A moment of silence passed…

“...What is this supposed to be? Is this one of those new slang terms the kids use these days?”

“Slang? No… I couldn’t make any sense of it either, so I held it in for as long as I could and ended up calling him.”

“And?”

“Well, would you believe it, he said he was watching a drama.”

“A drama?”

“Yeah.”

“Then this too must be…”

“Read it carefully.”

I-seul's mom adjusted her glasses and began to read through the texts. Like a spot-the-difference puzzle, the previously invisible things began to catch her eye.

“Watching… a… drama?”

“If it were just this, I wouldn’t say anything. But scroll down a bit more.”

Her mom, thinking it couldn’t possibly get worse than this, scrolled down the chat window.

[Oppa Park Yeon] gㅡlㅐsㅓnㆍㅡn when ㅇㆍgㅔ/
[Me] I asked when you’re coming back to Seoul?
[Oppa Park Yeon] ㅇ
[Me] >_< Why??
[Oppa Park Yeon] gㅡnyaㅇ
[Me] I was just asking?
[Oppa Park Yeon] ㅇ
[Me] What are you going to do to hang out with me when you come to Seoul? 🙂
[Oppa Park Yeon] ddddvvddddd
[Oppa Park Yeon] dddvvdd

That was the end of the conversation.

After that, I-seul hadn’t replied. But even without an explanation, her mom could guess why she didn’t.

DVD room, really…

Sure, times have changed a lot, but isn’t that a little too blunt?

Her face flushed red.

“He seemed like a decent guy the other day though…”

“How can you tell what kind of person someone is after only a few days?”

“True, but still…”

“I can understand short replies. But if he saw me as that easy…”

I-seul pouted and trailed off.

‘Didn’t think he was that kind of person, but jeez.’

The embarrassment was short-lived.

Before long, the anger of a parent with a daughter flared up. He may have seemed like a square, polite and composed, but turns out the quiet cat climbs the kitchen first—it was exactly that.

“That guy’s no good. I-seul, forget him. This doesn’t even count as getting dumped.”

“...Really?”

“Of course. How is this getting dumped? What a filthy pervert bastard! Ugh, disgusting. Ptuh, ptuh!”

At her mother’s words, I-seul nodded.

A filthy pervert bastard whose head was full of dirty thoughts!

Hmph! I’m done with you too!

Suddenly scratching his itchy ear, Park Yeon sighed.

“Why the sigh?”

“Ah, Yeon-jun.”

“Something on your mind? You don’t usually sigh.”

“No, not exactly worrying… I was waiting for a message.”

“A message?”

“From I-seul.”

“Ah… the person you helped with snorkeling in Namhae?”

“That’s right.”

“You’ve been in touch with her?”

Park Yeon nodded, and Yeon-jun looked genuinely surprised.

He seemed like such a stiff, so when did he even manage to get her number?

“Is that a problem?”

“No, not at all. Of course it’s fine.”

“Anyway, how do I change this back? I must’ve pressed something wrong, and now it’s all squiggly letters.”

Looking into Park Yeon’s phone, Yeon-jun chuckled.

“You pressed the Korean-English toggle button. Just press it again like this.”

Park Yeon’s face lit up in surprise. The squiggly letters that had tormented him all night could be fixed with just one button?

“Thank you!”

“So when did you start texting her?”

“Since the day I came back. But… she hasn’t replied since last night. She was the first friend I made here…”

Yeon-jun understood that by ‘friend,’ Park Yeon meant ‘girlfriend.’

Knowing how old-fashioned Park Yeon was, he figured he was using ‘friend’ as a polite euphemism for ‘girlfriend.’

‘How unfortunate.’

These days, the meaning of love had become much lighter with time.

Some couples even start by sleeping together to test their physical compatibility before officially dating. Many begin relationships after only one or two meetups.

So Park Yeon and Kim I-seul must’ve been something like that too.

Sadly, a love that burns too fast usually burns out just as quickly.

Maybe…

‘That’s probably how it was for I-seul too.’

On top of that, they were now physically far apart. And when bodies grow distant, so do hearts.

Pat pat—

“It’s probably best to just forget her.”

“Forget? What do you mean?”

“I mean I-seul.”

“I-seul? Why would I do that?”

“She probably doesn’t want a friend anymore.”

Once again, Yeon-jun had carefully softened the blow. But to Park Yeon, it landed heavy, making him sway as if in shock.

“You mean… I’m not suitable as a friend?”

“Not exactly…”

Yeon-jun trailed off.

But that just drove the nail in deeper for Park Yeon. He sighed with self-deprecation.

“Well… I understand. You were the only one who accepted me here, Yeon-jun. I’ve always been an outsider. Even the goddess… the true goddess… rejected me. Why would I-seul be any different.”

Just as Park Yeon hung his head low—

Brrr-rrr-rrr!

A text came in. He hurriedly opened his messages and tilted his head after reading it.

“What’s wrong? Is it from I-seul?”

“Yes. But, Yeon-jun…”

“Yes?”

“What does ‘pervert’ mean? She said, ‘Get lost, you perverted bastard.’”

“Mom.”

“You’re here?”

Shin Sung-hyun’s mother, Lee Myung-sook, sat up in her hospital bed.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay now.”

She smiled as if nothing was wrong, but the needle marks on her thin arm told a different story.

“Still, you should’ve gone home to get some rest. Why come back again?”

“Why else? I came with good news.”

“Huh? Good news?”

“Don’t be surprised, okay?”

“…”

“They found a donor for you. The doctor said they can operate right away.”

The smile on her lips vanished.

“…”

“Why, Mom? Aren’t you happy? I’m really happy.”

“…It won’t be cheap.”

“Hey, that’s not something you should be worrying about, Mom. You just focus on getting better.”

“...Can’t I just not take it?”

“...”

“I just feel bad... It’s like I’m trading my son’s—my Sung-hyun’s lifespan for mine. I don’t need to take it. Isn’t that okay?”

Sung-hyun’s nose tingled, but he forced a smile and stood up.

“There you go again, saying weird things. Don’t think like that. I can find the money for the surgery too.”

When Lee Myung-sook tried to say something more, Sung-hyun suddenly stood up and glanced at the clock.

“Ah, if I go late, Yoonhee might cry because she’s scared being alone at night. I have to go. Mom, I’ll come back again tomorrow.”

“...”

There was nothing Myung-sook could do as her son hurriedly left.

Nothing at all...

Shin Sung-hyun trudged along the dark road. His shoulders were noticeably slumped.

The residents of District 12 always lived in a hurry. And Sung-hyun was no exception. He worked two jobs.

At dawn, he would go to a job placement center and do manual labor. Fortunately, he had a good reputation for being strong and polite, so he was usually picked quickly.

After that, he would go home, wash up, and head to his convenience store job, where he worked until 2 a.m.

By the time he finished handing over the shift and returned home, it would be at least 2:30 a.m., even on a good day.

He’d fall into a shallow sleep without even washing up, only to wake up and go back to the job center.

Sung-hyun lived a busy life, but his financial situation was far from comfortable.

Even if he had a good reputation on site, he wasn’t a skilled worker, so the daily wage wasn’t much.

And since the convenience store was just a part-time job, it didn’t bring in much either.

The income wasn’t great, but the expenses were heavy.

His mother had a chronic illness—chronic kidney failure.

This condition required at least two dialysis treatments per week. The problem was the cost.

Each dialysis treatment cost 480,000 won. That added up to nearly four million won a month just for hospital bills.

On top of that, he had to support his younger sister, who was still in middle school.

Still, Sung-hyun tried his best to live positively, thinking, “One day, the sun will shine. If I keep smiling and living like this, good days will come.”

But he was starting to feel like he was hitting his limit.

It felt like someone was pushing him off a cliff.

Today, his mother had been taken to the emergency room.

She had felt guilty about spending the hard-earned money her son made on dialysis treatments.

She had thought that if she endured a little pain, she could save 480,000 won.

‘So foolish…’

Sung-hyun quickly wiped away the tears running down his face with his sleeve.

Thinking of his mother, lying in bed, groaning in pain... and still thinking only of her son like a fool.

And he hated himself for being so powerless.

—Congratulations. Ms. Lee Myung-sook appears to be eligible to receive a donation this time. What would you like to do?

The doctor’s words still echoed in his mind.

What would you like to do?

Sung-hyun couldn’t answer immediately.

The surgery cost 30 million won.

This was after insurance benefits had started covering some of the cost since last year.

Even with insurance, the money he had painstakingly saved up was only 7 million won.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t find a way.

His vision went black.

In his heart, he wanted to tell them to prepare for surgery right away. In his heart, he wanted to say, “Please, don’t let my mom hurt anymore.”

Under the streetlamp, Sung-hyun wiped away his tears and quickened his pace. Then, he suddenly stopped.

It was a road he always took, a sign he always saw.

‘Alcohol…’

When was the last time he had a drink?

A bitter smile crept across his face.

He couldn’t remember.

He’d lived that intensely.

So maybe... just for today, when things are this hard, one drink might be okay?

Sung-hyun stepped inside the store.

“Take it.”

When Seo-jun handed him a white envelope, Hwang Tae-su scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“You didn’t have to give me anything…”

“People who say that usually send the invoice right away.”

“That was because the boss told me to…”

“Then just take it comfortably.”

“I’ll take it gratefully.”

“Not going to count it?”

“I’m sure you put the right amount in.”

Hwang Tae-su casually rubbed his nose and tucked the envelope into his inner pocket.

“Are you closing up for the day?”

“No customers left.”

“Where’s the boss? Why are you closing alone?”

“I sent him home first.”

“You did?”

“He looked worn out after suddenly jumping back into work after a break.”

“Ah… Then, by the way, what about Mr. Park?”

“Park Yeon?”

“Yes. I haven’t seen him around either.”

“He went to see a movie.”

Hwang Tae-su let out a quiet sigh of relief.

In truth, he’d asked about the boss just to indirectly check on Park Yeon’s whereabouts.

Earlier, he had received a call from Park Yeon. But he had deliberately not answered.

He had a bad feeling about it.

‘Thank god I didn’t pick up.’

If he had answered, it could’ve been a disaster.

He decided he’d never pick up again.

No—he’d just block the number entirely. Seal it off at the source.

Strike while the iron’s hot, right? He should do it now while he was thinking about it—

“That’s not a method I’d recommend.”

“...Excuse me?”

“If you block his number, he’ll probably come looking for you at the office every day.”

Yikes!

“Even if it’s annoying, it’s better to answer once or twice. Otherwise, who knows—he might even show up at your house.”

To his house?

That monster?

The thought alone sent chills down his spine. That must never happen.

Monster 1 suddenly looked like an angel.

“Thanks for the advice.”

Then Monster 1 held out his hand. Hwang Tae-su looked puzzled.

Was he asking for a handshake?

When he reached out his hand, Monster 1 slapped it away.

“Consultation fees are separate.”

Seo-jun, who had seemed like an angel, now looked like a monster again.

Yes… Don’t forget.

Once a monster, always a monster.