A Father's Resolve

Park Donghyeon pinned the man's shoulder to the floor with one hand, catching his breath heavily. The narrow hallway was a complete disaster. A single stray shoe rolled near the entrance, and torn pieces of bandages and blood-stained tissues littered the floor. The shoe rack door hung askew, a casualty of the violent struggle that had just unfolded.

"Seongjun, secure the knife first. Watch out for fingerprints."

"Yes, sir."

Hong Seongjun quickly pulled plastic gloves from his pocket and slipped them on. He then carefully picked up the knife lying on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the floor. Dried blood clung to the tip of the blade.

Park Donghyeon pulled the man's hands behind his back and double-checked that the handcuffs were securely locked. Even pinned to the floor, the man bared his teeth and shrieked.

"Let me go, you motherfucker! Let me go!"

"Stay still."

Just then, a middle-aged man slumped by the doorway let out a harsh, hacking cough.

"Cough, cough!"

Hong Seongjun rushed over to him. "Are you alright? Are you hurt badly anywhere? Should I call an ambulance?"

The middle-aged man couldn't answer immediately. Clutching his neck with one hand, he gasped heavily for air. There was a long scratch on the skin near his throat, and his clothes were torn in several places. It was clear that if they had been even a second later, the knife would have plunged much deeper.

Park Donghyeon looked at him and asked, "Do you know that man?"

The middle-aged man struggled to find his voice for a long moment. Finally, he hung his head weakly.

"...He is my son."

A chilling silence fell over the hallway. Hong Seongjun asked, completely taken aback, "What? Your son?"

The middle-aged man rubbed his face wearily. His voice was low and raspy.

"He suddenly knocked on the door, and when I opened it, he was standing there looking like that."

He let out a heavy sigh and continued, "He reeked of blood."

Park Donghyeon frowned. The man pinned to the floor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was still writhing, gritting his teeth.

The father spoke again. "He said he stabbed someone."

"..."

"I told him to turn himself in right now."

"He refused. Said he didn't want to go to prison."

"So when I picked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up my phone, he immediately lunged at me like that."

The moment those words left his mouth, the son pinned beneath Donghyeon twisted his head and shrieked, "Turn myself in, my ass! You tried to report me!"

"Shut up," Donghyeon growled.

"You tried to call the police! I saw you! I saw everything!"

Hong Seongjun glanced back at Park Donghyeon. Without a word, Donghyeon pressed down harder on the man's shoulder.

The father spoke in a cracked, trembling voice. "If you stabbed someone... you should take responsibility, not run away."

The son thrashed even more violently at his father's words. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"Shut up! Shut the fuck up!"

"Calm down."

"It's not over! It's not over yet!"

The hallway fell quiet for a brief moment, filled only with the sound of ragged, heavy breathing. Only then did Park Donghyeon swallow hard, his throat dry. If they had been just a moment later, someone would have died in this hallway tonight.

Just then, a flurry of urgent footsteps echoed from outside. The sound of multiple people running up the steep hill, the crackle of police radios, and the voices of paramedics filled the hallway all at once.

A moment later, the team leader entered the hallway, flanked by two detectives. Behind them, paramedics followed with a stretcher and emergency medical bags.

"Where is it?!"

"Over here!" Hong Seongjun called out, raising his hand.

Two paramedics immediately rushed to the middle-aged man. They moved with practiced speed, checking his neck, examining the bleeding, and wrapping a blood pressure cuff around his arm.

The team leader scanned the hallway. His expression hardened as his eyes took in the suspect pinned to the floor, the secured knife, and the middle-aged man receiving medical treatment.

"...You actually found him?"

Hong Seongjun caught his breath and said, "Senior told us to check the pharmacies again. He figured a guy with a hand injury would stop by a pharmacy."

"..."

"We picked up his trail at the last pharmacy and came straight up to the studio apartment district. We caught him right here."

The team leader's gaze shifted to Park Donghyeon. "Did you figure this out?"

Park Donghyeon kept his mouth shut for a moment. After a long hesitation, he parted his lips.

"It's true that I caught him. But I didn't find him alone."

Hong Seongjun looked back at him with a puzzled expression, but Donghyeon didn't elaborate. Instead, the low, cold voice that had echoed through his earpiece just tens of minutes ago flashed through his mind.

'He just went inside.'

'He won't stop at one person today.'

Just recalling those words sent a shiver down his spine. The team leader tried to ask something else, but Donghyeon only stared down at the man splayed on the floor.

The next night.

The moment Park Jihun turned on his stream, the chat window began to scroll at a manic pace.

Park Jihun silently scanned the chat window. It was scrolling much faster than usual. There were plenty of unfamiliar usernames mixed in. He could tell instantly that yesterday's incident had bumped his stream up to a whole new level.

"Quiet."

With that single low, flat word, the chat paused for a brief second before boiling over once again.

It was at that moment.

Instantly, the chat exploded.

NightStroll's messages popped up in quick succession.

Park Jihun looked down at the chat window and said flatly, "As long as everyone's alive, that's all that matters."

At those words, the chat flared up even hotter.

A moment later, NightStroll's message appeared again.

The chat immediately began to buzz.

Park Jihun spoke in a nonchalant voice. "Just get in line. That's all you need to do."

NightStroll's reply came instantly.

Park Jihun didn't drag out the conversation. Instead, he scanned the usernames popping up in the chat window and remarked, "Anyway, there are a lot of parents here today. I guess the CSAT is over."

At his words, a flood of chat messages poured in.

Park Jihun tapped his fingers on the desk. "I don't know who's going to get picked, but as announced, we're using the roulette today."

Along with his words, the usernames from the chat began to appear on the screen one by one. It was the newly updated roulette.

The chat boiled over in response.

As Park Jihun spun the roulette, the usernames on the screen blurred into a rapid, random spin. A moment later, the first winning username flashed on the screen.

"DadOfHighSchoolSenior, please join."

Once the Discord connection went through, the voice of a middle-aged man came through the speakers.

"Hello."

"Speak."

"My daughter just took the CSAT. Her score came out a bit lower than usual. It seems like she wants to retake the exam and try again next year... but the problem is, our financial situation isn't very comfortable..."

Park Jihun cut him off. "Let her retake it."

The man gasped in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Let her do it."

"But our finances are tight..."

Park Jihun's gaze turned cold. "Your daughter hasn't broken yet."

"Pardon?"

"Her eyes aren't those of someone who has given up."

The man spoke hesitantly. "Even so, reality is harsh..."

"You've already done the math anyway," Jihun said, his voice firm and unyielding. "Aren't you planning to work your day job and then drive designated driver services at night?"

"..."

"And if two jobs aren't enough, you've even thought about taking on a third."

The man was utterly speechless. "How... how did you..."

"Your daughter knows too."

"..."

"That's why she can't even bring herself to say she wants to do it."

Silence fell over the Discord call. The chat window froze along with it.

Park Jihun continued. "Trust your daughter."

"..."

"Otherwise, both she and you will end up full of regret."

The middle-aged man replied softly, "I understand."

Jihun added one last thing. "Don't try to carry the burden all by yourself. If you don't talk to her, she'll keep walking on eggshells around you forever."

A heavy silence lingered for a moment. Finally, the man spoke.

"Yes. Thank you."

"Next."

The roulette continued to spin after that. A few more college admission consultations followed. Though they shared similar worries, the answers were all completely different. Park Jihun didn't give long-winded explanations for any of them. He only left them with the brief, essential words they needed to hear. That was the nature of a shamanic reading.

After wrapping up the last paid consultation, Park Jihun took a sip of water. At the same time, the chat window began to scroll at an even faster speed. Only one free reading remained.

"All paid consultations are finished. Now, it's time for the free shamanic reading..."

The moment his voice trailed off, the chat window instantly went into overdrive.

Park Jihun quietly scanned the chat window. Line after line was flying by in a blur. It was a chaotic mix of newcomers who had joined after yesterday's criminal case, parents who had swarmed in after hearing today's CSAT consultations, and regular viewers who were just there to watch.

"Quiet."

At that single word, the speed of the chat faltered for a brief second. But it was only temporary; it quickly sped right back up.

Park Jihun tapped his fingers on the desk. Then, at a certain moment, his gaze locked onto a specific username.

"Mint0304. Come on in."

The chat buzzed with excitement.

A moment later, the Discord connection chime rang out. Soon, the voice of a young woman flowed through.

"Yes, you can hear me, right?"

Instead of answering, Park Jihun narrowed his eyes. A brief vision flashed before him.

Stage lights. An intro track pounding against his ears. Two song titles written on a piece of paper. People sitting with stiff, grim expressions. And finally, the sharp, defiant gaze of a woman refusing to back down.

Park Jihun's eyes slowly darkened.

"You came here because of the title track."

The other side of the Discord call instantly fell dead silent.

Jihun continued, "The song the agency is pushing, and the song you're pushing. They're completely opposite, aren't they?"