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“…Is the shantytown still here?”

The scene from when I first met Jeong Ha-yul at seven years old came to mind. It’s a memory for me, but…

“At least donate or something, this isn’t a place for people to live.”

I took out my phone to check, but the battery died eight years ago, and the screen shattered six years ago. Why did I carry this around so preciously?

I tossed it aside and looked around. It was a desolate, eerie sight. I thought about finding a payphone, but it didn’t seem like the kind of place that would have one.

It seemed faster to just fly home, even if I got a little lost. Just as I was about to kick off the ground and soar…

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

A child’s scream echoed.

“Groooar!”

A monster’s roar followed.

It was the day Hero Jeong Gyeoul returned.

Flying towards the scream, I saw a little kid running around, clutching a triangle kimbap tightly, refusing to let go.

That strong attachment to food… it’s like looking at myself.

Suddenly, a funny thought crossed my mind.

“Groooar—”

I slammed the monster into the ground from above. With one attack, its neck snapped, and it died instantly.

“…”

The kid stared at me, mouth agape, clearly not understanding what had just happened.

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes.”

I wasn’t wearing a tight suit, but I spoke and acted just like Jeong Ha-yul.

“What’s your name?”

“I don’t have one.”

Was this kid also just a child living in the shantytown, waking up one day with no memory?

“No name? How old are you?”

“Why?”

The kid hid the kimbap behind their back, showing clear wariness.

*Pfft.*

Totally a mini Jeong Gyeoul.

I knelt down to their eye level and introduced myself first.

“I’m Jeong Gyeoul. Age… a secret. As you can see, I’m a hero. Now, how old are you?”

“I think I’m about seven… I’m not sure.”

The wariness in their eyes faded, and their cheeks turned slightly red. It seemed they were smitten.

The corner of my mouth twitched.

“This is fun.”

“…?”

They tilted their head, clearly not understanding what was so funny.

“It’s the first time I’ve laughed at a kid’s words. Especially that expression of yours.”

“…?”

While I was talking to the kid, heroes were approaching from afar.

They didn’t seem strong enough to sense my magic or spiritual power, but they must have felt a hint of my energy, as they started to keep their distance and stay on guard.

“…Who are you?”

“Which association are you from?”

“…I’m from the association. Please identify yourself. If you’re an unregistered Awakened One, we’ll arrest you immediately.”

Look at these cute guys.

“I’m Jeong Gyeoul. Can I borrow your phone?”

“…Jeong Gyeoul?”

They looked at me, then to the side, then at the sky, then at their colleagues, rolling their eyes continuously.

‘What the hell.’

It hasn’t been decades, right? Please don’t tell me that kind of nonsense.

If that kind of crazy talk comes out, I’ll blow up planets while hopping through dimensions.

“…That Jeong Gyeoul?!”

“Huh?! What happened to you… why do you look so old… no, mature… no, grown-up…?”

“That’s a secret. Can I borrow your phone?”

“Here you go!”

Their hands trembled as they turned it on.

“Ugh. Damn. Surprise.”

Roughly four years had passed since the day I left. The Monster Realm’s time flow must be about twice as fast.

I don’t even know where I am, and I’m low on fuel after the battle with Son Goku.

I called Baek Kang-woo.

“…Hello?”

He sounded like he just woke up, his voice hoarse.

“What time is it to be sleeping? Someone’s been working hard here!”

“…Who is this?”

He didn’t recognize my voice after eight years, sounding confused.

What’s this? Did no one wait for me? Is this some kind of prank?

The association’s detectors had already picked me up, and everyone knew about my return, but they’re acting like this for fun?

“…It’s me, Jeong Gyeoul.”

“What?!@(Jeong@$*&!ya!#*%&*bim#!^)”

He spouted gibberish, and there were thudding sounds as if he was crashing into things.

After about 30 seconds, he finally calmed down.

“Where are you?!”

“I don’t know!”

“…We’re in Daejeon, Sannae-dong.”

The hero next to me gave the location.

“Did you hear that? That’s where I am. Hurry up.”

I called Baek Kang-woo like a taxi and handed the monster’s corpse to the heroes.

The heroes kept exclaiming “Amazing!” and lingered for a while before disappearing.

“…Are you hungry?”

“…Yes.”

“Let’s go eat.”

I reached out my hand, and the kid hesitated, looking at my palm.

They wiped their hand on their pants, but the grime didn’t disappear.

“It’s fine. Just come.”

I grabbed the kid’s hand and looked for a nearby restaurant.

About 30 minutes later…

We finished a special order of sundae gukbap and stepped out.

Jeong Ha-yul, Park Seol-hwa, Lee Ha-yoon, Kim Yu-shin, Jeong Ho-min, Baek Kang-woo, Yoo Eun-chae, Jo Se-hee.

Even the Taoist girl and the Elf Girl.

Winter and Yuna from the girl group SOL.

An insane lineup that you’d never see anywhere else was gathered in front of the sundae gukbap restaurant.

This isn’t a movie, what is this?

“…Avenger Gyeoul Assembly?”

Ignoring my nonsense…

*Whoosh—*

Jeong Ha-yul rushed over and hugged me.

Then everyone else came running to hug me.

“…I’m back.”

“Yeah, welcome back, Gyeoul.”

***

We rented out a nearby cafe, and the Avenger Gyeoul Assembly gathered.

The kid from the shantytown was with us.

“…First, I have a lot of questions, but who’s this kid?”

“Hmm, how about we call them Jeong Panja from now on?”

“…What?”

The kid looked panicked, realizing they might be named Jeong Panja.

Jeong Ha-yul looked flustered at the thought of possibly gaining a sibling.

Everyone except Winter and Yuna was flustered.

Baek Kang-woo reacted the most.

“What… what are you talking about, Gyeoul?”

When they accepted me, they were so cool, but now they’re discriminating because I’m a guy?

“Baek Kang-woo, I didn’t expect this from you. Were you aiming for little Jeong Gyeoul?”

“…What are you talking about?!”

“…Oops.”

Thinking out loud has the advantage of not forgetting how to talk when alone, but everything else is a disadvantage.

I instantly turned Baek Kang-woo into a scoundrel.

“Let’s adopt them as Ha-yul’s son or bring them in as a sibling. I just want to get them out of the shantytown and let them live well. Like a sponsorship?”

“…If that’s the case, then it’s fine.”

Everyone visibly relaxed.

Are they really discriminating between men and women? The reactions are quite different from when it was me.

“That… why is my name becoming Jeong Panja?”

“Don’t you like it?”

“Kind of… no, it’s really bad…”

*Pfft.*

I, the creator of the name Jeong Panja, was laughing, but Jeong Ha-yul’s expression became complicated.

“Unnie! They said Jeong Panja is bad.”

“…I know.”

As the creator of Jeong Panja, I made a troubled expression.

“Alright, let’s talk about what everyone’s been waiting for.”

I gave the kid Baek Kang-woo’s phone and unlimited snacks and drinks from the cafe to play with.

They must be curious about where I’ve been and how much time has passed.

‘But… Ha-yul unnie looks almost in her 30s, and why does Lee Ha-yoon look so similar to me…?’

Jeong Ha-yul and Park Seol-hwa still look young and pretty, but having seen them every day, I could tell they’ve aged.

Lee Ha-yoon had clearly matured, looking about the same as me in my mid-20s.

Fortunately, friends were still friends, and unnie was still unnie.

It seems I wasn’t the only one who went through different dimensions.

I was curious about their stories, but…

All eyes were on me now.

It seemed I should tell my story first.

“I threw Chronos into the long passage of dimensions, and Son Goku and I arrived in the Monster Realm…”

I spent three hours recounting the chronicles of the Monster Realm.

When I talked about learning to forget hunger, everyone looked at me with pity.

When I talked about mental illness, they cried.

At the climax of the story, fighting a million Son Gokus, everyone was on the edge of their seats.

“Anyway, that’s how I managed to come back. Ta-da—”

“…You’ve been through a lot. Really.”

“Well done, Gyeoul! You’re amazing, Jeong Gyeoul!”

“Now my story’s over. What happened to all of you?”

Park Seol-hwa, the best speaker, stepped up and started telling the story of their struggles to find me. I felt the story was greatly condensed.

Putting together their stories and current states, it was easy to guess that they had moved heaven and earth, to the point of exhausting their lives, just to find me.

It was strange.

It’s indoors, but it’s raining.

“Hey, are you crying?”

“Unnie! They’re crying?!”

“Who’s crying?! The cafe’s just too hot, and my eyes are sweating!”

*Pfft—*

Starting with Jeong Ho-min’s laughter, the entire cafe was filled with laughter.

The stories blossomed, and they continued until sunset.

Fin.

 

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