“Uaaaahhh!”

What’s the problem?

I gave him the answer he wanted to hear.

Ah, did I sound too indifferent?

Glancing briefly at Hwang Tae-su, Lee Seo-jun took a sip of his drink with a dispassionate expression.

The liquor tasted good.

Except for one thing…

“Kuaaaah! No way!”

“I’d appreciate it if you kept quiet. I’m drinking here.”

“You think the problem right now is the drink?!”

“Didn’t I say it was a joke? I also said I was messing with you. It was a joke and a prank.”

“I know it’s not true! If you’re going to lie… huh? At least put some effort into it! Even my nephew would know that’s a lie!”

“Seems like you’re really struggling.”

“Of course I am. Wouldn’t you be, Boss?”

“I really don’t see why becoming kind is such a huge problem.”

“It is a problem for me, I’m telling you!”

“Why exactly?”

Breathing heavily, Hwang Tae-su sat down and gulped down the drink Lee Seo-jun had poured.

“Do you know what I did today? I… huh? Hah, I’m too embarrassed to even say it.”

“Then don’t say it.”

“No! I… this Hwang Tae-su! I saved someone in trouble today!”

“Good for you.”

“It’s not good!”

“If you saved someone in trouble, that’s a good thing. Even Yeoksam would know that.”

Kang! Kang!

Hwang Tae-su took deep breaths repeatedly to calm himself.

“Is there no way I can go back to being the bad Hwang Tae-su of the past?”

“Like you used to be?”

“Yes. Like not hanging out with Teacher Park anymore, or maybe if you could use some kind of superpower to turn me back… Isn’t there a way?”

“There is.”

Hwang Tae-su’s face lit up with hope.

“There is?”

While chewing on a fried dumpling, Lee Seo-jun nodded.

“Yeah.”

“What is it? Is it just avoiding Teacher Park? Or will you use a superpower on me or…”

“It’s not exactly a superpower—‘authority’ would be a more accurate term.”

“Ho… So if you use that authority, it’s possible?”

“Right.”

“Then please, use it quickly. I’m begging you!”

“There’s one problem.”

“Whatever the problem is, it’s fine! As long as I can become the bad Hwang Tae-su again!”

“If I use it, you’ll die.”

“…You’re kidding.”

“The human body is surprisingly fragile.”

“Then… there’s no other way…? A way to go back to how I was and stay alive.”

Glancing at Hwang Tae-su, Lee Seo-jun downed a shot of Erguotou.

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“……”

“Being taken over by Park Yeon’s divine energy means your nature has changed. Changing one’s true nature artificially isn’t easy.”

“……”

Hwang Tae-su was devastated.

His nature, he said… So the great Hwang Tae-su had become kind Hwang Tae-su!

“Uaaaahhh!”

Hwang Tae-su roared.

Others might not understand what the big deal is, but for people like Hwang Tae-su who operate in the shadows, it was a disaster.

In this line of work, most accidents happen due to sentiment or kindness.

You know the saying:

“If kindness continues, people start to think it’s a right.”

And once they mistake it for a right, they start seeing you as a pushover.

In this field, the moment you’re branded a pushover, you’re finished.

“Kugh… Kuaaaaahhh!”

Lee Seo-jun drank more, using the suffering Hwang Tae-su as a side dish.

Maybe because the side dish was sweet, the drink went down smoothly.

In truth, contrary to what he said, turning Hwang Tae-su back to how he used to be would be a trivial matter for Lee Seo-jun.

The reason Hwang Tae-su’s personality softened was because of the divine energy possessed by Park Yeon. This divine energy restores or enhances a person’s humanity.

In contrast, demonic energy erodes a person’s humanity.

Even Lee Seo-jun had gradually regained his humanity after returning.

So all he had to do was replace the divine energy that had overtaken Hwang Tae-su’s nature with demonic energy.

Then Hwang Tae-su could return to his former self. Depending on the amount of demonic energy, he might even become worse than before.

But Lee Seo-jun had no intention of doing that.

The reason?

Simple.

It’s better for a bad person to become good than for a good person to become bad.

“Boss.”

“Hm?”

“So I have to live like this from now on? Kind… and like a pushover, for the rest of my life?”

“Probably.”

“…Phew. And it could even get worse?”

Hard to say whether that’s the right expression for this situation. Let’s just say it is.

“It won’t get worse. Your nature wasn’t that great to begin with, so it won’t get any kinder than this. You’ll probably just stay around this level.”

“Well, that’s the most comforting thing I’ve heard so far. A small relief in a big misfortune. Phew… Boss. Mind if I smoke a cigarette?”

“Do as you like.”

He sat there chain-smoking, seemingly lost in thought.

And after a while—

“Would it be okay if I had a drink before I go?”

Seeing the deflated Hwang Tae-su, Lee Seo-jun suddenly felt like playing a prank.

“Of course. In honor of you becoming a better person, today’s drinks are on me.”

Zap!

Hwang Tae-su glared at Lee Seo-jun with dagger eyes—something he’d never have dared to do before. After snorting through his nose for a moment, he went to the fridge and took out some alcohol.

“There’s no other snack, so let’s go with this.”

Lee Seo-jun offered the few remaining fried dumplings as a side.

The kind Hwang Tae-su didn’t refuse.

He started with the alcohol. He poured soju into a shot glass, beer into a larger glass, and then dropped the shot glass into the beer.

As the carbonation bubbled up and the drink threatened to overflow, he quickly covered the glass with a tissue and gave it a quick swirl of the wrist.

The soju and beer inside the glass whirled together. Hwang Tae-su drank it down in one go.

“Kua! That’s refreshing.”

At the bitter taste of the bomb drink, Hwang Tae-su reflexively grabbed a piece of fried dumpling and popped it into his mouth.

“…Damn it.”

The curse slipped out on its own.

It was because, in this utterly miserable moment, the fried dumplings were unbearably delicious.

Hwang Tae-su's go-to song was In the Rain. And inside One Drink, that very In the Rain resounded at an odd hour.

“On the street where the raaaain falls~ Your image is still so viviiiiiid~ Our love that could not be~ Achieved! I remember deeeeeeeply in my heaaaart… sob…”

After finishing the song, Hwang Tae-su put down the spoon he’d used in place of a microphone and sat down.

“Phew… Seo-jun-goon~”
Hiccup!
“Seo-jun-goon! One more bottle of soju heeere!”

“……”

“Why no ansssswer, why no… huh!? When a elder speaks, ya should answer properly! Smack! Now again. Seo-jun-goon~”

Watching quietly as Hwang Tae-su carried on, Seo-jun let out a small laugh.

Whatever else could be said, Hwang Tae-su's drunk antics were remarkably consistent.

They were rather entertaining, even.

“Whyyy? Somethin’ funny? Then let’s laugh togetherrr~ Buurrp-”

A burp right after the drunken rambling.

A perfect combo.

“You look funny drunk.”

“Tsk! That’s toooo short an answerrr!”

“Because it’s funny.”

“Good, good.”

Seo-jun brought over the soju. Staggering, Hwang Tae-su opened the bottle and offered him a glass.

“Here, have a drink.”

“I’m fine.”

“Tsssss! You can drink if an elder offers it! Hurry and take it! My arm hurts.”

Seo-jun silently accepted the glass. Just as he did, Hwang Tae-su suddenly scowled.

“Hey, Seo-jun-goon!”

“Yes?”

“When an elder pours you a drink, should you accept with two hands politely, or rudely with one hand?”

So that’s what it was.

When Seo-jun adjusted his hands, Hwang Tae-su smiled with satisfaction and filled the glass to the brim.

“Now, bottoms up. Driiiink!”

The alcohol went down easily. It would’ve been better with some fried dumplings, but unfortunately, they were all gone.

Instead, the kimchi from earlier would have to do.

Just as Seo-jun lifted his chopsticks to grab a piece of kimchi—

“……”

He felt a strange sensation on his cheeks. A sensation he hadn’t experienced in thousands of years. And the source of that sensation was…

“Ooooh, you cutie! Hehehe.”

It was Hwang Tae-su. He was pinching Seo-jun’s cheeks.

Seo-jun paused and thought.

Was he actually drunk, or just pretending?

He lightly brushed the hands away and popped the kimchi into his mouth.

‘Kimchi really is the ultimate side dish.’

Perfect as a banchan, and perfect in a pinch as a drinking snack too.

Thinking again that “Do you know kimchi?” wasn’t just a phrase for nothing, Seo-jun turned to head back to the kitchen to prep ingredients.

Then Hwang Tae-su called out to him.

“Seo-jun-goon. I’m askin’. Just… one thing.”

Hwang Tae-su wobbled and raised an index finger.

“Juuuust! One thing I wanna ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“You know that thing. The donation… that big eight billion won donation. Why’d you give it to complete strangers?”

“Who knows.”

“‘Who knows’ doesn’t work in this world, ‘who knows’! There’s always a reason. Even when I deal with that punk Hyung-geon, I got a reason.”

The answer to this question was easy. Too easy, even. But Seo-jun couldn’t readily say it. Because it would mean dragging out a dark past.

“Buuurp! Say it! What was it? The reason?”

Seo-jun chewed his lip for a moment, then gave a light chuckle and shrugged.

“Dunno. Didn’t really have a reason.”

“No, no reason?”

“Right.”

“You’re nuts! Nuts, I say!”

As Hwang Tae-su shook his head wildly, at some point his body slumped forward and collapsed.

Drurururururu…

Staring down at the now-snoring Hwang Tae-su for a while, Seo-jun quietly shared the past he hadn’t yet revealed, along with the rest of the drink.

Park Yeon usually slept in. It was only recently that he’d become a morning person.

5:30 AM.

At the sound of the alarm, Park Yeon opened his eyes wide, folded his blanket, washed his face, and headed out of his place.

A short while later—

“Good morning.”

A neatly dressed gentleman greeted him. It was Lee Geon-joo. After exchanging pleasantries with him, Park Yeon entered the chapel.

Inside, believers had gathered for early morning prayer and were greeting one another. Among them was…

“We meet again.”

A pure white goddess.

“……”

As soon as Park Yeon saw the white-clad goddess, he froze. He wanted to return her greeting, but his tightly sealed lips wouldn’t open no matter how hard he tried.

Thump thump!

His mouth wouldn’t open, but his damned heart was pounding noisily.

‘Please… just this once, answer her, Park Yeon!’

Five times.

Since their first meeting, they’d crossed paths five times. The pure white goddess had greeted him five times. But Park Yeon had never once responded.

So today, he had to.

They say sincerity moves the heavens.

Perhaps moved by Park Yeon’s sincere wish, his mouth slowly began to open.

“Ni… nice to meet you.”

At that, the pure white goddess smiled brightly.

“First time you’ve accepted my greeting. I hope we get along well.”

She extended her right hand. Park Yeon knew what that meant. But he hesitated.

Was it okay for these filthy hands to touch the hand of a pure white goddess?

Wouldn’t his corrupted soul end up defiling her pure one?

If that was his brain talking, then his heart had a different opinion.

‘I want to touch it…!’

Why were his brain and heart always at odds!

Couldn’t they just agree for once?

As Park Yeon writhed in agony—

“Da-hee.”

Someone called the pure white goddess affectionately.

“Oh, oppa.”