Chapter 52
Siriel had proudly returned from China.
After hearing her report, Kang Ha-min was shocked.
At most, he had imagined destruction.
He never thought she would simply take the laboratories for herself.
Siriel was terrifying.
Fine.
He would admit it.
He had underestimated her.
Compared to Baek Cheon-myeong, Siriel looked delicate and slender.
That was why he had been worried.
It had been completely unnecessary.
So thralls were this useful.
She had turned everyone in the laboratories into thralls
and prevented future Returnees from being abused.
Now Kang Ha-min understood why Siriel always used the word "swallow" instead of "destroy."
She was someone capable of things far worse than simple destruction.
"It was nothing. It wasn't even difficult."
Why wasn't this difficult?
Kang Ha-min could only laugh awkwardly.
"So, I currently have the rescued Returnees stored inside my shadow. What should we do with them?"
The Returnees were probably drifting around inside Siriel's shadow.
They were all unconscious,
but they couldn't stay there forever.
"We'll send them to the Heavenly Spirit Medicinal Forest."
Ha Cheol-ryong and the others already lived there.
Kang Ha-min intended to meet them
and discuss the Chinese Returnees.
"Let's go now."
They entered the Heavenly Spirit Medicinal Forest.
When Kang Ha-min called for Ha Cheol-ryong,
he immediately came running.
"You called for me!"
"Mr. Ha Cheol-ryong, have you been doing well?"
"Yes. Thanks to you."
Ha Cheol-ryong's expression had become much brighter lately.
It seemed the Returnees were adjusting well to the Heavenly Spirit Medicinal Forest.
"About China..."
"Yes. That's exactly what I came to discuss."
Kang Ha-min gestured to Siriel.
A man suddenly rose out of the shadows.
Qilin.
"...Qilin?"
Ha Cheol-ryong recognized him immediately.
Qilin was a major figure even within Astra.
There was no way Ha Cheol-ryong wouldn't know him.
"Did Qilin betray Astra?"
"No. Qilin was never on Astra's side from the beginning. He was on China's side."
"What?"
When Kang Ha-min explained Qilin's true identity,
shock filled Ha Cheol-ryong's face.
Of course.
Qilin was considered an example of a respected Returnee.
His true identity was bound to be shocking.
"The matter with Qilin has been resolved. We also successfully rescued the Returnees being held in China."
"...What?"
This time, Ha Cheol-ryong was shocked for a different reason.
Only half a day had passed since he told Kang Ha-min about China.
During that short time,
Kang Ha-min had rescued every Chinese Returnee.
It was too unrealistic to believe.
But then Ha Cheol-ryong looked at the two people behind Kang Ha-min.
Baek Cheon-myeong and Siriel.
To Kang Ha-min, they were endlessly gentle.
To others,
they were terrifying beings who radiated coldness.
So he had no choice but to believe it.
"There is something I need to discuss about the Chinese Returnees we rescued, and the Returnees dragged into this incident."
It might be troublesome for Ha Cheol-ryong.
Still,
he was the person Kang Ha-min trusted most among the Returnees.
"Qilin will do his best for the Chinese Returnees from now on."
Qilin also bore responsibility for what happened to the Chinese Returnees.
Of course,
the fundamental responsibility belonged to China.
They could deal with that later.
For now,
stabilizing the Returnees came first.
"You intend to let them live here too."
"Yes. But Mr. Ha Cheol-ryong and your group will be their seniors."
Ha Cheol-ryong and the others had built their home from nothing.
Kang Ha-min didn't want them to receive no consideration after all that.
"Of course, some of them may not want to stay here. Those people will be allowed to leave."
There would be a condition.
They would need to become Siriel's thralls.
Kang Ha-min couldn't allow them to reveal what they had seen here.
This time,
even Kang Ha-min couldn't afford to be endlessly merciful.
"The same applies if they cause trouble."
"I will prioritize Mr. Ha Cheol-ryong and your group."
Ha Cheol-ryong could potentially abuse that.
But Kang Ha-min knew he wasn't that kind of person.
He might naturally favor his own people,
but Ha Cheol-ryong was someone who drew a clear line when something was wrong.
Then Ha Cheol-ryong gave a surprisingly positive answer.
"If they're Returnees, then they're people like us. People who've suffered similar pain can become close more easily."
After seeing Qilin's fake personality,
Ha Cheol-ryong's genuine personality felt even more admirable.
I think I can leave him as the representative of the Returnees from now on.
Someone like him would lead them well.
"Understood. I'm counting on you."
Also,
Kang Ha-min was fine with helping the Korean Returnees for free.
But he had no intention of supporting all the Chinese Returnees without receiving anything in return.
I should think about this separately.
Manpower was useful for everything.
Kang Ha-min had painfully learned that during his time as a civil servant.
He needed to make good use of this manpower in the future.
"Um, Mr. Kang Ha-min, I think this incident caused another problem."
"A problem?"
Had something else happened?
"We can no longer contact Astra. I think they're suspicious of us."
That was understandable.
It was unfortunate,
but there was nothing they could do about that.
"It's fine. You don't need to worry about it."
Kang Ha-min hadn't helped Ha Cheol-ryong only because he wanted information about Astra.
A large part of it had come from the guilt surrounding his childhood friend.
And anyway...
We have Qilin now.
Qilin had continuously interacted with Astra.
Yet Astra still didn't know what had happened to him.
They could gather information through him.
Astra was a troublesome organization trying to create chaos in the world.
They had targeted Baek Cheon-myeong twice.
There was a high chance they would become involved again.
If possible,
Kang Ha-min wanted to stop Astra's terrorist actions.
"Mr. Kang Ha-min, may I ask one thing?"
"What is it?"
"Do you intend to continue gathering Returnees like this in the future?"
Continue gathering Returnees.
Kang Ha-min fell silent for a moment after hearing the question.
The reason he had accepted these Returnees into the Heavenly Spirit Medicinal Forest
was because Ha Cheol-ryong's group already lived here.
According to Records of the Dead,
none of the others had been planted by China like Qilin.
Of course,
if someone had a criminal history or anything suspicious,
Kang Ha-min had recorded it separately.
Now that Siriel's shadow existed inside them,
they wouldn't be able to cause trouble anyway.
"Yes, probably."
Somehow,
he had ended up gathering Returnees.
At first,
it had simply started because of his guilt over his childhood friend.
But the Heavenly Spirit Medicinal Forest still had plenty of space.
There would be no major problem letting them live here.
More importantly,
Kang Ha-min liked seeing Returnees living together peacefully.
I never knew I liked helping people.
Society was becoming colder and harsher.
But reaching out to someone in difficulty felt better than he had expected.
There was a kind of satisfaction that could only come from helping someone.
The world functioned because people helped one another.
Joining that cycle didn't feel bad at all.
"I see. Understood."
Ha Cheol-ryong nodded.
Then suddenly,
he dropped to one knee.
"Then please, Mr. Kang Ha-min, allow me, Ha Cheol-ryong, to become your direct subordinate."
"What?"
Kang Ha-min reacted in surprise at the sudden request.
But Ha Cheol-ryong continued without hesitation.
"I was deeply moved by the sincerity you've shown toward Returnees."
"Until now, I have never seen anyone care about Returnees like this."
"No, I haven't really done anything that grand."
He just felt bad for them.
Kang Ha-min didn't possess some great noble cause.
"Yes. That is exactly why I felt your sincerity even more."
Sometimes,
pure kindness moved people more deeply than a grand cause.
"If you continue accepting Returnees in the future, problems may arise during that process."
"Even if they are Returnees, they come from different countries. Conflict between them may be unavoidable."
They were born in different nations.
Even if they were all Returnees,
some problems between them would be unavoidable.
"I, Ha Cheol-ryong, will take responsibility for resolving those issues."
Ah.
Now Kang Ha-min understood.
This was what Ha Cheol-ryong meant by becoming a direct subordinate.
"You want the position of my direct subordinate so you can lead the Returnees."
"Yes. In the end, every Returnee who comes here watches Mr. Kang Ha-min's reaction."
"And none of them would dare think of opposing you."
The overwhelming power shown by Baek Cheon-myeong and Siriel.
And Kang Ha-min, whom those two served.
Returnees followed the law of strength even more strongly than Hunters.
They couldn't oppose Kang Ha-min.
That meant if someone was personally recognized by Kang Ha-min as his direct subordinate,
that person would naturally possess authority and power.
"I understand that you may not fully trust me."
"But I believe this position is necessary to ensure that no trouble causes you inconvenience."
This place was the home the Returnees had barely managed to find.
If problems inside this home angered its owner,
there could be no greater fear for them.
That was why Ha Cheol-ryong volunteered to prevent those problems beforehand.
The Returnees need a leader too.
And if it was someone like Ha Cheol-ryong,
Kang Ha-min could trust him.
In fact,
he welcomed the idea.
"Understood. From now on, Mr. Ha Cheol-ryong will be my direct subordinate."
It was a reasonable suggestion.
Kang Ha-min accepted it.
Ha Cheol-ryong's face brightened.
"I'll work hard!"
However,
he still didn't understand what becoming Kang Ha-min's direct subordinate truly meant.
"My, we got ourselves a completely weak youngest brother."
At that moment, Siriel suddenly appeared beside Kang Ha-min and began walking forward.
Her appearance was breathtakingly beautiful.
But an unknown pressure could be felt in every step.
"A weak youngest subordinate only brings shame to Master's name."
Before anyone noticed,
Baek Cheon-myeong had also stepped in front of Ha Cheol-ryong.
Ha Cheol-ryong began to realize something had gone terribly wrong.
"Woof!"
Finally,
Aji barked loudly in front of Ha Cheol-ryong.
His bark carried a very clear meaning.
You're screwed.
If Ha Cheol-ryong wanted to represent the Returnees,
he needed at least a certain amount of strength.
And there was no way Kang Ha-min's direct subordinate could go around getting beaten up.
Siriel and Baek Cheon-myeong smiled brightly.
Ha Cheol-ryong had no choice but to force a smile too.
Kang Ha-min quietly turned away from him.
What could he do?
Ha Cheol-ryong had chosen this fate himself.
"P, please... go easy on me."
Ha Cheol-ryong had been forced into a fate where he had no choice but to become stronger.
He had no right to refuse.
