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Chapter 19

After watching Ja-young fall asleep, the two sat across from each other in the café on the hospital's basement level.

"What happened to your face... those scars?"

Hae-ju asked with a face as worried as Ja-young's had been.

"It's nothing."

Seok-eon averted his gaze and pulled an envelope from his inner pocket, sliding it across the table. It seemed quite thick, and Hae-ju asked with a worried look, "...What is this?"

"We should be able to resolve the provisional seizure issue first."

"What? How did you—?"

She had thought his words about handling it himself were a kind of self-hypnosis. She hadn't expected him to resolve things so quickly.

In disbelief, Hae-ju stared at Seok-eon with a bewildered face. Seeing her uneasy expression, he spoke casually, "I scraped together funds from various places for now. And fortunately, thanks to someone I know, I've been able to find work. So I won't be able to come home often for a while."

"You're involved in something, aren't you? How could you get this much money in one day? Don't tell me you're like Kim Kyu-hong now..."

Meeting her flustered gaze with composure, Seok-eon shook his head. "Now's not the time to be picky. We have to deal with the immediate problems first. So I'm leaving Mom in your care. I don't want to admit it, but according to her, we're family after all."

"Lee Seok-eon..."

She wanted to ask what he was doing, but his face carried a depth that suggested she shouldn't ask further.

"I know what you're worried about. But I'm me. Lee Seok-eon, the most stubborn guy in Songeun-dong. You know that, right?"

As always, his confident expression was familiar. He had nothing, yet he seemed to possess so much. It felt as though no weight in the world could crush him.

"I'll head out first. Being a rookie means I have to run around like crazy. Please give my regards to Mom."

At his words, Hae-ju swallowed. She didn't need to ask how much courage it had taken for him to say this.

"Lee Seok-eon!"

She called him back as he was about to leave, saying he was in a hurry. He turned his head to meet her gaze. She, too, was at a loss, but still she wanted to give him some reassurance. She wanted to be someone who could be a source of strength to him, even in a small way.

"Take care of yourself."

She decided not to make a long farewell. Short, bright, and simple—so that your steps as you turn away wouldn't feel heavy.

"Yeah."

At her farewell, Seok-eon gave a light smile and turned. Hae-ju raised her hand slightly in her own private goodbye.

After seeing him off, Hae-ju returned to the hospital room. Ja-young had woken and was gazing out the window. As Hae-ju approached, Ja-young, who had been gloomy until now, greeted her with a gentle smile.

"Where's Seok-eon?"

"He said he's going to help someone he knows with some work, so he'll be busy for a while."

At Hae-ju's words, Ja-young's expression darkened. Her son, who hadn't even graduated yet, was already throwing himself into the harsh realities of life because of her—the worry was plain in her eyes.

"Don't make that face. You promised Seok-eon—you said you'd go through with the chemotherapy."

At that, Ja-young slowly nodded. Hae-ju was relieved to see Ja-young willingly accept Seok-eon's persuasion.

"But do you think it'll be hard for him to start training again? I wish he would..."

Hae-ju was curious too, but Seok-eon hadn't shared much. As she sat across from the bed, Ja-young reached for her hand, as if she had been waiting. Seeing the deep wrinkles on her hand made Hae-ju's heart sink. She gently held Ja-young's trembling hand in return.

"Seok-eon will do well. You know that, don't you?"

Ja-young's apologetic eyes grew wet.

"I'm sorry... Hae-ju. I'm truly sorry. I can only be a selfish person."

Hae-ju calmly met Ja-young's gaze. This was something she had known all along. Without words, she could feel Ja-young's heart—that she felt deeply sorry. Even without saying it, Hae-ju already knew.

"If you were selfish, Auntie, I wouldn't be here."

Just having met Ja-young was enough fortune and blessing for her. For the first time in a long while, the two smiled at each other.

---

Seok-eon got off the intercity bus at the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province and looked around the desolate plains with bewilderment. Only scattered logistics and materials warehouses were visible.

Carrying only a small bag, he walked toward the location indicated on his map app. After walking for some time, he spotted a warehouse building tucked away in a rather secluded spot.

A shabby sign hung on the warehouse, surrounded by a chain-link fence, reading [JC Fight Gym Training Center]. Inside the fence, five or six men were gathered around a campfire, chatting and smoking.

Grrr— A huge German Shepherd tied with a leash began barking sharply at Seok-eon, who stood outside. The group by the fire turned their heads.

Despite the dog's fierce barking, Seok-eon pushed open the fence and stepped inside. Everyone stared at him with wary eyes. Under their hostile gazes, he took another step forward.

"Who are you?"

A man with a sharp, lean appearance—seemingly around his age—approached and asked. Another man was calming the agitated shepherd.

"My name is Lee Seok-eon."

"Lee Seok-eon?"

Just then, a group of men emerged from the warehouse building. Among them, a man who appeared to be the leader approached Seok-eon while still on the phone.

"Yes, understood. Chairman."

The man ended his call and looked the newcomer up and down. "So you're Kyu-hong's replacement."

Seok-eon gave a slight nod toward the man who was scrutinizing him with narrowed eyes. The somewhat impolite attitude drew murmurs from the onlookers. But the man readily extended his hand.

"Welcome. I'm Kwak Hoon-jeong."

Seok-eon shook his hand. After the brief handshake, Hoon-jeong turned and walked away, and the others followed. Left alone, Seok-eon adjusted his bag strap and followed them.

Inside the large warehouse, a wide but shabby gym came into view. A square boxing ring and various exercise equipment filled most of the space. As he silently looked around, Hoon-jeong turned.

"This is the training room. The building in the back is the dormitory. Put your things there and rest for now. Eun-woo will introduce you to the dorm."

After giving a slight bow, Seok-eon looked around and felt dozens of eyes watching him. Just then, a boy who had been observing him carefully approached. A bluish bruise on his left cheekbone was particularly noticeable.

"Follow me."

Seok-eon followed him into the dormitory building behind the gym. Inside, about twenty iron beds were scattered around.

"This is your personal locker."

Each person was assigned one locker, the only wardrobe they had. The iron bed beside it was narrow—barely enough for one person to lie down.

"I heard you were a taekwondo national team reserve?"

The boy asked with curiosity shining in his eyes, as if he had heard something about him. Seok-eon slowly nodded.

"So how did you end up here?"

Despite the sudden question, Seok-eon didn't answer. At his dismissive snort, the boy abruptly extended his hand.

"I'm Lee Eun-woo. Been here two years. I came from an orphanage with nowhere else to go—lucky to be taken in here."

Seok-eon looked down at Eun-woo's extended hand and shook it casually.

"...What do you usually do here? It doesn't seem like just training."

Eun-woo's eyes sparkled with interest as he sat on Seok-eon's bed. "Oh, your low voice is sexy. Bet you've made plenty of girls swoon."

His overly familiar behavior felt awkward. Seok-eon turned away and began putting his gym clothes into the locker one by one. The boy, who had taken an interest in him, cheerfully explained on his own.

"This is a training center for Jacheong faction's enforcers disguised as a mixed martial arts gym. There are several others, but this one's the toughest—it's close to the port and all."

"Really?"

"Kim Kyu-hong was scouted for the same reason—he was great at fighting. Even though he's washed up now, everyone here is a step below him. The selection process is definitely different."

Eun-woo raised his guard in front of Seok-eon and demonstrated a punching stance.

"I worked hard for a while, caught the Chairman's eye, and even competed in the third-tier MMA league. Of course, my glass shoulder put an end to that."

"..."

As Seok-eon listened in silence, Eun-woo eventually seemed to lose interest, sighed, and lowered his guard. Recalling Kyu-hong's final state, Seok-eon took off his hoodie to change into training clothes.

His well-defined six-pack clearly revealed that he had been an athlete who had built up his skill over time.

"Whoa—!"

Eun-woo exclaimed in admiration and stared at Seok-eon as if fascinated. At his unexpected reaction, Seok-eon frowned.

"Are you going to keep staring?"

At his annoyed retort, Eun-woo looked embarrassed and grumbled with his arms crossed. "You sure know how to make people uncomfortable. Everyone's usually cowed when they first come here. And you just nodded at the master—you're going to be interesting to watch. Not that I mind—boring is worse than fun."

"..."

At Seok-eon's silent glance, Eun-woo smiled brightly again. "And as for what exactly we do here—you'll find out for yourself."

Bang bang bang— Suddenly, the urgent sound of someone beating an empty drum echoed from somewhere. The noise that shook the quiet warehouse instantly put everyone on edge.

"Hah, shit—looks like another deployment. Hey! You too, get out here fast!"

Eun-woo cursed and ran outside. At the commotion, Seok-eon turned his head toward the window.

Two black vans had pulled into the yard, and the men who had been there were boarding them. Grasping the situation, Seok-eon grabbed his coat and rushed outside.

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