―He’s had a rougher life than expected, huh? This guy.
Kim Jeong-baek contacted him in a rush the very next day. And his opening line wasn’t exactly casual. Cha Eui-sung frowned as he flicked through the downloaded files.
“Yes, I’m looking over the materials you sent.”
―He was involved in two major disasters or murder cases. As a victim, no less… Damn.
Born in Gyeonggi Province. Raised in a well-off family, but unfortunately, the neighborhood they lived in was far from ideal. The Seongjong Dungeon Outbreak—something that could be called a national trauma—had erupted right in front of their house.
At age six, he witnessed his mother die before his eyes. His father lost one leg and part of his internal organs, barely managing to save only Moon Tae-young.
With the breadwinner gone, the household’s fortune fell apart in plain sight.
Then, when Moon Tae-young turned twelve, his father got caught up in the slaughter committed by an awakened criminal. Cha Eui-sung was already familiar with that case. It had made headlines, and it was a staple example in education about Hunters and Awakened individuals.
Who would’ve thought Moon Tae-young’s family had been one of the victims?
―Looks like he kept a low profile after that. There seems to have been an incident, but no record of it exists. If I can’t read it, it means it’s been scrubbed entirely from the data, and if any paper records existed, they were destroyed.
“When was that?”
―Five years ago… He was already an adult by then, so if something serious happened, there should’ve been some legal dispute. But there’s nothing. Probably someone involved…
“Had power, and either Tae-young was the victim, or someone had a strong reason to bury it?”
―That’s usually how it goes, right? When someone’s hiding skeletons.
During the Seongjong Dungeon Outbreak, the number of missing people exceeded a hundred for over a week after the incident. Very few were found alive. Most were treated as missing because their identities couldn’t be confirmed.
Later, with fingerprinting, dental records, and DNA testing, they reduced the number of missing by identifying severed limbs and scraps of flesh. That’s how brutal the disaster had been. The death Moon Tae-young witnessed couldn’t have been pretty either.
However…
‘I had a shit childhood too, but I turned out fine.’
If you were ranking people by how tragic their lives were, and making Demon Kings based on that, Cha Eui-sung would’ve definitely made the list.
Meaning, when you’re in the same boat, there’s no point in pitying anyone.
Sure, he’d gotten the chance to regress, but… even without that, as an S-rank, he would’ve flaunted his status and lived well enough without having to wreck the planet.
Just look at how well his second life was going without a hitch. Feeling sympathy for others when your own life’s a mess? That only gets you killed like in your first run.
‘Fuckin’… S-ranks…’
Sure, thinking about them always made his neck stiffen a bit and triggered that creeping madness, but… Cha Eui-sung had been successful. If it hadn’t been for the Demon King, he could’ve spent his twilight years drunk on power, having real fun…
―Still, there are a few odd parts.
“Like what?”
―Uhh, how should I put it… There’s nothing outright strange in the data, to be honest. But I’ve got a hunch. You know that sugar candy game? If you break a piece wrong and try to glue it back with spit, it doesn’t look cracked at first glance. But the candy man always knew. He always knew if it was patched with spit. It’s like that—I can feel something’s off.
“…So which part is ‘off’? Just get to the point.”
―Tsk. Anyway, it’s sliced cleanly, but a few psychiatric records seem to be missing. So I dug into that part more thoroughly—pulled an all-nighter for it. And the attending doctor…
“The attending doctor?”
―Was the one who participated in the psychiatric evaluation of the awakened criminal who killed Moon Tae-young’s father. Diagnosed him with schizophrenia.
Thud.
It felt like a light blow to the head. Cha Eui-sung flipped quickly through the attached file, scanning again the section on childhood trauma.
A Demon King working as a rural schoolteacher… He had suspected something was up, but the guy had really been busy behind the scenes. Quietly, steadily, using his own childhood tragedies as fuel.
“What about the reason Moon Tae-young got assigned to Cheongse Elementary Branch School? Nothing strange there?”
―Nah, seriously, nothing stands out. But you know how it is. When it’s a job no one wants, you don’t even need to rig anything to get it.
“True.”
Judging by how he acted the day before, Moon Tae-young was just like Cha Eui-sung. Competent, sharp, quick to read the room. The kind of person who could subtly control others and probably had a knack for steering the atmosphere to his advantage.
Someone like that could’ve easily taken on a job that was essentially exile or punishment, just by crafting the right mood. Maybe that’s how a teacher with only a few years under his belt ended up alone in a rural post under the title of acting principal.
What mattered more than how the Demon King had come to this place was why he had chosen to come here.
“You really did amazing work. Way beyond what I expected.”
―Heh, I earn my keep. Though this time, I really pushed it. Pulled an all-nighter, even.
“Someone this diligent ending up arrested, having their home and assets confiscated, and reduced to earning a government salary as some national consultant? I can’t let that happen—I’ll stop it no matter what it takes.”
―R-Right?
“Forget about Shinjun Electronics. In a couple of months, take a look at that pharmaceutical company starting with a J.”
―…! Ahh, I knew I could count on you, boss.
After the call ended, accompanied by a cheerful hum, Cha Eui-sung let out a long sigh and lowered his gaze. The cereal soaked in milk had gone all soggy. He hadn’t had much of an appetite to begin with, and now he had no will to finish it.
“This rotting wood smell that started yesterday is really getting on my nerves…”
Truthfully, he hated almost everything about Cheongseri—the sights, the smells, the very air.
The blue rice paddies, the lingering countryside odors, the unkempt roadside scorching under the blazing sun.
And most of all—
Rustle. Creaaak—clatter.
“Tch…”
For two days straight, nosy village residents had been lingering around his house, poking around, curious about the changes in the neighborhood. It was insufferably irritating.
There was no doubt none of them could pose any real threat to him, and yet his nerves were fraying. Their attention, this suffocatingly humid air—it kept triggering memories of his first life, ones he’d tried so hard to bury.
“At this rate, I’ll be the one who ends up destroying Earth.”
Finally became an S-rank, and now the world was so damn rotten he couldn’t even enjoy it. It wouldn’t be strange if he snapped and started blowing everything up. He thought of it half-jokingly, but the truth was, he wasn’t entirely kidding.
Moon Tae-young, too, was a rare young teacher in this village, so he must’ve received more than his share of this annoying attention. If Cha Eui-sung considered how much hassle must’ve lurked behind that courteous mask of his, it was entirely possible the guy was even tougher than his second-life self.
“Wonder if the pants are dry.”
The yard was so sun-drenched it felt like it was burning. The black pants hanging on the line looked like they were radiating heat. Cha Eui-sung dumped the entire soggy bowl of cereal into the sink, then strode out into the yard.
He sniffed the hem of the pants—crisp and sun-warmed. He folded them neatly, the fabric warm against his skin.
The gray pants hanging next to them were freshly laundered too. He’d even hand-washed them before running them through the machine. He might not be a domestic expert, but when it came to bloodstain removal, he was practically a pro.
‘This’ll be my excuse to meet him again.’
As far as he could tell, every time he encountered Moon Tae-young—or caught his attention—the gauge increased. Whether he liked it or not, that meant he had to stick close to him and constantly come up with reasons to do so.
Starting with the pants, he’d tag along with anything, hover nearby, show up often, spark conversation.
But given what kind of man he was, he’d also need a solid excuse for why an unregistered S-rank would be hanging around some remote village like this.
‘Still, laying it all out would be too amateurish.’
The best kind of information wasn’t handed over in a wrapped package. It was the kind you made them dig up themselves, brush off the dirt, and swallow down—that’s how trust formed.
Luckily, he’d coughed up blood yesterday. The backstory was already half-written.
‘A sickly Awakened teetering between life and death—someone with a tragic past.’
Considering how miserable Moon Tae-young’s life had been, he might consciously or unconsciously let his guard down around someone his age who seemed to share his pain.
Not that Cha Eui-sung expected to be welcomed with open arms right away. If Moon Tae-young had already recognized him as a worthy rival, he’d have to lie through his teeth to keep up the act.
Looking back, the rival he’d faced in his second life had only been retired after Cha Eui-sung pushed him to the brink of death.
‘I went through hell to get rid of him, and now he’s back again? Just thinking about it makes me sigh.’
This world was still just as cold and cruel. Moon Tae-young had joined the organization before him and won everyone’s trust first. The only reason Cha Eui-sung had ever found a crack in that flawless armor was because the guy hadn’t been S-rank yet.
Turns out, that suffocating sense of humiliation he’d felt while crawling through life as an F-rank wasn’t just in his head. Now, having reawakened as an S-rank, he was even more obsessed with holding onto this life.
Cha Eui-sung folded the pants neatly and placed them into a shopping bag. As he stepped out, he blankly looked up at the piercing blue sky.
‘After what I showed him yesterday, it’d be too much to go running back today. Better to make him wait a day or two.’
He slowly draped the pants over his arm, gave the front gate a firm tap to make a hollow thunk, then stepped back inside the house.
