Unbeliever (1)
Fine by me.
What mattered right now was going fishing.
"Have you ever been fishing?"
"No."
"I'll teach you."
"But I don't even have a rod."
"We can buy a cheap one from the shop next door."
There was a store nearby selling fishing rods.
Han Yuna looked around the shop curiously but didn't buy anything else.
She seemed completely clueless about fishing.
"Have you done a lot of fishing?"
"No, I've only done it a few times myself, so I'm no expert."
But the real point was that once you cast the line, your mind went blissfully blank as you sat there.
"What if we don't catch anything?"
"Then we'll just grab some sashimi nearby and head home."
It wasn't about actually catching fish.
What mattered was knowing it was okay to fail.
"Alright, shall we give it a try?"
I showed Han Yuna how to hold the rod.
Hooked on the bait, cast the line.
We were standing by the rocky shore, rods in hand, lost in a daze, when it happened.
"Whoa?!"
Han Yuna's rod bent sharply.
Her eyes sparkled.
After a brief tug-of-war,
she flinched in surprise.
What had hooked on her line wasn't what she'd expected.
"What... is this?"
She'd caught a smartphone.
It had some seaweed stuck to it, but thanks to the waterproof case, it powered on once I plugged in the portable battery.
"You reeled in something expensive."
"I never imagined my first catch would be like this."
I called the emergency contact saved on the phone and tracked down the owner.
A local fisherman who lived nearby—he said he'd be right over.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
He didn't come empty-handed.
He brought a huge sea bream he'd caught that morning, a few octopuses, and a box full of seafood.
"There was actually a photo of my little one on there."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I was saving it preciously to show off at her wedding someday..."
He hadn't backed it up anywhere and had been stomping around in frustration.
How could he not be thrilled to get it back?
"Thank you again, truly!"
He left,
after leaving behind all that food.
"Noah... did you know? That I'd catch this?"
I smiled instead of answering.
Han Yuna's delicate eyebrows arched slightly.
"The point of fishing is to catch fish, but you can catch other things too."
"...And?"
"But catching something else doesn't make it a problem, does it?"
"......"
Han Yuna fell silent.
I handed her the rod with a smile.
"What matters is doing the fishing."
"Sigh. Noah, are you saying it doesn't matter that the person I trusted turned out to be my brother's man?"
I didn't answer.
Han Yuna wasn't really asking for one.
"What matters is running the company and solidifying my position as heir... No need to get worked up over one person..."
The process doesn't matter.
Only the results do.
Han Yuna murmured softly, then let out a small chuckle.
It was a bit awkward, unlike the perfect smile she'd flashed when we first met today.
But I knew.
This was her genuine smile.
"In this world, you run into all sorts—good, bad, and everything in between. Don't sweat it too much."
"Haha..."
"Shall we keep fishing then?"
That day, the two of us together caught one fish.
And bought some sashimi at a nearby shop to eat.
We couldn't make sashimi from what we'd caught ourselves.
But Han Yuna looked satisfied enough.
Yeah, that was good enough.
"Alright, that's it for today's stream. See you next time at the usual—"
A few days after fishing with Han Yuna.
I was wrapping up today's broadcast when that chat caught my eye.
SmasherMan.
One of the recent viewers who'd popped into my streams, occasionally donating gold too.
Just your average office worker, nothing special.
And now he had something important to say.
"Sure. Nothing special going on today anyway."
I'm no Conan— not every day involves crimes or incidents.
So I set up a private Discord room just for us and started the chat.
Now came the tricky part.
I could just tell him exactly what I saw.
But this was between them, wasn't it?
"For trust's sake, you should ask her yourself."
"Y-yeah, maybe?"
"Yeah. Hear it from her and decide."
In the future I saw, he finds out everything and still marries her.
But he seemed uneasy, so one more word.
"That tattoo on her back—have you looked closely?"
"N-no, not yet..."
"Look close, and you'll see it's covering a scar."
"Wha...? A scar on her back?"
The scar was from a sword, but she wasn't a hunter, so no issue there.
And the one who gave her that scar? Her own mother.
"That's all I'll say. Tattoos can be off-putting, sure, but no need to judge harshly. Talk it out."
"Th-thanks, bro!!"
"Thanks my ass—you donated 1000 coins last time. This is payback."
Most donations came with requests, but SmasherMan just tossed 1000 coins, no strings.
Repaying that was easy.
With that, the chat with SmasherMan wrapped up today's stream.
Already 11 p.m.
Too early for bed, too late to do much else.
Maybe hit the convenience store?
I pulled my hoodie over my head and stepped out.
Summer nights were still chilly; the wind bit cold.
Brrrring!!
"Hm?"
What? Who at this hour?
Phone check: Kang Injeong.
Dobong Police Station inspector.
Something up?
"Hello? Long time no talk."
Haha! Mr. Kang! What're you up to? Not sleeping, right?
"Got hungry, stepped out for a snack at the convenience store."
Perfect timing. I'm nearby—wanna grab chicken? My treat!
Can't say no to chicken.
Hung up and waited—another call came in.
Han Yuna.
"Hello?"
Noah, what are you doing? I'm near Jongno right now...
"I have plans with a cop friend."
Oh... Does it have to be just you two?
"Doesn't seem like it. Just grabbing chicken together."
Then... can I join?
Should be fine?
Called Kang Injeong—no problem.
Not a request or favor; he was just in the area and wanted to buy me chicken.
Then we had to meet.
Told Han Yuna too, and soon after, she arrived at my convenience store first.
Her expression was much brighter than a few days ago.
"Good work today."
"Just the usual. That cop...?"
"On his way. Let's head to the chicken place first."
I went with Han Yuna to a nearby chicken joint.
BBK, a pretty upscale brand even among chicken places.
"Oh! Mr. Kang!"
We sat, scanning the menu, when the door opened and Kang Injeong walked in.
While he and Han Yuna exchanged greetings with grins, I placed the order.
"One fried chicken and three 500ml beers, please."
"Coming right up~!"
The sizzling chicken scent wafting from the kitchen tickled my nose and growled my stomach.
Chicken and beer late at night.
What overwhelming bliss.
"Never thought I'd be doing chimaek with friends this late."
"Life's charm is its unpredictability."
"Maybe so."
We clinked beer glasses and took a sip.
The cool draft refreshed my throat.
"What the fuck?! Is this for real?!"
"Whoa, whoa, calm down."
"Calm?! You want me to calm down?!"
A loud shout erupted from one corner of the shop.
Fight?
Nothing beats spectating a brawl.
At a table with two middle-aged guys, one was chugging beer, cursing up a storm.
Face beet-red, huffing and puffing.
The other trying to calm him.
What was it about?
"Should I go say something?"
"Nah, let's listen first."
The drunk man's drunken rant had some interesting bits.
About stuff at his company.
The boss's nephew had just joined recently.
Studied in the US or whatever, but this young punk barking orders like he knew the industry—too reckless, everyone griping.
"Plenty of those types around."
Han Yuna nodded slightly.
They push too hard for results.
Kang Injeong agreed as she mentioned Saseong had its share too.
"Police HQ has similar ones."
"Even cops?"
"Yeah. Actually, our station has one now."
Kang Injeong downed his beer and spoke carefully.
"A kid fresh out of the police academy."
Police academy grads get appointed lieutenant and sent to the field right away.
Usually to desk jobs or safe spots to build experience before dangerous posts.
"But this one's different."
Straight to detective squad after one posting.
Volunteered for the risky spot.
"As long as he's not evil, isn't that fine?"
Han Yuna sipped her beer.
No malice, no abuse of power—shouldn't be a big deal.
Kang Injeong gave a wry smile.
"No partner mismatch is more dangerous in this line of work."
Not just young elite stuff.
The new guy didn't gel with the vets—or even Kang Injeong.
"Really? Noah, what do you think?"
I took a sip of beer and said,
"Could I meet that guy sometime?"
"Huh? Why...? Bad news?"
Kang Injeong's puzzled face hardened.
Yeah.
Bad news.
Get tangled with him, and Kang Injeong gets demoted, his cherished junior gets stabbed multiple times and retires.