TIN 120

I laughed inappropriately at the situation I had found myself in. While I had imagined being caught by him, none of my scenarios included this scene—Joo Do-hwa personally coming to this shabby alley and finding me in this ridiculous female disguise.

There was no time for a casual hello. Joo Do-hwa gripped the windowsill as if about to jump down. Someone from behind firmly held him back as he tried to climb out the window.

“Young master!”

“…Let go.”

“I can’t. If you fall…”

“I said let go!”

Their voices rang clearly in the dead-silent alley. After seeing Joo Do-hwa shake off Henry, I managed to move my broken leg forward. Though the bone ached sharply, there was no way I could collapse here.

“Catch them!”

Surprisingly, it was Henry who shouted. So that person can raise his voice after all. As I thought this absently, several strong men burst out from inside the building. As I limped along unsteadily, I gritted my teeth tightly and started running again when Joo Do-hwa shouted once more.

“Fuck, let go of me!”

I heard multiple people joining Henry to try to restrain Joo Do-hwa. Apparently Henry’s strength alone wasn’t enough to stop him. Even a well-built alpha would clearly get hurt jumping from the third floor. Besides, a pampered young master like Joo Do-hwa wouldn’t know how to climb walls.

Leaving the sounds of their struggling behind, I crossed the street with all my might. I could clearly hear countless footsteps chasing after me. No matter how confident I was in running, at this rate getting caught was only a matter of time.

“Stop right there!”

“Spread out to the sides! Block all access to the roads!”

Unlike the truck drivers who could barely chase for a few steps, the people Joo Do-hwa brought today were different. Even without the luxury of looking back, I could feel the distance gradually closing in behind me. They were cornering me right up to the edge, as if they were doing everything possible to try and trap me.

However, for someone who had lived on the streets most of their lives like me, this wasn’t my first time running from pursuers. If they were specialized in protection, we had people specialized in pursuit. I had escaped from those vicious ones before, so there was no way I could  be caught by people like this.

After running in a straight line, I suddenly turned into a narrow alley. I quickly crossed between buildings and jumped over an adjacent wall to land on the other side. Some still followed me there, but after turning two corners, the sounds from behind gradually faded away.

“If we go that way…”

“Find them quickly!”

“…Block that side!”

I heard the confused guards radioing each other. The winding alleyways were naturally confusing for anyone who hadn’t lived here. It was impossible to block the escape routes, and turning based on rough guesses would only lead to getting lost.

Of course, I couldn’t let my guard down until the very end, so I took off my hat while weaving through the alleys. I tore off all the hair I had glued on, then pulled the hat low to cover my eyes. I wrapped the cloth that had covered my face around my wrist and put on the mask I had been saving.

I rewrapped the bandage that had been around my chest back to its original purpose on my ankle. My ankle was swollen and bruised black and blue like when I first injured it. It had almost healed, but now it seemed I would have to start the recovery process all over again.

“Ugh…”

I tied the bandage tight enough to cut off circulation and made a firm knot to prevent it from coming loose. Testing my foot on the ground, fortunately, it was much easier to move than before. While I couldn’t hold out long like this, it would be enough to temporarily forget about the pain.

I didn’t mind the physical pain since wounds would gradually heal over time. As long as injuries from breaking and fracturing didn’t result in permanent disability, these things were bearable. No, even a broken ankle would be far better than getting caught now.

Because several routes to the city were blocked, I chose a longer detour instead of my original path. While it would take more time, since I had planned to leave at night anyway, the arrival time should work out about the same.

And so I left the streets where I had lived half my life and headed for the city. To escape from Joo Do-hwa. And to reach the sea that I had always yearned for.

It was a final farewell with no return.

***

‘Hyung, do you know how to play tag?’

The child had asked during our childhood. It was when we were looking at the sea together, and they started building a sand castle alone with a bored expression.

Having made just a small sand mound, the child stuck a seashell on top and asked again.

‘How about hide and seek?’

‘…’

Unfortunately, all I could do was shake my head. I had never played either tag or hide and seek in my life. In fact, even the names of these games sounded almost unfamiliar.

‘You don’t know either.’

I thought they would teach me as usual when I said I didn’t know, but the child’s face fell as soon as I shook my head. As if they had asked because they really didn’t know, not because they wanted to teach me. As I was starting to feel sorry seeing that blank expression on their face, the child tilted their head.

‘I wonder what’s the difference between them?’

Yeah, what is exactly the difference between them?

The child who had everything they could want was missing just one thing—peers their age. Besides me, they were surrounded only by adults. At first, I thought it was due to being at a villa, but as I learned more, it became clear they had no opportunities to make friends at all.

Unfortunately, I too was friendless. Living on the island with only waves and sand for company, the first peer I ever met was this child who was a head shorter than me. Naturally, there was no way I could have known such games like tag or hide and seek.

Logan later explained the difference between them. After kindly explaining the rules, Logan looked troubled when the child suggested playing together. He probably felt uncomfortable playing a game with win/lose conditions against his master.

If I heard that question again now, I could explain it. What we did in the alleys was tag, and what we’re about to do was a game of hide and seek. You’re it, and I had absolutely no intention of being caught.

It was late at night when I reached my destination. The delay was because I chose less populated streets to avoid encounters. Of course, it was also because I had to rest every now and then due to my injured ankle.

Fortunately, I still didn’t sense anyone pursuing me. Having taken such a roundabout route, I must have completely lost them. While I might be tracked down eventually, I thought I’d be safe for a day or two.

Standing on the pedestrian overpass at the city’s entrance, I absentmindedly surveyed the surroundings. Beyond the dry Han River stretched streets lined with skyscrapers. Despite it being midnight, neon signs and streetlights from the buildings illuminated the entire city.

It was a sight I hadn’t seen while attending parties with Joo Do-hwa. His mansion was outside the city center, and we usually traveled by car. Even our one trip to the department store had been in broad daylight.

“…Hah.”

While the unprecedented sight was impressive enough to draw admiration, it was also empty in a way. Just turning around would reveal the slums, yet before my eyes lay what seemed like another world entirely.

In the backstreets without electricity, people typically found shelter and slept when the sun set. With barely any stars in the dark sky, the best option in the lightless darkness was to just wait for dawn. Though occasionally people would wander the streets on full moon nights.

Limping across the overpass, I saw flyers with my face posted here and there, though less densely than in the back alleys. The only difference was that the reward offered was goods rather than money.

“…They’re offering jewels.”

Clever, I suppose. Those rich folks probably figured cash had no value to them. As Kei, who actually dealt in money, used to say—cash was the least valuable thing in existence.

After crossing the overpass, I occasionally saw people passing by. They would glance at my beggar-like appearance and give me a wide berth as if I were contagious. Unlike those desperate for the reward money, they didn’t even try to check my face.

I pulled down my hat brim and lowered my head. While it was fortunate they didn’t suspect I was the person in the flyers, at this rate I’d obviously be caught by police before long. One way or another, I’d end up being chased.

“…”

What should I do in the meantime?

As I pondered this, a bar came into view. Or more precisely, the man doing customer solicitation in front of it.

After staring intently at his uniform, I slowly moved my feet in his direction.