Across the store, Crystal Choi stood next to Daniel Park.
Her face was expressionless and indifferent, but her pupils reflected a barely perceptible concern as she looked at Daniel. Then, with a barely audible sigh, she moved closer to the register to shield him from Seo Joon and his group.
Poor Daniel gulped as he watched her approach, visibly nervous. Daniel understood that she was definitely different. Daniel Park didn't understand how someone so perfect could exist in this world; even when these people were causing trouble and giving him interested glances, she showed no fear as if nothing were happening.
Her posture, her gaze, her aura—Daniel couldn't understand how someone so beautiful and brave could exist at the same time.
"You're sweating," Crystal said softly, almost in a whisper, as she pushed the drink she had given Daniel across the counter.
Daniel let out a nervous chuckle and whispered barely audibly, "Th-It's just... those guys..."
Crystal raised an eyebrow, curious, but with that kind smile: "Are you scared?" "N-No, well, yes... a little," Daniel admitted, lowering his gaze.
Crystal sighed again, this time with a hint of annoyance. Not with him exactly, but with the situation in general.
"Then do your job. Look the customer in the eye and don't stutter."
Daniel blinked, surprised. "W-What?"
"You won't survive in society if you tremble every time idiots who act like the world belongs to them, without a care in the world, enter your store." Crystal Choi's voice rose clearly, fearlessly, resonating throughout the store.
The comment wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but the glance she shot over her shoulder at Seo Joon's group left no doubt.
Silence.
For an instant, it was as if time had stopped. The laughter died down. Even the hum of the refrigerator seemed to cease for a second.
Seo Joon, who was about to grab an instant kimbap from the shelf, froze. The next moment, the veins on his forehead popped out, and he frowned slightly.
His earlier good humor vanished as if it had never been there.
"Tsk..."
There it was. That kind of unpleasant attitude. That way of looking down on people. Of speaking as if he were the only sane person in the world.
And suddenly, like a spark rekindling a dying fire, Seo Joon remembered exactly why he detested Crystal Choi in the first place and why he had pretended to ignore her presence despite initially figuring out the plot where Crystal Choi finds Daniel Park practicing for the festival.
He decided to do nothing. First, it was Crystal Choi's background. Second, he sincerely hated her from the bottom of his heart.
A woman with unresolved trauma, cloaked in selective morals. One who, protected by her prejudices, treated all "normal"-looking children like scum.
As if there were no normal people among them, that kind of prejudiced person was truly disgusting.
At that moment, the impulsive Scott Kwon was about to say something when...
The store door opened with a soft ding, a sound that seemed to resonate like thunder in the tension that permeated the shop.
Gun Park walked in casually, wearing a yellow shirt with black lines rolled up to his elbows, revealing his yakuza-style tattooed arms. The dark glasses he wore completely hid his eyes, making it impossible to read any emotion on his face.
At that moment, even Scott sensed the intimidating aura this guy emanated, so he simply swallowed what he was about to say.
Crystal Choi, seeing Gun had entered, sighed inwardly and looked at Daniel with a smile as if to say, "Everything's okay now." Daniel smiled shyly back.
But at that moment, Daniel Park secretly wished he was anywhere else in the world; it was obvious he could sense the atmosphere was more tense.
Gun stood next to Crystal, saying nothing. His presence alone was enough to dispel any nonverbal threat that might have lingered in the air after his comment.
Seo Joon glanced at them briefly, expressionless, with no intention of getting into a fight with these people. After all, he wasn't the type to get angry over a simple comment the first time. But if this woman said anything else, he'd have no choice but to do something. After all, where would his face be if he didn't do anything?
Seo Joon simply walked to the counter, completely ignoring Crystal Choi and Gun Park.
Behind him, the other members of his group—Dominic Min, Jin Jiang, Scott Kwon, and Ivan Park—followed silently. Gun Park, watching from the sidelines, tilted his head slightly with some interest.
At first glance, they seemed like a normal group of troubled young people... but they weren't to him, seeing the logos on these people's hoodies and recognizing some of the faces.
The way they all walked behind that boy. The nonverbal respect made Gun Park feel strange in his heart. And that made him frown slightly behind his dark glasses.
"Hmmm, what's going on?" he muttered to himself, following Seo Joon's back with his eyes.
"What the hell is wrong with Johan?"
"Something's wrong with Dog God... Wasn't Johan the leader?... Are things that bad at Dog God?"
"Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a closer look when the monthly payment comes."
"All of this," Seo Joon said, dropping a pile of chips, drinks, and other items.
His subordinates followed him silently. Even Ivan Park, who usually played dumb when paying, left his things next to the others.
At that moment, seeing Seo Joon, Daniel Park recognized him at a glance. He was about to greet him when he remembered that his relationship with Seo Joon had practically deteriorated, and that he didn't even know him in this body.
Scott Kwon placed a couple of folded bills on the counter. "Ours, and the fatso's too," he said, pointing at Ivan Park with a mocking smile.
Daniel hurried to collect the money, counting the money with trembling hands.
No one else said a word.
As they left, their eyes met once. Gun looked at Seo Joon with more interest. I have to say, Seo Joon underestimated Gun Park, even though he had planned to hide. Gun Park sensed with a single glance that something was wrong with Dog God.
If Seo Joon found out, he'd sigh inwardly. As expected of the final boss, he's definitely not such a simple person.
Outside, the motorcycles were lined up. The first to get on was Dominic, starting the engine with a roar that rattled the shop windows.
Jin Jiang, Scott, Ivan, and finally, Seo Joon got on one by one. None of them looked back.
When the engines roared in unison and the group disappeared down the street, heading for the arcade, the air inside the store finally calmed down.
When the motorcycles roared in the distance and silence returned to the store, Crystal Choi let out a soft sigh.
Without looking back, she approached the counter where Daniel Park was still trying to control his nerves.
Crystal walked over to the refrigerator, picked up a bottle of water, and placed it next to it. "Relax. They're gone," she said in a much softer voice than before, almost motherly.
Daniel looked up awkwardly, barely managing to maintain eye contact due to Crystal's beauty. "T-Thank you, miss."
Gun Park, who had been watching the scene from the start, said nothing to this interaction, but then, seeing Crystal's gaze on Daniel Park, Gun frowned, his face turning strange.
"Hey, what the hell? Crystal isn't interested in this fat man, is she?"
Crystal turned to Gun and spoke, preventing him from thinking further. "Let's go."
Gun nodded, still with his indifferent expression. They both walked toward the exit, calmly crossing the threshold. The automatic door closed behind them with a soft click, leaving behind a less dense air... but still charged with something difficult to identify.
Daniel Park was left alone, staring at the bottle of water Crystal had left on the counter.
"Why is that girl so nice to me?" he muttered softly.
"..."
Seo Joon and his group had arrived at the old arcade some time ago.
Neon lights flickered, machines roared, and the classic "KO!" from some fighting game played in the background every thirty seconds. At this hour, it was empty... except for a group that had taken over the place. This group was clearly Seo Joon and all his subordinates.
At a table in the back were Seo Joon, Dominic Min, and Hope Park.
The others were playing Mortal Kombat 3.
On the table were open bags of chips and several plates of pizza the group had bought earlier. Ivan Park was wolfing down the food as if he hadn't eaten in days.
"Hey, damn Jin Jiang! Stop cheating with that character, you son of a bitch!" Scott Kwon shouted from a combat machine, mashing buttons as if he were in a real war.
"Ha, cheating? It's not cheating if you're bad," Jin Jiang replied with his crooked smile, still staring at the screen.
Dominic Min was leaning back on the sofa next to the food table, his feet up on the chair and a bottle of green tea in his hand. He was scanning the room as if waiting for these two to fight.
Seo Joon was sitting in the center of the table, slowly chewing a slice of pizza while looking at his phone, oblivious to the group's antics.
Suk Yeong Yoo: I'm sorry, because of what happened that day I completely fell asleep, I'm really sorry!
Seo Joon: It's okay, you looked pretty exhausted, so it's understandable that you passed out after a few drinks.
Suk Yeong Yoo: Thanks for understanding, by the way, I had a great time that day. For some reason, chatting with you is quite comfortable.
Seo Joon: Really? 🤔
Suk Yeong Yoo: Yes, that's very nice. By the way, I'd like to take you out to dinner as an apology for what happened. Do you have time on Friday night?
Seo Joon brought the slice of pizza to his mouth and thought about what to say to Suk Yeong Yoo. After a few seconds of thought, he agreed without hesitation.
Seo Joon: No problem!
Suk Yeong Yoo: Then see you that day. I'll send you the location!
Suk Yeong Yoo: ...
Suk Yeong Yoo has sent you a location. 📍
At that moment, Ivan Park, who was eating, spoke up.
"Hey, boss..." he said in a solemn voice, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "That guy from earlier, at that store, was a bit too strong, wasn't he?"
At that moment, Dominic Min, Scott Kwon, Jin Jiang, and Hope Park, who were busy with other things, stopped what they were doing and looked at Seo Joon, waiting for his reply.
Seeing this, Seo Joon finished chatting with Suk Min Joo and said, "Well, he's certainly not a simple person."
"Who the hell is that guy...?" Scott muttered, with a mixture of discomfort and admiration.
"..."
The room fell silent for a moment until Ivan Park broke it. "Do you think you could beat him, boss?"
Seo Joon, who was chatting with his cute student Hyo Min Joo, glanced at him briefly... then went back to his own business and lazily replied, "Well, it would be quite difficult to beat him. He might give me trouble at first." Seo Joon smiled arrogantly and said mockingly, "However, I'D WIN!"
"..."
At that moment, hearing Seo Joon's reassuring words, everyone felt reassured and relieved, their spirits lifted.
Seeing everyone's reactions, Seo Joon smiled inwardly. The words he had copied from Jujutsu Kaisen had a great impact on them.
And so, time passed, minute by minute, amidst muffled laughter and inconsequential comments. Eventually, the night deepened.
By the time Seo Joon got home, it was already past 9:00 p.m.
The air in his apartment was warm and familiar. He took off his sweatshirt, got rid of his white Jordans, and headed straight for the shower.
Hot water ran down his back, immersing him in a soothing sensation.
Once dry and changed, Seo Joon flopped onto his bed, phone in one hand, and began watching YouTube videos.
Nothing interesting. The same old story. It was then, in the midst of his boredom, that he remembered something.
The crossing card the system had given him days ago. His lazy expression changed slightly, as if a spark of curiosity had ignited something inside him.
Seo Joon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Should I use it now... or tomorrow?"
After a moment of thought, Seo Joon, bored and with little to do, decided to embark on his journey today.
"Tch... screw it!" He closed his eyes and, without saying anything out loud, muttered to himself:
"System... use the crossing card."
DING!
[Confirmed. Received by the system.] Initiating dimensional transfer protocol...
HOST: SEO JOON.
STATE: STABLE.
LOCAL TIME: 9:44 PM
PROCESSING...
...
CONFIRMED. INITIATING DIMENSIONAL CROSSING...]
The next moment, a blinding light flooded his room. A few seconds after Seo Joon disappeared without a trace, the world he had been in turned gray.
A fly that had been flapping its wings happily suddenly stopped as if by magic. This type of situation was repeated elsewhere, and no one noticed what had happened.
TIME STOPPED!
.....