I’m Not a Bad Person, I’m a Pitiable Person 5

“What are you?”

That’s what I should be asking.

So it was a lie after all — Yeom Hajae looking for me.

After being called out, I’d been heading behind the giant wooden tub, following Choi Haegang’s lead. The ominous feeling I’d had the whole time turned into certainty.

Choi Haegang, who had been walking behind me, suddenly lunged at me. My arm was seized out of nowhere, and I was slammed hard against the wall. In that instant, I barely managed to hold back my ability from activating on reflex.

I shouldn’t have turned my back on him in the first place….

Was going along quietly a mistake? I’d only followed him out because I worried that being overly cautious would make him suspicious instead.

My heart pounded fast. First, I forced my breathing to calm down.

Choi Haegang’s grip was rough, but he was waiting for my answer.

…It’s too early to call this a mistake yet. If I talk my way through this well enough, I can get out of it.

It wasn’t the worst situation. Right now, Choi Haegang had no intent to kill. If he’d meant to kill me, he would’ve used a weapon instead of his hands.

Both my shoulders had been dislocated, but my arms hadn’t been torn off.

In the middle of the dizziness, the Karma window appeared, making my heart sink further.

[Karma: 59779 (-10)]

This was the second time — the first being the car accident.

Does this go down every time I get hurt?

The question flashed through my mind. Noticing my attention was scattered, Choi Haegang pressed down on my body harder.

“Why did you approach us?”

“Ngh….”

I had to answer carefully. One thing was certain, at least.

Choi Haegang doesn’t remember anything from before the regression.

That much was a small mercy in this misfortune.

This was an unexpected situation that hadn’t happened before the regression. When I was first attacked, I’d wondered if maybe he had regressed too. But if that were the case, he wouldn’t be acting this carelessly. There was still plenty of room to talk my way out.

I writhed my body as pitifully as I could manage.

“Wh-why are you doing this…?”

I didn’t even have to act — my voice and body trembled on their own.

I was caught in the grip of a madman with sadistic tendencies, a murderer. With no idea whether my ability would even work on him, not trembling would’ve been the harder thing to do.

“Talk.”

Choi Haegang clicked the scabbard, making sure I heard it. I couldn’t see it, but I was sure the gleaming blade had briefly appeared and disappeared.

“If you lie, I’ll kill you.”

His tone was cold, devoid of emotion. The breath against the back of my neck sent chills down my spine.

Even if he suspected something, he couldn’t be certain yet. If I gave him certainty here, it was over.

I hurriedly opened my mouth.

“No. I think there’s some kind of misunderstanding here, sir….”

***

I’m just an ordinary office worker. My cat was acting strange, so I was just trying to take it to a 24-hour animal hospital. The reason I’m dressed like this is because I was planning to go straight to work after the vet visit. I don’t know why he’s doing this, but I really am just a regular person with nothing to do with the Association or the government. I have no idea what he means by “approach.” Getting caught up in the Gate was pure coincidence too, and I’d never even heard the name “Atlas” until today….

In short,

“Please spare me.”

Choi Haegang looked at the man in front of him, pleading desperately. To anyone else, the sight might have seemed quite pitiable, but he trusted his own instincts.

The blade, honed to a bluish gleam, slid all the way out of its scabbard.

Shing—.

“Ngh….”

“You’re lying. I’ll kill you.”

“What?”

From Seo Sinwoo’s perspective, this was absurd.

Wait, isn’t this the first time we’ve met today? Well, strictly speaking, it isn’t really the first time from my side, but— what is he even basing this “lying” thing on?

This guy doesn’t listen to reason at all….

Honestly, it felt a little unfair.

Whatever happens later, right now I genuinely didn’t come here with any bad intentions.

I didn’t want to run into you either, you know.

Falling into the Dungeon, and ending up face-to-face with Atlas — both were coincidences. If you wanted to call it a “scheme,” all I’d done was talk to Yeom Hajae a few times, hoping to get on friendly terms.

For a moment, I considered just frying him with electricity.

But I gave up on that quickly. The image of Choi Haegang six years from now — the one my ability hadn’t worked on no matter what — was burned into my mind like a nightmare. Besides, my shoulders were dislocated, sure, but my arms weren’t cut off.

Sweat trickled down the back of my neck.

“It’s not… a lie.”

“…Why did you approach Yeom Hajae?”

What a fake.

In front of him, he fawns all over the guy, but the moment he’s out of sight, he just calls him by name.

“I-I just wanted to get close to him.”

Seo Sinwoo smiled obsequiously.

This time, instead of a flimsy lie, he offered a bit of truth.

“He looks about my age, but he’s already a guild leader, so I figured… if I got close to him, he’d definitely be useful….”

“Useful?”

“I mean…. It’s dangerous inside the Gate. I’m scared too, you know.”

He poured as much wronged emotion into his words as he could.

“You wouldn’t understand, since you’re strong, sir.”

A moment of silence passed.

Seo Sinwoo swallowed hard.

…Did it work?

Soon, the sound of the sword being sheathed followed, and his body was released.

His body, which had been pressed against the wall, throbbed with pain. Slowly feeling the blood return to circulation through his body, he carefully turned around.

“I apologize.”

Choi Haegang, looking no different than before, said it with an expressionless face.

“I had reasons to check something, so I did.”

He had the audacity to admit, just like that, that it had been an intimidation tactic to test the waters. He even brushed off Seo Sinwoo’s clothes for him.

…This crazy bastard. He threatens an innocent civilian trembling in fear, and then thinks an apology makes it fine?

“Oh, no, well. I’m sure you had your reasons, haha.”

Anyway, it was a relief that the groveling act had worked. At this point, maybe it was better to give up on the “get close to Yeom Hajae” plan altogether.

Seo Sinwoo raised his arm and answered amiably.

“Whatever it was, I’m glad if the misunderstanding’s been cleared up.”

Click.

With the sound of joints locking back into place, the bone returned to its socket. Using the now-fine arm, he popped the other shoulder back into place too.

It hurt, but it was bearable.

Choi Haegang calmly watched Seo Sinwoo as he reset his bones.

There was something Seo Sinwoo had overlooked.

More precisely, a fact he hadn’t thought to be careful about, because years of torture had left him numb to pain.

Ordinary people can’t endure the pain of a dislocation.

The way he’d popped his arm back into place without so much as a groan, calmly — no matter how you looked at it, that wasn’t something an ordinary person could do.

“…..”

Choi Haegang thought.

He’d seemed scared, and since there hadn’t been certainty, he’d let him go for now — but it seemed that had been a hasty judgment.

He’s definitely not an ordinary person. He can’t be allowed to leave like this.

Unaware that Choi Haegang’s mind had changed, Seo Sinwoo rolled his shoulder and spoke lightly.

“Shall we head back now, then? It’s not great for a Hunter to leave civilians unattended for too long, after all.”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Choi Haegang took a step back. Seo Sinwoo, reading the mood, took two steps back. The swordsman stepped back the same distance again.

“…..”

Seo Sinwoo cursed inwardly.

“Let’s go.”

Choi Haegang gestured, his expressionless face still unreadable. He stood firm, as if he had no intention of moving a single step first. His attitude said he didn’t mind drawing his sword again for another round if Seo Sinwoo didn’t comply.

Seo Sinwoo’s eyes kept drifting to the sword hanging at his hip. The other man still held it loosely. Seo Sinwoo had no choice but to do as told and start walking.

Unease crept in.

He’s not going to hit me from behind again, is he….

In the end, unable to overcome his anxiety, Seo Sinwoo glanced back.

Sure enough.

Fuck.

He saw the gleam of a sharp blade.

The moment he registered it, the blade was already at his throat.

It wasn’t a strike meant to kill.

But faster than Choi Haegang could open his mouth, Seo Sinwoo’s body reacted.

—Flash.

A powerful current spread out instantly.

The blade against his neck seemed to flicker with light for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, smoke began rising from the superheated metal.

Choi Haegang’s body went rigid.

It was only when Seo Sinwoo smelled burning flesh that he realized his mistake.

“Oh no….”

He’d done it before he could even think it through, but the other man was already electrocuted.

Choi Haegang collapsed. Still in the stance of holding his sword.

Thud.

And then, no movement.

Uh…

Was he dead?

Wait. Dead?

His blank mind suddenly snapped awake.

…Isn’t that a good thing?

Seo Sinwoo looked down. Even when he poked the fallen swordsman with his foot, there was no reaction at all. Still, he couldn’t relax just yet.

This bastard isn’t playing dead like that time before, is he?

He crouched down to take a closer look. He turned Choi Haegang onto his back and held a hand under his nose to check his breathing.

Not breathing.

He checked the pulse.

No heartbeat.

Is he really dead?

To make sure, he pressed his ear to his chest.

…….

“He’s dead!”

Seo Sinwoo shouted, delighted.

Using his ability had been an accident, but he’d wanted to kill Choi Haegang from the start anyway. He’d just held back because he wasn’t sure if his ability would even work.

If Choi Haegang was dead, then he no longer needed to fear future retaliation. He could just kill everyone here and walk out, right?

That is, if he was really dead.

What did he need to do to avoid making the same mistake as last time?

That would be making sure of the kill.

Electricity might not be enough to actually kill him, like last time….

Seo Sinwoo looked at Choi Haegang’s sword.

Was there any method more certain than stabbing him through the heart?

The sword was still in Choi Haegang’s hand. The hilt stuck out slightly from his sturdy fist. If he grabbed that part and pulled, it should come free.

“Borrowing this for a sec, hyung.”

Seo Sinwoo placed his hand on the hilt that jutted out. But no matter how he gripped it, the sword wouldn’t budge — whoever held it had a grip too strong to pry loose with normal force.

That’s when it happened.

Grip.

A callused hand covered Seo Sinwoo’s hand as he struggled to pull the sword free.

“?”

The man he’d thought was dead slowly opened his eyes.

His dry lips let out a parched voice.

“Just as I thought….”

His gray eyes slowly rolled toward him. Seo Sinwoo and Choi Haegang’s eyes met.

“An Awakener.”