Seol Ah walked home alone, her gaze fixed on her feet as she placed each step carefully.
"Omma won't notice the bruises on my face, right?" she asked herself. The wind brushed against her cheeks, her hair tickling her nose. She sneezed, rubbing at it as she looked ahead.
Nearby, Jin-ho's jaw tensed, the muscles twitching with controlled rage, staring at the ground. Bin Sin stepped closer to him, his eyes burning with irritation.
"What happened at school today?" Bin Sin demanded. "Why didn't you stop the fight before it got ugly?"
Jin-ho's eyes hollowed as he frowned.
"Why should I?"
"Jin-ho, if she ends up losing an arm, do—"
"And why should I care?!" Jin-ho shouted. His fist clenched, knuckles whitening, before he hit the wall. Seol Ah jolted, her feet lifting off the ground for a split second. Bin Sin paused, forcing himself to focus on something other than Jin-ho's spiraling emotions. "You didn't even bother when other kids ended up with broken arms and legs. Why do you care if she does?!"
"Jin-ho, that's different," Bin Sin argued. "You normally don't care what happens to those kids." Jin-ho frowned. "And this case is different, too… you don't want to lose your chance to find your parents' murderer, right?"
Jin-ho ground his teeth, every nerve on edge, as anger and resentment shook through him. Dammit… I can't argue with that.
Seol Ah watched from a distance, biting her lower lip. Who is that? Does Jin-ho know him? And why does Jin-ho look like he's about to snap? She edged closer, peeking at the two of them.
Bin Sin's glance snapped to the sight of her, startling Seol Ah.
Jin-ho turned and saw her, his eyes widening.
"Seol Ah…" Jin-ho called.
Seol Ah stiffened and bowed awkwardly.
"I… um, hi… my name is Jang Seol Ah, Jin-ho's friend," she introduced herself.
Bin Sin stood still, observing her in silence. He released a quiet breath, relief settling in his chest.
"I'm Jin-ho's uncle…" he said at last.
Seol Ah sighed in relief and nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Jin-ho's uncle! I… I need to go home now. See you next time, Jin-ho."
She spoke quickly before hurrying inside her house.
Jin-ho didn't get the chance to respond. He lifted a hand, hoping to wave goodbye first, and chuckled as the door slammed shut. You do have some fears after all. I thought you were incapable of being flustered.
Before he could finish the thought, he remembered Bin Sin was still standing in front of him.
"I'm heading inside… I've got some homework to do," he said.
Bin Sin's eyes followed Jin-ho's retreating figure.
"What did you gather while being with that small gang organization?" Bin Sin asked, stopping him before he reached the door.
"Why? Do you need them?"
"Jin-ho… if you find any clues, I have to know…"
"It doesn't lead us any closer to the murderer," Jin-ho argued, his jaw tightening.
"You know that's not true—"
"Because of you!" Jin-ho shouted, glaring at Bin Sin, fury seething beneath his skin. Tears shimmered at the edges of his eyes. "Because of giving you clues, Aunt walked straight into the crossfire—trying to stop your madness. If giving you clues puts anyone in danger, I'd rather find the murderer myself!"
Bin Sin frowned, his eyes narrowing. He drew in a deep breath before stepping closer.
"I never wanted my wife to step in…"
"She didn't trust that you'd do anything right, being the way you are!" Jin-ho snapped. "Now leave me alone! I just want to be normal."
With that, Jin-ho burst inside, door crashing shut behind him before the argument could go any further.
When Jin-ho stepped inside the hallway, Woo Sol's sister stood by the fridge, drinking from a water bottle. She looked at Jin-ho and frowned.
"What happened to that girl? Are you still getting close to her because of Abeoji?" she questioned.
Jin-ho sighed as he dropped his backpack.
"Why do you care?" he asked nonchalantly.
She dropped the water bottle onto the counter with a hard clatter.
"Yah! Omma-nim already told you to stop this… even after her death, are you going to continue this? Was her sacrifice not enough for you and Abeoji?"
With his back to her, Jin-ho's fists curled tight, his shoulders trembling.
"Enough! Just shut up—"
"You shut up! If it weren't for you, Omma-nim wouldn't dare step forward, getting shot in the face!" she interrupted.
Jin-ho walked to her, seething before he punched the wall in front of her. Woo Sol's sister jumped, turning pale.
"Then tell your father to fucking leave me alone…" Jin-ho argued. Then he ran to his room, slamming the door like a warning.
Woo Sol's sister scoffed, trying to hide her trembling, mortified by the moment.
"Aigoo… how can I tell him when he doesn't even listen to us?! Aish!" she gritted her teeth and stormed into her room.
Jin-ho breathed heavily, staring at the piano in his room. His first piano. From his aunt. Kim Bin Sin's wife, Lee Chae Sim.
He sat on his bed, contemplating everything that had happened. He waited until he heard Bin Sin's car drive off and Woo Sol's sister close her door. Once this was clear, he hurried outside, putting on his jacket. The moment he stepped out of his front gate—
"Oh, Jin-ho…" Seol Ah's voice called.
Jin-ho froze with his hand in the air, where he slid his hand in the jacket hand hole. He quickly turned around and saw Seol Ah standing there with a lollipop in her mouth.
"Seol Ah, why are you here?" he asked.
She smiled, shoving her hands into her pockets in her jacket.
"I'm planning to head to the convenience store to buy some treats while I study…" she answered happily. Then she looked at him. "What about you?"
Jin-ho slid his arm into his jacket and straightened his back.
"I… just want to take a walk," he said, hesitating.
Seol Ah nodded and stepped a little closer.
"Really?"
"Yes…"
"Then why are you hesitating when you answered?"
Jin-ho took a step back, pondering. His eyes widened as he swallowed the lies he couldn't bring himself to say for the first time.
"I…" He paused, averting his gaze.
"Do you want to come with me, since you're not that busy?" Seol Ah offered, changing the subject. Jin-ho flinched.
"W-Why?"
"Because…" She closed her mouth, then hopped closer, her cheeks flushing. "I don't know where it is… I got lost last time."
A wave of emotions, too many to name, flooded his head as her words echoed in his mind. He chuckled, and she frowned at him.
"It's not funny…"
He burst into laughter, then nodded.
"Okay… it's not funny, and I'll go with you," Jin-ho said.
Seol Ah stomped her foot and crossed her arms.
"Don't laugh… it's hard to remember your way back when the path to the store is difficult," she insisted.
Jin-ho bit back his smile and patted her head.
"Okay, I won't laugh. Now let's go before you can't study," he said.
She puffed out her lips as he walked ahead. Her glare followed him as the distance between them grew. He stopped beneath a streetlight and turned to look at her. The gloom on her face made something in his chest soften. He reached out a hand, smiling warmly—naturally—in a way she had never seen from him before.
"I'm a bit hungry, too," he said gently. "So let's go before it gets dark… okay, Seol Ah?"
She let out a heavy sigh and jogged over, crunching the lollipop between her teeth before tossing the stick into a nearby trash bin.
"Then why didn't you eat? Isn't it normal to eat when you get home from school?" she asked—unaware she had touched a nerve.
They walked side by side, his gaze lingering on her face. Maybe… being with you right now makes me feel normal.
Unnoticed by either of them, a man with sunglasses watched from a distance. His eyes were fixed on Jin-ho, who hadn't once looked away from Seol Ah. The man raised a hand and pressed a phone to his ear.
"Sajang-nim, she's safe for now…"
*Sajang-nim is a formal way of addressing a boss in the Korean mafia.