Chapter 54
“What do you think, Mom?”
“I don’t know… you know I don’t really understand cars.”
Ever since the encounter with Hyunho Candy,
several peaceful days had passed — and finally,
Juhyuk bought the brand-new car he’d been waiting and waiting for.
“It does look sturdy though. They say small cars are super dangerous in accidents.”
“Even if I get into an accident, I’m not really someone who’d get badly hurt.”
“Just because you’re an Awakened doesn’t mean you’re invincible. You still need to be careful.”
No matter how promising of a rookie hunter he was,
to his mother he was still nothing more than her little boy.
Juhyuk thought she would finally acknowledge that he was an adult after seeing him behind the wheel,
but to a mother, a son is always just a son.
‘She said she trusts that I’ll do well, but when the day actually comes, she gets nervous and tries to prepare everything… of course she’s worried.’
He understood her feelings perfectly.
She had lost her husband to an accident,
and now her only son had chosen a dangerous profession as a hunter.
Outwardly she acted fine and supportive,
but inside she must’ve been suffering.
“…By the way, son.”
“What?”
His mother’s expression suddenly turned serious.
Still keeping his eyes forward, he responded, and she continued.
“You didn’t push yourself too hard buying this car, right?”
“…Huh?”
“You know… these days everyone talks about ‘car poor’ people.”
She spoke cautiously, looking uneasy.
A red light appeared; he slowly stepped on the brake and looked at her.
“No matter how much hunters make, I wondered if it’s okay for you to suddenly buy a car like this.”
“….”
What on earth was she thinking?
She knew he walked in and out of A-rank gates like it was a picnic.
Maybe she didn’t understand how much hunters earned, being a bit old-fashioned?
Watching her worry about useless things, Juhyuk spoke.
“Buying one car doesn’t even leave a scratch on my bank account. Don’t worry.”
“Really?”
Her eyes widened.
She had no idea how much hunters who entered A-rank gates actually made.
Whenever she searched online, she always focused on how dangerous it was, not on earnings.
She had heard they made a lot sometimes,
but never with clear numbers, so she never realized how big it was.
Naturally, hearing that buying a new car meant nothing financially shocked her.
“You make that much money?”
“Haven’t my hospital bills and all our living expenses been coming out of my account?”
After he became a hunter, Juhyuk had been supporting the entire household.
She figured he earned decently, but she never imagined it was that much.
“My son… are you rich?”
“I don’t know what the standard for ‘rich’ even is.”
Quoting something he’d heard once, he stepped on the gas as the light changed.
Glancing between the road and the navigation, he added:
“But I definitely live way better than before.”
“…I see.”
The air suddenly felt a little awkward.
Her hesitant expression suggested there was something else she wanted to say.
“What? Is there something you want to buy?”
“…Forget it. Just save your money.”
“If you want something, say it now. Don’t complain later.”
“….”
Silence fell.
The sound of the car filled the empty space between them.
Then, after a while, his mother finally spoke again.
“I don’t want anything… but.”
“Then what is it?”
What on earth was she hesitating so much to say?
A luxury bag? I can buy that easily now…
As long as it wasn’t something insanely expensive, he could easily buy her a handbag.
And honestly, if she could finally feel some joy from owning something fancy — something she never cared about before — he was more than willing.
He was already preparing himself to say, “Let’s go buy it right now,” when—
She said something completely different from what he expected.
“Do you think I could hire just one part-timer for the shop?”
“…A part-timer?”
A request he absolutely did not expect.
He thought she’d ask for a luxury item or at least a new baking machine.
But a part-timer?
He paused, then his gaze dropped to her knees.
…Ah.
Noticing his eyes, his mother laughed shyly.
He couldn’t bring himself to meet her awkward smile.
“As I get older, it’s getting really hard to handle both the hall and the kitchen.”
“….”
He made a calm left turn toward home.
With both hands on the wheel, he quietly asked:
“Your knee still hurts, doesn’t it?”
The surgery had succeeded, and the pain was much better than before —
but the doctor said it would never fully disappear.
He had advised her to rest as much as possible.
But like mother, like son — she was stubborn, and insisted on opening the bakery again.
“Hey! It’s not that. I’m just tired because I’m getting old.”
“So I guess you have absolutely no intention of closing the shop for a while…”
Even if he told her to rest, she would just secretly bake bread anyway.
Telling her to stop working was useless; he gave up quickly.
“Hire a part-timer.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Hire ten part-timers if you want — it won’t hurt me financially at all.”
Her lips instantly lifted in a bright smile.
How hard must it have been for her if she was this happy about hiring one part-timer?
He felt a pang of guilt for being too absorbed in training recently and not paying enough attention to her.
“Now I can bake all the bread I want even when customers come in~”
“But don’t just pick anyone. Choose someone polite and hardworking. Think carefully.”
“Of course~ You know your mom has a great eye for people.”
Her tone shot up noticeably.
He couldn’t help but worry — what if she ended up hiring someone strange?
I hope whoever shows up is at least polite…
He’d heard too many horror stories about nightmare part-timers.
He even considered choosing one himself after training,
but ultimately the person who would work with his mom should be the one to choose.
Please just be a normal person…
“Hello!”
“…Yes, hello.”
After raising the hourly wage 5,000 won above minimum,
interview applications flooded in.
He cut it down to ten candidates,
and even afterward people kept calling to ask if the job was still open.
The person who defeated this fierce competition
was the boy now greeting him loudly in front of him.
Blonde hair, piercings in both ears…
“A great eye for people?”
Judging by appearance is wrong — everyone says so.
But everyone says it because appearance is the first thing people actually judge.
Juhyuk wasn’t the type to discriminate,
but this was someone who would be working with his mom —
he couldn’t help evaluating at least a little.
“I’ll just deliver bread. Work comfortably.”
“Yes, sir!”
His greeting was bright and polite — exactly what you’d want.
If only he didn’t look so much like a delinquent…
It wasn’t strange to feel uneasy.
“Mom, are you sure about that kid?”
“Son! Don’t judge people by their looks.”
“I mean, yeah, but…”
He couldn’t exactly say, “He looks way too much like a thug,” so he mumbled vaguely.
His mother, calmly grabbing side dishes at the dinner table, said:
“He told me he grew up in an orphanage, without parents.”
“….”
“He finished high school with a GED, and he said he’s working to save up for college.”
The table fell silent.
His mother continued with a soft expression:
“A kid who grew up without parents is trying so hard to live properly — how could I not hire him?”
“…Yeah.”
So she hired him not because she had a great eye for people,
but because she felt pity and admiration.
Otherwise, she would never have ignored her son’s warning about hiring minors.
“He seems polite and hardworking. As long as he works well, that’s all that matters.”
“He does work well. Looks like he’s done part-time jobs for years.”
“Then that’s good.”
A hardworking, polite part-timer.
He looked rough on the outside,
but finding someone both good at work and polite wasn’t easy.
Juhyuk decided to stay positive and continued eating.
“But what was his name again?”
“Hey, Jigu~ How was work?”
“It was fine. Not too hard.”
Hanbit Orphanage.
Jigu’s home of over ten years.
In his room, he sat facing his friend.
“Why are you working part-time anyway?”
“What do you mean why? I need money for tuition.”
“College? You’re really going?”
“Of course.”
College wasn’t optional for Jigu — it was essential.
He had quickly finished high school via GED
and was preparing for university entrance to pursue his dream.
“What major?”
“Baking.”
“So your part-time job is at a bakery too.”
“Yeah. And the pay is amazing.”
A wage 5,000 won higher than minimum.
And the work wasn’t extremely hard.
This was a rare stroke of luck for Jigu.
“So you’re gonna open a bakery later?”
“No. I’m gonna work for a company.”
“…Wait. Don’t tell me…”
His friend stared, suspicious.
Jigu smiled brightly.
“I always told you, didn’t I?”
Words he had repeated countless times.
Anyone who grew up in the orphanage had probably heard him say it.
Ever since he was little, the company had always donated generously to his orphanage.
“I’m going to work at Hyunho Candy.”
He wanted to dedicate himself to the company
that had supported him his entire life.
