Everything was settled.

  Though he would have to keep an eye on them, the gangsters would no longer bother Jihyeon. They must have learned their lesson physically.

  Those who experienced that a pain incomparable to ordinary violence awaited them if they acted recklessly had no choice but to be careful.

  Jihyeon's expression, hidden by his mask as he left the place, was filled with bitterness.

  Knowing the darkness of the world intellectually and experiencing it are two different things. The feeling he got every time he experienced it was disgust.

  Therefore, Jihyeon sent all the criminal records to the police.

  And he also took measures to ensure that, if they failed to properly investigate the evil deeds these men had committed, not only the police but also the prosecutor's office would face consequences.

  Simultaneously, he didn't forget to take action to ensure that the victims who were still suffering immensely because of the gangsters would no longer have a difficult time.

  It was a laborious task.

  However, Jihyeon did not want to tolerate the evil that came into his sight. Because if he left it alone, it would eventually come back to him.

  He didn't need to physically move his hands or do anything. Jihyeon just had to allocate a part of his consciousness to this task.

  In the beginning, it was so hard that he would get nosebleeds.

  But now, he could work with incomparable efficiency compared to before. Thinking that getting used to something is a scary thing, Jihyeon quickly finished the job.

  Simultaneously, Jihyeon felt several contradictory emotions.

  The exhilaration of punishing the wicked.

  The relief of protecting himself and his family.

  And a profound sense of emptiness that seemed to bury all positive emotions in the darkness.

  Did the countless superheroes in movies feel this way too?

  The agony of the heroes he saw in comic books felt newly relevant to Jihyeon. The fact that something he never had a reason to worry about had become his own felt ironic.

  Of course, that was because he had the power. The current Jihyeon was a super-human, no different from a movie hero.

  But he wanted to live quietly. He had no intention of becoming a vigilante.

  Excluding the job of protecting his family, he didn't want to overextend himself. Considering his somewhat good-natured personality, he might have to live that way even if he didn't want to, but Jihyeon deliberately ignored that possibility.

  He couldn't clean up the world all by himself anyway. That was an unavoidable limitation for a human being.

  There were always people he couldn't save, and he couldn't regret every time that happened.

  If so, he should just take care of his own surroundings. Doing even that well was no ordinary feat.

  It might be self-justification.

  But Jihyeon simply didn't want to live a difficult life. He wanted to play games, date, and live a normal life like that.

  With those thoughts, Jihyeon headed home. He would contemplate these worries later anyway.

  Right now, something more important than worrying about the future was at hand.

  There was an object asserting its presence in his pocket. But he had no intention of investigating it right now.

  Handling an object he couldn't perfectly understand was dangerous, especially outside of his home where safety was not guaranteed.

  So, he headed home first.

  Jihyeon manipulated all the CCTVs on his way home to create his alibi, not forgetting to head home.

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  He thought that this level of meticulousness was necessary when doing illegal things.

  It might be considered paranoid.

  However, for safety, it was best to examine all possibilities and be careful. A slight mistake could lead to death.

  Moreover, Jihyeon had recently sensed that someone had noticed something, although they hadn't specifically identified him.

  Whenever he searched for information on the internet, something would naturally be conveyed to his brain.

  In such cases, being cautious was the best approach.

  Thinking that, Jihyeon safely arrived home. Only then did Jihyeon finally let out a sigh of relief and check today's spoils.

  A small box.

  Its size was much smaller than he expected. About the size of wireless earbuds. This small object could completely neutralize optical surveillance tools.

  It couldn't be photographed by a camera, and CCTVs, naturally, would be meaningless.

  However, he would have to investigate its true nature further.

  And he would have to thoroughly investigate its weaknesses. If he didn't know the weakness of an object that would be of great help to him, he would clearly face great disaster at a truly crucial moment.

  Jihyeon slowly began to study his new toy in his room.

  Jihyeon's mother, Heeyeon, didn't really like walking at night. The memory of almost becoming a victim in the darkness when she was younger still lingered.

  Some of Heeyeon's friends at that time had passed away to a place of no return. It was a tragedy that should never have happened, but sometimes, one must accept the sorrow.

  That's why she disliked walking at night. The memories that came back were, as always, very unpleasant and scary.

  Of course, she knew she couldn't help it.

  It was always dark when she left work. It was hard to suppress the fear while walking home until she arrived.

  But people do anything to live. And today, Heeyeon was walking home, treading on the border of fear.

  Fortunately, there weren't only bad things.

  Her husband would be discharged from the hospital soon. There were no money problems, and the children were all growing up well.

  The only remaining worry was Jihyeon. It was truly regrettable that he kept getting involved in incidents despite his own will.

  However, her son solved everything so easily. She felt a strange emotion as a mother, seeing her eldest son's sudden growth. While proud, the sense of him leaving the nest felt regretful.

  Meanwhile, Heeyeon was passing the last alleyway. Not many people passed by, but fortunately, the lighting was well-installed, so she didn't have to worry too much.

  But it seemed she was a little unlucky today.

  "Uh..."

  A man approached, making a strange sound. Heeyeon felt instinctive fear at the sight of the man, who looked far from normal.

  Nevertheless, she decided to ignore him and walk past.

  It was then.

  The man looked at Heeyeon and made a disturbing sound. It was like air escaping from a balloon.

  Anyone would be afraid if someone approached them making such a sound.

  "Kyaak!"

  Heeyeon screamed and involuntarily sank to the ground. She should have run away.

  However, the man's approaching figure was enough to recall her past nightmare, and Heeyeon just trembled.

  Thud

  The man collapsed. The man, who was approaching like a hunting beast, fell without any warning.

  Then, he began to tremble violently all over his body. His appearance looked as if he was having a seizure.

  Eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth, and shaking uncontrollably—his state was clearly dangerous to anyone who saw it.

  "E-Excuse me?"

  Although still terrified, Heeyeon checked the man's condition.

  And she immediately called the police.

  A moment later, a siren wailed, and an ambulance rushed over.

  "Mom!"

  Jihyeon arrived at the police station with an urgent voice. Fortunately, his mother, Heeyeon, was safe.

  "Are you okay?"

  Jihyeon's face was pale. He seemed unable to express in words how surprised he was by the completely unexpected event.

  "I'm fine. I was just surprised when a strange person collapsed in front of me."

  His mother said that, reassuring her eldest son. However, she couldn't hide the fact that her body was still trembling from the shock.

  "You were caught up in an incident involving a person with diminished capacity acting violently. Fortunately, there was no damage, but you must have been very startled. Please take her home safely, young man. The investigation is over."

  The police officer said that, telling them they could leave. Jihyeon simply nodded and expressed his gratitude.

  "Recently, people like this have been seen occasionally in other areas, too, so it's best to be careful."

  The police officer warned him. Jihyeon couldn't help but sigh unconsciously at those words.

  Still, his mother was safe. She had no injuries, and the damage was limited to the shock that made her sit down.

  Counting that as a blessing, Jihyeon held his mother's hand and headed out of the police station. His heart was simply heavy as he held her still-trembling hand.

  He was displeased by the flaws he saw, no matter how hard he tried. Moreover, the data he secured upon arriving was enough to weigh heavily on Jihyeon's mind.

  "Oh, my dear. You shouldn't sigh like that."

  Even in this situation, his mother was worried about her son. Jihyeon could only manage a wry smile at her words.

  His mother was a strong person. It was a very dangerous situation, yet she called an ambulance when the attacker collapsed.

  Despite being so terrified, the consideration for others was something only a courageous person could manage.

  However, Jihyeon could not just admire his mother's courage.

  As always, he intended to find the culprit behind this incident and make them pay the price.

  He would never forgive anything that threatened his surroundings.

  And if necessary, he would find them and crush them.

  That was what Jihyeon had sworn to himself. And this time, there was ample reason to keep that vow.

  It wasn't even just a family problem.

  Drugs.

  The person with diminished capacity was a drug addict. And the drug he used came from the criminal organization to which the boss of the crushed gangsters belonged.

  'I will crush them.'

  Jihyeon ground his teeth internally. It was not strange to vow revenge on the person who touched a nerve.

  But for now, the priority was to safely escort his mother home rather than reveal his emotions.

  Walking slowly to match his mother's pace, Jihyeon looked up at the sky.

  The cold moonlight somehow chilled his heart. A cold wind brushed past his cheek, and Jihyeon could only sigh once more.