earthquake erupted out within Park Seon-Duk's eyes.

"T-twenty four million?!?!" (mom)

Grab!

Park Seon-Duk's hand grabbed a handful of Yi Ye-Won's hair as she tried to remain in hiding behind the safety of her mom's back.

"Kyahk!" (Ye-Won)

One of Park Seon-Duk's brows shot up as she glared at her son to scold him again.

"Why are you letting this girl live??" (mom)

"I was deliberating my options, mom." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"….I see. Yes, indeed, my son is a good boy." (mom)

Murderous intent leaked out from Park Seon-Duk's voice next.

"You dumb crazy buffoon of a rotten girl!" (mom)

Slaaaap!!

"Kyyyahk!" (mom)

Mom's trademark palm smashing technique was unleashed on Ye-Won's back, and she screamed out in pain while trying to escape from this dangerous situation. But too bad, Park Seon-Duk's grip didn't want to let go.

"Just what kind of rubbish has gotten into you?! You wanna walk around with a 20 million Won bag?! Don't you know what kind of money that is?? Your oppa put his life on the line to earn that money!! You want to walk around with the price of your orabeonim's life hanging on your waist??" (mom)

"I'm sorry!! I'm really sorry!" (Ye-Won)

"That's right, you better be sorry! So, you should be punished!" (mom)

Slap! Slappp!!

The continuous stream of spike serve landing on Ye-Won's back ensured that she'd curl up like a dried squid on top of a hot grille.

Shudder….

Yi Ji-Hyuk watched this scene play out and began shuddering involuntarily, as well. Every time Ye-Won got beaten, even he began flinching uncomfortably.

‘Yup, I better not do anything wrong.' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He was not scared of the country, but he was definitely terrified of his mom. Yi Ji-Hyuk even treated the Lord of the Dragons as a measly lizard, but even then, he'd much prefer to be a good, well-behaved son before his mom's presence.

Or else, he'd be killed in no time at all….

Plop.

With a soulless face, Yi Ye-Won crashed on top of the couch.

Having crushed her daughter's rebellious streak, Park Seon-Duk shot her son a very irritated glare next.

Flinch.

Although he hadn't done anything wrong, he found himself flinching uncomfortably again.

"Have you cancelled the order yet?" (mom)

"N-no, not yet, mom. I was about to." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"H-mm…." (mom)

Park Seon-Duk pondered something for a while, before whispering something to her daughter.

Ye-Won jumped up from the couch and begun hurriedly searching for something online with her phone, before showing her mom the fruit of her quick labour.

"M-mm, well, since there's the cancellation fee to think about, is there really a need to cancel the order?" (mom)

"M-mm???" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Well, it is a bit expensive for Ye-Won to carry around, but…." (mom)

….Mom?

Mom, please look at your son in his eyes.

Mom, didn't you say something about walking around with the price of my life or some such?

Mom?

Moooom!! (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

Park Seon-Duk, right until the end, avoided meeting her son's pleading eyes.

"Mom…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Only Yi Ji-Hyuk's sorrowful voice wandered aimlessly into the Ether.

"Argh, what now?! Imma, really!" (mom)

"….It's nothing." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk was left despondent and trudged back into his room.

"And they say there's no one to trust in this world, too!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Well, it's not like I trusted mom that much from the get-go, anyway.

It was then, Yi Ji-Hyuk's phone suddenly began ringing loudly.

< 207. And they say there's no one to trust in this world! -2 > Fin.

Chapter end