Chapters Chapter 3. Return (1) (1/2)

Kim Min-Chul, the CEO of an entertainment company, was acting like he did any other day by taking out his stress on a subordinate.

He was a “half-gangster” boss, not a full gangster but not just a normal citizen either.

He often liked to call his coworkers and banter with them. He would attack the young interns in their 20s by insulting and harassing them. He even secretly s.e.x.u.a.lly harassed female employees.

People would question why there was still s.e.x.u.a.l harassment going on today since s.e.x.u.a.l harassment had been heavily criminalized. However, in the year 2020, South Korea suffered from record-high levels of unemployment due to a long-term recession.

From the perspective of the workers, they had to endure harassment if they did not want to lose their jobs.

And Kim Min-Chul was cunning and sly with his harassments, making it a bit too foggy for a formal accusation. It was fair to say that at this point, he had reached a professional level with his harassments.

And Kim Min-Chul’s target for the day was an intern who had been employed for ten months.

The poor intern, whose position in the company was still not guaranteed, had to endure Kim Min-Chul’s quest to find fault in all that he did. It was as if he had given up all hope and was just waiting for Kim Min-Chul’s mood to improve.

His choice was understandable since he had spent a year of his golden years being an intern in this company and could not let it all go to waste.

It was a common thing in these times. For young people to spend all their 30s moving from internship to internship.

This was a needed sacrifice for a paycheck in times where many companies paid little to none and worked young people to the bones.

“How can you be a permanent employee, working like that? What do you have, like one or two months left of your internship? You don’t want to get the full-time offer?”

Kim Min-Chul’s specialty was to manipulate subordinates with their weak points.

Those who were candidates for promotion were threatened with losing their promotions. Those who were retiring were threatened with no unemployment benefits, and those who were interns were threatened with the loss of full-time offers.

“You are making it difficult if you are going to act like this! There are so many people who can work~ If I put up an internship spot right now, at least 50 applications will be submitted. You know that, right?”

Kim Min-Chul flashed a nasty smile and threatened the poor intern while the other employees pretended to be immersed in their work in fear that Kim Min-Chul might come for them next.

One wrong move and their day might just be hell.

“I chose you despite your poor test scores and mediocre education because I felt sorry for you.”

And before he could finish his sentence, Kim Min-Chul stopped because an unimaginable thing came out of the intern’s mouth.

“Stupid, foolish, idiots…”

The intern of 10 months, Kang Chul-In, smirked and mumbled.

A deafening silence filled the room.

“What did he just say?”

“I misheard, right?”

A couple of female employees whispered amongst themselves.

“What, what? Hey, Kang Chul-In, what did you just say? Stupid and foolish? Do you want to lose your job?”

Kim Min-Chul roared, blood rushing to his face and neck. Even a worm squirms when stepped on, and Kim Min-Chul, who had been told off by a worm, was overcome in anger.

“Oh?”

Kang Chul-In seemed surprised to see Kim Min-Chul as if he just noticed the angry man standing there.

“Oh, oh? You idiot, what did you just…?”

“Shut up and be quiet.”

“Argh, my head is killing me.”

And with those words, Kang Chul-In clenched his head in pain and left the office, not giving a second glance at Kim Min-Chul who was roaring in anger.

“W-hat the? What is that idiot doing!!!!!?”

Kim Min-Chul’s voice rang in the office that Kang Chul-In had left. The poor employees who had been left behind worriedly looked at each other.

Kang Chul-In, who had left the office, headed straight for the bathroom.

“Ouch!”

His head hurt badly.

It was as if someone was hitting his head with an axe, and he felt as if he was going to vomit. He rushed to the sink and turned the tap on.

He tried to splash his face with cold water to ease his headache. Water, as cold as ice, poured from the tap. Kang Chul-In shoved his face into the sink as soon as the water began to flow.

“Oh!”

He groaned. His face felt as if it would explode from the cold, but he did not care. He would do anything for the headache to go away.

His pain subsided after almost ten minutes in the cold water. But that was not the end.

Vomit from deep within threatened to explode out, overcoming him with nausea. Kang Chul-In ran to the toilet, grabbed the sides, and everything exploded out.

He vomited again and again.

And when there was nothing more to throw up, he vomited stomach acid and anything left after that.

He struggled in the bathroom for about an hour and was finally able to stand.

“Sigh.”

And when Kang Chul-In let out a long sigh and looked in the mirror, there stood a pale-faced, 28-year-old man.

It was the same face from 10 years ago.

Kang Chul-In flashed a wry smile, and the poor intern who, until an hour ago, had received all sorts of harassment was no more.

All that remained was the “Lord Slayer” Overlord, Kang Chul-In, who had reigned over Pangaea and made his enemies cower in fear.

“The time is right, too.”

Kang Chul-In’s face flashed with satisfaction as he checked the date on his smartphone.

It was the year 2020, November 6th, two months before the great summoning. He had returned to the past.

Well, technically, it wasn’t that he had returned to the past.

Soul backup.