The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

Chapter 167 : There Are No Bad Kids in the World (1)

There Are No Bad Kids in the World (1)A slight silence lingered in the living room where the sofa sat.

Ma Jun-sang looked at Choi Seungcheol, who was sitting upright.

Choi Seungcheol, meanwhile, darted his eyes, glancing at Ma Jun-sang.

"Um... Are you Prosecutor Ma Jun-sang?"

"Oh, yes."

"I heard my father talk about you before. You know my dad, right?"

"Yeah."

The conversation continued, albeit awkwardly.

To Ma Jun-sang, Choi Seungcheol was his friend's son. Yet, that friendship had ended long ago.

Still, Ma Jun-sang took this as an opportunity, eased his mind, and started speaking.

"Is your father doing well?"

"Yes. He's fine."

"What are you up to these days?"

"I just go to high school. It's vacation now... and I'm learning to make hunter equipment as a hobby."

It was clear that Choi Seungcheol was an awakened, just like Seongjin.

And because of this, a strange thought flickered through Ma Jun-sang's mind.

After all, Choi Seungcheol's father, Choi Seungjin, hated awakeners.

Considering the student protests back then were caused by awakeners, there must have been many adults like Choi Seungjin in Korea.

"It's actually fun to make things. I tried making a dagger, and it felt rewarding."

"So you're an awakened, but you don't have any combat ability?"

"Right. I'm too weak to fight."

Choi Seungcheol stretched out his hand, and a faint blue light began to shimmer.

It was none other than magic power, but very feeble.

"Is this magic power?"

"..."

Even Ma Jun-sang, who wasn't an awakened, could instantly tell it was weak.

He knew some colleagues at work who used to be hunters. There were also those who, being too weak to fight, worked in legal professions.

He had seen those colleagues display their magic power for show several times, but none were as weak as Choi Seungcheol's.

"I've seen magic power like a torch, but this feels like looking at an ember."

"..."

"Ah, sorry! Was that too harsh?"

"It's okay, it's all true anyway."

At those words, Choi Seungcheol withdrew his magic power.

Maybe it was just an offhand, inconsiderate comparison because it was so weak, but Choi Seungcheol took it calmly.

It seemed he was just that used to hearing such things.

"Still, you don't get angry... not like my dad."

"..."

"I'm too weak to be called an awakened, but I have magic power so I'm not a regular person. I'm neither here nor there."

Choi Seungcheol lived alone with his father.

Ma Jun-sang sometimes investigated and had guessed this fact. His mother had divorced when Seungcheol was in 1st grade.

"My dad really doesn't like awakeners. He's about to become a congressman and will probably prioritize policies for regular people."

"I can understand. Your dad and I, back in the day—our school life was a mess because of awakeners."

Even after the protests ended, anyone suspected of being an awakened was beaten.

It was, of course, absurd.

How could a regular person expect to overpower an awakened and go through with violence?

Worse, the people attacked then weren't even awakeners, just regular people suspected of being awakeners.

Those were miserable times, but Ma Jun-sang didn't bring it up.

It was obvious the mood would turn grim if the boy learned that his own father was at the forefront of such activities.

"Still... my dad raised me. Even though he says he hates awakeners, he raised an awakened like me."

Once a child is an awakened, a parent's thinking can change.

As for Ma Jun-sang himself—he'd protested back in the day and ended up with an awakened son.

Whatever reward those protests got, he couldn't help feeling ashamed of having so fiercely hated someone.

"By the way, sir, you said you were my Dad's friend, right?"

"That's right."

Though that's all ancient history.

"Then, may I ask you something?"

Suddenly, Choi Seungcheol began rolling up his pant leg.

"Is my dad... really a good person?"

As his pitiful voice rang out and the bare skin of his ankle was revealed, Ma Jun-sang recoiled in shock.

There were clear marks, as if he'd been beaten repeatedly.

It was so red and swollen, if touched carelessly, he'd probably scream in pain.

It was unbelievable that he could even walk on those legs.

"That's not even all. My thigh under the butt is the same."

"..."

"I'm an awakened with barely any magic power, and my grades aren't that high. I'm pretty much a bundle of things adults hate."

There was nothing to refute. He hadn't only looked into Choi Seungjin's background.

Out of curiosity, he'd checked up on the friends who'd attended the protests too.

Every one of them was now an adult with a household of their own. But...

[Choi Seongjae (44): DUI and assault.]

[Lee Yeonjeong (43): Son's illegal gambling exposed.]

[Yoon Bokgeon (41): Domestic violence, divorced.]

[Kang Gaseong (40): Sexual harassment and infidelity, wife and child ran away.]

That was just what made the news.

But it wasn't that surprising.

They'd been so absorbed in protesting that they'd even assaulted unrelated people.

After the law changed, the protesters were just called 'rioters'.

"Yeah, your dad was out of his mind back then."

"..."

"Though my words won't change your life, I can at least tell you one thing."

He recalled the boy's father as he once was—someone who clawed his way up from poverty to seize power; someone who, intoxicated by that power, did unnecessary things; someone who talked about 'opportunity' just to look good in front of others.

It could be summed up in one sentence.

"Your father is just a weak 'human' too, after all."

—Just like the rest of us.

****

Ma Jun-sang's words left Choi Seungcheol with mixed thoughts.

At home, his father wielded absolute power.

He'd made a name for himself as a lawyer and earned the trust of all around him.

Soon, there would be an inauguration ceremony for his entry to the National Assembly.

To Choi Seungcheol, his father was someone he simply couldn't defy.

But...

'A regular person, he said.'

His father, who'd been almost godlike in his fear, wasn't immediately easy to understand in the way Ma Jun-sang had put it.

But even his father had once lived an unfortunate past.

Just like himself now.

Yet, what he couldn't understand was this—

'My father defends people who have been wronged.'

It's the duty of a lawyer to correct the misunderstandings of those unfairly accused, to understand the circumstances of even those who've committed crimes.

That's right—helping those who are wronged.

But the people his father helped... didn't look wronged at all.

'The reason juveniles go astray is because of their childhood environment.'

... That's what his father always said in court.

So rehabilitating delinquent juveniles was his father's creed.

'Still...'

Something felt off.

Sure, a bad environment warps people, but what about the victims?

Weren't the people who suffered because of those juvenile delinquents also put in a harsh situation?

But his father ignored those perspectives, simply saying, 'The perpetrator is reflecting on their actions.'

'And above all...'

He himself was physically beaten by his father regularly.

He was a juvenile living in a harsh situation.

By that logic, shouldn't he also be a subject of his father's legal protection?

'No. Probably not.'

At school, there were delinquents who bullied him. Because, as an awakened, he had pitiful strength, he was targeted. When they took his money, his father said:

- They're just pitiful kids with circumstances.

- Are you going to ruin their lives with revenge?

- Don't be too harsh. Give them a 'chance.'

At the time, his father had looked very serious, as though accusing him rather than the ones who did wrong.

The truly pitiful person had been right in front of him.

"Hyung, what are you thinking about?"

"Huh?"

"We're almost there now."

Seongjin, who was sitting next to him, spoke.

Currently, they were on a bus heading somewhere at Seongjin's request.

Caught up in his thoughts, he'd momentarily forgotten. Once off the bus, Choi Seungcheol followed behind him.

As they'd been talking, he'd noticed—Seongjin never seemed off guard.

Even looking at his back now, he could sense it.

'I'm older, but...'

Seongjin led him skillfully, like the elder brother, making Choi Seungcheol feel like the younger.

Yet, he didn't mind at all. If only someone like this had been his family—it was just something he found himself thinking.

"We're here."

"This place..."

The moment he stopped walking, Choi Seungcheol's mouth fell open in shock.

He'd wondered where they were going—now a gigantic mansion stood before him.

It was the mansion of the Angel guild, home to one of Korea's four Guildmasters.

****

Choi Seungcheol walked nervously down the mansion halls.

There were two reasons I'd invited him to Eunseol's house.

First, because of the equipment he was commissioned to make. Second—because he was a vessel of the gods.

'The fact that someone that age can make high-level equipment isn't normal to begin with.'

According to Jade, Choi Seungcheol was a vessel of the gods.

But, as with Ah-rin and Eunseol, being a vessel of the gods didn't mean one necessarily had great strength.

There were also gods specializing in creation, not combat—like Hephaestus in Greek and Roman myth.

The vessel is assigned a god upon descent, which grants the vessel a talent suited for that god.

'That's why he also has such little magic power.'

His tiny magic power was by no means a flaw.

In fact, it's a talent for a blacksmith.

If the maker's magic power gets mixed into the equipment, it can't show its proper performance.

Equipment imbued with divine talent.

Maybe... he might even forge the equipment I need to regain my strength.

"Um, Ma Seongjin."

Just then, Choi Seungcheol approached me, still looking nervous, so I answered kindly.

"Just call me Seongjin."

"Okay, Seongjin."

"So, what is it?"

"How do you even come and go in a place like this?"

"It's a friend's house."

At that moment, the friend appeared before us. A girl with wings, dressed in a cardigan, was approaching.

"Seongjin, you're here?"

"Yeah, I brought him."

"You!"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Baek Eunseol, granddaughter of the Angel guildmaster."

Seeing that the winged girl attached to me was the Angel guild's leader's granddaughter, Choi Seungcheol was clearly astonished.

Baek Suhyuk, the leader of the Angel guild—even Choi Seungcheol's formidable father wouldn't dare make a peep against such a figure.

Just coming into a mansion like this was overwhelming enough, and now he'd received a commission from their family.

"I'm not going to get my hand chopped off for making bad equipment, am I?"

"Pfft!"

"Of course not."

Eunseol and I struggled to hold back our laughter at his ridiculous worry.

Honestly, there was no way Choi Seungcheol would botch his work.

"We've prepared a separate workshop, so just relax and make everything you wish there."

"What about materials and blueprints..."

"They're all ready for you."

He was a bit taken aback by how thorough everything was, but this was the Angel guild.

Nothing would be surprising, whatever they provided.

Besides, since he'd already been paid in advance, there was no reason to refuse.

Guided by Eunseol, Choi Seungcheol entered the underground workshop.

His mouth gaped wide.

"Wow..."

Tools for making hunter equipment were lined up everywhere.

Spirit stones, trophies from every sort of monster—they were all on display.

Seeing this, Choi Seungcheol felt a primal joy, as though he'd been born for this.

"Hm? Is this the blueprint you mentioned?"

Then his gaze landed on a tablet. There was a very complex design compressed onto the screen.

That's when it happened. As he began to scan through the blueprint, Choi Seungcheol's eyes gleamed blue.

"I really want to make this..."

It was as if his entire personality had changed.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

I hope Seungcheol gets a happy ending...

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】