“I trust that you won’t. The moment you turn your back when the battle starts—”

Smirk!

“You’ll be riddled with bullets.”

“Y-yes!”

Choi Dongman slung an arm around his shoulder.

“Kid, don’t be so scared. As long as you don’t run, no one’s going to shoot you. So don’t be afraid.”

How much time had passed?

The Itaewon gang arrived at Hwang Tae-su’s office.

Hwang Tae-su’s office had already made preparations after hearing the news.

“This is going to be troublesome for both of us.”

Hwang Tae-su, who had barricaded the entrance with tires and scrap metal, spoke from the rooftop.

Min Kyung-joon of the Itaewon gang scoffed.

“What’s so troublesome? Is there any law enforcement in District 12? The one with power wins, simple as that.”

“……”

“Hand over your territory.”

“You’re insane.”

“Give it up now, and I’ll let you live.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then you die. Cleanly.”

“You’ve grown quite cocky since I last saw you.”

“You’ll find out soon enough if it’s cockiness or not.”

Min Kyung-joon smirked, and flames erupted from his hand.

* * *

Whoosh!

Hwang Tae-su was startled. He already knew Min Kyung-joon was an Awakened.

But he had only been a mere D-rank—his ability was just detection, barely useful in a fight.

And yet, flames were now erupting from his hand…

‘A transformation?’

Judging by the size of the flames, at least a C-rank.

The longer this dragged on, the worse it would be.

“Fire!”

With that shout, the battle began.

* * *

Go Dongjin had always admired Hunters. They dominated everything with sheer strength.

No matter how young, once they awakened, even adults didn’t dare to mess with them. Strength was justice in this era.

So, he had often watched Hunters on Entube, living vicariously through them.

When asked about their most terrifying moment, they all answered in unison—the moment death cast its shadow upon them.

‘…No.’

For Go Dongjin, the most terrifying moment was when he realized he wouldn’t make it out alive.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Bullets rained down. His ears were already ringing. Instinctively, he knew—he wasn’t getting out of here.

Fear of death gripped him, but only for a fleeting moment. His sister’s face flashed in his mind.

‘What will Arin do if I’m gone?’

District 12, where they had drifted after wandering from place to place.

Joining a gang had at least ensured food and shelter, but now he wished he could turn back time.

Bang!

“Fire! Keep firing!”

“Take cover!”

“Damn it, when did I ask for more mags?!”

“Kill those bastards!”

Gunfire and shouting filled the battlefield.

But why?

Why was he thinking about that bar owner?

-“Are we close enough to speak informally?”

-“No.”

-“Do we have any grudges between us?”

-“No.”

-“Then I use honorifics.”

Maybe it was because, for the first time, someone had treated him like a person…

‘…If it’s that kind of adult, then Arin will be in good hands.’

Even if he couldn’t trust other adults, for some reason, he felt he could trust that man.

It was just a gut feeling—just like how he sensed that the man aiming at him from the rooftop had just pulled the trigger—

Bang—!

Go Dongjin closed his eyes, waiting for death. But nothing happened.

Was this what dying felt like?

Perplexed, he opened his eyes.

“Huh?”

Everyone had collapsed. And they were all… snoring.

“What the…?”

Just as he started to wonder if he was dreaming—

A drowsy sensation washed over him, and he lost consciousness.

* * *

Step, step—

Someone walked into the now-silent battlefield. That someone picked up the snoring Go Dongjin and floated into the air.

“Gasp!”

Hwang Tae-su, who had cautiously peeked over the rooftop after seeing his men suddenly collapse, gasped sharply at the sight.

Seo-jun, holding Go Dongjin, landed gracefully in front of him.

“Ack!”

Shocked, Hwang Tae-su fell on his rear, rubbing his eyes as he muttered,

“…Boss?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”

“Ah! My apologies, sir! But… what is this… could it be—”

Hwang Tae-su cautiously glanced at Seo-jun and asked,

“Did you do this, sir?”

“This?”

“Yes.”

“No. You did this.”

“…What?”

“I know nothing about this. It wasn’t me who put them to sleep—it was you.”

Hwang Tae-su quickly caught on and nodded.

“That’s right! It wasn’t you, sir. It was me! A hundred, a thousand times—it was all me!”

“Did anyone see me?”

“No, sir! I didn’t see you today.”

Seo-jun gently placed Go Dongjin on the ground.

“And you saved this kid.”

“Ah… yes!”

“So, talk some sense into him and send him home. You understand?”

Hwang Tae-su nodded furiously.

“Of course!”

And with that, Seo-jun vanished. Literally vanished. Hwang Tae-su sucked in another sharp breath.

“This is some ghostly business…”

Of all people, why did he have to get involved with someone that powerful…

“No, wait. Thanks to that guy, I survived this mess.”

His office had been on the verge of falling. If Seo-jun hadn’t shown up, it would have been over.

“Phew… that was close.”

As he exhaled in relief, his subordinates started waking up one by one. Soon, they were all back on their feet.

“Boss?”

“You up?”

“Yes. But… what the hell happened?”

I have no idea.

Hwang Tae-su almost said it, but then he remembered the chilling aura he had felt from Seo-jun.

“…I awakened.”

“Huh? You, boss?”

“Who else but me?!”

“Ah… that makes sense!”

“Tie those guys up before they wake up.”

“Understood!”

His subordinates grinned as they went to restrain the Itaewon gang.

Not long after, rumors spread across the district—Hwang Tae-su had awakened and crushed the Itaewon gang.

* * *

Go Dongjin walked into the store.

“Is Arin awake?”

“She’s outside playing with Seo-woo.”

“So his name is Seo-woo. I didn’t know. Is he your son?”

“He’s my nephew.”

While organizing bottles in the refrigerator, Yeon-jun added,

“For the record, Seo-woo is my son. Haha.”

“Seo-woo is lucky. He has good adults by his side… That’s a relief too.”

“You said you were going to work. Things didn’t go well, did they?”

Go Dongjin let out a sigh instead of answering. After a long pause, he finally spoke.

“Would it be possible for me to try some alcohol? I’ll pay for it.”

“Alcohol?”

“When adults go through tough times, they drink.”

“That’s true.”

“But for people like us, we don’t know what to do when things get tough. I want to understand what kind of feeling it is.”

“It won’t help much.”

“Please.”

After some thought, Seo-jun brought out a bottle of soju.

“Have you ever had alcohol before?”

“No, it’s my first time. A lot of things are my first. Like tteokbokki….”

“Whether it’s a person or an animal, everything is a first at some point.”

“When was your first time, boss?”

“You mean alcohol?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s see… I don’t remember exactly, but I think I was eighteen.”

Seo-jun poured soju into a glass.

When he placed the glass in front of Go Dongjin, the boy simply stared at it blankly.

“You’re the first adult I’ve met like you.”

“What?”

“My parents passed away five years ago. Arin and I ended up in an orphanage.”

“I see.”

“It was our first day there. Because I answered late, they beat me with a belt. They also kicked me for being too slow.”

“……”

“One day, they said I lied and locked me in a wardrobe. For two days. Arin, who was still very young, was locked in there with me. I couldn’t take it anymore, so we ran away. And then….”

Go Dongjin continued staring at the glass.

“You asked me earlier if things didn’t go well.”

“Yes.”

“I went to work today and met a man. He told me to come here.”

Hwang Tae-su… I told him to talk to him gently.

Seo-jun clicked his tongue internally.

“I didn’t understand what he meant at first. But now I do.”

With that, Go Dongjin stood up from his seat. He pulled out a 5,000-won bill and handed it over.

“Can I come back to drink another time?”

“Another time?”

“Yes. I want to try it when I become a real adult. I feel like there will be even more hardships then.”

“Alright.”

Seo-jun accepted the money.

After giving a polite bow, Go Dongjin left the store.

Watching him go, Yeon-jun spoke up.

“Will he be okay?”

“I thought he wouldn’t be, but now I think he will be.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. Let’s get back to prepping the store.”

“Oh, uh, sure.”

* * *

The sky was so clear. Every time he looked up at the sky of Earth, he wondered how he ever managed to endure life in the Demon Realm.

“I hope Arin and Dongjin are doing well.”

As he reminisced about the Demon Realm, Yeon-jun approached.

“Worried about them?”

“Of course I’m worried. They’re both still so young. Seo-woo still looks for Arin.”

“They’ll be fine.”

“You don’t think Dongjin ended up joining some gang, do you?”

“A gang?”

“There’s a rumor that Hwang Tae-su’s faction took over Itaewon’s gang and is growing in power. If Dongjin had bad intentions and joined them…”

“You worry too much.”

“I hope that’s all it is….”

“Don’t worry. They’re doing fine.”

Seo-jun spoke with confidence. He had seen it with his own eyes. They were both doing well.

‘A porter, huh….’

With the changes in the world, many professions had either emerged or disappeared.

One of them was the porter—a job where one accompanied hunters into dungeons, retrieving materials and assisting in dismantling for their convenience.

Go Dongjin had started a new life as a porter in District 13.

“Let’s go inside.”

Earth’s sky was great, but it had a way of making people sentimental.

With that thought, Seo-jun stepped into the store.

As they prepared for business, the door swung open, and Ki Seok-tae entered. For once, he wasn’t alone.

“Welcome.”

“Haha, yes. Today, I brought my daughter and son with me. We decided to go out for a meal, and there’s no better place than your store.”

“It’s nice to see you.”

Seo-jun smiled as he guided them to a table.

“Can we order a little later?”

“Of course. Take your time.”

As Seo-jun disappeared into the kitchen, Seon-hye grumbled.

“Isn’t this a bar?”

“It is.”

“I thought we were coming to a famous restaurant… But if it’s a bar, isn’t it dangerous?”

“If it were dangerous, would I have brought you here?”

“…No.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been supplying liquor to this place for a long time, and not once has there been trouble.”

“Really?”

“Of course. And that young owner over there? He’s an amazing cook. Once you try his food, you’ll be begging me to bring you back.”

Seon-hye remained skeptical. The interior looked like any ordinary bar, and for a so-called famous restaurant, there weren’t many customers.

“What do you want to eat?”

“What’s good here?”

“The pork belly is the best.”

The price of the pork belly caught her eye—25,000 won. Even imported meat wouldn’t be this expensive….

Seon-hye nodded without much expectation. There was no way 25,000-won pork belly could be that good.

“Alright. Oh?”

“What?”

“It looks like they have tteokbokki too.”

“Huh? Must be a new menu item.”

“Can I order that instead?”

Ki Seok-tae nodded and placed their order.