Chapter 02
“Who? Oh, the guy from the convenience store?”
At the sound of Shin-young’s mom’s question, the man scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Uncle!”
Yumin shouted, recognizing the man. It was Jin-chul, the son of the convenience store owner where Seol-ah worked.
Today, dressed in a suit for an interview, he had been walking back home when he noticed a commotion near the playground.
He saw Yumin and a woman shouting at him, which startled him enough to approach. However, Jin-chul, being naturally shy and introverted, hesitated under Shin-young’s mom’s sharp gaze.
“You’re Yumin’s uncle?”
Shin-young’s mom glared at him suspiciously.
“Then can you explain what’s going on here? Yumin hit my kid!”
“Uh, Yumin doesn’t usually hit people like that…” Jin-chul stammered, struggling to respond.
“What do you mean ‘doesn’t usually’? My child’s been hit, and you think that’s okay? Violence isn’t something we can just brush off!”
Seeing an opportunity, Shin-young’s mom started ranting even louder, overwhelming Jin-chul, who could only nod and apologize.
Just then.
“What’s going on here?”
A man in a suit, quite different from Jin-chul, approached. His sharp features and piercing gaze gave off an intimidating and commanding presence that quieted the scene instantly.
“Who are you now? Not another uncle, maybe the stepdad?” Shin-young’s mom mocked, trying to gauge the new man’s role.
But unlike Jin-chul, this man didn’t flinch or act awkward. He looked directly at Shin-young’s mom with an unyielding expression.
“What happened here with Yumin?” he asked.
Even Yumin stared at the man in surprise. Jin-chul, who knew who this was, felt even more uncertain.
Why did this man sound as if he knew everything?
“Ha! Yumin hit my kid, that’s what happened. With his fist, no less!”
“And?”
The man, Seung-jun, turned his sharp gaze toward Shin-young’s mom. “You’ve already decided it was entirely Yumin’s fault without hearing his side of the story, haven’t you?”
“Well, hitting people is wrong, isn’t it? You’re saying I should just let it go?”
Shin-young’s mom shouted back defensively, but Seung-jun smirked slightly.
“It’s not good, no. But shouldn’t you at least ask why it happened first before jumping to conclusions? That’s the proper way to handle things.”
The atmosphere tensed.
Even the other bystanders seemed taken aback by the man’s commanding tone.
“And who are you to interfere in our business like this?” Shin-young’s mom yelled.
“Does it matter who I am?” Seung-jun replied coldly. “Any adult with a sense of responsibility would step in if they saw another adult handling a child so harshly.”
“Unbelievable. Just mind your own business!” Shin-young’s mom snapped.
Seung-jun calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out several tickets.
“These are VIP tickets to Gold Land. They include parade viewing privileges, ride priority, and special gifts upon exit.”
“Gold Land! Mom, let’s go to Gold Land!” Shin-young exclaimed, tugging on her mom’s sleeve excitedly.
Gold Land was a members-only theme park, accessible only to VIPs with a JK card. It wasn’t a place just anyone could enter.
Seeing her daughter’s excitement, Shin-young’s mom hesitated.
Seung-jun pressed the tickets into her hand.
“Take them. And next time, remember that other people’s children are just as precious as your own. We all share this world, after all.”
Shin-young’s mom flushed with embarrassment but couldn’t refuse the tickets, especially with her daughter beaming beside her.
“Wow, it’s real gold foil! This is amazing!” Shin-young squealed, clutching the tickets.
The dynamic of the confrontation had shifted completely.
It was clear who held the power now. Victory didn’t go to the loudest voice but to the one who held the most influence. And in this moment, that was Seung-jun.
Shin-young’s mom gave up and hurried away, dragging her daughter behind her. Yumin, still cautious, looked up at Seung-jun.
“Who are you?” he asked.
Seung-jun gazed at the boy, his eyes filled with a mix of emotions.
Later that evening, Seol-ah was finishing her work at the office when her supervisor dropped a stack of documents onto her desk.
“Finish this by tomorrow morning.”
The person standing there was Hee-sun, the CEO’s daughter, who had joined the small company through nepotism.
Seol-ah worked at a small food company called “Woudan Foods.” As a single mom, she had chosen this job for its flexibility, but the reality was becoming overwhelming. Tasks were piling up, and promises of a work-life balance seemed distant.
Looking at the stack of documents, Seol-ah realized they were for an important project submission to JK Foods. It was an opportunity for Woudan Foods to get their products marketed by the larger company.
“All of this?” Seol-ah asked hesitantly.
“It’ll only take an hour or two. I’ve already done most of the work. I’ll buy you coffee tomorrow,” Hee-sun replied dismissively.
But Seol-ah knew better. The last time this had happened, she’d stayed until midnight, only to return home and find her son crying himself to sleep.
“I can’t do it,” Seol-ah said firmly, returning the documents.
Hee-sun stared at her in shock. No one had ever refused her.
“What? Don’t you want to keep this job?” she sneered.
Taking a deep breath, Seol-ah stood her ground.
“I do want to keep this job. That’s why I’m telling you no. If you want to stay here long-term, you should stop dumping your work on others.”
This boldness startled Hee-sun and even Seol-ah herself.
She had never spoken up like this before.
“What’s going on here?” Another voice interrupted—it was Director Kang, a higher-up in the company and an ally of Hee-sun.
Director Kang scolded Seol-ah harshly, blaming her for disruptions in the workplace and even bringing up her struggles as a single mother.
But this time, Seol-ah refused to stay silent.
“Director Kang, do you think I don’t know what happens if I push back? Go ahead and test me. If you keep using my child as leverage, I’ll wipe every report off my computer, and we’ll see how you handle the consequences.”
Shocked and cornered, Director Kang retreated, scolding Hee-sun on his way out.
For the first time, Seol-ah felt a sense of power and control.
It wasn’t easy, but her resolve to protect her child gave her strength.
As she left work and checked in with the person watching her son, she heard unexpected news.
“Yumin is with the guy from the convenience store,” her friend said.
Seol-ah called Jin-chul to check on her son, but the voice on the other end wasn’t his.
“Where are you?”
It was Seung-jun. Hearing his voice, Seol-ah froze, her face turning pale.
