The family was still spiraling over Laddu's switched-off phone when—
DING DONG.
Every sound in the house died.
Candy froze mid-panic.Maya's eyes narrowed like a sniper.Mother pressed a hand to her chest.Father approached the door slowly, the way men do in horror movies when they already know they shouldn't.
He opened it.
And there stood Laddu.
Barely conscious.Hair absolutely destroyed.Dark circles so deep they looked historic.A travel bag hanging from one hand like it weighed a ton.Eyes half-open, soul clearly missing.
"…Hi…" he mumbled.
Mochi shot up from the sofa."L-Laddu?!"
He nodded weakly, as if nodding itself required effort.
"I… got… a four-day holiday…"He squinted."…given by the chairman…"
And then his knees gave up.
He tipped forward like a collapsing zombie.
Mochi rushed in and caught him just in time, arms wrapping around his shoulders.
Father cleared his throat, trying very hard to remain intimidating.
"You need permission to enter my house."
Laddu lifted one eyelid with supreme effort.
"Permission… please…?"
Father sighed.
"…Granted."
That was all Laddu needed.
He stumbled inside, dropped his bag with a dull thud, took three heroic steps toward the sofa—
—and collapsed face-first like a dead fish.
Out cold.Lights out.System shut down.
Maya whispered, "He's suspended."Candy whispered, "He's dead-tired."Mother whispered, "He's starving."Father whispered, "He's dangerous."
Mochi knelt beside him, panic flickering in her eyes.
"L-Laddu…?"
No response.
Hours later, he reappeared.
Hair sticking up in directions science couldn't explain.Shirt twisted.Face swollen like he slept in a mosquito battlefield.
He shuffled to the dinner table with slow, confused puppy steps.
"Thank you…" he murmured, collapsing into a chair,"…for letting me stay…"
Mother smiled gently."Sit, son."
He sat.
Then immediately tilted sideways.
Mochi grabbed him and pushed him upright again.
Mother leaned closer, concerned."What happened to you…?"
Laddu released the sigh of a man who had lived several lifetimes in one day.
"The chairman punished me."
Every head snapped up.
"What did you do now?" Maya demanded.
He lifted one trembling finger.
"Number one…""I made fun of his daughter."
Father choked."You WHAT?!"
Candy gasped."Oppa bullied a princess?!"
Laddu nodded, broken.
"I didn't know she was his third daughter… She looked at me… I looked at her…"He swallowed."…and I said, 'Your face reminds me of a potato. But a rich potato.'"
Maya slapped her forehead."This boy has never known fear."
Mother covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.Mochi buried her face in her scarf."WHY would you SAY that?!"
But Laddu wasn't finished.
"So the chairman punished me."He paused."Then… his wife punished me."
Father blinked."What did she do?"
"She made me clean the entire top floor.""And then forced me to help four departments finish their work."
The table exploded.
"FOUR?!""IN ONE DAY?!""IS HE HUMAN?!"
Laddu nodded weakly."Yes."
"And when I finally escaped outside…"He stopped.
The room stiffened.
"…Ben?" Mochi whispered.
Laddu's eyes darkened with pure trauma.
"Yes. Ben.""And his entire gang."
Candy gasped like she'd heard a ghost story."The demon dog!!"
"I was chased," Laddu said hollowly,"for two kilometers."
Maya leaned forward slowly."So let me get this straight.""You insulted royalty… got punished by management… punished by family… overworked… and then hunted by animals."
"Yes," Laddu said softly."My life is a documentary."
He slumped back in the chair, completely empty.
"I swear…""…sometimes I wish…"
Everyone leaned in.
He raised both arms toward the ceiling.
"…I wish I was a SUN."
Silence.
"…A what?" everyone said together.
"A sun!" he declared weakly."If I get angry, the whole solar system will tremble!"
Mother burst out laughing.Maya slid halfway off her chair.Candy jumped up yelling,"OPPA IS CRAZY SUN GOD!!"
Father rubbed his temples."Boy… you already make people tremble without nuclear power."
Mochi tried to hide her smile.
But her eyes softened.
Destroyed.Exhausted.Hungry.
Still Laddu.
Still chaos.Still ridiculous.Still the reason her heart wouldn't calm down.
And for the first time that day—
She felt relieved.