# 6. Kidnapping the Hero Party's Second Companion (2)
*This child will kill me in the future...*
The Match Girl with innocent eyes.
This girl will hold my severed head in the future, laughing like a madwoman?
Impossible.
No, the answer book doesn't lie.
She will definitely kill me...
As Lee Jun-woo stood there in a daze, the Match Girl asked innocently.
"Um, Mr. Adventurer?"
"..."
"Mr. Adventureeer~? Are you okaaay~?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Nothing's wrong."
Hearing the Match Girl's voice, he finally snapped back to his senses.
As if nothing had happened, Lee Jun-woo asked the girl.
"How much did you say one match was?"
"1000 Peri each. For you, Mr. Adventurer, I'll give you two as a special deal!"
Hmm.
1000 Peri for one match.
What would I even use this for?
No, rather than thinking about how to use it, buying it is the right answer.
Lee Jun-woo pulled out 1000 Peri from his pocket.
"I'll buy one."
"Wow! You're my first customer today! There's not much time left, but you're going to have a happy day!"
The girl smiled warmly with her eyes, circling around him and cheering him on with fighting spirit.
Lee Jun-woo was flustered by her energy, but he didn't say anything and just quietly watched the situation.
*...A Hero's companion. I don't know her class, but she has a bright personality.*
Excessively bright.
Lee Jun-woo had seen many bright children like this on the battlefield.
Children who were cheerful about everything, couldn't say no, and always smiled.
None of them had good endings, and they all carried sad pasts.
*That Match Girl might be one of them too.*
Lee Jun-woo stopped the girl circling around him.
"Uh, why...?"
"Wait, you're making me dizzy. Stop."
"Oh, I-I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to.."
The girl hung her head like an extinguished match.
She looked completely deflated.
"..You don't need to apologize so deeply."
"R-really! Hehe!"
And again.
As if embarrassed, she scratched her head and smiled brightly.
It was somehow an incongruous situation.
Lee Jun-woo handed her another 1000 Peri.
"I'll buy one more match."
"What? No, you don't need to.. One box of matches will last six months.."
"Instead, I'd like you to answer my questions."
Buying information along with matches.
Matches with a limited quantity per customer.
Unless she's a fool, she won't let go of a customer like me who can buy multiple boxes.
As I expected, the Match Girl wasn't a fool.
"I just need to answer...?"
"Yes. The questions will be simple too."
"Th-then, I'll do it. Here you go.."
The Match Girl handed over three matches with trembling hands.
Two from the first purchase and one from this purchase.
Lee Jun-woo stuffed the matches into his pocket and immediately began questioning.
"How long have you been selling matches?"
"I didn't originally sell matches... I started selling them last week."
Lee Jun-woo handed over another 1000 Peri.
"Then what did you do before selling matches?"
"Huh? Oh, I sold food on the street.. with my grandmother.."
The girl answered while receiving the 1000 Peri.
*Grandmother...*
Good information.
Lee Jun-woo handed over another 1000 Peri.
It was the last question.
"Then, lastly, I'd like to know your name."
"What? Huh? Why would you want to know someone like me's name..?"
Wariness was evident in the girl's red eyes.
It must be a bit much to tell her name to someone she just met.
However, even with that wariness, she reached out and took the 1000 Peri.
"...My name is Hare. Juliana Hare."
"Hare.."
He remembered it.
Juliana Hare.
Lee Jun-woo put the two boxes of matches in his pocket.
*Since I have four days...*
Should I end it here for today?
"I'll use the matches well. See you."
Lee Jun-woo turned around as if his business was done.
Surprised by this, Hare grabbed his hand.
"Ah, um..! E-excuse me..!"
"...?"
"Why isn't anything happening..? No, that's not it..! May I ask what your intention was in asking my name..?"
The girl tightly gripped Jun-woo's hand while saying something incomprehensible.
Feeling her gaze as if hoping for something, Lee Jun-woo answered lightly.
"Just because."
"What..?"
"Just because. I wanted to know your name."
Hearing this, the Match Girl let go of Lee Jun-woo's hand.
As if it was an unexpected answer, the girl stood there with a blank expression after hearing his response.
Lee Jun-woo left her there and walked toward his destination.
*...I think I spent too much money.*
I didn't need to buy this many matches.
Should I return them?
With the heavy matches and quite some time having passed, Lee Jun-woo decided to head home.
On the way, a small accessory shop came into his view.
The shop owner saw Lee Jun-woo and greeted him warmly.
"Oh, buddy! You've got a good eye! When it comes to accessories, it's our shop! For cheap prices and good quality, our shop is the best!"
"..."
Without answering, Lee Jun-woo looked around at the street vendor's accessories.
Among them, one item caught his eye.
"This red ribbon. How much?"
"Are you buying it as a gift for your daughter?"
"...Something like that."
Not a daughter, but...
A red ribbon that would suit the Hero well.
Long hair is cumbersome for training, so a ribbon would be good.
The shop owner glanced at Lee Jun-woo and said.
"Hmm, today specially 30,000 Peri! It's usually 40,000, you know? You're lucky today, aren't you? Hahaha!"
"30,000 Peri isn't bad."
It's expensive, but one for the Hero should be fine.
He reached into his pocket to pay.
Inside, he felt a heavy sensation, and a wallet popped out.
"..."
Not a wallet for holding money, but a wallet for holding matches.
Only matchboxes were in his pocket.
Just in case, he searched through all his pockets, but only matches came out.
Lee Jun-woo realized at that moment.
"She was a Thief. That Match Girl."
A Thief.
The Hero's new companion is a Thief.
Lee Jun-woo hurriedly returned to where the Match Girl had been, but...
The spot was completely empty, and the Match Girl was nowhere to be found.
The Match Girl.
Hare was walking through a dark alley.
The capital's worst alley where those without money lived—the "Garbage Dump."
That place, reeking with a terrible smell, was her hometown.
"Hehe.. I wonder how much I earned today.."
The matches don't matter.
What's important is that man's wallet.
With an innocent expression, Hare opened Lee Jun-woo's wallet.
Inside was an unimaginable amount of money.
"H-how much is all this..? Wh-what..? Was this person rich..?"
He didn't look rich, but his wallet was.
A bundle of money she'd never normally see existed inside.
Hare gulped.
Along with it, guilt that pierced her heart spread throughout her body.
It was too much money for a petty thief.
"B-but I can't take this much money.. That person.. was different from the others.."
That person...
Even after asking my name, he didn't ask about the night.
Just.
He was purely curious about me...
Hare checked his scent on the wallet.
It was a different fragrance from those men who reeked of strong cologne and made advances.
*Even if you sell your soul, don't sell your body, Hare. That's selling both body and soul. Even if you steal others' belongings... suffer as much as the person whose things were stolen. The pain of the soul is the path we thieves must atone for...*
Recalling her grandmother's words that she'd never broken, Hare thought of Lee Jun-woo.
And she began to steel her resolve.
"...That person. That man is different. I-I have to return this.."
He's a good person.
He looked at my heart, not my body.
For the first time in my life, someone was curious about me as a person.
I'm the bad one...
Hare buried the wallet against her heart and turned around.
Confident that if she returned to that place, that man would be there.
"Sorry, Grandmother.. I-I'll try to earn money again.. Hare is a bad child.. I have to return this money—"
"Wait, Hare, did you just say money?"
"...!!"
Behind Hare as she tried to turn back, a burly man's voice was heard.
Hare hurriedly hid the wallet.
But she realized it had already been seen by 'him.'
A thug from the Garbage Dump.
Ness.
He began slowly approaching Hare.
"Hare. Looks like you got some money?"
"N-no. It's not my money.."
"Hmm, then whose money is in your hand? Did you steal it again?"
"..."
Hare fell silent.
It was true she stole it, but she was going to return it to him.
Hare hid the wallet in her clothes to protect it.
But Ness's actions were merciless.
"Let me see, let's see how much is in there!"
"D-don't..! I'm going to return it..!"
"Shut up! Return it? You stole it! Go back to your sick grandmother!"
"Ahhh—!"
Smack—!
Hare was slapped by him and fell to the ground.
Between the moonlight illuminating the alley, Ness's figure coveting the wallet was visible.
Even Hare's last hope was being crushed by this thug.
"Wow?! You robbed a rich person today?! This is enough to pay back 20% of the debt?! Man, you hit it big, Hare!! Haha—!"
"...No. It's not mine."
"Right, now it's mine. Because it's in my hands. As expected, Hare, you're smart. To think of robbing a rich person. If only that old hag wasn't around, you could've been adopted into a good place. With your looks and all..."
Grin.
Ness looked down at the fallen Hare.
Her red hood came off, and her cherry blossom-like hair, mixed with red and pink, fell onto her shoulders.
Her appearance was clean and beautiful like white snow.
Her delicate body was enough to awaken a man's instincts.
Suspicious of this sight, Ness approached Hare.
"It's really strange. With looks like yours, you'd either be adopted or selling your body. One of the two, but it's funny that you're living earnestly in the Garbage Dump."
"...It's my life. Mind your own business."
"There's an easy way to live comfortably... Isn't that right, Hare?"
Using the alley shadows, Ness drew closer to Hare.
"I'll finish it in one go. I'll talk to the boss and get all your debt forgiven. How about it? There's an easy path, so why do you keep taking the long way around, Hare? Huh?"
"...I don't want to. I-I won't live like that. I promised Grandmother.."
"..Always, that damn grandmother grandmother. She won't even live much longer. Aren't you tired of using her as an excuse?"
Ness was a man lacking patience.
Therefore, he couldn't hold back any longer.
"I'm saying I'll do everything for you, so what's the reason?! Huh?! Is it fun to trample on a man's pride like that?! Hare?"
"...You're not the only one with pride, you know..? I have pride too..!"
"Really? Then I'll have to see.. how great that pride is..!!"
As if his pride was greater.
Ness got closer to Hare, close enough to reach her with an outstretched hand.
Frightened by this, Hare tried to get as far away from him as possible, moving backward while still fallen.
It was a pathetic sight, but Hare was moving to survive.
Just then.
Thud.
"...?"
"What, buddy?"
Someone bumped into Hare's back.
Just in case, she looked up.
There stood the man she'd just met, the man who'd left an impression.
He spoke in a cold tone.
"Finally found you. My wallet. So you're the culprit."
As if not even considering the Match Girl as the culprit.
Lee Jun-woo's icy gaze was directed at Ness.
"Return my wallet."
At that sight, Hare witnessed the light called hope for the first time in her life.