Chapter 194 – Return [Bring Back]

For a while, Nayeon sobbed in Siguk’s embrace.

Siguk silently comforted her.

Then, Hwang Jungi came looking for Nayeon and saw Siguk. On the spot, his legs gave out and he slumped down.

It took about an hour for both Nayeon and Hwang Jungi to calm their hearts.

Only after that could Siguk sit them down, drink tea, and have a conversation with them.

“What on earth happened?”

At Nayeon’s question, Siguk took a sip of tea and slowly opened his mouth.

“It’s hard to give you the specifics. I stayed behind in Africa personally to handle Ululu Tumbebe’s aftermath.”

“Personally? So, without Polya’s father knowing?”

“Yes.”

Feeling that the phrase ‘stayed behind personally’ was somehow significant, Nayeon silently took a sip of tea.

Hwang Jungi, who had been gauging the mood between the two, spoke to Siguk.

“So, is that matter completely finished now?”

At that question, Siguk nodded and answered.

“The Ululu Tumbebe matter is definitely finished.”

“That’s a relief.”

Hwang Jungi let out a sigh of relief.

“But thanks to you coming back, Hyung, things should start looking up now.”

At Hwang Jungi’s words, Siguk looked at him quietly.

“Looking up?”

“Well… After you disappeared, things got a bit chaotic here and there.”

Siguk looked quietly at Nayeon.

“I know the JH Holdings shares were inherited by you too. But Nayeon, you weren’t interested enough in management to look into JH Group’s cross-shareholding relationships.”

Nayeon nodded.

“But if you had to look at it, it means there’s a problem within the group. Who is it? Myeongho? Bonggil? Or Chairman Park?”

Startled by how quickly Siguk grasped the situation, Nayeon flinched.

“It’s CEO Han and CEO Kang. The two of them conspired with Prime Minister Nam Hanseok to try and take over the industrial and construction divisions.”

“Hoo… I told them not to do such overreaching things…”

“But according to Chairman Park, it seems the deal between Nam Hanseok and those two has fallen through. He said they’re just securing their friendly shares for now…”

Siguk quietly closed his eyes.

“What’s the exact date today? Year, month, day?”

Hwang Jungi answered the question.

“It’s October 10, 2033, Hyung.”

“October 10th…”

It was roughly three months.

It seemed quite a few headaches had occurred here and there during those three months.

Siguk finished his tea in one go and stood up.

Nayeon and Hwang Jungi stood up simultaneously.

“Where are you going?”

Nayeon asked in an anxious voice.

“I’m going to see Association President Yeo.”

“Jeongyeon Unni?”

“Yes.”

“…You’ll come back, right?”

Seeing Nayeon’s eyes reddening again, Siguk smiled at her.

“Yeah. Let’s have a drink tonight, just the three of us, including Jungi. It’s been a while.”

At that answer, Nayeon also showed a bright smile.

Having skipped lunch, Yeo Jeongyeon was buried in tablet PCs and paper documents in the association president’s office.

‘There’s no way. Absolutely… absolutely no way.’

The easiest method was to kill Nam Hanseok.

But the aftermath was the problem.

As Lee Dongseok said, without a suitable player, recklessly killing Nam Hanseok could lead to uncontrollable chaos engulfing the entire country.

‘Even if the police organization law amendment passes in the Senate, if Nam Hanseok delays the cabinet meeting resolution, we might have to just sit and watch for up to 90 days.’

Yeo Jeongyeon let out a sigh.

Severely thirsty, she picked up a cup, got up from her seat, and went to the water dispenser to get water.

After downing one cup of water straight, she was about to return to her seat with another full cup when…

“…!”

She dropped the cup.

The cup, about to fall to the floor, was suddenly pulled by some invisible force and floated back into the air.

But she had no time to marvel at that trick.

“Since you’re not hiccuping, you don’t seem that shocked.”

Siguk, sitting in the seat she had just occupied, smiled at her.

Siguk stood up. Then he slowly approached Yeo Jeongyeon.

Siguk stopped in front of Yeo Jeongyeon. He looked at her quietly.

Yeo Jeongyeon raised a trembling hand and lightly touched Siguk’s cheek.

Through her hand, a strong sensation was transmitted—the information that the person before her was not a hallucination or a ghost, but a real, existing person.

Just like that, she collapsed into Siguk’s arms.

Patting her back as she cried quietly, Siguk held her tightly for a while.

After about 30 minutes passed, Yeo Jeongyeon regained her composure.

“What happened?”

To her question, Siguk gave her the same answer he had given Nayeon.

It might not have been readily convincing, but she didn’t raise any particular questions about Siguk’s story.

“Having lived for about three months completely cut off from any external contact, I’m a bit out of touch with the world. I stopped by Nayeon’s place before coming here, and even within JH Group, they were talking about an imminent coup d’état.”

At Siguk’s words, Yeo Jeongyeon nodded.

“It was CEO Han Myeongho and CEO Kang Bonggil. Fortunately, thanks to you taking precautions in advance, that attempt was thwarted.”

“Me?”

“You delegated your shareholder rights to Seongjun, I heard.”

“Ah. Haha.”

Siguk burst out laughing as if he remembered.

“Right, how well did Seongjun do?”

Yeo Jeongyeon answered with a smile.

“He told CEO Han and CEO Kang that if they did anything foolish, he’d break their spines.”

“Hahahahaha!”

Siguk slapped his knee and roared with laughter.

“What if he literally meant it?”

After laughing for a while, Siguk soon caught his breath.

“I’ll have to treat him to a proper meal later.”

Siguk took a sip of water.

“Anyway. For JH, I set up several layers of safety measures anyway. Chairman Park also knew his role and place, so he did exactly as much as I wanted. But the problem was outside JH.”

At those words, Yeo Jeongyeon nodded in agreement.

“What on earth is going on?”

To that question, Yeo Jeongyeon calmly gave a detailed explanation for an hour about the situations in Korea, China, America, and the global state of affairs.

During that hour, Siguk listened quietly to Yeo Jeongyeon’s story without saying much.

“So, that’s how the situation has reached this point.”

When Yeo Jeongyeon’s story finally ended, Siguk nodded quietly.

“You all must have had a really hard time while I was gone. Everyone.”

Siguk looked at Yeo Jeongyeon with a warm gaze.

“You did well. While I was gone.”

For a moment, Yeo Jeongyeon’s eyes trembled slightly.

‘What is this?’

Yeo Jeongyeon couldn’t adapt to Siguk’s significantly changed demeanor.

Siguk stood up.

Then he approached Yeo Jeongyeon and quietly hugged her from behind.

“Now rest a bit more comfortably. I’ll handle everything.”

Resting his chin on her shoulder, Siguk quietly kissed her cheek.

‘What is this? What on earth is this…?’

It was the romantic gesture she had always longed for, but now that Siguk was actually acting that way, it felt somehow awkward.

But she could feel Siguk’s breath and gradually put her heart at ease.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to Japan first. It’s closer, after all. Then to Russia, and finally to China before returning to Korea.”

“Did you book a flight ticket?”

“No, I don’t need a plane anymore.”

“What does that…”

In an instant, she felt her shoulder become empty and looked back.

Siguk was no longer there.

Her eyes trembled slightly.

She wondered if she had taken a nap here and dreamed it all, but the empty cup placed opposite her and the lingering sensation of Siguk’s touch on her shoulder and cheek told her it was all reality.

“Welcome. It’s been a while.”

Kurokawa Minori wasn’t surprised to see Siguk.

Only when Siguk first revealed himself before her did her eyes tremble slightly.

In a traditional tatami room, Siguk sat facing her.

She quietly filled his cup.

Siguk’s eyes went to her hand.

The hand pouring tea was trembling very slightly.

“You’re… with child?”

At Siguk’s question, Kurokawa Minori nodded quietly.

“How many months?”

“Four months.”

“Four months… Hmm…”

For a moment, the descendants he met in the 99th world flashed through Siguk’s mind.

“A child…”

As a bittersweet and pleased expression simultaneously clouded Siguk’s face, Kurokawa Minori smiled.

“I thought it would be nice if the father could name the child. So I haven’t thought of a name yet.”

At her words, Siguk fell into thought for a moment.

“The child will inherit the Kurokawa surname. That would be best for the child, and for you.”

Siguk flinched momentarily. But soon he nodded in agreement with her words.

“Then it would be good to give a Japanese-style name too.”

“That seems right.”

“This… I’d like a bit more time to think about it.”

“Of course you should have it.”

Looking at the relief and joy in her smile, Siguk quietly took a sip of tea.

“Korea, China, and America are in a very bad situation. But Japan seems relatively quiet.”

At Siguk’s words, Kurokawa Minori nodded.

“I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but surprisingly few Dungeons have appeared in Japan. Unlike China, there was also a certain degree of political buffer.”

“Above all, the person who has influenced the political world for a long time was fine.”

Kurokawa Minori smiled.

“But it wasn’t all easy. There was American interference in the cabinet and the House of Representatives.”

“From America?”

“The CIA and an unidentified organization were working together. I don’t know the details, but according to the Cabinet Research Office, they don’t seem to be operating separately.”

“It must be NAC.”

“Is that the organization you mentioned last time?”

Siguk nodded.

“Fortunately, we blocked the interference well. We excluded any lawmakers showing signs of betrayal in advance, and also demoted all cabinet ministers who had been co-opted by America. In the process, the major factions within the ruling party were all replaced, leading to a generational change.”

“Somehow it seems Japan benefited the most?”

At Siguk’s words, Kurokawa Minori answered with a laugh.

“Now that you’re back, you’ll benefit the most. Now the Japanese cabinet will follow your will. Of course, I’ll be the proxy.”

Siguk smiled and stood up. Kurokawa Minori also slowly stood up.

Siguk approached her and hugged her.

She also hugged Siguk tightly.

“You did well. While I was gone.”

At the warm words Siguk uttered while gently stroking her back, Kurokawa Minori’s body also flinched.

“Now focus only on prenatal care. I’ll handle the rest.”

Kurokawa Minori’s body trembled slightly.

She also stroked Siguk’s back and spoke.

“You… seem different somehow.”

“I’ve changed.”

“What on earth did you go through?”

“I went through a lot. I learned a lot, and I have a lot to do.”

Siguk gently released her. Then, holding her shoulders with both hands, he quietly looked into her eyes.

“My change is just the beginning. Now many things will truly change.”

“…It seems so.”

“Keeping you, and our child in your womb, safe is my immediate task. And when everything is over, at the peak of change, I…”

Siguk trailed off, then quietly smiled and gave Kurokawa Minori a light kiss.

Somewhat confused by his demeanor, Kurokawa Minori quietly hugged him again.