With a bitter smile, Jaehong ended the call, and in the distance, a ten-year-old child walking toward the school gate caught his eye.

“Whose child is that? Very good looking.”

Forgetting his worries for a moment, Jaehong warmly waved his hand towards Sunwoo. His only joy amidst work was picking up Sunwoo.

Jaehong glanced through the rearview mirror at Sunwoo’s face, different from usual. His slightly closed eyes, yawning mouth – there was no smile on Kim’s face.

“Did you have trouble sleeping last night?”

“Not really… I stayed up all night reading the anatomy book Grandpa left behind; it was so interesting.”

“An anatomy book?”

“Yes. I want to become an excellent doctor like Grandpa.”

“If the director hears about this, he would be very pleased.”

Possibly due to fatigue, Sunwoo had fallen into a short nap. During the drive to their destination, Jaehong’s phone rang. It was his mother.
Jaehong briefly parked the car on the narrow road. He pressed the call button with a content smile, but as soon as he heard the familiar voice, a chill ran down Jaehong’s spine.

[Kim Jaehong, do you know who I am?]

“Why you…! If you touch even a strand of our mother’s hair—”

[What if I touch her? This brat is crawling up slowly, speaking so nicely.]

In the threatening voice, Jaehong couldn’t say anything, and he swallowed hard.

[Debtor Kim Jaehong, I’ll give you 10 minutes.]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Taekwang’s factory and house weren’t far. Therefore, he always commuted by bicycle.

On the way home, he stopped by the familiar mart to pick out the ingredients for the birthday meal for Eunjae. Thinking of Eunjae’s face, who would like it, a smile naturally appeared.

It was just exchanging greetings on the verge of dawn with a face that had barely fallen asleep. Today, he wanted to be a good father to Eunjae.

On the way back after buying the ingredients, he also bought a box of Cheondo peach that was displayed on the shelf. It was usually Miran’s favorite fruit. A smile didn’t leave Taekwang’s face as he rode his bicycle.

“Taekwang, can we meet today by any chance?”

Jaehong’s voice kept coming to Taekwang’s mind as he headed home. It bothered him because he had sent words of refusal.

Since they lived like family, even after marriage, they often went back and forth. To Taekwang, they were a family who had shown warmth to him, someone who had never felt warmth, more than just acquaintances.

Lately, it seemed like his mother’s dementia symptoms had worsened a lot. The worried look on Jaehong’s face flashed through Taekwang’s mind.

“Shall I stop by just to see his face?”

Wouldn’t he be surprised? Taekwang turned the handlebars of the bicycle with a smile.

It was when Taekwang had almost arrived in front of Jaehong’s house. He saw Jaehong’s figure getting off the car.

“Oh, Jaehong!”

Without hearing Taekwang calling him, Jaehong, as if talking to the burly men standing in front of the car, got into another car parked in front of it.

The men emitted a dark energy. It seemed like they were getting into the car themselves, but Taekwang had a bad feeling. Quickly leaving the bicycle nearby, he grabbed the basket hanging on the handle.

Whatever it was, the car key was in it. Without hesitation, Taekwang got into Jaehong’s car.

It was just when Jaehong was in the middle of chasing the car he had boarded. Feeling like he shouldn’t follow the car that was turning into a more secluded road, he took out his mobile phone.

“This won’t do, I should report it first…”

“Who are you?”

“Oh, you surprised me. You… When were you here?”

Suddenly, a child’s voice from the backseat made Taekwang turn around in surprise. A boy who looked like an elementary school student was looking at Taekwang with hostile eyes.

“Who the heck are you, mister? This car is our grandpa’s.”

“Ah… mister is Jaehong, or Kim Driver, the friend. Now, Kim Driver is going to beat up the bad monsters who took away Grandpa.”
“Monsters? Those only appear in cartoons.”

Recalling the story Jaehong told about spending time with the young master he’s currently serving, Taekwang couldn’t help but smile. The boy seemed smart yet pure, sharp yet full of affection.

Taekwang, still looking at the child with a somewhat stiff expression, couldn’t hide a smile.

“What’s your name?”

“Why should I believe you?”

“Ah, I got the order wrong. I’m Taekwang. Do you know your home address? Your parents might be worried.”

Thinking that the child might be in danger if he got involved in something bad for no reason, Taekwang scanned the surroundings with his eyes, looking for an escape route. The alley was narrow, so he probably had to reverse.

“Kim Driver got caught by monsters, you said? Look ahead. Grandpa said when driving, focus only on driving.”

“Even so… let’s leave the monsters to the police.”

“Tsk. I wanted to see the monsters.”

You said monsters only appear in cartoons. Laughing silently at the child who seemed to regret missing a good sight, Taekwang looked down at the ingredients for the samgyetang placed on the front passenger seat.

“You should go home quickly today too.”

“Why should I go quickly?”

“It’s my daughter’s birthday today. She’s very pretty. Want to see?”

Just thinking of Eunjae made Taekwang’s smile rise naturally. He took out a photo from his wallet and showed it to the child.

“Is she pretty?”

“Well, she’s cute.”

“Not pretty?”

“Cute.”

Taekwang’s mischievous side began to emerge slowly. It was also to relieve the tension of the child who would be surprised.

“Our daughter’s wish is for her to marry into a rich family. Will you fulfill my wish? I was reluctant to send her to just anyone, but if you’re a handsome son-in-law, I’ll consider it.”

“I’ll decline.”

Due to the child’s unchildlike tone, Taekwang couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Where is your home? Let’s go home quickly. Your parents must be worried.”

“I’m Yoon Sunwoo. That’s my name.”

“What a cool name. Thanks for teaching me.”

“Yeah? Is that an honor?”

It was when Taekwang was about to reverse. As he changed gears to reverse, a group similar to the men he had seen in front of Jaehong’s house suddenly approached.

While momentarily distracted by the scene, before he knew it, a hefty hand reached out and lightly tapped on the driver’s side window.

“What are you doing? Why are you following?”

“… ”

“Open the door when spoken to nicely.”

Isn’t this Kim Jaehong’s car? As the men outside raised their voices, the sound of men muttering got louder, and in the sudden situation, all routes were blocked by the well-built men.

“Do you want to see the car get smashed? Get out quickly!”

The men started kicking the car. The surprised child covered his ears.
“Sir, I’m scared.”

“Sorry. If I knew you were here, I wouldn’t have come this far…”

Suddenly, something flashed in Taekwang’s mind. He inserted his finger into the rabbit doll hanging on his waist.

So, this is how it’s used. Just in case, let’s record it.

Reaching out to the back seat, Taekwang tightly held Sunwoo’s hand. Then, he extended his pinky finger and said,

“Whatever happens, I’ll make sure to take you home. Really, I promise.”

When Taekwang’s little finger hooked onto Sunwoo’s, he smiled contentedly.

“Okay, trust only me. Since we made a promise, I’ll definitely keep it. I’m not someone who breaks promises.”

“Yes.”

“Hold my hand tightly, sir.”

Taking a deep breath, Taekwang slowly lowered the driver’s side window.

“I have a child. I’ll take the child home first, and then we can talk. I’ll come right back after dropping the child off. I promise.”

“You’re playing around.”

As the words finished, the back seat window was shattered terrifyingly by a baseball bat. A hand reached through the broken window and opened the car door with a click.

Through the open door, a man peered in, revealing yellowish teeth and a chilling smile.

“Hello, little one.”

“…”

“You, the chauffeur from a rich family, Kim Jaehong, right?”