The Hero Has Returned

Chapter 7 - April Fools' Day (3)

"Let's eat!"

At the foreman's shout, everyone stopped what they were doing and headed for the company cafeteria.

As always, Kkalkki stuck close to my side.

"Cap'n. Today's menu is pork crap-let, they say. Aish. Fuckin' pork crap-let every single damn day."

They say you learn to swear first no matter what country you go to.

It really seems like Kkalkki's Korean language patch was installed incorrectly.

"Did you see that bastard Pres'dent earlier? It was so satisfyin' to see him run away with his tail between his legs."

I watched Kkalkki as he chattered on.

As I quietly watched the chattering Kkalkki, something I'd been curious about for a long time came to mind.

I never bothered to ask in my past life, but I decided to ask in this one.

"Kkalkki."

"Hm?"

His large, child-like innocent pupils turned toward me.

"Why do you like me?"

Kkalkki diligently took care of not only me but the people around me as well.

He was a good-natured kid, to be sure, but he wasn't like that with everyone at the factory.

I wanted to know the reason why he was particularly kind only to me.

Kkalkki blinked and scratched his head.

"Well, that's 'cause."

An unexpected answer popped out, making my own predictable guesses seem foolish.

"'Cause you've got style."

I had no idea what he was talking about.

Just where on earth did this kid learn Korean?

Kkalkki added an explanation.

"On my first day of work, every-one was cussin' me out. Son of a bitch. Son of a cow. Said I fuckin' sucked at my job, too."

Ah, so that was it.

The reason Kkalkki was so good at swearing was that he had been subjected to just as much verbal abuse as soon as he came to Korea.

"But the Cap'n, you just quietly taught me the work. Even when I messed up, you'd show me again. I was so touched then! That's what's cool about you, Cap'n. You've got style!"

Did I do that?

It was common for the young guys who first came here to not even last a few days before running away.

That's why I didn't bother making much conversation with the newcomers.

However, I did remember my first meeting with Kkalkki.

He was completely crestfallen, as if he'd gone through some considerable hardship somewhere.

Whenever someone said something to him, he would hunch his shoulders and bow his head first.

The foreman introduced me to Kkalkki.

"Kkalkki. This guy, Choi Yong-gi, is your mentor."

"Mentor?"

"He's like the head honcho who'll teach you the work."

"Head honcho? Ah!"

After that, Kkalkki learned the work under me, following me around like a puppy.

He even called me Captain, despite the foreman being right there.

Kkalkki continued.

"There's a Nepa-lese prov-erb that says, 'According to your virtues, so goes your karma.' It means you fuckin' reap what you fuckin' sow, ya see-zee? The Cap'n is def'nitely gonna be blessed some-day."

I died and was born again.

I returned to the past, Awakened, and gained a hero's ability.

I wonder, was this life the result of karma?

Or was it a blessing?

Rumble.

A loud noise erupted from Kkalkki's stomach.

"Oops."

The kid rubbed his belly and laughed sheepishly.

I slapped Kkalkki on the back and entered the cafeteria.

"Let's just go eat some pork crap-let."

......

Kkalkki raised his voice.

"I will eat we-ell! Every-body, eat up!"

The foreman pointed at Kkalkki with his spoon.

"Kkalkki. You're messing up your formal speech on purpose, aren't you?"

"Nope! Foreman-nim-yessir!"

Seeing the food on the table, I couldn't help but sigh.

Soggy, greasy frozen pork cutlet was the main dish.

Tough seaweed stems, pale shredded radish kimchi, and white rice were all there was.

And four people had to share this at one table.

Despite this, there were no complaints.

Because if we didn't eat at least this, we wouldn't be able to endure the afternoon's work.

In the middle of the meal, the foreman spoke.

"Anyway, Yong-gi-ya. When'd ya Awaken?"

In an instant, all eyes were on me.

It was only natural for them to be curious.

After all, a proper Awakened ability was the same as winning the lottery.

"This morning.”

Exclamations of awe erupted from all around.

"Well, I'll be. So that's why you got so strong."

"Guess you'll be quittin' the factory soon then? Man, I'm so jealous."

For the second time, all eyes were focused on me.

If you receive a high rank as an Awakened and become a Hunter, you get to live a life that's 180 degrees different from this one.

First of all, the numbers printed in your bank account would change.

"No. I'm going to keep working here."

Everyone tilted their heads in bewilderment and began to whisper amongst themselves.

"Hm? He's not quitting?"

"Why?"

"If it were me, I'd be out there raidin' those what's-it-called, Gates! And huntin' monsters and all that!"

In the midst of all this, Kkalkki grabbed my arm tightly.

"No! Why should the Cap'n quit! Mind your own business! Or rather, your own damn business! Just shut up and stuff your faces!"

"What? Look at the damn manners on this foreign worker bastard."

"Yeah? So what? You Joseon-jin*!"

[TL/N: Joseon-jin (조센징) is a derogatory slur for Koreans, derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the term used during the colonial era. In this context, Kkalkki, a Nepalese worker, is using this ethnic slur as a comeback after being called a "foreign worker bastard" by his Korean coworker.]

Following Kkalkki's indiscriminate remark, pork cutlets flew across the table.

I looked at the foreman and opened my mouth.

"Thank you for earlier."

If he hadn't stood up for me, I would have left this place without any regrets.

The foreman spoke while stuffing his mouth.

"Don't mention it. If you left, Yong-gi, we'd have to shut this place down. But more importantly..."

He lifted his head.

"Earlier, I saw the boss stompin' off in a huff toward the 7th Factory."

The Ilsan Hunter Industrial Complex was made up of the 1st Factory to the 9th Factory.

The entire complex operated on a structure of receiving contracts from a mega-corporation.

At first glance, it might not seem like there are any problems, but.

The Hunter business sector was rife with all sorts of corruption.

One element of that was the gangs.

The gangs had seized control of the Ilsan Industrial Complex by threatening workers and extorting money.

The mega-corporation knew about this, but they intentionally left them alone.

Because that was a way to control the workers without getting their own hands dirty.

The government also turned a blind eye to the collusive relationship between the mega-corporation and the gangs.

The 7th Factory the foreman mentioned was where the gang's headquarters was located.

"If he brings those bastards back, there's nothin' I can do. You understand, right?"

He had lost his first child in a factory.

But he still had a young daughter and a wife at home.

For a laborer, their body is their life.

Quitting a job to find another one elsewhere.

And becoming unemployed for life after a major injury are two separate issues.

In order to feed his wife and child, protecting his own body was paramount.

"I know. Next time, please don't step in, no matter what. I will take care of it."

I had gotten entangled with the gang a few times in my past life.

It was when I went to complain about unpaid wages, and the president, as always, called the gang for help.

At that time, I was beaten mercilessly by the bastards who attacked me in a group.

And Kkalkki, who tried to protect me, was beaten with me.

"You'll take care of it? How?"

After finishing my meal, I gulped down a glass of water as if it were beer.

I slammed the metal cup down on the table.

In the noisy atmosphere, everyone looked at me.

After half a day, I finally understood.

My second life wasn't something granted by a god.

There was no special meaning or duty given to me.

Whether I take a life full of regret and turn it into a new opportunity.

Or I repay my debts to those I owe.

Meaning is something you have to find for yourself.

Therefore, this time, my goal was simple.

"I have to fight."

Everyone's faces were filled with utter shock and horror.

"Wh-What? You're sayin' you're gonna stand up to the gang?"

"Yong-gi-ya. Don't you go doin' somethin' reckless!"

"That's right! Nothin' good comes from gettin' involved with bastards like them!"

It wasn't that they couldn't stand up to the gang for no reason.

Most of them were ex-convicts, and among them were even some former Villains.

But it's okay.

I was in such a daze on the way here that I couldn't try it, but.

There was something I desperately wanted to test out before the day was over.

"Just trust me. Thank you for the meal."

......

After lunch, everyone sat down wherever they could find a spot.

Someone used a block of styrofoam as a bed and fell into a deep, short sleep.

Someone else sipped on instant coffee and smoked a cigarette.

About 15 minutes.

It was the one and only honey-sweet break time of the day.

Kkalkki sat down, stuck right next to me, and ate a snack.

Chocolates, jellies, candies, and so on.

The kid had a particular fondness for sweet snacks.

Today, Kkalkki's pick was potato chips in a long, cylindrical can.

Kkalkki crunched on the chips rhythmically.

Then, after staring intently at his phone, he held it out to me.

"Huge inci-dent! Cap'n. Did ya see this?"

It was an article that had been posted three minutes ago.

[[ Villain? vs Hero? ]]

An unknown individual who defeated a Big Lava has appeared in the middle of downtown Eunpyeong-gu. He not only took care of the monster but also attacked a Dio Guild Hunter before suddenly disappearing...

Below the article, a crookedly tilted video that looked like it was from a vehicle's dashcam was attached.

Kkalkki played it.

The video quality was so pixelated that you could barely make out the figures, but I could understand the content.

The scene of the Big Lava being blown to bits and Seo Gwang-pal being knocked out flowed by.

—According to a witness, his appearance as he ran wild wearing a purple mask was like that of a menacing demon, and they dubbed him the 'Purple Devil.'

A hollow laugh escaped me.

The Purple Devil, he says.

What a naming sense.

"Oh?! That's ri-ight! Cap'n, you take this bus to work too!"

Kkalkki's eyes widened with excitement.

"Were you there too, Cap'n?"

Was it because my attitude toward life had become more relaxed?

I found myself enjoying April Fools' Day, something I had never cared about in my past life.

When you work at a factory for a long time, you tend to get a bit dull.

You just work like a machine part, so you don't think deeply.

Naturally, life becomes boring.

Since Kkalkki was the one to bring up the hot topic, should I try messing with him a little?

What kind of joke would fluster him?

Ironically, telling the truth was the most effective.

"Yeah. I was there."

"Whoa! Then you must've seen this bastard, too?"

Kkalkki muttered, tapping the figure in the video with his index finger.

"To attack a Hunter without any fe-ar. What kinda crazy shit is that."

The rating system for raising a Hunter's rank is based on performance.

You build up your record by clearing Gates, defeating monsters, or taking down Villains.

Therefore, attacking a fellow Hunter was of no real help at all.

"What was he like when ya saw him in person? That purple sweet po-ta-to lookin' bastard?"

Kkalkki handed me a purple snack.

So they weren't potato chips.

I took it and began to munch on it.

A crispy texture, better than the pork cutlet, and a savory sweetness spread across my tongue.

I fixed my gaze on the blue sky and opened my mouth.

"He was handsome, tall, had a cool voice, a refreshing personality, and acted very manly. Oh, and he also had 1 billion won..."

At this point, Kkalkki noticed something was strange.

It was rare for me to blatantly praise someone.

And in the first place, I wasn't the type to give unnecessarily long answers.

"No way."

Kkalkki hurriedly put down the snack can.

Then, he zoomed in on the video.

The person's face was covered with a handkerchief, but the clothes he was wearing were the same as mine.

The shabby factory jumper I wore, come rain or shine, was my trademark.

Kkalkki looked back and forth between the phone and my face with an exaggerated motion.

After glancing around for a moment, he moved closer to me and lowered his voice.

"Is this... you, Cap'n?"

He had opened his eyes so wide it looked like his already large eyes were going to pop out.

At this rate, this April Fools' prank is a huge success.

I was about to answer him, when a group of men approached from the distance.

"Choi Yong-gi! You son of a bitch! Get out here!"

The president shouted gallantly with a confident expression.

Behind him, a large group of gang members followed in a crowd.

It was the moment the 15 minutes of peace were shattered.

The laborers, who had been resting leisurely in front of the cafeteria, got to their feet.

"Aigoo. What we expected has finally come."

"That rotten boss bastard. In the end, he really brought those heinous bastards here."

Pat, pat.

I tapped Kkalkki on the shoulder.

"Let's finish this conversation later."

I dusted off my hands and stood up from my spot.

I walked out in front, representing the factory workers.

The president flinched and stepped back, then pointed at me and said.

"That's the bastard right there."

At that, the man who appeared to be the gang's leader approached and stopped in front of me.

Me and the other workers.

The president and the gang.

We were in a standoff.

"Hey, buddy. I heard you've been causing trouble since this morning?"

The tall and scrawny leader of the gang postured arrogantly.

This man was the right hand of the gang's main boss, and a former Villain.

He used to go around bragging, as if it were a habit, about how he had taken down an A-rank Hunter with his bare hands in his prime.

"What gives you the right to be so cocky? Huh?"

The bastard shoved his bony fist in front of my face.

"Want me to bust your jaw?"

The thing I wanted to test was simple.

Just how far would the hero ability I possessed work?

In short, I needed to measure my combat power.

And just in time, a human sandbag had walked right up to me on his own.

'This is perfect.'

I leaned my chin against the bastard's fist, as if resting on it.

"Do it.”