“What? Maya? No way.”

  Frank recoiled, waving his hand in disgust.

  To him, Maya was simply too much.

  She had been hung up on Frank for a long time.

  No matter how much he rejected her,

  she followed him persistently.

  Even when Frank openly met other girls,

  she didn’t show even a hint of complaint.

  She took Frank's side no matter what he did.

  At first, he thought she was someone he could easily handle,

  but that was a huge mistake.

  No matter what he did, Maya didn’t even get angry.

  That gaze of hers stabbed at his conscience like a sharp needle,

  leaving a lingering pain.

  Moreover, she appeared wherever Frank went.

  Putting on a gangster act,

  she followed him even while trembling.

  He had often resolved to report her as a stalker the moment she crossed the line.

  Max, as if anticipating Frank’s reaction, continued nonchalantly.

  “I already asked Kimi and Simon.

  They agreed too,

  saying where else could we find someone

  who keeps her mouth shut and knows our situation as well as Maya.”

  Frank fell silent.

  He wanted to argue with Max,

  but ruining his relationship with Kimi and Simon now was not a good move.

  He recalled the Maya in his memory.

  The more he pushed her away,

  the more she dug into the people around him to solidify her position.

  Of course, it wasn’t that Maya caused any direct harm to him.

  She constantly brought snacks to Kimi and Simon, catering to their tastes.

  She had even dated Max at one point.

  Frank, thinking she had finally moved on, had felt relieved—

  until he realized everything was done just to stay close to him.

  At that time, it went beyond anger;

  he felt a genuine sense of dread.

  She tried to get into Frank’s sight by any means necessary.

  When he shouted at her to please leave his side,

  other friends would shield her, saying,

  ‘Aren’t you being too harsh to someone who likes you?’

  Instead of breaking the wall of Frank’s world from the outside,

  she seeped between the pillars supporting the castle and became part of that castle herself.

  A few years ago,

  when Maya briefly moved to another region,

  he had even shouted “I’m finally free!” in the empty lot.

  “Ugh, I really hate the idea.”

  Frank once again recoiled and waved his hand.

  Maya’s appearance wasn’t to his taste either.

  Unlike the bright and cheerful Asha, she was dark and gloomy.

  Moreover, she was originally Asha’s best friend.

  From the moment she started following Frank, the two became distant.

  That point pressed on his heart even more painfully.

  The person he wanted was Asha, not Maya.

  Maya had craftily tormented Asha after they became distant.

  Asha didn’t say a word, but Frank was almost certain of it.

  It seemed she used methods like spreading bad rumors about Asha

  or subtly excluding her when the girls hung out together.

  But she was clever.

  She never actually crossed the line.

  So Frank never had a real excuse to cut her off.

  But now Max had brought up her name again.

  Just the thought of crawling back into that unpleasant gaze was terrifying.

  “You, by any chance, still have feelings left for Maya?”

  He remembered how much Max had cherished Maya when the two were dating.

  Bringing up Maya now felt like a reasonable suspicion that Max had other intentions.

  “Ah, beat it. It’s not like that. Maya draws well.

  Isn’t she working at some design company now?

  Even if I call now, she’ll come running in a heartbeat.”

  ‘Why on earth would she come running?

  Are you guys still in contact?

  Or does Maya still like me?’

  Frank couldn’t speak his inner thoughts.

  “Is that so? Did she draw well?”

  He felt as if the shackle named Maya was tightening around his ankle again.

  Unfortunately, to complete the sweet castle right now,

  the help of that shackle was desperate.

  He suddenly remembered that Asha had drawn well.

  He imagined how nice it would have been if Asha and Maya had been swapped.

  “Fine. I guess having a female employee is better than two gloomy guys running a snack shop.”

  “I don’t think I’m that gloomy.

  I don't look as scary as you do.

  You look like the Grim Reaper.”

  Frank mocked Max, mimicking his usual expression.

  The two laughed after a brief scuffle.

  “Hey, have you decided specifically which customers to sell the stuff Kimi and Simon gave us?”

  Frank, lying on the floor,

  asked while catching his breath.

  “There will be a password.”

  “A password?”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Max stood up and sat on the counter stool.

  “Yeah. They said it changes every day.

  Apparently, Artistea is the one generating those passwords.

  I heard they use something like QR codes for automatic scanning.”

  Max fiddled with the POS screen for a moment and showed Frank a sample display.

  He thought it was just a simple calculator,

  but it was equipped with complex security features,

  including fingerprint and iris recognition,

  on top of password entry.

  “Impressive. Whose idea was this? Was it Kimi’s too?”

  Frank sat up and stared at the screen.

  He realized all over again how meticulously Simon

  and Kimi had prepared for this business.

  “I don't know either. That’s just what I heard.”

  It was evidence that this shabby container,

  built upon the ashes,

  was moving under a plan much more sophisticated than expected.

  “By the way, you said it’s legal anyway.

  Can’t we just sell it?”

  “I asked that too,

  and they said if you take it for a long time,

  your mind breaks down.”

  Frank’s eyebrows twitched at Max’s words.

  He sensed a danger on a completely different level from typical recreational drugs.

  “Your mind breaks down?

  Is it different from the usual effects that make you feel up or down?

  …Well, I guess that’s why they charge so much.

  How’s the supply?”

  “Initially, 100 units. It's 100 dollars per piece.”

  Frank sprang up to a sitting position.

  “What? 100 dollars for just a single candy?

  How long does the effect last to make it that expensive?”

  “I’m not sure about that,

  but they said if we sell 1,000 dollars worth,

  we take 300 and they take 700.”

  Max gestured as if calculating with his fingers and then held out seven fingers.

  “Is it because the quantity is small?

  Well, I guess we won’t know until we start.”

  Once the outline of the business became somewhat clear,

  Max brought up the main point again.

  “Right. Anyway, you agree to call Maya for now, right?”

  “Ugh. I don't know. Do whatever you want.”

  Finally, Frank gave in and permitted it.

  ‘There’s no way she’d come running just because I asked, right?’

  He even held onto a small hope.

  Maya came running the very next day.

  It seemed Max’s boast yesterday that

  she would “come running in a heartbeat” was no empty promise.

  ‘This is ridiculous.’

  Frank felt a bitter taste in his mouth as he watched Maya walking from afar.

  She carried a large art tube on her shoulder

  and was dressed in rough work pants still stained with paint.

  Over them, she wore a silk shirt with a gaudy pattern that didn’t suit the situation.

  Her lips were coated with excessively red lipstick,

  making it obvious she had tried too hard to dress up.

  In contrast to her flashy appearance intended to show confidence,

  she visibly shrank the moment Frank’s gaze met hers.

  Maya carefully parted her lips,

  as if fearing her lipstick might smudge,

  and greeted him first.

  “How have you been? Long time no see.”

  Maya watched Frank’s face,

  then hurriedly began unpacking

  and started working without even waiting for a response.

  That timid attitude hidden behind her clumsy flamboyance felt like an even greater burden to Frank.

  As Maya set to work,

  colorful and bizarre patterns began to layer onto the bleak grey walls of the container.

  While Frank was inwardly impressed,

  he kept his distance,

  trying to avoid direct conversation as much as possible.

  Maya, seemingly sensing his intent,

  acted shyly and didn't speak unless absolutely necessary.

  Frank was grateful for that consideration,

  yet it also felt uncomfortable.

  ‘Do I really have to stay with Maya like this from now on?’

  Two more weeks passed,

  and they were finally able to finish all preparations and open for business.

  Maya handled her tasks diligently.

  Thanks to her artistic sense,

  the once shabby container had been transformed into a shop

  that caught the eye even from afar.

  A proper sign was hung,

  and a small wooden banner was placed in front of the shop.

  The exterior walls were filled with lacquer paintings of fairy tale castles and fairies.

  ‘This isn't too childish; plenty of kids will probably come.’

  While Maya and Frank decorated and organized the shop,

  Max handled the logistics.

  At the same time,

  Max directed the construction site at the charred mosque ruins,

  blueprints from Artistea in hand. Naturally, running the shop fell to Frank and Maya.

  Unexpectedly, Maya was much better at customer service than Frank.

  Frank was quite surprised by her gentle demeanor.

  He had always thought she was just timid and clumsy,

  but seeing her chatting smoothly and smiling at customers,

  he momentarily found her beautiful.

  Frank immediately shook his head to pull himself together.

  Everything seemed to be going well.

  If there was one annoying thing,

  it was that customers often mistook them for a married couple.

  Frank saw his life as a cruel irony—

  a life where he couldn't have what he wanted,

  but things he didn't want kept piling up.

  Business boomed.

  In just three days since the opening,

  the candies Kimi sent were out of stock.

  Kimi informed them that they couldn't possibly keep up with the insane demand with their current production capacity.

  Prices would have to be raised drastically to control the supply.

  Eventually, the price skyrocketed,

  and before a month had even passed,

  the cost of a single candy had reached the staggering amount of 500 dollars.

  The secretive customers seeking the candies

  could only get their hands on them

  after going through a thorough authentication process.

  They had to use a dedicated app distributed by Kimi and Simon.

  Even amidst that bizarre scene,

  the shop's appearance remained peaceful.

  Many regular customers came to see the well-known face of Frank,

  and the number of regulars visiting to see the ever-smiling Maya also grew.

  They strictly adhered to the principle of 'never touching the product' and worked diligently.

  They had no desire to do anything as foolish as falling into drug addiction.

  Frank felt a kind of sense of achievement he had never experienced before.

  Earning massive amounts of money from a safe place,

  by staying just within the law,

  was quite satisfying.

  After work, Frank went to check on his 'kingdom,'

  which would soon be completed.

  While helping with hauling goods and tidying the shop,

  Max spent all his remaining time at the construction site.

  Every time he watched the building's skeleton rise day by day,

  Frank felt relieved,

  convinced that his choice had not been wrong.

  Around that time,

  Frank's mother and Marta visited the shop together.

  Beside the mother,

  who looked proud of her son for setting up such a proper shop,

  Marta looked around the interior with a complex expression.

  “It’s been a long time, Maya.

  I never imagined I’d see you here,

  you who were always by Asha’s side.”

  Marta recognized Maya and greeted her warmly.

  She remembered Maya as Asha's former best friend.

  Maya's usual smooth talk was nowhere to be found;

  she hunched her shoulders and bowed her head.

  The three women began to chatter about memories of Asha

  and stories of Frank's childhood inside the container,

  which barely had room to sit.

  As their voices filled the narrow space,

  Frank felt a suffocating sensation.

  It felt as if his 'castle' was being occupied by ghosts named the past.

  “Maya, I’m heading out for a bit.”

  Frank swallowed the words,

  ‘Tell them to leave because they’re interfering with business,’

  and decided to leave himself.

  This was merely an outpost,

  not his true castle.

  That didn't hurt his pride.

  “Huh? The elders are here; where are you going?”

  Instead of answering,

  Frank ignored Maya’s gaze and burst out of the shop.

  He heard his mother calling from behind but didn't look back.

  He only wished for the 'true castle' to be completed as soon as possible

  so he could finally escape the suffocating weight of their presence.

  From Chapter 20 onward, updates will be posted every two days.

  Thank you for reading.