Chapter 185 Seo Yeon

Liam stood still for a moment, eyes locked onto the remaining three men.

They stared back at him, shaken.

He had given them a chance. Told them to toss everything—money, weapons, whatever they had—and walk away. But they laughed it off.

Now he was going to teach them a lesson they wouldn’t forget.

One of the thugs—taller than the others, probably the self-proclaimed leader—suddenly raised his gun, aiming straight at Liam.

Stupid move.

Liam moved.

In a flash, he stepped in, his hand lashing out and catching the thug’s wrist mid-air before the idiot even pulled the trigger. The next movement was fluid and brutal—Liam’s leg shot up like a whip, smooth, fast, and perfectly aimed.

His bare foot connected hard against the man’s neck.

Crack!

The thug collapsed instantly. His head hit the pavement with a dull thud. He didn’t move. Out cold.

Liam didn’t even look at him again. His eyes were already on the last two.

The remaining guys backed up half a step. Then stopped. Their pride wouldn’t let them run.

Liam raised both hands and motioned toward them.

Bring it on.

That was the final straw.

They screamed, charging together. Both raised their guns at the same time, thinking they’d end this before it got out of hand.

But Liam was already mid-air.

He twisted in the air like a ghost, both legs out—BAM! BAM!

His bare feet slammed into their hands with precise, devastating force.

The guns went flying.

Both men yelped in pain, dropping their arms and stumbling back.

They had no idea how he even jumped that fast. They were still trying to process what just happened. Their fingers throbbed. Their wrists felt like they snapped. And all they saw was Liam landing gracefully, standing up like nothing had happened.

Then they did the only thing left—they begged.

"Please, man," one gasped. "We’ll give it all back. Everything. The cash, the safe—everything."

"Yeah," the other stammered. "You can have it all, just let us go. We didn’t mean to hurt anybody."

Liam exhaled softly.

He wasn’t here to kill them. Just make a point.

"Put it all in a cloth," he said, his voice low. "Wrap it tight."

They obeyed immediately. Scrambling, sweating, terrified. They gathered the stolen money, the safe, even the spare notes they had stuffed in their pockets. One of them found an old shirt in a nearby trash bin and used it to bundle everything together.

When it was done, they placed it carefully at Liam’s feet and stepped back, hands raised like kids caught in the act.

Liam picked up the bundle.

Without a single word, he walked over to the car.

His white sneakers were still sitting neatly on the hood. His hoodie lay beside them.

He put both on slowly, calm and methodical.

Then, without looking back, he turned and walked away.

The two conscious men watched him in complete silence. They didn’t dare say a word. The other two were still sprawled out on the pavement, unconscious.

They didn’t know who the hell that guy was.

But they knew better than to cross him again.

---

Back at the flower shop, the atmosphere had changed.

Seo-yeon’s mother was on her knees, carefully picking up the pieces of shattered vases, trying to reorganize the displays that had been tossed around during the robbery. The place was a mess, but she worked quietly, refusing to let the incident break her completely.

When the front door opened again, she looked up quickly.

It was Liam.

He stepped in, still calm, holding a large cloth bundle in his hand.

She stood up immediately, hurrying to meet him. Her face was full of concern, thinking maybe he was hurt—or maybe it was just the flowers.

Then Liam handed her the bundle.

She took it, confused. "What is—?"

She pulled the cloth open.

Her eyes widened.

It was everything.

Her safe. Her money. Even more than she thought had been taken.

She gasped, one hand covering her mouth. Her knees nearly gave out.

Then she grabbed Liam’s hand with both of hers, gripping it tightly. "Thank you," she whispered, eyes filling with tears. "Thank you... My daughter’s future... her college... it’s all still possible."

Liam didn’t say anything. He just nodded.

Across the room, Seo yeon was still holding the bouquet he had given her earlier. Her hands trembled slightly. She had been frozen the whole time, too shocked to speak. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on Liam, wide and glassy.

She had nearly lost hope minutes ago.

And now the man who walked out had returned not just with money—but with justice.

She blinked back tears, clutching the bouquet tighter to her chest.

Liam looked at both of them for a moment.

He didn’t leave.

Instead, he walked back toward Seo-yeon.

She looked up at him, still holding the bouquet.

Wordlessly, he reached out and gently took it back from her.

But instead of walking out like she expected, Liam turned and moved to the counter. He placed the flowers on the side, leaned forward, and rested both arms on the worn surface.

He didn’t say anything for a while.

He wasn’t here for some emotional heart-to-heart—but there was something about the woman’s reaction earlier. The way she thanked him even when everything she had was taken. It wasn’t some cheap, automatic "thank you." It came from real pain. From someone who still had decency even when life stripped her down to the bone.

He didn’t expect that.

He had seen desperation plenty of times—but rarely this kind of dignity in the middle of it.

He glanced at the mother. She was wiping her face with the sleeve of her blouse, quietly trying to compose herself.

"What’s your story?" Liam finally asked, voice low.

She looked at him, hesitated. Her eyes flicked to Seo-yeon, who still hadn’t said a word.

Then, slowly, the woman came around the counter and sat down on the small wooden stool next to him.

There was silence for a moment. Just the sound of the wind brushing outside.

"I was married," she finally said, voice quiet. "For five years."

Liam didn’t interrupt.

"We... we tried to have kids, but it turned out my husband was infertile," she continued, staring at the floor. "It was hard. But he was a good man. A very good man. So, we decided to adopt."

Liam’s eyes flicked to Seo-yeon for a split second. She didn’t react.

She already knew, clearly. And she was still standing at the corner of the shop, hands clasped tightly in front of her, composed—but something about her posture made it clear she was listening to every word.

The woman’s voice cracked slightly. "We found her... Seo-yeon. She was just a baby. Abandoned. No family, no record. We raised her as our own."

She paused, taking a breath.

"Then he died," she said. "A year and a half ago."

Liam’s jaw clenched.

"After that," she continued, "it’s just been the two of us. This shop barely brings in anything. Flowers are a luxury. People don’t come here unless they have money to waste. But Seo-yeon started helping. Delivering flowers. Taking long trips, rain or sun, just to save me some effort. Every money we earn goes straight into her school. She’s brilliant. I want her to have a future."

Liam frowned. "And how do you eat?"

The woman gave a sad, honest smile. "Once or twice a day. Some days, not at all. But we manage. It’s enough for us."

Liam looked at her in disbelief.

He turned to Seo-yeon again. She was staring out the window now, like she didn’t want him to see her face.

And now that he was really looking—really paying attention—he saw it.

The slight wear in her jeans. The tiredness behind her eyes. The paleness that wasn’t from lack of sunlight, but lack of food. Yet she carried herself like she had it all. Confidence. Beauty. Poise. If you saw her walking down the street, you’d think she was some rich Korean princess straight out of a magazine. Maybe a girl with a chauffeur waiting nearby.

But under all of that?

She was just surviving.

She had been delivering flowers. Carrying the weight of a crumbling business. And smiling through it.

Liam looked back down at the counter, running a hand through his hair.

This wasn’t what he expected when he came in here.

At first, he was going to treat it like just another random case—help out, chase the bad guys, walk away.

But something about this...

It got to him.

"You got a place nearby?" he asked quietly, looking back at the woman.

She blinked, caught off guard. "Yes... just down the next block. We live in the back of a warehouse."

Of course they did.