Chapter Text
If you were to ask Lee Heeseung about his ultimate life goal, he probably would not be able to give you a clear answer. Over the past few months, this question had occupied much of his thoughts, yet he found no satisfying response. Really, Heeseung wasn’t looking for grand heroics like saving the world or accolades that might bring others to tears. He just wanted something meaningful enough to himself, something he could acknowledge within the solitude of his own mind, something to give his life a sense of purpose. Yet, he struggled to pinpoint just what it could be. Sometimes he felt like there was something he had wanted to do as a child. There was a strong calling for him, there was something he was supposed to do, but he just couldn’t seem to remember what it was. How he wished he could return to being just a kid and to feel that yearning again.
At the age of 24, Heeseung had been at his current company for two and a half years, working his way from an intern to a software engineer leading his own projects. In the span of these two years and a half, or 913 days, he had always arrived at work earlier and left later than everyone else in the office. Heeseung had a reputation to live up to, and he worked hard to maintain it.
When Heeseung was 10 years old, his family moved across Riverfield, and he had to transfer school in the middle of the semester. The first day at a new school is never easy for anyone, including Heeseung. It was even more difficult for him due to the abruptness of it all. Suddenly taken out of his environment, away from his friends, from the only life that he had ever known, Heeseung experienced the feeling of losses for the first time in the hallway at this new school among strange faces. He didn’t know what it was, but he felt like he had just lost something very important.
On that same day, Heeseung also realized that, due to the different schedules between the schools, he had already learned material being covered and was able to answer a question that nobody else in the class could. The proud look from his teacher and the awe in the other students’ eyes made him blush. Suddenly, Heeseung was seen as the smart kid. Something was expected of him, and he needed to live up to that expectation, to make up to that loss he had felt. Every lesson prepared, every homework perfected, every exam aced; Heeseung was on a mission of relentless striving.
His effort was not fruitless as he was always among the top students in his year. Eventually Heeseung got accepted into one of the most prestigious universities, where he continued to work harder than everyone else and excel in everything he did. In the summer of his third year, he got an internship at one of the most competitive software companies in the area, which seamlessly transitioned into a full-time position after graduation.
And now, here he was, again burning the midnight oil at the office to finish his current project. Heeseung was always the ace; others admired and relied on him. To Heeseung, it made sense that he needed to put in the effort to return the sentiment.
Yet, as he sat alone in his office, overlooking the sprawling city lights below, a sense of emptiness clouded his thoughts. Looking back at his life, Heeseung really could not complain about a single thing. He had a stable career and had succeeded in everything he undertook. But, he felt no satisfaction either. He couldn’t help but feel that something was missing. As far as he could remember, everything about his life was always full speed ahead. There was never a second for him to contemplate what he really wanted to do. Is this be the life he had wanted? It had been ages since Heeseung last left work before sunset. Conversations with his brother were reduced to only via texts, and weeks had passed since he last saw his parents. It had been even longer since he last visited his grandfather. At the thought of his grandfather, fleeting images of warm sunlight, laughter, and a warm smile flashed through his mind. Heeseung could not fully grasp on the memory, but he yearned for the feelings those images brought. Letting out a heavy sigh, Heeseung figured he should visit his family soon. Once he completed this project, he promised himself a weekend free from work, dedicated only to reconnecting with his loved ones.
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Heeseung’s plan did not get a chance to materialize. A heart attack on what seemed like just another quiet evening took his grandfather away. Heeseung didn’t even receive the news until hours later. A frantic phone call from his mother at 2 A.M. shattered the stillness of the night, jolting him awake. For the first time, Heeseung’s world, which had been going on full speed, came to an abrupt halt. Images from their last dinner together, once so casual, once taken for granted, suddenly became invaluable. They etched into his memory as the final moments he shared with his grandfather.
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Heeseung came back to work just a few days after his grandfather’s funeral. His colleagues offered their condolences, and life resumed its course. New projects arrived and his routine returned to its usual rhythm. Again, he was the last person to leave the office. Again, he found himself gazing into the city lights, the emptiness inside him growing larger than ever. He could feel his grandfather’s absence in everything he did. His thoughts drift to the time they had shared together. Heeseung missed it dearly. He couldn’t shake off the guilt that he should have spent more time with his grandfather instead of burying himself in this endless cycle of deadlines.
A months after the funeral, Heeseung received a unexpected phone call from his grandfather’s lawyer. He learned that his grandfather had left him his business, a local shop called “Decelis.” He was speechless for a moment, struggling to recall any memory of this place. Growing up, he had spent many summers and holidays with his grandfather, it seemed impossible that he was unaware of such a business. But, now that Heeseung was thinking about it, what did his grandfather do for a living again? Maybe he did own a shop? All of a sudden, vague memories of Heeseung being at the shop as a child emerged in his head, leaving him even more puzzled. After collecting himself, he agreed to meet with the lawyers to discuss his grandfather’s will and sort through the necessary paperwork.
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Heeseung took a day off from his job to meet with the lawyer. Aside from the few personal days he took for his grandfather’s funeral, it was the first time he had ever taken any time off. It was strange not to follow his usual morning routine of preparing for work.
At the laywer’s office, Heeseung found that his grandfather’s will explicitly left the shop to him and him only. If Heeseung accepted ownership, he was under strict instructions never to resell the place. Should he choose to decline ownership, the shop would be passed to a third party whose identity remained confidential. No one else in the family were to have any claim in the shop. Without a second thought, Heeseung signed the paperwork to accept the ownership immediately. His grandfather had entrusted the shop to him, and him only; how could he refuse? This place was his last connection to his grandfather.
After completing all the necessary paperwork, he walked out of the lawyer’s office officially a shop owner, an entrepreneur. He now owned a shop about which he knew almost nothing. Even the lawyer could only offer a vague description: “The shop provides a variety of products and services to a diverse clientele,” which, in Heeseung’s opinion, was hardly any information at all. It was then that the realization struck him; he had no idea how to run a business. He was a software engineer. His bachelor's’ degree in computer science had required barely any business classes. Heeseung wanted to smack himself in the head.
“Okay, deep breath,” he told himself, trying to calm his nerves.
He was Lee Heeseung, the almighty ace. Even if he did not know how to run a business at the moment, he was confident he could learn. If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that he would work harder than anyone else to do what he needed to. So, rather than worry about his current lack of business skills, he decided that his first step would be to visit the shop and figure out exactly what kind of business it was.
What if his grandfather was running an illegal underground business or something scandalous? Heeseung was mortified for a second before quickly dismissing the idea. He knew his grandfather. There was no way his grandfather could be the secret boss of anything, especially an illegal operation.
Having made up his mind, he turned to walk toward the bus stop. He was going to see the mysterious shop for the first time.