Yoo Jae-yoon is a police officer with 8 years of experience. Today, he was diligently patrolling as usual. If he didn’t want to be called a “Salary Thief” by the public, he had to work hard, right?
But on the flip side, he also hoped nothing serious would happen. If something required the attention of a police officer like him, it likely meant someone was hurt—or worse, dead. While some police work was simple, there were also serious matters to handle.
“Should I grab a quick drink tonight?”
It was Friday, and it felt a bit wasteful to just spend the evening doing nothing. His junior, sitting next to him, chimed in. He was a rookie officer, just one year into the job, still gripping the steering wheel tightly as he drove.
“Want to grab a drink together? Since we’re off-duty this weekend, we can go all out.”
“Yeah? Let’s just do one round then. My wife said she’d strangle me if I went for a second round. She’s gotten feisty since we had the baby.”
Maybe it was a mother’s instinct to protect her child. Yoo Jae-yoon had to help his wife with parenting. These days, it was rare for one parent to handle childcare alone. Both parents usually teamed up to raise their kids. As they chatted about trivial things, a call came through the radio.
[Child abduction reported at Idaya Cafe in XX District. Nearby officers, please respond.]
“An abduction?”
This wasn’t the 1980s—abductions? And in a crowded cafe, no less. No matter how much society advanced, abductions didn’t just disappear. Still, something felt off about an abduction happening right in the middle of the city.
But since the report came in, they had to check it out. Yoo Jae-yoon pointed toward the cafe.
“Good thing we’re nearby. Let’s go.”
They arrived at the cafe and went inside. Scanning the area, a suspicious group caught their eye. Among rough-looking men stood a small girl with bright green hair.
Yoo Jae-yoon approached them with steady steps and said, “We need your cooperation.”
———————————————–
“They’re not bad people, ooooh!”
I clung to the police officer’s pant leg, insisting. If they were really bad people trying to kidnap me, they wouldn’t act like this. Besides, this was just a gathering of fans who came to see the Little Magician, Lumi.
“R-really? Okay, okay. My bad, kid.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I spoke to the officer, and thankfully, none of the gathering members were arrested. After a quick ID check, the officers left. I stared blankly at their retreating figures.
“Do we really look that suspicious?”
“Right? I thought I’ve been living a decent life.”
Being questioned by the police was a rare experience. Most ordinary people probably never get to talk to the police like this in their lives.
It became a special episode in my life, something most people wouldn’t experience. Plus, it was almost time for the movie to start.
“Let’s go watch the movie! It’s almost time.”
“Right. Hana, let’s go watch the movie with the guys!”
“Guys? More like uncles.”
“Ugh! I remember when I was as young as Hana, and now I’m being called an uncle.”
The group’s ages varied, from people in their 20s to their 40s. With me here, it was a mix from teens to 40s. A truly MZ generation gathering. I held onto Uncle Cheol-ho’s hand, excited to watch the movie. The only downside was not being able to go for round two.
After the movie, they planned to go to a karaoke bar for round two, and maybe even a third round at a bar. Sadly, my child body couldn’t join them for drinks.
If I were my original age, I’d have sneaked in for a drink! What a shame.
“Give me the Little Magician Lumi special gift!”
I confidently asked the theater staff. It was a must-have for repeat moviegoers. People who watched movies multiple times weren’t just satisfied with the film itself—they were more interested in the special gifts. The staff fumbled around and handed me a gift.
“Ugh…”
But it was a gift I already had. This happened often because the staff didn’t know what I already owned. I wanted the Little Magician Lumi gift, but instead, I got a supporting character’s gift.
Still, if it were a new gift, I’d have accepted it with a smile. But since I already had this one, it was a bit disappointing. I knew I’d keep thinking about this gift during the movie. But…
Seeing my expression, Cheolho Uncle said,
“Hana, wanna trade with Uncle’s special gift? I have Lumi’s special gift.”
“R… Really?”
I looked at Cheolho Uncle with sparkling eyes. He smiled and handed me the special gift.
“Yeah. I have Lumi’s special gift at home.”
“Wow!”
I was able to receive the special gift of Little Magician Lumi from Uncle. It had a large illustration of the main character, Lumi. I treated this gift like a treasure. It wasn’t something you could easily get anywhere. I thanked Uncle.
“Thank you, Uncle!”
“Yeah, yeah. If you want special gifts of other characters, just ask the other uncles. They have a lot of special gifts.”
“How many do they have?”
How many times had they watched the movie? They give out one special gift each time you watch it.
“Minsoo is on his 20th viewing. He pretty much has all the special gifts. Should I ask him for you?”
“20… 20 times?!”
I was impressed by his dedication to watching the same movie 20 times. Minsoo Uncle really loved Little Magician Lumi. I thought I could manage 2 or 3 viewings, but 20 was a bit much.
Watching a movie that many times would probably make the plot automatically pop into your head. Most people only watch a movie 2 or 3 times, but 20 times? That’s rare. I’ve even heard of people watching it 100 times…
Anyway, it was impressive.
“Minsoo!”
Cheolho Uncle was asking others if they had any extra special gifts. I felt like I was being a bother. Those people probably watched the movie multiple times to get the special gifts too. But I guess I was wrong.
“Hana, do you need any special gifts? Hey, everyone, gather around!”
One uncle called the others. The uncles slowly gathered. About six uncles came together.
“Huh?”
I was surrounded by the uncles.
“Hana wants a special gift? The uncles here have plenty! These uncles have all watched the movie at least 10 times.”
Then Minsoo Uncle showed his special gifts. Seeing that, the other uncles also pulled out their special gifts. I hesitated, overwhelmed by their kindness. Even if they had the same gifts at home, wouldn’t they still want more? The more, the merrier, right?
“Don’t worry about it, uncles! Just tell us what special gift you want, Hana!”
“Well…”
I got a little greedy. It was the mascot special gift of Little Magician Lumi. The mascot was a cute creature, so I really wanted it. When I reached out, the uncle laughed and said,
“Hey! Hana picked it, so give it to her!”
“Of course. If Hana wants it, we’ll give it. I have two more mascot special gifts at home anyway.”
“Wow!”
I was able to receive the special gift from the uncle. I couldn’t stop smiling. I had the special gift with the illustration of Lumi, the main character, and now the mascot special gift. Nothing could make me happier. I ran around the movie theater excitedly.
“Hana, let’s get popcorn! Uncle will buy it for you!”
“I can buy the popcorn myself!”
“Hey! Let the uncles buy it for you! I don’t want to be known as the uncle who mooches off kids.”
I probably had more money than the uncles… but their attitude was so firm. I felt a bit awkward since I’d been receiving so much from them. At least they didn’t buy the movie ticket since I already had one. If I had bought the ticket on the spot, they would’ve paid for it too.
The uncles acted like they were doting on their niece. I followed them around like a little duckling.
