Not long after, the police arrived because the café workers reported a fight.
They got arrested, but before Shin left, he held that girl's hand and gave her back her candy.
"Don't thank me. I did that because of the candy, so don't feel guilty." Then, he was taken to the lockup.
"Ahhh, it's been a long time since I last ended up in a lockup—back when I fought with my dad."
That man was in the same cell as Shin. He looked scared, and his face was bruised from Shin's powerful kick. Luckily, he didn't die.
Shin just slept in the lockup. Not long after, the man's representative arrived—it looked like his family. They seemed really concerned about their son.
They tried to sue Shin and make sure he rotted in jail. That man, now in front of his family, grew bolder…
"You better watch yourself, stupid! My father will make sure you stay in prison! Blah… blah… blah…"
The longer he went on, the noisier he got, like a barking dog, making it hard for Shin to sleep. Shin sat up and called him over. The man came closer, standing right outside the cell.
Once he was near, Shin grabbed him through the cell bars and slammed his head two or three times… The man fell and scrambled away from Shin.
"Arghhhhhh, my son!!!" his mother screamed.
The officers tried to calm her down. They failed to file a lawsuit against Shin.
That's why I never really cared about being thrown in lockup. The officers would always get a call and release me right after the victim left the station. There's something I don't fully understand about my bloodline.
And the victim's family? They'd receive a thick envelope, and everything would be settled. After they left, if I counted to three—1… 2… 3…
"Son!!!"
"Waaahhh!!" She'd cry like a little baby.
Yeah, that cute little girl—my mom—would arrive.
She'd make a dramatic entrance, even though her acting was the worst. The officers would then let me out of the lockup.
My mom would cling to me, and I'd have to carry her all the way outside. Once I set her down…
"Mom, did I trouble you again? But… thanks, Mom."
She'd start rubbing my thigh—not in a weird way, she just couldn't reach my hair. So I'd lift her up again, and she'd pat my head.
"It's okay, son. That's the job of the greatest mother in the world!"
"So, are we going home now?"
She'd act like a kid and hug me the whole way back. But before heading home, I'd take her to her favorite East Asian dish store.
As soon as we entered the restaurant, that girl in the wheelchair was there, happily eating ramen. I glanced at her—she seemed in good spirits, at least no longer upset. That eased my mind a little.
I ignored her and focused on ordering food for my mom. While waiting for it to be ready, we sat at a window table.
Don't expect my mother to act "normal", though. Instead of sitting across from me, she plopped herself on the table right in front of my seat. She started playing with my face, even hunting for blackheads, while I scrolled through my phone.
A soft voice suddenly spoke beside me, but I ignored it, my music still playing. My mom turned my face and pointed to the right.
There she was—the wheelchair girl from earlier, sitting next to me. I pulled out my earbud.
"Did you need something? Sorry, I was listening to music."
She shook her head slightly, signaling it's okay, no problem.
"Thanks again for today. You helped me twice… even got arrested because of it. I—I was scared you'd be stuck in there, so I waited here until you got out."
This girl… really commits to things, even though she's… never mind. I just gave her a quick 👌🏻 and popped my earbud back in.
Shin's mom noticed everything, and with a bit of teasing, she hugged Shin by the neck and looked at the girl with a smirking face…
"He's my boyfriend. You can go home now, kid."
The girl blushed at the sight of them and quickly wheeled herself backward, slowly leaving the restaurant and heading home.
Shin, who didn't hear any of that, just ignored what had happened. Once the food was ready, they took it home and ate while walking.
When they got home, they collapsed on the living room floor, exhausted. The two of them sighed. Shin looked at his mom.
"Mom, don't you want to ask why I ended up in lockup?"
She shook her head.
"My son would never do something bad. Even if you had to, I'll always stay by your side. So don't worry. If the two of us end up being villains, that'd be awesome, right?"
As a sign of thanks, Shin went to his mom and kissed her forehead. Then he went to his room and slept.
Meanwhile, in the quiet living room, lit only by a dim lamp…
His mom closed her eyes with her hand—but behind it, her cheek was as red as a blooming rose.
"How can I ever let go of you when you keep making my heart flutter…"
The Next Morning
It was Saturday. Outside the house…
"Bye, take care, I'm going to meet some friends!"
I waved and left, heading to the train station. I had to go to a meeting with my guild. Why? Because last night…
She kept spamming messages, begging me to come. As long as I didn't reply, she kept messaging. Eventually, I gave in, and now I'm here.
I didn't have to wait long at the train station before the train arrived and stopped.
As I was about to board the train, the glass reflected a view behind me.
It was the girl in the wheelchair from yesterday, pushing herself to get onto the train.
I turned my head just to be sure—and yep, it was her.
Our eyes met. I started to feel a little awkward…
"Do you… need help?"