Chapter 128

We were now facing a collapsed man.

It seemed that Park Chan-wook’s anger hadn’t subsided at all, even right after I stopped him. He had a look that suggested he wanted to assault the man again immediately, but thankfully, he obediently followed my words.

“What are we going to do?”

“What, what do you mean?”

“This bastard.”

I could call the police. That would be the typical and reasonable course of action, but I hesitated. It was because of Park Chan-wook. Although he had saved me, doing this much… was hard. He had crossed a line. He had gone too far. It wasn’t just that; it was a simple consideration of what lay ahead.

If someone had been beaten this badly, it would likely lead to a significant problem, regardless of self-defense or the reason to save someone.

This country also had an unusually high standard for self-defense.

“Should we call the police?”

“Then… you’ll get arrested.”

“I didn’t kill him. Why would I get arrested?”

“If you hit him like this, self-defense might not hold…”

“I think saying I hit him while witnessing him trying to sexually assault a young girl would work, don’t you?”

…

It was hard to articulate anything properly in my confused state, but the seriousness of Park Chan-wook’s expression, which wasn’t mocking or teasing, kept me silent.

I wasn’t a young girl, and I couldn’t tell if this man was trying to assault me. It had ended in an attempted assault after all. It was unlikely that a drunk person would recognize my face and target me. So it was possible he had just been trying to attack anyone, but there was a higher probability he did it because he thought I was an easy target, mistaking me for a young girl.

I really was just unlucky.

In any case, with my appearance, this man’s actions would certainly feel more dangerous to others. If he hadn’t attacked knowing I was an adult, then any other student or young girl could have been in the same situation.

Still, it was true that Park Chan-wook had used a level of violence beyond what was acceptable. Even if I were to testify, it was likely to become quite a troublesome issue. Above all, this happened before the man had laid a hand on my body.

It was something that would be bad for both Park Chan-wook and me if it came to light.

So I came to this conclusion.

“Um, let’s just go.”

“Are you saying we should run away?”

“He’s drunk and probably won’t remember anything anyway. You already said he didn’t beat him to the point of death.”

“No matter how milder it has been, leaving someone here in this weather will freeze him to death.”

…I hadn’t thought of that. It was a sign that I was so flustered and shocked that I could overlook something so obvious.

A person could die. If it came to that, there would be no turning back. It wouldn’t be just a case of a drunk person freezing to death; if there were signs of assault all over his body, an investigation would begin, and Park Chan-wook would truly become a murderer.

“What should we do now?”

“Just call the police, and go tell them what happened. It would be even better if you could cry.”

Victim’s tears are the evidence. A foolish thought crossed my mind.

Of course, this was something that truly happened or almost happened, so my tears wouldn’t be false, but if the only evidence was my testimony, the truth would be questioned, just as I had suspected.

I don’t think it’s wrong to doubt testimonies without evidence, but once I find myself in that position, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of unfairness.

Still, is that the only way? I could shed a few tears. He saved me, and there’s no way I can’t give that kind of testimony. At the very least, I absolutely wouldn’t think of running away alone. But is this really the only way?

“Um, before that… I need to make a call.”

I wasn’t sure if calling that person would truly help. I didn’t even know if they would pick up. But I had to try everything I could. Thankfully, the call connected. The voice on the other end brought me a little relief.

“Hello?”

“Please help me.”

Ham Yejin.

“Where are you right now?”

~

National intelligence agents are not omnipotent. They don’t have some overwhelming power; they can’t just make events disappear like secret organizations in dramas. But at least I could receive minimal help. After explaining everything, Ham Yejin told me to wait a moment and hung up.

After waiting for 10 minutes, during which Park Chan-wook demanded an explanation, I dodged the conversation and said I would tell him later.

When the phone rang again ten minutes later, Ham Yejin said to call 112 and 119 first. She mentioned that she had spoken to someone at that police station through an acquaintance. She assured me I would receive as much help as possible. She also added that since other people were involved, we had to go about things in a standard way. She told me not to worry.

Not everything was completely resolved, but just that was enough to be grateful for. I hung up the phone and told Park Chan-wook.

“Let’s call the police.”

“Will it be okay?”

“It’ll be fine. I don’t want to drag this out any longer; it might put the man in real danger.”

At least the drunk person hadn’t been bleeding heavily anywhere, but I couldn’t confidently say that everything was fine, so I didn’t want to take any more time.

“He hit him in a relatively safe place, so he won’t die. We don’t need to call 119.”

“…How do you know that?”

“I’m a medical student.”

“What?!”

“I’m kidding.”

…For a moment, I thought he was serious. Could he really crack jokes in this situation? Was he trying to lighten my mood? After all, saying being a medical student means you know how to hit someone well was surely an absurd joke. Regardless, the police were called, and they should be arriving soon. Thanks to Park Chan-wook, I felt a little more relaxed.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah, better thank me. I might just become an assailant because of you.”

“I’ll give good testimony.”

“You better do well.”

On the contrary, it seemed Park Chan-wook still hadn’t calmed down. He had been cocky since we first met, and although he was aggressive earlier, it seemed like he was still not satisfied.

Even if he spoke so cockily, I couldn’t point it out. After all, he had just saved me; how could I comment on his attitude?

“But how did you know to come?”

“It was just a coincidence. I’m actually the one who wants to ask. I specifically took a detour to avoid meeting you; why did you come this way?”

“…I took a detour to avoid running into you.”

“Ha.”

Park Chan-wook seemed to scoff incredulously. It appears he hadn’t expected we’d be thinking the same thing. I hadn’t realized it either. Even thinking alike, it wasn’t ordinary for our paths to overlap.

“While I was thinking about how this asshole was stumbling around drunk, I thought I’d just let it go. But then I saw a young girl entering an alley, so I thought I should follow just in case, and it turned out to be you.”

“Yeah… thanks.”

He was the kind of person who’d come to help if someone looked like they needed help. He was a rare good person these days. Many would ignore such things despite the valid reason.

…If he hadn’t been there, or if someone else had ignored me, I would have…

No, I shouldn’t think of such horrific things. I shook my head to clear my mind.

In the midst of it all, Park Chan-wook spat once more at the collapsed man. I worried he might kick the man again at any moment, but he didn’t. He simply let out a stream of curses.

“Ugh, fucking unlucky bastard, for real.”

“S-sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? You’re just as unlucky.”

“It’s because of me you got into this mess…”

“Ugh, I can’t adapt to this.”

Park Chan-wook shook his head as if exasperated. I flinched a bit at his gesture, and he sighed deeply.

“How can a person change like this? It’s fine. I’m not angry with you; it’s not your fault, so just stand tall like before.”

“Ah, okay…”

Of course, just because he said that, my attitude wouldn’t change suddenly. It was true that the tension had eased a bit, but the shock remained, and every time I looked at Park Chan-wook, I recalled his earlier savage appearance when he was beating someone. Even though he saved me, thinking these thoughts felt wrong, I still couldn’t help but feel a slight, tiny bit of fear.

It seemed that Park Chan-wook didn’t like that, but there was really nothing he could do. We waited in silence for the police to arrive, and about 15 minutes after the call, the sound of sirens could be heard.

“They’re here quickly.”

Park Chan-wook muttered. It had been about 15 minutes since the call. I suppose it could have been difficult to find us in the alley, and since the drunk person was already subdued, I thought it was fine, but if it were a normal dangerous situation, it would have felt like a slow wait.

At least this alley was convenient since vehicles could get close.

Outside the alley, the sirens stopped, and I could see two police officers approaching. Feeling a sense of relief, I stepped forward towards the officers when I heard an urgent voice from them.

“Get down!”

When I turned around, I saw Park Chan-wook, who had been following me.

And at the same time, running up from behind was the drunk person who had clearly been collapsed just a moment ago. There was no time to identify what condition he was in or what expression he wore.

All I could see was that he was definitely holding something, though it wasn’t clearly visible.

In that moment, which felt like time froze, I instinctively moved my legs.

It wasn’t a retreat. I ran forward.

I pushed Park Chan-wook down. Normally, he wouldn’t be someone who could be knocked over like that, but I gave it my all, and simultaneously, since Park Chan-wook was surprised and turning his head, he couldn’t stop me.

I was now exposed to the approaching drunk person. It wouldn’t have mattered who it was. The drunk person swung something at me while cursing loudly. I felt a sharp pain in my head, and my consciousness began to fade.

“Fucking so unlucky.”

And that was the last voice I heard.