Chapter 25

“What the hell are you?”

Annoyingly, the expected reaction came back.

And that meant things just got more troublesome for me.

I walked toward them, hands in my pockets, scowling as hard as I could.

“I’m here to get my money back.”

“You stupid bitch, you even brought your tail with you?”

“Ah, it hurts…”

“Damn bitch, all you’ve got is a mouth… Fine. Let’s deal with this one first…”

At that moment, I pulled my hand out of my pocket and fired the steel ball I had between my fingers.

The target… the ear.

“Ahhh!”

And seeing the skinny guy clutching his ear, I knew my sneak attack had succeeded.

“Boss!”

“Damn it…”

Typical Koreans, can’t they just stop cursing and leave?

I glared at the stubborn will of C, who had survived, and pulled out another steel ball from my pocket.

“Next time, it’s your eye.”

Could an ordinary citizen like me really do this?

But I’ve come too far for that. I rolled the steel ball in my palm, feeling how much I’ve been tainted by this world.

It might look like I’m just playing around, but in this state, I could fire the steel ball like a bullet.

My whole body is the gun, and my ability is the trigger.

“Do you think you can get away with doing this in our territory…?”

“Whether I can or not, you took someone else’s money. Just give it back and leave.”

“…Let’s go.”

“Boss?”

“I said let’s go!”

How anticlimactic.

I watched the two thugs leave, blood dripping from their ears, then looked at the girl crouched in the corner, clutching her head.

The girl rolled her eyes, met my gaze, and then tightly shut her eyes.

…Does she think I’m going to hit her?

If she thinks that, it’s kind of sad.

I cautiously approached the small-framed girl.

Luckily, the girl didn’t run away and stayed crouched.

I was worried she might run, but it seemed she had no intention of doing so.

Or maybe she didn’t have the strength to run.

“Are you okay?”

“…”

The girl didn’t respond, just stayed crouched.

I squatted in front of her, picked up the wallet that had fallen to the ground, and checked its contents.

Luckily, the money was still there.

Then… the problem is what to do with this kid.

I looked down at the girl, her face swollen from being beaten, and fell into deep thought.

Should I interfere in this kid’s life?

Frankly, even my own life isn’t stable. Adding another mouth to feed won’t do me any good.

Thinking coldly, it’s right to leave cleanly here.

If that annoying guy brings his lackeys, it’ll be a hassle, and I might lose the home I’ve just secured.

This is the Crocodile Bird’s territory, so they can’t easily invade, but in this world, without security or police, they could sneak in and take her away.

But.

But…

Is that the morally right choice?

Of course, this world is on the brink of apocalypse, so no one would blame me for leaving her.

Even Mina wouldn’t say much about my actions.

Of course, if it were a hero active in Seoul, it’d be different… but I’m not a hero.

I’ve never even thought about becoming one.

But… I was a possessor.

A commoner adrift from an era where protecting children was taken for granted.

I could just get up and walk away, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

It was inevitable.

I thought I had become cold enough after killing people, but apparently, I wasn’t cold enough to leave a dying child.

“…You’re not going to hit me?”

“I’m not going to hit you.”

Her lifeless eyes looked up at me in confusion.

Was she used to being hit?

…Maybe I should’ve made him a eunuch instead of just hitting his ear.

“Are you hungry?”

“…I don’t know.”

…Somehow, she seems worse than when I first met Mina.

I sighed and reached out my hand.

“Do you eat well?”

A typical Korean thing to say.

———————

“She eats really well…”

“No one’s going to take it from you, so eat slowly.”

The girl, who still hadn’t told me her name, was devouring the food in front of her.

Even we, who were eating with her, stopped to watch.

It was somewhat heartwarming to see her eat so heartily, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel pity.

How little must she have eaten to shove food into her mouth like that?

“Cough…”

“Drink some water.”

I scooped some water and placed it in front of her. The girl glanced at me, then grabbed the cup and gulped it down.

If this were Korea, she’d be a hit on mukbang channels with those bold movements.

I waited for her to finish eating, feeling like I was watching a mukbang live.

It didn’t take long for her to finish.

There wasn’t much food left to begin with.

Only after all the nearby dishes were empty did the girl seem to regain her senses, glancing at me and opening her mouth.

“Th-thank you for the meal…”

“If you want more, just say so.”

“I-I’m fine…”

The girl stuttered, waving her hands, then looked up at me.

Even so, I didn’t have much to say.

…Let’s just ask what I need to ask.

“Do you have a home?”

The girl hesitated at my question, then reluctantly nodded.

…Judging by her face, it’s more like a shelter than a home.

If she had a proper home, she wouldn’t be pickpocketing or getting beaten like this.

Judging by her condition, it seems like she’s been beaten for more than a day or two.

So… sending her back home doesn’t sit right with me.

“Where’s your home?”

“…Please… don’t hit me…”

“I’m not going to hit you.”

“Uncle…”

Her condition is so severe, I don’t even know where to start.

When have I ever talked to a kid like this?

I’m not some X Eun-young teacher who knows how to care for abused kids.

But I still need to talk to her…

I hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

“Do you have parents?”

The girl shook her head at my question.

An orphan.

Maybe that’s why she was treated like that.

Even if she had parents… no, even if she had parents, there’s no guarantee they’d be decent.

That could be where the violence started.

Especially in a world like this, where a child’s value is even lower.

“If you don’t want to go, you can stay here.”

After some thought, I gave my answer.

Let her stay here for now, and either find her a decent home or get help from the Crocodile Birds to let her live or work there.

At least it’s better than living as a pickpocket.

Of course, she’s not innocent… but it seems like she was forced into it. And she failed at that too.

Of course… it might be a foolish choice that only cuts into my own livelihood.

“I can’t… if I don’t go back…”

The girl’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Why, are you afraid those thugs will come here?”

“I’ll be a burden…”

“A burden? Just stay here. They won’t be able to come here.”

This is the outskirts of the Crocodile Bird’s territory.

Coming here would mean… fighting the Crocodile Birds.

A small-time criminal group like the Vipers would be crushed if they faced them head-on.

So, unless she walks back on her own two feet, they won’t easily mess with her.

Of course, criminals don’t care about common sense, so I can’t let my guard down.

“But… is it okay?”

“It’s okay. Mina, can you wash her? She needs to get cleaned up… and lend her some clothes.”

“Okay.”

I watched Mina take the girl, who was about a head shorter than her, to the bathroom, then sighed and started clearing the table.

Somehow, my family has grown.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

I thought I did a good deed, but at the same time, I can’t help but feel like I’ve messed up.

I’ll have to work harder as a hunter. Supporting three people is going to be tough.

As I was rethinking my life plans due to this unexpected variable, I realized I hadn’t asked one thing.

“I didn’t ask her name.”

Look at me.

I’ll ask when she comes out.

I finished the dishes and sat on the couch, waiting for Mina and the girl.

About five minutes later, the girl and Mina came out of the bathroom, towels on their heads.

“Uncle, we’re done.”

Just from one shower, Mina looked completely exhausted.

Was washing her that hard?

I patted Mina’s shoulder a couple of times to thank her, then looked at the girl.

The girl, who looked much better now, shrank back when our eyes met.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t ask your name. What’s your name?”

“M-me?”

“Yeah, you.”

“I-I’m… Seolhwa.”

“What?”

Did I just hear a name I shouldn’t have?

“Se-Seolhwa…”

Seolhwa?

…That notorious villain Seolhwa?

Stunned by the unexpected name, I just stared at the girl.