I ran for a long time with a metal pipe in my hand, spotting Choi Sooyoung in that alley once again, shivering behind that trash can.
Stopping before the alley, I took a look at the one just down the street where Carmellia and the hitmen were.
Carmellia and the hitman should be in the other alley if things remained the same as they were in my last life.
"Fighting would cause a lot of noise. I can't afford to make much noise or attract any kind of attention," I thought to myself as my heart raced with fear.
Looking at the shivering Choi Sooyoung, I extended my hand out to her quietly.
To be honest, even in my previous lives, I could have avoided the fights against the monster.
At the time, I was unstable. I was mad, I was sad, and above all else, I felt as if my heart would never be in one piece again.
Choi Sooyoung hesitated. She extended her hand out slowly, only to quickly pull it back.
"Look, please trust me. I know you're scared. I know I'm a man, but... please just trust me. If I leave you here, that thing…" I pointed at the grotesque scene before us.
"That might be us next. And you know why I say 'us'? Because I'm not leaving here without you..."
Choi Sooyoung looked hesitant, still shivering. She attempted to stammer out a few words, but failed miserably.
I couldn't blame her; the shock had her frozen in fear. Almost being violated, then seeing someone get slaughtered right before her eyes by a monster—would do that to anyone.
Walking slowly into the alley, I reached for
Choi Sooyoung's hand. Her head snapped back to look at me. Of course, she would be terrified of men after that.
I brought my pointer finger up to my lips and whispered, "Shh, please, please, please. I'm begging you, come with me. I'll go in front of you. Let's both get out of here!"
I dropped my metal pipe to the floor quietly in hopes it would make her feel a little more comfortable.
The hesitant and shocked Choi Sooyoung slowly followed after me. I couldn't remember the last time I was so happy for someone to take my hand.
She followed me quietly as we sneaked away from the monster. As soon as we were far enough for the monster and Carmellia and the hitman not to hear us, I grabbed her hand a bit more tightly. Not wanting to hurt her wrist, I held her hand and ran for a long time.
I couldn't bear to face Carmellia or the hitman or Arthur again. I didn't want revenge anymore. I wasn't mad anymore either.
After all those deaths, all I could think was, "I don't wanna die again."
Then, suddenly, I became all too aware of the crippling fear that had gripped my heart.
As if she had exhausted all her stamina, Choi Sooyoung stopped suddenly and let go of my hand.
"Who are you?" Choi Sooyoung asked with a defensive look on her face. After all, she didn't know me.
The question caught me a bit off guard. I was too lost in my self-pity and sorrow to remember that she had forgotten about me.
Leaning against the wall to take a breather, I replied to Choi Sooyoung, "Right, my name is Akito Park, and, uhm, I was hoping you'd be my teammate."
"...Why did you save me?" she choked out. She wasn't stammering anymore, nor was she shivering. She was slowly turning into the quick-to-adapt and funny Choi Sooyoung I knew in my past lives.
"I, uhm, really thought you needed help back there..."
"Right… thanks..."
I could tell she was still suspicious of me. Her body language, the way her eyes warily scanned our surroundings but never left me for even a second, told it all.
For some reason, I felt a bit sad that she didn't remember me. I knew I shouldn't be; after all, not much time had passed since I met her.
"Anyways, there are some people we need to avoid."
I felt a bit calmer, knowing we're both safe for the time being.
"And who are those people? Are they chasing you or something?"
"Kind of… I mean, my ex is kind of trying to kill me with her new boyfriend and a hitman."
"Huh? Killing you over a breakup is kind of over the top, isn't it?"
She thought I was lying; there was reasonable skepticism in her tone.
After all, who in their right mind would kill their ex?
"Well, I don't exactly know why she's trying to kill me, but something tells me it's not because of a breakup.
I haven't even told her I'm breaking up with her yet. I just happened to catch her new man, that's all."
"In any case, for now, let's move out. Do you trust me enough to get away from here with me? I won't blame you if you don't... I will never force you to make a choice."
She looked surprised, then laughed a bit in a calm and soothing tone.
"Well, being with someone is better than being alone, I suppose.
Besides, if you wanted to kill me, you would've left me in that alley to die..."
She said the last part with suspicion. I could tell what she was thinking.
"But what if he's planning to do something worse after luring me out…"
That was definitely what she was thinking.
Good lord, maybe I should've just fought the damn monster to earn her trust...
I complained in my head, but at the time, I knew I had no other choice.
After all, if I attracted attention, we would have been killed instantly by that hitman. For now...
"Well then, let's get out of downtown Kyoto, yeah? Find somewhere with fewer monsters, maybe get on a rooftop and see what's happening in town."
She stayed about 5 meters away from me and kept her eyes on my back as we walked.
"Yeah, sounds good."