The Han family store carried a different kind of energy that morning, one that had nothing to do with cultivation or hidden dangers. It was lighter, almost suffocating in its normalcy, and somehow that made it feel just as tense in its own way.
Min-Jun stood in front of the small mirror behind the counter, adjusting his hair for what had to be the fifth time in ten minutes. He leaned closer, frowned, fixed a strand, leaned back again, then immediately leaned forward like something had gone terribly wrong.
"…Does this look okay?" he asked.
"No," Seo-Yeon replied instantly, not even looking up from the snacks she was arranging.
Min-Jun froze. "…Eh?!"
She finally glanced at him, unimpressed. "You've been fixing it for ten minutes. It still looks the same."
"That's because you don't understand style," he shot back defensively, quickly turning to the mirror again. "This is called refinement."
"Refinement?" Seo-Yeon scoffed. "You look like you're fighting your own hair and losing."
Behind the counter, Han Dae-Sung let out a low chuckle, clearly enjoying himself. "Ah… youth. This reminds me of when I was your age."
Min-Jun turned immediately. "ahh! Don't disgust us with your boring love stories."
Seo-Yeon smirked. "At least he's not the one panicking"
Min-Jun clicked his tongue, turning back to the mirror again, muttering under his breath. "…It has to be perfect."
That was when the bell rang.
It wasn't loud.
But somehow, it felt like everything paused.
The door opened, and she stepped in, Min-Jun didn't move. For a moment, he forgot how.
She wasn't the type that demanded attention with boldness or presence. There was no dramatic entrance, no overwhelming aura. And yet, the moment she walked in, the space felt… different.
Her long dark hair rested naturally over her shoulders, moving gently as she walked. Her eyes were soft, carrying a quiet warmth that made her presence feel approachable.
Min-Jun's brain completely shut down. "Uh… uh… h-hi!" he blurted, nearly tripping over his own feet as he rushed forward.
Seo-Yeon immediately covered her face. "…This idiot."
The girl tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a small smile. "Hi, Min-Jun."
"She knows my name." he shouted almost instinctively.
"I—I mean—yeah! Of course you know my name! Haha! That's normal! Totally normal!" he said too quickly, words crashing into each other.
She blinked once, then laughed softly. "…You're acting weird."
"I AM?!" he said, voice rising in panic.
Han Dae-Sung turned away completely this time, trying not to laugh.
The girl stepped a little closer to the counter, still smiling. "My name is Yoo Seorin. I was Min-Jun seat buddy back in elementary school."
"He probably doesn't remember," she added gently.
"I REMEMBER!" he shouted immediately. "…I mean..yeah. Of course. Totally remember."
Seo-Yeon leaned against the counter slightly, whispering just loud enough, "He definitely doesn't."
Seorin laughed again, clearly amused. "You've changed a lot."
Min-Jun scratched the back of his head awkwardly, trying to regain some form of dignity. "Really? You too! I mean—you've changed in a good way! Like—uh!"
"…Thank you?" she replied, clearly unsure how to take that.
Seo-Yeon still leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, couldn't help herself. "So what brought you back to Guro?" she asked casually, though her eyes were sparkled with curiosity.
"My uncle lives here," Seorin replied smoothly, "so I came to spend some time with him and his family."
Min-Jun in a rare display of decisiveness reached out and gently took her hand. "And I ran into her at the supermarket and collected her number yada yada, let's go, bye." slightly dragging Seorin outside the store.
From inside the store, Seo-Yeon's voice called after them, teasing but firm. "Don't come home late!"
Min-Jun froze for a split second, his eyes darting back. "Uh… yeah! I won't!" he yelled, waving awkwardly over his shoulder.
***
Far from the city, where noise and distraction could not reach, the air carried a different weight.
A mountain temple stood in silence, its stone paths worn by time, its structures untouched by the chaos of the modern world. The wind moved gently through the trees, carrying with it the faint scent of earth and aged wood.
A lone monk swept the ground slowly.
The soft scraping of the broom against stone echoed quietly in the empty courtyard.
Then, there comes the footsteps.
The monk did not stop. "You shouldn't be here," he said calmly.
Li Shan stepped into the courtyard, his presence disrupting the stillness. His robes shifted with his movement. "I need your help." He said.
The broom stopped.
Silence stretched between them.
"…Wudang seeking help from Shaolin," the monk said after a moment, still not turning. "That alone tells me this is serious."
Li Shan's eyes darkened slightly. "It is."
The monk resumed sweeping, as if the conversation held no urgency. "Then speak."
"There is a man, he goes by the name Jin Tae-Hyuk," Li Shan said, his voice low. "I don't know much about him."
That made the monk stopped again this time slowly turning it Li Shan.
"His face was calm and composed, and he seems to be hiding something, I sent some people after him, but he killed them all." Li Shan continued.
"…And you want him removed," the monk said.
"Yes."
The word came without hesitation.
The monk studied him for a long moment. "This is not the way of Shaolin."
Li Shan stepped forward, closing the distance slightly. "Don't pretend you still follow those teachings."
A brief moment of silence followed, the wind passed through the courtyard, shifting loose leaves across the stone.
Then.... the monk smiled. Not a warm or kind smile, but the smile that hides mischief. "…You always were sharp, Li Shan." he replied.
He rested the broom aside, reaching for the staff leaning nearby. His grip was loose, casual, but there was weight behind it. "Tell me what you know about this man."
Li Shan didn't waste time.
"He is not part of any sect," he began. "No recorded history. And yet… he defeated me."
That made the monk's gaze sharpen. "Defeated you?" he repeated.
"Yes."
"How?"
Li Shan's jaw tightened slightly. "…I don't know. His Qi… is very strange, and he didn't use any technique that I know off."
The monk tilted his head slightly. "And he is not a part of any sect."
"I do not believe that," Li Shan replied. "But I cannot find proof otherwise, but I think he has ties with that viper, Hwa-Ryun."
"Hmm."
The monk tapped his staff lightly against the ground. "And you want me to intervene?"
"I want him gone. He might ruin our plans if we leave him be."
Silence followed but longer this time.
The monk walked slowly across the courtyard, circling slightly as he thought. "You understand what you're asking."
"I do."
"If word spreads that monks of Shaolin are taking contracts…" the monk continued, "…it will shake the balance."
Li Shan's gaze hardened. "The balance is already shifting."
That made the monk pause.
"…How so?"
"It seems you don't know what's going on in the city. " Li Shan said. "The Demonic cult is active again. Independent fighters are appearing. And now this man…"
His voice lowered.
"…he is a variable."
The monk looked at him carefully. "Or an opportunity."
Li Shan's expression darkened. "He is a threat."
"That depends," the monk said calmly. "On whether he stands alone… or not."
Li Shan said nothing.
The monk continued, "If what you say is true, then this man is not something that appeared by accident. Power like that… always have a source."
"And if it doesn't?" Li Shan asked.
The monk's smile returned, "then we find out why."
Another silence followed.
"…I will observe him first," the monk said finally.
Li Shan frowned slightly. "Observe?"
"I will not act blindly," the monk replied. "If he is what you claim, then sending the wrong people is a waste of time and resources."
Li Shan considered that.
"…Fine."
The monk's grip on his staff tightened slightly. "But don't worry, if he becomes a threat to the balance… I will personally send him to his grave."
Li Shan turned, already preparing to leave. "Make sure you do."
As he walked away, the monk's gaze followed him, then shifted toward the world below the mountain.
"…Jin Tae-Hyuk," he murmured quietly.
His expression didn't change.
But the air around him felt heavier.
"Let's see what kind of man you are."