Wearing bulletproof vests, a group entered Park Jae-seok’s mansion. Though some bulky men tried to block them, they were outnumbered, and the gate was quickly opened.

Hearing the commotion, Park Jae-seok ran out in his pajamas. A man with sharp eyes pulled out a document and spoke.

“As of this moment, we are conducting a full-scale search and seizure of Park Jae-seok’s residence. Please cooperate.”

“Search and seizure? Who the hell are you people?!”

Despite Park Jae-seok’s outburst, the team entered the mansion.

‘Haa… I’m already swamped, and now I have to deal with this crap?’

Prosecutor Kim Ji-hu, leading the investigation team, sighed as he stepped inside.

Ever since the upheaval, prosecutors’ workloads had skyrocketed. Even with task distribution, it was overwhelming.

Handling the major cases reported from the local police stations alone required more than two bodies.

‘And now we’re conducting a search over drugs? Tch.’

Drugs were barely considered a crime anymore. There were occasional crackdowns, but that was it.

In fact, drug-related offenders had significantly decreased compared to before the upheaval.

And yet, of all things, this nuisance had landed on his plate.

Of course, he could have just dismissed the police’s search warrant request. The problem was, this was a special crackdown period.

‘If something turns up, great. If not, whatever.’

With that thought, Kim Ji-hu glanced around Park Jae-seok’s house.

‘This bastard lives pretty well.’

For a criminal…

Just as that thought crossed his mind—

“Prosecutor! You need to see this!”

“What is it?”

“This…”

An investigator held out a box. Inside were several USB drives. But—

“How many are there?”

There were over dozens of USB drives packed inside.

‘This smells fishy.’

He immediately plugged one into a laptop and checked the files.

The file names were all strange.

Initiation?

Why were all the file names ‘Initiation’?

Muttering to himself, Kim Ji-hu played one of the video files. What he saw was shocking.

-Can you do it?

-Yes!

-Okay, go show me.

-Got it!

After a brief conversation, the person in the video put on a mask and approached a parked police car.

And then—

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A ruthless barrage of gunfire.

The officers inside tried to respond, but it was futile.

-Looks like the one in the driver’s seat is dead.

-Damn, this guy’s a sharpshooter.

Shocked, Kim Ji-hu clicked on more ‘Initiation’ videos. They were all the same.

Among them, there was even a video of Officer Oh Jung-sik, a police academy classmate of Park Jin-hoo.

-…In response, the prosecution has requested an additional search warrant for related charges. According to the prosecution, the investigation was conducted legally under the pretense of a drug crackdown and was not a targeted probe. Furthermore, Mr. Park is now also being investigated for conspiracy to commit murder. Mr. Park—

“Enough. Turn off the TV.”

Hwang Tae-su pressed his temples as he spoke, and Kim Si-hyun quickly switched off the television.

Silence finally returned to the office.

Hwang Tae-su took a cigarette between his lips and asked,

“How are the guys down below?”

“They think it’s finally time to expand into District 13.”

“All of them?”

“Yes. Everyone’s amazed at your grand plan. Myself included. I truly respect you, boss!”

Grand plan, my ass.

He just wanted to live as long and as well as possible. And if that wasn’t an option, then at least live long, even if it meant keeping a lower profile.

But the world just wouldn’t leave him alone.

Of all things, the Gas Station Gang had to be completely wiped out!

Noticing his reddening complexion, Kim Si-hyun cautiously spoke.

“Um… Boss?”

“What now?”

“Didn’t you start the scholarship program precisely to expand into District 13 someday?”

All eyes turned to him.

The burly, buzz-cut men in the office all stared intently at Hwang Tae-su.

Those round, sparkling eyes that didn’t match their rough appearances…

‘Goddamn, this is suffocating.’

It was overwhelming, but he had to act unfazed. Even if it was by chance, he was still the boss who unified District 12.

“Ahem! Do you even need to ask? Of course. I always tell you—don’t just look at the trees, see the whole forest.”

“As expected…!”

And it wasn’t just Kim Si-hyun who was impressed.

Former executives of the Itaewon Gang and the 47 Gang were also present.

They were equally amazed.

‘No wonder we lost to the Hwang Tae-su Gang…’

‘I switched allegiances just in time.’

‘He’s practically a strategist. To think he was planning this far ahead!’

Whether he knew what they were thinking or not,

Hwang Tae-su smoked his cigarette furiously before putting it out.

“Why not move in immediately, boss?”

“Huh? I-immediately?”

“Yes! The businesses and arcades the Gas Station Gang used to run could be quite profitable, don’t you think?”

“Y-yeah, probably.”

“Then what’s there to hesitate about? Just give the word, and we’ll—”

“But!”

“……?”

“Like I just said, don’t look at the trees—look at the forest.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s an old saying: ‘Great things take time.’”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that in order to achieve something big, you need patience.”

“Ah…!”

“So, just wait for now. There’s another saying—‘Knock on a stone bridge before crossing.’”

“Understood!”

Kim Si-hyun responded enthusiastically, and Hwang Tae-su got up awkwardly.

“It’s mealtime. Go eat.”

With that, he left the office. Then, he hesitated.

“Hyeong-geon.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Did he come today too?”

“He comes every day, sir.”

“Shit.”

Nothing’s going my way.

Muttering to himself, he headed toward the emergency stairs—just as the elevator doors opened.

Ding!

“Heh heh.”

Inside the elevator, Doo-shik was chuckling.

Seeing that, Hwang Tae-su thought to himself.

Damn, is that really funny?

In the meantime, Doo-shik noticed Hwang Tae-su, quickly ran over, and greeted him.

He's annoyingly polite, too.

“Hello.”

“Yeah.”

“Looks like you’re on your way somewhere?”

“Going to eat.”

“Ah…….”

“Have you eaten yet, Doo-shik?”

“No, not yet.”

“Well, then, would you like to join us?”

This guy named Doo-shik seemed much kinder than that monster named Park Yeon.

But that didn’t mean Hwang Tae-su let his guard down.

He was certain that Doo-shik could end up on the monster list at any time.

That’s why he still left the number three spot open.

Even inviting him to eat was part of that plan. You never know when, where, or how someone might turn into a monster, so at the very least, he could maintain a polite distance.

Usually, when people who aren’t close are invited to eat together, they hesitate before accepting.

But…….

“Aren’t you getting in?”

“Huh?”

“You said we should eat together. Let’s go eat.”

“…….”

“Come on, get in.”

As he stepped into the elevator, Hwang Tae-su quietly muttered to himself.

Damn.

Seo-jun went to the mart for some shopping.

He didn’t come with anything specific in mind to buy.

The market has a way of evoking a very Korean sense of warmth. However, due to its structure, it’s hard to create the clean and organized look that a supermarket has.

Unlike the market, everything in the mart is neatly arranged on shelves. Looking at those perfectly displayed products, you find yourself reaching out without realizing it.

Resisting those impulse purchases is part of the charm of shopping at a mart.

‘Salted mackerel.’

Seo-jun stared down at the salted mackerel in the seafood section.

If you grill it in an oven instead of a frying pan, letting all the oil drain out, there’s no better dish to pair with rice.

Slurp!

His hand almost reached for it, but he held back.

The price was no joke. 280,000 won for 3KG…….

There were 14 packs in total, meaning each pack was over 20,000 won.

After passing the seafood section, he arrived at the pet supplies aisle.

‘This is my first time here.’

He had always pushed his cart only up to the seafood section. There was never a reason to go beyond that.

Then, his eyes landed on some dog chews.

‘I wonder if Yeoksam would like these.’

Well, if not, oh well.

Muttering to himself, Seo-jun tossed a few into his basket. They were a bit pricey, but that was fine.

Today, he decided, was a day for impulse shopping.

‘He is looking a bit scruffy.’

Now, his eyes caught some dog shampoo.

Up until now, he had been washing Yeoksam with just soap. Might as well get proper dog shampoo, right?

Yeah, let’s get it. Today is a day for impulse shopping, after all.

Turning around, he spotted the snack aisle. And among them, one stood out.

Oh Yes.

‘Yeon-jun used to love these.’

Back when Seo-jun was about the same age as Seo-woo.

When Yeon-jun was even younger, just handing him one of these would stop his crying instantly.

With a small smile, Seo-jun added it to his basket.

Since he got something for Yeon-jun, he couldn’t leave out Seo-woo. He headed to the ice cream section.

Despite his age, Seo-woo had an odd love for Babamba. He grabbed two—one for him and one for Hye-jin.

At the checkout counter, a middle-aged female employee recognized him.

“Hey, it’s the handsome bar guy! Here for your usual Arutus Ale today?”

He came to the mart four to five times a week, so he had gotten familiar with the employees.

Her name was Kang Min-hee.

Her round, kind face gave off a warm, comforting vibe.

By now, Seo-jun had learned how to put on a smooth expression like a proper human being.

“You weren’t here last week, so I got worried and came to check. Glad to see you today.”

“Oh, dear. That’s sweet of you to say. I was actually…….”

Kang Min-hee hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile.

“Visiting my mom.”

“Your mother lives out of town?”

“Huh?”

“You were gone for several days. I figured you stayed at your mother’s place for a bit.”

“Ah…… Something like that, yeah. But hey, bring Seo-woo over sometime! I haven’t seen him in ages.”

“I will.”

“Alright, have a great day!”

“You too, ma’am.”

After saying goodbye, Seo-jun left the mart.

On his way back to the bar, Seo-jun sensed a familiar presence.

“My lord, I gr—”

Carrying a full shopping basket, Seo-jun walked up just as Doo-shik came out to greet him, but then Doo-shik suddenly remembered something Seo-jun had told him.

-I’m not a Demon God here. I’m Lee Seo-jun. And you are Park Yeon’s cousin.

“—I mean, good to see you, Seo-jun hyung.”

“Doo-shik, you’re here. And…….”

“Hello, Mr. Seo-jun.”

“Ah, Mr. Hwang, you’re here too. But how did you two end up together?”

“The boss invited me to eat with him, so we came together. Oh, here, let me take that.”

Doo-shik took the shopping basket.

Hwang Tae-su averted his gaze, trying not to attract any unnecessary attention. Fortunately, Seo-jun didn’t press the issue.

“Since you’re here, come inside, Mr. Hwang.”

“Ah, sure.”

Inside the bar, Seo-jun turned to Hwang Tae-su and Ko Hyung-geon.

“What would you like to eat?”

“Uh, well……”

Before Hwang Tae-su could answer, Doo-shik spoke up.

“The boss will have ramen.”

“Ramen?”

“Yes.”

Doo-shik nodded innocently.

At that moment, Hwang Tae-su wanted to smack the back of Doo-shik’s head.

‘Did you think I meant instant ramen?! I meant ramen as in actual Japanese ramen, damn it.’

He was beyond frustrated.