Ten Years Later (2)

Today, after work, they all had dinner together.

Everyone worked harder than usual today due to the recent holidays, so their boss treated them to dinner.

The restaurant’s staff and it’s part-timers gathered at a Samgyeopsal specialty store to grill and eat meat.

Sizzle~

Akan’s expression didn’t look good even with the meat he’s grilling turning brown.

He’s been oiling for quite a while now, but the two men in front of him made him feel stuffy.

“Yes, after all, Shinhwa University students are different.”

“Nah, there’re many people who studies better than me.”

“That Shinhwa University… Isn’t that the university that everyone in Korea knows about?”

“It is, haha…”

Go Changhyuk and the part-timer Jang Minho were having a conversation.

Shinhwa University, which Jan Minho attends, is a university rated just below Korean University, which is said to be the best in Korea.

Jang Minho is a student of a prestigious university who comes to work part-time everyday after school.

Looking at it like that, he’ll seem like a sincere and hardworking student, but once you knew his purpose for a part-time job and his usual behavior, your evaluation will change.

His purpose of having a part-time job is to cover the cost of living with his girlfriend, and he’s very arrogant of being a student at a prestigious university.

The reason why the subject of conversation flowed like this is because Jang Minho took the initiative.

“If you do business, you’ll definitely go big.”

“Alright, if I ever do business and succeed later, let’s have some liquor instead of this.”

“Big brother! I trust you!”

Jang Minho decided that Go Changhyuk was the real power of the restaurant.

So unlike to others, he refrained boasting in front of Go Changhyuk.

It lifted him up and made him feel good about himself.

As of the conversation they’re having right now, Akan had nothing to do with it, but the problem is that Akan would always come out as a comversation topic in the end when those two talked to each other.

“By the way, Akan, what’re you going to do in the future? Brother Changhyuk is already saving up money for his business, but brother Akan is already 40. It’s too late for you to start a business now.”

Nobody asked, but Jang Minho threw the topic out.

It has always been this way.

They enjoyed their superiority, having Akan as a subject of conversation.

“Right, you said you’ve been in a part-time job for 9 years, right? Will you still be able to marry in Korea? If you continue living like that, you’ll probably die a solitary old man.”

Go Changhyuk’s words stood out.

It seemed like Lee Minyoung didn’t like the fact that Go Changhyuk sided with him today.

Akan smiled faintly as he looked at them spouting poisonous words pointing to the reality that Akan’s in right now.

‘They aren’t worth answering.’

Korea is a very funny country.

Profile.

A world that ignores those who doesn’t meet its standards.

Akan is a person very far from those standards.

‘At age 40, I’m working part-time at a chicken restaurant, so I had to look ridiculous from their point of views.’

Knowing that fact well, Akan endured.

He ignored their words.

‘I’ll start eating now.’

The reason Akan can endure is not because he has tolerance.

He just admitted to reality.

He has no strength in himself now.

There’s nothing he can do. It can’t be helped.

‘So I just left them as they did.’

Their words piled up one by one, but he just persevered.

‘You know, I was about to reach success, but it fluttered in front of my eyes and flew away from me.’

He forced the meat into his mouth.

In many ways, it was wise to take care of anything that would benefit you rather than paying attention to those words.

‘Success’ didn’t mean much to Akan.

He just wanted to be comfortable with what he does in Korea.

However, even that’s gonna be difficult for him, so he doesn’t intend to be the best in the world.

‘Haven’t I been the best already?’

For Akan, it’s enough to just escape a life suffering from financial difficulties.

But it would be better if he becomes able to repay people’s grace and to have revenge.

‘Well, what I want most is magic, but that’s impossible for this world.’

Magic.

Magic is everything for Akan.

Akan was sincere enough to devote 30 years of his life to magic.

The fact that he can’t learn it again will remain in his mind no matter how much his life in Korea improves.

‘Ah, forget it, forget it. My life as a wizard is over now. Nothing’ll happen to those who want magic in a world without magic.’

He tried hard to comfort himself.

When Akan ignored them and focused on eating, it seemed that Go Changhyuk and Jang Minho turned disinterested.

After about an hour, Go Changhyuk suggested to eat for a second round.

Everyone readily agreed, but Akan had no intention of attending it.

Go Changhyuk’s unpleasant gaze also seemed to have no desire for Akan to be in it.

Age 40.

He was too old to stick to those who were in their mid-20s.

“I’ll get going.”

“Be careful.”

Everyone replied to Akan’s words.

Lee Minyoung tried to have Akan join in, but she was restrained by Jang Minho.

Seeing that, Akan smiled bitterly.

He tirelessly tried to adapt to this country called Korea, but he still felt like an exile.

Akan’s about to turn around, but then…

Gooouooetss~

“Ugh!”

“What is that?!”

A loud voice was heard.

As Akan turned back to check, he saw a distorted space.

Akan’s eyes widened as the surrounding space twisted.

‘This phenomenon…’

There was this occurence in Akan’s memory.

It wasn’t all the same, but it was similar.

‘It’s similar to when I was dimensionally shifted!’

He was sure.

According to his memory, this is a distortion of space.

And soon after…

Guooohohhhh~

The black space opened up and sucked people in.

*

The surrounding landscape changed.

The employees were screaming and panicking at this happening that cannot be explained by science.

But Akan was different.

Akan’s very familiar with all of these situations.

‘This air… It has a similar flow to the world I used to live in, and… there’s this scent of blood mixed in the air.’

He was sure.

He didn’t know what happened, but he was sure that this world wasn’t the one ruled by science.

It was then..

Something flying in the sky caught people’s attention.

The small creature that’s as small as a human fist was surprisingly human.

The creature, well known to these people as a ‘fairy’, flapped its tiny wings and approached the people.

The fairy that brought us to this world brightly smiled.

“Welcome to the back world.”

Akan’s expression distorted for the first time since his arrival to Korea.