10 – Whoever Found Whom (3)
1.
“Phew, looks like we escaped well.”
Although I didn’t feel any signs of pursuit since we started running, just to be safe, we ran for another 5 minutes even after their presence disappeared.
As a result, we successfully reached a busy street where it was easy to catch a ride.
Having successfully shaken off those guys whose intentions we didn’t even know, I turned my gaze to the girl holding my hand tightly.
“By the way, you have good stamina. Do you work out?”
“······.”
“Oh, you don’t seem to have any intention of answering. Privacy must be respected. Yes.”
Running for about 5 minutes is not a difficult task for those who enjoy running regularly.
However, running at such a fast pace, enough to make the pursuers give up on a cold winter day, and doing so suddenly without any preparation, is by no means an easy task for an ordinary person.
Yet, she, who was forcibly running with her hand held by me, seemed not at all tired, maintaining her expressionless face.
With looks to speak of, good stamina, and even a sparkling resolve.
“You really have it all, everything.”
I was genuinely amazed at how such a talent had appeared in front of me, and as I muttered to myself in astonishment, a trembling voice came out.
“How long are you going to hold onto this hand?”
“What? Oh, I’m sorry.”
Startled by her voice, colder than the winter wind, I let go of her hand.
On her pale hand, there were faint red marks left where my hand had been.
She quietly looked down at the red marks on her hand.
What should I say to her?
Unable to bear her indifference, I found myself speaking up.
“I-I’m sorry. I held your hand too tightly.”
“Well, it’s only natural for your hand to hurt when you’re trying to run away while holding hands.”
Her voice remained emotionless and cold, but there was a misunderstanding in her understanding.
I wasn’t a novice who couldn’t control the strength in my hands when I held and pulled someone’s hand while running.
So, I decided to correct her misunderstanding.
“No, it’s not because I was running that I held your hand tightly. I held it tightly because I wanted to.”
“What?”
As I corrected the misunderstanding, her voice came back to me, mixed with confusion.
“Since I’m holding hands with someone as dazzling as you, I naturally have to put strength into my hand. It’s only natural.”
Even though I knew that my words would confuse someone whose common sense hadn’t been updated due to being locked up in prison for seven years, I still chose to honestly explain her misunderstanding.
Because I would rather be seen as someone who holds hands tightly out of desire, rather than as someone who can’t even control the strength they possess.
“What on earth…”
Her response was naturally filled with incomprehension, and her previously expressionless face began to show signs of confusion.
I organized the reasons why I held her hand firmly so that her doubts could be easily resolved.
“It was nice holding hands with someone as pretty as you.”
The word “pretty” is the best compliment that never gets tiring for women, as the young lady once told me.
She advised me to find beauty in all her actions, even praising her sneezing as beautiful. If I delayed even a bit in complimenting, she would pressurize me with a gaze that seemed to say, ‘Am I not pretty?’ It felt like a test of mental strength, but in reality, I could always compliment her for being beautiful in every action because the young lady was genuinely beautiful in everything she did.
Anyway, receiving a sincere compliment like that was just a pleasant thing for women.
“······.”
However, what I got in return was not a shy smile or a proud face.
“Ha.”
It was a short laughter filled with annoyance.
Uh, uh? I shouldn’t be getting upset about this, right?
In the moment of confusion at the unexpected reaction, she erased the gold engraved on her expression, returning to a poker face that revealed no emotion.
It was even more bewildering in the natural concealment of emotions, but through that series of reactions, I could understand one thing about her.
Whether it was when the police mentioned her face earlier or when I complimented her beauty, does she dislike it when someone mentions her appearance?
But I just complimented her as she is, without saying she’s ugly or anything. It was incomprehensible for someone like me who has never heard that he’s unattractive to women.
‘Oppa, honestly, you don’t have the face to say you’re handsome, right? On top of that, you’re a gangster. But you’re not a bad guy style either. You’re strangely gentle to girls. Huh? Why are you suddenly saying that? Well, of course, it’s to let you know that Oppa isn’t the type that girls like.’
Yeah, that’s right.
For some reason, after quickly suppressing the rising heat in my eyes, I looked at her again.
“······Thank you.”
But suddenly, she thanked me.
“Uh… yes?”
The person who had clearly been angry after hearing the compliment just moments ago now responded with a curt thank you, leaving me dumbfounded.
“I let you escape.”
“Oh…”
Then, quite kindly, she gave a concise explanation for why she was thankful.
However, despite expressing gratitude, she seemed far from appreciative.
This was because her face revealed no emotions.
If she truly felt grateful, there should have been at least a hint of gratitude, but the absence of even a trace meant that she didn’t trust me at all.
But that wasn’t her fault.
Even if it was dark, if one could be pursued in a crowded square, it meant they were living a rather spectacular life, and during that time, trust in humanity naturally disappeared.
So, I brushed off the unspoken gratitude and got straight to the point.
“You helped first. We’re even. Well… if by any chance a burden still lingers in your heart, how about considering trying out being an idol again?”
“No, thank you.”
“Ah, okay.”
However, before the suggestion could fully end, the firm refusal pierced through.
Forcing someone who doesn’t want to do something won’t make it happen.
Especially making someone who brings happiness to many people become an idol against their will would be even more impossible, so I immediately accepted.
“If you don’t want to do it, there’s nothing we can do…”
But I could still cling until she listened.
“I ran so hard without even knowing what’s chasing me… I thought you might at least consider it…”
I didn’t whine half-heartedly. I protruded my lower lip, stretched the corners of my mouth, openly displaying frustration and disappointment, and truly whined.
Because the word “half-hearted” should never be used unless I’m forced to do something I don’t want to do or it’s not my responsibility.
“Even if there were police right in front of you, if you can’t ask for help, there must be a reason. The police helped even without hearing a reason, but you just coldly say they didn’t even think about it. Well, there’s nothing to be done about it…”
This whining, which had even reached a stubborn and self-centered lady, was quite effective on her, who was almost a stranger.
“…?”
Surprisingly, a look of confusion appeared on her previously expressionless face.
Good, a promising sign.
Although it was undoubtedly a dirty and petty method to use on someone whose name I didn’t even know, I had discarded things like pride before entering prison.
All that remained for me was the wish to create the ultimate idol.
And she was undoubtedly the person necessary to create the ultimate idol.
hehehehe, even if she had a thick poker face to the point of not showing any emotions on her face, it would be hard to ignore the fact that someone who had helped with something the police couldn’t was whining like this.
Even the ungrateful lady, who seemed not to appreciate anything in the world, spontaneously expressed words of thanks and apologies when I whined.
At first glance, it might seem like a threat, but the advantage of this whining over threats is that it can make the other person feel guilty.
“Um…”
See! Even a person who seemed so cold eventually had to open their mouth because they couldn’t resist the guilt!
Now, inevitably, there would be some mention of considering my request, and if I seized that opportunity even a little, I might be able to lead her onto the path of an idol.
At that moment, once again engraving in my heart that whining was indeed my ultimate skill.
“But I never asked you to run away with me.”
Contrary to what I had in mind, her dreadful characteristic of a black-haired beast was manifesting itself.
“If you’re going to act like that, then help me properly.”
Wow.
I was completely caught off guard, so I couldn’t help but ask.
“Um, how can I help?”
And the response that came back was once again beyond my expectations.
“Let me sleep.”
Wow······!