Chapter 139

The force ringing in my head and the burning sensation on my cheek.

Sadly, I’m familiar with this feeling.

The emotions I buried deep in my heart over the past few years came pouring out, as familiar as a show I watch every day.

I’m no longer a fourteen-year-old child.

Back then, I couldn’t stand up to Andrew, but now it’s different.

“Since talking won’t get through to you, I’ll show you the northern way.”

In this life, Raphael never taught me anything.

Without Oscar, Raphael wanted to shoulder everything himself.

But Oscar taught me that even without brothers, I had to learn how to protect myself.

This is a technique I learned back then.

“Urk!”

I went behind the man who was still yelling at Laura and wrapped a tablecloth around his neck, choking him.

I don’t intend to kill him, but I’m not going to let go until the police arrive either.

I struck his weak points.

If I hadn’t left my bag in the locker, I would’ve pulled out a gun and threatened him.

“S-stop! Stop!”

At Laura’s scream, Noah and Mandy rushed in and grabbed me, trying to pull me away.

“Call the police first!”

“Jean! At this rate, someone’s going to die! Stop!”

“Let go!”

If you leave someone like that alone, they’ll drag people into hell until the very end.

The moment the two of them pulled me off him, the man rushed at me and swung a knife.

I couldn’t dodge in time. I shut my eyes, thinking I’d just have to heal the wound with my ability.

But even after a moment passed, nothing happened.

“Ghk!”

When I opened my eyes slightly, I saw a broad back.

A coat worn over a suit, jet-black hair, and the movement of muscles faintly visible beneath the coat.

The moment I realized who it was, time seemed to slow down.

My heart pounded violently.

The trembling in my heart turned into a small shiver that ran down my spine and through my whole body.

“Johan….”

Johan, who had slammed the man to the ground, turned back to check on me.

“Are you alright?”

His face was pale. After checking my cheek, his expression twisted.

“Jea… Jean? Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”

After looking at my cheek, Johan bit down on his lips.

His large hand hovered around my face before dropping.

Frowning, Johan let out a rough breath and turned, grabbing the man by the collar.

He was just about to raise his fist.

“Don’t!”

Unlike when I hit him earlier, the man still couldn’t get up and was wheezing on the ground.

Since I’d already called the police, going any further would no longer be self-defense but assault.

“Johan. I’m fine, so don’t.”

“If that knife had grazed your neck, it would’ve been serious.”

“But you saved me.”

He’s a man who used to deal with organization members every night. There’s no way he’d show mercy.

Johan replied in an angry voice, “Do you even realize what your face looks like right now?”

“Please. Okay?”

I stepped closer and gently grabbed the hem of his clothes.

When I tugged lightly, Johan followed without resistance, like a child who doesn’t know how to fight back.

Thud. Thud.

Hearing something hit the floor, I turned my head and saw blood dripping from Johan’s hand.

“Johan! Your hand!”

I let out a scream and hurried to grab something to stop the bleeding.

By then, the police had arrived.

“So what happened is….”

“Well. That man needs to be locked up!”

Laura explained the situation through tears, and the man, now able to stand, shouted at the police that Johan should be arrested.

‘The wound is deep.’

I want to use my ability, but there are too many eyes watching, so I can’t.

I thought a lot about what I would say when I reunited with Johan. But there’s no choice but to apologize.

“I’m fine,” Johan whispered after checking my face.

When I couldn’t say anything, he lowered his head slightly and forced our eyes to meet.

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Are you worried about me?”

“How can you even say that right now….”

His hand is a mess. If I hadn’t stepped in, Johan wouldn’t have ended up like this.

He’s someone who’s already lost his sight and his leg once.

That’s why I hate seeing him get injured like this.

Upset, I bit down hard on my lip.

“Miss Jean Anderson?”

It was the police.

“Yes, yes. That’s me. I’m the one who reported it.”

“I heard you were struck in the face….”

The older officer frowned deeply when he saw my face.

“Oh dear. Are you planning to press charges?”

“I’m not sure.”

Going to the hospital, getting a medical report, and filing charges is troublesome in many ways when I’m using a fake identity.

“Sir. What’s your name?”

“Johan Müller.”

“Your hand, oh dear. You should go to the hospital right away….”

Seeing the towel soaked bright red made me anxious.

“Can we visit the station later?”

“Yes. That’s fine. It would be best to get treatment first. I heard you protected Miss Anderson. What is your relationship?”

The officer asked Johan, and since he couldn’t come up with an answer, he turned his gaze to me.

“You don’t seem like family.”

“Ah, well….”

How should I describe our relationship? Can it really be summed up as just friends?

While I hesitated, Ms. Laura, who had handed her husband over to the police, appeared.

“Jean. Oh my, your cheek… what should I do!”

She apologized rapidly, without even catching her breath.

“If I’d been firmer, this wouldn’t have happened. Jean, I’m sorry. Your face is badly hurt… does it hurt? Are your teeth or the inside of your cheek okay? I have nothing to say. I’m so ashamed… and thank you for protecting Jean. Your hand is in terrible shape, please go to the hospital, and send me all the medical bills.”

“Ms. Laura. I’m fine. Please calm down.”

“How can I calm down! He almost hurt you! I knew he was bad, but I didn’t think he was that bad. If you press charges, I’ll cover all the costs! Take time off until your injuries heal. Your pay will stay the same, no, I’ll give you several times more. I’ll make sure he doesn’t come anywhere near here, so don’t worry about anything.”

“I will. Are you okay, Ms. Laura?”

“I’m fine thanks to you. Go get some rest, okay? I’m so sorry I can’t even face you.”

“I’ll go now. You should rest too, boss.”

I quickly left the restaurant with Nelson.

“Aren’t you feeling dizzy?”

At my question, Johan looked blank for a moment, to the point that it made me more flustered, then slowly blinked.

Then he answered in a very languid tone, “I think I might be dizzy.”

“What? Really? L-let’s go to the hospital quickly! Hurry!”

I quickly grabbed Johan’s hand and poured mana into him.

His already pale skin looks even paler from the blood loss.

From inside the torn, blood-stained skin, recovery had already begun.

“Do you feel better now? Or are you still dizzy?”

Johan didn’t answer for a long time, enough to make the person waiting grow anxious, then after a while, his lips finally parted.

“Could you ask me one more time?”

“What?”

A faint blush spread across his cheeks.

“I like it when you worry about me.”

“Ah.”

“It feels good. Knowing that someone is worried about me.”

How can he say something like that in a situation like this?

When I glared at him, he quietly wiped the smile off his face. Even so, just the fact that I was worried about him made his eyes sparkle.

“You were worried about me.”

“That’s only natural.”

“But it wasn’t something natural.”

“….”

I really don’t understand Johan.

And yet, the blind affection he shows makes me feel at ease.

I’m just glad that he still likes me.

To think I abandoned someone like this… I have nothing to say even if I fall into hell.

Tap. Tap.

Tears fell onto the stone ground. Startled, Johan pulled out a handkerchief.

“Why on earth….”

“Sniff. Hic.”

The tears that had been trickling suddenly poured out so much that I could barely see.

Johan pleaded, “Please don’t cry. I don’t want to see you cry.”

He carefully tried to wipe my tears, but I avoided his touch.

I snuggled into his arms and buried my face in his chest. Under my arms, I felt his back and waist stiffen.

Johan raised his arms slightly, unsure of what to do, like someone hugging for the first time.

“I’ll do better.”

I wonder how he felt when he found that note in the empty house.

“You’re saying what I should be saying.”

Haha.

Johan let out a pleasant laugh.

It was completely different from the smile he showed when he first found me in Blue City.

He met my gaze. His eyes, softened and sweet, curved gently before he bumped his forehead lightly against mine.

Woof! Woof!

For some reason, excited, Nelson ran in circles around us.

***

I don’t remember what we were talking about when she said it.

It was when Johan got angry at Giselle and left the house.

“Big Bear worships money, Raphael worships violence, Sunshine worships drugs. And Black Cloak worships me.”

Did she know he was a stalker?

Tristan didn’t bother asking.

As someone involved in the incident, he assumed she had her own guesses.

“The situation I fear the most is Black Cloak making everything start over from the beginning.”

“From the beginning? What do you mean by that?”

“I mean it literally.”

Those deep blue eyes met his and warned him, “Turning back the world’s time and starting over. He has that kind of ability.”