"Chaos"

The next weekend, Ji Hwan was lazing around watching TV.

His father was in his study as usual, his mother was busy cooking, and Ji Yeon was in the kitchen.

After a while, Ji Hwan got up and walked into his father's study. He casually sat down in the chair, looking around the room.

His father had stepped out for a moment to grab something from his bedroom. At that moment, the phone on his desk rang. Without thinking much, Ji Hwan picked it up.

"Hello, Mr. CEO, our important meeting is scheduled for the day after tomorrow."

Ji Hwan's eyes widened in shock.

CEO?!

He had always thought his father was just an ordinary office worker, but this… this was on a completely different level.

His grip tightened on the phone before he quickly hung up.

Sitting there in silence, he felt his mind racing.

Was this why Tae Min had been bothering him? Or was there something even deeper going on?

His father returned to the study and saw Ji Hwan still sitting there, looking confused.

"What's wrong? Why are you spacing out?" his father asked as he walked toward his desk.

Ji Hwan stared at him, curiosity evident in his eyes, but hesitated before speaking. "Dad… who are you, really?"

His father frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ji Hwan took a deep breath and said, "I just got a call. They called you… CEO. Since when? Why didn't I know about this?"

His father was silent for a moment, then sighed as he took off his glasses. "Does it matter to you?"

"Of course! I always thought you were just an ordinary employee!" Ji Hwan sounded frustrated.

His father gave a small smile and sat down. "I never told you because I didn't want you to feel burdened. I wanted you and your sister to grow up like any other kids, without the pressure of carrying the family's name."

Ji Hwan looked at his father, full of questions. "Then… does this have anything to do with Tae Min?"

His father's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of that name.

"Why are you suddenly bringing up Tae Min?" he asked, his tone turning serious.

Ji Yeon stood frozen at the doorway, her eyes wide in shock.

"What… what does this mean?" she finally spoke, her voice slightly trembling.

Ji Hwan and their father were both startled to see her standing there.

"Ji Yeon, how long have you been there?" their father asked, his tone serious.

"Long enough to know that you've been hiding something from us!" Ji Yeon stepped closer, staring at their father with a mix of confusion and frustration. "Why did Uncle Kang Ryun and Mom never tell us about this? What's really going on?!"

Ji Hwan remained seated, still processing everything, while their father let out a heavy sigh.

"There are things you don't need to know—"

"Don't need to know?! Are you kidding me?" Ji Yeon cut him off sharply. "We're family! If you're a CEO, then why have we been living like ordinary people? Why does Tae Min keep bothering Ji Hwan? Is this all connected?"

The atmosphere grew tense. Ji Hwan stayed quiet, but it was clear his mind was racing to connect the dots.

Their father finally sat back down, looking at both of them. "Listen carefully… There's something I've been keeping from you for a long time."

Ji Hwan and Ji Yeon exchanged glances. They both knew that after this conversation, nothing would ever be the same again.

Before their father could continue, Ji Hwan quickly interrupted.

"Dad, don't say anything about that secret." His voice was firm, stopping whatever their father was about to reveal.

His father raised an eyebrow. "Ji Hwan, this is important—"

"What's more important right now is that I need your help," Ji Hwan cut him off. "I need you to donate money to my friends who are in need."

His father frowned. "Friends? Which friends?"

Ji Yeon immediately wanted to expose everything—the events from last night, Ji Hwan's hideout, his secret gang, and all the chaos that had unfolded. But before she could say anything, Ji Hwan quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

"Some friends who really need help," he said quickly, shooting Ji Yeon a sharp look, silently warning her to stay quiet.

Ji Yeon mumbled a protest behind Ji Hwan's hand, but he kept his grip firm.

Their father let out a long sigh. "Ji Hwan, you're being suspicious. If you want my help, I need to know exactly who these friends are."

Ji Hwan hesitated for a moment. He couldn't tell the truth—not yet. "They're people who don't have much. I've been helping them for a while now."

His father studied him carefully. "If this is truly for a good cause, I'll consider it. But I want to know everything before I give any money."

Ji Yeon finally managed to break free from Ji Hwan's grip and scoffed. "Yeah, Ji Hwan. Why don't you just go ahead and tell him everything?" she said sarcastically.

Ji Hwan glared at her.

This was definitely not going to be easy.

While they were eating, their mother suddenly spoke up.

"Oh, so you two already know…" she said casually, glancing between Ji Hwan and Ji Yeon.

Ji Hwan, who was in the middle of eating, quickly stuffed the last bite into his mouth and drank his water, preparing to leave.

Ji Yeon frowned, suspicious. "Hey! Where are you going now?"

Ji Hwan groaned as he stood up. "Ugh, I'm just going out for a bit. Do I have to stay home for a whole century?!" he retorted dramatically before heading toward the stairs.

Ji Yeon rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Ji Hwan?!"

But Ji Hwan ignored her and hurried upstairs, leaving her frustrated.

His father chuckled. "Ahh, this kid..." he said, shaking his head.

Their mother just smiled slightly as she continued eating. "He's always like that. He just can't stay still."

Ji Yeon huffed and crossed her arms. "But still, he keeps hiding things from us."

Their father looked at Ji Yeon for a moment before saying calmly, "If he's really hiding something, sooner or later, we'll find out, won't we?"

Ji Yeon clicked her tongue. "Hah, I hope so."

Meanwhile, Ji Hwan was already in his room, getting ready to go out again, not wanting to argue with his family any longer.

On the other side, Seung Woo was running as fast as he could, his breath ragged.

"Yaa... Seung Woo! Pay your debt!" shouted a group of people chasing after him, getting closer.

Seung Woo bit his lip in panic. Damn, he didn't expect them to come this fast. As he turned into a narrow alley, suddenly, three of his classmates jumped down from a wall and blocked the pursuers.

"Hey, calm down," one of them said casually. "He'll pay soon. Just wait one more week."

The pursuers glared at them. "And who the hell are you guys?"

Seung Woo glanced back, still panting, trying to process the situation. Why are they helping me? he wondered.

On the other side, Joo Hyuk sat on the rooftop, his legs dangling over the edge. The cool night breeze did little to ease the heaviness in his chest.

His fingers hovered over his phone screen, staring at the latest post from his father on social media. There was no caption—just a picture.

A wedding photo.

His father stood next to a woman, smiling as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn't just finalized a divorce with Joo Hyuk's mother. As if he hadn't just married the woman he had been secretly seeing behind their backs.

Joo Hyuk clenched his jaw.

He should've expected this. It wasn't a surprise.

But it still felt like a punch to the gut.

Back to Ji Hwan, he rode his motorbike with enthusiasm, wearing a button-up shirt over a white t-shirt, jeans, and his favorite sneakers. A small crossbody bag hung at his side, while his helmet was securely fastened. Earphones were tucked into his ears, playing music at a moderate volume.

He sped through the city streets, carrying food orders that needed to be delivered on time. The cool night air brushed against his face behind the visor, offering a moment of calm amidst the chaos in his mind.

At every red light, he took a deep breath, trying to push away all the thoughts weighing on him—issues with his father, his gang, his friends constantly watching over him, and the realization that he couldn't keep hiding everything forever.

After a few more turns, he arrived at his destination. Ji Hwan parked his bike skillfully, grabbed the order from his bag, and walked briskly toward the restaurant where he was supposed to deliver it.

But before he could knock, a familiar figure stood at the corner, watching him with a sharp gaze.

Ji Hwan sighed. "Seriously? You guys are following me again?"

The person smirked. "Of course. Did you really think you could get away that easily?"

Inside a hideout, Tae Min stood not far from Ji Hwan, his expression full of mockery.

"Coward," Tae Min sneered. "Yesterday, you ran away, but now you have nowhere to go."

Ji Hwan clenched his jaw as Tae Min's henchmen grabbed him, holding him in place. But instead of panicking, he took a deep breath. His mind remained clear—he had trained for moments like this.

With a swift move, Ji Hwan broke free from their grip. His posture shifted instantly, switching to a liberal fighting style—one he had learned from Kang Ryun. His body moved fluidly, dodging attacks effortlessly while taking down his opponents one by one with precise strikes.

Within seconds, Tae Min's henchmen were sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain. Ji Hwan stood tall, his breathing steady, his eyes locked onto Tae Min.

Kyung Ho and Fan Mi Soo, watching from a distance, were wide-eyed in shock.

"W-what was that…?" Kyung Ho stammered, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.

Mi Soo gripped her phone tightly. "That was insane… How is he even capable of that?"

Tae Min's smug smile vanished, replaced by a look of pure rage.

"Son of a—" he growled. "You think this is over?"

Ji Hwan wiped the small cut on the corner of his mouth, his expression calm. "I don't care what your problem is, but if you come at me again, I won't hold back."

Tae Min clenched his fists, his pride clearly wounded. This fight wasn't over—this was just the beginning.

Ji Hwan let out a deep sigh, kicking one of Tae Min's fallen henchmen on the ground.

"Ahh, this is truly a historic moment," he muttered sarcastically. "Defeating the minions of the real coward..."

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. Ji Hwan glanced at the screen and immediately grinned. A call from the dormitory.

He answered casually. "Yaa... What's up?"

A panicked voice came through. "Ji Hwan! We need your help! The water faucet in the dorm is leaking!"

Ji Hwan raised an eyebrow. "A leaking faucet?"

"Yes! Water is gushing out like crazy, it's almost flooding! Get here fast before we drown!"

Ji Hwan sighed, rubbing his face. From fighting thugs to becoming a plumber in the same day.

"Alright, alright. I'm on my way."

He slipped his phone back into his pocket and glanced at Tae Min, who was still standing there with an irritated expression.

"I have to go," Ji Hwan said with a smirk. "Seems like there's a more urgent problem than dealing with you."

Without waiting for a response, Ji Hwan turned around, grabbed his helmet, and walked away leisurely, leaving Tae Min clenching his fists in frustration.

When Ji Hwan arrived at the dormitory, he immediately started scolding them.

"Seriously, you guys! When you turn on a faucet, do you have to use inner strength or what?!" he grumbled while inspecting the broken tap.

The others watched him, amused. Ji Hwan's complaints were always funny, even though he was obviously annoyed. But they knew—this was his way of lightening the mood so they wouldn't feel too guilty about the water bill.

They exchanged glances, feeling bad. They had already troubled Ji Hwan so much.

As Ji Hwan finished fixing the faucet, he turned around and clapped his hands. "Alright, listen up. You'll be getting financial help soon."

Everyone blinked in surprise. "What?"

"My dad agreed to give us a donation," Ji Hwan said casually.

Their jaws dropped. "Seriously?!"

Ji Hwan smirked. "Yeah. Turns out, my dad owns a whole company. He's a CEO."

Silence. Then—

"WHAT?!"

The room exploded with shocked gasps and excited laughter. They couldn't believe it. The guy who had been working part-time like crazy to support them had a father who was a company CEO?!

"Finally! Some luck for once!" one of them cheered.

"Ji Hwan, you're amazing!" another added, patting his back.

But before they got too excited, Ji Hwan raised a hand. "Hold up. We still need to go to my dad's office to finalize everything."

They all nodded eagerly—until Ji Hwan pointed directly at Jin Woo.

"You—get a haircut before we go."

Jin Woo groaned. "What?! My hair's not even that long!"

Then Ji Hwan turned to Dong Il. "And you—take out your earrings and piercings. We need to look decent."

Dong Il gritted his teeth. "Are you serious?!"

Ji Hwan crossed his arms. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

The group groaned, but deep down, they were excited. This was the first real chance they had at a better future—and they owed it all to Ji Hwan.

Meanwhile, Joo Hyuk opened the class group chat notifications on his phone. He saw the latest message from Ji Hwan—a photo of Ji Hwan with his gang friends at the dorm, with a leaking faucet in the background that he had just fixed.

Joo Hyuk smirked. "Typical Ji Hwan, always busy with his gang's problems."

It didn't take long before someone replied:

"Hey, Ji Hwan! Tell your gang to fight us. You're forgetting about us!"

The message was followed by several laughing emojis.

Others quickly joined in:

"Yeah, next time, invite us to your gang's dorm, you idiot!"

More comments flooded in, mostly teasing Ji Hwan. Some joked about wanting to stay at the dorm too, others mocked him for being too busy with his "foster kids," and a few even asked if they should donate money for a new faucet.

Joo Hyuk smiled slightly. Even though they often teased Ji Hwan, in the end, they still cared about him.

Finally, he decided to reply:

"Ji Hwan, if you're too busy being a hero, don't forget that we need your attention too."

Of course, it was just a joke. But deep down, Joo Hyuk missed hanging out with Ji Hwan and their friends like they used to.

Seung Woo opened the chat and smiled. He could already imagine Ji Hwan's annoyed reaction when he saw all the teasing messages.

Meanwhile, Ji Yeon was typing furiously.

"Hey, idiot! You took my Vespa!!! Can you bring it back home?!!"

She hit send and crossed her arms, waiting for Ji Hwan's reply.

A few seconds later, Ji Hwan responded.

"Relax, sis. Your precious Vespa is safe with me. I'll bring it back… eventually."

Ji Yeon's eyes twitched.

"EVENTUALLY?!! You better bring it back today, or I'll report it stolen!"

The group chat erupted with laughter.

Joo Hyuk chimed in:

"Oof, Ji Hwan, you stole your sister's Vespa? That's low."

Another classmate added:

"Imagine getting arrested for stealing your own family's scooter."

Ji Hwan sighed, staring at his phone before replying:

"Fine, fine! I'll bring it back after I'm done here."

Ji Yeon smirked in satisfaction.

"Good. Because if you don't, you won't have a place to sleep tonight."

Ji Hwan groaned, knowing she wasn't joking.