As time gradually passed, the atmosphere inside the café slowly shifted from the calm quietness of afternoon toward the busier hours of evening.
The golden sunlight entering through the glass windows had already begun dimming faintly, casting long shadows across the wooden floor.
At this moment—
The time was exactly 4:55 PM.
Only five minutes remained before Soo-bin's shift ended.
Meanwhile, near the corner table beside the counter—
Jison sat silently with one arm resting against the table while staring directly toward Soo-bin.
From an outsider's perspective, it looked extremely suspicious.
A handsome high school boy continuously staring at a beautiful girl working behind the counter.
Any normal person would've misunderstood instantly.
However—
Contrary to appearances—
Jison wasn't thinking anything romantic.
Or dirty.
Or even remotely flirtatious.
His mind was consumed by something infinitely more stressful.
The fucking mission.
Specifically—
How the hell was he supposed to kiss Choi Soo-bin?
He was genuinely thinking about it seriously now.
The system deadline remained mercilessly close.
And although he already had a rough plan forming inside his head—
It still felt insanely risky.
What if it fails?
What if she slaps me?
What if she thinks I'm some deranged creep?
His expression unconsciously became more focused while staring at her.
Meanwhile—
Behind the counter—
Soo-bin was steadily reaching her emotional limit.
Because Jison had been staring at her almost continuously for the past several minutes.
Every time she tried focusing on work—
She could feel his gaze.
And occasionally—
Their eyes would accidentally meet.
The moment that happened, her heartbeat immediately became chaotic again.
Her face had already turned red long ago.
She wanted to tell him to stop staring.
Seriously.
Stop looking at me like that.
But every single time she considered saying it—
Embarrassment completely overwhelmed her.
As a result, she could only avoid eye contact repeatedly while pretending to focus on preparing drinks.
Then suddenly—
A hand landed lightly upon her shoulder from behind.
"Sister Soo-bin."
Another girl's cheerful voice entered the atmosphere.
"You can leave now. I'll take over from here."
It was another café employee.
One of Soo-bin's coworkers and also a close friend she had known since middle school.
The girl blinked after noticing Soo-bin's frozen posture.
"...Huh?"
Soo-bin stood there speechlessly while staring downward.
Her entire face was visibly flushed red.
Immediately, the coworker's expression became mischievous.
Slowly leaning closer toward Soo-bin's ear, she whispered teasingly,
"Hey~"
Her lips curled upward.
"You look really embarrassed."
Then she glanced subtly toward Jison sitting nearby.
A dangerous smile appeared across her face.
"Is this the sign of love?"
The effect was immediate.
"No—!"
Soo-bin nearly exploded from embarrassment.
Her entire body stiffened instantly while she waved both hands frantically.
"What the hell are you even talking about?!"
Her voice rose several octaves higher than normal.
Even nearby customers glanced over briefly.
Meanwhile, Jison looked over in confusion from his table.
Seeing him look over only made Soo-bin panic more.
"I-I'm going to change first!"
Without waiting for another word, she hurriedly rushed toward the staff room almost as if escaping from a disaster.
The coworker watched her retreating figure while laughing softly.
Then slowly—
Her gaze shifted around the café curiously.
Eventually, her eyes landed upon Jison.
At that moment, Jison stretched his body slightly while waiting casually near the table.
The coworker's brows lifted faintly.
Then she glanced around the café again.
Disappointment suddenly crossed her face.
So that bastard still didn't come again...
Every day he says he'll visit.
What a liar.
However—
Before she could continue thinking further—
The staff room door opened once again.
Soo-bin stepped out wearing her school clothes now instead of her work apron.
Her hair had been fixed slightly, yet the faint redness lingering on her face still hadn't disappeared completely.
She quickly walked toward Jison's table before stopping beside him.
"Let's go."
The moment the coworker saw that scene—
Her eyes widened dramatically.
What the fuck...
Soo-bin came here with a guy?
I thought she wasn't dating anyone.
Immediately afterward—
A teasing grin spread across her face.
"Ohhhh~"
She leaned against the counter mischievously before speaking loudly enough for both of them to hear.
"Sister Soo-bin."
Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Is he your boyfriend?"
The atmosphere froze instantly.
Jison nearly choked on air itself.
Meanwhile, Soo-bin also stiffened visibly.
"W-What?!"
Jison immediately raised both hands frantically while shaking his head.
"No, no, you've misunderstood!"
He pointed awkwardly toward Soo-bin.
"She's just my senior!"
His voice carried genuine panic now.
Without waiting another second—
Jison quickly stood up from the table and started walking toward the exit with unnaturally large steps.
His expression outwardly remained calm.
But internally—
He was dying from embarrassment.
Fuck...
What must senior think about me now?
She'll definitely think I'm some creepy bastard.
This is so fucking embarrassing.
Meanwhile, behind him—
Soo-bin watched his escaping figure silently for a moment.
Then she turned back toward her coworker.
Her face still slightly red.
"...Bye."
She waved lightly before following after Jison toward the exit.
And by the time she reached the glass doors—
Jison had already walked halfway outside like a man fleeing a battlefield.
Soo-bin stared at his retreating back briefly.
Then—
A small uncontrollable smile appeared across her lips before she quietly followed behind him into the evening streets.
The evening air had gradually turned colder by the time the two exited the café.
Streetlights were already beginning to illuminate one after another across the busy road while crowds moved endlessly through the sidewalks.
Jison walked several steps ahead before suddenly slowing down.
Then he turned toward Soo-bin while awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
"Ah... senior."
His expression became slightly uneasy.
"I think we should take another route."
Soo-bin blinked.
"Why?"
Jison forced out an awkward laugh.
"Because those idiots from earlier are probably waiting nearby to fight."
The moment those words left his mouth—
A chilling voice suddenly echoed from behind him.
"Oh?"
"So you knew we'd come."
Jison's entire body stiffened instantly.
Slowly—
He turned around.
And the moment he did—
His expression froze.
The same five boys now stood several meters behind him beneath the dim evening lights.
Their faces carried vicious smiles.
Although all of them were shorter than Jison—
The pressure radiating from them still felt overwhelming.
Because Jison knew something they didn't.
Their stats.
Their physical abilities were significantly superior to his current state.
The cold sensation of danger immediately crawled down his spine.
Beside him, Soo-bin's face instantly turned pale.
"J-Jison..."
Her voice trembled.
"Behind you..."
Hearing the panic in her voice only made the situation feel more real.
Jison stared at the five boys while his heartbeat accelerated rapidly.
Fuck.
I can maybe handle one.
Possibly two if I use skills properly.
But five?
That's impossible.
Completely fucking impossible.
Still—
Despite the fear surging inside him—
Jison forced out another awkward laugh.
Then he slightly glanced backward toward Soo-bin over his shoulder.
"Senior..."
His voice remained strangely calm.
"Run."
He swallowed dryly.
"I'll handle them."
However—
Internally—
He was absolutely terrified.
Run?
Handle them?
Bullshit.
He wanted to run too.
Immediately.
But—
His legs refused to move away while Soo-bin remained behind him.
Meanwhile, Soo-bin stared at his back silently.
Then slowly—
Her trembling fingers grabbed the back of his shirt tightly.
The small action made Jison's expression stiffen slightly.
At that moment—
The boy who earlier attempted to slap Jison stepped forward first.
His eyes narrowed aggressively.
"What's your relationship with sister-in-law?"
Beside him, another student with an ugly face and shaved head cracked his knuckles heavily before speaking in a deep tone.
"Sister-in-law is pure."
His gaze turned cold toward Jison.
"You're obviously the bastard trying to deceive her."
Then the remaining three boys burst into mocking laughter simultaneously.
One of them spat onto the ground.
"Damn, she's just some bitch our boss Seo-jun has been chasing forever."
Another smirked viciously.
"And this dog thinks he can touch her first?"
Jison ignored every single word they said.
Instead—
He only looked back toward Soo-bin.
She still stood behind him while gripping his clothes tightly.
Fear was clearly visible within her trembling eyes now.
Jison's expression softened slightly.
"Senior."
His voice lowered.
"Just run."
"I'll manage somehow."
The moment Soo-bin heard those words—
Her eyes immediately became watery.
She understood.
Jison was bluffing.
He was scared too.
Yet he was still standing in front of her.
Protecting her.
Slowly, she loosened her grip on his clothes.
Then she suddenly turned around and began running down the street.
However, even while running, she kept looking back toward him repeatedly.
"Jison!"
Her trembling voice echoed loudly.
"Run too if you can't fight them!"
Jison nodded once.
The moment Soo-bin disappeared further away—
The five boys' expressions twisted with fury after being ignored repeatedly.
The bald-headed student immediately stepped forward viciously.
Without warning—
He threw a brutal punch directly toward Jison's face.
Unfortunately—
Jison had still been watching Soo-bin's retreating figure.
He never saw the punch coming.
BAM!
The impact exploded across his jaw violently.
Pain surged through his entire skull instantly.
Jison stumbled backward before crashing heavily onto the pavement.
"Damn it—!"
A sharp groan escaped his mouth.
That fucking hurts...
Before he could recover—
The five boys had already surrounded him completely.
Cracking knuckles.
Rolling shoulders.
Smiling like predators cornering prey.
One of them grinned devilishly downward.
"Now you're fucked."
Another laughed coldly.
"You're going to die today, bastard."
Then—
They attacked together.
Kicks slammed brutally into Jison's ribs, stomach, and back one after another without mercy.
THUD!
BAM!
CRACK!
Pain erupted endlessly throughout his body.
Jison curled instinctively while trying desperately to shield himself from the rain of kicks.
But it barely helped.
The difference in strength was overwhelming.
Each hit felt like being smashed with iron rods.
"Cough—!"
Blood nearly rose into his throat.
Fuck...
This hurts...
Meanwhile, the boys continued laughing while beating him mercilessly.
"Wasn't acting tough earlier?"
"Get up now, bastard!"
"Where's your confidence gone?!"
Eventually—
Using the briefest opening possible—
Jison suddenly rolled away from their circle desperately.
Then, despite the agony tearing through his body—
He forced himself onto his feet.
His breathing had already become ragged.
His face looked exhausted and pale.
Yet survival instinct screamed inside his head.
Run.
RUN, JISON.
OR YOUR FUCKING GRAVE WILL BE HERE TODAY.
Without hesitation—
Jison turned around and sprinted toward the direction Soo-bin had fled earlier.
The five boys stared momentarily in shock.
Then rage exploded across their faces.
"Catch him!"
"That fucking dog is running!"
"Don't let the bastard escape!"
Like a pack of mad dogs—
All five immediately began chasing after him through the evening streets.