Jiyong didn't know if he was helping Jieun or not. He hadn't seen her for a few days after he had a little chat with her abusive (and overly jealous) boyfriend. He hadn't seen Chanyeol, either, so he assumed that things were going well.

The only thing on his mind was the money that Jieun owed him for the medical supplies and the cosmetics. He was a little short on paying the rent, but it seemed like good consequences came with the bad ones. Just a three days ago, he struggled with paying the monthly rent, but luck seemed to have chased after him when his manager gave him a raise. Apparently, some group of teenagers filed a complaint about Jiyong's "rude behavior" last week. He remembered that the manager was proud of him "telling the devils to back off" from the store. Jiyong didn't really know what the manager was so happy about, but he quietly accepted the raise as he needed it desperately.

Though the issue of money quickly disappeared when he encountered Jieun. Whether it was the cold or her presence, something pricked Jiyong's heart when his eyes met hers. A pang of guilt stabbed his chest as he bit his tongue and stared at an eye patch Jieun was wearing.

"What happened to you?" he asked her.

She looked up from the ground, surprised to see Jiyong standing in front of her with horror. Her eyes softened and she looked away with her lips sealed. It didn't take Jiyong a second longer to realize that she wasn't going to talk, and that it wouldn't be easy to make her talk.

"By the way, I just wanted to let you know that all the items that Chanyeol gave to you are on the house," he said.

No response.

Minutes passed by, and the two awkwardly stood in front of each other, not muttering another word. Jiyong wasn't sure whether to push on the pointless conversation or to just move along with his life. If she wasn't going to bother talking, then why should he? Shouldn't he just go back home and do whatever he does best: lazing around while munching on some snacks?

This would probably be easier if I was a teenager, Jiyong thought, scratching the back of his head. Oh gosh. What do I do…

Then, Jieun reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope. Thinking that this contained some kind of letter, he took the white envelope and opened it. He widened his eyes when he saw money, and quickly handed it back to Jieun.

"Kid, I have no idea what this is for, but take it. I don't want it," Jiyong said. Jieun quickly shoved her hands back into her pocket, showing that she wasn't going to take it back. "Is this for the supplies you tried to buy from last week? If it is, I'll take the exact amount, but this? This is way too much. Here, take the rest."

It wasn't just a few cash in the envelope. Rather, it was a whole stack of green and yellow cash bundled up with a rubber band. With the money in the envelope, Jiyong knew that he could pay off his rent for at least three years.

When Jieun refused to take back the money, Jiyong reached out for her hand and forcefully pulled it out from her pocket. Then, he dropped the envelope in her hand and pushed it close to her chest.

"I'm not taking all of that, understand?" Jiyong said, frowning at her. Were teenagers taught to waste money like this?

"It's not from me," Jieun finally said. "It's from my boyfriend."

Jiyong frowned. Chanyeol? Her boyfriend? He would've thought that Chanyeol was the last person on earth to give him an incredible amount of cash like this.

"Why would Chanyeol give me money? For the supplies? If that's it, then—"

"No, none of them were for the supplies," Jieun said tiredly. "It's hush-money."

Jiyong swore that his eyeballs almost popped out of his sockets. "Hush-money? Really? For what?"

"He knows that you know about what he does to me." Jieun's lips trembled. "Why did you tell? I told you not to tell!"

"Was there a reason not to tell?"

"Yes! Yes, there was a reason not to tell!" She tried to glare at him. "Have you ever considered my feelings about this situation?"

"Of course I did!"

"Then why did you tell?"

"Because he was being a kid and annoying the customers!"

"Why didn't you tell him to quietly back off?"

"While he has the freedom to harass me?"

"You're an adult!"

"By age, yes! Otherwise, I'm nowhere near to be an adult!"

Jiyong heaved a loud sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. He was frustrated—perhaps offended—at her comment. How could she just judge him based on his age? Physically, he was noted to be an adult, but was he really an adult? Could he carry the burden of adulthood on his shoulders? Of course not. If he could, he wouldn't have left his previous lifestyle. There was just no way he was ready to be an adult.

Completely irritated, Jiyong reached for his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He fished out a lighter and quickly lit the soothing drug. Smoke rose in the cold air, expanding and becoming clear just like Jiyong's thoughts. He took deep breathes, occasionally inhaling the toxic gas. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them to look at Jieun, who was curiously staring at the cigarette stuck between Jiyong's second and third finger.

"Listen, I'm sorry for yelling at you just now. I also apologize for letting your boyfriend know that I know about your…risky relationship. I confess, that was completely my fault and I let that slip without your consent. However, your boyfriend was bothering the customers, and it was my responsibility as the employee not to let anything get out of control. I will only take the exact amount for the supplies. Spend this money on something better than me," Jiyong told her.

Jieun didn't respond. Instead, her eyes were still on his cigarette, which was getting smaller and smaller as the minutes passed by. When Jiyong noticed, he walked over to a nearby trash can, which fortunately had an ashtray. He drilled the lighted cigarette against the ash, watching the light disappear. He left the cigarette on the tray, then turned around to see Jieun staring at the finished cigarette.

"You seem really relaxed," Jieun mentioned.

"Ah, yeah. It helps me think sometimes," Jiyong replied, exhaling.

"When did you start smoking?" she asked him. Her eyes were still on the small cigarette bud.

"A few years ago. I started having some anxiety problems when I moved here so I started smoking," Jiyong told her.

"Anxiety problems? Like what?"

"Um, I guess it was like guilt—uncontrollable guilt. I'd rather not talk about it," Jiyong said shortly.

Jieun kept quiet before she asked a foolish question. "Can I try?"

Jiyong scrunched his eyebrows. "You're not at a legal age to smoke."

"Everyone does it, though," Jieun muttered. "Can I try?"

"No, of course not," Jiyong said.

"Why not?"

"How would smoking benefit you?" Jiyong looked at her. "You'd hate smoking. I can tell just by looking at you."

"I don't know. People say that they die early when they smoke." Jieun looked away. "Maybe I'll die early, too."

"Was that a death wish?"

"Kind of."

Jiyong didn't bother to continue the dark conversation. "Anyway, tell your boyfriend that rather than hush-money, I'd prefer having him give you some freedom of speech. If that's too much for him, then tell me that I want him to let you talk to me at the very least whenever you want."

"He would never allow that. Chanyeol isn't that kind of guy," Jieun informed him.

Jiyong glanced at her. "Kid."

"Jieun," she corrected him.

"Jieun," he repeated, "have you even tried telling him that?"

"Well, no, but I would never dare to ask him such a risky bribe," Jieun confessed.

"Don't tell me what can happen and what can't happen if you haven't tried. Don't tell me that miracles can't happen based on one attempt or no attempt."

Jieun let out a fake chuckle. "Mister, I don't think you know my situation too well." She looked up at him, her eyes dead as ever. "In these situations, isn't it better to just accept what's given to you, like fate?"

Hearing this, Jiyong could only smirk. He slowly shook his head, then turned around to walk away. He waved without facing her, and began to make footsteps on the snow, walking away from the little girl. As he walked on the road, he looked up at the cloudy sky, exhaling to see his breath rise up into the sky like a ring of smoke.

Fate? Jiyong thought. What a helpless, helpless soul.

* * *

"…So with that, she will be working part-time under your supervision. I trust you the most amongst my employees, Jiyong. Watch over her carefully. I'm afraid that she might steal something again," Manager Kim told him.

Jiyong was alarmed to see the same shop-lifting teenager wearing the store's part-time uniform, which was a green apron that had their logo printed neatly on the center. He thought that the girl would never do anything stupid like shop-lifting, but he was proven wrong.

I swear, teenagers get dumber and dumber everyday, Jiyong thought, frowning at the young lady. The girl looked away with her nose high in the air, as if she still had some pride left in her shallow heart.

"There should be no need for introductions. Jiyong, this is Criminal Devil. You, this is Kwon Jiyong," the manager said, patting Jiyong's shoulder with care.

"My name is Bang Minah," Minah said, shooting him a glare.

"Right, right."

"I would appreciate it if you treated me more like a human," Minah told the manager with a glare.

"You? A human? I'll treat you like a human once you start using your head," the manager snapped back at her. He turned to Jiyong and gave him a chummy smile. "Well, Jiyong! I'm sorry, but it looks like I have to leave early. I got an emergency call from the hospital."

Hospital? Jiyong wanted to know what was going on, but he didn't press further. "Sure, thing. I have nothing else to do, anyway."

"I might not be here for a couple of days, but just resume your shifts. Oh, and I made sure that you're off on New Years. I'll pay you the day after New Years. Is that okay?" the manager asked.

"Yes, that's perfectly fine," Jiyong told him. "Have a good day, sir!"

"Good luck, Jiyong! Keep the devils away from the shop as much as you can!" the manager said, taking off.

There was an awkward silence that followed after the manager's leave. Jiyong turned around, watching Minah take off the apron. She tossed it on the couch and fixed her hair. She was just about to head out the door until Jiyong stopped her.

"Um, Minah? What are you doing?" Jiyong asked, picking up the apron from the couch.

"Me? Work here? Please! There's no way I would work here!" Minah exclaimed.

"Well, I'm sorry, but you have to work your hours. It's your own fault that you're here," Jiyong said.

"I'm not working, and you can't make m—"

Before Minah had another word to say, Jiyong balled the apron up and threw it to her face. Fortunately, it was made of soft cloth, so it really didn't hurt her. She yelped and caught the apron with her two hands, surprised how Jiyong showed absolutely no mercy.

"You're working. Now." He crossed his arms. "Get in that uniform, and work."

"No. You can't make me."

"Are you stupid? Of course I can't make you work."

"I'm not working."

"You will work."

"I'm not your slave."

"Are you mocking me or do you not have eyes? Of course I know that you're not a slave."

"You can't force me to work."

"Boy, you sure are stubborn, huh?" Jiyong concluded. How do I get her to work? Man, I was teamed up with a troublesome teen.

"I'm not stubborn. I just like to be treated like a human being," Minah responded.

"You mean you want to be treated like a queen?"

Minah widened her eyes a bit. "A-A queen? N-No. That's no place for a girl like me."

"Then you can work, right?" Jiyong stepped closer to her, but Minah stepped back. He smirked, satisfied with her reaction. "Come on. Let's go."

"But I—"

When Jiyong opened the door, the two were distracted from their conversation to the clear window. Their focus was on Jiho who was standing outside of the convenience store, alone. Jiyong couldn't see Jiho's three friends anywhere; Jiho was completely isolated from his friends. However, the little boy was clearly not alone.

In front of Jiho stood Chanyeol and a few more faces that Jiyong didn't quite recognize. He squinted his eyes, frowning, displeased at the sight of a tough group of boys ganging up against one lone wolf. It was clear that Jiho was ready to fight, but it was even more clear that Jiho was going to be completely annihilated. 

Chanyeol, on the other hand, seemed furious. His eyes showed hostility, like a mad man who wanted to avenge something. Blue veins appeared all over Chanyeol's balled fist, showing how much infuriation he had stored in his hand. Jiyong watched Chanyeol move his lips, and he could hear the barely audible yells coming through the shaking window pane.

Though Jiyong was more surprised to see Jieun standing nervously behind Chanyeol. It was hard to see her face, as she was wearing a large, black hood, but it was evident that she was terrified from the tense situation.

"Jiho…" Minah whispered, staring at the blond boy who was stepping up his game. Before Jiho had the chance to pull his sleeves up, Chanyeol spat at him and swung his fist. Minah gasped, almost mimicking Jieun's reaction.

Jiho was on the ground, his eyes wide and his face obviously in pain. With one hand comforting his sore belly, Jiho raised his other hand and threw an infuriated punch. However, one of Chanyeol's little friends managed to pull Chanyeol back, causing Jiho to miss his target. Behind the single teenager, another of Chanyeol's friend pushed up, causing Jiho to stumble over his own feet and collide against the ground. The poor boy had his palms scraped against the concrete in order to save himself from falling on his face. Jiho slowly got up, but he was pushed to the ground with one kick by a girl, who was also Chanyeol's friend.

Jiyong couldn't believe his eyes. Here he was, standing safely inside the store, watching someone he knew get beaten up by a gang of annoying high school students. What was he supposed to do?

What can I do? he wondered to himself.

"We have to call the cops," Minah told him. "In this type of situation, you just have to call the cops."

"No," Jiyong said quietly. "Just…Just resume."

Minah widened her eyes. "Resume? You mean continue working?"

"Yeah, just ignore the scene," Jiyong replied with a shaky voice.

"What? How could you say that! Someone is being beaten up out there!"

"Weren't you hanging with that group earlier? Aren't they your friends?" Jiyong pointed out. "For now, I can't do anything. I'm pretty sure someone else in the neighborhood called the cops…"

"At this time? We're the only one in the neighborhood who opens this late!"

"Even if we call the cops, he's still going to get hu—"

Jiyong stopped and widened his eyes when he saw Jiho coughing up blood. He felt his heart stop, as if he was just about to receive a heart attack. He watched Jiho crawl on the ground, trying to escape from the gang's wrath. However, Chanyeol's friends grabbed Jiho's arms, preventing him from escaping the deadly circle. When he saw Chanyeol mouth something to Jieun, she cautiously handed him a wooden bat. He could tell that Jieun was hesitant, but when Chanyeol turned his head to her, she only pushed the bat firmly in his hands. With a proud smirk and some final words, Chanyeol raised the weapon in the air.

Out of instinct, Jiyong jumped over the counter and swung the door open, flying in to defend Jiho from the attack. 

"BASTARDS!" Jiyong screamed. Before the bat landed on Jiho's head, Jiyong pushed Chanyeol out of the way with his own body, throwing the two against the fenced wall. Unfortunately, Jiyong was the one who had to hit the wall, but he was satisfied to know that Jiho wasn't hurt.

"What the heck? Get off of me!" Chanyeol shouted. "Guys! Get him off of me!"

Two friends dropped Jiho's right arm and ran over to help Chanyeol. However, Jiyong kept a firm grip on Chanyeol's shoulder, making it harder for his friends to pull him away.

"Listen, brat," Jiyong hissed. "You think that you're king? You think that you can do whatever you please? Well, I get a lesson or two to teach you—" Jiyong turned to Chanyeol's friends, who tried to pry him off of the teen. "Damn it! Stop touching me!" Jiyong shot them a dark glare, causing Chanyeol's friends to slowly back away. He turned his attention back to Chanyeol. "You want to be king? Go ahead! Be a king, a tyrant—do whatever you want for I care! But this?" Jiyong brought his forehead against Chanyeol's. "If I dare to see you beat up anyone I know like this, don't be surprised to find yourself dead the next morning." He looked up at all of Chanyeol's friend with a blood-thirsty look in his eyes. "That goes for all of you! Every single damn one of you! If you touch this man again, I will make sure that you will never laugh and smile like you guys are doing now! If you still think this is funny, then wait until karma gets you! And if you don't believe in karma, then heck, you better believe that I'll be there in place of it."

Jiyong stared at everyone, who was frozen in fear. He panted hard, obviously ready to pounce on another guy despite the fact that he was tired from yelling at them so much.

To his surprise, the girl who kicked Jiho earlier to the ground broke into tears. She let out a cry, wailing, then ran away, overwhelmed with terrified emotions. Another girl followed, followed by two more guys. Eventually, all of Chanyeol's friends began to ran away. Chanyeol managed to pry himself off of Jiyong, and leaving the bat, he escaped with his friends. He left without saying a word, obviously humiliated and scared.

"A…Are you okay?" Jieun asked Jiyong quietly. It took him a second longer to realize that Chanyeol had left his girlfriend, which Jiyong thought was a bit funny. He chuckled quietly, and nodded his head as a big smile crawled upon his lips. 

"Oh gosh…Oh man! That was hilarious!" Jiyong exclaimed, laughing.

"Are you hurt?" Jieun asked him, worried. "Did you hit your head?"

"I scratched my back, but that's all," Jiyong said. He looked around, and noticed Jiho staring at him with eyes that he couldn't quite read. He wasn't sure if Jiho was glaring at him, or if he was trying to say "thank you" silently. "Help me get him into the store."

"Y-Yes," Jieun stuttered, walking over to Jiho. She dragged him along the snow, and fortunately for her, Minah came out, holding the door for her. Jiyong followed behind them, walking into the store last.

The girls walked into the employee's room, helping Jiho lay down on the couch. Jiyong went ahead and pulled out a first-aid kit that was attached to the wall. He walked over to the group, pulled out three chairs for the girls and for him to sit, and dropped the kit on the table.

"So…Do any of you guys know how to do any of this?" Jiyong asked. He looked at Jiho. "Jiho, do you need to go to the hospital?"

"I'm…good," Jiho said in a hoarse voice. He coughed, and blood trickled down from the corner of his lips.

"It looks like he has a few severe scratches," Jieun said, staring at the palm of his hand.

"How do you stop him from bleeding?" Minah asked.

"Here, I can take care of this…" Jieun's voice trailed off as she looked up and saw Jiyong get up from the stool. "Where are you going?"

He blinked his eyes. "I still have work. I can trust you stay here, right?"

"Yes, but…"

"It's okay. If you need me, I'll be behind the counter," Jiyong said. Just before he left the room, he glanced behind him, watching Minah flinch every time Jieun applied alcohol to Jiho's wounds. "Um, Minah?"

"Y-Yes?" Minah asked nervously.

"I believe that you're needed outside," Jiyong said, gesturing his chin to the door.

"But…"

"I'll be outside," he reported, walking out. He smiled when he heard foot steps shuffle behind him. He straightened his shirt, and walked behind the counter. With a deep breath, he inhaled loudly and exhaled, clearing out his thoughts and continuing his job throughout the night.