“Ah! I’m sorry. Please come this way.”

“Thank… you.”

“Who is this noona?”

“She’s a friend of your big uncle.”

“Then is she big mom?”

“She’s not big mom… Seo-woo, you’re friends with Hye-jin, right?”

“Yes!”

“Just like that, big uncle is friends with this noona.”

“Oh…”

Seo-woo nodded as if he understood and then picked up Yeoksam.

“Can I play with Yeoksam?”

“Of course, you can.”

“Yeoksam, let’s play hide and seek!”

Kang kang!

Master…?

“Yeoksam, you’re it!”

…Kang.

Why is it always me…

As Yeoksam wriggled after Seo-woo, Seo-jun turned his gaze away and looked at the woman.

“Won’t your legs hurt if you keep standing?”

“My legs?”

“You’ve been standing for a while. You can sit down if you’d like.”

“…Okay.”

Seo-jun glanced at the woman as he entered the kitchen.

‘It’s best to avoid stimulating food.’

Although she looked haggard and unkempt on the outside, she seemed relatively healthy.

But inside, it was a different story. In her current state, eating something too strong could lead to indigestion or acute gastritis.

‘Rice porridge and steamed eggs would be good.’

Seo-jun started preparing the porridge first.

First, he washed the rice thoroughly.

Then, he let it soak.

Fortunately, he had already soaked some rice earlier to cook for a meal.

He drained the soaked rice completely and stir-fried it in a pan with sesame oil.

The key was one spoonful.

If he added more than one spoonful of sesame oil, it could become too greasy and ruin the taste.

Tok- Toktok-.

He also added a bit of Hydra’s venom.

If Hydra’s venom wasn’t available, MSG would do.

The rice needed to be stir-fried thoroughly until each grain was coated with the sesame oil.

After that, he poured in just a little water and continued stir-frying until the rice became glossy.

Once the moisture started to evaporate, he poured in enough water and stirred.

The more he stirred, the milkier the broth became—success.

Next was the steamed eggs.

Of course, Seo-jun planned to use Arutus eggs instead of regular eggs. They had a richer flavor.

People often think that steamed eggs are surprisingly difficult to make.

That statement is both true and false.

If you follow the recipe correctly, steamed eggs are actually quite easy to make.

First, he cracked the eggs into a bowl.

Then, he added water and mixed. Stirred thoroughly.

He added salt and sugar to taste and mixed again.

Thinking of the eggs as an annoying boss, he stirred and stirred!

Once the egg mixture was well-blended, he transferred it to an earthenware pot.

He turned on the heat and slowly stirred as it cooked.

When the eggs looked cooked to the eye, he covered the pot with a lid and let them simmer gently.

And just like that, the steamed eggs were done.

Just in time, the porridge was also ready.

Seo-jun ladled the porridge into a bowl.

After placing the porridge and steamed eggs on the table, the woman hesitantly stood up.

“It’s okay. Please stay seated.”

“…Okay.”

“I made porridge since I had a slight fever. Would you be alright with it?”

The woman, keeping her eyes on the rice porridge, nodded.

Seo-jun handed her a spoon.

After hesitating for a moment, she carefully scooped up some porridge and put it in her mouth.

‘…It’s delicious.’

Was it because it had been so long since she had real food?

No… that wasn’t it.

More than that, the porridge itself was just delicious.

The seasoning was just right, and the softened rice grains slid down her throat smoothly.

The same went for the steamed eggs.

The woman quickly finished the porridge and steamed eggs.

“That was… really good.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

“…I know this is shameless of me to ask, but could you pack some of the leftover porridge for me?”

“Of course.”

Seo-jun packed up the leftover porridge and handed it to her.

She bowed her head.

“…Thank you.”

“Please come again.”

The woman flinched slightly before giving a small bow and leaving the shop.

After that, Seo-jun often saw her.

Every time, she hovered around the shop.

Seo-jun always asked her to eat with him, and she always accepted.

And she always packed the leftovers to take with her.

Was she saving them for dinner?

He was curious but never asked.

One day.

“Lee Ae-seon…”

“Excuse me?”

“That’s my name. Lee Ae-seon… I should have introduced myself earlier.”

“I’m Lee Seo-jun.”

“I have a question. May I ask?”

“Of course.”

“Why… do you keep giving me food?”

Seo-jun smiled before he even realized it.

It wasn’t a laugh at Lee Ae-seon.

It was just that he had once asked Kalax the same question.

The question was the same, but his answer was different.

“I just don’t like eating alone, so I wanted someone to eat with me.”

For a brief moment, a smile bloomed on Lee Ae-seon’s lips. A bright, fresh smile he hadn’t seen before.

But it disappeared in an instant, and she firmly pressed her lips together.

“…Thank you for the meal.”

“You’ll take the leftovers again today, right?”

Seo-jun packed an omelet into a plastic container.

“Thank you.”

Leaving the shop, Lee Ae-seon held the plastic container with the omelet close to her chest and hurried her steps.

Before long, she arrived at a run-down shack on the verge of collapse.

“Mom?”

“Hui-min, you’re awake?”

“Yeah! A while ago!”

“But you were so quiet.”

“Of course! Mom, I’m hungry though…”

“I figured. That’s why I brought you an omelet.”

“An omelet? Is it yummy?”

“Of course, it is.”

“Then I wanna eat it right now!”

Hui-min eagerly reached out her hands.

But for some reason, her hands reached the exact opposite direction of where Lee Ae-seon was.

Seeing this, Lee Ae-seon’s eyes turned red.

What crime had this tiny child committed to be born unable to see?

The only sin was being born to the wrong mother.

If that were a sin that warranted blindness, then she wished she had lost her own sight instead.

“Mom! Hurry! Hurry!”

“Oh, okay.”

Lee Ae-seon fed Hui-min a spoonful of the omelet.

“Wow! It’s delicious!”

“Is it?”

“Yeah! I’ve never had anything this good before! Did Shitaro give this too?”

Shitaro was a character from the anime Hui-min often watched.

Ae-seon always told her that Shitaro gave her food because she was a good girl.

“Of course, who else but Shitaro?”

“What did Shitaro say?”

“He said he’s really grateful that our Hui-min is such a good girl.”

“Really? He’s grateful?”

“Yes. He even said he’d come visit someday.”

“Wow! Will Shitaro be my friend?”

“……”

Ae-seon’s heart clenched.

Hui-min had been blind since birth.

Other children didn’t want to play with someone who couldn’t see.

Because of that, Hui-min both longed for and feared the word "friend."

“Mom? Does Shitaro not want to be my friend…?”

“No, Shitaro said he’d love to be your friend.”

“Really?”

“Have you ever seen Mom lie?”

“No!”

“Then let’s eat.”

“But Mom, did you eat?”

“I already ate with Shitaro, so don’t worry.”

“Shitaro is so nice.”

“He really is. Why do you think he’s so kind?”

“Because he was born that way. Hehe.”

Just then, there was a noise outside.

“Excuse me.”

“Who is it?”

When she stepped outside, she saw a group of rough-looking men standing there.

The man in the center scowled and spoke.

“Are you Lee Ae-seon?”

Ae-seon flinched and replied, “I think you have the wrong person. I’m not.”

The man looked back and forth between her and a photograph before smirking.

“No, you are.”

Jang Ho-cheol was a legendary figure in the underground world.

Without any connections, he had become the boss of the 47 Gang.

Starting from the bottom, he had built his position based on his principles.

He had never once broken them.

• Anyone who attacks us must be avenged, no matter the means.
• Take any job, and never fail to complete a request.

These two principles had made Jang Ho-cheol what he was today, earning him a reputation as a fixer.

Even now, a rich man’s son had come seeking his services.

“You want me to find someone?”

The client, who had been idly looking around the office, gave a slight nod.

“Yeah.”

“May I ask why?”

“Why do you care?”

“When looking for people, all sorts of things can happen. I just want to prevent any unfortunate incidents.”

“I thought she was dead, but turns out she’s still alive.”

“She?”

“Some chick I had fun with back in the day. Annoyingly, she got pregnant. I hired someone to take care of it, but the idiot took the money and left the job unfinished.”

There were always some who couldn’t stomach it.

But that wasn’t the mindset of a professional.

“I see. It shouldn’t take long to find her. That is, if we can agree on the price.”

“One hundred million won.”

Jang Ho-cheol was taken aback.

Finding someone was usually a low-difficulty job.

Such jobs typically cost anywhere from a few hundred thousand to a few million won.

But one hundred million…

“With the condition that you find her within three days.”

“Three days…?”

“I’m impatient. I need to tie up loose ends before they cause problems.”

It was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Jang Ho-cheol accepted.

The client sent a three-million-won deposit and provided a photo and some personal details of the target.

Using that basic information, Jang Ho-cheol mobilized his network.

It didn’t take long to find the woman.

He immediately contacted the client.

The client arrived in less than an hour.

“She’s in there?”

“Yes, boss.”

“Are you sure? Go check.”

Jang Ho-cheol stepped into the shabby shack.

“Excuse me.”

“Who is it?”

“Are you Lee Ae-seon?”

“I think you have the wrong person. I’m not.”

Jang Ho-cheol took out the photo and compared it.

It was undoubtedly the woman they were looking for.

“No, you are. Kyung-min, bring the boss.”

The client stepped inside, wrinkling his nose at the stench.

Meanwhile, as soon as Ae-seon saw his face, her eyes widened in shock.

It was him.

Cha Sang-hyun, the third son of the Ohkyung Group.

“Wow… you really are alive. Long time no see, Ae-seon.”

“How did you…?”

“How? You should’ve been dead long ago. Imagine my surprise when I heard you were still breathing.”

“Mom?”

“Is that brat my daughter?”

Ae-seon neither confirmed nor denied it.

Cha Sang-hyun studied Hui-min closely, then suddenly scowled.

“What’s wrong with her eyes? Is she blind?”

“Watch your mouth…”

“If you had just died back then, wouldn’t this all be simpler? Do you have any idea how much trouble you and your kid are causing me? Before the general meeting—”

Realizing there were too many ears around, Cha Sang-hyun shut his mouth.

Instead, he clicked his tongue and turned to Jang Ho-cheol.

“How much per person?”

Jang Ho-cheol’s mind raced.

In slums like District 12 and 13, people disappeared all the time, so it normally didn’t cost much.

But this was different.

This client had offered a hundred million just for a simple search.