The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

Don't You Know What Art Is?

The man in the suit had already prepared a car for us.

The place we headed to in that car was a massive mansion.

A wide, rich estate, the kind you'd expect only the very highest of the upper class to live in.

It was the mansion owned by the Angel guild, one of Korea's four great guilds.

"Is this where Eunseol lives?"

"It's not bad at all, actually."

Sang-ah and Ah-rin, who were sitting beside me, didn't look particularly surprised at the enormous mansion.

That's because both of them had lived in buildings equal to or even greater than this before.

After getting out of the car, we entered the mansion.

The servants and maids working in the house greeted us respectfully the moment they saw us.

"Welcome. Are you the young miss's friends?"

"My name's Ma Seongjin."

"I'm Kwon Sang-ah. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Kang Ah-rin."

After we each introduced ourselves, the maids began showing us around the house.

On the way, I parted ways with Sang-ah and Ah-rin, being guided elsewhere.

The place I had to go was none other than a room at the very top floor of the mansion.

Just by looking at the huge door, bigger than any other in the house, I could guess what kind of place it was.

As the door opened, I saw several bookshelves and chairs arranged throughout the room.

"So you've finally arrived."

An elderly man seated in the chair addressed me.

Floating above his head was a halo that looked almost angelic.

I sat down in the chair opposite him and asked,

"Did I keep you waiting long?"

"No, you came at just the right time. What I said earlier was just something to say."

Baek Suhyuk, the leader of the Angel guild.

With the title Radiant, he was a legend in the Korean hunter world, alongside Kwon Yongha.

I could more or less guess why someone like him had called for me.

"Are you hungry? If you want, I can prepare some food."

"A cup of tea is fine, thank you. I already ate to the point of bursting at the water park."

It was the first family trip my father took on vacation in a long time, to a water park.

We'd booked a place for about three days and two nights, so we could really enjoy ourselves.

Thanks to that, Yunhee, who'd been shocked after the destruction of our house, had managed to recover.

And we all got to eat until we were stuffed three meals a day.

"Playing in the water... that brings back memories."

"Are you talking about family trips?"

"Yes. There was a time when I was busy taking my family to ski resorts or swimming pools. My daughter kept begging to go."

Just like my father, Baek Suhyuk too was a family man.

Anyone could find out about his family with a quick search online.

One wife, one daughter.

And a man who was 'supposed to become' his son-in-law.

Thinking about what had happened to them, though, was a bitter thing.

"Of course... I can't see them now."

"..."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I must have brought up something much too heavy for someone so young."

"It's alright. Everyone has at least one dark part of their past, after all."

As I said that, Baek Suhyuk suddenly narrowed his eyes and began closely observing me.

It was the kind of look someone gives when they're suspicious.

And then he said something I had half expected.

"You truly don't seem like an ordinary middle-schooler."

"..."

"You know perfectly well who this old man is, don't you?"

"It would be weirder not to know. Especially if you take any interest in Korea's hunter world."

"And even sitting right here across from me, you're remarkably calm. As if this is your own living room."

From what he was saying, I could understand what was going on.

It was more than suspicion; he had practically confirmed it.

"Let's drop the small talk and get to the point."

"..."

"When you were in 1st grade, you went to a winter camp in Yong-in, right?"

"How do you know that?"

"You shouldn't take our Angel guild's information network lightly. And do you remember, back then, there was a D-rank gate in Yong-in?"

"Of course I remember."

"Then..."

—Did you ever enter that gate?

What kind of question is that to ask a first grader? Anyone would think this is an absurd question for a hunter guildmaster to ask.

But that question gave me 100% certainty about his suspicions.

Now it was clear there was no need to hide anymore.

"You mean Yoon Jaeho and the Black Flame Cult?"

"I knew it...!"

The moment I let those words slip, Baek Suhyuk widened his eyes in astonishment.

Yoon Jaeho.

He had once been an executive of the Angel guild but became a criminal after a great loss—a murderer hunter.

Back when I had first reincarnated on Earth, he was the first A-rank hunter I ever killed.

"I guess the reason you called me... is because you figured out my secret?"

"Then there's no need for a long explanation."

Baek Suhyuk told me he had long held doubts about the gate in Yong-in that day.

When he arrived, the incident was already resolved, and a kidnapped girl was sleeping there alone.

Naturally, he found it suspicious—it seemed as if someone had solved the incident and left.

Only now, years later, did Baek Suhyuk realize who it had been.

"I was able to learn about you mostly thanks to Yoo Cheon-hwa's help."

"You mean that hunter I met at the Golden Gate?"

"Yes. That fellow has a rare trait called the Third Eye. He can assess a situation even when unconscious."

I remembered Yoo Cheon-hwa had fainted because of poison gas back then.

If what Baek Suhyuk said was true, it meant Yoo Cheon-hwa had learned my true identity and reported it to the guildmaster.

"You didn't spread this around without my consent, did you?"

"Of course not. You saved our guild members' lives at the Golden Gate. The best policy is not to do anything that could harm someone like you."

Thankfully, it seemed only Yoo Cheon-hwa and Baek Suhyuk knew about how special I was.

Come to think of it, a trait like Third Eye... I had no idea there were hunters with such overpowered abilities.

I'd need to be more careful in the future.

"I wanted to thank you for saving our guild members back then."

That part, at least, was true, so I had nothing to object to.

Yoo Cheon-hwa and his team were the very best within the Angel guild.

If they had disappeared, the loss of strength would have been enormous.

"But calling me here just to say thanks, that isn't the only reason, right?"

"You're quite right."

Returning to the main topic, he questioned me.

No matter how talented an awakened, Ma Seongjin was just a child.

Driving out and defeating the murderous hunter guild occupying a gate single-handedly—this would be impossible even for professional hunters.

"Just what... are you, really?"

An obvious question.

Given all the impossible things I'd managed to accomplish, it was natural for him to wonder.

"Guildmaster, do you... believe that reincarnation or transmigration is possible?"

It looked like this conversation was going to be a long one.

****

While Seongjin was being led to the guildmaster's office, Ah-rin and Sang-ah were being shown around elsewhere.

It was one of the most beautiful spots in the mansion.

There was a fountain with flowing water, and sunlight shone onto trees and flowers, making them sparkle.

Eunseol, waiting for Ah-rin and Sang-ah in a pavilion in the wide garden, flicked her wings the moment she saw them arrive.

"Thanks for coming. Since you were coming, I prepared a place with a nice atmosphere."

"We should be the ones thanking you. I didn't realize there was such a wonderful spot inside the mansion."

Sang-ah sat beside Ah-rin in the pavilion and spoke.

Although she herself had grown up in the mansion of the Hwasan guild, one of the Four Great Guilds, she'd never seen a place like this.

The difference in their upbringing could not have been more drastic.

"I was going to take you to my room first, but it's a bit dirty right now..."

"Do you draw a lot?"

"Yeah. My room's a real mess because I haven't organized my paintings."

Which meant the maids suffered a lot because of Eunseol.

There were plenty of times when she'd accidentally spill coloring tools.

Even now, she was sitting in the pavilion painting.

A wide canvas depicted the scenery of the city.

"By the way, where's Seongjin...?"

"By now, I think he'll have met your grandfather. I don't know what they're talking about, though."

Eunseol was the granddaughter of the Angel guildmaster.

Maybe she'd called Seongjin, her granddaughter's male friend, just to see his face.

"My grandfather's probably figured out what kind of person Seongjin really is."

"Really...?"

"Don't worry, though. He's my grandfather, so I'm sure he called Seongjin to say something good. More than anything, Seongjin saved the Angel guild members at the Golden Gate, right?"

He hadn't called him out of any hostility.

Just knowing that was enough for Ah-rin to feel relieved.

Even if he had, it'd be impossible to restrain Seongjin anyway.

"And... I wasn't expecting you to come as well."

Eunseol looked at Ah-rin as she spoke.

Tension began to form in their gazes.

"I only came because I was following Seongjin. Don't flatter yourself into thinking I came to see your face."

"Kang Ah-rin. You didn't come here just to pick a fight, did you?"

Sang-ah pointed out Ah-rin's sarcasm.

She'd suffered a lot throughout the first semester of 2nd grade, always busy trying to mediate between Ah-rin and Eunseol, who would always bicker when they met.

They fought in various ways.

They'd glare at each other the moment they met.

They'd mess around with each other's wings or tails.

And then there were times they'd just start throwing punches in the training room.

'For just one semester, a lot sure did happen.'

Thanks to the restraining influence of Sang-ah and Seongjin, things had managed to stay relatively peaceful.

If not for the two of them, who knows what could have happened.

Come to think of it, why did these two get along so badly?

Ah-rin asked Eunseol a question just then.

"What are you drawing right now?"

"The background of Hand. I'm focusing on the city this time."

As soon as Eunseol picked up her brush, Ah-rin smirked and said,

"Did you ever draw something amazing like last time? I'd like to see it."

Crack!-

Suddenly, Eunseol's brush snapped.

Eunseol's expression instantly froze, unable to control her strength for a moment.

It was hard to even talk about what that 'amazing' painting was.

"Kang Ah-rin. I told you before not to talk about that, didn't I?"

"What? I'm just asking about your hobby, drawing, that's all."

"Drawing?"

Eunseol's angelic expression started to twist.

Though she was a pure girl, both in body and mind, talking with Ah-rin always made her feel like a fallen angel.

"It is your drawing, right? Isn't that so, Your Majesty Eunseol~?"

"..."

Ah-rin, unfazed, continued to tease Eunseol.

It drove her mad, but Eunseol held it back with all her patience.

"I reflected on that incident and drew a lot of new things."

"Yeah? What new R-rated stuff is it this time?"

As Ah-rin continued her teasing, Eunseol showed her the canvas she had been drawing on.

Contrary to Ah-rin's expectations, it wasn't an R-rated drawing.

If it had been, she'd just earn a scolding from adults.

"It's a dragon drawing?"

"I used people around me as models for it."

The cool-looking dragon, of course, was meant to be Sang-ah.

Noticing this, Sang-ah looked a little embarrassed.

The next drawing, however, was of a dog.

A dog marking its territory on an electric pole.

Unlike the well-drawn dragon, the dog was drawn in a funny style.

If the dragon looked like the protagonist of the picture, the dog looked more like a background extra.

"Eunseol. Don't tell me..."

There were as many as nine similar dog drawings.

Ah-rin asked uneasily, but Eunseol just smiled.

"How is it? Isn't it a magnificent work?"

"..."

This time it was Ah-rin's blood that began to boil.

It felt like the blood in her body was flowing in reverse.

"Hey. Baek Eunseol."

"What~?"

"Do you want to die?"

Ah-rin's smiling expression twisted dangerously in an instant.

She set down the drawing modeled after herself, her intent clear.

But Eunseol, still unbowed, replied with a grin.

"Oh my, don't you know what art is?"

"This is a bit different from the art I know, though?"

"I just drew your image as I imagined it. It suits you, doesn't it?"

"Then should I show you a little art myself?"

When Eunseol asked "How?", Ah-rin responded with a menacing aura.

"Sword dance."

Sang-ah was appalled at Ah-rin's chilling declaration.

But Eunseol, unfazed, shot right back.

"That sounds awesome! Let's see how well you can swing it."

With that, Eunseol also let out a dangerous vibe.

As sparks seemed to fly from their locked eyes, Sang-ah jumped in between.

"Enough!! Stop! Stop!"

Sang-ah panicked, fearing a literal sword dance would break out any moment now.

Without Seongjin around, everything seemed twice as hard to handle.

"You two didn't come here to fight, right?"

"..."

But even then, the hostility between the two showed no signs of diminishing, and Sang-ah thought,

Why did I even bother coming to such a nice place if this is all I'm going to be doing?

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

Poor Ah-rin...

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】