Chapter 125: A Peaceful Night Beneath the Lights

After a while, Mira suddenly pointed toward an ice cream shop.

"Oppa! Unnie! Let’s go there! The ice cream looks delicious!"

"Hmm, if that’s what Mira wants, then let’s go!" Elvera replied with a gentle smile.

Jinhoo followed behind the two of them.

’...I’ve never really gone to a place like this before...’

Jinhoo thought quietly as he looked around the festival grounds.

Children laughed happily together with their parents.

Couples enjoyed their precious moments together.

The vendors looked friendly and welcoming.

’It’s beautiful... And peaceful...’

As Jinhoo was lost in his own thoughts, a small child suddenly bumped into him by accident. The child’s ice cream splattered onto Jinhoo’s clothes.

The little boy fell onto the ground.

"Ouch!"

the child cried out in pain.

Jinhoo looked down at the child.

Then he glanced at the ice cream staining his clothes.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

He crouched down in front of the child and smiled warmly.

"Kid, are you alright?"

he asked softly while patting the boy’s head.

"Uhm... I’m okay... Your clothes..."

Jinhoo glanced at his clothes again.

Then he looked back at the child with the same gentle smile.

"It’s alright, this wasn’t your fault. I was the one who wasn’t paying attention to the road. But next time, don’t run around too much, okay? You could get hurt if you fall. Luckily, you bumped into me first before getting injured more seriously."

The child seemed to understand what Jinhoo was saying.

Right at that moment, the boy’s parents came running over in panic.

"Gabryong!"

the child’s mother shouted.

The two of them rushed over to their son.

His mother immediately approached him and held his face anxiously.

"Gabryong! I already told you not to run around! You could crash into someone!"

The boy’s father stood in front of Jinhoo and bowed apologetically.

"I’m very sorry, sir. My son is really mischievous. We’ll compensate you for your clothes."

Hearing that, Jinhoo slowly stood up.

He smiled calmly.

"No need. It’s just ice cream. I can clean it myself." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The child’s father turned toward his son.

"Gabryong! Have you apologized yet? Hurry and apologize properly!"

The boy stood up and faced Jinhoo.

He bowed his head politely.

"I’m sorry, sir..."

"You don’t need to apologize. I was the one who wasn’t watching where I was going."

Jinhoo reached into his pocket.

He pulled out a ten-thousand won bill and handed it to the child.

"Here. Buy yourself a new ice cream."

The child hesitated for a moment, but eventually accepted it.

The boy’s mother smiled warmly.

She spoke gently to her son.

"Gabryong, say thank you to this gentleman."

"Thank you, sir..."

"You’re welcome."

The child’s father looked deeply touched.

He opened his mouth and spoke sincerely.

"Thank you so much, sir. I hope good karma comes back to you."

Jinhoo did not answer.

He only smiled quietly.

Soon after, the little family walked away together.

Jinhoo watched them from behind.

The three of them walked hand in hand.

"Truly something worth looking at forever..."

For a brief moment, memories of Jinhoo’s past resurfaced.

A past he never wanted to remember again.

Back when he was only twelve years old.

He had been forced to work just to survive.

Not only for himself, but also to buy medicine for his sick mother.

Every single day, he moved from one job to another to earn more money.

Construction worker.

Store keeper.

Park cleaner.

Grass cutter.

Even a sewer cleaner.

Every day, he did all of that just to support himself and his mother.

Even then, whenever he returned home, he would still give charity to homeless people sleeping on the streets.

He had one principle that he held firmly in his heart.

"My life is still better than the people suffering out there. Be kind while you still can."

That principle came from his mother.

He never even attended school because he didn’t have enough money.

His father had died long ago.

He only lived together with his mother in a small, filthy apartment.

There was no hope besides Jinhoo himself.

Every time Jinhoo returned to the apartment, the lights were always off.

"I’m home."

He immediately hurried toward his mother’s room.

When he opened the bedroom door, his mother was staring blankly out the open window.

"Oh my god, Mom! The cold night wind will make your illness worse!"

Jinhoo said worriedly while quickly walking over.

He shut the open window.

"Jinhoo..."

his mother called softly to the young boy.

"Yes, Mom?"

"Come closer..."

Little Jinhoo approached her.

His mother gently held his face.

"You’ve been working so hard..."

"It’s nothing, Mom. I’m doing this for both of us."

"..."

His mother fell silent.

Her expression looked sorrowful.

She slowly reached for little Jinhoo’s hand.

Her fingers gently touched his palm.

"Your hands used to be so soft and smooth... Now they’ve become rough and strong..."

Little Jinhoo remained silent, not knowing what to say.

"I’m sorry, Jinhoo... You should’ve been able to experience happiness like the other children outside... But instead, you had to become the backbone of this family..."

Little Jinhoo gently hugged his mother.

"It’s okay, Mom. I’ll do anything for you."

Jinhoo’s mother smiled faintly.

She softly stroked his hair.

"Jinhoo... Remember this. No matter what happens, never become an evil person... Even if life feels painful..."

Hearing those words, Jinhoo simply remained silent in his mother’s embrace.

Jinhoo had become so lost in his thoughts that he completely failed to hear Elvera calling his name.

"Jinhoo?"

Since he still didn’t respond, Elvera lightly jabbed his back with her elbow.

"Ouch!!"

The sudden pain instantly snapped Jinhoo back to reality.

"T-that hurt!"

"I’ve been calling you this whole time. What happened?"

"Uh... Nothing. I was just daydreaming for a bit. Sorry."

"Hmph..."

Mira, who was busy eating her ice cream, giggled softly while looking at Jinhoo.

Elvera suddenly noticed the stain on his clothes.

"What happened to your shirt? Why is there ice cream on it?"

She pulled out a tissue and began wiping the melted ice cream from Jinhoo’s clothes.

"Jinhoo, what happened?"

"It’s nothing. A little kid accidentally bumped into me earlier with his ice cream. He already apologized."

"You really are too soft on people."

"Come on, he’s just a child. How would kids understand these things? The only thing in their minds is having fun, right Mira?"

Jinhoo said while gently rubbing Mira’s head as she continued eating her ice cream.

"Of course!"

’I’ll never let the people I care about experience what I went through before... Never.’

Jinhoo thought silently to himself.

"Come on, there are still several places we haven’t visited yet, right?"

"Yeah! Let’s go! I saw a place where cosplayers are gathered over there!"

Mira said excitedly while pointing toward the eastern side of the festival.

"Alright! Let’s head there."

Jinhoo replied with a gentle smile.

The three of them then walked together toward the cosplay area.

The deeper they went into the festival grounds, the more crowded the place became.

Bright lights illuminated the streets beautifully.

Music echoed throughout the area.

People laughed and chatted happily everywhere.

Mira looked around excitedly like a child visiting an amusement park for the first time.

"Woaaah! There are so many cool costumes!"

She ran ahead energetically.

"Hey, don’t run too far."

Jinhoo warned her casually.

But Mira merely laughed and continued running.

Elvera smiled softly while watching her.

"She’s really energetic today."

"Yeah... Too energetic."

As they finally reached the cosplay area, dozens of people wearing various costumes could be seen walking around confidently.

Some wore armor.

Some carried fake swords.

Others dressed as fantasy mages or heroes.

There were even villains.

Mira’s eyes sparkled brightly.

"Oppa! Look! That person is cosplaying as a dragon knight!"

"And over there! That one looks amazing too!"

Jinhoo quietly observed the cosplayers around him.

’People here really put effort into these costumes...’

For a moment, his gaze drifted toward a cosplayer wearing black clothing with a dark mask.

The design looked somewhat similar to Indigo.

Jinhoo froze slightly.

"..."

Then he sighed softly.

’Seeing myself through someone else’s costume feels strange...’

Meanwhile, the cosplayer noticed Jinhoo staring and waved proudly.

Jinhoo awkwardly waved back.

Mira burst into laughter after noticing his expression.

"Pfft! Oppa, why do you look so uncomfortable!?"

"Because it’s weird."

"Hahaha!"

Even Elvera chuckled softly beside him.

The peaceful atmosphere continued surrounding them.

For the first time in a long while, Jinhoo felt strangely calm.

No battles.

No bloodshed.

No schemes.

Just lights, laughter, and warmth.

Yet deep inside his mind, countless thoughts still lingered.

Paris.

Madeleine’s death.

The Seven Deadly Sins.

The Overseers.

Everything felt like it was slowly spiraling away from the original storyline.

And that was exactly what terrified him the most.

’Something is changing...’

Jinhoo quietly narrowed his eyes.

’And whatever is changing... is far bigger than I expected.’