Hwang Tae-su scratched his head vigorously.

“Why does the scale of things keep getting bigger? This isn’t good…”

Hwang Tae-su was a cautious man who always prioritized safety above all else.

It seemed contradictory, but it was the truth.

The reason Hwang Tae-su had never expanded his influence beyond District 12 was precisely because of his cautious nature.

Expanding meant inevitable clashes with other forces.

But lately, he had been feeling that things were growing beyond what he could handle.

Because...

“Boss, who do you think dumped Jang Ho-cheol here?”

One of his subordinates scowled at the sight of Jang Ho-cheol, lying inside a box, neatly packaged.

Jang Ho-cheol was snoring away in complete comfort.

“If I knew that, don’t you think I’d have already set up a fortune-telling stall?”

Hwang Tae-su replied with a bored expression, though he already knew who was responsible.

‘Who else but that guy would pull something like this?’

The only question was why that guy had targeted Jang Ho-cheol, but Hwang Tae-su didn’t bother trying to figure it out.

‘I should just be grateful it wasn’t me in that box.’

Had things gone slightly differently, he might have been the one in Jang Ho-cheol’s position.

The mere thought sent shivers down his spine, and goosebumps covered his arms.

Meanwhile, his uninformed subordinates continued making pointless guesses with serious expressions.

“I heard some people within the 47 Gang were unhappy with Jang Ho-cheol. Maybe it was them?”

“Oh… that makes sense.”

“Yeah, I heard that rumor too.”

“So, was it Park Dong-sik who took Jang Ho-cheol out?”

“Come to think of it, there were rumors lately that Park Dong-sik had fallen out with Jang Ho-cheol.”

“Boss, what do you think?”

At the end of their speculation, they turned to Hwang Tae-su. He casually nodded.

“I think that sounds about right.”

“Then isn’t this our chance?”

“Chance?”

“If we hit the 47 Gang now, won’t they collapse instantly? Just give the order, and I’ll gather our best men right away.”

Looking at his subordinates’ determined faces, Hwang Tae-su sighed.

They were completely mistaken.

‘If Jang Ho-cheol ended up like this, there’s no way his underlings got off scot-free.’

Sure enough, his prediction was correct.

Jang Ho-cheol’s 47 Gang had already crumbled, with its key members—including second-in-command Park Dong-sik—completely disappearing.

As a result...

Hwang Tae-su, without lifting a finger, ascended as the ruler of District 12. And the first thing he did as the new king...

“From now on, acts of violence, sexual crimes, and disorderly conduct will not be tolerated in District 12. Especially... in places like bars.”

His subordinates interpreted his strict declaration as an attempt to win public favor in District 12 and secure a foothold to expand into District 13. But the truth was different.

‘Pleasing that guy is the key to survival.’

He wanted to live quietly and for a long time.

- And now for our next story. The illegal crime syndicates in District 12 have been simultaneously dismantled, with their power falling into the hands of an individual identified as Mr. Hwang. In response, law enforcement authorities have stated that they will prioritize citizen safety while preparing for any potential incidents…

It was a leisurely, peaceful afternoon.

The sunlight streaming through the window was warm, and the breeze was cool.

The TV’s sound blended into the background like white noise, lulling one into drowsiness.

As he nodded off, the scenery gently wavered.

Ring!

A welcome guest stepped through the open door.

It was Lee Ae-seon.

She, who always looked scruffy, appeared unusually bright today.

Even her clothes were clean and new.

“You’re here?”

“So you are.”

“I was waiting for you, actually. I can’t seem to eat alone anymore. But what about the child…?”

Lee Seo-jun asked with a deliberately puzzled expression, and Lee Ae-seon, looking slightly embarrassed, patted Hui-min’s head.

“This is my daughter. Hui-min, say hello.”

“Hello! My name is Lee Hui-min!”

“I didn’t know you had a daughter.”

“I never meant to keep it a secret, but I just never had the chance to bring it up.”

“Have a seat. I just made some curry, so this works out well.”

Seo-jun headed to the kitchen, and Hui-min looked up at her mother.

“Mom, what’s curry?”

“Hmm… You’ll see for yourself soon.”

“Oh! Right! I can see now! Hehe.”

Lee Ae-seon smiled faintly.

She was endlessly grateful.

Just then, Seo-jun emerged from the kitchen, carrying curry. It was made from ingredients he had bought that morning with Park Yeon.

As he set the plates on the table, Hui-min suddenly flared her nostrils.

“Huh?”

“Hui-min, what’s wrong?”

“This smell!”

“Smell? You mean the curry?”

“No! This smell! This is Shitaro!”

“Shitaro?”

“Yeah! I told you, I met Shitaro in my dream! This is Shitaro’s smell! He smelled warm!”

As she glanced between Seo-jun and Hui-min, Lee Ae-seon wore an apologetic expression.

“I don’t know why she’s acting like this today. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. It’s fine.”

“No, Mom! It’s Shitaro’s smell! Mister, are you Shitaro?”

“Hui-min, stop bothering him.”

“But he smells just like Shitaro…”

Seo-jun smiled.

“Ae-seon, it’s okay. Hui-min, did you see me in your dream?”

“Yes! Mister, you’re Shitaro, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Wow! See, Mom? I was right!”

Lee Ae-seon looked at Seo-jun and smiled awkwardly. Then, she mouthed the words, “Thank you.”

Seo-jun winked and ruffled Hui-min’s hair.

“How did you know I was Shitaro?”

“Your smell! Shitaro smells warm!”

“A warm smell?”

“Yeah! I can still smell it now! Shitaro, thank you! Because of you, I can see the sky, the clouds… And now, I can see my mom’s face! My mom is pretty, right?”

“Yeah. She’s really beautiful.”

“Hehehe. Shitaro!”

Hui-min suddenly threw her arms around Seo-jun.

Again, Lee Ae-seon mouthed the words.

“I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“Not at all.”

Seo-jun then asked Hui-min,

“Hui-min, do you still have the balloon that Shitaro gave you?”

"Yeah! It's in my bag right here!"

"Good job. Alright, shall we eat now?"

"Yeah!"

Hui-min picked up a spoon and started eating the curry. Soon, her eyes widened as big as saucers.

"Wow! This is so good! It's the best!"

The same was true for Ae-seon. In her entire life, she had never tasted curry this delicious.

After devouring the astonishingly tasty curry in an instant, Ae-seon bowed her head slightly toward Seo-jun.

"Thank you for everything."

"For everything? Are you going somewhere?"

"Because of my situation, I cut off all contact with everyone. But a few days ago, I reached out to a close friend for the first time in six years."

"I see."

"Apparently, that friend has built a pretty big business. After hearing my story, they said they wanted to help."

"You have a good friend."

"I know, right? If there's one thing I'm blessed with, it's good people in my life. That friend willing to help me, meeting you, sir… I will never forget this kindness."

"You don’t have to say that. I actually enjoyed not eating alone. But I guess I’ll have to go back to eating alone now."

"Once I get settled, I'll come visit. And then… I'll be the one to treat you."

"I'll be waiting."

Ae-seon gave a small bow before leaving the restaurant. Seo-jun saw her off.

From a distance, Ae-seon turned back and waved once more at Seo-jun.

"Mom, does this mean we won’t see Shitaro again?"

"No. We’ll see him again."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Hehe. That’s a relief."

Ae-seon smiled softly as she left District 12 with Hui-min.

They boarded a train bound for Busan, where her friend was.

As the train began to move, a thought suddenly struck Ae-seon.

- "Hui-min, do you still have the balloon Shitaro gave you?"

- "Yeah! It's in my bag right here!"

He had never seen Hui-min before.

Then how did he know about her dream?

It was too specific to be just playing along with a child's imagination. After all, he had specifically mentioned the balloon Hui-min said she received from Shitaro in her dream.

Just then, the train car grew noisy.

"What's that?"

"Is there some kind of festival going on?"

Curious, Ae-seon turned her head toward the window.

In the distance, yellow balloons were floating up into the sky.

‘Thank you, Shitaro.’

Seo-jun returned to his restaurant after seeing the mother and daughter off.

For some reason, he felt a void in his heart.

Yes… this must be the feeling of parting. A feeling he had long forgotten.

‘I hope they do well.’

People often believed that demonic beings were those who had once lived in the Celestial Realm but were cast down after falling from grace. Myths reinforced this idea.

However, in his view, the truth was quite the opposite.

If Park Yeon heard this, he would probably draw his sword immediately, but the gods of the Celestial Realm were far more greedy and corrupt.

On this continent… Even Park Yeon believed that it was the demon lords who created chimeras, but the reality was quite the reverse.

It was the Celestial Gods who created chimeras purely for amusement, and it was some of them who released these creatures onto the continent just for fun.

Of course, this applied only to the gods of the Celestial Realm that he knew of. As for Earth's gods, he had no way of knowing.

Unlike the hypocrites of the Celestial Realm, perhaps Earth’s gods were truly worthy of being called gods.

And if Earth's gods really deserved that title, he wished that they would bless the mother and daughter's future.

"You're late. Can’t you hurry up a bit?"

Returning to the restaurant with a restless heart, Seo-jun was greeted by Park Yeon.

When Park Yeon acted tough like this, it was always for one reason.

"Hello."

From the bathroom, Park Yeon’s so-called apprentice, Cha Jinmyung, stepped out and bowed politely.

"It’s been a while. But, Jinmyung, why are you wearing rubber gloves…?"

Park Yeon answered for him.

"I told him to wear them."

"You did?"

"Yeah. Is there a problem?"

His face and stance were absurdly confident.

Seo-jun was so bewildered that he hesitated.

Overwhelmed by that sheer confidence, Seo-jun replied.

"No, no problem."

"Of course not. Oh, and don’t misunderstand."

"Misunderstand?"

"Don't assume that I dumped my bathroom cleaning duty on Jinmyung."

"Wasn't that exactly what you did?"

"Hey! What do you take me for?"

A cola thief?

"Let me make this clear. I am training Jinmyung!"

Seo-jun momentarily wondered if there was another definition of "training" that he didn’t know about.

But no matter how much he thought about it, "training" only had one meaning.

"Training… as in cultivating character, skills, or academic discipline?"

"Exactly! Do you know how much patience it takes to clean a bathroom reeking of ammonia without a mask? This is a significant form of training!"

"Park Yeon is right. At first, I wondered if this could really be called training… but cleaning a smelly bathroom really does require a lot of patience."

Has he caught the fool’s disease?

Now I feel bad for Lee Sook-hee.

I should use magic later to cleanse Jinmyung of this foolishness.

"What are you mumbling about? You’re not calling me and Jinmyung fools, are you?"

They were definitely fools, but their intuition was sharp.

Seo-jun shook his head.

"No."

"Good."

Leaving the original fool behind, Seo-jun spoke to Jinmyung, who was putting away the rubber gloves and cleaning supplies.

"Jinmyung, you haven’t eaten yet, have you?"

"No, not yet."

"Since you worked in place of Park Yeon, take some food with you."

"Thank you! I’ll enjoy it!"

Jinmyung smiled warmly.

A remarkable improvement… no, a transformation.

"Jinmyung!"

"Yes, hyung!"

"Continue your training here while the Demon King prepares your meal."

"Understood! But there’s something I’ve been curious about."

"What is it?"

"Why do you keep calling the boss 'Demon King'?"

"Heh. That’s because he’s like a Demon King—his personality is so…"

Just then, Seo-jun muttered.

"That’s odd. Why is the cola gone?"

"… So fiery that he totally deserves to be called the Demon King."