"People can endure many things for their family."
Fang silently looked at her.
"But once trust breaks... rebuilding it takes very long."
The apartment became quiet.
Fang's expression remained unreadable.
Silence returned once more.
Noah quietly sat beside Seo Yuna while hugging her notebook.
Meanwhile, Fang walked toward the kitchen sink and washed his hands slowly.
The atmosphere remained awkward.
Nobody knew what to say anymore.
Finally
Noah carefully broke the silence.
"Dad."
Fang glanced sideways.
"What?"
"Will you go to work today too?"
"Hm."
"What do you do there?"
Fang thought for a second.
Then answered honestly enough.
"Standing."
"...That's work?"
"Apparently."
Noah giggled softly.
Even Seo Yuna almost looked amused for a fraction of a second before quickly suppressing it.
Fang noticed both reactions from the corner of his eyes.
Strange.
This kind of ordinary conversation felt unfamiliar.
Dangerously unfamiliar.
In his previous life, conversations were always about missions, targets, betrayal, or survival.
Not children asking stupid questions.
Fang suddenly spoke again.
"Sleep for a few hours before night."
Noah tilted her head.
"You too?"
"Hm."
"Okay."
She obediently nodded.
Seo Yuna quietly watched the interaction.
Noah used to avoid Chung Soo completely before.
Now she was slowly speaking normally again.
That realization made Seo Yuna nervous.
Children attach too easily.
And if this sudden change turned out fake
Noah would get hurt even worse later.
Fang walked toward the guest room.
But before entering
He suddenly stopped.
Without turning around, he spoke calmly.
"Lock the door if strangers knock."
Seo Yuna frowned slightly.
"...Why?"
"Because this neighborhood is annoying."
Then he entered the room and closed the door.
Seo Yuna stared silently at the closed door.
Annoying neighborhood?
No.
The most dangerous thing in this apartment was still him.
At least that's what she kept telling herself.
Meanwhile
Inside the guest room.
Fang lay down on the sofa and closed his eyes.
But sleep did not come immediately.
His mind remained restless.
This weak body irritated him endlessly.
Even standing for a few hours made the muscles ache.
Pathetic.
In his previous life, he could stay awake for three days during missions without issue.
Now, simply dealing with family drama exhausted him mentally.
"...Troublesome."
Yet despite saying that repeatedly
He still stayed.
Fang slowly opened his eyes again.
The ceiling looked old and stained.
Such ordinary surroundings still felt unreal to him.
South Korea.
Peaceful society.
No assassins chasing him.
No underground organizations.
No blood.
Just...
A broken family.
For some reason, that felt harder to handle.
Outside the room
Seo Yuna quietly helped Noah prepare for sleep.
But her thoughts remained distracted.
Again and again, moments from today replayed inside her head.
The way Fang reacted to the laser.
The way debt collectors got scared.
The way he noticed her breathing changing earlier.
And most importantly
Those eyes.
Sometimes when Fang became serious, his eyes looked terrifyingly cold.
Not like drunken anger.
No.
Much worse.
Like someone completely used to violence.
Seo Yuna suddenly realized something strange.
Since yesterday
Fang had never once smelled like alcohol.
Not even a little.
That alone already felt unbelievable.
Noah slowly lay beside her.
"Mom."
"Hm?"
"Do you still hate Dad?"
Seo Yuna froze slightly.
Children truly asked the hardest questions so innocently.
After a few seconds, she answered quietly.
"...I don't know anymore."
That was the truth.
Hatred still existed.
Fear still existed.
Pain still existed.
But confusion had started mixing into everything now.
Noah slowly hugged her arm.
"I think Dad looks lonely."
Again that word.
Lonely.
Seo Yuna lowered her gaze silently.
Before, Chung Soo always filled the house with noise.
Shouting.
Breaking things.
Drunken madness.
But now
Even when present, Fang somehow felt distant from everything around him.
Like he did not belong in this ordinary apartment at all.
That strange feeling made Seo Yuna uncomfortable.
Because for brief, dangerous moments
She almost felt curious about him.
And curiosity toward someone who hurt her this much was terrifying in itself.
Meanwhile
Inside the guest room.
Fang finally started falling asleep lightly.
Then suddenly
Creak.
His eyes opened instantly.
Fully alert.
No transition.
His assassin instincts activated automatically.
The guest room door had opened slightly.
Fang silently turned his gaze.
At the doorway
Noah stood there while hugging a small pillow.
Both stared at each other for a few seconds.
"...What?"
Noah hesitated nervously.
Then, quietly spoke.
"I had a bad dream."
Fang frowned slightly.
"And?"
Noah looked down timidly.
"Can I sleep here today?"
Silence.
Fang stared at the child blankly.
Sleep here?
With him?
This brat truly lacked survival instincts.
From outside the room, Seo Yuna's panicked voice suddenly came.
"Noah!"
She quickly appeared behind the child.
The moment she saw Noah standing near Fang's sofa—
Her expression instantly changed.
Fear.
Nervousness.
Protectiveness.
She immediately pulled Noah back gently.
"What are you doing here?!"
Noah lowered her head.
"I just..."
Seo Yuna looked toward Fang cautiously.
The atmosphere became tense again.
Fang silently watched both of them.
Then, after a moment
He lay back down casually.
"Take the noisy brat away."
Seo Yuna quickly nodded slightly and pulled Noah back toward the bedroom.
Before leaving
Noah turned around once more.
"...Goodnight, Dad."
The room became quiet.
Fang stared at the dark ceiling for a long time after that.
Then finally
"...Weird child."