In the early morning, around 7:34 AM, the city was already beginning to awaken beneath the pale silver glow of dawn.
The streets carried the familiar rhythm of weekday life. Office workers holding steaming cups of coffee crossed intersections with exhausted expressions, students in uniforms walked in groups while laughing sleepily, and delivery drones occasionally flew overhead with faint mechanical hums that echoed between the towering apartment complexes.
Amidst that slowly stirring metropolis, Jison walked alone toward his school.
His black backpack rested lazily over one shoulder while both of his hands remained tucked inside his pockets. His expression was as indifferent as ever.
Usually, he would take the underground conduit route.
The narrow passage connected several residential sectors directly to the school district and shortened the travel distance by nearly a kilometre. It was isolated, quiet, and most importantly, efficient.
Jison preferred silence.
He disliked crowded roads and unnecessary interactions.
The main street was annoying because it was always packed with people.
However, the moment he arrived near the entrance of the underground conduit, he stopped walking.
Several maintenance barricades blocked the entire path.
Yellow warning holograms flickered repeatedly above the damaged entrance while sparks occasionally erupted from the exposed wiring beneath the collapsed metal framework. A few workers in orange utility uniforms were already inspecting the destroyed conduit.
One of them shouted toward another.
"Power relay's completely fried! Shut down the eastern circuit before someone gets electrocuted!"
Jison clicked his tongue softly.
"So troublesome..."
He stared at the blocked route for a few seconds before exhaling quietly.
He had no choice now.
Turning around, he began walking toward the main street instead.
Although the difference was merely a kilometre, he still disliked it immensely. The underground route was faster and peaceful.
The main road felt chaotic.
Normally, he only used it whenever he walked together with someone else or when accompanying his parents during family outings.
As he continued forward, streams of pedestrians passed beside him endlessly.
At one point, a gigantic muscular man walked past him while holding the leash of an equally intimidating black dog.
The man's body looked monstrous beneath his sleeveless compression shirt. Thick veins bulged across his forearms, and every step he took carried immense physical pressure.
Jison's eyes narrowed slightly.
Without hesitation, he activated his skill.
[Peeking]
For a brief instant, translucent blue data flashed before his eyes.
Jison's eyes widened faintly.
"B-Rank in every category..."
That was absurd.
The muscular man merely continued walking casually with his dog as if unaware that someone had just inspected his entire physical capability.
Jison silently observed him disappear into the crowd.
Then his gaze shifted toward other pedestrians.
A middle-aged office worker.
[Peeking]
A female athlete jogging near the crosswalk.
[Peeking]
A university student carrying sports equipment.
[Peeking]
An old woman buying fruits from a roadside vendor.
[Peeking]
Again and again, Jison continuously activated the skill on random individuals during his walk.
Not because he was curious anymore.
But because he understood something important.
The more he used the skill, the more proficient it became.
Each activation leads towards the upgrade.
At this point, he had probably used [Peeking] on around fifteen or sixteen people.
His school was only a few minutes away now.
The morning traffic became denser as he entered a quieter district lined with aging apartment buildings and convenience stores.
Then—
As Jison turned around a corner leading toward the final road to school, a loud drunken voice suddenly echoed from a nearby alleyway.
"You bitch! You study all day and work part-time but still can't give me money?!"
SLAP!
The sharp sound of skin being struck violently reverberated through the narrow alley.
Jison stopped walking.
His brows furrowed instinctively.
For a moment, he simply stood there silently.
Then he glanced sideways toward the alley entrance.
Inside the dim passage between two old residential buildings, he saw an old man standing near a staircase leading toward a rusted apartment door.
And beneath those stairs stood a girl.
The moment Jison saw her face, his eyes narrowed slightly in recognition.
It was the beautiful girl from yesterday.
The one working together with Seo-yeon at the café.
She also goes to Gangwon High School.
Although he didn't know her name, he remembered her clearly.
Her long dark hair appeared dishevelled this morning, and a visible red slap mark stained her pale cheek. Tears gathered within her eyes before slowly rolling down her face.
Yet despite that—
She did not resist.
She simply stood there silently while clenching both fists tightly.
Jison unconsciously frowned.
What the hell...
For a second, he turned away.
This wasn't his business.
He barely even knew the girl.
Countless people suffered miserable situations every day. He wasn't some heroic protagonist who interfered with strangers' lives out of pure righteousness.
So he began walking away.
Or at least—
He tried to.
But suddenly, his footsteps froze.
A strange tightness gripped his chest.
His heart felt heavy for reasons he couldn't understand.
Jison frowned harder.
"...What the hell is this feeling?"
He tried taking another step forward.
Yet his body refused to move.
Behind him, the old man's drunken shouting continued.
"Today if you don't bring me 16,000 won, don't come home, bitch! Your mother was a whore and you're the same!"
Hearing those filthy words, the girl's shoulders trembled faintly.
Choi Soo-bin bit her lower lip hard enough to nearly draw blood.
Humiliation.
Anger.
Pain.
All of it remained trapped behind her silence.
But before the old man could continue screaming—
A figure suddenly walked into the alley and stopped directly beside her.
Jison.
His expression was cold and unreadable.
Choi Soo-bin's eyes widened slightly in surprise as she glanced sideways toward him.
Immediately, she recognized him.
It's him...
Seo-yeon's friend from yesterday.
At the same time, the old man also noticed the unfamiliar boy standing there.
His bloodshot eyes narrowed suspiciously.
The smell of alcohol reeked heavily from his body.
Jison looked directly at him without fear.
Then, calmly, he pointed his thumb toward Choi Soo-bin standing beside him.
"Are you this girl's father?"
Hearing Jison's question, the old man let out a rough scoff before rubbing his swollen belly lazily.
His stained shirt reeked heavily of cheap alcohol, and his bloodshot eyes carried the vulgar arrogance of someone long consumed by addiction and frustration.
"Bastard," he spat while glaring at Jison. "What if I am her father? And who the fuck are you to ask me that?"
The alleyway instantly became tense.
The morning wind passed faintly through the narrow corridor between the buildings, carrying the unpleasant stench of cigarettes, alcohol, and damp concrete.
Jison remained expressionless.
His calmness only irritated the old man further.
Then suddenly, the old man's gaze shifted toward Soo-bin.
He noticed the way she kept glancing at Jison repeatedly.
A disgusting smirk slowly stretched across his wrinkled face.
"Ohhh..."
His drunken eyes narrowed mockingly.
"Are you her boyfriend or something?"
However—
Jison completely ignored the question as if he hadn't even heard it.
Instead, his gaze shifted slightly toward the girl beside him.
Within his mind, an absurdly dramatic thought surfaced.
He is her father...
If I beat him up, she'll probably be sad.
Even Jison himself almost felt ridiculous hearing that thought internally.
Still, he restrained himself.
Looking at Soo-bin, he asked quietly,
"Ah... you work with Lee Seo-yeon, right?"
The moment Seo-yeon's name was mentioned, Soo-bin's trembling eyes widened slightly.
Then another tear rolled down her reddened cheek before falling silently onto the cold concrete ground beneath her feet.
Unable to meet his eyes, she lowered her head and gave a small nod.
That tiny gesture somehow made the atmosphere even heavier.
The old man saw everything.
And what enraged him most—
Was being ignored.
Completely ignored.
Veins bulged across his forehead instantly.
His expression twisted viciously as he raised his right hand high into the air.
"Bastard!" he roared furiously. "You dare ignore me?!"
Even Soo-bin flinched in shock.
Her head snapped upward toward her father immediately.
She knew that look.
That drunken rage.
That uncontrollable violence.
Fear instantly spread across her pale face as she saw his palm descending directly toward Jison.
"Stop—!"
But it was already too late.
The old man's slap cut violently through the air.
Soo-bin instinctively raised both arms in panic, trying to block the attack while shouting desperately,
"Careful!"
However—
Before the slap could land—
A hand suddenly stopped it.
Firmly.
Completely.
The old man's wrist was caught midair by Jison's left hand.
The impact never reached his face.
Silence.
Absolute silence filled the alley for one terrifying second.
Soo-bin froze.
The old man's pupils shrank.
Jison slowly lifted his gaze toward him.
And for the first time—
Actual anger appeared within his eyes.
A suffocating pressure seemed to emanate from him invisibly.
His dark eyes felt cold enough to pierce flesh itself, while an almost imaginary crimson-black aura appeared to spread around his body like dense killing intent.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Even the drunken old man unconsciously staggered backward from pure instinctive fear.
His face paled slightly.
"You..."
His voice trembled involuntarily.
Jison's grip tightened just enough to cause pain.
Then he spoke in a dangerously calm tone.
"Sir... behave yourself."
His eyes remained locked onto the old man without blinking.
"I was holding back only because of your daughter."
The words carried neither shouting nor threats.
Yet somehow, they felt infinitely more frightening.
A second later, Jison violently jerked the man's wrist away.
The old man stumbled backward clumsily and nearly lost his footing on the stairs.
Meanwhile, Jison turned toward Soo-bin.
The anger in his eyes softened slightly.
"Ah... I'm sorry if what I did upset you."
However, Soo-bin barely even heard his apology.
At this moment, her mind was filled entirely with fear.
Not fear of Jison—
But fear of what her father might do next.
Without hesitation, she suddenly grabbed Jison's wrist tightly.
Her hands were trembling badly.
"We need to go."
Her voice cracked emotionally.
"Please... let's get out of here first."
Before Jison could even react properly, Soo-bin pulled him away hurriedly.
Both of them rushed out of the alleyway quickly.
Behind them, the old man erupted into hysterical shouting.
"Bitches! Fuckers!"
His furious curses echoed through the alley endlessly.
"You dare scare me?!"
"You bitch, don't come back home or I'll fucking kill you!"
His voice sounded insane.
Broken.
Pathetic.
Yet terrifying at the same time.
Still—
Neither Jison nor Soo-bin looked back.
They simply kept running.
Past intersections.
Past apartment blocks.
Past busy sidewalks filled with confused pedestrians staring at them strangely.
Soo-bin continued pulling Jison forward desperately as if stopping even for a second would allow that nightmare to catch up again.
Eventually—
After running far enough away from the alley—
The two finally slowed down near a quiet public garden several streets away.
Both of them were breathing heavily now.
Exhaustion covered their faces.
Soo-bin's grip on Jison's wrist loosened gradually before she finally let go completely.
The two sat down beside each other on a wooden bench beneath a large tree.
The cool morning breeze brushed softly against them.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of their uneven breathing remained.
Jison leaned back slightly against the bench while catching his breath.
Beside him, Soo-bin lowered her head quietly.
Her hair partially covered her face, but even then, Jison could still notice her trembling shoulders faintly.
The slap mark on her cheek remained painfully visible beneath the morning sunlight.
And for some unknown reason—
Seeing it irritated him more than it should have.