"It's been a long time since I came back to my old house."
After finishing school at an international school in another country for six years, Keiji finally returned home.
The house, which had been empty since the death of his parents, now looked old and worn.
Thanks to the insurance money and the inheritance left by his father, he was able to study peacefully without worrying about money.
"Time really flies," he muttered as he stepped inside.
Even though the house looked old, the inside was still clean because he had hired a part-time cleaner once a year to maintain it.
In the living room, there was a large picture that always made him angry whenever he entered the house…
It was a wedding photo of his father and his stepmother, placed on top of the television.
After his mother passed away, his father remarried a woman ten years younger than him.
At first, everything seemed fine until his stepmother cheated on his father and left the house. Because of the heartbreak and depression, his father was admitted to the hospital.
Not long after being hospitalized, his father passed away from a heart attack. Since then, Keiji had deeply hated her.
Even though he despised looking at his stepmother, his father had left him a final message before he died: it wasn't her fault. And if he were to die, he asked Keiji not to hate her, and to help her if she was ever in trouble.
Because of those words, Keiji never threw away their wedding photo. It was the only picture where his father was smiling happily.
"I'm home, Dad," Keiji said softly with a smile as he looked at his father's face in the photo.
He then carried his belongings upstairs to his old room.
After finishing unpacking his things, he left the house to find something to eat—his stomach empty after almost a whole day without food.
By the time he reached town, the evening crowd had already filled the streets. People were just getting off work, and the small city was buzzing with activity.
Most of the restaurants were packed, and not wanting to wait in line, he searched for a place that wasn't too crowded. After walking for a while, he came across an old, run-down shop.
It looked like some kind of eatery, so without thinking much, he headed straight for it.
But the moment he reached the entrance, he noticed the inside was full of men in suits just like something out of a gangster movie.
Feeling awkward about walking in, and not wanting to get involved in whatever business they were up to, he leaned against the doorframe and lit a cigarette, waiting outside.
"When are you going to pay back your husband's debt? Our boss is getting impatient 🥱. It's not even that much—just around 200k with the interest included…"
"Ceh… no wonder this shop looks so run-down. Turns out they're drowning in debt. That's why you don't borrow from loan sharks," Keiji muttered to himself after accidentally overhearing their conversation.
"Please, just give me more time… right now we don't have the money, and my child still needs money to finish school. I promise I'll pay…" the shop owner's voice trembled. From the sound of it, she was a woman begging desperately.
"No! No more extensions.. you have to pay right now!" one of the suited men barked.
"I really don't have the money right now… please, just a little more time…" she pleaded again.
"You think we're stupid? You've been dragging this on for a year and your husband already ran off!"
"Please… I'm begging you, give us just a little more time," the woman's voice cracked, sounding more desperate than before.
"Well, if you say so…" the man leaned back in his chair, his eyes raking over her body. A twisted smile spread across his face. "You can pay with your body. Entertain all of us at once."
Keiji flicked away the butt of his cigarette as he heard that. What trash… That's why you should never end up with men like this. He turned slightly, thinking of just leaving since his stomach was growling from hunger.
The woman froze. Her body trembled violently at the man's words, her lips pressed tight with fear.
"Hey, Suzy! Did you hear what we said? You're just staying quiet...so that means you agree, right? Hahaha…" The man licked his lips, his gaze locked on her chest. "Married women are always the best."
He stretched out his hand, reaching to grope her boobs. The woman squeezed her eyes shut, her legs too weak to move. She felt cornered, helpless, with no choice left thinking only of her daughter's safety.
Before the man's hand could touch her boobs, the shop door slammed open with a loud BANG! Everyone in the room immediately turned their heads toward the sound.
"Who the hell is disturbing me right now?! Damn it!" the gangster snarled.
"Oops… sorry. I'm just really hungry," Keiji said casually as he strolled inside, completely unfazed. He pulled out a chair at an empty table and sat down. "This place is still open, right? I'd like to order some food."
The whole room went silent for a moment, the suited men exchanging confused looks. Was this kid an idiot, or was he just blind to what was happening?
"Hey, kid… are you blind or something? Can't you see we're busy here?" one of the men glared at him, his voice sharp with irritation.
"So? That your problem, or mine?" Keiji replied coolly, his tone as relaxed completely unbothered by their threatening stares.
One of them took out a knife and sat in front of Keiji.. he was playing with his folding knife.. "You see what I'm holding, right? This thing can slit your throat in a second."
Keiji only smiled, showing not even a hint of fear. "If I were you… that's the very last thing I'd ever do."
Without wasting a second, Keiji pulled out his phone and turned the screen toward the man, showing him a single picture.
The moment the man's eyes fell on it, his expression completely shifted. His smug grin vanished, replaced with shock and fear. Slowly, almost robotically, he stood up straight. Then, in a sudden motion, he bowed deeply to Keiji.
"I—I'm sorry!!" he blurted out, his voice trembling.