“That, what do you mean...?”

    “It’s true.”

    Su-ho handed a document he had prepared to Yoon Hyun-hee.

    The document confirmed that Yoon Hyun-chul was serving time at Cheong-ok Penitentiary. As she took the paper, Yoon Hyun-hee’s hands trembled as if an earthquake had struck her world.

    “It seems like you didn’t know anything about your brother’s current situation.”

    “...Yes.”

    “There’s a story behind this. I’m not sure how you’ll take it.”

    “A story?”

    “Yes, a story.”

    Su-ho retrieved another document from his inventory, one he had prepared in advance.

    It was the case file detailing the murder committed by Yoon Hyun-chul. As Su-ho presented it, he began explaining why Yoon Hyun-chul had been driven to kill.@@@@

    “...”

    Yoon Hyun-hee listened intently to Su-ho’s words.

    At the same time, she examined the documents he brought.

    She was clearly shaken.

    And understandably so.

    After more than a decade of not hearing a word about her brother, the first news she received was this—it would shake anyone to their core.

    But that was precisely why Su-ho didn’t evade the subject.

    Instead, he chose to confront it head-on.

    “Hyun-chul asked me to keep it a secret, but that’s too naive.”

    Yoon Hyun-hee wasn’t a fool.

    Nor was she the kind of person who would live as though her brother didn’t exist.

    Even if Su-ho tried to help covertly, as her situation improved, she would inevitably begin searching for information about him. When she eventually learned the whole truth, the shock could be unbearable. It was better to be upfront.

    Of course, this was Su-ho’s perspective.

    He believed this approach was the best course of action.

    In the unlikely event that Hyun-hee displayed a negative reaction or even hatred toward her brother over this, Su-ho was prepared to deal with that as well.

    He had contingencies in place.

    After all, Su-ho genuinely wanted everyone connected to him to find happiness.

    At last, Su-ho finished his explanation.

    “...”

    Yoon Hyun-hee remained silent.

    Su-ho quietly waited for her to speak first.

    She sat there, staring blankly at some point between the air and the file in her hands.

    After a long silence, she finally spoke.

    “...Hic.”

    It began with a sob.

    “Hic, sob...”

    Tears.

    After sitting in stunned silence, she suddenly began to cry.

    Su-ho reached into his coat and pulled out a handkerchief, offering it to her.

    It was a handkerchief he had received from Pi Seong-yeol.

    Hyun-hee took it and wiped her tears for a while. Her red, swollen nose quivered as she spoke.

    “How hard it must have been for my brother.”

    The moment she uttered those words, Su-ho felt a wave of relief.

    It was fortunate.

    That she was a good person.

    That she didn’t resent or blame her brother.

    She continued to speak.

    “My poor brother... My truly poor brother...”

    She cried for quite a while.

    Until the handkerchief Su-ho had handed her was soaked through.

    Su-ho waited quietly for her to process her sadness on her own.

    Finally, when her tears began to subside, she spoke again.

    “...I’m sorry. I cried so much by myself.”

    “No need to apologize. I completely understand. And I should be thanking you—for understanding the pain of Yoon Hyun-chul.”

    “Yes?”

    “What if he promises to change?”

    Promises to change.

    Su-ho smirked and said.

    “Maybe he can. People do talk about being reborn. But as I said earlier, most people don’t change easily. Let me go find out for sure—about the truth behind the feelings you’re struggling with.”

    With those words, Su-ho left the cafe?.

    After he departed, Hyun-hee stared blankly at her now-cold drink.

    In the reflection of the cold drink, another version of her stared back.

    ***

    Su-ho got into a taxi and headed to another location.

    The destination was a run-down commercial building with no signboards. When he reached the second floor, he was met with an old iron door.

    Su-ho raised his head to look at a CCTV camera mounted near the ceiling.

    He pulled out some cash from his inventory and waved it in front of the camera.

    With a click, the door unlocked.

    As the door opened, a cacophony of noise spilled out.

    Thick cigarette smoke.

    And cutting through it, curses and the sound of tables being slammed.

    It was a gambling den.

    As Su-ho stepped inside, a heavily tattooed man, who appeared to be a staff member, approached him.

    “Here to play?” he asked.

    “Sure, but first, I need to find someone,” Su-ho replied.

    “Why are you looking for someone?”

    “I’ve got some business to take care of. Don’t worry, I won’t disrupt the atmosphere. I’ll just talk and leave quietly. So, where can I find a man named Lee Dal-won?”

    Su-ho handed the man a few bills as he spoke. The tattooed man smirked, pocketed the money, and glanced around.

    Finally, he pointed to a man sitting in a corner playing cards.

    “That guy in the black cap. That’s Lee Dal-won.”

    Su-ho walked toward the direction the man had indicated.

    There sat a man playing cards, his hollowed eyes staring blankly ahead.

    It was Lee Dal-won.

    “Yep, that’s him,” Su-ho murmured to himself.

    The man’s appearance matched the photo perfectly.

    When the stranger called his name, Lee Dal-won looked up with sunken eyes and saw Su-ho. Without waiting for an invitation, Su-ho took the seat next to him.

    “You’re Lee Dal-won, right? I’m here on behalf of On-gang Cash. Can we have a quick chat?”

    “...I already told your boss I’d pay last month’s interest along with this month’s,” Dal-won replied.

    “I know. But the boss wanted me to ask you something.”

    “What’s that?”

    “There’s someone among the boss’s acquaintances who seems to have a favorable impression of your wife. He asked if you’d consider introducing her in exchange for waiving three months of interest.”

    At that moment, Dal-won stopped dealing the cards and looked at Su-ho with slightly widened eyes.

    “...What did you say?”

    “If you find it offensive, you can refuse.”

    “...Ha.”

    Dal-won let out a hollow laugh.

    He spat into an ashtray before sighing deeply. Then, he looked back at Su-ho and said,

    “Six months.”

    “Sorry?”

    “If you waive six months of interest, I’ll make the introduction.”

    “Six months, huh.”

    Hearing this, Su-ho chuckled.

    “Haha, thank you.”

    “For what?”

    “I was just worried for a moment. What if you turned out to be a decent person?”

    “Excuse me?”

    At that instant—

    Bang!

    Su-ho smashed Dal-won’s head into the ashtray on the table.