Song Aram, now a third-year high school Student.
She grew up strong, even though she never had a Mother since she was young.
It wasn’t that she didn’t miss her Mother, but she could still endure it.
Because she had her Father, and they managed to live a fairly happy life together. Sometimes, friends would tease her, calling her the girl without a Mother, but it was only a few of them.
Since it was just a little bit of “teasing,” she didn’t care much about it.
She had several close friends, and her happy days shattered on that day, five years ago.
After that Event, her life turned into hell.
Living became something she just had to endure, not die. Song Aram could no longer feel happiness.
Even when she was with her Father and could feel some positive emotions, it never quite became happiness.
From five years ago, Song Aram gained a new label.
Jinx.
Literally, she was unlucky, and people said bad luck would rub off on anyone who got close…
With that ridiculous talk, her fellow classmates began to distance themselves from Song Aram.
Even the friends she’d always been close with couldn’t help but start drifting away from her.
She didn’t really think it was their fault.
It was just the atmosphere that made things turn out that way.
The mood became: If you stick around Song Aram, you’ll get unlucky too.
She did try to change it.
But, it didn’t work.
She even gathered her courage and told her Teacher, but the answer she got was, “You’re not a little kid anymore, so handle it yourself. If it’s really too hard, the Teacher will help you out (supposedly).”
Well, it was true enough, and she understood.
She was in her third year of middle school, after all—not just a little kid anymore, and the Teacher did say if it got really bad, they’d help.
But on the day when things got truly unbearable and she tried to go for help again, she overheard it.
“That kid probably relies on others so easily because she doesn’t have a Mother,” said the Teacher.
She had no idea what being without a Mother had to do with being too quick to rely on others.
Whatever the case, the fact that the Teacher thought that way was a huge shock to her.
From then on, she stopped trusting adults.
The Police Officer was no different.
Five years ago, on the day of that Event…
If only they had looked into things a little more carefully, they’d have seen it wasn’t just an Accident.
But why did they just wrap it up as an Accident?
Why did they let people call her “the girl without a Mother, the unlucky one”?
Her distrust of adults and Police Officers grew day by day.
No, to be more precise… it was her distrust of the world itself that kept growing.
That’s why Song Aram couldn’t hide her bewilderment when she looked at the man standing before her.
She didn’t know if he’d followed her, or just happened to find her by chance.
He had just appeared out of nowhere, said a few words, and the Students who had tormented her for years ran away.
What… is this…?
“They left so easily? Seriously?”
Those same guys who just laughed off warnings from a high school Teacher and then would punch her in the stomach right after.
Those punks really seemed flustered and backed off.
She could hardly believe what had just happened in front of her eyes…
Whatever the case, it was a fact.
She had no choice but to believe it, and she felt a rush of satisfaction.
But that was only for a moment.
The human brain learns.
Living through repeated situations and actions, Song Aram had learned to survive, and she couldn’t help but feel anxious.
“They’ll just leave me alone today and bully me again tomorrow. Why did I even feel good about this?”
It was going to get worse.
They’d take out their embarrassment and frustration on her for making them back down.
Even knowing that, why did she, foolishly, feel satisfaction?
As she was having those small regrets,
“Um, could we maybe talk over some ice cream?”
The man who had just driven off her bullies spoke to her.
What’s with the sudden ice cream suggestion?
That thought flashed through her mind, and for a moment, she almost shot him a resentful glare.
These miserable days would repeat again, and get even worse.
Did he know that, or not, to speak so casually?
Was he clumsily trying to comfort her… she couldn’t tell.
He had a calm, unreadable face, and Song Aram found that, for some reason, his calmness eased her anxiety a little.
She didn’t really know why.
But somehow, the way he acted as if nothing was a big deal didn’t seem unpleasant.
Normally, she would’ve thought, ‘Ah, as expected, he doesn’t care since it’s not his problem,’ and closed off her heart.
But for some reason,
She thought, Maybe, just maybe, this person is a little better than the others?
Didn’t he say he caught a murderer once?
Then surely, catching some School Violence perpetrators would be easier than catching a murderer.
So maybe, just maybe, he could really fix this.
A faint glimmer of Hope began to rise in her.
Maybe it was false Hope.
But Song Aram decided to cling to it.
People on deserted islands don’t survive because of the island’s resources, but because they Hope for rescue—this thought flashed through her mind.
That man, to Song Aram, was Hope that she could be rescued.
She exhaled deeply and opened her mouth.
“I’ll pass on the ice cream… Just buy me a Coffee.”
Was that a bit arrogant?
She wondered, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he looked pleased as he replied.
“Coffee sounds great. If you know a place that makes it well, let’s go there.”
“Follow me.”
She might not know a place with great Coffee, but she did know a Café where other Students wouldn’t come.
Song Aram nodded and answered,
And so, Song Aram and the man walked side by side, heading to the Café.
***
The Café Song Aram guided him to was in an even more secluded spot than he’d expected.
It was tucked so deep in an alley that he wondered if there could be any customers at all.
But the interior was neat, and it seemed the kind of place tourists might sometimes stumble upon.
Lee Jaehyun quietly looked around the Café, then turned his gaze back to Song Aram.
With a warm Terrace Latte in front of her, Song Aram stared at it for a moment, then exhaled and spoke.
“Excuse me, mister.”
“Yes, Aram Student.”
Lee Jaehyun nodded and answered right away.
No matter what she wanted to say, he was ready to listen.
Song Aram hesitated a moment at Lee Jaehyun’s reply, then continued.
“Ugh, just speak casually to me, please.”
“Should I?”
Song Aram made a face as if she had goosebumps.
In the end, Lee Jaehyun spoke informally.
Maybe he seemed too stiff and formal before?
Or maybe Song Aram just felt awkward being spoken to in honorifics by an adult.
Lee Jaehyun pushed aside the thoughts swirling in his head and focused on Song Aram.
Once he started speaking comfortably, Song Aram finally seemed able to relax and nodded.
“I’m grateful you helped me, but I’m not sure how this will sound. Could you… maybe take care of things smoothly until the end?”
“A/S?”
Lee Jaehyun tilted his head, not understanding right away what she meant by A/S.
Why suddenly bring up A/S, he wondered.
“Yes. Honestly, I’m still scared. You rescued me, so could you take care of the rest, too?”
Song Aram made her request in a trembling voice.
Though she spoke as if boldly demanding help since he’d saved her, her voice was shaking ever so slightly.
Lee Jaehyun immediately understood that, for her, asking this favor of a stranger was less scary than continuing to suffer School Violence.
He instantly grasped what she meant by “A/S”—take care of things thoroughly, not just once.
And, of course, it was something he had to do.
School Violence isn’t solved by stopping it just once.
That’s what makes School Violence so terrifying.
If you try to end it carelessly, it often gets worse.
He knew that but still intervened—and, having stepped in, was prepared to take responsibility.
If the Police Officer doesn’t let go until the end, School Violence can always be resolved.
The reason it isn’t solved is because people give up halfway.
Whatever the situation, if you don’t give up, you can solve it.
With that conviction, Lee Jaehyun nodded and spoke.
“I’m not actually in charge of this Territory, but I’ll take responsibility and handle the A/S. If anything happens, call me anytime. If it’s nothing major, I’ll be here in 30 or 40 minutes.”
“Territory? If you’re not in charge here, why did you come all the way here?”
At Lee Jaehyun’s steady voice, Song Aram slowly nodded and then asked curiously.
Lee Jaehyun was grateful for her question.
He’d been wondering how to bring it up, but she asked first, so he couldn’t help but be thankful.
“I was investigating the Incident Five Years Ago.”
“Five years ago—do you mean that fall Accident?”
At the mention of the Event from five years ago, Song Aram flinched and asked.
Given everything she’d suffered, he understood her reaction.
He wanted to be more considerate, but to catch Park Chunbeom, Lee Jaehyun needed Song Aram’s help.
He met her eyes and continued.
“Yeah. About that Event… I think there might be a part you could help with.”
As he spoke, the Thread of Destiny on Lee Jaehyun’s pinky continued to wave, making its presence known.
Song Aram bowed her head at his words and stared silently at the Latte in front of her.
The Thread of Destiny connecting her to him gently swayed, then suddenly stopped moving, straightened, and grew even clearer.
And then.
Song Aram slowly lifted her head and opened her mouth.
“There’s a condition.”
“Whatever it is, tell me.”
Lee Jaehyun was willing to accept anything he could do.
Sensing that, Song Aram stated her condition.
“Please make sure nothing bad happens to my Father’s shop.”
“I’ll do my best. I promise.”
Lee Jaehyun answered with sincerity.
Song Aram stared at him for a long time, then finally, hesitantly, spoke.
“So, it’s like this…”
The truth of that day began to be revealed through Song Aram’s lips.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.