“Who, ah the convenience store guy?”

At Shin Young’s mother’s words, the man scratched the back of his head.

“Uncle!”

Yu Min shouted upon seeing the man.

He was Jin Cheol, the son of the convenience store owner where Seol Ah worked. He had gone out wearing a suit for a job interview today and was on his way back.

Since he often worked at the convenience store where his mother was the owner, most of the people in the neighborhood knew his face.

He happened to be passing by the playground near his house when he was startled to see a woman yelling at Yu Min and approached. However, with his timid and introverted personality, he hesitated at Shin Young’s mother’s fierce attitude.

“You’re Yu Min’s uncle?”

Shin Young’s mother narrowed her eyes again.

“Then you better explain this situation. Yu Min hit our kid!”

“Ah, that. Yu Min doesn’t really go around hitting people like that…”

“What do you mean no? The kid is acting like a thug, what are you going to do about it? Even if they’re kids, you know violence can’t just be overlooked, right?”

Shin Young’s mother felt like she had him and started firing away again. Jin Cheol nodded, sweating profusely.

“Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

That’s when it happened.

“What is this.”

A man with a dangerous aura, dressed in the same suit as the first man but otherwise completely different, approached them.

The man, with a handsome and smooth appearance and sharp eyes, had an overwhelming presence that made it hard to breathe just by looking at him.

He alternated his threatening gaze between Shin Young’s mother and Jin Cheol, then lowered his eyes to Yu Min who was standing there fidgeting.

His eyes narrowed.

“No, and who are you? This time not an uncle but maybe an uncle-in-law?”

Shin Young’s mother asked the man mockingly. However, unlike Jin Cheol, the man did not scratch his head or make an awkward expression as he looked down at Shin Young’s mother.

“What happened with Yu Min?”

Yu Min’s eyes widened. Jin Cheol knew him, but this man was a stranger. So why was he talking as if he knew everything about him?

“Ha, really. Yu Min hit our kid. With his fist, I’m telling you.”

“So.”

Seung Jun stared at Shin Young’s mother for a moment before asking.

“You were unconditionally accusing the child of hitting without even listening to the circumstances, right?”

“What? Ah, no, but hitting someone is bad, you know. Are you just going to let that slide?”

When Shin Young’s mother shouted, Seung Jun raised one corner of his mouth.

“It’s not good. But you should at least ask why he did it and understand the situation before scolding him or not. I think that’s the proper order.”

Everyone’s faces hardened, including Shin Young’s mother.

He was a man with the kind of intimidating presence that could sufficiently unnerve the other person with a single word or gesture.

“Who are you? Who are you to butt into our business like this?”

Shin Young’s mother took a deep breath and shouted, looking up at the man. Seung Jun replied in a calm but cold tone.

“Does it matter who I am? Anyone would have to intervene seeing an adult treating a child like this.”

“What did I do? You’re a strange person. Go on your way.”

When Shin Young’s mother shouted, Seung Jun took out a few tickets from his pocket.

“These are Goldland tickets. They’re VIP tickets so you get priority for parade viewing, photography, and riding attractions. You also get a gift when leaving.”

“Goldland! Mom, let’s go to Goldland, Goldland!”

Goldland was a members-only children’s theme park that ordinary people couldn’t go to even if they had money. One of the parents had to be a VIP member of the JK card to enter.

Upon seeing the tickets, Shin Young’s eyes rolled back as she grabbed her mother and tugged on her sleeve.

As Shin Young begged, Shin Young’s mother, who had been so forceful, hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to do, and looked around at the others.

“Take them.”

When Seung Jun urged her again, Shin Young’s mother took the tickets as if she had no choice.

“And from now on, please recognize that other people’s children are as precious as your own child. We live in the same world, don’t we? I’m sharing what’s mine with a stranger like this.”

“No, what do you mean by that,”

When Shin Young’s mother raised her head, her face red, Shin Young jumped up and down with the tickets.

“Wow, these are real gold tickets, so cool!”

It was now clear who controlled the situation.

The winner of the fight was not the one who talked a lot. It was the one who had a lot. And the one who knew that best in this situation was none other than Seung Jun.

Shin Young’s mother slapped the back of Shin Young’s head with her hand.

“Ah, Mom, why!”

“Eugh. Let’s go quickly, go!”

Pretending to hit Shin Young again, Shin Young’s mother left.

Yu Min looked at Seung Jun. Seung Jun held out the remaining tickets, but Yu Min shook his head.

“Who are you, mister?”

Looking at the child who was eyeing him with a wary gaze, Seung Jun looked down at him with a conflicted expression.

*

It was already quitting time.

Seol Ah hurriedly finished her work, but just as she was about to get up, something fell on her desk with a thud.

“Organize it by tomorrow morning.”

Seol Ah looked up.

The person who threw the work onto Seol Ah’s desk was Moon Hee Sun, the daughter of the CEO of this small company and someone who had recently parachuted in.

The company Seol Ah worked for was a small food company called ‘Udan Foods’. Since she had to raise a child alone while working, she looked for conditions with as little overtime and flexible hours as possible.

However, contrary to the initial promise, more and more work was being dumped on Seol Ah.

The documents Hee Sun had thrown were materials to be sent for review to JK Foods.

Recently, JK Foods had put out a notice for small food companies. They said they would discover delicious and good food products and market them at JK Foods.

It was a good opportunity for Udan Foods.

“All of this?”

“At most it’ll take an hour or two. I’ve been working on it all day so you just need to change a number or two. I’ll buy you coffee tomorrow.”

Seol Ah shook her head. Last time, Hee Sun had said the same thing and when she took on the work, she had to work overtime past midnight without being able to go home.

That night when she shamelessly asked In Sook to make dinner for Yu Min and worked, how her heart had flipped seeing Yu Min sleeping with tear marks on his face while looking for his mom.

“I can’t do it.”

Seol Ah said and returned the work to Hee Sun.

Although she said that, Seol Ah’s hands were trembling. She was originally not good at refusing. It took quite a bit of courage to say even this now.

“Hey.”

Hee Sun narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her waist.

“You don’t want to work at this company for long?”

That was her only weapon. Seol Ah took a deep breath. Now that she had blurted it out, she couldn’t lose. Otherwise, blurting it out would have been pointless.

“Yes, I want to work here for a long time. That’s why I’m telling you in advance what I can’t do. Manager Moon, if you want to work here for a long time too, you should fix your habit of dumping work on others.”

Seol Ah couldn’t believe these words were coming out of her mouth. It seemed Hee Sun felt the same way. After all, she had obediently done everything she was told to do until now.

“Hey!”

“What’s going on, why are you yelling?”

Just then, Managing Director Kang Chun Sik quickly approached from afar.

Managing Director Kang was on the CEO’s side and was also close with Hee Sun.

For a moment, a troubled look flashed across Seol Ah’s face. If Managing Director Kang intervened, it was a guaranteed loss. The CEO had entrusted overall operations to Managing Director Kang, so if she got on his bad side, she might have to write her resignation tomorrow.

“What are you doing now, raising your voice like this inside the company?”

In fact, the one who had raised her voice was Hee Sun, but Managing Director Kang’s gaze was directed at Seol Ah.

“That’s…”

“Anyway, there’s never a quiet day. What is it again, is the kid sick again? Is there a problem? This is why I said we shouldn’t hire moms. Always something with the kid, do you know how much I begged the CEO for you when you were late last time?”

The reason she was late that time was because Yu Min had suddenly developed a high fever at night.

She had taken the child to the emergency room and stayed up all night watching over him, and only after his fever had gone down did she send him to daycare and go to work.

She had wanted to let him rest for a day, but it tore at her heart to have to send him to daycare because of work.

But…

How could he say that so easily?

Seol Ah’s fists clenched tight.

“Managing Director, I guess you were born from an egg.”

“What did you say?”

“Since you were born from an egg and didn’t receive a mother’s care, I thought maybe that’s why you have no understanding of a mother’s heart.”

Seol Ah’s eyes were red and bloodshot.

That’s right, I can endure if you insult me. But don’t mess with Yu Min.

“The sales performance report you asked for, Managing Director, is almost complete now. But if you keep mentioning my child in such an underhanded way like today, I will format my computer immediately. The report won’t be submitted on time then.”

“Wh-what, are you threatening me now!”

Managing Director Kang shouted. Seol Ah raised the corner of her mouth. He was incompetent. Only capable of shouting and not understanding the work at all.

“Yes, I am threatening you. So I will ask you. You can scold me, but don’t bring up my child. The moment you do, all the data on my computer will be gone. I’ll write my resignation too, but you know better than me what the result of that will be.”

As Seol Ah’s face grew cold, Managing Director Kang’s breathing quickened.

“Ha, really, the world is upside down. Moon Hee Sun, why are you shouting and making a scene at the company? So loud my ears will fall off. Let’s just work quietly, quietly!”

Managing Director Kang shouted at Hee Sun for no reason and turned his body.

He also knew who would be most affected if Seol Ah erased all the data. Seol Ah watched his back for a moment, then squeezed her eyes shut.

Her head was spinning and she felt dizzy. She had never confronted Hee Sun or Kang Chun Sik before. She had always lived obediently, submissively, and devotedly.

Yu Min is really changing me a lot.

Although she had made up her mind and blurted it out, her heart was also pounding. Seol Ah hurriedly prepared to leave and left the company.

As she waited for the subway, Seol Ah took out her cell phone.

‘I wonder if Yu Min is doing well.’

She tried calling Yoon Sung’s mother, whom she had entrusted with the child.

[I saw him playing at the playground and went to buy him a snack, and he was with the convenience store guy. The convenience store guy said he would take care of him and took him.]

The convenience store guy would be Jin Cheol. It wasn’t strange since Seol Ah also often asked Jin Cheol to watch Yu Min.

After hanging up, Seol Ah immediately called Jin Cheol.

“Jin Cheol, I was wondering if our Yu Min is doing well…”

[Where are you?]

But the voice she heard was not Jin Cheol’s.

Why are you there. Seol Ah’s face turned pale upon hearing Seung Jun’s voice.