Chapter 205
Chapter 205: Return (5)
“It’s been nearly 20 years.”
“It really has been that long.”
Jo Du-jin and Han Seo-in.
They had once met as active heroes and soldiers.
Now, after over 20 years, they reunited at this place.
“Time has flown by so fast.”
Jo Du-jin looked at Han Seo-in’s face.
Visible laugh lines beside her nose and slight wrinkles on her neck.
The white strands in her hair were undeniable signs of aging that any ordinary human couldn’t escape.
However, the fierce spirit of the special forces soldier still remained.
He could tell she was the same army officer from his memories.
“You look even older than what I saw on the news.”
“You’ve aged a lot too.”
“Unlike me, you’re a hero, right?”
“Look at me, my physical condition is a wreck.”
Heroes age slowly, their bodies deteriorating much more gradually.
It’s not rare to find someone in their 40s maintaining the physique and appearance of someone in their 20s.
But Jo Du-jin had an appearance that matched or perhaps even exceeded his age.
That was because his health had not been good.
“You have an exceptionally admirable nephew. Not even shaking in front of me.”
“Did you get my contact through Yoo Ji-han?”
“No. I learned of your relationship with him while checking up on his background.”
It was truly a coincidence that Jo Du-jin discovered Han Seo-in.
He hadn’t known anything until he investigated Yoo Ji-han, who had made a rather bold request.
“Did you retire to raise Yoo Ji-han?”
“…I won’t deny that.”
Han Seo-in, a soldier trusted by her peers and superiors.
She had always been very busy with assignments and deployments.
In such a situation, raising a child was quite arduous.
Especially if the child were born with magic.
She couldn’t leave the child’s side for too long since he needed careful attention in various aspects.
“Giving up a nearly perfect job to take in a nephew who has lost his parents must have been a hard decision.”
“I didn’t want to send Ji-han to an orphanage.”
“Since he has magic, there must have been plenty of people wanting to adopt him?”
“That wasn’t an option for me. I had made a promise with my brother.”
Her half-brother, who was Yoo Ji-han’s father.
Despite having different mothers, he had always treated Han Seo-in like a real sister since their childhood, often saying as a habit:
——If something goes wrong later, you take care of Ji-han for me.
His words had remained forever imprinted in Han Seo-in’s memory after he disappeared with his wife in the MA.
“What are you doing now?”
“I’m working in agricultural distribution. I’ve done other jobs before, but it wouldn’t be interesting to go into detail.”
“You don’t really seem to fit with that cold woman anymore.”
“Honestly, it’s more comfortable than being a soldier.”
“…”
Jo Du-jin silently observed Han Seo-in.
She seemed different from the past in many ways, yet in some aspects, she appeared unchanged.
“I’m sorry about back then.”
“What do you mean?”
“For not being able to save your brother and sister-in-law.”
“…Here we go again.”
Han Seo-in frowned.
“I told you not to apologize back then.”
“But it’s the truth.”
“It’s fine. It wasn’t your fault.”
Jo Du-jin had personally intervened in the MA incident that involved Yoo Ji-han’s parents.
But in the end, all he could find was their blood, and he had to give up.
“Is that really why you called me here?”
“No. I was just happy to see your name after a long time.”
“…”
“How does it feel to have a nephew like a son become a celebrity?”
“Well, honestly, not much has changed.”
Even now, the news about Yoo Ji-han’s party was pouring in at real-time.
The hero movie they released had topped global popularity charts, making their faces and names known worldwide.
He had gained considerable recognition as a hero.
“Did you train him yourself?”
“I taught him the basics since he was little. Strictly speaking, Ji-han becoming famous might have something to do with me.”
Despite having an ordinary soldier’s body, Han Seo-in had hunted countless monsters.
Her effort had played a role in Yoo Ji-han’s current combat strength.
“How about writing a book later? If you describe how you raised your nephew, it might sell quite well.”
“I’ll consider it when I’m short on money.”
Han Seo-in left the reception room after chatting with Jo Du-jin after a long time.
Jo Du-jin silently stared at the door she closed.
The secretary waiting behind him spoke up.
“Minister, may I ask about your relationship with her?”
“That person was once in charge of my security.”
“An ordinary female soldier protected the minister?”
“There were rules for past heroes to often be alongside soldiers. There are probably still some similar rules left today. And Han Seo-in is someone who could fight very well even without magic. She could hold her ground against even the majority of heroes. I heard she was considered one of the best in the special forces.”
“I see.”
“And…”
Jo Du-jin trailed off at the end.
He had something he couldn’t say to others.
‘She was someone I truly cared for.’
When she cried after losing her brother.
Jo Du-jin, who had confidently stepped in, promising to help her, hadn’t been able to save him, leaving him filled with guilt and unable to do anything.
If he had hugged her back then, would they have built a better relationship?
Now, with the time that had passed, it was impossible to know.
“By the way, did you find any information related to Yoo Ji-han’s mother?”
“I found some, but…”
“What’s that?”
“Both Yoo Ji-han’s father and mother have somewhat murky backgrounds.”
Jo Du-jin pondered as he heard what the secretary reported.
*
“Ho-oh…!”
Kim Si-hu opened the box and marveled at the Drimium.
A special metal for which countless nations had made costly purchase requests to Korea, all of which had been ignored.
Legally, only five existed in the world, and now it was right before him.
“It’s the first time I’ve felt such a dense magic from an inanimate object.”
“How does it compare to Florun?”
Florun, known as the best artifact material.
Since Kim Si-hu owned a staff made from Florun, he would be able to discern the differences better.
“It feels completely different from Florun! I wouldn’t say one is better; Drimium is much colder and heavier…”
“Must be because it’s metal.”
“That has nothing to do with the material.”
“I want to touch it too.”
Min Yu-ri stroked the Drimium with her palm.
The appearance of Drimium had a charm that could draw you in as if you were gazing at it.
It would look just at home in a museum or exhibition.
“Does it have some weight to it?”
Kim Si-hu kept lifting and lowering the box containing Drimium.
He couldn’t feel anything but the weight of the box itself.
Yet it was a mysterious object, reportedly impervious to even the strongest hero’s full-powered attacks.
“Hyung. What are you planning to make with this?”
“My sword, and Yu-ri’s bow. And it would be nice to have some accessories for you as well.”
Min Yu-ri’s broken bow needed to be remade anyway.
Yoo Ji-han’s artifacts also needed replacing since he had used up his limited skills.
Realizing the disparity in equipment level during his confrontation with Kim Hyun-tae weighed on his mind.
There were issues that couldn’t be resolved just by coating the blade with aura.
Min Yu-ri crossed her arms and said,
“Do you really think Ho-young can handle all this?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure myself.”
“Really?”
Min Yu-ri looked a bit taken aback.
Yoo Ji-han, who had boldly requested Drimium, sounded unsure in reply.
“I wanted to receive the best reward since this rare opportunity has come.”
“Hmm…”
“Since we have a year, let’s think about it slowly.”
“Okay.”
After entrusting the box to Kim Si-hu, Yoo Ji-han parted ways with his companions and headed down a different path.
“Oh, Ji-han.”
“You’re here.”
At the promised location, the heroes of the Hero Department, Bang Yoon-sik and Yang Ji-cheol, welcomed him.
“What about your companions?”
“I didn’t think it was necessary to bring them, so I sent them ahead. I’ll go alone.”
“Understood. Please follow us this way.”
Yoo Ji-han followed the two as they headed underground.
This place was designed to be accessible only via stairs, not elevators.
It was the detention facility of the Hero Department.
“It’s cleaner than I expected?”
“As it appears, it’s a facility built with the latest technology. The air is maintained much cleaner than outside.”
Clomp, clomp.
As only the sound of their footsteps echoed through the hall,
The three arrived at the room where Jerry and Adem were detained.
Zing!
When Yang Ji-cheol pressed the button, the entire wall instantly turned transparent like glass, revealing the interior.
“Whoa! You’re here!”
Bam!
Jerry, dressed in a prisoner-like outfit, smacked against the transparent wall.
With strong magic cuffs on her wrists, it seemed she wouldn’t be causing any trouble.
Watching her grin, Yoo Ji-han turned to Adem behind her.
“Adem. You’re alive.”
“Thanks to you.”
Adem slightly bowed his head to Yoo Ji-han.
It was a sign of gratitude for letting them off the hook.
Meanwhile, the People from Another World trapped separately were just waiting for death.
“Is there anyone among those captured that you want to save?”
“If I ask to be saved, will you actually save me?”
“If you have family, you could at least give it a shot.”
“Thanks for the consideration, but I don’t have anyone like that.”
They were merely holding hands for a common goal.
There was hardly any personal relationship among them.
“Ji-cheol. What will happen to these two from now on?”
“They’ll likely be under the watch of the Hero Department for life… but there’s no immediate decision on that.”
“Please consider sending them to the Research Institute.”
“To the Research Institute?”
“Adem is a Person from Another World who used to manufacture drugs that control monsters.”
“Hmmm, I’ll look into it.”
Along with Adem, Jerry also had the ability to control many monsters on her own.
Just like Kazimir, a vampire, had become a researcher in the past.
If the knowledge from the Other World was combined with the existing research, new results could emerge.
“Jerry. Don’t cause any trouble from now on.”
“Then will you give me a kiss?”
“Are you still on about that?”
“Chirp!”
Seeing Jerry licking her lips, Yoo Ji-han shook his head.
Still, he had to ask what he needed to know.
“I have something I want to hear from you two.”
“What is it?”
“About the fall of Ajesia.”
“…!”
At the mention of Ajesia’s fall, Adem frowned.
Even Jerry, who had been playful just moments ago, wiped the smile from her face.
*
Meanwhile, at the same time Yoo Ji-han visited the detention center.
Clatter!
Min Yu-ri stood up abruptly, forcefully pushing her chair back.
With trembling hands, she pointed at the waking Chilla.
“Chirp! Where are those bad guys?!”
“…Why are you speaking?”
“Speaking? Chirp?”
“Chilla! You’re speaking Korean right now!”
“Really…? Are you answering my words?”
“Oh my goodness…!”
Realizing that her master could understand her, Chilla flapped her hands excitedly.
“Chirp, chirp?! I can talk!”
