"···You haven't had a bit too much to drink, have you?"

"Really? My head's been aching lately, so I just…"

"Time to stop. The sun's already high in the sky."

"···Alright. I'll be back next time."

"Sure, take care."

Stagger, stagger.

Watching the small figure sway as they lazily left the bar might have caused some concern, but Haneul wasn’t worried.

The child might have been drunk, but they were more than capable of splitting the heads of anyone foolish enough to try anything against them, even in that state.

It wasn’t the child Haneul was worried about—it was everyone else.

Haneul quickly bent down to check on Ophelia.

"Are you alright?"

"No···. My back hurts···."

"Of course it does. Wow, what a surprise. When I called for you, you didn’t show up, but now here you are, just in time."

It seemed like the stress had built up. The principal kept drinking and ranting to the bar owner, venting about how the royal family had no manners, how the younger generation lacked discipline. The bar owner tried to keep the conversation brief, but the principal’s flood of complaints couldn’t be stopped. Eventually, the owner had no choice but to listen to it all, and as the complaints grew, so did the amount of alcohol in the principal’s glass, causing Haneul's back to ache more and more as they bent lower behind the counter.

The principal finally left at around 10 a.m., long after the sun had risen.

They had arrived a little after 3 a.m., so Haneul had spent seven hours crouched behind the counter.

It was a miracle their back hadn’t given out.

"You look terrible. How about a shower? I'll let you use mine."

"No, that's alright. I don’t think I can keep working here, so I’d feel bad using the shower, too."

"Wait, you're quitting?"

"Working here has been fun, but···. I can’t keep doing this every time the principal shows up."

"I get it."

The bar owner seemed taken aback for a moment but quickly nodded.

Haneul hadn’t gone into detail, but they had mentioned they’d caused quite a stir and could no longer stay at the academy.

The owner knew well enough that Haneul and the principal didn’t have the most comfortable relationship.

That’s why, without a word, the owner had stepped in to handle things when Haneul hid in the back.

It was essentially like the employee had run off without permission, and yet the owner still worried about them. It was something Haneul was deeply grateful for.

However, working alongside the owner was a different matter.

The principal could show up again at any moment, and Haneul couldn’t stay in that job under such uncertainty.

This time, the owner had been there to handle things, but they weren’t always around.

Even if the owner were here every day, that would only mean there was no need for Haneul to be around.

After all, it was the employee’s job to work in place of the boss.

"I understand. I’m a bit curious about what kind of mess you caused, but I won’t ask."

"Thank you···."

"I never took you for the type to get into trouble, but judging by how you’re avoiding the topic, it must’ve been pretty serious."

Serious was an understatement. It was the kind of trouble that could shake an entire nation.

But Haneul couldn’t exactly say that, so they just nodded quietly.

"Do you have anywhere to go?"

"···Could I borrow your phone for a moment?"

"Of course. Use it as much as you need. It’s no trouble at all."

"Thank you."

Haneul did have somewhere to go.

A place that lingered in the back of their memory. If they went there, no one else would be able to find them.

They also remembered a voice that had said they’d be welcome whenever they returned.

Haneul borrowed the phone from the owner and, with slightly awkward fingers, dialed the number they remembered.

Hopefully, the number hadn’t changed.

To their relief, the phone barely rang before a bright voice answered.

[Oh, Boss! Long time no see! What’s up?]

It was the voice of Jane, who Haneul had recently bumped into with Orca.

If anyone could hide them, it was probably her. That’s why they called her.

···But first things first, before any pleasantries.

"···How did you know it was me? This isn’t the number I usually use."

[Oh, that’s easy. Nobody else knows this number besides you and me. I could tell right away! Hehe.]

"What? Why are you using the phone I got for you like that?!"

[It’s a precious gift from you, Boss. I don’t want anyone else to know about it. Don’t worry, I have a separate one for work.]

"Haa···."

Haneul had once bought phones for some kids who wandered the back alleys without a penny to their names, back when they had unintentionally become the leader of a group.

Since the area was shady, and it was easy to disappear without a trace, Haneul wanted to make sure they could contact each other in case of emergencies.

Even though they weren’t officially the boss, they didn’t want those still-growing kids to get involved in something dangerous.

···They never imagined Jane would buy an extra phone just for contacting them.

[So, what’s going on? Boss, you called me first. Are you coming back to the group? If so, I’d be more than happy to—]

"Yes."

[···What?]

"I need a place to stay for a while. Can you help me?"

[···.]

The bright tone in Jane’s voice suddenly disappeared, and Haneul began to grow anxious.

Jane had always followed them around, practically clinging to them, so Haneul had expected her to say yes right away.

Did something happen? Or had her devotion just been words?

If Jane refused, Haneul truly had nowhere else to go.

Though they had the power of hypnosis, they wanted to avoid using it to secure food and shelter if possible.

They had overused that power once, and it had led to the current situation.

If they misused it again, who knew what disaster might come next?

They would use it only if absolutely necessary.

"Is it too much to ask? Sorry for bringing it up. Just forget I said anything···."

[No, no, no, no! It’s fine!]

"If it’s a problem, don’t worry about it. I can find somewhere else."

[It’s not that! I just had to think for a bit! You’re always welcome here!]

"···Alright. Thank you."

[Oh, come on, compared to what you’ve done for me, this is nothing! It’s an honor to be able to help you!]

Luckily, Jane agreed to take them in after all.

As Haneul sighed with relief, Jane’s voice came back, even more enthusiastic than before.

[Where are you right now? I’ll come pick you up.]

"No, that’s not necessary. I know where you all live."

[Oh···. Boss, we’ve already moved out of that place.]

"What? Really?"

[Of course. You worked so hard to build up the group for us, Boss. We couldn’t stay in a place like that, especially with so many kids. We moved out ages ago··· Though I was against it. You lived there, after all.]

"No, you did the right thing. It’s good that you moved."

So they had left that place behind.

Haneul felt relieved to hear that the kids had found a better place to live.

They recalled how they couldn’t move back then, worried about attracting too much attention, but now, it seemed everything had worked out for the better.

[So, Boss, let me come get you. Just tell me where you are, and I’ll be there in no time.]

"Oh, I’m at···."

Wait, where was this?

Haneul knew the area, but not the exact address.

As they scratched their cheek in embarrassment, the bar owner, seemingly aware of the situation, handed them a slip of paper with the address written on it.

Nodding in thanks, Haneul read the address aloud, and Jane responded with her usual energy.

[Ah, I know that place. I’ll be there in about 30 minutes. Just wait a bit!]

"Take your time. There’s no rush···."

[I’ll be there as fast as I can! Woohoo!]

Beep, beep, beep.

Before Haneul could finish speaking, Jane had already hung up, leaving only the dial tone behind.

"That’s a relief."

"Oh, thank you, sir."

"No problem. ···So, someone’s coming here? That’s good. Now, go get cleaned up."

"Huh? But···."

"Hey. I’m still the owner here, right? You’re just going to ignore your boss’s orders?"

With a warm smile, the owner practically shoved Haneul toward the shower room, leaving no room for refusal.

"And I don’t want your friend remembering you like this."

"···Ah."

"So stop arguing and clean up. There’s everything you need in there."

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

Despite knowing their time working together was coming to an end, the owner still took care of Haneul, making it hard for them to stand straight.

···If only their old boss back in their world had been like this.