The next day.
By the afternoon, Jihyun was once again heading toward the lottery shop. Looking out the bus window, he thought about what was to come.
There had been more to do that morning than he expected — exchanging the lottery ticket for cash, sorting out the utility bills, and taking care of his father’s hospital fees.
Because of that, it was only after lunch that he could finally make time. And now, he was on the bus.
Jihyun wondered what would happen if, by any chance, he broke his promise now.
Of course, he had no intention of doing that — nor did he want to.
A promise, once made, must be kept.
To someone who knew all the knowledge in the world, the importance of trust didn’t need to be explained.
If he had never intended to help in the first place, that would have been different. In that case, he could have just dismissed it as someone else’s problem.
But once he decided to help, he had to see it through. That was something necessary for him to remain himself.
Besides, this wasn’t simply about helping. There was something about this situation that felt off to Jihyun.
CCTV didn’t catch anything?
That was what bothered him. It might have seemed like just a strange coincidence, but not to Jihyun.
Back when he dealt with the scammer, the subordinates who kidnapped Jisu had also not been caught on CCTV.
If he had trusted only the footage back then, who knows what might have happened. Fortunately, he had been keeping tabs on the scammer directly, so there was no issue.
But if something like that had happened without any information to go on—he didn’t want to imagine the outcome.
And another thing—
Even I couldn’t see any information.
That realization sent a chill down his spine. Normally, just by looking, Jihyun could read countless pieces of information about any object.
Even now — just glancing at the taxi running beside the bus — he could instantly know its model year and all sorts of other details.
But in the CCTV footage of Hayeon’s father’s hit-and-run, Jihyun couldn’t see anything.
The moment he realized that, an indescribable sense of fear washed over him.
His power wasn’t perfect — he knew that much — but at least within his own world, he could use it flawlessly on anything.
However, a device capable of neutralizing CCTV was a different story.
Such a thing could shield itself from his ability. The thought of that filled Jihyun with discomfort — and a sense of threat.
Those who possessed power were always at risk of getting involved in things, whether they wished it or not.
Jihyun was no exception.
No matter how much he tried to hide, no one could predict what might happen next. Even now was proof of that.
So he couldn’t help but stay wary of anything that could become a threat.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid.
He thought that to himself and gave a small laugh. Maybe he was overthinking it.
But then again — his sister had been kidnapped and almost harmed. He had every reason to prepare for the worst.
If anyone touches what’s mine, I’ll crush them. If necessary, I’ll deal with them first.
That was what Jihyun decided. If it came down to it, he wouldn’t hesitate to strike first.
That was basic.
And I have the ability to do it.
If he didn’t have this power, he would never even be able to think such a thing.
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But now, things were different.
Of course, he knew he could get himself hurt if he acted recklessly, relying only on his ability.
Plenty of people had destroyed themselves that way. He didn’t want to end up like that. But that didn’t mean he’d sit still and let danger come to him.
Sometimes, you have to destroy the threat before it reaches you.
As Jihyun thought that, the bus arrived at its destination.
“Ah, welcome.”
As he opened the door to the lottery shop, Hayeon greeted him warmly. Jihyun gave a faint, awkward smile.
Normally, it would’ve been natural to be wary of anyone approaching him. But Hayeon seemed to trust him completely.
He wanted to ask what she’d do if he turned out to be a bad person, but pointless talk like that was never useful.
Instead, sensing her anxiety, Jihyun quietly asked,
“Has anything happened today?”
As he asked, he glanced around. Thankfully, after cleaning up yesterday, there were no more signs of damage.
“Yes, luckily. But I’m worried about what’s ahead.”
Hayeon sighed as she said that.
“Between my father’s hospital bills and all this trouble… it feels like I’ll have to quit the business just to stay safe. It’s not that the income’s bad, but my father overextended himself too much….”
Apparently, her father had taken on a lot of debt to run the lottery shop. Now, that debt had become a heavy burden.
“I see. Still, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad unless someone was pushing you to sell, right?”
Jihyun asked quietly.
The people who told her to sell weren’t just asking nicely — they were trying to take over the entire business.
It was no different from robbery. And it wasn’t something Hayeon could handle alone.
“Yes, but honestly, I don’t even know who they are. I only heard bits and pieces from my father….”
Hayeon sighed again, trying to release the emotions she could no longer contain.
“And no one in the neighborhood is helping.”
Jihyun asked softly, and Hayeon shook her head.
“Some of the locals were the first to complain about this place. Especially with the redevelopment plans coming up.”
Jihyun couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile. In the end, it was about money.
Whenever talk of redevelopment came up, people obsessed with profit always did something crazy. He already knew that much from the information he’d checked about her.
But something about it still bothered him.
Trying to take over a lottery shop like this — that was strange.
If it was really about redevelopment, there was no need to cause trouble in this way.
They could’ve just pushed her to join the redevelopment committee or taken a more official route.
There was no real reason to take this place by force.
As that realization sank in, Jihyun felt a sense of unease — as if he were walking through fog.
I need more information…
Just then—
“When are you gonna hand it over, miss?”
The door slammed open, and a group of men entered.
Their faces were rough, their eyes filled with hostility that warned they wouldn’t tolerate anyone standing in their way.
But to Jihyun, they were perfect — sources of information.
A parade of fools.
He thought that as he quickly began reading everything about them.
He’d grown used to it by now — extracting only the information he needed from uninvited guests like these.
“Hey, buddy. We’ve got business with the lady here. Why don’t you get lost?”
The man in front spoke.
His head was shaved short, a gold chain hung around his neck, and his clothes screamed “gangster fashion.”
His voice was as rough as his appearance.
And his words carried a warning — a gesture of intimidation.
In their own way, it might’ve even been an act of mercy: a warning to stay out of trouble.
But Jihyun ignored him and muttered quietly,
“Your girlfriend’s probably cheating on you right now.”
The man froze, his expression twisting in disbelief.
“What?”
His voice carried a hint of anger. But unbothered, Jihyun continued,
“What, she’s been coming home late these days, hasn’t she?”
He threw out a few key phrases casually.
And they were true.
Just from those few words, Jihyun could expose the most critical pieces of information about someone.
Of course, the man didn’t believe him at first. Who would?
But as Jihyun added a few more details, the man’s face turned red — from rage.
Yet Jihyun didn’t bother with him anymore. Instead, he turned to another man and spoke again, this time revealing his most pressing concern.
“Oh, and you — you should go home right now. Your mother’s not doing well. Better call an ambulance.”
The man’s eyes widened in shock. After a brief explanation, he immediately made a call and rushed out the door.
“And you… you should check your alerts. Right now.”
The next man pulled out his phone — then screamed.
He started frantically typing, ignoring everything else.
Money was always the most important thing. And thanks to that, the group’s unity crumbled.
In moments, they scattered.
Jihyun hadn’t lifted a hand against them.
He simply told each of them the most important truth buried in their minds.
And not everything he said was bad.
“Oh… you’ve got some good news. Congratulate your little sister for me.”
He smiled softly as he said it. After all the bad news, a bit of good news left the man looking confused.
“W-what do you mean?”
The man asked, bewildered. Jihyun replied gently,
“She got accepted to university. Take her out for a nice meal.”
The man glanced around at his friends, trying to hide the smile tugging at his lips.
“D-damn it, what the hell’s going on?”
The man who’d heard about his girlfriend’s affair looked completely lost. He’d clearly come here under someone’s orders.
But judging by what Jihyun said, he seemed to suspect something — and couldn’t bring himself to shout or lash out.
“If you head to the XXX Motel, room XXX, you’ll see something interesting.”
Jihyun landed the final blow. That was the end of it.
“Damn it!”
The gang leader cursed and stormed out, dragging his men with him.
It was over before it even began.
They were completely shattered by Jihyun’s words — and he’d gathered enough information in the process.
“Haa… this is a headache.”
He muttered quietly. He could say that because he was now a little closer to the truth.
Of course, it wasn’t something he could share with Hayeon.
When he turned his head, Hayeon was staring at him blankly.
She clearly hadn’t expected things to resolve like that.
“W-what did you just do?”
She asked cautiously, curiosity filling her eyes.
“Trade secret.”
Jihyun replied with a soft smile — while thinking to himself:
Now, the counterattack begins.
