Unexpected Kindness

Choi Go-yo tried to grasp the situation with a bewildered look on his face.

So, some bad guys kidnapped someone. When he followed them, he found an abandoned factory. Inside, he could hear the sound of someone being beaten. Naturally, Choi Go-yo thought the kidnappers were beating the poor part-time worker! He had been instructed by Seo Min-gi to keep a close watch on the situation and protect the worker if anything happened.

Oh no, those cowardly awakened ones were beating up an awakened person who was almost like a regular human! The code of conduct for the awakened and the special law were all dead, he thought, as he rushed into the abandoned factory.

But an awakened person who was almost like a regular human was beating up another awakened person.

"Ugh…"

There were already several guys lying on the floor after being beaten!

The door was kicked open roughly, and the cold wind from the seaside blew in.

A black apron covered in footprints fluttered. The part-time worker let go of the guy he was grabbing by the collar. The guy, whose face was swollen like a steamed bun and bleeding, slumped like a puppet with its strings cut. One more guy was twitching on the floor.

And then, silence.

Their eyes met.

The part-time worker, without even looking at the hand trying to grab his ankle, stomped on it hard and opened his mouth, using the new scream as background music.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

Responding urgently, Choi Go-yo's voice cracked. He gulped down his saliva.

The black apron with a blue toad drawn on it was covered in footprints, his hands were stained with blood, and for some reason, his hair was wet and tangled. Despite his appearance, which anyone would think was of a kidnapped person, his face was surprisingly neat.

In fact, what scared Choi Go-yo the most was his expression, which showed little emotion. How could someone who was beating people just moments ago have such a calm face?

Wasn't he just an ordinary part-time worker at a hangover soup restaurant? At most, a D-grade awakened? What was this ominous aura? He was on the verge of collapsing from fear. The part-time worker, who had been silent, asked.

"Are you one of them?"

"What? No! Absolutely not!"

"When people ask this kind of thing, they always say no. How cliché."

Of course I'd say no if I'm not! Choi Go-yo felt wronged. He was so aggrieved or scared that he felt like crying. He involuntarily started to back away. However,

"Don't even think about running."

At a single word, he stopped dead in his tracks. The part-time worker wasn't even looking at him. He was just standing still, tidying his wet and tangled hair. Yet, Choi Go-yo's feet wouldn't move. Cold sweat ran down his back. He barely opened his mouth to make an excuse.

"No, I really…"

"Don't waste your energy… It won't take long to catch you."

It was more of a statement of fact than a threat. He felt that if he tried to run, he would be caught and dragged back here in no time. And he would end up like the guys sprawled on the floor. Choi Go-yo firmly shut his mouth and sat down on the dusty floor. The part-time worker murmured satisfactorily.

"Good boy."

He silently approached and squatted in front of Choi Go-yo, who was already sitting. Despite his neat face, his posture was like that of a delinquent. The part-time worker, with an expressionless face, gestured with his hand.

"So."

"Yes?"

"What were you going to say? Go on."

"Ah."

"If you don't talk quickly…"

His cold eyes glanced at the guys lying around. The part-time worker was so generous that he even gave him time to speak and kindly warned him that he would end up like those guys if he didn't speak quickly. Choi Go-yo, at the fastest speed in his life, pulled out his wallet and handed over his business card.

[Pado Guild Combat Support Team 1]

[Rank A Romantic Opener]

"I'm Romantic Opener from the Pado Guild!"

The part-time worker asked again, almost out of habit, at the familiar and detestable guild name.

"Pado?"

"Yes! The Guild Leader sent me to protect you, Cha Eui-jae-ssi."

Choi Go-yo hadn't expected the business card that Bae Won-woo had told him to always carry would be so useful. He reflected on his past days of recklessly claiming he didn't need such things, that his face was his business card. He also decided to repay Bae Won-woo for this favor.

Maybe hangover soup would be a good idea. Having chosen the menu in his mind, Choi Go-yo looked at the part-time worker in front of him. The part-time worker, who was examining the business card, rubbed his forehead.

"…You're from the Pado Guild."

The atmosphere suddenly changed like a cold snap in the middle of a warm spring day. Cha Eui-jae, who had been reading the business card, asked Choi Go-yo.

"Your name is… Romantic Opener?"

"Yes, that's correct. Romantic Opener…"

"Aha."

In the interview-like atmosphere, Choi Go-yo unintentionally got a bit nervous and answered with a lot of spirit. It was the first time he had been this nervous since the final interview with Lee Sa-young at Pado Guild.

While Choi Go-yo was lost in thought, Cha Eui-jae suddenly extended his blood-stained hand. Choi Go-yo, like a new employee looking for cues from his boss, quickly started thinking. What is this? What does he want? Does he want something to clean his hand? Did I bring a handkerchief?

It seemed that Cha Eui-jae wasn't expecting to receive anything, as he naturally continued talking.

"Romantic Opener-ssi."

"Yes? Yes."

"Are you quick-witted?"

"What?"

If he were truly quick-witted, he wouldn't be responding with a "What?" But at least Choi Go-yo's responses were prompt, which was a good quality. Cha Eui-jae chuckled.

"Well… It's okay even if you're not."

Then, Cha Eui-jae suddenly bowed his head deeply. It was a decidedly theatrical move.

"Look, as you can see, I'm in a very bad mood right now."

So… he wanted to give an explanation of how things got to this point… But Cha Eui-jae's performance was effective. The blood on his hand added to the tension. Choi Go-yo nodded busily.

"Yes. I can see that."

"I was just about to close up and take a break when these bastards kidnapped me."

That was a lie. Cha Eui-jae hadn't been kidnapped; he had practically asked to be kidnapped. Even though Choi Go-yo had witnessed his every move until the moment of his so-called abduction, he still played along.

"Unbelievable."

"Not only did they kidnap me, but they also kicked me for responding late. They beat people with crowbars and nailed bats."

"Those trashy bastards!"

Choi Go-yo wasn't known for his empathy. He was the kind of person who, when told by a friend that they were tired and had bought dry shampoo, would respond with, "Dry shampoo? Is it good?" 

But the current Choi Go-yo was different. He was channeling all his latent empathy from his core, trying his best to empathize with Cha Eui-jae. Seeing Choi Go-yo's strong reaction, Cha Eui-jae dramatically lifted his dirt-stained apron.

"See these footprints?"

"My god, how much did they beat you?"

"Don't even ask. It was a lot."

"Those damn bastards. They should be fed to the piranhas!"

Of course, Cha Eui-jae looked remarkably fine for someone who claimed to have been severely beaten, but the truth wasn't important to Choi Go-yo at that moment. After all, there's a saying that dead men tell no tales!

Choi Go-yo nodded fervently, fully expressing his feelings. Thankfully, the young man seemed pleased with his intense reaction and continued his story, resting his cheek on his hand.

"So, I disciplined them a bit."

"…I see."

The guys on the floor were so swollen from the beatings that they were unrecognizable. If this was just a bit of discipline, what would happen if he disciplined them properly?

Choi Go-yo felt a chill down his spine for a moment but quickly dismissed it. He wasn't the one who got beaten; it was those guys knocked out on the floor. The blood-stained fingers twitching weakly to catch his attention were ignored by Choi Go-yo, who simply closed his eyes.

And he thought, How merciful it was to spare the lives of those who kidnapped and beat him. Lee Sa-young would have completely erased them without a trace. Thinking this way, the young man in front of him started to seem like a living Buddha.

Choi Go-yo, nodding mechanically, spoke his thoughts sincerely.

"You are truly merciful."

"Yes. So, Choi Go-yo-ssi."

"Yes!"

"Could you please shut up?"

"Excuse me?"

Cha Eui-jae's face had already changed to a chilling smile, colder than a late spring frost, more like a frozen Siberian lake. As Choi Go-yo stared blankly, unable to follow the logic, Cha Eui-jae sighed briefly and began to educate him.

"I don't have the ability to erase memories cleanly."

"…"

"To erase them, I'd have to use physical means…"

With blood-stained hands, he gently formed a fist and smiled softly. But that smile made Choi Go-yo's face turn as pale as it had when he witnessed the brutal scene earlier.