The Returner Chapter 354

"I'm home." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Oh-Sik began wagging his tail as Yi Ji-Hyuk opened the front gate and entered the house.

"Oh, you were here too?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Leashes had absolutely no effect on the mini Ogre, and as a result, Oh-Sik pretty much did as he pleased and ‘commuted' between the NDF offices and home nowadays.

Choi Jeong-Hoon was really worried about who'd have to clean up the mess if Oh-Sik ended up causing a situation during his free roaming, which led to Yi Ji-Hyuk trying to tie the Ogre down with steel chains. Too bad, what could measly chains do, when not even the sturdiest wire ropes were able to deal with him?

In the end, Oh-Sik regained his ‘freedom'.

Yi Ji-Hyuk wasn't worried since he had already restricted Oh-Sik from harming humans, but others in the know in regards to an Ogre living near his house was deeply concerned, to say the least.

Everyone had pretty much gotten used to his presence by now, but well, regardless of how it looked, this guy was still a dang Ogre.

"Hey, Oh-Sik-ah." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk picked Oh-Sik up and settled the mini Ogre on his lap.

Woof?

This had never happened before - Yi Ji-Hyuk being affectionate - so Oh-Sik became really confused and began tilting its head.

"Do you want to go home?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Woooof?

"I was thinking, you know, and like, isn't it hard for you to live around here? If you want to go, I'll let you." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Oh-Sik's head rapidly shook from side to side.

"I'm not testing you. And I definitely won't beat you up later, too." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Oh-Sik was still desperately shaking his head.

"You don't want to go back home?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Woof!

"Why not?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Suddenly, sweat began forming on Oh-Sik's small paws.

He couldn't speak, so how could he explain himself here?

Even if the slave seal enabled the linking of souls and he could communicate to a certain degree through that, it was still impossible to convey a detailed breakdown of one's emotional state or the current situation.

If such a thing was possible, then it shouldn't be called the ‘Seal of Obedience', but bloody telepathy, instead.

"I've been thinking…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Oh-Sik's ears perked up as Yi Ji-Hyuk continued on.

"You're a monster, right? Well, yeah, to us humans you'll always be a monster, you know? It's only because of your current appearance that people aren't all that repulsed by you. But what if you roamed around in your original appearance? It's gonna be a pandemonium here. Don't you think so?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Woof.

"Don't you think it'll be more enjoyable for you to live in a world where folks don't get shocked by your real appearance?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Woooof!!

"It's not?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Woof!

"….You prefer it here? But, why?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Oh-Sik quietly stared at Yi Ji-Hyuk, but then, raised itself up with an expression that said, "It can't be helped."

"Ng?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Woof!

Oh-Sik leaped off his lap, then beckoned with its head.

"You want me to follow you?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Woof!

"What are you trying to pull here….?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk got up and obediently followed after Oh-Sik outside the house. The mini Ogre kept glancing back at him, but still, it continued to thread its way forward pretty smartly.

"Okay, so where are we going?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

They seemed to be getting further and further into the outskirts, and eventually, Oh-Sik led him out of the ability user residential area altogether.

"Hul??" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He figured everything would be more or less fine even without a leash and let the mini Ogre freely roam around, but as it turned out, this little guy was traversing all over the d*mn place. Even Yi Ji-Hyuk didn't venture outside the ability user residential area all that often, yet this guy and his small figure must've travelled to pretty much everywhere, as evidenced by how fearless his pathfinding was.

"But, that makes sense, though." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

When he thought about it, a regular Ogre back in Berafe usually lived in a territory that spanned as much as 100 kilometres.

No matter how small its physique had gotten, Oh-Sik was still basically a territorial creature, so it'd be strange if he didn't try to map out his own territory.

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

How lonely the mini Ogre must've felt as he roamed around these parts all by himself?

Yi Ji-Hyuk thought that his own tale and that of Oh-Sik's current state had some remarkably similar traits.

So, even if it was now, he should…….

"….Ng??" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Something completely out of his expectation happened next.

Woof! Woof!!

Their eventual destination was a park located on the outskirts of the city.

"Oh, my goodness! Mary's here today, too!"

"Oh, hey! Mary! Come here!"

Yi Ji-Hyuk's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he witnessed a whole bunch of people welcoming Oh-Sik into the park.

What the heck was going on here?

As soon as the mini Ogre trotted into the park, people rushed towards him and proceeded to hug and pet him endlessly.

"You came for more treats? Okay, here they are."

Oh-Sik happily gobbled up all the treats falling on his lap.

"This puppy's got such refined taste buds, you know?"

"I think the owner is feeding this puppy human food. Look at how it's not even touching treats for regular puppies."

"This puppy is a sausage killer. I'm telling you, a sausage killer."

"……………………." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Huh, huhuhuhuh….

Yi Ji-Hyuk watched Oh-Sik wolf down sausages people fed it and could only chuckle hollowly.

Hey, Oh-Sik-ah?

You're an Ogre.

These people in front of you? They are your food back in Berafe. Your bloody food!

How can you be putting on an aegyo show when your food is handing out treats?!

Wait, do I need to chalk this one up to the so-called adapting to your situation?! (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

"Kyaaaah~! So cute!!"

Young women were utterly going bonkers trying to snap selfies with Oh-Sik.

"By the way, what breed is this puppy?"

"I think it's a mix?"

"A mix can be this cute?"

"Actually, a mix won't be cute when it's all grown up, but as a puppy, it can really be cute."

E-excuse me, everyone? Ladies?

You know, that so-called puppy is well over two hundred years old. (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

Yi Ji-Hyuk worked very hard to suppress this inexplicable something bubbling up inside and glared at Oh-Sik.

The mini Ogre looked so, so happy right now while being surrounded by humans.

But then again - they were showering him with nice food, tasty treats, and even affection, so of course he'd not hate it one bit.

Even the other dog owners out to walk their canine companions stopped and gathered around Oh-Sik to pet him.

"You know, this is really strange. My dog doesn't like it when I pet another dog, but it stays still when I'm petting this puppy. Maybe they are good friends?"

Nope. They just don't want to get killed. (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

A dog got pulled by its leash and was brought closer to Oh-Sik's front. The poor thing then began p*ssing itself.

Dogs could instinctively recognise a true predator and quite unfortunately, none of them could run away from here and simply had to stay frozen while minding Oh-Sik's current moods.

"….What. The. Hell. Is. This??" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

This stinking b*stard!!

I was worried about his welfare not too long ago, but the truth is, this b*stard was living it up like a king in this place!!

I was wondering why he often disappeared from sight, and this was why! (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

Yi Ji-Hyuk had always assumed that the mini Ogre sometimes got lost during his commute to and from the NDF and the house, but as it turned out, his assumption was completely off the mark.

Oh-Sik played with humans for a long while and after having his fill, trotted back to where Yi Ji-Hyuk was.

Woof!

"Yeah, sure. I saw it." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

You're having it way better than me.

Uh-whew. (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

Yi Ji-Hyuk looked at Oh-Sik and spat out a lengthy groan. Even though he was the human here, he still hadn't fully acclimatised to this world yet. However, despite being a feared monster, Oh-Sik had already become a part of this world and was living its life.

Well, that might have to do with how wonderful Oh-Sik's adaptability was, but still….

"Okay, so it's more comfortable for you here, is that it?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Woof!

"Makes sense…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

When one took a serious look at it, Oh-Sik didn't need to go out of his way to hunt for food in this world. From the perspective of a ‘simple' creature, this place was obviously more comfortable to stay since it'd get fed regardless of what, anyway.

It wasn't as if he was locked up inside a cage in some zoo or something, either. He was free to roam wherever he wanted.

"Even then, don't you miss it a little? You want me to change your location to a mountain or some place like that?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Oh-Sik unhesitantly shook his head.

"….Right, a mountainside will get boring." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

On its own right, Oh-Sik could be called the ‘Ogre Lord'. If he were to go back to Berafe, he'd be labelled as the legendary Ogre and live as the one true ruler among all the other Ogres.

"But, what's so good about that? They don't even have sausages over there. Right?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Woof.

"You're right. Let's just go home." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

For some reason, all of his worries until now felt like a colossal waste of time, somehow.

There was little doubt that Berafe as a world better suited Oh-Sik's existence. Him going back there was probably more natural than staying here.

However, being ‘natural' didn't always equal ‘beneficial to one's cause'. Oh-Sik must've understood this principle as well, since he had chosen Earth over Berafe.

"Still, where's your pride as an Ogre? Isn't it a bit too much getting treats from humans by wagging your tail around?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Oh-Sik turned his head away in the opposite direction.

"….Ah. No such a thing, huh." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

But then again, he's a simple beast, so what pride am I talking about?

Anyone feeding him will be good enough to be a ‘master'. (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

Yi Ji-Hyuk picked up Oh-Sik trotting on the ground and placed the mini Ogre on his head.

"Let's go home." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk entered the house.

"There's no one?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Today of all days, he couldn't see anyone in the house.

"I don't get why everyone's so busy lately." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

It felt like both Affeldrichae and Erukana were getting harder to find recently. Besides those two, though, where was his mother, anyway?

"Did she go to the shops?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He switched on the lights and took a quick shower, went to the fridge and got himself some Cola to pour in a cup.

"Keuh~!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Knocking back a cold one certainly refreshed his innards. How long did he need to enjoy this single cup of Cola?

What he was enjoying now, he didn't get it for free. No, he only earned it after paying a hefty price.

However, he sometimes would forget that fact.

‘I guess I did get acclimatised somewhat.' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

One could argue that he had adapted well to this world, seeing how all of these felt so obvious to him now. Back when he was still a newbie returnee, he'd shed a tear over a cup of Cola, and get impressed by a set of normal clothing, didn't he?

‘Of course, getting acclimatised doesn't mean they aren't precious to me.' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

In all honesty, Yi Ji-Hyuk became far, far busier after returning to Earth, compared to how his life was like back in Berafe.

Sure, the events he went through in the other world were considerably hectic in nature, but since he enjoyed basically unlimited time on his hands, he was never pushed for urgency. It was like, if he couldn't do it this time, then he could try again next time.

However, one failure in this world meant everything would be over.

"One failure, is it…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

As Yi Ji-Hyuk stood there staring at the cup of Cola, the front door opened and his mother entered the house.

"When did you come home, son?" (mom)

"Just now." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"You should've called me if you were planning to come home early. I'd have prepared a meal for you." (mom)

"Mom, I'm telling you, I can take care of my meals." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Even then, my son's a breadwinner of this family, so it's my duty to feed him." (mom)

"If you keep doing that, how will I cope when you aren't around anymore? I gotta get used to cooking for myself, you know?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Mom's brows quivered ominously just then.

"What did you just say??" (mom)

"….Ng?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"What do you mean, cooking for yourself?! It'll be all sorted out when you get married, won't it??" (mom)

"G-get married?!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

For a moment there, Yi Ji-Hyuk recalled Erukana's mug.

‘Mom, I'm already married.' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Rather obviously, the sight of Erukana preparing a normal meal for him, or for anyone really, would be a very rare thing to see. A demonic being's ‘palate' was fundamentally different from a human's, after all.

"Even if I'm married, I gotta cook for myself." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Why would you cook when you have a wife??" (mom)

"……..Mom, are you going to tell Ye-Won to cook for her husband after she gets married?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Of course not. He should take care of that himself. What era are we living in that a husband can demand his wife to prepare meals for him??" (mom)

"Mom, you know that sounds weird, right?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"You're being noisy." (mom)

Mom remained adamant, unfortunately.

"Nothing else matters, as long as my children are comfortable." (mom)

Although I respect your infinite love for your offsprings…. Mother, you still need to drink from the same-sized cups, you know? (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

"I don't have anything I want." (mom)

"Ng?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"We've already made more than enough money, and both you and your sister have all grown up, too. And after you get married and give me a grandchild or two, I won't have any more regrets left in this world." (mom)

"….I think you might end up with some regrets, mom." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"That's why you gotta quickly get married. You already have a lot of money, so why delay it? Get married quickly and have children." (mom)

"You can't get married alone, you know??" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Mom began admonishing Yi Ji-Hyuk right away.

"You're practically surrounded by women all the time! All, the, time! Not only that, every single one of them is a beauty! So you don't have any right to say something like that!" (mom)

"Eiiii, they are…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"In life, the everyday ‘Oppa, oppa' have a tendency of changing to ‘my dear' as time moves on." (mom)

With a slightly unimpressed expression, Yi Ji-Hyuk began pondering this quandary.

Strictly speaking, was it even acceptable for him to get married in this world, to begin with?

It was then, the phone hidden in his pocket began crying out.

< 354. There is no place for you in this operation, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk -4 > Fin.

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Chapter end