Chapter 100: Chaos in the Mall

At the mall.

Jinhoo and the others were dressed in casual clothes, blending in perfectly with the weekend crowd as they walked through the wide, brightly lit corridors. The mall was massive—four floors of shops, restaurants, and entertainment areas, filled with families, couples, and groups of friends.

To anyone watching, they looked like an ordinary group of young adults hanging out.

No one would ever suspect that one of them was Indigo—the man feared by organizations across the world.

After walking for a while, they finally stopped in front of a bracelet shop.

“Bracelets?” Jinhoo asked with a curious tone.

“Yup! Bracelets! My oppa likes bracelets!” Mira replied cheerfully, her eyes sparkling with confidence.

’Bracelets, huh… I never imagined Donghyun liked bracelets. Well… the webtoon never mentioned it either,’ Jinhoo thought quietly.

Without wasting time, they all entered the shop.

The moment they stepped inside, Min-seo’s and Kim Gae-in’s eyes lit up. The store was filled with rows upon rows of beautiful bracelets—silver, gold, beaded, leather, crystal, elemental-themed, minimalist, extravagant—there was everything.

“Wow, I didn’t expect a place like this to be inside the mall,” Elvera said, clearly impressed.

“Welcome! Please feel free to choose any bracelet you’d like!” the cashier greeted them with a warm smile.

They split up immediately, each determined to find the perfect bracelet for Lee Donghyun.

Near one corner of the shop, Jinhoo and Mira stood side by side, examining several designs displayed on a glass shelf.

“How about this one?” Jinhoo asked, holding up a sleek golden bracelet.

Mira shook her head almost instantly.

“Hmm… My oppa doesn’t really like gold-colored ones.”

Jinhoo nodded and placed it back carefully. He shifted his gaze to the bracelet beside it.

“What about this?”

He pointed to a bracelet with a green band and a blue accent in the center.

Mira tilted her head.

“Hmm… I’m not sure… But—”

Before she could finish her sentence, So-ah rushed over.

“Hey! What about this one!? This looks perfect for him!” she exclaimed enthusiastically, holding up a bright red bracelet with flame-like patterns.

“Uh… I don’t think he’d like that,” Mira replied bluntly.

Right after that, Kim Gae-in appeared, proudly presenting her choice.

“How about this one? It looks so elegant!”

In her hand was a white bracelet decorated with water-like ornaments.

“Absolutely not! My oppa doesn’t like that at all!” Mira shot back.

Min-seo then approached, holding a bright blue bracelet.

“What about this? Doesn’t this look really nice?”

Mira’s expression twitched.

“Ugh… You’re all just bringing bracelets in your favorite colors. Oppa wouldn’t like any of those!”

Right after Mira said that, Elvera stepped closer.

“Then do you know what color Donghyun likes?”

“U-uh… I don’t.”

Everyone froze.

“How can you, as his own sister, not know your brother’s favorite color!?” Gae-in exclaimed in disbelief.

“Not everything about my oppa is something I know,” Mira replied defensively.

Jinhoo quietly observed the situation.

’Hmm… From what I’ve noticed, Donghyun often wears black and green…’

He opened his mouth.

“Everyone, listen to me. How about we split up across the mall and each look for a gift for Donghyun on our own?”

“Yeah… that’s not a bad idea,” So-ah agreed.

And just like that, they separated.

Jinhoo and Mira stayed at the bracelet shop.

The others scattered throughout the mall, each with their own mission.

—

At the food store.

So-ah walked in confidently, with Min-seo trailing closely behind her.

“Why are you following me? Go look for your own gift!” So-ah complained.

“You know I’m a forest person. If I wander around this huge place alone, I might get lost.”

“But why me?”

“Come on! Let’s just look together!”

“Ugh…”

Reluctantly, So-ah allowed it.

They approached the cashier.

“Welcome! What would you like to order?” the cashier asked cheerfully.

So-ah stepped forward.

“I’d like to order a steak with rich, delicious broth.”

“Got it! Noted! And the young lady next to you? What would you like?” the cashier asked Min-seo.

Min-seo looked confused.

“Umm… I’ll order chicken.”

“Hmm? Just chicken?”

“Yes, I mean raw chicken meat. Completely uncooked. And cut into pieces.”

“Eh?”

“Eh?”

The cashier and So-ah stared at her in shock.

“Min-seo, you idiot! Why would you suddenly order that!?” So-ah whispered harshly.

“Well… Donghyun is good at cooking, right? So I thought it would be better to buy ingredients for him to cook himself.”

So-ah held her forehead.

“Huh… You really are a forest person…”

“What!? Are you mocking me!?”

“Hah? What’s wrong with that? Want to fight!?”

“Let’s go if you dare!”

The two of them looked ready to start a fight in the middle of the store.

The cashier could only smile awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

—

At the clothing store.

Elvera entered gracefully, glancing around.

Her eyes soon landed on a beautifully displayed suit.

She walked closer and gently touched the fabric.

“Oh my… This is gorgeous. It might suit him perfectly~” she murmured with a soft smile.

But then—

Her gaze shifted to a rack of women’s clothing nearby.

“Oh my goodness! This is so cute!! I want to buy it!”

Her original mission had been to buy something for Donghyun.

But now—

She was clearly distracted by the elegant dresses.

—

At the cake shop.

Kim Gae-in walked inside slowly.

“Hm… Oppa told me to buy a birthday cake… So… which one should I choose…” she muttered.

There were so many cakes—chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, layered, creamy, decorated with fruits.

“Ah… They all look delicious!”

“Welcome! What are you looking for, miss?” the cashier suddenly asked.

Gae-in flinched.

“E-eh!? Oh… Umm… I’m looking for a birthday cake.”

“Of course! Please come this way.”

The cashier led her to a display of large, medium, and small birthday cakes.

“Please take your time choosing.”

Gae-in’s eyes settled on a medium-sized cake covered in cream and chocolate.

She pointed at it.

“I’ll take this one.”

The cashier carefully placed it on the counter.

“Alright, I’ll write the name on it. What’s the name of the birthday person?”

“Lee Donghyun,” Gae-in answered confidently.

The cashier smiled and began decorating the cake with strawberry cream, writing:

“Happy Birthday Lee Donghyun.”

After finishing, the cashier looked back up.

“And how old is he turning?”

Gae-in froze.

“E-eh? H-his age… Umm…”

She slowly turned around.

’Oh no! I don’t know Donghyun’s age at all! What do I do!?’

Panic filled her mind.

Back at the bracelet shop—

Jinhoo was still examining designs carefully.

Mira crossed her arms.

“You’re taking this very seriously, huh?”

“Of course.”

He picked up a simple black leather bracelet with subtle green threads woven into it.

He stared at it for a moment.

’Black… and green… It’s simple. Not flashy. It matches what he usually wears…’

“What about this one?” Jinhoo asked calmly.

Mira looked at it carefully.

“…That actually doesn’t look bad.”

She leaned closer.

“It’s not too flashy. Oppa doesn’t like standing out too much.”

Jinhoo nodded slowly.

’I can’t make mistakes. This is important…’

Not because it was just a birthday gift.

But because—

Lee Donghyun was one of the few people in his life who treated him normally.

Not as Indigo.

Not as a weapon.

Just as Jinhoo.

And for some reason—

That mattered more than he wanted to admit.

Meanwhile, chaos was slowly unfolding across the mall.

So-ah and Min-seo were still arguing.

Elvera was now debating between buying three different dresses.

Gae-in was sweating nervously in front of the cake counter.

And in the middle of it all—

Yoo Jinhoo stood quietly inside a bracelet shop.

Thinking carefully.

Balancing two lives.

One as Indigo.

And one as simply—

A friend trying to choose the perfect birthday gift.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep