relations to chapter 240 & 307

this takes place a few months before Samuel learns that Jake is Gapryong's son.

It didn't take long before Ae-ri became the number fifth of Big Deal, working under Samuel. Occasionally, she would hang around Jake, Jerry and the rest of the members, sometimes coming to Sinu for comfort.

In her eyes, Sinu seemed like a father figure, someone that actually cared and protected her. But sometimes, she would think about Hostel and what they were doing. Heather, Sally and Olly.

Working with Samuel was quite an advantage for her, not just because they were currently dating, but because he helped her and gave her ways to earn money for Minseong's medicine.

Ae-ri huffed, watching from the window of a restaurant as Samuel disciplined the other members of Big Deal. Personally, she found him rough, a little too strict. But it felt pretty balanced since Jake was the lenient one, Samuel always made sure to remind the members of where they stand.

"Hey hey!" Sinu barged into the restaurant, casually coming over and sitting at the table opposing Ae-ri. Ae-ri raised a brow, "Yes, boss?" She asked, seeing what he had to say with Oldface following him behind.

Sinu watched Samuel from the window too, frowning at how strict he was. "Jesus! He doesn't have to be so harsh..." Sinu groaned, though Oldface always countered his reasons. "Isn't it better this way, sir?"

Sinu waited for Oldface to finish, seeing what he had to say. "With Big Deal growing larger, we need a tough guy like Samuel to keep everyone in line." Oldface remarked, making Sinu frown even deeper.

That's when Sinu dismissed the matter and directed his attention to Ae-ri. "So, how are you and Samuel?" He grinned, seeing Ae-ri rub the back of her neck looking flustered. "H-he's good to me..." She mumbled, averting her gaze awkwardly. Sinu laughed, seeing young love.

He's liked Yeonhui for ten years now, it was as if he looked at his own reflection.

Before they could continue their conversation, Alexander came, wearing the coat that obviously wasn't his size. He held a telephone in his hands, like a true henchman.

"Sir! There's a phone call for you..." Ae-ri got up, leaving the restaurant with a low sigh. Perhaps Samuel was a little frustrated, so she was going to go see him. In fact, she has her own concerns she wanted to talk to him about.

She exited the restaurant, the members nodding their heads in respect to her, Ae-ri politely returning the gesture. "Where's Samuel?" She asked some of the members, getting the direction of which he was with Jake.

She nodded, waving them off and making her way to the back of one of the stores. There was Samuel, smoking a cigarette on the couch while Jake sat in front of him, chewing on a toothpick with a bowl of tteokbokki in front of him. Behind Jake stood Jerry, Jason and Brad.

"Samuel?" Ae-ri called out, bowing slightly to greet team YB and Samuel. After all, they ranked higher than her. "We're friends, Ae-ri. You don't have to keep bowing." Jake flashed a small smile, receiving her nod in return.

Samuel put out his cigarette, opening his arm on the couch as Ae-ri sat beside him. "I'm planning to leave Big Deal." The room fell silent, everyone staring at her with wide eyes. "What?" Jerry couldn't help but ask in surprise.

"I want to leave Big Deal." Ae-ri spoke again, leaning against Samuel's arm. "It's too hard here." She admitted truthfully, burying her face into her palms. Everyone was slowly getting her point, Samuel subtly pulling his arm away.

Ae-ri's shoulders tensed. "I'm really grateful for everything everyone has done for me, but I just... I don't want to stay here anymore, there's nothing left to see or learn." Somehow, Samuel felt the same way.

" And my brother and school... I haven't attended my new school for a month, and it's inconvenient to keep coming to Gangseo." The atmosphere was heavy, knowing that they were losing their fifth member.

"What about our relationship, Ae-ri?" Samuel spoke, his voice a little softer. While Samuel had bigger ambitions and she didn't really mean much to him, even as his girlfriend, he could sense her value and it was fun to have her by his side.

Ae-ri paused. She hadn't thought about that. She turned to Samuel, meeting his eyes for a brief moment before giving a small smile. "I'll come to visit you...?" Her tone sounded a little unsure, uneasy in fact. Samuel didn't give a reaction.

Ae-ri slowly got up, about to leave the place. Jake walked over and ruffled her hair gently, just enough to feel the warmth of his hand and not ruin her hair. "Then this is where our journey together ends. Good luck, Ae-ri."

Ae-ri bit her lower lip, a bittersweet goodbye. This was for the better. She leaned over, pecking a small kiss on Samuel's cheek, an unexpected gesture that made Samuel's eyes widened and turn to her.

Sure they were dating, but this was the first act of romantic affection he's ever received from her. And it was the last.
When Jerry, Brad and Jason witnessed that, it low-key made them realize how single they were.

"Bye guys." Ae-ri smiled, turning away and not glancing back as she left the store to discuss things with Sinu. She was departing too fast.

Sinu sighed, trying to keep a smile up as the whole of Big Deal watched Ae-ri leave. She hadn't expected such a grand goodbye since she was only a member for a month, but that's how things were. They would find a better number fifth anyways.

Now, Ae-ri is going back to Gangbuk. She was going to transfer Minseong to a better hospital in Gangnam, somewhere closer to her new school. On her way off the bus, she dropped by a convenience store, relatively close to her old cram school.

And she hadn't expected to see such a sight, but there was Eli, thieving a can of cat food. Seems like even after a month, some things didn't change. She almost felt sorry to see Heather and Sally being responsible for Eli's misdeed, apologizing to the cashier and paying for it; reprimanding Eli.

Ae-ri grabbed a bottle of mango yogurt, paying for it. For a brief second, shes confident that her eyes met with Heather. They both flashed each other a look of empathy, but yet, never said a word to each other.

DING!
The entrance of the convenience store bell played as Ae-ri walked out of the shop. Subconsciously, she walked by Hostel, seeing Warren and the others happily talking on the roof. She doesn't know why she walked by here either, but it was good to see them altogether and happy.

She waited by a bus stop and got on when the bus arrived. It's time to see how Minseong was doing with his new medication.

"Hey hey! Minseong!" Ae-ri burst through the hospital room, seeing him able to stand and look out the window. Her heart ached, her stomach churning. Out of concern, she moved cautiously towards him. "Take it easy, Minseong, you can't get out of bed so fast."

Minseong turned to her, the eye bags beneath his eyes now gone. "Sis! I think the medications worked. My chest doesn't hurt as much... And my body feels lighter." Minseong had a wide smile on his lips, relief washing over Ae-ri.

"Sis, can we go to the convenience store downstairs?" Minseong started. After all, who knows when his condition would worsen again? Ae-ri blinked twice. "Yes... But it's night."

Minseong looked a little confused too, turning to the window. "O-oh, I didn't notice!" He backed away from the window, crawling back into bed. Something felt off, but Ae-ri didn't say anything. He finally looked happier.

bonus: Ae-ri will meet Heather again! 😁

this chapter is shorter than the others