Sung-min didn't say a word as I walked up to him. He still had his head lowered but something told me he already knew I was there.
So there was probably no need for me to try and spook him or anything like that.
He stood there, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, and then when I got close enough, he raised his head, his eyes falling on me.
A normal person would get the chills from that icy gaze and aura around him that was probably stronger than the AC in a bank vault but I wasn't normal, after all. Haha.
People passing by slowed to stare, partly gushing at his handsomeness and partly cautious since he was an Esper. An S-class to be precise. Such a dangerous and mentally unstable set of human beings.
And then they'd look at me, the lunatic who was smiling like an idiot in the presence of an S-class Esper.
"Hey," I greeted, like we were old friends meeting up after a while. "Thanks for bailing me out. My wrists appreciate it." I said, frailing my wrist in front of me and he looked at my hands.
And then at my face.
He didn't say a word at first and simply stated, as if trying to read me. I mean, I'm no book but go ahead. Let's see what you find.
"You're reckless." He said, and I don't know if that was supposed to serve as a warning but I took it as a compliment regardless.
"Hey, hey, how'd you know?" I grinned. "Reckless is my middle name," I said, snapping my fingers and stepping close enough for his frosty aura to bite at my skin. "To me, this is just… Tuesday."
That earned me the smallest twitch of his eyebrow. Ah, a reaction, which in Sung-min language was practically a declaration of war or love, whichever can float my boat.
"Let's go," he simply said, pushing off the wall and turning his back on me.
I watched his back. It was so fallen. So cold. It was at this point in his life that he had no one to warm those cold shoulders.
I closed my eyes.
Well, at least those shoulders didn't fall any further. I... Had helped him avoid a crisis that caused the world to hate him more than he's already hated.
Thinking of that, I felt so proud and followed with my hands behind my back.
The world suddenly felt so peaceful before me.
During this time in my past life, Sung-min was being hated by the public. The news articles, the internet, and the mobs were all talking about how useless he was as an S-class Esper, all because he couldn't save the hundreds of people at the square on this day.
It was just a coincidence that he was close by. How was he supposed to predict that there would be an Earthquake and save everyone beforehand?
They made it seem like he was at the scene, a powerful Esper, but he could not save a single person from falling into the split ground.
For fucks sake, he was still human. He wasn't perfect. He was just as shocked as everyone else. He wasn't born to be a hero but because he possessed such powers, he was expected to be a hero and show no flaws.
With the growing hate and the efforts Sung-min put into killing dangerous and powerful monsters every day but was never seen, I came to hate the world.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saving the people of this world just because I think they're worth saving. I don't think they're worth saving at all. Not after how they shunned and hated poor Sung-min in the past.
I simply, want to avoid any situation that would lead to the hate growing even more.
I'd save more people if I had to, just to offset the hate, and if they ended up talking bad about me because the methods I use are chaotic, then so be it.
I'd rather be a troublemaker than put up with the hate on Sung-min.
"Hey, wanna hold hands?" I suddenly asked such a silly question, and he paused, glancing at me over his shoulder, and he saw the shameless grin on my lips.
I told myself I wouldn't rush things and I wouldn't expect way beyond what should be expected but... I just can't help but take an extra step forward when I watch him from behind like this.
Typically, Sung-min would refuse and just tell me to keep walking, and I was prepared for that, but surprisingly, as if trying to answer the curiosity that was eating at him from our previous contact, he actually reached his hand towards me.
I stared, surprised.
Was this another fluke? I wondered.
He was going to let me hold his hand?
But I was still a stranger though.
"Don't you find it weird?" I asked but he simply stared at me. "What if I plan to harm you?"
"Go ahead." He said and then stepped closer, reaching for my hand and holding it. "If you can." Those last words came with a dangerous vibe that I was forced to recall the past.
The past that had this man smiling peacefully.
"Hah," I sighed and shrugged. "You're right. I can't harm you even if I wanted to, haha." I looked at his hand holding mine. "But, that's not how it's done," I said, and then held his hand with my other hand.
Even through his gloves, his hands still felt ice cold. The frost ability he had was eating away at any bit of warmth he had. And because of that, it was partially difficult for guides to provide guiding service without getting harmed.
He was dangerous.
I bit the inside of my mouth and then interlocked our fingers.
"There," I said and raised my head, smiling at him. "That's how it's done."