For Those Returning Bastards a Beating Is the Best Remedy – Chapter 13

—————————————————————–

Translated By Arcane Translations

Translator: Silverriver

—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

It was the corner unit on the top floor. There were no other residents on the floor. Judging by the thick layer of dust in front of her door, she lived there alone.

“Please, come in. Make yourself at home. It’s not much, but…”

Feifei ushered Ha-yeon inside with a polite, practiced phrase, perhaps honed from her work in the service industry.

The apartment was a small two-bedroom unit. The kitchen was visible from the entrance, with the living room and bedroom adjacent to it.

It wasn’t exactly shabby… more like Barely furnished. While Ha-yeon looked around, the Sword Demon, seemingly at ease, walked straight to the living room and sat down on the sofa.

“I’ll get you something to drink. Go ahead and have a seat. Ha-yeon… was it?”

“Y-yes…!”

Ha-yeon walked into the living room, her response a bit awkward.

Have a seat? Where?

She looked around, but it was a single-person apartment. There wasn’t much seating. The only vacant spot was next to the Sword Demon on the sofa.

“E-excuse me…”

“Hmm.”

Feeling like she was walking on thin ice, Ha-yeon sat down next to the Sword Demon.

An awkward silence hung in the air. Her heart pounded nervously.

“What was your name again?”

“Huh?! Oh, Ha-yeon! Lee Ha-yeon…”

The Sword Demon broke the silence. He leaned forward slightly and said,

“I apologize again for earlier. I must have startled you. I have my reasons for being wary of outsiders.”

“Oh… no, it’s okay… I understand…”

“Thank you for understanding.”

The Sword Demon smiled gently. It was a warm, kind smile, completely at odds with the image of a murderer. Feeling a sense of cognitive dissonance, Ha-yeon asked,

“Um… if you don’t mind me asking… why were you at Feifei’s apartment?”

“Since you work at the same bar, you must know about the commotion last night.”

“Yes, I know you saved Feifei-”

“Don’t be so formal. Call me Mister.”

“…I know you saved Feifei, Mister. But I don’t know what happened after that. I was off yesterday.”

“Is that so? I thought your face looked unfamiliar.”

A chill ran down Ha-yeon’s spine at his words. She tried to remain calm and asked again,

“So, what happened after that?”

“Well, after I chased away that Thousand Tigers executive, Feifei’s boss told her to go home and rest. But she must have been shaken up after what happened. I offered to escort her home, and she invited me in for dinner as thanks. One thing led to another, and I ended up staying the night. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“So, are you leaving tonight?”

“I was planning to, but after hearing what happened to Feifei this morning…”

The Sword Demon glanced towards the kitchen where Feifei was. His eyes were filled with concern.

“I thought I’d stay for a few days and keep an eye on things. Of course, only if Feifei is okay with it. It must be uncomfortable for her, having a stranger stay at her place, even if she doesn’t show it.”

“Well, Feifei seems to think very highly of you.”

She had even refused to cooperate with an Enforcer, so what more needed to be said? Even if she had used her debt to him as an excuse, there was clearly more to it.

“Thinks highly of me? How do you know that?”

“Oh, um… I just got that impression! Like you said, it’s not normal for a grown woman to let a stranger stay at her place! Ahaha…”

Ha-yeon quickly covered up her slip-up with an awkward laugh.

“Hmm, that’s true. It’s not my place to say, but men are all wolves in sheep’s clothing. If it were my daughter, I would have yelled at her to kick him out immediately-”

The Sword Demon’s relaxed expression suddenly hardened.

“Oh… you have a daughter…?”

“…….”

Ha-yeon sensed something and tried to probe further, but the Sword Demon didn’t respond. She assumed he had his reasons. Just then, Feifei came out of the kitchen with the tea.

“What were you talking about?”

“Nothing much.”

“Yeah, nothing really. Just small talk. How he ended up staying here, things like that…”

“I told you, ‘Repay kindness and enmity, even across generations,’ right? He saved me, so I have to repay him properly. It’s not much, but since I have two guests today, I thought I’d show off my skills a bit!”

Feifei rolled up her sleeves and said cheerfully.

“I used to work at an authentic Chinese restaurant before this bar. I only worked there for a year, but my fried rice is amazing.”

With that, she headed back to the kitchen, and soon the aroma of savory oil filled the air.

After a while, three plates of delicious-looking fried rice appeared.

Since there wasn’t a proper dining table, Ha-yeon and the Sword Demon ate from their plates while sitting on the sofa. The fried rice was as good as she had boasted.

“This is… delicious…”

But Ha-yeon could barely taste it. The pressure of sitting next to the perpetrator, the urgency of extracting information from him, made her sweat profusely.

“What’s… what’s your name, Mister?”

“My name? He wouldn’t tell me either. He told me to just call him Mister. It’s not uncommon for people in this area to not want to reveal their names, right?”

“Yeah, I guess…”

It felt like she was deliberately preventing Ha-yeon from getting information. Ha-yeon wasn’t sure whose side Feifei was on.

“So, Mister? How’s the food?”

“Delicious.”

“Right? What did I tell you? I could open a restaurant with this, couldn’t I?”

“That wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

The Sword Demon nodded readily, and Feifei giggled and perched on the armrest of the sofa next to him. The Sword Demon tried to move away, but with Ha-yeon sitting next to him, he couldn’t.

“Mister, if you’re staying for a few more days, tell me what you like to eat. I’ll make it for you if I can.”

“It’s already enough that you’re letting me stay. I couldn’t trouble you any further-”

“What trouble! You’re staying to protect me, aren’t you? Don’t be shy, just tell me. It doesn’t have to be Chinese food. I can cook some Korean dishes too.”

“Is that so? Then… maybe seaweed soup…”

“Seaweed soup is great! Savory and refreshing, it goes well with rich dishes. And it’s especially good with spicy Mapo Tofu. Should I make it tomorrow?”

“I look forward to it.”

The two chatted happily, like they had known each other for much longer than a day.

Ha-yeon was convinced that there was a special connection between them. But every time she tried to pry, Feifei would interrupt, preventing her from getting any concrete information.

The meal ended without any progress. Feifei approached the awkwardly sitting Ha-yeon and asked,

“Ha-yeon, you have work tomorrow, right? You should get going. I’ll walk you home.”

“Oh? Yeah… sure…”

“It’s dangerous for women to walk alone at night. I’ll go with you-”

“You should rest at home, Mister. It’s not far. Besides, we have some girl talk to catch up on.”

Girl talk. That’s right, girl talk.

At Feifei’s insistence, the Sword Demon grunted and sat back down on the sofa.

But even as they were leaving, he reminded them to shout if anything happened, like a doting father worried about his daughter.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Phew.”

Once they were outside, Feifei sighed, her breath forming a white cloud in the cold March air.

“So? Why were you at my apartment?”

Feifei’s tone had turned cold, formal.

The act was over.

Her coldness pierced Ha-yeon’s heart.

“I was worried about you, Feifei… I came to stand guard…”

“Lies. You came because of him. Because he might come to my apartment. You were there to watch him, weren’t you?”

“…….”

She had hit the nail on the head. Ha-yeon reluctantly nodded, and Feifei sighed.

“You’re going to report back to that Enforcer as soon as we part ways, right?”

“Yes.”

“Can’t you not? If I had revealed your identity just now, he might have killed you. You owe me your life.”

She was right. If it weren’t for Feifei, Ha-yeon might not be walking home on her own two feet right now.

However…

“I can’t do that. I’m sorry. I’m grateful to you, Feifei, but…”

“I understand. You’re a trainee Enforcer. You have to uphold justice and social order. And he… even though he saved me… he’s still a murderer…”

Sadness clouded Feifei’s eyes. Ha-yeon gently asked the question that had been on her mind.

“Did you really meet him for the first time yesterday? You two seem much closer than that.”

“It’s true that we met yesterday for the first time. But we talked a lot last night. We became close. People in similar situations tend to connect, don’t they?”

“Similar situations?”

“…….”

After a moment of hesitation, Feifei replied quietly,

“…We’re both alone. I lost my parents. He lost his wife and daughter. You know why, right?”

Losing family after the Great Transfer was a common occurrence.

Family members lost in the dimensional rifts, never to return, or killed in crimes committed by Returnees.

The reasons varied, but the dimensional rifts that had appeared fifteen years ago had left scars on everyone’s lives, one way or another.

“He said his daughter would have been about my age if she were still alive. That’s why he couldn’t just ignore me when I was being harassed by that Thousand Tigers gang member. I feel the same way. He reminds me a lot of my father.”

“I… see.”

Ha-yeon finally understood the atmosphere between them.

It wasn’t the closeness of friends, nor the intimacy of lovers.

What they saw in each other was the family they had lost.

They both knew the other wasn’t their actual family, but they clung to each other nonetheless.

Their shared grief ran deep, and that’s why their bond seemed so special.

“…….”

Realizing this, Ha-yeon couldn’t bring herself to arrest the Sword Demon in front of Feifei.

She didn’t want to inflict that kind of pain on someone who had already lost her father.

She knew she had to convince Feifei, but she didn’t know how.

‘What would they do?’

She didn’t know them well yet, but she wondered what Kwon Tae-ho and Yoo Seol would do.

She imagined Yoo Seol calmly and logically persuading Feifei. Kwon Tae-ho, on the other hand, with his assertive personality, probably wouldn’t even bother trying to persuade her.

‘So, what should I do…?’

But neither approach was possible for Ha-yeon. As a newly appointed trainee, she lacked both Kwon Tae-ho’s forcefulness and Yoo Seol’s logic.

All she could do was speak from the heart.

“…I’ve only known him for a short time, but I can tell he’s not a bad person. He must have his reasons for killing those criminals.”

Ha-yeon was human too. She could understand.

Everyone living in this era carried their own scars. She was no exception.

However…

“But he’s still a murderer.”

She also knew that past trauma wasn’t an excuse to hurt others. Feifei frowned at her simplistic statement.

“Can’t you sympathize with his circumstances?”

“Even if I do, murder is still murder. And it’s not like it was a one-time mistake. The man you care about… if we let him go, he’ll kill again.”

“You said they were criminals who deserved to die.”

“…Honestly, I had similar thoughts. But an Enforcer shouldn’t think that way.”

Feifei seemed a little surprised by Ha-yeon’s honesty.

It wasn’t a lie. When she had heard that he was killing criminals, even though she knew it was wrong, a part of her had felt a sense of satisfaction, even admiration.

However…

“But I think… if Enforcer Kwon were here… he would say this.”

If Kwon Tae-ho were here, he would have responded to Feifei’s words like this:

No one deserves to die.

That’s why Enforcers exist. To subdue criminals with force, while also giving them a second chance to redeem themselves.

And…

“That applies to the man you care about… too.”

“…….”

“Like I said before, he might not be a bad person. But… if he’s not a bad person… then we have to stop him here. So he can have a second chance…”

Even if someone realizes their mistakes, they can’t stop themselves if they’ve already crossed the line.

That’s why the people around them have to point out their mistakes and help them stop.

“Feifei, if you truly care about him, you have to stop him from committing more crimes. Don’t you agree?”

“I don’t know. He’s my benefactor. He’s just a kind man to me… You’re asking me to betray him…”

“If that kindness is real, he’ll regret what he’s done someday.”

At Ha-yeon’s words, Feifei looked up at her, tears streaming down her face.

“I… I just… I don’t…”

Seeing Feifei’s distress, Ha-yeon gently took her hand.

She had said everything she could, expressed all her feelings. Now, all she could do was hope that her sincerity had reached her.

“…Ha-yeon.”

And then.

When the trembling in Feifei’s hand subsided, she quietly asked,

“What… what should I do?”

“Nothing.”

Just let Ha-yeon go so she could report back to Kwon Tae-ho.

Ha-yeon’s words made Feifei hesitate. Then, with a heavy heart, she nodded.

“Feifei, you haven’t done anything wrong. Don’t think of it as betrayal. You’re doing the right thing…”

“…….”

Ha-yeon wasn’t sure if her words were any comfort, but she said them anyway and picked up her phone. A flicker of hesitation crossed Feifei’s face, but she quickly looked away.

Ha-yeon dialed the number.

-Ring…

-Click.

“What is it?”

A voice came through the receiver.

“Enforcer Kwon. I found him.”

Pushing down her unease, Ha-yeon made her report.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇