Early that morning, Brian was already on his way to his village. The sun hadn't even fully risen when he drove out of town.The morning breeze was still cool, and the roads weren't particularly busy. But Brian felt a hard-to-define feeling—a mix of longing, anxiety, and a little nervousness.Before leaving, he'd felt incredibly nervous when he asked Emily for permission."Are you going home?" Emily had asked with a relaxed expression.She was sitting at the dining table in her apartment, enjoying toast. Her movements were calm, as if nothing important was being discussed.Brian was confused by her reaction. Shouldn't he be angry? He'd only been working as her driver for a few days, and now he was asking permission to return to his hometown. Even he wasn't sure how long he'd be there."Yes," Brian replied quietly. "If there's no problem, I'll go straight home. But if there is, it might take longer. I'll wait until everything is resolved."Emily simply nodded casually. "Okay. No problem

"Have many people become victims and sold their land and rice fields?" Brian asked his father with a serious expression.Mr. Tono took a deep breath before answering."Quite a lot, because they had no choice. And they were tempted by the price offered," he said quietly. "But there are still many who hold on. Because if they were sold, what would we do?"Brian looked at his father."Relying on the company's mercy?" Mr. Tono continued. "They're not necessarily going to give us jobs. And working for a company with a limited lifespan is also a concern. In the end, we're the ones who suffer."Brian fell silent.His mind began to work. He tried to connect this incident with the message from the system on his phone.The system had asked him to return to his hometown.Was it to resolve this issue?"Is Dad's property affected too?" Brian asked.Mr. Tono nodded slowly."Yes, of course. That's why we were at home. They've fenced our rice fields."Brian immediately lifted his head."Fenced?""Yes

"You won't win," Juna said coldly.Brian didn't answer immediately. He stared at Juna calmly, without any emotion."Win or lose," Brian said finally, "we'll see how it turns out."The atmosphere fell silent again.Juna glanced around the room. No one seemed to support him. All eyes were fixed on him with disbelief, even anger.He realized he was cornered. Without another word, Juna stood up and walked quickly to the door. He chose to leave rather than face the growing pressure from the villagers.But at least Juna had done his job tonight; he was starting to influence the villagers' minds. Who knows, maybe someone would believe him. That was his job when it came to making money."Boo!" shouted several villagers in annoyance as Juna left Pak Tono's house.Some even cursed under their breath. They truly disliked what Juna had done. For a small profit, he was willing to persuade villagers to sell their land.Yet, if all the land falls into the hands of the company, the indigenous people

"Ah, you're so funny."Brian smiled, his face slightly flushed at Meysa's compliment. For some reason, his heart was beating faster than usual. The feeling felt both foreign and familiar. He hadn't felt anything like this in a long time, since his life had been filled with problems and betrayals."I'm serious; you're still handsome. It's just a shame you don't like me," Meysa continued, staring intently at him.Brian immediately looked away. He knew if he let this conversation continue, it would only get more uncomfortable. Meysa was still the same, even though she was in college and probably had a boyfriend, but she still teased him."Okay, let's go," Brian said quickly, as if to break the ice.Meysa chuckled at Brian's reaction.Actually, deep down, Brian couldn't deny that he had always been attracted to Meysa. She had a charm that was hard to ignore. In fact, there was one incident that still sticks in his mind to this day: when he accidentally saw Meysa changing clothes after gym

"Brian, I've actually liked you for a long time," Meysa said softly, her voice sounding more serious than before.Brian, who had been sitting quite close, immediately shifted slightly away. Not because he was uncomfortable, but because he didn't want to get carried away. There were too many things on his mind right now, and feelings were one of them he was trying to control.Moreover, since the events that had befallen him, Brian had found it difficult to trust others. The betrayal he had experienced still left a mark.His goal in returning to this village was clear. To resolve the land issue. Not to open a new chapter in his feelings.And one more thing that made him have to be careful… Meysa was the village chief's daughter.Until now, Brian still didn't really know Meysa's motives for approaching him. Was it purely out of feelings… or was there something else behind it? Especially since she had suddenly confessed her feelings to him."Why are you so quiet? Am I ugly?" Meysa asked,