Chapter 63
“Prepare yourself.”
Having completed the ribbon to my liking, I snatched the hat Angel was wearing and put it on, pressing it down as much as possible to hide my face.
The woman still had her gun aimed at the target.
One. Two.
“Wait a moment!”
Angel shouted softly, grabbing me. But I didn’t stop the countdown.
“Three.”
Whispering quietly, I stood up with Angel. My heart was pounding wildly. The woman glanced briefly, still holding the gun.
“Naturally.”
As if making a vow, I whispered softly.
Due to my strong pull, Angel, who had accidentally stood up with me, stuck close behind me without being able to hide.
Though our arms and legs moved together, it didn’t look particularly awkward.
“When can we see that bastard’s face? I’ll punch him in the face as soon as I see him.”
As we got closer, the threatening voices of the burly men were heard. They seemed ready to punch me at any moment.
“Hey, watch your mouth. Madam is here too.”
“Understood, sir. I’m already excited at the thought of seeing that bastard’s face.”
…I should’ve just walked away.
It was a rather discordant conversation in what seemed like a quite friendly atmosphere. Every word of the conversation seemed to pierce my ears, making me feel uneasy.
“Is it really him here?”
“His name is 44. I knew it from his appearance. He seemed ominous, and it’s been suspicious for a few weeks.”
“If he’s living up to his name, he must be in hell.”
Cough. Angel suddenly coughed.
I looked at Angel with a puzzled expression but quickly understood.
Ah, right. His name is Angel, so maybe he’s sensitive about hell-related matters.
“They say he hasn’t been active lately.”
At that moment, a familiar voice echoed in my ears.
Thin but firm, the voice dominated the atmosphere. Although I hadn’t heard it many times before, the situation was so shocking that I remembered it.
Even while speaking, there was no tremor in her posture as she pulled the trigger. Her lips were firm when she pulled the trigger.
Hoping her gaze would remain fixed on the target, I quickly moved my steps toward the direction where her voice came from.
“He must have been scared and fled!”
“If Yugyeom comes, Chan will come too, so let’s check it out.”
A hole appeared in the center of the target’s forehead.
“If it was a bluff, we’ll kill him first.”
…Chan. I hope you stay alive.
I never thought there would come a day when I’d worry about Chan.
Seeing her determined demeanor to put a hole in his forehead made Chan seem a bit pitiful.
Finally, trembling legs carried me to the door.
I breathed out heavily as I looked outside. Now I should be safe. As I reached for the door, intending to open it…
Bang!
The gap that had opened between the door closed again. I stared at the clean hole that had been pierced.
“There.”
I turned my head towards the voice. There was no time to think about avoiding it.
“Why are you eavesdropping like a rat?”
Our eyes met.
And I immediately realized.
Unfortunately, her memory was very good.
—
The sky was hazy, and it seemed like it would rain soon.
The neighborhood, with its maze-like alleyways, felt like a different world from the vibrant city even in the early morning. As I ventured deeper into the ashen surroundings, time seemed to stand still.
I ran through the dusty alleyways without a moment to catch my breath.
Faster, even faster.
“Please stop chasing me…!”
But there was no sign of the footsteps behind me disappearing. As I glanced back, I could clearly see the pink hair fluttering at the forefront.
This is driving me crazy, seriously.
…!
At that moment, Angel, who was in front, grabbed my wrist firmly.
Even though our eyes met briefly, Angel started running faster while still holding my wrist. He seemed to know the winding alleyways well, turning corners as we ran.
The wind hitting my cheek was cold. I barely held my breath, which had risen to my chin.
Just when it seemed like the footsteps behind us were slowing down.
Angel suddenly stopped. I collided with his stiff back, unable to slow down.
“Why did you stop all of a sudden?”
I turned my head to look at Angel with a puzzled expression, but he started running again, still holding onto my wrist tightly. We dashed through the complex alleys.
Rough and large hands covered my mouth. Pushed back by the shadow cast above, my steps were blocked by the wall.
I widened my eyes and looked up. Angel was staring at something.
Following his gaze, I saw the people who had been chasing us. They were too far away for their voices to be heard, but it seemed like they were trying to figure out where we had gone.
“Would it be troublesome if we meet them?”
Angel whispered softly, removing his hand. I nodded firmly.
“Do you have a gun?”
“No.”
I lost my gun in the parking lot back then. I forgot to ask for another gun.
Angel sighed heavily, rummaging through his jacket and pulling out a gun.
“I’ll distract them and come back, so just stay here.”
Angel handed me the gun. Before I could say anything, I urgently grabbed him, turning him around.
“Just a moment.”
A calm gaze met mine.
This brave Angel seemed very awkward.
“It doesn’t seem like a very good idea, does it? Let’s just hide here together.”
I shook my head vigorously.
“It doesn’t seem like the kind of people who would be easily shaken off.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
But Angel didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.
I quickly rolled my mind to choose words to persuade him.
“Since we’re on the same side anyway, wouldn’t it be better to pretend we don’t know?”
“This is the first time I’ve met Senna.”
Senna. Right, that was her name.
“Maybe because they won’t believe even if we tell them.”
…She seemed suspicious enough to put a bullet in just for doubting.
“Then take the gun at least.”
Although our relationship wasn’t great, it seemed like he had some affection for me from the time we spent together. I was genuinely worried about Angel.
And that concern had quite an apparent effect on his outward appearance.
His skin, deprived of sunlight, was as pale as someone who had grown up without it, and his bones seemed fragile, as if they could break at any moment. His round, glittering eyes stimulated the weak parts of my heart.
Even though his words were sharp, he looked like a puppy growling out of caution.
“I don’t need it. My skills aren’t much better than yours anyway.”
“How then?”
“My survival this far with poor marksmanship.”
His face, which was faintly distorted, seemed like it could be smiling or crying. Was he deliberately giving off that vibe?
“Running away is something I’m good at.”
This time, I couldn’t argue. Even though I tried to avoid thinking about it, the only time I saw him run was when I was in danger.
Yeah, he was good at running away.
Agreeing, Angel firmly released my hand from his jacket.
“Stay here.”
Angel emphasized once again.
“Absolutely.”
“Don’t get hurt.”
Angel, who had stared at me for a few seconds, turned away. I watched his slowly retreating figure and gripped the gun in my hand.
The sound of rusty signs swaying in the wind disturbed my ears. The dilapidated concrete buildings with shuttered windows didn’t seem like places where people lived.
The grimy sky with tangled drainage pipes and power lines made it difficult to gauge time.
Suddenly, I felt strange.
The unfamiliar city surrounding me felt suffocating. My heart was beating rapidly.
My head felt dizzy. My vision blurred, making it impossible to distinguish shapes.
Bang!
The sound of gunfire from somewhere snapped me out of the haze.
The tension that had been building dissipated like a gust of wind. There was a tingling sensation in the hand holding the gun.
It was difficult to estimate where the gunshot had come from based on sound alone.
I thought of Angel, then erased the thought. It wasn’t easy to avoid imagining the worst-case scenarios.
I walked around, looking around anxiously. The alley I was standing in offered no escape if someone were to come from the opposite direction.
But before I could move to evade, the sound of footsteps echoed.
…!
A hand reached out from behind and grabbed my wrist.
The scent of strong cologne was overwhelming.
I was pulled along, captured without resistance.
My head bumped against a firm chest. I reflexively twisted my body to escape.
As if to tell me not to move, the hand holding my wrist tightened. There was no threat, but my throat felt cold.
As if there was always the leisure to easily overpower me.
“Did that bastard get away?”
The voice echoed as if in an echo. It seemed to be one of the men I had seen at the shooting range.
I didn’t know there was a gap between the stacked boxes. Standing between the walls, it was tight. The shadow of the boxes stretched towards me.
It was a relief to be in this embrace rather than being caught by that man. It seemed that they didn’t know I was here, which was fortunate.
Thanks to the boxes towering above my height, the gap where I stood was not visible from outside. And the same was true for me.
Only the letters on the boxes were visible in the cramped field of view. It was a language I didn’t know, neither Chinese nor English, so I couldn’t read it.
The body embracing me felt cold. Each touch of the low body temperature heightened my senses.
I imagined the worst-case scenarios that could happen when I soon broke free from this embrace and gripped the gun in my hand.
