2 – Return (2)
“Sir, what have you been doing here?”
“I’ve just been walking around.
It was real.
“It is illegal to wander near the place where dimensional vibrations are anticipated, sir. Didn’t you receive a warning message?”
“No. I didn’t see it.”
It was obvious since he didn’t have a smartphone capable of receiving messages.
“I’ll need to confirm your identification. Do you have an identification card?”
“No. I don’t.”
It was natural since he had crossed over to this world before an identification card was issued. And based on his answers, Park Byung-hoon was half convinced that the other person was a returnee. It perfectly matched the pattern of returnees he had encountered so far.
Of course, there was also the possibility of someone pretending to be a returnee. As there were many privileges given to returnees, there were quite a few people who pretended to be one. Therefore, there was a need for a clear verification.
“Sir, have you been in another world and returned?”
“Yes. I have.”
This question hinted that going to another world and returning was not something he had experienced alone. And once he answered yes to this question, the returnee confirmation process would commence.
Park Byung-hoon activated the recorder in his pocket.
“If it is determined that you lied about being in another world, you may face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to ten million won. I will ask again. Did you truly go to another world and return?”
“Yes.”
“Then, may I ask your name?”
Park Byung-hoon asked. He had to confirm the missing person first. At this stage, 99% of people would be filtered out.
“It’s Song Yeoul.”
The man who had crossed dimensions, Song Yeoul, answered. When was the last time he had said his own name? He fell into a slight reverie.
At the same time Yeoul answered, the assistant behind him operated the device he took out of his bag. Song, Ye, Wol… As he searched the missing person database for names matching those, a list of missing persons with the same name appeared.
Since it was not a common name, he could quickly identify someone who did not show significant differences in personal data compared to the person in front of him. Song Yeoul, who went missing at the age of 15, ten years ago.
The assistant felt something strange as the time of disappearance seemed excessively old, but he went through the procedure of confirming the information with the person for now.
The place of residence, home address, parents’ names, school attended, etc. After cross verifying, the assistant signaled to Park Byung-hoon that it seemed to match.
“Mr. Song Yeoul. Yes, it has been confirmed. Next, you need to get confirmation from your family. Is that alright with you?”
Family. When he heard that word, Yeoul’s heart stirred a little. Forgotten memories came to mind.
Yeah, I also had a family.
“…Yes.”
After hearing Yeoul’s answer, the assistant investigated the family’s phone number in the database. There, the assistant felt a slight unease. Yeoul’s parents had passed away just a year ago due to an unspecified dimensional rift. The only family left was a younger sister under the age of 10.
Fortunately, since the younger sister’s phone number was registered, he could contact her.
The assistant made the call and handed it over to Park Byung-hoon.
After a brief dial tone, the call connected.
“Hello. I am Officer Park Byung-hoon from the Korean Supernatural Police Agency. Are you Song Ryu-won?”
-……
“Yes. I am calling because your missing family member has been found. We believe it is the person returning. Would you be able to come and confirm it?”
-……
“Understood. Yes, please remain calm. The address is…”
The call ended shortly after.
“Your sister will come to confirm, so please wait a moment.”
“Yes.”
His sister. Ryu-won groped for memories for a moment. How much the child, who was only six years old when she crossed over to this world, had grown. I wonder if the family is all doing well. I wonder if they were worried a lot when she disappeared.
Emotions were already cut off and gone, but still, he felt a strange sensation thinking about his family.
“How long has it been since I disappeared?”
Ryu-won asked.
“Ten years.”
The lieutenant answered.
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“Ten years…”
The time he had spent in this world. It had exactly passed that much. Is it right to think that it didn’t pass more?
However, Park Byung-hoon felt something strange in the lieutenant’s answer.
Almost all returnees return within five years.
Since the methods by which returnees return to Earth are diverse, no one knew why it was exactly five years, but the cases of numerous returnees returning to Earth so far proved it.
Therefore, it was common sense to assume that if a person suspected to be a returnee did not return even after that time, they had died.
But it had been ten years. It seemed right that he was a returnee, but…
Each lost in their own thoughts for a moment. Soon, a sound of something rushing from a distance began to be heard.
The sound approached with astonishing speed, and before long, Ryu-won met the owner of that sound.
Sharp eyes, a straight nose, a small mouth. Rather than mature, she looked young, and for some reason, she had a familiar impression of a female student.
Ryu-won immediately recognized that the other person was his family, and likewise, Ryu-won recognized that she was his family.
Ryu-won thought, her eyes have become much fiercer. She was cute when she was young.
Ryu-won, as soon as she met Ryu-won’s gaze, froze on the spot. A family she thought was dead. He had returned, so how could she not be shocked when she was looking at him?
After standing still for a while and taking some time to calm her emotions, Ryu-won slowly walked towards where Ryu-won was standing.
Soon, she was close enough to see his face.
And then, tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes.
It was as if a tear duct had broken and tears flowed endlessly.
Park Byung-hoon confirmed that she was his family from her reaction, but there was a procedure that needed to be confirmed, so he had no choice but to turn her away.
“Song Yeoran, is it true?”
“…Yes. it’s true.”
“Are you a transcendent being? Can we perform mana response testing to confirm your identity?”
Without saying a word, she raised her arm and placed her hand on the unknown device that was in Park Byung-hoon’s hand.
“Yes, the identity is confirmed. Now, is the person in front of you Song Yeoran’s missing brother from 10 years ago?”
“…Yes.”
“Yes, confirmed. Let’s proceed with the final step.”
Then, Park Byung-hoon passed the device to the assistant and accepted a round, transparent crystal orb.
“This is the mana detector. Can you place your hand on it? It is to confirm if there is mana in Song Yeoran’s body.”
The final step of confirming a returnee was ‘mana.’ A returnee must, absolutely, have mana in their body. It is the result of the fusion of the physiological characteristics of an Earthling and the environmental characteristics of this world.
If there is no mana, that person is not recognized as a returnee. This was common knowledge.
“…?”
However, this common knowledge did not apply to Yeoran. All the evidence so far indicated that he was a returnee, but there was not a trace of mana in his body. The response shown in the orb was no different from an ordinary person.
“Umm… Sir, do you happen to not have any mana?”
Yeoran realized that it meant no mana.
“Yes.”
he replied.
Everyone around, even his younger sister Yeoran, became bewildered at his response. A returnee without mana is ‘nonexistent.’ That was an unchanging truth. But a person who clearly looked like a returnee not having any mana?
Was he deceiving everyone? But until now, everything had been perfect.
There had been a few fake returnees discovered during the mana confirmation stage, but they had shown signs of being fake in the previous stages as well. The charisma that flowed from someone who had overcome adversity was something that could not be imitated.
And that charisma was flowing through Yeoran’s entire body. It was enough to keep Park Byung-hoon on edge.
It was against the principle not to, but Park Byung-hoon asked Yeoran if there was anything to prove that he was a returnee.
Yeoran pulled out the cross-shaped earring on her ear and transformed it into a sword, but that alone was not enough to prove anything. Equipment that could change one’s appearance was commonly available due to its convenience. It was the first time he had seen such a drastic change in form.
“Is there anything else? Something more powerful.”
Park Byung-hoon asked, but Yeoran could only give one answer.
“I cannot show it here.”
Showing something powerful would have consequences for the surrounding area. He could show something by lightly thinking about it, but he himself thought that it was not something powerful.
“Sigh….”
“What should I do? That’s what Park Byunghoon thought. A ten-year veteran, a returnee without magic. Neither of them were ordinary cases. Though he didn’t seem like a scammer… it was really perplexing.”
He couldn’t help but conclude that it wasn’t a problem he could handle alone.
“Teacher. I’m sorry, but I don’t think we can determine if he’s a returnee right now. We’ve finished confirming the missing person, so we can immediately restore his status. However, if we request your attendance in the future, you’ll need to come and prove that you’re a returnee. Is that alright?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Okay, then we’ll contact your younger sister.”
Leaving those words behind, they left the room.
What remained in the room were Lyeoun, with a puzzled expression, and the serene expression of Yeoul.