In a small café on the outskirts of the city, Kang Jinwoo was busy wiping down tables. Despite his old age, he continued to work hard for the sake of his only granddaughter, Kang Seol. Jinwoo and Seol lived together after their family fell apart due to her parents' divorce.
At that moment, a handsome young man named Jung Haesung entered the café with an elegant yet cold demeanor. He was the CEO of a prominent company in Korea, who secretly led a powerful mafia organization. By chance, Haesung bumped into Jinwoo, who was carrying a tray of steaming hot tea.
"I'm sorry, sir," Jinwoo said nervously, his hands trembling slightly with guilt.
To Jinwoo's surprise, Haesung gave a faint smile. "It's alright, grandfather. Be careful next time." His voice was calm and patient, something rarely seen in a man of his stature. He then took a seat in the corner of the café, watching Jinwoo with a mysterious gaze.
Outside the café, several of Haesung's men waited in a conspicuous black car. They couldn't help but wonder why their boss, who usually operated in high-stakes business and crime, had stopped by such a modest café.
That evening, Kang Seol had just returned home from a long day driving her taxi. Her face was weary, her hair messy, and her worn jacket covered in the dust of the streets. She tossed her jacket onto the small sofa in the living room and walked into the kitchen, where Jinwoo was quietly stirring tea.
"Grandfather, I don't like seeing you working at that café," Seol said, leaning against the kitchen doorframe. "You're too old. Let me handle everything."
Jinwoo only gave her a soft smile, his eyes warm yet determined. "Seol, I'm not working just to get by. I want to save money so you can go to college someday."
Seol bit her lip, holding back her emotions. "I don't need college, Grandfather. Life is already hard enough. I don't want to see you exhaust yourself like this."
But Jinwoo shook his head. "You're too young to give up. I want you to have a better future, Seol."
Unbeknownst to Seol, there were spies from Haesung's group watching her and Jinwoo. It turned out that Jinwoo was not just an ordinary grandfather. There was something in his past that had caught Haesung's interest, a secret that tied the powerful CEO to their small, struggling family.
The next day at the café, Kang Jinwoo seemed restless. His hands trembled slightly as he brewed coffee, his thoughts wandering to memories he had long buried. The sound of the café's doorbell snapped him out of his reverie. When he turned around, he was shocked to see Jung Haesung standing there again, his sharp eyes scanning the room before finally settling on Jinwoo.
"Grandfather," Haesung said as he approached the counter. His voice was soft but carried an air of authority. "I'll have an espresso today."
Jinwoo nodded and quickly prepared the order. When he handed the cup to Haesung, their eyes met, and Haesung leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "I know who you are, Kang Jinwoo."
Jinwoo froze, his face turning pale. He tried to maintain his composure, but his trembling hands betrayed him. Haesung smirked faintly, his words laced with an unspoken threat. "I never expected to find you here after all these years."
Before Jinwoo could respond, Haesung turned and walked to his usual seat in the corner. Jinwoo's mind raced. What did this man know? And why was he here?
Meanwhile, Kang Seol had just finished her exhausting shift as a taxi driver. As she stopped at a red light, her eyes caught sight of a sharply dressed man stepping out of a sleek black car—Jung Haesung.
She frowned. "Why does he look so familiar?" she muttered to herself.
At home, Seol found her grandfather sitting quietly at their small dining table. He stared at a cup of tea in his hands, his gaze distant.
"Grandpa, are you alright?" Seol asked as she placed her bag down.
Jinwoo hesitated for a moment before answering, his voice softer than usual. "Seol, if… if something happens, promise me you'll stay strong. You've always been a tough kid."
Seol furrowed her brows, confused. "What are you talking about, Grandpa? Did something happen at work?"
Jinwoo forced a smile and shook his head. "It's nothing. Just the ramblings of an old man. Go take a shower. Dinner is ready."
Late that night, Jinwoo sat alone in the living room, flipping through an old photo album. His hand stopped on a picture of his younger self, standing beside a man who bore a striking resemblance to Jung Haesung. The name "Jung Dojin" was scrawled in the corner of the photograph.
Unbeknownst to Jinwoo, Haesung sat in his car parked outside their modest home. His men waited in another car behind him, ready for instructions. Haesung stared at the dimly lit house, his jaw clenched.
"Find out everything about Kang Seol," he ordered his men. "I want to know her schedule, her habits, and everyone she interacts with."
One of his men hesitated. "Sir, do you think she knows anything about… the past?"
Haesung's eyes darkened. "She doesn't need to know. But I need to make sure her grandfather keeps his mouth shut."
As Haesung's car drove off into the night, Jinwoo remained lost in his fears. Haesung's presence was no coincidence, and he knew it was only a matter of time before Seol became entangled in the dangerous web of secrets he had tried so hard to protect her from.
The next day, Kang Seol's mother, Park Hyejin, showed up at their small house unexpectedly. It was the first time Seol had seen her mother in years, and the sight of her standing at the door brought back a rush of bitterness.
"Seol-ah," Hyejin greeted softly, her voice laced with guilt. "How have you been?"
Seol crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, her face cold and unwelcoming. "How do you think I've been, Mom? You only show up now, after all this time?"
Hyejin looked away, her shoulders slumping. "I know I've been absent. But I—"
"You left," Seol interrupted, her voice rising. "You left Grandpa and me to deal with everything. And now, when things are as bad as they can get, you just show up out of nowhere? What do you want?"
"Seol, I just want to see you. I've been trying to fix my life—"
"Fix your life?" Seol scoffed bitterly. "That's what you care about? While Grandpa's been working himself to the bone and I've been driving a taxi to make ends meet? Don't act like you suddenly care."
Jinwoo, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, finally stood and placed a hand on Seol's shoulder. "Seol, that's enough. Let her speak."
Seol shook her grandfather's hand off. "I'm going out," she said curtly, grabbing her jacket and a hat from the coat rack. She didn't spare her mother another glance as she stormed out of the house.
Seol climbed into her battered taxi, slamming the door shut as her anger simmered just beneath the surface. She pulled the hat low over her forehead, gripping the steering wheel tightly. It was only when the engine roared to life that she let out a shaky breath.
"Why now?" she muttered to herself as she drove through the dimly lit streets of the city.
The streets were quieter than usual, with only a few pedestrians and cars passing by. The glowing neon signs of convenience stores and late-night diners reflected off the wet pavement, adding an eerie beauty to the silence of the night.
Seol tried to focus on her work, picking up fares here and there, but her thoughts kept drifting back to her mother's unexpected arrival. The wounds of abandonment she thought had scarred over were now painfully raw again.
At one point during her shift, Seol stopped at a red light, glancing out the window at a fancy restaurant where well-dressed couples were laughing and dining. For a fleeting moment, she imagined a life where she wasn't struggling every day, where she could sit inside a place like that without worrying about the bill.
Her musings were interrupted by a voice from her radio. "Unit 57, pick up requested at Park Avenue, near the convenience store."
Seol grabbed the radio and replied, "Copy that. I'm on my way."
When she pulled up to the designated location, her jaw tightened. Standing on the curb, looking as composed and cold as ever, was Jung Haesung.
He opened the door and slid into the backseat, his sharp gaze catching hers in the rearview mirror.
"Drive," he said simply, his tone brooking no argument.
Seol gripped the steering wheel, her mind racing. What was a man like him doing hailing a taxi in the middle of the night?
"Where to?" she asked, forcing her voice to remain steady.
Haesung gave her an address, one in the wealthiest part of the city. He leaned back in the seat, his expression unreadable.
As Seol drove, she couldn't help but glance at him through the mirror. Something about him felt unsettling, like he carried the weight of countless secrets. And yet, she also couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't their last encounter.
Haesung's phone buzzed, breaking the silence. He answered it with a curt, "What is it?"
Seol tried not to eavesdrop, but snippets of the conversation slipped through.
"...Yes, keep an eye on the girl... Make sure she doesn't know anything yet..."
Her grip on the wheel tightened. Was he talking about her?
Haesung ended the call and noticed her tense posture. "Something wrong?" he asked, his tone calm but with a hint of amusement.
"No," Seol replied quickly, focusing back on the road. But her heart raced.
By the time she dropped him off at his destination, her nerves were shot. Haesung handed her a crisp bill, his fingers brushing hers briefly.
"Keep the change," he said, stepping out of the car.
Seol watched him walk away, her mind swimming with questions. Who exactly was Jung Haesung? And why did she have the sinking feeling that her life was about to get much more complicated?
As she drove back into the city, Seol couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that her grandfather's past, her mother's reappearance, and Haesung's presence were all somehow connected.
And she wasn't sure if she was ready to find out how.