Chapter 1347. Return (7)

‘Actually... there isn’t even anything to worry about.’

It wouldn't be bad to spend the next few months or even a few years with these guys, but I couldn't stay with them together. I had my own life to live, too. I understood better than anyone that this was an absurd idea. In the second life, I couldn’t go on pretending to be a kid.

I couldn’t just shift my main role to a side role to play house with these guys. It wasn’t like I had to abandon my current self entirely. Moreover, there were too many things that bothered me.

Above all, the first life and the second life were two different things. They weren’t the Big Boy, Carlton, and Yoojin of the first life. It wasn’t even worth mentioning how stupid it was to live in their house with them just for the sake of having fun with them. Actually...

‘The very fact that I was worrying about this was already ridiculous.’

I couldn’t deny that I was wavering

that

much. If I were to make a useless self-diagnosis, I'd say that perhaps Little Ki-Young truly thought of them as his parents.

Deep down, he probably wanted to be compensated for the childhood he never had through them. I thought of something similar before, but now, I believe that the situation was probably even more serious than I realized.

“...”

“...”

They weren’t exactly good parents, but they poured an abnormal amount of affection into me. They even sacrificed their lives for me. The environment they provided was trash, but I couldn’t deny that I was happy when I was with them. I felt safe and comfortable with them.

It was a setting one would often see in cheap, clichéd dramas. Children unloved by their parents could grow up into successful adults, but they would become obsessively attached to other people or desperately crave a father’s recognition.

Adult Lee Ki-Young naturally wouldn't cling to such things. I grew up quickly—too quickly to blame a troubled home environment, and the only one I could call family was Yul-Ha.

However, Adult Ki-Young's thoughts were markedly different from Adult Ki-Young. He definitely wanted to be compensated.

At first, I thought of them as people to use and throw away, but now, I was seeing them as my guardians. I wanted them to become my guardians again.

“...”

“W-what do you mean by kidnapping, you idiot! Stop saying scary stuff. We’re just looking after the kid for one day, that’s all,” Carlton yelled at him.

“Damn it, I didn’t even clean my room. Is there even a place for the brat to sleep?” Big Boy questioned.

“Just let him sleep in your bed!” Carlton shouted.

“L-look, we’ve talked enough here. Let’s just go. We need to clock out, too, right?” Yoojin suggested.

“Hey, kid. We l-look like this, but we’re not bad guys,” Big Boy said, reassuring me.

“...”

“I mean, w-we do bad things sometimes... but we’re not completely rotten adults, you know? You understand, right? We’re not taking you away to do anything weird, it’s just for one night, just one night we’ll let you sleep over.

"The next day, we’ll take you to the child protection center or an orphanage. The Continental Protection Management Committee works, too. Anywhere you want to go, really. Lindel is a good place for kids, so you’ll probably be satisfied there so stay calm, okay?” Big Boy explained.

“...”

“Do you... have parents?” Big Boy asked.

“...No,” I answered.

“Then can you tell us where you came from? We’re not asking to dig into your background... we’re just trying to help you. Even if you were, say, some noble child pushed out of a royal succession, we’re not the type to demand ransom,” Big Boy said.

“That example was so shady that it made you sound even more suspicious,” Carlton commented.

“T-then what do we do? The kid won’t even get up...” Big Boy said.

“...”

“...”

“We’re really not dangerous people. I don’t know where you came from, but Lindel isn’t the kind of city you take lightly. If we were really the type to kidnap and sell off children... Hell, even

thinking

about that here would get us thrown in jail. Trust me, you’re safe,” Carlton explained.

“...”

“D-damn it, what now? Carlton?” Big Boy asked.

“Stop dumping everything on me, you idiot! Handle it yourself!” Carlton shouted.

“Y-you’re the one who said we should bring him home!” Big Boy argued.

“...”

“Damn it... Hey, kid. If you come with us, I’ll let you eat hambier skewers until your stomach bursts. How about that?” Big Boy offered.

“Don’t talk like some creep trying to lure a kid with candy, you idiot!” Carlton scolded him.

“...”

“...”

Big Boy held my hand tightly.

“Damn it... I’ve gotten myself caught up in something troublesome... Really damn troublesome,” Big Boy muttered under his breath.

“I’m not supposed to be this kind of guy. All I wanted was to hand a poor brat a hambier skewer, and somehow it turned into this shitty mess,” Big Boy complained.

“It’s karma. What can you do? Just grit your teeth and deal with it,” Yoojin said.

“B-but the kid still won’t get up,” Big Boy stuttered.

“...”

“...”

“Oh, you’re up. Th-that’s good, kid. We’ll take care of everything, so just trust us and come along. And that hambier skewer I promised—you can eat until your stomach bursts, all right?” Big Boy said.

“I told you to stop saying things that make you sound like a criminal, Big Boy,” Carlton commented.

“Can you walk properly?” Big Boy asked.

While a thousand thoughts churned in my head, the destination was already decided.

Even as Carlton and Yoojin closed up the shop, Big Boy never let go of my hand. None of them said a word, but they treated me like fragile glass, carefully leading me to their so-called home. How long had it been since we started walking down Stragglers’ Lane?

“There. That wasn’t far, was it?” Big Boy said.

In the distance, their house came into view. If there was ever a building in Lindel that looked on the verge of collapse, I'd say that building was perfect.

Despite being adventurers for years, they looked like they were really broke, even though I thought they had to have saved up at least a bit of money. Piles of unopened bills and notices were stacked high at the front door.

I could hear them muttering to themselves as we got closer and closer.

“Rent’s overdue again?” Carlton asked.

Just how much had they poured into that ridiculous hambier recipe? How much money had they wasted opening a shop? Why had they acted as if they were starting some grand second life?

I knew Big Boy was an idiot, but this pathetic sight was enough to make me laugh in disbelief. The room was far too small for three grown adults to live in. A foul stench hung in the air, scraps of leftover food rolled across the floor, and clothes were tossed carelessly wherever they pleased.

“Big Boy, is the hot water still working?” Carlton asked.

“It got cut off recently,” Big Boy answered.

“Then how’s the kid supposed to wash up?” Carlton asked.

“Why... wash him up?” Big Boy asked.

“What do you mean, why? He looks like that, and you're planning to hand him over to the protection center just like that?” Carlton questioned.

“No... it’s not that, but... can’t we just wash him in cold water?” Big Boy asked.

“Forget it. Big Boy, go boil some water,” Carlton instructed.

“D-damn it...” Big Boy muttered.

While I just stood there hesitating, things moved forward.

“...”

“...”

‘Damn it... why the hell did I come this far?’

By now, I couldn’t even tell what I wanted anymore. Wait, no, that answer had already been decided the moment I followed them here.

Just like in the first life, I felt like I wanted to clean up their filthy room, nag at these hygiene-deprived idiots, sit down for a meal with them, and laugh at their stupid jokes that had never been funny even in the slightest.

What unsettled me more was that Lee Ji-Hye hadn’t reacted at all.

I had been expecting her to step in and put a stop to this nonsense. No way she would just watch me crawl into the lives of these losers to play house with them. I thought she would at least contact me to ask what I was doing or what I was planning to accomplish, but she seemed intent on staying out of it.

Wait, the words, “leaving everything up to my choice,” were the more accurate way to put it. Perhaps she was telling me to finally take a proper rest, or perhaps she wanted me to enjoy a little pointless amusement for once.

Either way, her decision was irrational. Considering the state of the continent right now, I didn’t have the luxury of disappearing somewhere else. And she, more than anyone, understood that.

‘What on earth is she thinking?’

“Are you hungry, kid?” Big Boy asked.

“...”

“...”

“Big Boy, put some hambier in his mouth,” Carlton suggested.

I looked up, chewing on what was placed in my mouth.

A faint vibration came from my side pocket. They looked completely overwhelmed as they boiled some water, served me some food, and made a place for me to sleep.

From the vibration just now, I wondered if Ji-Hye noona had tried to contact me.

When I checked the hand mirror...

[Mr. Ki-Young?]

A text message caught my eye.

“...”

“...”

“...”

‘It’s our Hyun-Sung.’

It was a message from Kim Hyun-Sung.

“...”

“...”

I was surprised, but my scattered thoughts slowly began to settle down. It wasn’t like I suddenly became some supporting character in a drama who realized what was truly precious. It "looked" that way, of course, but a better way to put it was that my mind had suddenly snapped back into focus.

‘That’s what I’m talking about. I’ve invested so much in you.’

Naturally, memories of all the hell I had gone through just to raise the one and only regressor flooded my mind once more. How much trouble had I gone through just to train him?

And it wasn’t just Kim Hyun-Sung. Why would I abandon the pig who ought to have died a long time ago? Why would I abandon our Ha-Yan? Why would I abandon the children I had been raising since the tutorial dungeon all for the dream of wealth and glory while living peacefully with Big Boy and the others...

‘Why would I cosplay as a beggar? I’ve put in so much effort, damn it.’

I had to admit that I got a bit emotional, but as soon as I recalled the coins and stocks I had purchased a long time ago, it felt like a lightning bolt struck me in the head. I instantly sobered up.

[I was told you have something urgent to discuss with me.]

“Lee Ji-Hye. She didn’t contact Kim Hyun-Sung, did she?”

I couldn’t shake the thought that she had essentially made a short film with me as the main character. She was probably trying to remind me about my investments, asking if I could really throw it all away and start a new life with these guys.

It didn’t feel like she was forcing me to make a choice, but she was definitely asking me what was more important to me. I still wasn’t entirely sure why I had followed them this far, but I could answer her question.

‘Even if that were the case...’

I couldn’t just leave these idiots like this.

“...”

“...”

It was my turn to repay them for their kindness.

“Kid, ready to take a bath?” Big Boy asked.

Naturally, I took off my hood, and I saw their faces becoming strange as they quietly stared at me.