It was a gloomy day, over 20 years ago. This was just about a year or two after I started the SSS. Of course, at the time, we barely had any agents. In fact, we didn't do much besides help capture thieves in the local neighborhood.

As I was walking back to the facility, I saw that a new cafe had just opened. KimKoffee was the name. Your dad was the owner. You know me, I can't just ignore coffee when I see it. As I walked in, there was a strong scent of my favorite drink in the world: coffee. The place was quite bustling for such a small cafe. I thought I would grab a quick coffee before heading back. No one would mind, and there were no agents waiting for me anyway. I got in line to order. Then it was my turn.

"One americano, please! Oh, and with two extra shots. Thank you," I said.
"Coming right up!" Your dad exclaimed cheerily.

He made the coffee so nicely. I haven't had a nice coffee in a while. Then your dad came over.
"Hi, I'm Kim MyungSoo, owner of KimKoffee. Do you have any extra time for a survey? You seem like you enjoy coffee, so I was wondering on how we could make this place better."
I checked my watch. The others wouldn't mind if I was late, right? I mean, I'm already here for coffee, might as well.
The survey ended up turning into a conversation as I gave tips on what my favorite kind of coffee is and what's the perfect amount of cream or shots, in my opinion. MyungSoo diligently wrote down notes and explained that originally, he worked as a bellhopper at a four-star hotel. At the time, he was dating your mom, and shortly after they got married, the company had fallen apart. Your mom suggested opening a store to make ends meet. MyungSoo suggested a cafe since that was what was trendy, especially for the new generation. The two bought a two story place. The bottom floor was the cafe, and they lived on the top floor.

So, KimKoffee was created, and it has been almost a year since it had opened. I was quite impressed that they had a good amount of regulars. Actually, MyungSoo was quite good at making coffee. My americano was a little too sweet for my liking, but MyungSoo quickly took note and offered me a free americano the next time I visit to test it again.

I was touched by his diligence and how passionate he was to create the perfect cafe in a city like Seoul where there were at least 20 other cafes as competition. I guess that's when our friendship started to bloom.

After missions, it was sort of a habit to grab a coffee at KimKoffee before heading back to the SSS facility. MyungSoo never asked what my job was. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I owned a huge secret service to prevent thieves from mugging places like KimKoffee. MyungSoo was just glad that I came every time to give him new tips on coffee. In fact, he added a new type of latte to the menu, and it was named after me. It was called the "See Yeol Latte!" which was a pun on the phrase "See you later!"

One hot summer day in July, I came in after a mission and was greeted by MyungSoo, extremely more cheerful than usual.

"What, did the caffeine finally get to your head?" I joked.
"SungYeol, I--" He couldn't even talk because he was smiling so widely, "My wife is having a child!"
I couldn't believe my best friend was going to be a father now. MyungSoo shook my hand in excitement. His wife, SaeYeon, gave me a hug as well.
"SungYeol! You'll be his cool uncle!" MyungSoo laughed.
It never hit me that this would be my first time ever being called an uncle. I had no living family, and MyungSoo was the only friend I had in the real world. Was this perhaps... my new family? I saw MyungSoo as a younger brother anyway. Our relationship was close enough that I could say that.

I suppose after the news was when there was quite a downfall.

The coffee place wasn't doing well. There was a huge mall that opened down the street, and it seemed like people would rather spend their money at the mall than a tiny cafe nearby. SaeYeon suggested that they move the cafe to somewhere else, but MyungSoo said it would cost more to move to another location. The amount of customers dwindled away, but I still came often.

On my way to KimKoffee, I came through the back door to visit SaeYeon first. I was surprised to find MyungSoo in the alley instead. He was talking to a taller, much scarier man. I hid behind the trash can and eavesdropped.
"I'll pay back the money, I promise," MyungSoo said to the man.
"Yeah, yeah, and you said that last month, too," The loan shark rolled his eyes.
MyungSoo was pacing back and forth in nervousness. The loan shark tapped his feet.
"Give me 3 days, please," MyungSoo asked.
"How about now?" The loan shark said angrily, pushing MyungSoo against the wall, "Where's your wallet, punk?"
MyungSoo struggled to free himself as the loan shark raised MyungSoo by the collar, as if MyungSoo was light as a feather.
Then, I saw the loan shark raise his hand in a fist. Almost like instinct, my legs quickly ran over and the next thing I knew, I had tackled the man and started shouting at the loan shark to get out of there. The man cursed under his breath as he touched the newly formed bruise on his cheek.
"Coffee boy, you better come with that money in three days," The loan shark pointed at MyungSoo.
The scary man quickly fled before the bystanders could see.

"MyungSoo, are you okay?!" I shouted, "Yah, who was that?"
"It's nothing..." MyungSoo lowered his head, "Hyung, I... I really messed up. Don't tell my wife, please. I took out a loan from that guy. I don't know... I just... Business was doing bad and I needed money to pay for my wife's visits to the doctor. And we needed to prepare a new room for our baby, and I didn't want to disappoint SaeYeon if I told her I couldn't even afford a new crib."

His hands were shaking. That was the first time I had ever seen MyungSoo so filled with fear.

"Look, MyungSoo, we can get through this. I'll-- I'll help you. I have some money saved up and we can use it to pay off your loan--"
"Hyung!" MyungSoo shouted, "I can'