Ran entered the house carrying bags full of vegetables.
The usual calm smile was on his face.
Suddenly, the door behind him slammed open.
BANG!
Ami stormed inside angrily.
She was holding a baseball bat in her hand.
Her eyes were literally burning with rage.
“RAAAANNNNN!!”
Ran turned around…
…and the vegetable bag almost slipped from his hands.
“Oh crap…”
Ami charged toward him at full speed.
“Today I’m going to smash your head!!”
Ran instantly ran toward the kitchen.
“Mom, save me!!
She’s gone psycho!!”
Ami chased after him.
“Because of you, I got expelled from school!!”
Ran was running around the dining table in circles while Ami chased him with the bat.
Mom stepped in between them and stopped Ami.
“Wait!
Can someone first explain what happened?!”
Ami angrily threw the bat down.
“This idiot beat up some bully students at school!”
Ran quietly spoke—
“They were bullying other kids first—”
“SHUT UP!!”
Ami pointed at him again.
“Then he went into the principal’s office and started giving him lectures!”
Ran proudly puffed his chest.
“I was only speaking the truth.”
Ami glared at him.
“And then he brought up sis’s name!
After that, the principal expelled me!”
The room suddenly fell silent.
Mom slowly looked toward Ran.
“Is all of this true?”
Ran stayed quiet for a few seconds…
Then he slowly explained everything.
How those students were bullying others.
How the teachers ignored it.
How he simply tried to stop something wrong.
After hearing everything, Mom let out a deep sigh.
“Ran…”
“The people in that school belong to very powerful families…”
“People like us shouldn’t fight against them.”
“If they target us… our lives will become difficult.”
Silence filled the room again.
Then Ran smiled lightly.
And with complete confidence, he said—
“As long as I’m here…”
“No one can even touch you guys.”
Ami looked at him.
Just moments ago, he was acting like a complete clown…
But now, there was a completely different seriousness in his eyes.
Everyone was about to eat dinner when Dad suddenly called out—
“Ran… come upstairs.”
Cool wind was blowing on the rooftop.
Dad was sitting there with two glasses and a bottle.
Ran smiled faintly.
“So you’re going to make me drink and then say emotional things?”
For the first time, Dad laughed a little.
“You understand me way too quickly.”
Both of them sat down.
For a while, there was only silence.
Then Dad took a sip and spoke—
“I can’t say these things to you without drinking.”
Ran quietly listened.
Dad stared at the sky as he spoke—
“You shouldn’t pick fights with those school kids… or with anyone in Seoul.”
“This city looks bright from the outside…”
“But inside, it’s filthy.”
Then he slowly began talking about the past.
His voice started becoming heavier.
“When I first met you…”
“I hated you.”
Ran’s eyes widened slightly.
Dad laughed… but his eyes were wet.
“My daughter… my princess…”
“I wanted her to marry someone from a rich family…”
“A boy with a respected surname…”
“But she…”
“She didn’t care about your family, money, or status…”
“She simply married you.”
His voice began trembling.
“That day, I felt like she had taken away my pride…”
“So I threw both of you out of the house.”
“I even stopped talking to you.”
Ran quietly kept listening.
Tears slowly rolled down Dad’s face.
“But…”
“When the news of her death came…”
“Everyone blamed you…”
“Everyone insulted you…”
“And even then, you never said anything back.”
“Even after all that…”
“You still held this broken family together.”
“You never abandoned us.”
His voice completely shook now.
“That’s when I realized for the first time…”
“My daughter didn’t choose the wrong man.”
Ran’s eyes became slightly teary as well.
Dad smiled while crying.
“When she was pregnant…”
“One day she secretly came home.”
“She told me—”
His voice stopped for a moment.
‘Dad… the way I love him…’
‘He loves me and all of you just as much.’
Near the stairs downstairs…
Mom and Ami were standing there, secretly listening.
Both of their eyes were filled with tears.
Dad cried as he spoke—
“I was a terrible father…”
Ran immediately held his hand.
Then softly said—
“Do you know what Aiko’s last wish was?”
Dad looked toward him.
Ran smiled gently.
“That I take care of all of you…”
“And keep this family happy forever.”
“So please let go of the past.”
“We’re all together now… and that’s enough.”
For a few seconds, only the sound of the wind could be heard.
Then suddenly, Dad hugged Ran tightly.
Downstairs, Mom smiled while crying.
And Ami quietly muttered—
“Idiot…”
“You always make everyone emotional.”
A little later, Ran held Dad’s hand and brought him downstairs.
For the first time in a long while, the entire family was laughing together openly at the dining table.
Dad no longer looked awkward.
He was joking with Ami…
Teasing Mom…
And Ran silently watched everyone with a smile.
Maybe…
After a very long time, this house finally felt like a home again.
Ran stood alone on the balcony, looking at Seoul’s glowing night skyline.
The cold wind gently moved his hair.
The sounds of cars echoed from the streets below…
But there was a strange peace on his face.
A phone was in his hand.
For a few seconds, he quietly stared at the screen…
Then slowly dialed a number.
The call was picked up immediately.
“Hello, JYP School principal speaking.”
Ran’s eyes stayed fixed on the city lights.
“This is Ran.”
A few seconds of silence followed.
Then the principal’s voice became colder.
“Oh… so it’s you.”
“What do you want?”
Ran calmly replied—
“I just want to know…”
“How exactly did you expel Ami from school?”
The principal immediately sounded irritated.
“Because of you, there was chaos in the school!”
“You beat students, disrespected me—”
Ran interrupted him.
“I only stopped something wrong.”
The principal almost shouted angrily—
“People like you should stay in your place!”
“This is Seoul!
Connections matter here!”
Ran smiled faintly.
“Oh…”
“So you’re talking about connections?”
The principal replied irritably—
“Listen, kid, don’t threaten me or else—”
Without changing his expression, Ran said—
“Sir… maybe you should check your messages first.”
The principal suddenly went silent.
At that moment, his phone received a video.
He casually opened it…
But the next second, his face turned pale.
In the video, he himself was inside a hotel room with another woman.
His hands started trembling.
“W-Where did you get this from…?”
Ran held the balcony railing as he quietly spoke—
“That’s not important.”
“What’s important is…”
His voice became colder than before.
“If Ami doesn’t go back to school tomorrow morning…”
“The first person receiving this video will be your wife.”
The principal’s breathing became heavy.
Ran continued—
“After that…”
“The whole of Seoul can watch it too.”
The atmosphere suddenly became terrifyingly heavy.
The principal hurriedly spoke—
“No!
Wait!”
“I-I’ll call her back!”
“Just don’t send that video to anyone!”
Ran stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then lightly laughed.
“Good decision, sir.”
And without listening further, he cut the call.
The cold wind once again filled the balcony.
Ran slowly looked up at the sky.
“Problem solved.” 😁
SPECIAL SCENE
In the darkness of the night…
A black luxury car was speeding away from Seoul city.
The road was completely deserted.
Only the headlights were cutting through the forest road ahead.
Suddenly…
A small white fox cub appeared in the middle of the road.
The driver’s eyes widened in fear.
“SHIT!!”
He instantly turned the steering wheel.
SCREEEEECH!!
The car slightly lost control…
But at the very last second, it stabilized.
The little fox quickly ran to the side in fear.
The car came to a stop.
The man inside was breathing heavily.
Sweat covered his forehead.
“Stupid animal…”
He angrily tried to start the car again.
Tick… Tick… Tick…
The car wouldn’t start.
He became even more nervous.
Second try—
Failed again.
Third try—
VRROOOOMMM
The car suddenly started.
“Finally…”
He sighed in relief and drove forward again.
But after only a short distance—
Suddenly, sparks started coming out from underneath the car.
Before the man inside could understand anything—
BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!
A massive explosion echoed through the night.
The car instantly turned into a giant ball of fire.
The same little fox cub hidden in the nearby bushes trembled in fear.
Its glowing eyes reflected the burning car.
Not far away…
A man stood in the shadows while talking on the phone.
“Sir… the job is done.”
From the other side, only a calm voice replied—
“Good.”
The call ended.
The camera slowly zoomed toward the mysterious man…
But because of the darkness, his face still couldn’t be seen.
Only a faint smile was visible.
CHAPTER 5 END
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All Rights Reserved.