208 – The Returner Endures (5)
“Help…” Help… “
A fragile girl trembling. Anyone can see that she is just a thin and helpless girl… I don’t let down my guard. This is because there is a slight possibility that going to help without any suspicion could lead to the development of ‘I was tricked!’ Right now, my mission of ‘survival’ may be a mission to survive this girl. This girl could be the end of everything I was so wary of, the end of the world.
Why are you approaching this girl when you are so wary of the subject? Because I am a regressor. Because even if you make a mistake, you can stand up again. If you are betrayed, just rub the back of your head and move on. However, if you hesitate here and things go wrong, that would be a mistake.
And I guess the action that needs to be taken now is to save this girl. The Korean government, or an equally powerful force, is targeting this girl. The proof is that all possible means of promotion, such as news and electronic billboards, have been covered. I don’t know why, but it seems like he desperately wants to get this girl back.
“Honey.”
“Yes… “
“People are looking for you now. “Do you know that?”
“Yes… “
“What do you want to do? Would you like me to guide you to those people?”
“… Well, I don’t like that. I don’t want to go back… “
The girl’s face instantly becomes colored with fear. That was enough of an explanation.
“Yes, I understand. Get on your back here… It won’t work because of the armor. “I’ll carry it and run.”
“Wow, I’m scared… “
“Be patient.”
At first, I ran at a speed that would be unthinkable for an ordinary person, but I thought the girl was scared, so I slowed down a little. I was planning to go to a deserted place as quickly as possible, but this quickly turned out to be a miscalculation.
“… What is that person? “Did I see it wrong?”
“Hey, take a picture. Take a picture. “Let’s upload it as a reel.”
As a man wearing shiny armor was running with a small girl in his arms, it was impossible not to get attention. Even though he was only running along the river, which had no path and was barren, I could see people taking out their cell phones after seeing me from afar.
“I need to take off my armor here. “Just wait a moment.”
It cannot continue like this. I carefully set the girl down in the wet river and quickly took off her armor. Inside, he was wearing cloth clothing that seemed to be provided as standard in the tower, and although it was awkward, it seemed like it would attract less attention than the iron armor.
“Can you walk?”
“Oh, no…” “
“Okay.”
There is a saying that when you want to hide a tree, hide it in the forest. I thought the best thing to do would be to hold hands and walk down the street together, but they said that was impossible, so I thought it would be better to walk on my back.
“Get on your back. Bury her head down and pretend to sleep. “You can sleep at all.”
“Yes… “
The girl fell asleep instantly after being placed on her back. Judging by the fact that he fell asleep right away, he must have been quite tired.
“… “
“… “
As we walked with the girl on our backs, all eyes on us disappeared in an instant. Surprisingly, no one paid any attention, except for the occasional elderly person who looked at us with happy expressions.
“Is it your daughter? “It’s a lot of hard work.”
“hahahaha, no.”
Even while I was smiling and answering, my head was busy. With the situation like this, the city is dangerous. I don’t know for sure, but it didn’t seem like the public authorities would be on our side. Police? Rather, it is a grave threat.
Aren’t ordinary criminals also good at hiding? If you look at the criminals hiding in the city, they all had collaborators. This means that there was a ‘place’ to hide in.
On the other hand, I am a complete stranger. An outcast. Let alone a place to stay, I don’t even have any cash in hand. The only way to make money that comes to mind right now is to rip off passers-by, and even that is meaningless these days since people carry credit cards.
Therefore, I cannot enjoy the city’s culture. Rather, CCTV acts as a potential threat. It is better to go to the countryside or, if possible, to the mountains.
Then again, how do we get to the mountain? This is Seoul. It goes without saying that I don’t have a car, and I don’t have money to take the bus.
“… “
No, do you really have to ‘take’ the bus?
“Uh, where are you going?”
I hear the voice of a girl who seems to have just woken up.
“To the riverside.”
First, let’s get out of Seoul and think.
**
The sun is setting. I always think about this, but I think sunset is very beautiful. I also like the everyday beauty that can be seen anywhere.
“This is…” “Where is it?”
“That’s right. I don’t know either.”
Just before the bus departed, we sneaked into the luggage compartment of the bus. I was told that the bus was going somewhere in Gangwon-do, and the timing was perfect.
Isn’t it caught on CCTV? Caught. It was caught unconditionally. So when I felt like the bus was driving down the highway, I forced the luggage compartment open from the inside and jumped out. Jumping off a moving bus should generally be avoided, but as a result of pushing the superhuman’s body to its limits, he was able to land without injury. I closed the luggage compartment again right before I jumped, so I don’t think anyone got hurt. Maybe.
Because it was broad daylight, there was little traffic, so I was able to get off without getting hit by another car. I walked along the road and climbed a nearby hill. Next, I climbed the mountain aimlessly. The first goal was to avoid being noticed as much as possible, and the second goal was to be able to see other people approaching.
By the time I got to the top of the mountain, the sun was already setting. The girl on his back also looked very tired, so it seemed like she should rest here.
“Haa, haa, haa… “
The girl, who was breathing heavily, suddenly looked at me and lowered her head.
“That… Thank you for your help.”
“… “Uh, okay.”
If it were me, I would have first asked, ‘Why did you help me?’, But maybe I’m just a naive girl. It seems like they either accept the favor purely as a favor or they just don’t think anything of it.
“First of all, what is your name?”
“My name? It’s Arum. In pure Korean, it means that you can fill your arms with it. “What about you?”
“I am Junho. By any chance, what is your last name?”
“The last name is… “There is nothing else.”
“… “
Areum is already throwing away ominous flags. When you say that a girl wearing a colorless white cloth has no s*x, it is semi-inevitable that various scenarios come to mind.
“Maybe… “Do you know why you are being chased?”
“That… sorry. “I don’t know either.”
“Then why did you say you didn’t want to go back?”
“My memories are vague, but… It’s painful… It was painful… I don’t want to go back… It’s so hard… “
“Ugh… “Then how did you get here?”
“That’s fine too… I just came to my senses and found myself outside… ”
My guess is that she was imprisoned in some secret laboratory, or similar facility, and escaped for some reason.
What is unique, however, is that memories of the ‘outside’ exist. For a life that grew up in a research lab and was raised in a research center, it would be normal for it to have no outside knowledge, but Areum had some basic common sense.
“Hmm… “
What should I do now? There are so many more things she wants to ask Areum, but she also feels bad about pushing a girl who barely escaped too much. Let’s gather more detailed information once she calms down.
“Are you sleepy? First, let’s find a place where you can sleep. “I think I saw somewhere that if you gather up leaves and lie down, they’ll be soft.”
“Yes, I understand.”
In preparation for any unexpected situation, she spread her magic widely and walked around looking for a place to rest. Since it’s a hill in Korea, I probably wouldn’t be able to find caves, so I planned to stop when I came across a reasonably wide flat area.
“That should be fine, right?”
“… Yes… “
Areum’s words trail off as if she’s tired. It’s my first time seeing her, but she’s honestly cute. She thought that if she had a daughter, she would want to raise her like this.
A little. Is it because my mind has relaxed a little?
Taaang!!!
“Wow… !!”
A devastating pain felt near her shoulder. Blood petals scattering in all directions. A sound that should never come out of the human body, closer to a crackling sound than a crackling sound.
She was alert with her magic power, and reacted momentarily by twisting her body slightly, but she was unable to dodge the bullet. At most, a bullet that would have hit the chest was hit in the shoulder. As the tingling pain spreads throughout my body, time passes as if in slow motion.
Far away. A faint reflection of light shining from the mountain peak opposite. Sniper.
“Oppa… !”
Areum is shocked when she sees me. Eyes widening. Mouth opening wide.
Taaang!!!
“aaah!”
Her knees shattered. The last sight was the sight of her slender legs bending in the opposite direction and collapsing in an instant.
[You have suffered damage.]
[Return to the moment you first entered the 21st floor.]
I lost my mind.
***
“… “
“Is it cosplay?”
“Aren’t you filming a movie? Or YouTube?”
“Can I take a picture? “It’s kind of cool, isn’t it?”
Ignoring other people’s reactions, I sit down on the nearest bench. There is a need to refine your thoughts.
“Sniper… “
I knew that there were snipers in Korea, but I had never heard of them being deployed in combat. I never thought they would point a gun at a civilian.
And the last sight I saw was also meaningful. The sniper’s bullet aimed at my chest. It means to intend to kill. On the other hand, Areum aimed for her legs. On the contrary, it probably means that there is a need to keep it alive. It also means that I have the confidence to save him before he dies from excessive bleeding.
“Whoa… “
If snipers are mobilized, it is safe to say that the force targeting Areum is the Korean government. Is one country targeting one girl?
Anyway, this sets my goal for now. If asked to choose between a delicate girl and ruthless power, everyone would make the same choice as me.
I hide Areum from the world.
One week. Or for a longer period of time.