The time was 6 p.m.

Seol Jihu finally arrived at his parents’ house.

Stopping in front of the main entrance, Seol Jihu stood still for a long time with his head dropped.

His heart pounded from fear of what was to come.

Looking back, every time he came back home, he had left thinking, ‘I shouldn’t have come.’

Would it be any different this time?

He didn’t think so. That’s why he hesitated.

Standing like a stone statue for some time, a laugh escaped Seol Jihu’s mouth.

In Paradise, he was a hero who was welcomed and acknowledged by everyone. But on Earth… he was no different than unrecyclable trash.

That’s what made him laugh.

“What are you doing there?”

Seol Jihu raised his head.

How long had he been there for? Seol Wooseok was standing on the staircase, looking down at him.

“Hyung.”

“You said you’d be here by six. Were you just standing there for thirty minutes? Did your shoes get glued to the ground or something?”

Seol Wooseok chuckled before coming down and opening the main entrance.

He scanned Seol Jihu from top to bottom, then whistled.

“Iya~ You’re all dressed up in a suit. Is it because it’s Mother’s birthday? I see that you brought gifts too.”

“Well, it’s Mother’s birthday and it’s also been a while…”

“You have something for me too?”

“Of course. It’s nothing expensive though, so don’t look forward to it too much.”

“Haha, thanks. You just came back from overseas, right? Aren’t you tired?”

“Hm? Overseas?”

“Didn’t you say you went on a business trip? You didn’t go overseas?”

Seol Wooseok asked with widened eyes.

Seol Jihu shook his head.

“No, it was domestic. I never went overseas. Though, I might relatively soon.”

“Ah… I see. It was so hard to get in touch with you that I figured you weren’t in Korea.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

Seol Jihu nodded strongly.

“Even the Reserve Forces called, you know.”

“Ah, don’t worry about that. I took care of it. Sinyoung has a workplace reserve force unit, so I’m transferring there.”

“You should have done that earlier. Anyway, let’s go in. Mother’s been waiting for a while now. Seonhwa and Seunghae are here as well.”

Seol Wooseok looked back at the house and then pulled on Seol Jihu’s arm. The latter resisted slightly and objected.

“Hyung, wait. I gave this some thought, and—”

“It’s fine. I already let them know.”

“But today’s supposed to be a day of celebration. I can come back some other time…”

“Today is a day of celebration. That’s why we should have more good things happen. Are you really going to go back after coming all the way here?”

Before he noticed, Seol Jihu found himself walking up the staircase and standing at the front door.

Seol Wooseok punched in the password while holding onto Seol Jihu’s arm.

“You told me, remember? That you’d visit once you finished paying off your debt.”

“Hyung….”

“I know. You must be uncomfortable. But there’s going to be no end to this if you keep putting it off because of guilt. If you really want to seek forgiveness, don’t run away. We can’t forgive you if you don’t come ask for our forgiveness.”

Seol Jihu couldn’t argue because he knew his brother was right.

“Come in. And this time, make it clear. That you quit gambling and are working diligently.”

Seol Wooseok said encouragingly, then turned the doorknob.

Seol Jihu still hadn’t prepared his heart, but the door opened...