I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things-Chapter 38: Who Might Cry a Lot
A certain online community that had watched Hyesung’s last broadcast was suffering from an unbearable thirst.
<If you believed in Hunter-nim, how about dropping an upvote?>
Starting with me, lol
Upvoted, lol
No, fuck, never mind the upvotes—why isn’t there a new broadcast yet!!!
Free the Hunter! Free the Hunter!
He's off having a good time with “that bastard,” so shh
└ Look at the one pretending to be cool when he’s the most pissed off, lmao
<How can you trust anything from just that one video... I’m guilty>
Sorry, please come back. I’m starving, freezing to death. You’re watching this, right? Right?
The Hunter you hurt!!! Will NEVER!!! Come back!!!
I told y’all to chill the fuck out, dumbasses
└ Look at the logs, you were the worst offender lol
└ That’s an invasion of privacy
<Honestly, no matter how much noise you make here>
It’s all pointless....
She wore a mask so you couldn’t see her whole face—but did you see those cold eyes above it? Like we ever mattered to her, lol
Let’s just accept that she’s returned to wherever she originally came from.
She was a giant too vast for us to contain.
Still... would one last look at the mask before she left have killed anyone?
Damn, vertical mic drop
When did this bastard go through his redemption arc? Fuck, blocked again
A performance and results never seen on any other stream.
Fake or not—we won’t know unless we see more... and we want to see more.
But Ayun—no, Hyesung—didn’t stream again after that.
Hyesung’s channel kept going, but Ayun didn’t show so much as a shadow, and the viewers began to grow toxic.
When’s the next one when’s the next one when’s the next one
Bring her back bring her back bring her back
Soul suck (This message has been deleted)
Once they started getting banned for crossing the line, they began pushing Hyesung to the edge in subtler ways.
The only thing they wanted was for Ayun to appear.
But Hyesung only told them to wait for the next stream without giving any exact date.
And when he stopped streaming altogether—
The community descended into chaos.
With nowhere else to go,
And more people flowing in,
The community spiraled into a bloodbath.
Rewatching old clips and debating whether it was fake was the mildest of behaviors.
Everyone was too busy blaming each other for Ayun and Hyesung disappearing.
It turned into a cannibalistic pit of accusations and flame wars.
And then—
One post brought all the fighting to a halt.
<It’s up, holy shit!!!>
[Link] <<<
Apparently the new broadcast is going up here, so how about we all calm down?
For fuck’s sake, just watch it quietly this time. You can go apeshit after it’s over, okay?
The link led to Hyesung’s YouTube community tab.
According to his post, all future “Hunter” content would now be uploaded to a separate, independent channel.
Although he wouldn’t be appearing anymore, he asked everyone to support the project moving forward.
So basically... we’re getting the show without “that bastard,” huh?
└ Look at this dude revving up again
Actually based...
Knew I could count on you, Zenjang!!!
The hellish dry spell was finally over.
Peace returned to the community.
United in spirit, they waited with bated breath for the day Ayun the “Hunter” would return to the screen.
...Of course, that didn’t mean everyone was happy about it.
***
“...This really is the last time, for real. Really. Seriously.”
“I get it, okay? Don’t you trust me? It’s just because Hyeyeon and I don’t have licenses, so we’re asking you to help just this once.”
New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.
Still, Hyesung looked deeply unsettled.
Ayun wanted to smack him and ask if he was scared, but they weren’t close enough for that kind of teasing—so she swallowed it.
...The standards for what counted as “close” were hard to pin down.
In a way, Earth was even more complicated than Entera, where power was the only law.
They say humans are social creatures, and that meant you had to interact with others whether you wanted to or not.
It wasn’t always about emotions—sometimes, like in her case, you formed connections out of pure economic necessity.
And when those connections fell apart, the consequences weren’t small.
...Maybe it was just that she was tired of living as a broke loser.
In Entera, if someone crossed you, you could just flatten them and move on.
But Earth didn’t work that way.
...Not that she ever lived in Entera by looting others or anything.
Let’s just say she didn’t exactly have a robust social circle.
She’d had her summoned spirits—so she never felt the need for anything else.
‘...I wonder how that girl is doing.’
Anyway.
Over there, they were her summoned companions.
But here on Earth, they were more like imaginary friends.
To survive, she needed actual human relationships.
“...So yeah, this really is the last time, so don’t worry too much. Worst case, just stay in the car.”
“Being left alone is even scarier, okay? ...Still, if you say ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) so, I’ll trust you.”
“Good.”
With Hyesung finally relaxing, Ayun turned her gaze elsewhere.
She brought up the location Hyeyeon had chosen in her mind.
There had been a few candidates,
But something about this one intrigued her the most.
Maybe it was nostalgia for a school life she’d never really experienced.
The place she chose—
Was an abandoned school in some rural province.
The place had a rumor that statues there would move at night.
Hyeyeon had hesitated, since it would require a long drive, but Ayun had managed to persuade Hyesung into driving one last time.
They could borrow his car when he wasn’t using it, sure—
But since this was Hyesung’s final trip, either Hyeyeon or she would have to get a license eventually.
One thing, though, nagged at her.
Looking at Hyesung beside her as he drove—
She had to look up to see his face. He was much taller than her.
Maybe that’s why his driving posture exuded such stability.
She turned her eyes to Hyeyeon, napping in the back seat.
Though smaller than Hyesung, she was still taller than Ayun—a fact that confirmed they were siblings.
It didn’t show much thanks to her bulky chest armor and generally grim vibe,
‘Well, she’d be decent-looking if not for those chronically dark eye bags.’
Ayun tilted her head and checked her reflection in the window.
The face she once knew was long gone, replaced by a sharp-featured, short... not to say small... girl.
She didn’t like clinging to a body she couldn’t return to—
But in moments like this, when she hit physical limits—like reach—she couldn’t help but complain.
She didn’t get into fights anymore, so the inconveniences of daily life felt even bigger.
Needing a step stool just to reach a cabinet?
Her arms and legs were shorter than before—it made her sigh.
‘...Can I even drive at this height?’
She’d never actually driven, so she wasn’t sure.
Maybe she could pull the seat forward and make it work.
Even now, she could barely see straight ahead.
Not that she had any clue whether she'd have full visibility.
...In the end, Hyeyeon would probably have to be the one to get licensed.
‘...Hmm.’
There had to be a reason Hyeyeon didn’t have a license yet.
Ayun had an excuse—Entera.
But Hyeyeon just smiled awkwardly and dodged the question whenever it came up.
And Ayun’s instincts told her—
Hyeyeon was not someone who should be allowed behind the wheel.
It would only end in disaster.
The car gently rocked as it rolled over a speed bump.
Hyeyeon didn’t even stir in the back.
Smooth as hell.
‘Yeah... Hyesung’s driving really is the best.’
She clicked her tongue with regret and yawned.
If Hyesung was out of the picture, they’d be limited to places reachable by public transit.
Could they even produce good content like that?
No need to fake stuff at some random spot when they had access to the real thing.
But if they didn’t know whether it’d succeed... investing too much too soon felt risky.
If they were stuck with places reachable by bus...
‘...Maybe that Epsilon Mart or whatever might work.’
But then again, thinking about it now, that place probably wouldn’t even show up on camera.
If even that glowing sign hadn’t become a meme, it must’ve been invisible.
What a shame.
As she watched Hyesung, he shot her a glance and then subtly shook his head.
‘Goddamn, he’s quick on the uptake.’
She clucked her tongue and looked forward.
They were almost there.
Through the darkness, a building caught the moonlight in a ghostly gleam.
It really looked abandoned—no doubt the school had been closed for a long time.
The closer they got, the more it came into focus.
Iron bars that seemed straight, but bent slightly.
Stone walls like broken teeth.
A gate wrapped in heavy chains.
Vines growing wild, spilling over everything.
And beyond that—
A half-dug-up schoolyard,
A school building that oozed foreboding,
And the statue standing tall, as if guarding it all.
