Chapter 10: A Place to Call Home [4/Last]

Jason, stunned by the conversation he had just overheard between the girl and the guy, found himself frozen in place. His mind drifted back to the time when he had expelled several men from the building—men who had been accused of harassing that very same girl.

He remembered them clearly—young adults, probably in their twenties or early thirties. After their identities were revealed in the local newspaper, along with the details of the incident, they were forced to leave the city in disgrace.

‘So that’s what happened to those guys too… and I kicked them out without properly investigating the truth.’

A wave of guilt washed over him.

‘Their lives must’ve been ruined because of my decision. I wonder if they were able to live decently afterward…’

Clenching his fists, Jason made a silent vow.

‘I can’t undo the past. But this time... I won’t let the same thing happen to that kid. No matter what.’

With resolve firm in his chest, he descended the stairs. The girl had already entered her apartment. He made his way into his own and slumped onto the sofa beside his wife, Rosy, who had just finished work and was enjoying her usual evening drama.

She noticed his expression right away.

“Jason? Why’re you back so soon? Weren’t you going up to Mr. Lashe’s place? Isn’t his unit on one of the upper floors?”

Jason didn’t answer right away. He leaned back, staring at the TV for a moment before speaking.

“Rosy, I need you to listen. And after that… tell me honestly—did I do something wrong? Because I feel terrible right now.”

He began recounting everything he had heard outside Evan’s floor. From spotting the guy he always chased away, exiting the girl’s apartment… to Evan appearing unexpectedly and narrowly escaping the guy’s aggression again.

Rosy listened intently. Her expression shifted from confusion to shock and then to anger.

“Don’t worry,” she said firmly, standing up. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “Wait—where are you going?”

She paused at the door and looked back at him with fire in her eyes.

“Where? To deal with that little trickster girl! Do you know how many lives she’s already ruined? I’m not letting Evan be next.”

Jason quickly stood and called out, “Rosy, wait! Don’t do anything rash! We don’t have solid proof right now. If we act now, they might get away clean. But I swear—they’ll slip up. And when they do, I’ll hand them over to the police for filing false accusations.”

He puffed out his chest dramatically and flexed his imaginary muscles.

“Besides, don’t you remember who your husband is? I’ve got this.”

Rosy rolled her eyes with a small smile. “Alright, alright. But promise me—keep that kid out of this mess. He’s already too withdrawn. We don’t want him shutting himself off completely.”

She returned to her drama, her trust in Jason restored.

Meanwhile, Evan, having darted out of the building, wandered aimlessly through the city. The streets were busy—restaurants and coffee shops lined the sidewalks, people rushed to and from work, and the nearby malls were flooded with crowds.

He kept his head low, avoiding eye contact.

‘Too many people… I hate crowded places.’

Looking around, a thought struck him.

“Ah, that place… maybe I should check it out?”

He began searching for a building he remembered—his steps hesitant at first. After a few minutes of wandering without success, he swallowed his pride and asked a passerby.

Thanks to their directions, he finally found it.

A familiar building stood tall, a worn-out banner with a gaming console symbol hanging above the entrance.

‘The Classic Novel Game Parlor…’

This was it.

A place he used to hear about from his friends at the orphanage. Back then, he was just a normal kid who longed to hang out and fit in. One of his friends once called it

“a gamer’s paradise.”

That memory alone made his heart stir.

Evan pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The first floor was filled with excitement—pool tables, bowling alleys, retro arcade machines… but what truly caught his eye was the upper floor. Rows upon rows of gaming PCs, players locked into intense matches.

Some kids in school uniforms were even here—clearly skipping class just to play.

As Evan wandered among the rows, he noticed people chatting through headsets, laughing, competing… even some girls gaming like pros.

‘Huh… I always thought girls didn’t play games. Guess I was wrong.’

{A/N: Yeah, Evan’s been in the orphanage too long. He thought only boys liked this stuff. Typical.}

‘Well, everyone’s free to enjoy what they want…’

He walked past a row of schoolboys battling it out in a shooter game when suddenly—his foot caught on something.

Thud!

Evan tripped and fell, crashing into the side of a player’s chair.

The boy turned to glare at him. “What the hell?!”

Evan scrambled to sit up. “I’m sorry! My leg got caught—”

But the guy wasn’t listening. Instead, he grabbed Evan by the hair and yanked him toward the monitor.

“Look what you did, idiot!”

Evan winced.

—

To be continued.

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