Chapter 10

[Living room | 2:30 pm]

Katsumi went to the kitchen after the drama to get some food and drink to quench her thirst. Today had been a tough day, and she needed to relax and unwind.

She sighed when she opened the fridge and saw how empty it was. All that was inside was a bottle of milk and some water; everything else was bleak.

It was time for Katsumi to go grocery shopping. She goes to the market with the money her parents gave her.

It was Katsumi's first time buying groceries in Seoul, but she handled it with ease. Although her greatest weakness is her inability to stop herself from buying all she wants in one visit, as a result, she returns home with four large bags full of drinks and delicacies she purchased.

She was struggling to walk with all of them. It was so heavy that Katsumi had to stop and put the bags on the ground to keep her arms from turning numb. In any case, she was growing really tired.

Kento hasn't come back, so she had to go by foot instead. It's not a huge deal; it's her fault she overspent, knowing she'd have to carry everything back home. The consequences of her actions

Katsumi had to resume her tracks after a minute of rest. However, when she took a step, she unintentionally stepped on her shoelace, causing her to trip.

"Shoot!" she curses, attempting to keep her balance with the bag still in her clutches, utilizing more exhausted muscles to avoid going face down on the ground.

But just as she was about to fall, someone raced to her aid, securing their arm tightly around Katsumi's waist. When she looked up, she found herself face-to-face with Namgyu. She splutters.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Namgyu."

The boy looked down to see Katsumi carrying four large bags.

"Let me help you with that."

She was perplexed by his actions and gave him half of the bags. She had assumed he didn't like her based on their previous interaction. Yet here he was, offering assistance.

Namgyu caught a glimpse of Katsumi's stare and stopped himself from looking. He was embarrassed.

"Let's go," he replied, directing her to Katsumi's flat. When they arrived, they placed everything they had on the kitchen island table. Namgyu let out a long sigh as he did so, relieved to have his arms free of something weighty.

"Thank you for the help."

"You bought too much; can all of these fit in your fridge?" he said.

"I think so." She pauses. "I hope so."

There was a moment of silence before Namgyu laughed, which made Katsumi grin. It was great to see him like this; it gave her comfort to know that despite all that had happened, they could still grin like this.

"Namgyu, I apologize for being ignorant a while ago," she begins. "I know my approach to problem solving is a little aggressive."

"A little?"

Katsumi sighs, "Very aggressive." Namgyu nods in satisfaction.

"I was just very upset with Yejoon's unjust punishment."

Namgyu sighed.

"I know it's unfair, and I feel the same way, but if we continue to interfere with Jiwoon and Nabi, they might tell our parents," he explained. "I don't mind if they tell my and Subin's parents, but we have to consider Yejoon, who doesn't want to cause any trouble or worry his mother."

Katsumi became even more intrigued after hearing all of this. What was it about Yejoon that they had to think about in order to be so cautious about their actions?

"How bad is Yejoon's personal situation, if I may ask?"

"You haven't been told anything about Yejoon's family background, have you?"

All she had ever heard from Yejoon and Subin was that he came from a poor family and that his mother was ill. As a result, he became the family's breadwinner. That's why he's working two or more jobs at once.

But how dire is Yejoon's situation? Katsumi has yet to visit his house or meet his family members. That's why she thinks this way.

[Bedroom | 6p.m.]

Katsumi was fatigued as she lay on the bed. So much had happened in a day, and it was exhausting to have to think of solutions to the situation. It was not an easy task. Aside from Jiwoon, Yejoon was the source of Katsumi's curiosity.

She was still perplexed as to why Namgyu was considering Yejoon's family history when devising a strategy. A little, short ring came from her iPad just before she went to sleep. She quickly glanced at the notice and realized that it was a message from her older sister.

'Confidential information,' Katsumi read, and she opened it right away. And, as she had predicted, Kazuha had emailed her all of the details concerning Nabi and Jiwoon. Katsumi is impressed by her sister's ability to gather so much information in such a brief period of time.

Katsumi began reading right away, not wasting any time. She was taken aback by the photo Kazuha sent. Jiwoon and Nabi appeared really lovely in the photo, but their behavior definitely threw them off. What a waste, thought Katsumi.

She learned a lot from both targets as she dug deeper into the document.

Beginning with Kwon Jiwoon. He was born into a wealthy household, and the most intriguing aspect is that Jiwoon has a younger brother named Jihoon. According to the document, Jiwoon has been excluded since Jihoon's birth.

His parents appeared to be quite interested in his younger sibling. Every year, they forget Jiwoon's birthday; they don't have time for him and know nothing about him. In his family, it was always Jihoon this and Jihoon that.

Moving on to the second target, Kim Nabi's surname was originally Im, but her mother married someone else two years ago, changing Nabi's surname to Kim. She's the same age as Katsumi, which surprised her. Nabi looked so young that Katsumi thought she was at least two years older than her.

She is the only daughter in her new family, with two elder stepbrothers. That is why her stepfather spoils her with gifts. It was the father's first time having a daughter, so thinking spoiling her was a good idea created a bad outcome.

Nabi's family was impoverished before her mother married another man. However, the luxurious treatment she has received has given her the notion that she is a princess. Someone who is far superior to everyone else

The disadvantage is that her stepfather's company is having significant financial issues. And, reportedly, he was searching for a partner to help him buy the Moonbucks Cafe and a shareholder to help his company become stable.

That is, even if Yejoon was not fired, he would eventually lose employment if Mr. Kim did not swiftly find a partner. Despite the fact that this was an unfortunate occurrence for the Kim family, Katsumi couldn't help but smile at their suffering. It made Katsumi happy to watch her foe in pain.

After finishing the document, she closes her iPad. Even though she knew who her targets were, she believed it wasn't enough. After what Namgyu had said earlier, Katsumi felt she needed to investigate Yejoon in order to come up with a plan.

She needed to go to Yejoon's residence to accomplish this. So Katsumi went to her twins' unit to ask him to borrow the car for tomorrow's trip.

She entered the unit without warning and found no one inside. She guessed that her brother was in his room, and she was correct.

She knocked before entering his room and discovered him playing a scary game with his VR headset. Katsumi realizes Kento didn't hear her enter since he was wearing headphones. The child was having fun with their cousin and his friends while playing GhostPhobia.

Katsumi would normally tap on the youngster to draw his attention in this situation, but she didn't want to startle him. Instead, she walked downstairs to get a snack and returned to watch him play while eating on the bed.

It took over an hour for the youngster to conclude his game, and when he turned to sip water, he flinched in astonishment at the sudden appearance of his twin. Katsumi had her mouth wide open as she was in the middle of eating the last ball of takoyaki.

"Gosh, you startled me, Katsumi."

"Sorry," she said, her mouth full.

"Is that the one I bought?" Before the boy complained any further, Katsumi immediately took out her wallet and gave the boy 5 thousand won.

"It's 9,500 won."

Katsumi contributed more, which Kento eagerly accepted.

"So... why are you here?"

"Can I borrow the car key?" she inquired.

"Why?"

"I plan on visiting Yejoon's house tomorrow morning."

"Do you even know where he lives?" he inquired, brow furrowed.

Katsumi shook her head as she realized she was going to Yejoon's house without knowing where it was. Kento sighed as he noticed Katsumi's expression gradually frowning.

"I'll escort you."

"You know where he lives?"

Kento gave a nod. "Before we went to his second job, we stopped at his house because he needed to change his clothes. I can take you there if you want."

"Thank you. I'll be going at 9 a.m., if that's okay?" Katsumi rose up as the youngster nodded.

It was 8:45 a.m. the next morning, and Katsumi was waiting for her brother in the living room. Kento texted, stating he'd be a bit late because he needed to pick up an order he'd placed at a neighboring restaurant.

Katsumi was in disbelief. Her twin decided to buy his breakfast at the scheduled meet-up time. Katsumi reasoned that whatever he bought, he should buy one for her as well.

When she got in the car, she discovered that the youngster had purchased two enormous boxes of pepperoni and cheese pizza with plenty of banana milk, rather than a single slice or two.

"Are you going to eat that all?"

"No. It's for Yejoon and his siblings."

Katsumi hummed and nodded in response, but she couldn't help but wonder: wouldn't Yejoon's family have eaten their breakfast by now? Whatever Kento's purpose is, it must be something good.

Katsumi was worried during the ride. Her head was filled with Namgyu and Subin's statements. As she was eager to put on an aggressive performance, the two suggested she stop. It was all for Yejoon; they're enduring this hell hole, but why? Katsumi simply didn't understand Yejoon's circumstances, and she was about to find out more about them.