Chapter 5. In an Ordinary Day (2)
Right? You.
"Accurate, my lord. The information in the profile confirmed by the station matches exactly."
The clone was certain.
He retraced his memory. The investigative deadline was right around the corner. As the identity of the human trafficking ring was revealed, Jo Ho-sik had vanished from Rare.
Truly elusive.
Unexpectedly, he was a significant figure, so pressure from the Haitling City and inside Rare had eased. Yet independently of that, there was a general sense that he was difficult to catch.
"I was planning to intervene and catch him myself soon, but he seems to have been caught just like this."
It was a strange coincidence.
Thinking about it, it made sense. A human trafficking group targeting superhumans—and South Korea's largest identity laundering network. Somewhere in between, it was natural for Jo Hosik to be present.
Anyway, it was a good outcome.
The Regressor exhaled deeply and crouched before him, meeting his eyes.
"P-please… spare me… I beg you…"
"Do you want to live?"
The trembling man widened his eyes at the first words from Yu ji-tae, then buried his head in the ground. He must have glimpsed some semblance of hope.
"Please, please spare me… I have family waiting at home…"
"Family?"
"Yes… I got married three months ago. My elderly mother, my wife, and there's a child in my wife's womb…"
"And?"
"They live for me… without me, their lives would be hard… please, I beg you…"
He sobbed violently.
Yu ji-tae paid no mind to whether the words were true. If you have a family, how can you engage in human trafficking? He asked no such questions. Such words carried no meaning.
He simply stayed silent and waited.
Earlier, when he smashed a man's head, he had seen Jo Ho-sik place a hand on his watch. Apparently, some kind of distress signal had been sent.
By now, something was on its way here.
"Please… please…"
…And this man was desperately acting to buy time.
It worked out perfectly.
Sure enough, from the far end of the dark alley, the presence of approaching figures became noticeable. Just as Jo Ho-sik's skill level was considerable by human standards, so were theirs. They moved without audible footsteps, drew swords silently.
"…"
Clink.
Without a word, they unsheathed their cold weapons.
Compared to everything he had experienced so far, this was relatively trivial. No dragons were injured, and it wasn't a threat capable of causing an apocalypse.
It could have been solved through dialogue. If he wished, he could have passed the situation without uttering a word. That option existed.
Yet he deliberately orchestrated this situation. And he stood here.
The Regressor smiled faintly.
Human hearts are fickle. Walking through repeated hells, shedding blood, one longs to escape—but when strolling leisurely through a field of flowers, one feels emptiness.
Wouldn't you now want to crush even the insects clinging to the flowers?
"Formless Sword (SS)"
Killing intent crystallized in the Regressor's hand.
Clack.
They moved almost simultaneously. Their rhythm matched the lengths of their weapons. They struck perfectly from all sides. Mana infused, it was a coordinated attack capable of killing even skilled opponents in one blow.
Yet, in the next instant, they all stopped.
The man moved his arm. For a moment, everything blurred. The swords were sliced, the spear blades were cut, and the neck of the charging attacker was severed.
It was a single strike.
"…!"
Some panicked, but those slow to grasp the situation raised their swords and charged again.
Once more, their necks were sliced skyward. Yu ji-tae walked casually, killing those who approached.
The Regressor's killing intent was sharp—capable of tearing dragon hides and smashing the heads of demon lords.
Formless, unlimited. No distance restriction, no escape.
Those unaware of this desperately turned to flee.
But Yu ji-tae had no intention of letting them go.
"Gah…!"
The one gesturing like a captain collapsed mid-escape.
His body split and crumbled.
Yu ji-tae's gaze shifted. Between buildings. On top of a villa. Among trees in a nearby park, he saw those running. With a whip-like motion of his sword, killing intent shot out, chasing them.
The killing intent could extend for thousands of meters if he wished. The formless sword followed behind the fleeing, piercing spines and hearts.
Total annihilation.
From the silence where life had vanished, Yu ji-tae felt his senses sharpen slightly. He closed his eyes and lifted his head. A shallow, light pleasure coursed through his body, tingling fingertips and toes.
It eased his previously stifled feeling.
Pleasure, yet a sense that mustn't be indulged.
Exhaling deeply, he flicked his fingers.
"Obliteration Burn (S)"
A skill obtained after killing an unknown Black Dragon.
One of the most powerful S-rank skills in the "destruction" class, capable of completely incinerating a target, defying physical laws.
The corpses were engulfed in black flames and left no trace.
With the situation resolved, Yu ji-tae returned his gaze to Jo Ho-sik.
The man seemed insane. His eyes were vacant, and his pants were wet.
Wrinkling his nose at the stench, he retreated into Yu ji-tae's inner space.
In the "Shallowest Depths of the Abyss (S)", Yu ji-tae ordered his hands to bring a potion. A glass bottle was handed to him in the darkness.
Returning to reality, only an instant had passed. Yu ji-tae grabbed Jo Ho-sik's trembling face and applied pressure to his jaw with both hands.
"Ugh… ugh…"
His mouth opened.
Yoojitae tilted the cap and poured the potion into his mouth, making him swallow.
It was a potion to erase memories of the past day. After a sleep, he would forget everything that had happened.
'How should I handle the aftermath?'
Do it as you see fit.
***
The day passed quietly.
The dragons, unaware of what had occurred, greeted him as usual, and he spent his day at home as usual.
As the weather slowly grew colder, Yu ji-tae bought winter clothes for the children in advance. Fall, who had a keen interest in clothes, was especially pleased. He had bought dozens of outfits, claiming they were fashionable.
The events in an ordinary day passed quietly.
Rare's admissions were proceeding smoothly.
Many qualifications were required to submit an application. Unable to obtain them all legitimately, Yu ji-tae used shortcuts.
The next day, Spring, Summer, and Fall were listed as members of the prestigious overseas academy, "Pantheon School." In reality, it was a ghost academy with no substance, but there was no issue. Many global figures, like the Syrian prime minister's daughter and the youngest grandson of the Chinese artifact conglomerate Triton, were alumni.
Everything was proceeding smoothly, until an incident occurred.
"Commendation ceremony?"
"Yes, my lord."
The police station would award commendations to this quarter's outstanding officers.
"Because of Jo Ho-sik?"
"No. Jo Ho-sik's situation was handed to the team leader anonymously. They wanted to credit the team's efforts, but he was such a big figure that the chief wanted to personally honor the outstanding team and officers."
And Yu ji-tae had been recommended as the top contributor.
"Unanimous decision."
He thought he was competent, but not to this extent. He was amused.
"However, as you know, my lord, I have a tight schedule today."
Indeed. The clone had many trivial tasks to complete related to admissions.
"If you order, I can create another clone."
Yu ji-tae shook his head. "Shadow of the Duke (SS)" was costly to create new clones. There was no need for such waste.
So that day, he wore his uniform.
On the way to work, as he left his officetel, Spring was on the balcony, looking at him. When their eyes met, he waved slowly.
"See you later, sir―."
He awkwardly waved back.
At work, familiar faces greeted him.
Team members from the police station he had encountered through the clone's memory. They were discussing the commendation, and when Yu ji-tae entered the office, everyone stood to congratulate him.
"Wow! Senior Ji-tae, congratulations!"
"Of course we knew you'd get it in our team."
"Me too!"
He awkwardly bowed his head and said awkwardly, "Thank you."
Then a team member grinned and shouted:
"Everyone! Ji-tae is buying meat this weekend!"
"Really?"
"Hey, I heard too! Not just any meat, Korean premium sirloin!"
"Ah… yes, I heard too!"
When?
The team chuckled together.
Though he alone was receiving the spotlight after their collective effort, there was no jealousy.
After work, just before leaving, the commendation ceremony began.
It wasn't a grand event—just a small ceremony in the police station parking lot.
The chief spoke:
"3rd/4th quarter Outstanding Officer, Yu. Ji. Tae. Please come to the stage."
He saluted and received the commendation.
Though the award itself didn't thrill him, seeing his teammates smile brightly warmed him.
Celebrating someone else's success, rejoicing together—he stored this image in his mind.
After the ceremony, as Yu ji-tae was leaving, a group of police officers gathered at the station entrance, chatting. They weren't his teammates. As he tried to pass, a voice called, "Huh?"
A woman stepped forward, blocking his path.
"Hello, our Ji-tae?"
Yu ji-tae recognized her from memory.
Lee Bo-seok.
The police chief's daughter, the same woman who had recently been flirtatious with him.
Gone was her uniform; she wore a floral dress.
"Leaving already on such a nice day?"
"…Yes."
"Oh, our Ji-tae. You don't know how to have fun!"
Laughter erupted from the group. They belonged to the same division as Lee Bo-seok.
"So, I like it, but hey! Why send you home already on a day like this?"
They wanted to have a drink since it was a good day, but Yu ji-tae had postponed.
"…I'll be going now."
"Oh! Wait. You're making your sister feel neglected?"
"…Yes?"
"You've been here for years. It's such a nice day. I'll treat you. Have a drink before you go."
The Regressor was reluctant. He found it bothersome.
"I have work today… next time, please."
"Ugh, next time, next time! How can someone without a girlfriend have so many plans!"
"······."
"Hey. Open your eyes before the bus leaves. I'm not too bad, am I?"
'Ugh, come on!' someone in the group shouted. Laughter erupted again. When Lee Bo-seok glared at them, the laughter subsided. Then, a few female officers responded with, "You're pretty, team leader!"
She seemed like the type who was confident in her looks. She blinked and leaned her face closer.
"No girlfriend, right?"
When Yu Ji-tae didn't answer, Lee Bo-seok narrowed her eyes.
"Or what? Do you have another girlfriend or something?"
"······."
"See? You don't."
Still receiving no reply, she stepped closer and whispered.
"Hmm? Just to cheer up our junior. Who do you think recommended me as an outstanding officer to the chief? You know whose daughter I am, right?"
Basically, she was flexing her influence with her dad.
Whatever it was, the time traveler had to suppress the urge to just twist her neck.
Behind them, the team shouted, "Accept the team leader!" while in front, Lee Bo-seok kept giving him strange looks. Just when he felt stuck and couldn't do anything…
"Let's go on a date, just once… why are you avoiding—?"
A subtle hand reached toward his hip.
He reflexively grabbed her wrist. With a startled "Ah!" she scrunched her face and stepped back.
At the same time, voices from the group said, "Whoa······" "Huh?"
"What just happened?"
Lee Bo-seok, now suddenly confident, opened her eyes like a wildcat and spoke to Yu Ji-tae with emotion.
"Wow······."
"Whoa······."
The continuing exclamations made Lee Bo-seok frown. Her team's reactions were strange. Looking closely, their gazes were fixed somewhere far off.
What is it? Is something there? What is it?
Annoyed, she followed their gaze and turned her head toward the entrance of the police station. A girl with green hair was standing there.
At the same time, Lee Bo-seok herself also gaped in astonishment.
The girl was so beautiful that it made one momentarily forget to think about anything else.
"Uh? Mister—"
Yu Ji-tae looked at her.
No wonder he felt some energy nearby.
It was Bom.
"What brings you here?"
"Did the award ceremony end? I came to surprise you."
A conversation naturally began between the mysterious girl and the man. The team grew quiet.
What could their relationship possibly be?
Lee Bo-seok's eyes twitched.
"It's over."
"Then let's go quickly. I'll make a special dish today to celebrate."
Cook for him? The team's expressions became even stranger. Just seeing them appear had sparked curiosity, and this comment poured gasoline on the fire.
But then…
"Oh, here you are? Mister!"
A brighter voice came. Next to the green-haired girl, a yellow-haired girl suddenly appeared. Unlike Bom, who had waited outside the main gate, this one smiled brightly and immediately ran inside the police station.
"What's going on? Mister, why aren't you coming out? We've been waiting a long time!"
"Alright······ let's go."
"Huh?"
By then, Lee Bo-seok's expression had nearly turned sour.
She was wearing a trendy dress, the type that unfastens in one motion at the back, which she thought would be fun at night.
But the newly arrived yellow-haired girl was wearing the exact same dress.
"Wow. Ma'am, our dresses are the same!"
"······."
Same dress, but the vibe was completely different.
Lee Bo-seok rolled her eyes and looked alternately at the man and the girls. The word "ma'am" had hurt her pride for a moment. Only now did she start to understand why Yoo Ji-tae had shown no interest in her until now.
"This is Team Leader Lee Bo-seok. Say hello."
"Huh? Ah···! Hello!"
At Yu Ji-tae's words, Autumn bowed politely.
Some of the team watching were dumbstruck, like their hearts had been bombed. This reaction had no distinction of age or gender.
"Ma'am, is your name Bo-seok?"
"Uh, y-yeah···."
Autumn, staring blankly at Lee Bo-seok, tilted her head and smiled innocently.
"That's such a pretty name!"
"But, but, I don't think the name Bo-seok suits that ma'am."
On the way home, Autumn, deep in thought, suddenly said this.
Bom asked, "Then what name would suit her?"
"Hmm······"
After thinking for a moment, Autumn giggled and said, "Potato?"
Bom placed a hand on Autumn's head. There was no malice, but the remark was ultimately a little rude.
"Autumn, you shouldn't say things like that to people."
"Ah, okay. Unnie."
After thinking again, the child suddenly said,
"Then Sweet Potato?"