Resident Registration Card

Park Yeon (朴戀)

020923-3XXXXX

XX-X, District 12, Seoul Special City

Park Yeon held up his ID card and grinned widely. Seeing this, Seo-jun spoke while cleaning up the mess left behind by Hwang Tae-su.

“Where have you been and what were you doing?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You smell suspicious.”

“Maybe someone passed gas. Anyway, this is my ID, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Heh. This is fascinating.”

“What’s so fascinating? It’s just an ID card.”

“Of course, it’s fascinating. It means I’ve been reborn on Earth.”

“You find the strangest things fascinating.”

“Heh.”

Truth be told, Park Yeon had wanted an ID card for a long time.

Even the Demon King had one. It made no sense that a hero like him didn’t.

More than anything, there was something he had been wanting to do with this ID.

It was something he had once seen while walking down the street. It left a deep impression on him.

Now that he had this ID, he could finally try it.

That night, Park Yeon put his plan into action.

In crime-ridden areas like Districts 12 and 13, police stop-and-frisks were commonplace.

Under their own discretion, officers could conduct stop-and-frisks on suspicious individuals.

Given the high crime rate, it was an inevitable practice. However, most officers avoided conducting them.

What if they frisked someone who turned out to be carrying drugs or illegal weapons?

A routine stop could quickly escalate into a deadly shootout initiated by a desperate suspect.

Because of this, most officers turned a blind eye even when they spotted a suspicious person.

Min Seung-chul and his partner Oh Hyun-seok were no different.

“What should we do after work?”

“Go home, wash your feet, and sleep.”

“Ugh… Even gaming is starting to get boring these days.”

“What a spoiled brat. Ah, the patrol lights are on. Turn them off.”

At Hyun-seok’s words, Seung-chul switched off the lights.

Leaving the patrol lights on made them easy targets for gangs looking for a test of courage.

As far as they were concerned, all they needed to do was kill time until they could return to the station.

That was the usual routine, and tonight was supposed to be no different.

If not for an unexpected turn of events.

“What’s that?”

“Probably just a stray dog. Ignore it.”

“No… it’s coming this way.”

“What are you talking about? There’s nothing— Wait. What the hell? Get your gun!”

Seung-chul and Hyun-seok quickly stepped out of the car, retrieving a rifle and a shotgun from the trunk.

Revolvers were useless against gangs. At minimum, they needed rifles or shotguns to stand a chance.

With a tense expression, Seung-chul called out.

“Sir, do you need assistance?”

Step, step.

“Sir, please stop right there.”

Step—

“Sir, if you come any closer, we will consider it a threat to the police and may open fire.”

At those words, the figure finally stopped.

Just as Seung-chul let out a sigh of relief—

“Conduct a stop-and-frisk on me.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, frisk me.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden…?”

“I could be a suspicious person, couldn’t I? So go ahead and frisk me. Ask for my ID.”

“…A-Are you asking for a stop-and-frisk?”

“Is that what it’s called? I believe so. Go on, conduct that stop-and-frisk.”

Seung-chul slowly examined the man.

He didn’t seem dangerous.

He didn’t appear to be armed, either.

‘Must be a bit mentally unstable.’

After the upheaval, such people had become quite common. Many returnees had even been diagnosed with mental disorders.

This man was probably one of them.

“Sir, we’ll conduct a stop-and-frisk. May I see your ID?”

“Heh. Of course.”

The man handed over his ID.

Since all he had to do was play along, Seung-chul gave it a quick glance before handing it back.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Did I pass the stop-and-frisk?”

“Yes, yes. You’re free to go home.”

“Heh heh. Keep up the good work.”

As the man walked away, Seung-chul let out a sigh.

“A perfectly fine-looking guy… What a shame.”

—The Bureau has revealed that the assailants who attacked Kim Chul-jun were members of IJ. Director Lee Myung-seop announced that they will cooperate with the police to investigate how they entered the country and prevent any potential terrorist threats. Moving on to the next news—

“The world is really going crazy. Now even IJ is causing trouble… Tsk tsk.”

As she peeled garlic, Lee Sook-hee clicked her tongue. Next to her, Yeon-jun, who was peeling chestnuts, chimed in.

“Yeah. It’s worrying that IJ seems to have set their sights on Korea now.”

“I hope no one was hurt.”

“You mean…?”

“That young man, Kim Chul-jun, from the news.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, they didn’t say anything about his condition. I wonder if he was badly injured? That would be terrible…”

“Don’t worry. He wasn’t hurt.”

The words came from Park Yeon, who was trimming jujubes beside them.

“That would be a relief, but you never know. IJ seemed pretty determined.”

“No need to worry. I can guarantee he wasn’t hurt.”

“That’s quite the bold claim for a young man to make.”

Sook-hee chuckled before continuing.

“If they were going to attack someone, they should’ve gone after China or Japan instead. I don’t know why they had to target us.”

“I know, right? Wishing for terrorism is wrong, but considering how those two countries have been acting lately, it wouldn’t be the worst thing.”

“This tiny country never catches a break. Surrounded by shady neighbors, and now we have to deal with terrorism too… Tsk tsk.”

“It’s not such a tiny country.”

Sook-hee was already used to Yeon’s archaic way of speaking. She paused her garlic peeling and asked,

“You mean Korea?”

“Indeed. A land of this size would be comparable to a decent-sized kingdom.”

“A… kingdom?”

“Surely you know what a kingdom is? A nation ruled by a king… Though, I suppose since this place is ruled by a president, you might not.”

As Yeon mused aloud, Sook-hee let out a chuckle, and Yeon-jun smirked.

But Yeon was entirely serious.

To him, South Korea was on par with a sizable kingdom from his world. In fact, its population was even greater.

“Then if our country is about the size of a kingdom, what about China?”

“China… Hmm, it would be about the size of an empire. Of course, their population is much larger.”

Lee Sook-hee chuckled again. She thought it was a joke.

Before long, under Lee Sook-hee’s lead, the conversation between the three shifted to the topic of marriage.

“But Boss Lee, have you ever thought about remarrying?”

“Remarrying?”

“Yes. You’re good-looking, have a great personality, and you’re tall… I’d think women would be lining up for you.”

“Lining up? Hardly. Besides, I don’t really think about it. I have Seo-woo to consider…”

Lee Sook-hee looked at Yeon-jun with an expression of pity. Just as only a widower truly understands a widow’s heart, a widow can recognize a widower’s pain.

She had become a young widow herself. In her younger days, people had even pointed fingers at her, calling her a woman who had "eaten up" her husband.

As time passed, she had opportunities to meet good men again, but she let those chances slip away, using her child as an excuse, afraid of what others might think.

That was just how things were back then. But looking back, she realized the regret had taken deep root in her heart.

To Yeon-jun, whom she thought of like a son, she sincerely wished he wouldn’t have the same regrets. But pushing the topic of remarriage any further would be crossing the line.

“How about Mr. Park over there?”

“You mean me?”

“Yes. You seem to be around the right age to get married. Do you have a girlfriend?”

“A girlfriend? A friend is a friend. What’s with the ‘girlfriend’ part?”

From the corner, where he had been quietly organizing the peeled garlic and chestnuts that Yeon-jun had prepared, Cha Jinmyung chimed in.

“He’s a cryptid.”

“A cryptid?”

“An imaginary creature that seems to appear easily for others, but never shows up for me.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Lee Sook-hee smiled warmly at her grandson, who had grown much brighter than before.

“He means a lover.”

“Oh… You mean a destined partner. Now that I think about it, whenever I watched dramas, I was always confused about the whole ‘girlfriend’ thing. So that’s what it meant. No wonder they seemed too touchy-feely. Well, anyway, I don’t have one. But I think I’ll have one soon.”

“That’s great news! Who’s this lucky lady?”

Park Yeon thought of Lee Ra-hee, whom he had spoken to briefly that morning.

She was quite… hehe.

“She’s shy and a little impatient. That impatience is a bit of a flaw, but well, I can overlook that. She’s pretty, after all. But…”

Park Yeon turned to Cha Jinmyung.

“Jinmyung, you don’t have a girlfriend?”

“…No.”

“You’re eighteen, right?”

“That’s right.”

“At eighteen, people used to be married and already have kids… Hmm.”

“Well, you’re not married yet either, Park Yeon.”

“I didn’t not get married—I just have things to do first. A man should have confidence. If there’s a girl you like, go for it with confidence.”

“That’s easier said than done…”

“It’ll be difficult, sure. But have some confidence.”

“Our Jinmyung takes after his grandmother, so he’s handsome and charming. He’ll get a girlfriend in no time.”

“That’s true, hehe.”

From the kitchen, Seo-jun watched the cheerful conversation unfold, a satisfied smile on his face.

Seeing them chat and laugh together like this was truly heartwarming.

Yes, this is what makes life enjoyable. Happiness isn’t some distant thing—it’s found in the people around you.

Of course, there would be times when those same people might hurt you, but they would also bring you comfort.

Just like how Seo-jun was feeling comforted by them now.

“Grandma! The chicken is all prepped!”

Today was July 16th.

It was a Monday, the designated day off for One Drink, and at the same time, it was Chobok, the first of the three hottest days of summer.

That’s why Seo-jun had invited Lee Sook-hee and Jinmyung—to make baeksuk together.

When Seo-jun poked his head out from the kitchen and called, Lee Sook-hee walked in.

Upon seeing the prepared Dekanto, her mouth fell open.

“Is this a chicken or an ostrich?”

“It’s a chicken.”

“It looks way bigger than the roosters I used to see when I was young.”

“It’s pretty big, isn’t it?”

“With this size, one would have been enough. If we cook all three, there’ll be way too much left over.”

“So I’m only cooking two. I’ll set one aside and serve it when a regular customer drops by.”

“Ah, that sounds good.”

Nodding, Lee Sook-hee rolled up her sleeves and tied on an apron. She was today’s chef.

Seo-jun wasn’t bad at making baeksuk himself.

After all, he had boiled Dekanto several times even in the demon realm.

But he figured it wouldn’t compare to Lee Sook-hee’s baeksuk.

“I’ll leave it to you, then.”

“Leave it to me? If anything, I should be thanking you for letting this old woman be of some use.”

Lee Sook-hee began preparing the baeksuk.

She washed the blood-drained Dekanto clean and started removing the skin.

Skinning a chicken wasn’t exactly easy. It was a time-consuming and tedious task.

That’s why most restaurants didn’t bother skinning it when serving baeksuk.

But under Lee Sook-hee’s skilled hands, the tough skin peeled away effortlessly.

Even Seo-jun was a little surprised by her speed.

However…

“You’re not removing all of the skin?”

She left about 20% of the skin and fat intact.

“Soup needs a bit of oil floating on top to taste good. If you only eat lean meat, where’s the flavor? And we’re making mung bean porridge too—if the soup’s too clear, it won’t work.”

“I see.”

That was something new he learned today.

Before long, the rich aroma of baeksuk began to fill the shop.