Translator: Dreamscribe
"Oppa. Are you actually stupid? Or are you just pretending so you can mess with me?"
A waiting room at a music broadcast station. The bustling chatter in the room froze cold in an instant. A woman in a revealing stage outfit, obviously gorgeous at a glance, was snarling at the male manager standing in front of her.
"No, wait. There's no way oppa has the nerve to screw someone over. So you're just plain stupid. Got it."
The makeup team, the stylist team, the other managers, all of them watched the two with their mouths shut. Grave expressions. Regardless, the woman waved something in front of the male manager's face. It was a kimbap wrapped in foil.
"I specifically told you to get me a plain kimbap, didn't I? Not tuna."
Sharp features set perfectly in a small face. And that clear skin? Lips full yet crisply defined. Above all, her proportions were so absurdly perfect she could pass for a doll. She was Ra Yoon, the Visual Center and leader of the top-tier girl group 'Seriel'.
But Ra Yoon was.
"I said I'm annoyed! Oppa, that stupid face of yours!"
Nothing like her pretty face when it came to personality. An absolute disaster. When Ra Yoon irritably shook the wrapped kimbap, the male manager with his head bowed pushed up his glasses and immediately showed an anxious look.
"...S-sorry."
Weak and pathetic, the whole vibe.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sick of hearing you say sorry. God, why is Jae-ha oppa even on our team??"
Ra Yoon's griping and nagging had begun. But the male manager, no, Kang Jae-ha just kept bowing and scraping, taking Ra Yoon's abuse without a word, and the surrounding team members only whispered among themselves. Not a single person stepped in to help him.
"Ra Yoon's throwing another pre-stage tantrum."
"Right? But she always singles out Manager Jae-ha-nim."
"Didn't he actually get the right kimbap? I heard Ra Yoon changed it to tuna at the last second."
"Is this the first time? That girl just needs a sacrificial lamb. Someone to take her stress out on."
"Feel bad for Manager Jae-ha-nim."
"He's being an idiot, though. When you just apologize like that every time, of course you become the target."
The other managers were no different. They turned away from Kang Jae-ha, eyes glued to their phones or clearing their throats at nothing. Jae-ha, caught in Ra Yoon's grip, felt less wronged injustice than.
"Ra Yoon-ah. I'll go buy another kimbap. Sorry...... You're going on stage soon, so try to calm down."
He tried his best to soothe Ra Yoon's mood. But the effort came off clumsy and fumbling.
'God, I want to run away.'
Kang Jae-ha, sweating bullets, was in his fourth year as a manager. The entertainment company he worked for was a decent mid-tier one. He was thirty this year. Average looks, average everything. He'd started as a contract worker and clawed his way here. He wanted to quit, sure, but his meek temperament made him the type to get strung along. Well, he needed the money too.
Kang Jae-ha pulled off his glasses and wiped the sweat. His presence was feeble. The dynamic was a herbivore standing before an apex predator. Predator Ra Yoon skewered the herbivore, no, Jae-ha, with a pointed glare.
"Hah? What? Calm down? Oppa, if anyone heard that, they'd think I was using you to blow off stress."
"Ah, no, that's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean."
Ra Yoon's meltdown showed no sign of ending. Kang Jae-ha kept his eyes down, stammering uselessly.
'I'm screwed. When Ra Yoon gets like this, it's at least ten minutes.'
He tried to repeat his apologies without crossing her any further.
That moment.
-Crack.
Kang Jae-ha's vision tore apart. No, maybe shattered was the better word.
"Huh?"
Fractures spread across everything, and gradually the world before his eyes blurred.
Before long, Kang Jae-ha's world was swallowed in darkness.
"......What, what the hell??"
* * *
When Kang Jae-ha opened his eyes again, he saw sky. Red. There were two suns. A different world. Around him were more than twenty people. Every one of them wore the same expression as Jae-ha. None of them understood what was happening, and some were crying.
"...What the hell is this."
Instead of an answer, a long arrow came flying. The arrow pierced the throat of a man standing next to Jae-ha. Blood erupted like a fountain. With trembling hands, he wiped the splattered blood from his face.
The smell of iron.
It was real.
Then, from the forest far away, grotesque figures came striding out. Similar to humans, but with yellow eyeballs, mouths torn wide open, skin entirely green, massive monsters.
"GRAAAAAAGH!"
What the hell are those things. Without even a moment to figure it out, Kang Jae-ha ran. Snot, tears, drool streaming down his face as he sprinted.
Kang Jae-ha's first three years were filled with nothing but running.
But humans adapt. Starvation changes a person fast. Go hungry for two days and pride disappears. A few more days and nothing is off-limits.
-Swoosh.
Jae-ha pulled rations from a corpse. Someone who had been Summoned alongside him. Kang Jae-ha retched even as he chewed the stale bread. He had to survive. He wanted to live. Winter came quickly. Five more froze to death in the blizzard.
Kang Jae-ha lived.
It was thanks to a strange ability that had manifested the moment he was Summoned. Jae-ha called it 'Deja Vu'.
In his fourth year, Jae-ha, the sole survivor, joined a Mercenary Corps.
"Have you ever fought?"
"No."
The Commander clicked his tongue and tossed him a rag instead of a sword.
"Go clean something."
It wasn't until his fifth year that Jae-ha was allowed to hold a worn-out sword. One more year after that, and Kang Jae-ha.
-Slash!
Cut down a Demonic Beast for the first time. Black blood splashed across his face. If he hadn't cut it, Jae-ha would have been the one to die. The sensation of the blade parting flesh and scraping bone. His hands trembled, and in the end, he threw up.
No one offered comfort.
Because this was a place where it was kill or be killed.
Year seven. Kang Jae-ha no longer trembled. No more retching either. He killed Demonic Beasts like it was routine. Combat was calculation. Distance, wind, the opponent's breathing.
Look away and you die. Hesitate and you die.
In his eighth year, Kang Jae-ha obtained 'Inventory' and began stockpiling in earnest. Magic stones, relics, anything and everything he could get his hands on.
In his tenth year, Kang Jae-ha became a platoon leader. By his fifteenth year, now Commander, he waged a massive war against the Demon King's Army, the Demonic Beasts' stronghold. An entire city fell in a single day. Hundreds at the very least died before his eyes. But Kang Jae-ha was cold.
"We abandon the west gate."
And then, year eighteen.
Kang Jae-ha's sword broke. A massive Demonic Beast's claws severed his left arm.
"...Fuck."
Red blood poured out, but Jae-ha clenched his teeth. The sword was broken. But there was still a chance. In that instant, a vision flashed before him. The beast's next attack. 'Deja Vu'. Jae-ha gripped the broken sword tight. The beast raised its enormous arm. Swung. Jae-ha ducked low, then launched himself upward.
"Just die already, you piece of shit!!"
The broken blade slashed across a throat. The beast's throat. Gutter-reeking blood and stench crashed over Kang Jae-ha. The beast collapsed, and Jae-ha collapsed with it. Dirt shoved up his nose. Every ounce of strength was gone. One arm was gone. He needed to stop the bleeding but didn't bother.
Kang Jae-ha found himself laughing for no reason.
"What a load of bullshit."
Eighteen years. Jae-ha no longer wore glasses.
That was when it happened. A woman's voice came from somewhere.
【Objective achieved. Kang Jae-ha-nim, you will now Return.】
* * *
Kang Jae-ha snapped his eyes open and his vision was blurry. His skull was ringing.
'Ugh...'
A vicious migraine. His body didn't feel the same. Frail and thin. Am I standing right now? Jae-ha's dizzied mind gradually cleared. The muffled pressure in his ears drained away like water.
But his blurred vision didn't recover.
Jae-ha raised a hand to rub his eyes. Something blocked him. Glasses. He pulled off the cumbersome glasses. Only then could he see clearly.
The murmuring makeup team, the stylist team with pity in their eyes, the members of girl group 'Seriel' watching on, the managers looking the other way.
The sharp scent of cosmetics and perfume.
This was the waiting room at the music broadcast station.
The waiting room? Kang Jae-ha lowered the glasses he'd removed and furrowed his brow. What the hell is this stupid situation. Hazy as it was, this was definitely a scene he'd seen before.
'This place, don't tell me... eighteen years ago.'
It was true. The reality Kang Jae-ha Returned to had been frozen at the moment just before he was Summoned eighteen years ago. He had come back to that exact point. The proof was in Jae-ha's right hand. A foil-wrapped kimbap. A cold tuna kimbap.
It didn't make sense.
'What the fuck, I clearly lived eighteen years over there.'
The migraine worsened. His skull throbbed. Just as Kang Jae-ha's brow creased even deeper, the woman standing before him let out a sharp voice.
"That stupid face again. God, I'm so annoyed. Hey, oppa, what are you doing? Go buy the kimbap already!"
Ra Yoon, the Visual Center of the top-tier girl group 'Seriel'. Kang Jae-ha was irritated. Her perfume, her voice, his own condition.
"......"
Without a word, Jae-ha dropped the glasses and kimbap to the floor. Ra Yoon let out a scoff at that and raised her voice.
"Huh? Excuse me? You see this guy? Have you lost your mind? What do you think you're doing right now?"
She was getting her stress relief in real time. For Ra Yoon, Kang Jae-ha had always been the target. Push him and he'd grovel, peck at him and he'd bow. He was always weak and stupid. A total pushover. And he always would be.
'The perfect punching bag.'
Inside, Ra Yoon was smiling, but on the surface, she was nothing but irritation.
"Ugh, don't just stand there. Pick it up or go buy another one, just deci..."
"Hey."
Ra Yoon's words were cut short. Kang Jae-ha, his expression hard, spoke in a cold voice.
"Shut it. Quit chirping."
"...What did you just say?"
"I said shut it."
Jae-ha let out a thin breath and looked down at Ra Yoon, a full head shorter than him. His gaze was frigid. She froze without even realizing it. But she snapped back quickly.
"Wh... What?! What?! Shut it? You're saying that to me right now?!"
To Ra Yoon, bouncing with outrage, Jae-ha spoke again with a warning.
"You're dead."
"......"
"Yeah. Keep your mouth shut, just like that."
Ra Yoon gaped wordlessly. The shock had exceeded her threshold and hit her like a brick. She couldn't process what had just happened to her. That pushover Kang Jae-ha said what to me? She asked herself, but couldn't even organize her thoughts.
She wasn't the only one. Every one of the dozen-plus people in the waiting room stared at Jae-ha with wide, stunned eyes. Kang Jae-ha had dominated the room with just a few words. One of the male managers, who had been watching from the sidelines the entire time, crept over hesitantly.
"H-hey, let's all just calm down. Kang sunbae-nim? You're okay, right?? What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
He carefully placed a hand on Jae-ha's shoulder. Kang Jae-ha slowly turned his head toward him and answered low.
"Off. Don't butt in half-assed like that."
"Huh?"
The male manager flinched and withdrew his hand. Fair enough. Kang Jae-ha's eyes were unsettling. Regardless, Jae-ha.
-Swish.
Walked out of the waiting room, one hand clutching his head. Among the team members left staring blankly at the door, someone from the makeup team whispered as if in a daze.
"I-is he okay? But, didn't Manager Kang-nim say he can't see without his glasses?? He walked out just fine."
"Forget that... did you see how he just completely changed?? In a matter of seconds!"
"What's wrong with him? Like a totally different person."
"Maybe he's just bluffing or something?"
"Since when does Jae-ha Manager have the guts to bluff? I think he's lost his mind."
"Wow. Shit just went down."
Before anyone noticed, Ra Yoon had her fists clenched tight and was trembling.
"F... Call the CEO-nim! Right now!!"
Meanwhile.
Kang Jae-ha, now out in the hallway from the waiting room, still had his skull ringing.
"Ugh."
It was easing up bit by bit, but it felt like it would take a while. His brow refused to smooth out as he walked toward the restroom. It was the scent of makeup wafting off the passing idols.
'Has it been that long? It's making me sick.'
That long? Had it really been that long. Kang Jae-ha reached the restroom and went straight for the sink. After splashing cold water on his face several times, he looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a short puffer jacket. Right, it was winter here.
Kang Jae-ha. Definitely, unmistakably himself.
But himself from eighteen years ago. His body had become small and scrawny. What was this. Had he been dreaming?
"No. Nobody has a dream that lasts eighteen years."
Clearly, without question, Kang Jae-ha had lived eighteen years in another world. He'd grown. He'd killed. And he'd changed. But after Returning, everything was exactly as it was eighteen years ago. He splashed more water on his face and let out a short sigh.
"This is ridiculous. Tch, whatever. Keep it simple. Simple."
Kang Jae-ha's meekness was gone without a trace. Nothing but rough edges. It wasn't strange. Spend eighteen years grinding through a hell of slaughter, and anyone would end up this way.
'Something must have happened. Whatever the process, what matters is that I'm here.'
Face dripping with water, he stepped out of the restroom. Soon, two male idols brushed past him. In that instant, Kang Jae-ha's vision wavered.
A sense of déjà vu washed over him. It was a familiar sensation. Then a vision appeared.
『Two idols walking. The taller one of the two tripped over his own feet.
"Oh, whoa!"
He lost his balance and staggered. The other member tried to catch him but was too late. The tall one went down face-first. He worried less about himself than the stage outfit he was wearing.
"Ah, shit, I'm screwed. It's ripped right here!"
"Eung-yeong noona's gonna smack you upside the head."』
The vision cut off. Jae-ha, who had stopped in his tracks, slowly turned his head back. Of the two male idols chatting as they walked, the taller one's step caught.
"Oh, whoa!"
Down he went.
"Ah, shit, I'm screwed. It's ripped right here!"
"Eungyeong noona's gonna smack you upside the head."
Kang Jae-ha, who had already seen their exchange, smirked and murmured to himself.
'...What. Can I use 'Deja Vu' here too?'
'Deja Vu'. The name he'd given it. One of the minor abilities he'd had since being Summoned to the other world. The power to see a future moment before it happened, near or far, whether it involved himself or others. The catch was that it triggered randomly, but thanks to 'Deja Vu', Kang Jae-ha had survived more than a few times.
That 'Deja Vu' hadn't disappeared.
"Interesting."
Kang Jae-ha turned on his heel and dug through his puffer pockets. A wallet, a phone, and a few pieces of candy came out. Candy? Oh, right.
'I used to eat these whenever I got stressed. That was pathetic, honestly.'
Popping a strawberry candy into his mouth, Jae-ha left the broadcast station and climbed into a waiting taxi. Whatever, home first. It was still around midday. Regardless, Kang Jae-ha, having unilaterally decided to clock out, sank into the seat.
He just wanted to rest.
-Vrrm!
The taxi pulled away.
Right at that moment.
【Kang Jae-ha-nim, Return confirmed.】
The familiar woman's voice came again.
【Beginning settlement of otherworld 'Inventory'.】
【Converting to Korean won......conversion complete.】
【The total converted amount, including currency, various items, et cetera, is.】
Kang Jae-ha's eyes widened slightly.
'Conversion? What now, all of a sudden.'
The woman's voice delivered the answer promptly.
【The total converted amount is 24,781,890,000 won.】
The moment he heard it, Kang Jae-ha let out a scoff.
"...24 billion?" (TL: Around $16.5 million)
No, it was closer to 25 billion. But the woman's voice wasn't finished.
【Pension program activated.】
【A real-world adjustment project will now be applied for Kang Jae-ha-nim, in recognition of 18 years of hardship in the other world.】
【Kang Jae-ha-nim is required to remain at his current company for 3 years. The Pension of 24,781,890,000 won in his possession will be disbursed at 700 million won per month.】 (TL: 700 million won is around $466,900 USD)
【Should he resign from his current company during this period, all remaining Pension funds will be forfeited.】
Kang Jae-ha's brow twisted sharply.
"What kind of asshole...?"