It seemed Soyoung had come to the zoo by herself . Sungyoon asked her where her parents were, but she had a difficult time coming up with an answer .

  A child around Shinhae’s age was roaming around the zoo without her guardians . Sungyoon frowned at the situation . It was child negligence that bordered on child abuse .

  However, Sungyoon had to berate himself .

  ‘I have no grounds to accuse others of child negligence . . . ’


  Of course, the thought of child neglect hadn’t crossed his mind at the time, but Sungyoon had left Shinhae behind to go to the Moon . Moreover, he was still doing it now . Thankfully, Jimin had taken pity on Shinhae and looked after Shinhae like her own child . If not for Jimin, Shinhae would’ve been waiting for Sungyoon by herself .

  The thought was frightening .

  Soyoung didn’t look like a stranger to him anymore .

  ‘Should I call the police?’


  The child looked at him with earnestness in her eyes . Her eyes kept shining as she looked around . Sungyoon initially had no idea what she wanted to see so badly, but he soon noticed that Soyoung’s eyes became ardent whenever her gaze landed on the animals .

  Her mouth had fallen open from just seeing the elephant walk .

  ‘.…… I guess I can let her stay for a little bit longer . ’


  Sungyoon was still worried about leaving Soyoung alone .

  Also, Shinhae had taken a liking to the girl, and she liked the fact that Soyung had a bigger reaction than her .

  “Did you say your name is Soyoung? Would you like to accompany us?”


  Soyoung blinked with her big eyes as she looked at Sungyoon .

  ***

  Soyoung was very curious about her surroundings, and she even seemed amazed by the bricks making up the road .

  ‘Did she come from the deep countryside?’


  Sungyoon knew that some isolated villages didn’t enjoy much of what civilization had to offer . And when he thought about it, Soyoung’s clothes did look old fashioned .

  ‘Did she ride the train up here to see Seoul?’


  Soyoung, who looked old enough to enter elementary school, had taken the train by herself to view Seoul . It was a storyline commonly used in books and movies . However, the girl’s unique behavior made Sungyoon think that it could be true .

  ‘.…… I’ll have to look after her until the end . ’


  In a short while, the two children became very close to each other . They held hands as they walked forward . Shinhae had been dragging around Soyoung for almost half the time, yet the expression on Soyoung’s face showed that she was enjoying it .

  The two looked like sisters of similar age, holding snacks in their small hands .

  The money Soyoung had was only enough for the entrance fee . When Sungyoon realized that, he had bought lunch and snacks for the girls . Since he felt sorry for Soyoung, he bought her quite a lot of food .

  Soyoung was very cautious in accepting it, but once she did, she enjoyed the food as if she had never eaten such delicious food before .

  The faces of Shinhae and Soyoung held bright expressions . As if they wanted to conquer the whole zoo in one day, they tirelessly toured the zoo . However, as all good things must come to an end, evening arrived . The sky turned red, and the zoo would soon close down .

  “Well, it’s time for us to leave now . ”


  “Ooh! I want to play a little longer . ”


  Shinhae complained . Soyoung didn’t voice her opinions, but she also looked disappointed .

  However, the situation was out of Sungyoon’s hands . He couldn’t throw money in the faces of the zoo employees, like in the Korean dramas, to keep the zoo open past their operation time .

  “The animals have to go to sleep . If they don’t, they will get an ‘ouchie’ . ”


  The faces of the two children darkened . However, they accepted Sungyoon’s explanation . Their gaze then traveled toward the giraffe that was languidly standing in its pen . The girls looked wistful .

  “Mr . Giraffe! I’ll come back next time!”


  “Bye!”


  The two children waved their hands, but ignoring them, the giraffe continued to sway its tail as it walked away .

  After saying goodbye to the animals, the girls came back to Sungyoon .

  “Where should I take you, Soyoung? Should I contact your parents?”


  “Ah . That is . . . ”


  Soyoung’s eyes shook .

  Sungyoon once again remembered his previous theory . Soyoung might be a brave country girl visiting Seoul by herself .

  Soyoung’s eyes, which had been rapidly moving, suddenly came to a stop, and her expression darkened . Sungyoon looked in the direction where Soyoung’s eyes were focused .

  He saw a man quickly approaching them . At a glance, Sungyoon could tell that the man was annoyed and angry .

  Tuhk!

  The man stood in front of Soyoung, who lowered her head .

  “.…… Who told you that you could leave by yourself?”


  Although his voice was calm, it was obvious that the man was furious . He was pressing down on his anger .

  ‘As expected, she came out without getting permission . ’


  Sungyoon inwardly let out a sigh .

  “I’m . . . I’m sorry . ”


  The child’s body shook . The man snatched Soyoung’s wrist and dragged her away .

  Sungyoon felt he was watching a man drag away unwanted luggage, and he frowned . Even if the man was angry due to the worries about the child, his actions were too much . They had crossed a line .

  Moreover, the girl’s shaking was not normal .

  “Unni…… . ”


  Shinhae also looked at Soyoung with a worried expression .

  In the end, Sungyoon couldn’t hold back . He was the type of man to ignore others, but that aspect of him changed a bit when it came to children .

  “Hey, you!”


  Sungyoon wasn’t sure if the man hadn’t heard him or if he was ignoring the words, but the man kept walking .

  Tuhk!

  Sungyoon scurried forward to grab the man’s shoulder .

  Tahk!

  The man looked annoyed as he slapped Sungyoon’s hand away .

  “What the hell!”


  The man’s eyes held a scary expression . Even the boldest of men would have retreated a couple of steps at the man’s fierce glare .

  However, Sungyoon had hunted in the labyrinths . This was nothing to him .

  “The girl is scared right now . ”


  “Mind your own business . Get lost . ”


  “I’ll do so if you change your attitude toward the girl . In the first place, who are you to her?”


  Sungyoon had initially assumed that the man was Soyoung’s father . However, as he thought about it, Sungyoon realized that he didn’t know the relationship between the man and Soyoung .

  “Is he your dad?”


  When Sungyoon asked Soyoung, Soyoung shook her head from side to side .

  “Then what is he?”


  “What does it matter to you?”


  “I am a father of a daughter . How can I stand by and watch you treat Soyoung this way?”


  The man’s eyes twitched .

  “.…… Soyoung?”


  The man glared at Soyoung .

  Soyoung’s head dipped further, and he roughly tugged at her arm .

  “Ahk!”


  The delicate little hand of the child had been forcefully pulled by the man’s rough hand . Soyoung screamed out in pain .

  Shinhae grabbed Sungyoon’s clothes, and sparks flashed within Sungyoon’s eyes .

  “You told them you’re Soyoung?”


  The man growled . He was about to pull her arm once again, but—


  Tuhk!

  Sungyoon grabbed the man’s wrist .

  “What the hell?”


  “You should stop now . ”


  “I told you to mind your own business . ”


  The man tried to move his arm but found that he was unable to . He looked at Sungyoon with surprise in his eyes, but Sungyoon had the same reaction .

  ‘He’s strong . ’


  Sungyoon was a Connector, yet he found this man’s strength to be very strong . It meant that his opponent was a Connector too .

  The atmosphere between the two men turned dangerous . The children looked uneasy as they gazed at the two adults . The situation looked like a powder keg about to go off .

  “Soyoung!”


  Suddenly, someone came running toward the group .

  “Mom!”


  The glum face of Soyoung brightened . A woman hugged Soyoung .

  The man clicked his tongue as he let go of Soyoung’s hand, and Sungyoon let go of the man’s wrist .

  “You little rascal! Where were you all this time?”


  The woman scolded Soyoung . However, Sungyoon relaxed at the sight .

  Even though the woman was angry, she stroked Soyoung’s crying face . This exchange was completely different from what he saw from the man .

  “I wanted to see the animals . . . ”


  Moreover, Soyoung wasn’t afraid of the woman . She just looked like a glum kid afraid of being scolded by her mother .

  “But still! How could you go out by yourself!”


  “I’m sorry . ”


  When Soyoung begged for forgiveness, the woman hugged her tighter . While she hugged her child, the woman looked at Sungyoon and the man .

  She finally became aware of her surroundings .

  “What’s going on here?”


  The mood between the two men had deteriorated, so the woman asked the question to the man she was familiar with . Soyoung quickly pointed toward Sungyoon and Shinhae .

  “Ahjussi looked out for me today! He bought me a lot of tasty food! I also played a lot with Shinhae!”


  The woman looked at Sungyoon and Shinhae . She then got up and bowed to Sungyoon .

  “Ah! Thank you for looking after Soyoung today . ”


  “It’s fine . As someone with a daughter, I was unable to mind my business . ”


  Sungyoon placed a hand on Shinhae’s head .

  “Your name was . . . Shinhae? Thank you for playing with Soyoung . ”


  “It’s nothing! I had a lot of fun playing with Unni!”


  “Really?”


  The woman let out a smile . Unlike the man, she resembled a proper mother . Sungyoon felt the need to speak up .

  “I know your child left on her own, but you should be more careful . She might have gotten into a lot of trouble by herself . ”


  “I have no excuses . I’ll be careful from now on . ”


  The woman once again bowed .

  “Also…… . ”


  Sungyoon’s gaze fell on the man . It seemed the man didn’t like the current situation as his eyes were full of anger .

  “I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with this man, but please keep him in check . Even if he’s angry, he shouldn’t pull a child’s arm like that . ”


  “You . . . ”


  The man glared at Sungyoon as if he were about to charge at him . However, a cold voice froze the man in the place .

  “What did you do to Soyoung?”


  The woman glared at the man, but the man returned her glare .

  “.…… Hmmph!”


  He snorted as he turned around and walked to the exit of the zoo . The woman continued to glare at the man’s back, then she turned toward Sungyoon .

  “I’m sorry . I’ll give him an earful . ”


  “I have no qualms if you do that . Also, I want to apologize for unnecessarily getting in your business . ”


  “No . It wasn’t unnecessary . It was something I should know . ”


  The man was nowhere to be seen now . The woman politely spoke to Sungyoon .

  “We’ll be going now . Thank you for protecting Soyoung today . I would like to repay you . . . ”


  “No . I don’t need any repayment . ”


  “Still, I feel bad about it . At least, let me recompense you for the food that Soyoung ate . . . ”


  “It really is fine . Shinhae had a good time playing with Soyoung . That’s enough for me . ”


  Shinhae vigorously nodded at her father’s words . The woman hesitated for a brief moment before smiling .

  “You are a good person . I’ll receive this kindness with thanks . ”


  She then patted Soyoung on the back .

  “Soyoung, you should say thank you to ahjussi and Shinhae . ”


  Soyoung took a step forward and obliged .

  “Thank you very much for looking out for me today . ”


  She made a ninety-degree angle as she bowed toward Sungyoon . Then she waved at Shinhae .

  “It was fun today! Goodbye, Shinhae!”


  “Yes! I’ll see you again next time, Unni!”


  Shinhae waved goodbye too .

  Soyoung and her mother walked away . As Sungyoon and Shinhae watched their backs, Sungyoon grabbed Shinhae’s hand .

  “Shall we go…… . ”


  Sungyoon froze when he turned his head to look at Shinhae .

  Shinhae’s eyes held a longing expression as she watched Soyoung and her mother walk away . The envy in her expression was evident .

  ‘.…… She misses her mom . ’


  Even if Sungyoon did his best, it wasn’t enough . Other women like Jimin tried to act as her mother, but they couldn’t replace her real mother .

  Shinhae looked mesmerized as she continued to watch the mother and daughter until they disappeared . Sungyoon could only look on with sympathy in his heart .

  ***

  After leaving the zoo, Soyoung and her mother went into a high-end hotel .

  Holding hands, they conversed with each other . The mother and daughter entered their room, but they paused to find someone else inside .

  It was the man who had exchanged some words with Sungyoon .

  “Go into your room, Soyoung . ”


  Soyoung walked on eggshells as she entered her room in the suite .

  The man continued to look at her with cold eyes . When the girl was gone, he approached the woman .

  “I told you that we shouldn’t have brought her here…… . ”


  Sss-ahk!

  The woman’s hand moved like a beam of light, and something appeared inside it . She didn’t hesitate as she placed the item on the man’s neck .

  “.…… What are you playing at?”


  The man glared at her .

  “Plu-El . ”


  Plu-El . It was the same word that the archer had shouted at the man in the black armor when Armstrong’s Connectors had entered the labyrinth to find the ambushers .

  In fact, the man and the woman in the suite were not speaking Korean right now . They were using the language spoken by the ambushers .

  The more surprising part was the fact that a greatsword was pressed against the man’s neck . This greatsword was the one that had been wielded by the black-armored man .

  Plu-El spoke in an icy tone .

  “What did you do to my Soyoung?”