# 7. The Hero Party. Kidnapping the Second Companion (3)
"Finally found it. My wallet. So you're the culprit."
I checked out the man across from me.
A moderately muscular male.
Judging by his appearance, he looked like a thug from the Garbage Dump.
My wallet was in his hand.
"Give me back my wallet. If you do, I'll let you go unharmed."
"Kuk, acting tough, are we? Why is this your wallet? It's in my hand."
The thug smirked and ignored my words.
Meanwhile, I checked on Hare's condition as she touched my leg.
"Mister..?"
Her cheek was flushed red, as if she'd been slapped by that man.
Blood was flowing from her knee, as if she'd scraped it falling to the ground.
"..Match Girl."
"It's Hare.. My name is Hare.."
"..Hare. Are you okay?"
Hare hesitated before answering.
Her chest seemed to hurt, making it difficult for her to breathe.
"I'm, I'm fine.. I'm not really hurt anywhere.."
An obvious lie.
Was she trying to stop me from fighting?
Hare's eyes were consumed by fear.
Her inability to breathe properly seemed to be psychological.
I stepped forward to protect her as she lay fallen.
Then the sleazy thug spoke frantically.
"Hey, why don't you just pretend you didn't see anything and pass by? I'll give you back the wallet. Mind your own business."
"I can't do that."
"Ha, I'm saying I'll give you the wallet? Even when I'm letting you go peacefully, you're making a fuss??"
"If you're the one who stole my wallet, you'll have to pay the price."
Karma.
I knew the thug wasn't the one who stole my wallet.
A thief must have stolen it while she was selling matches.
But, as he said, my wallet was in his hand.
So I decided to think of him as the thief.
"I won't even need to draw my sword..."
"Huh?"
A back-alley thug like that would be enough to handle with my fists.
I walked forward slowly with an arrogant demeanor, not taking any stance.
"This bastard. Fine, let's do this."
At that sight, the thug reached into his pocket.
I blinked once, and he was holding a dagger.
"M-Mister..! Be careful..! He has a knife..!! Just pretend you don't know and run away..!!"
"I can't do that."
"What..?"
"I have a reason."
"What are you whispering about-!! You bastard-!!"
The thug shouted and began approaching me.
With eyes that showed no hesitation in stabbing with the dagger.
Unhinged eyes.
With eyes like that, he must have stabbed many people already.
*He's the kind of guy no one would complain about if he died.*
His dagger approached to pierce my flesh.
Close enough to reach with an outstretched fist.
As the dagger entered that range, time stopped briefly.
And a choice appeared before my eyes.
[The thug is trying to stab Jun-woo. You're not going to just watch, are you? What's your choice?]
[1. Subdue the thug.]
[2. Hit the thug.]
The appearance of a choice meant there was a dangerous possibility.
Even for a superhuman, it's natural to die if stabbed by a knife, so it made sense for a choice to appear even for this weak thug's dagger.
*Then, my choice is...*
Number 2.
I clicked choice number 2.
One might think subduing would be the better answer since it produces a "result."
But still, I chose number 2.
There's no special reason.
*Whatever I choose, the outcome for that guy will be the same. Whether he's subdued or beaten like a dog.*
Having rolled around countless times in this other world, nearly died, participated in wars.
With that kind of past, no matter what I did to this back-alley thug, the result would be the same.
My body began moving according to my choice.
Auto-combat.
Automatically designating vital points, a straight punch headed toward that point.
An attack on the liver with 0% margin of error.
Liver blow.
An attack called liver punch in Korean.
Striking the liver located at the lower part of the ribcage.
The thug couldn't breathe and fell to his knees on the spot.
It was a simple but quite powerful attack.
"Heo- Heoeok.. I, I can't breathe-"
Clatter-
Along with the thug's body, the dagger he was holding rolled across the floor.
Looking down at him kneeling, I asked.
"Why did you steal my wallet?"
"Heoeok- That- I didn't-"
"I won't tolerate lies. Why did you steal it?"
"I- I didn't-"
"...We can't communicate."
Don't say anything more.
With that meaning, I struck the fallen thug's body.
Thwack- Thwack-
He cried out to spare him, but I had no intention of doing so.
"Pl-please spare me-"
"If I had been a weak person, I would have lost my life to your dagger. You intended to kill someone. Isn't it shameless to cry for mercy?"
"St-stop- Heoeok- Spare me-"
I ignored his words.
People die easily, but if you hit them just enough that they won't die easily, they don't die.
I knew that line well.
The thug just had to take the beating quietly.
*So the Thief can't be touched again.*
Instilling fear.
In 4 days, I would kidnap her.
But nothing could happen to the Thief during that time, so I was doing this pointless act.
Just as my fist was about to extend, someone stopped it.
"St-stop..!!"
"Hare?"
"Please stop... It was my fault... I'm the one who stole the wallet, mister..."
"..."
Tsk, I tried to pretend not to know.
Hare grabbed my arm and looked like she wouldn't let go.
Her eyes were mixed with guilt and regret.
She seemed to feel sorry for me trying to kill the thug.
*..If I keep beating this thug, the one who'll hurt more might be the Thief.*
Since it would mean she'd pinned her wrongdoing on the thug.
Continuing this action on the psychologically withdrawn Thief would be nothing short of torture.
I had no choice but to lower my fist.
"H.. Sp-spare..me.."
"Shut up and leave. If you get caught by me next time, you'll die then."
"I, I understand."
Unlike his initial bravado, the thug hurriedly left the scene.
He wouldn't think of touching the Thief for a while.
I picked up the wallet that had fallen on the ground and put it in my pocket.
Then I made eye contact with the Thief who had stolen my wallet.
"I knew."
"...What?"
"I knew from the beginning that you stole it."
"..."
At those words, Hare's expression darkened further.
As if falling into inescapable guilt.
She offered words mixed with excuses while wearing a gloomy smile.
"A-actually, I was going to return it..! I, I did steal it..! But there was so much money, I was going to put it back-"
"Don't tell pointless lies, okay?"
Hare's words didn't continue further.
Probably because of my expression.
My expression must have soured at the insincere lie.
I spoke calmly.
"In the first place, if you intended to return it, you wouldn't have stolen it."
"Ah..."
Leaving that exclamation behind, I left the alley.
Within 4 days, she and I would meet again.
But right now, I didn't particularly want to talk to her.
I hated lies to death.
Stale air circulates in the room.
Damp mold gathers in one place, asserting their right to survive.
Juliana Hare looks at it and says.
"I'm back. Grandma."
A shack that would fly away if a typhoon blew.
Calling a wooden plank a door, Hare entered the house.
On the bed inside, a grandmother with mobility issues greeted her.
"Yes, you're back. My granddaughter..."
"Yes, I sold some matches. It doesn't make as much money as selling food... but if I don't want to steal, I have to sell something."
I'm a bad child.
To steal and then lie to Grandma again...
Hare barely held back her tears.
She didn't want to show her sad side to Grandma.
So she said with a smile.
"I sold 4000 Peri today. Hehe. If I save just a little more! I'll be able to buy Grandma's medicine too!"
A positive tone.
In contrast, Grandma Helen's complexion was pale.
Unable to see, she fumbled through the air and found her granddaughter.
"Yes, save it up. So it won't be taken. In a good place..."
"..."
Grandma has no intention of living at all.
Hare understood the meaning of those words.
The meaning was not to spend it on her, but to save the money and leave this place.
If she, her only family, died, Hare would be left alone.
Recalling that lonely feeling, Hare clasped her grandmother's wrinkled hand.
"No, Grandma.. You can definitely live..! I.. I'll save you.."
"Hare.. People die when their time comes.. I must go now-"
"No..!! Grandma will never die..."
"...Hare. Accept reality."
Helen felt sorry for Hare, who had a kind personality but was born into the wrong environment.
If she died, she would be left alone.
Having lived by stealing.
Could she really live properly in the world?
Helen was so worried.
*She's a child I'm too worried to leave alone...*
If it weren't for Hare, she would have left for heaven with peace of mind by now.
Perhaps she was living in this pain because of that lingering attachment.
Helen thought this while warmly holding Hare's hand.
"Hare. It will be painful, but think about how you'll live after I'm gone. That way the shock will be less..."
"...Okay. Grandma."
Hare had no choice but to nod.
Since it was time to sleep, she laid down newspapers on the floor.
Then she began to recall what Grandma had said.
*...After Grandma is gone, I...*
How will I live?
Can someone as bad as me continue living?
Should someone like me who caused people pain continue living...
Hare had negative thoughts.
She felt a stabbing pain in her chest.
"How should I live..."
Hare closed her eyes with that thought.
What came to mind instantly was that man who saved her.
That man who was different from others.
When Hare thought of that man, her chest hurt even more.
"He was good to me... but I did something terrible to him..."
He gave me 4000 Peri...
And I just stole his wallet...
Hare firmly held back the tears that flowed out.
"...Still. When I think of that person."
Something.
Something makes my heart race.
It's an emotion I'm experiencing for the first time.
Hare felt the trembling and closed her eyes to sleep.
Hare couldn't define what to call that emotion.