Han Dae Sung Returned From Hell - Chapter 11

# 11

011

On the day.

As soon as the hospital gave permission, Daesung began discharge procedures.

And I didn’t forget to buy a set of clothes at a nearby clothing store before leaving the hospital in earnest.

Even though 10 years have passed, Daesung of the past and present were of different weight classes.

I changed into relatively casual clothes, including a large hoodie and gym clothes, and left the hospital.

“….”

It’s really discharge.

Daesung closed his eyes, enjoying the gently blowing breeze.

This moment was truly ‘liberation’ for him.

During the time I was hospitalized, it felt like I had not returned to Earth.

But it’s different now.

The normalized body became completely his own.

Since there is no problem walking and running, the feel of the ground you step on is quite different.

I no longer felt the anxiety symptoms that had hung over my mind like a dark cloud.

Coming

out of his thoughts, Daesung slowly opened his eyes and looked up.

Slowly flowing clouds and an extremely clear sky.

‘okay. As expected, I returned to Earth. ‘There’s no doubt about it.’

Now, my head and heart can naturally accept it without having to force myself to repeat it.

The fact that we have returned to Earth.

“son.”

At that time, Hyejeong, who was walking next to me, suddenly spoke up.

“How are you? “How does it feel to go home after 10 years?”

“It’s good.”

“huh. “Mom, I like it too.”

Hyejeong smiled brightly and felt deeply relieved.

Although he still looked blunt, a different calmness was felt on his face than before.

***

It was quite a distance from home.

Of course, it was a distance that Daesung could walk, but he did not want to see Hyejeong overdo it.

So, as soon as they left the hospital premises, they immediately caught a taxi.

Hyejeong, sitting in the passenger seat, told the driver her destination.

“Mister, please go to Sanggye-dong.”

“…?”

Daesung tilted his head from the backseat after hearing Hyejeong’s words.

Vroom –

The driver started the engine and the taxi went down the road.

“mom.”

“huh?”

“My house is in Heukseok-dong. But why are you going to Sanggye-dong?”

“…ah.”

Hyejeong fell silent.

It was the kind of reaction you would have if you were caught trying to tell a lie.

Daesung stared at Hyejeong’s face reflected in the rear-view mirror.

According to the memories recovered through the memory chip, his home is definitely Heukseok-dong.

Hyejeong opened her mouth.

“Oh… you moved once while you were hospitalized.”

“Right.”

“But the house you move into will be much smaller than your old one…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Mom, I should have told you earlier… I’m sorry. “Aren’t you very sad because it’s not the house you knew?”

“are you okay. don’t mind.”

Coming back to Earth itself is such a blessing.

Another 10 years have passed, so there is no wonder that we have moved in the meantime.

However, it wasn’t like there was anything suspicious inside.

“….”

In fact, Daesung had already noticed.

There are some facts that Hyejeong is secretly hiding.

-It looks like your son has awakened.

-You asked me in advance sometime ago. If your son wakes up…

– Please refrain from talking about anything related to the ‘cataclysm’ because he might be surprised.

-But it would be better to talk about it now. What has become of the world these days and how has it changed?

“….”

The conversation between the doctor and Hye-jeong that I secretly overheard at the hospital earlier.

Judging from that conversation…

he was awakened.

But what does this awakening have to do with cataclysm?

However, Hye-jeong negotiated with the hospital in advance so that she would not know about this story.

‘Even in the memories recovered through the memory chip, the words awakening or cataclysm do not exist.’

The memory chip for the Absolute brought back so many memories that it somewhat filled the gap of 80 years.

Nevertheless, the concept I heard for the first time was,

‘The world must have changed a lot in the 10 years I was unconscious.’

Daesung rested his chin on his right arm and looked out the car window.

Various scenes of the city passed by quickly.

People walking on the streets of densely packed buildings.

It was unfamiliar, like I was in a remote area, but it was a sight I vaguely remembered.

This may also be an effect of the memory chip.

“hmm?”

But suddenly, at some point, he felt something strange.

About 20 minutes have passed since the car started.

As we left the city center and entered the outskirts, the abnormality became clearer.

‘what?’

Although it is not a rural area at all, the number of buildings has significantly decreased.

No, it hasn’t decreased.

To put it more accurately, there were not many ‘good’ buildings.

The buildings are as bare as their skeletons, like giant trees that have lost all their leaves.

Construction materials were scattered around the half-destroyed building.

It was a sight as if a missile had swept past.

’10 years is not a short time at all.’

Daesung thought as he gazed at the city… no, the ruins outside the car window.

‘But it’s not long enough for a war to start and end.’

Still, it’s enough time for a war to begin.

If the war is not over, there is only one conclusion.

‘What kind of war is going on on Earth right now? No, this may be too much of a guess…’

However, the number of collapsed buildings was too unusual to be dismissed as a guess.

The scale was different from a disaster caused by a simple fire.

There was no way such an eerie scene would have occurred unless it had been bombed by a missile.

[Today’s one-minute news will be replaced with the breaking news that just came in.]

At that time, the news came from the radio inside the taxi.

[Just around 5:30 a.m. Gate fracture occurred in Suseong-gu, Daegu Metropolitan City. The monster that appeared turned out to be a grade 5 orc, but the arrival of the hunting teams in charge of the area was delayed, resulting in considerable casualties -] “Ah, Suseong-gu-myeon is my old hometown, but it’s a disaster

. Anyway, those so-called hunters only collect valuable taxes and don’t provide much help!”

The driver who heard the news got irritated and changed the radio channel.

The news anchor’s voice cut out and a retro ballad played.

The rough yet sweet voice of a senior female singer rang out subtly.

In between the melody, Daesung spoke in a stern tone.

“I guess the world has changed a lot.”

“….”

It was a muttering, almost like talking to herself, but Hyejeong faintly responded.

When she was reflected in the rear-view mirror, she had a complicated expression on her face.

After a while.

The taxi arrived at its destination and stopped.

After paying the fare of slightly less than 10,000 won, the two got out of the car.

“son. “You must be tired because you just got discharged from the hospital. Would you like to rest a little longer at a nearby cafe?”

“no.”

When Daesung shook his head, Hyejeong smiled awkwardly and took the lead.

The place we arrived was a month-long neighborhood that was shabby and even eerie.

The two climbed a fairly steep slope.

‘It seems like not only the world has changed in 10 years, but also my home situation has changed a lot.’

I don’t know what it was, but it seemed like the economic situation had worsened greatly.

Here, if the sky were red, you could almost believe it was hell.

The house I lived in before in Heukseok-dong wasn’t great, but it was still an average apartment.

“Ugh….”

While

walking leisurely up the uphill road with no end in sight, Hyejeong began to look tired.

Daesung, who had been ahead for a while, went back and squatted down.

And then he

patted his back as if telling him to get on his back quickly.

“Ah son! Mom is okay! Daesung, you must have had a harder time than me…”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Daesung patted his back once more as if he didn’t want to say anything again.

Hye-jeong was burdened, but at the same time happy, and rode on his back.

“My son’s back is so wide and warm. “More than 10 years ago.”

After climbing the entire uphill road, the two ended up down a shabby side road.

Eventually, a shabby shack appeared that looked like it would collapse if touched.

While Daesung stood still for a while, looking at the house, Hyejeong opened the creaking door and asked.

“The house is very small, isn’t it?”

“not really.”

Daesung shook his head.

It was an immediate answer without any sign of hesitation.

Hyejeong swallowed a bitter laugh, thinking that her son was being considerate.

But I didn’t say this to please you.

Daesung really thought this wasn’t that bad.

‘Compared to the damp cave floor, there is no paradise.’

Daesung looked at every nook and cranny of the house like a child at a museum.

From the sink in the kitchen to the small mold growing in the corner of the toilet in the bathroom…

Every little thing like this was welcomed in Daesung’s eyes.

It’s a house so shabby that some people think it’s normal, but it’s actually a bit ugly.

However, Daesung, who had not been able to enjoy this natural thing for 80 years, was truly blessed.

Rather….

‘It even feels like it’s too much.’

Warm floor and ceiling that protects from wind and rain.

This is an environment of blessings that cannot even be dreamed of in hell.

After briefly looking around the living room and kitchen, Daesung headed to the dressing room.

It was a closet, but it didn’t have much clothes and was full of unpacked luggage boxes.

“This.”

Then, suddenly, there was a piece of clothing that caught Daesung’s attention.

It was a school uniform.

The name tag on his jacket had the three characters ‘Han Ji-soo’ engraved on it.

“….”

Daesung silently stared at his younger brother’s school uniform.

Then I asked Hyejeong, who was cleaning her room in a hurry.

“So, isn’t Jisoo supposed to be at school now?”

“Ah…”

Hearing those words, Hyejeong stopped what she was doing for a moment and came into the dressing room.

And when he saw Daesung holding Jisoo’s school uniform in his hand, he suddenly looked gloomy.

“…Okay, Daesung, now that you’ve been discharged from the hospital, it’s time to get to know the house.”

“…?”

“Let’s sit down for a moment and talk to mom. “You might be very tired, but wouldn’t it be better to find out early?”

“Of course.”

Now that we have completely returned to Earth, we must remain faithful to the reality of Earth.

As a member of the family and as the eldest son.

I had to know the changes my family had experienced over the past 10 years.

The two sat across from each other on the floor and started talking.

“…First of all, don’t misunderstand and just listen. From now on, I swear that what my mom is saying is not telling Daesung to feel guilty. got it?”

“okay.”

“…Jisoo dropped out of school to help pay for your hospital expenses.”

“….”

My heart sank.

Even when I encountered the demon beast for the first time on the first day I fell into hell.

Even when my thirst was at its peak and I wandered through the wasteland, terrified that sandworms would attack me at any moment.

Even when fighting Gandra while going between life and death.

My heart has never been more painful than it is at this moment.

“Mom… she’s the same as before. I worked at a restaurant every day… but it was difficult to cover the hospital bills with that alone. So Jisoo quit school and said she would work too…”

“I should have stopped her.”

“Of course I stopped it. Wouldn’t your mom have stopped you? But Daesung, you know because you are my older brother. Jisoo, how stubborn he is….”

The gloomy story continued.

Every time she said a word, Hyejeong’s eyes got teary.

“So far, we’ve barely been able to cover it. “Your hospital bills.”

“….”

“I’ll stop here. “If you talk any more than this, Daesung will only put more pressure on you.”

“are you okay. “Is there anything else?”

“No more?”

“Something you really need to tell me.”

“….”

Daesung’s unfocused eyes gazed gently at Hyejeong.

She hesitated for a moment.

In fact, there was still a lot left.

In some ways, there is something more serious and bigger than the story about Jisoo dropping out of school.

This means that a large sum of money was quickly lent to moneylenders working in the third financial sector.

But is it okay to bring that up at this time?

I didn’t even have the courage to do that.

Even telling this short story right now was incredibly mentally draining.

“For now, this is it….”

“….”

An answer that is close to being vague.

Daesung sensed that Hyejeong was lying.

‘There’s definitely something more.’

This is separate from the conversation I had with the doctor at the hospital earlier.

I sensed that there were some bigger family issues that remained.

But I didn’t bother to ask.

This is because Hyejeong looked like she was facing her limits right now.

Daesung stood up and said.

“I understand for now.”

“Uh, where are you going?”

“I’m tired so I’m going to sleep.”

“Uh, okay. “Go in and rest.”

We were both tired now.

I decided to talk in more detail after I got enough rest.

Daesung passed by Hyejeong and entered the room.

A mattress for sleeping was spread out on the floor.

Daesung lay down on it and thought.

‘…There is no such thing as a nuisance.’

And I cursed myself.

Can not help it. There was nothing he could do as he lost consciousness.

Hyejeong knew that, so she advised me never to feel guilty.

But how can I not feel guilty?

If you look at it objectively, it all happened because of you.

His family was devastated by his hospital bills.

‘…In hell, all you had to do was fight well. As long as I was strong, I could live without worrying about the future.’

But not Earth.

On Earth, especially in Korea, overwhelming force was not directly linked to survival.

I forgot that for a moment and was very mistaken.

After returning, everything will be fine.

That we could live in peace.

But the reality was not easy. In some ways, it may be as cruel as hell.

“….”

Sigh –

Daesung stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time and then closed his eyes.

A feeling of comfort rushing through the body, separate from anxiety and guilt.

That feeling of comfort lulled him into sleep without him even realizing it.

***

So I slept for three hours.

It seems that he was more tired than he realized.

Or maybe the comfort of being home pushed him into a deeper sleep.

“Uhm…”

Daesung opened his eyes awkwardly.

The hospital bed wasn’t this comfortable, but home is home.

Deciding to get some air to shake off the sleep, he got up.

But-

“Mom?”

I didn’t feel like I was popular.

Puzzled, I went out to the living room and a fragrant smell hit my nose.

When I looked for something, I saw food and a note placed on a small table.

Daesung picked up the note and read its contents.

< Mom goes out to work. Eat because I prepared a meal for you. When it cools down, put it in the microwave for about 2 minutes. >

“….”

Come to think of it, Hye-jeong worked at the restaurant 6 days a week.

Earlier, she had a hard time even going up a slope…

She is pushing herself to do whatever she can to fulfill her responsibilities as a parent.

Daesung swallowed down his emotions and collapsed in front of the table.

Warm brown rice, grilled seaweed, and stir-fried red pork.

The menu, probably to commemorate my son’s discharge, was quite luxurious.

“….”

After biting his lip, Daesung scooped up a large spoonful of brown rice.

I remembered.

The memory came back to me in a pure sense, not as a recovered memory due to the memory chip.

80 years ago.

Before even spending a month on the Hell Continent.

How much I missed you.

How much I dreamed while eating tasteless weeds.

The taste of mother’s handmade taste.

“….”

At that time, Daesung opened his mouth wide and was about to shove rice into it.

Bang bang!

“…?”

Someone outside knocked hard on the front door.

The hand gesture was quite rough for a simple knock.

“Some son of a bitch.”

Good times shattered.

Daesung roughly put down his spoon and approached the front door.

‘I don’t know who it is, but I’m always worried.’

The moment Daesung made that decision, he reached for the doorknob.

“I know everything that’s inside! “Don’t dive in and open this door quickly!”

“Hey! “Do you know how hard it was for us to get up here? Get out there, bitch, before they turn the plank over!”

An evil shout was heard from outside.

Daesung raised his eyebrows.

‘What are they doing?’