Chapter 9 - The human heart doesn’t always work out that way (2)
Due to the producer’s insistence on maintaining coherence in the strangest places, I had no choice but to wander aimlessly through the dark streets at night.
Sadly, the location of the incident was not clearly explained within the work. There was only a fleeting illustration of being overwhelmed by a darkly projected truck on a desolate night street.
So, the only thing I could do now was to comb through places where Park Ha-eun might go, trying to find her before the incident occurred.
“Why does a smoker like him have such good stamina?”
The process would have been incredibly difficult for an ordinary person, but at least for Lee Ji-woon, it wasn’t so arduous. For the Kim Tae-yang, who was beyond an ordinary person in physique, a sprint was nothing more than a trivial exercise. (T/N: changing 'golden sun to Kim Tae-yang)
In a way, it was fortunate. If I had been possessed by the protagonist, Yoon Dong-gun, and realized Park Ha-eun’s situation as late as now? Everything might have been over by the time I barely arrived.
I’ll admit it this time, it was fortunate that I was possessed by Lee Ji-woon’s body. Even after running for over 30 minutes, I could borrow this body that doesn’t get out of breath.
“Is that…?”
While wandering near Park Ha-eun’s house, I stumbled upon a strangely familiar place.
A dark roadside untouched by streetlight. A two-lane road with a small crosswalk painted on it.
Even I, who had only glimpsed the illustration, could immediately recognize it as the exact spot where the accident occurred.
And in that pitch-black darkness, a female student radiating a dazzling aura.
Instinctively, I realized that the woman standing on the roadside was Park Ha-eun.
It was a relief. Sighing with relief that the incident hadn’t happened yet, I walked towards Park Ha-eun.
“Wait, hold on.”
A thought suddenly crossed my mind. If I openly save Park Ha-eun here, what happens to me?
It was certainly the right thing to save her. However, I had forgotten one most important fact in my preoccupation with that truth.
Now that I’m possessed by Lee Ji-woon, I absolutely must not get involved with the heroine. Even if it’s a positive outcome, no one knows how it would affect Lee Ji-woon, who is destined for a bad ending.
If I enter that dark alley now, I will inevitably be entangled with Park Ha-eun. And with Yoon Dong-gun, the protagonist who is closest to her.
It wasn’t a matter of making a phone call or setting up a meal like I first thought. Compared to such trivial things, the nature and magnitude of the incident were far too heavy.
Ah, such a fool I am. Not only did I act impulsively to ease my mind, but I also failed to consider the consequences. Do I really want to be violated by dozens of black men, you fool…!
“Hoo…”
I had no thoughts of turning back, but it was certainly too dangerous to go in as I was now. However, the truck was gradually closing the distance from afar.
If I could find something to casually throw over my head, the situation would be much better…
“…Oh.”
Yes, that was when I found it. It was then that I discovered it in a pile of trash nearby.
***
With a bread bag over my head, everything proceeded swiftly.
Harnessing the incredible physical abilities of Kim Tae-yang, I sprinted across the crosswalk with all my might and managed to escape the road while holding Park Ha-eun in my arms.
Due to my instinctive movements, the posture resembled the typical princess carry. It might have looked a bit cartoonish, but its effectiveness was certain.
Whoosh!!!
The truck roared past us in an instant.
It seemed to be moving at a tremendous speed, and Park Ha-eun, who had only given up her leg, impressed me greatly.
Is this the heroine’s buff? If Kim Tae-yang had been hit by that truck, I wondered if I would have been disassembled starting from my limbs, making it difficult even to identify me.
“Hoo…”
With a light breath, my feet finally landed on the pavement.
Honestly, the urgency of saving Park Ha Eun had weighed heavily on me.
An ordinary person with typical physical abilities couldn’t have outpaced a speeding truck about to hit someone. Not unless they were an exceptionally trained athlete.
But such worries vanished the moment I began to fully utilize Lee Ji-woon’s body.
Kim Tae-yang was truly not an ordinary human being.
‘This body. It’s insane.’
I already knew that Lee Ji-woon’s physical abilities were exceptional within the story, but there was a clear difference between reading about it as a setting and actually moving the body.
To put it in perspective, it felt as if someone suddenly bestowed upon me a max-level character when I had been using one that hadn’t even changed classes. It wasn’t just the strength, but the level of athletic ability this body possessed was simply unbelievable.
Due to the heightened tension in my body, a surge of vitality coursed through me, sharpening my gaze.
At this moment, I felt an exhilaration as if I could do anything. Whatever it was, as long as it involved physical action, I felt unbeatable.
And right at that moment, as I savoring (?) Kim Tae-yang’s physique, Park Ha Eun’s sudden cry interrupted my thoughts.
“Ouch…!”
She winced in pain, nestled in my arms, and with that, the heat of the moment inevitably came to an end.
***
“Where… where am I?”
Was it the shock that caused her to lose consciousness for a moment? Park Ha-eun, barely opening her eyes while cradled in someone’s arms, was forced to widen them immediately due to the rough noise assaulting her ears.
Whoosh!!!
What her eyes captured was the scene of a massive truck, which should have hit her, passing by her by a hair’s breadth.
At the same time, the noise that seemed to tear through the air was chilling enough to bring even half-closed-eyed Park Ha-eun back to her senses.
“Ouch…!”
Suddenly, she felt a strong force. The firm grip, unlike any she had ever experienced, made her realize she was being held by someone.
Lifting her gaze a bit higher, what came into Park Ha-eun’s view was a bread bag with holes. More precisely, it was some strange man wearing a bread bag over his head.
For some reason, she felt a strange familiarity with this suspicious-looking man.
“…”
The bread bag man, having finished what he seemed to have set out to do, very carefully set her down. As if handling an expensive piece of art, very gently and slowly.
Then, for some unknown reason, he looked at Park Ha Eun. His gaze felt strangely familiar, prompting her to murmur without realizing it.
“Ji-woon… is that you?”
“No, it’s not (in a high pitch).”
It wasn’t him. The faint moonlight was not enough to accurately identify the person behind the mask. Even if the bread bag man’s skin was tanned and he wore shoes similar to those of Ji-woon from school.
Of course, she was in no state to notice such details. Until just a moment ago, Park Ha-eun had been immersed in the terrifying thought that she might have left the world.
“Thank you, really…! Eek…!”
“Be careful (in a high pitch).”
Park Ha-eun hurriedly tried to bow in gratitude, but her legs, weakened by fear, did not easily comply. It was the bread bag man’s strong hand that prevented her from falling over immediately.
The muscles and veins stood out more clearly against his darkened skin tone. And there, a small abrasion, as if grazed somewhere, was clearly visible.
‘The injury… because of me…’
Judging by the amount of blood, it wasn’t severe, but it looked like a wound that needed treatment. Park Ha-eun’s eyes couldn’t leave the man’s wrist, even as she felt dizzy.
Gratitude. Appreciation. And guilt. Emotions opposite to what she had felt when she was about to be hit by the truck surged, stirring her heart. Of course, whether he knew it or not, the bread bag man started to put distance between them after seating her on a bench.
“Then, I’ll be going (in a high pitch).”
“Ah, wait!”
As if trying to hide something, the benefactor with the inverted voice uttered only the bare minimum of words and disappeared into the alley, concealing his trail.
Park Ha-eun reached out her hand, hoping to repay the person who saved her, but her small, frail hand couldn’t possibly catch the bread bag man’s elusive presence.
“He’s gone… huh…?”
After he left, all that remained in the dim alley was a slender high school girl and several streetlights that had just begun to light up.
Even amidst the confusion, Park Ha Eun’s eyes continued to follow the man with the bread bag over his head.
As if she would never forget him.
“Thank you, really.”
And as if she was determined to repay this kindness.
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