Cruel world with an angel

"You know each other?" Seok Jin asked.

"Yeah, I guided her out the building once," JK answered with a smile, then he lowered his gaze on Suga and Hye-Ri's swollen hand. "What happened?"

"She punched a creep in the face," Jin answered, while Suga guided Hye-Ri to the kitchen and sat her on one of the chairs, and scrambled through the fridge for an ice pack.

"Did you knock him out?" JK, who was entertained by the story, asked in a cheerful tone.

"Yeah, I did," Hye-Ri answered, the proudness in hee tone was so thick that Suga had to glace at Hye-Ri and shake his head.

"Next time you punch someone, you put your thumb in like this then close your other fingers to fist." JK demonstrated his fist to Hue-Ri. Suga glared at JK, then lowered his hand and cleared his throat.

Once Suga had placed an ice pack on Hye-Ri's hand, making her wince.

JK moved closer to Hye-Ri and sat next to her as he examined her hand. Her little fingers were swollen and bruised same with her knuckles.

'Just how much strength does this little woman has?' JK wondered. For someone who was five flat, she looked strong and capable, but on the other hand, her body and skin looks like a marshmallow.

Suga handed some cookie packets and Hye-Ri's face brightened, she accepted the packet with a smile and opened it.

"Thank you."

'Cute.' was what they all thought.

***

When I got inside the cafe, my boss, stopped me from entering and insists I take four days of leave because of the incident and have banned the creep whom I punched to the cafe.

Aunty hired a new waitress/barista so I didn't have anything else to do for today but roam around the city. I am just casually walking around the city when my phone vibrated.

[I hope you're resting, and not wandering in the city.] -Suga

Does this guy know where I am now? Does he have my GPS?

[I'm walking around the city since you persuaded my boss for giving me leave. Where'd you get my number?]

[Aunty] was only his short reply. Ahhh, my boss.

I didn't bother replying, but fee minutes later my phone buzzed again.

[Where are you in the city?]

Should I reply? Don't they have busy schedules? Why does this man have time to text?

[I'm near a mall, next to the metro station.] I replied, thinking it's nothing.

[On my way]

Fuck. I thought. Why would he be on his way? Is he going to scold me just because I went out? My hand is perfectly fine, by the way.

I crossed my arms and stood waiting on the sidewalks when I saw a man who looked like asking for something but people who passed him avoided him like a plague. I noticed his hand was shaking and when I got closer I could hear his voice stutter as he asked for help.

I rolled my eyes at people who avoided him and walked forward in his direction.

"Excuse me." I tapped his shoulder, and he turned around in surprise. He was a bit taller than me, skinny, and looked lost with his eyes almost watery in relief. "What are you looking for?" I asked in a gentle tone and pulled him to the side where we could converse with no one passing between us.

"I-I-I-m l-l-l-ookin-g fo-for m-m-m-y moth-mother. I-I-I go-got l-l-l-ost." He struggled, then I noticed his hands shaking then hitting his head.

I took his hand to prevent him from hitting himself. From my observation, he looked like he's suffering from stutters and Tourette Syndrome.

"Where did you lose your mom? Maybe she's looking for you, too as we speak."

He turned around and had a hard time pointing at the ice cream shop on the opposite street.

"Ahhh, come on. let me help you."

"I-I w-was asking f-for h-h-help t-to c-c-ross t-the s-treet b-b-ut n-n-o one w-w-would h-h-elp m-m-m-e " He said, his voice wavering closer to tears.

I smiled at him and offered my hand, "come on. I'm here. I'll help you."

I held his arm and helped him walk towards the Ped Xing.

***

Suga caught sight of her not too long ago and got caught in traffic, he was about to call her when he also noticed the man she approached. The man was a little taller than her and looked a little younger. Though, he noticed that as they spoke from afar, he looked like he struggled to talk and then saw the man hitting himself. Hye-Ri caught his hand and held it.

And then she smiled in the gentlest way to the man then they began walking, they stopped to the side of the Ped Xing waiting for the stoplight; and when it did. She helped him cross the street as she talked to the man while holding him.

The man was limping a little so they were walking in slow-paced as people passed them in a rush. He caught sight of someone bumping into Hye-Ri and giving them death glares.

He chuckled.

Once they finally crossed, Suga followed them to the side and parked near a sidewalk, and pressed the hazard. He waited for Hye-Ri and the man she was with to where they were heading and saw them stop at an ice cream parlor where he saw an old woman hugging the man and grabbing his shoulders.

Hye-Ri's face brightened as she explained to the mother what has happened and that she helped her lost son cross the road. When he saw them bow to each other, he pulled out his phone and called her.

"Look to your left, it's me."

"The black car?" She asked, her voice cracking.

"Yeah, get in before I get a ticket." He said then hung up. He looked at her from the mirror as she walked a little faster to his car and opened the passenger seat. She quickly got in and fastened her seatbelt.

He heard him sniff and put out his tissue box from the glove compartment. "Here."

She accepted and wiped her tears. "How can some people be cruel." She cried.

"There are a lot of people that don't think a lot like you, but despite those therr are people like you who won't hesitate. Those kinds of people need someone like you, and I'm sure a lot of eyes saw you and think would want to do the way you did." He leaned in and put his hand on top of Hye-Ri's head, caressing it.

Hye-Ri elt the sadness in my heart blow away with his words and his gentle touch made Hye-Ri realize how attentive and soft of a person this man beside her.

While driving, Suga couldn't help steal glances to the woman beside him and thought of again how cruel this world can be, there will always be an angel--a five foot flat woman full of tattoos of an angel.