Han Joon-seong and Cheon Seul-ah were walking back home. The meeting with Choi Yuna had gone well, but something was bothering Han Joon-seong.
"I think she has something against me," he said.
Cheon Seul-ah glanced at him. "Definitely. But why?"
"Maybe she doesn't like men."
She shook her head. "That doesn't make sense. Everyone in her crew is usually guys. If she didn't like men, she wouldn't have recruited so many of them."
Cheon Seul-ah nodded. "Yeah, true."
They continued walking toward the bus stop. When they arrived, they stood there in silence, thinking.
Han Joon-seong spoke again. "Speaking of crews... we need to start thinking about what we're going to do for ours."
Cheon Seul-ah nodded in agreement. "Yeah."
They stood there, pondering. It was the reality now. Choi Yuna's plan was essentially beginning. They had someone in each gang — Han Joon-seong in the Juhwang-pa, Cheon Seul-ah about to enter the Kkachi-pa, and Choi Yuna already in the Galsaek-pa. They needed to start preparing how they were going to control the underworld after the gangs fell.
Ervin, floating above, chimed in with his thoughts. 'Choi Yuna's idea isn't bad. Recruiting people who were wronged by the gangs... they'll be loyal because they want to tear the gangs down.'
Cheon Seul-ah looked at Han Joon-seong. "But what about after the gangs fall?"
Han Joon-seong nodded. "Yeah. The problem is the after. We're not just trying to end the gangs — we want to see what happens once they're gone."
They both stood there, thinking, waiting for the bus to arrive.
The bus arrived. Han Joon-seong and Cheon Seul-ah climbed on board. Han Joon-seong paid for both of them, and they made their way to the back, taking seats next to each other.
They watched the city pass by through the windows. Han Joon-seong sat with his legs crossed, his elbow resting on the window sill, his hand supporting his chin as he stared at the passing scenery. His expression was distant, thoughtful, watching the buildings and streets of Busan roll by as the bus carried them through the evening. Cheon Seul-ah sat with her legs crossed and her arms folded beneath her chest, her expression thoughtful as well.
After a moment, Han Joon-seong pulled out his phone and checked his bank account. The money was regenerating as always. He raised an eyebrow.
"Wait," he said. "What if we use money?"
Cheon Seul-ah looked at him. "Debt bought is always broken by a higher value."
"Yeah, but we don't actually have to pay goons to work for us."
She raised her eyebrows eyebrow, saying what they had already thought. "There are plenty of businesses in Busan that are failing or losing money to the gangs. What if we help them stabilize, and use them to recruit?"
Han Joon-seong nodded. "Not with loan sharking, obviously. We don't want to become the new scum of the city."
Cheon Seul-ah shook her head. "No, obviously not. We're not that kind of trash."
Ervin, floating above, completed the thought for them. 'That's a good idea. A great idea, actually! I can use my regenerating money to cover the protection fees the gangs charge. That way, I can earn favor with the small businesses. And by earning their favor, I can start recruiting people who want to join my gang!'
But Cheon Seul-ah's expression fell slightly. She let out a sigh.
"It won't be enough," she said.
Han Joon-seong nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It won't be enough."
Fifty million won a month was the most they could regenerate in the bank account. It was an absurd amount — roughly thirty thousand dollars a month, which was incredible for one or two people. It was enough to live in luxury, but not enough to sustain a large operation. They couldn't pay dozens, maybe even hundreds of people with that amount. It was great for a single person, maybe two, but for an organization? It was nothing.
"So what do we do?" Han Joon-seong asked. "How do we make more money?"
Cheon Seul-ah shrunk in her seat. "We've never started a business before, have we?"
He shook his head. "No. We haven't. So we have no idea what we can do to make more money."
He looked out the window. The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow across the city. The streets of Busan were bathed in warm light, the buildings casting long shadows.
Cheon Seul-ah let out a sigh. "We need to think about this more later. For now, let's just go home and rest."
Han Joon-seong looked at her stomach. Cheon Seul-ah also looked down at herself, and lifted her shirt slightly, revealing a purple bruise on her stomach — the spot where Choi Yuna had punched her. Her expression grew complicated, almost disappointed.
"Damn," she muttered. "I only took one punch, and it did this much damage."
Han Joon-seong looked at her, his expression grim. "And that was her holding back, by her own words. She didn't want to hurt you. Imagine if she actually wanted to hurt you."
He paused, remembering his own fight with Choi Yuna from that day in the department store. His body had been battered, broken, bruised beyond belief. He had taken hits that had nearly killed him.
"Actually, I know exactly what would happen if she tried to hurt me," he said, his voice flat. "It was horrible. I couldn't even land a proper hit on her. She was toying with me the entire time."
They both let out a long, synchronized sigh.
"I just want to lie down in my comfortable bed and sleep through the night," they said in unison.
The bus continued on its route through Busan's busy streets, passing by familiar landmarks and neighborhoods. When they reached their stop, they got off and walked the rest of the way home in comfortable silence. The evening air was cool against their skin, a pleasant contrast to the warmth of the bus.
---
They entered the apartment. Han Joon-seong began taking off his clothes and heading toward the bathroom. Cheon Seul-ah also began undressing, heading in the same direction.
They both entered the bathroom at the same time.
Ervin had been distracted, letting Auto Pilot handle their movements like usual while he stared at the ceiling, thinking about their money problem and the gang situation. But then he felt someone brush against Han Joon-seong's body. He turned his attention back.
Both of them were in the shower. Naked.
Because Ervin had simply given the command to prepare for bed, and Auto Pilot had taken both of them to the shower simultaneously.
'Oh. Oh no. No, no, no, no.'
He immediately made them step apart.
Han Joon-seong pointed at Cheon Seul-ah. "Why are you here?"
Cheon Seul-ah pointed back at him. "Why are YOU here?"
Han Joon-seong paused. "Wait. No. Why am I here?"
They both looked at themselves, then at each other. Two bodies, both controlled by the same consciousness, standing naked in the same bathroom.
"This is stupid," they said together. "I'm arguing with myself about taking a shower."
They both let out a sigh.
Ervin, floating above, massaged his imaginary temples in frustration. 'I don't have the patience to deal with these philosophical questions right now. Honestly. This is ridiculous. I'm literally arguing with myself about showering.'
He looked at both of them, naked in the bathroom, and simply thought:
'Screw it. Just shower.'
He let them do whatever they wanted. They showered, together and in coordination, while one washed the other bathed, and they even washed each other backs without any issue. Perfect teamwork.
Afterward, they dried off and got dressed. Cheon Seul-ah put on light sleeping clothes — not much, just enough to sleep comfortably. Han Joon-seong wore his usual sleepwear — a simple shirt and shorts.
They stood in front of the bed, staring at it.
They looked at each other. Then back at the bed. Then back at each other.
They didn't know what to do. Two bodies, one consciousness, one bed. It felt strange. Wrong, somehow. Even though they were the same person, sharing a bed felt like crossing a line that didn't make sense.
Ervin watched them, growing more impatient by the second.
'I don't have the patience for this either. Just sleep. It's not a big deal. You're the same person. Just lie down and sleep.'
He gave the command. Both of them climbed into bed, one on each side, closed their eyes, and fell asleep.