Chapter 139 - I Need a Hero

"Aghhh! Please! Please let us go!" one of the men knelt, pleading with the mysterious man in black who had subjugated and beaten four men with a paint pole. Hong Gi's henchman rubbed his hands pathetically, with bruises on his face and tears of pain reaching his chin.

Hunter Shin stepped forward, and the henchman flinched, imagining that he would take another thwack on his aching back. One of the men was passed out and two others were writhing on the floor, grabbing the most injured body parts. 

The stranger had had no mercy on the men who hound the student.

He narrowed his eyes, and throwing the stick aside, crouched down in front of the pathetic man, grabbing his collar,

"Are you going to be pestering young students?"

"Not Sunbaenim! Never!"

"Get out of here, sc.u.m!" 

The man did not miss the opportunity to leave while he could still walk, and dragging his passed out companion, he called the others to leave the alley.

Only then did the Hunter turn to Eun Ha, looking up.

The fairy was very wide-eyed, glued like a gecko to the bars. After everything she witnessed, she could barely blink! Hunter Shin was an exceptional martial artist! He looked like an actor from historic films fighting with a spear!

'Daebak!'

He put his hand over his eyes, and said,

"Get out of there, Eun Ha."

'Awn how cute, he's covering his eyes, so he doesn't see under my skirt!' she thought, delighted by the cute manner of that rude man. But when Eun Ha tried to move, she cried out in pain,

"OH! AH! UH UH! I can't do it, Professor Shin! I'm cramping when I try to loosen my fingers!"

Making an annoyed expression, Shin reached where she was in three movements. And taking his hand, he began to loosen her fingers carefully from the wire.

"UHUHUH! It hurts!"

"Hold me," he said as he released one of her hands.

"My wand ... It fell on the other side, with the dogs. And… The magic didn't work!" 

Shin answered nothing until he was with her on the floor. But Eun Ha didn't release the hug.

"Thank you for coming!" she buried her face in his chest for a moment, wanting to stay there forever. Then she looked up at him in adoration.

She saw the change, from an expression she thought was a concern, to the usual, empty poker face,

"Are your fingers still cramping? Is that why you can't let go?"

'No, that's not the reason. But you don't have to know! Hehehe!' she made a sad and defeated face, nodding,

"Sorry Professor! Let's stay a little bit like that, okay? My fingers are stiff!"

Shin sighed, and patted her on the head, who smiled happily.

°°°

KJH: "I need some fresh air today. Feeling completely suffocated! Why don't we meet a little earlier, before class, for some outdoor exercises? If you can, answer YES!"

Ye Rim was happy earlier to receive Jun Hyeon's message inviting her to come earlier to classes and make some outdoor exercises first. 

She left the building, and as she left she saw something very peculiar: Mrs. Yoo peering in front of her own greengrocer behind a pole. Lately the front of the Yoo's greengrocer was always full of people who were clearly not from the neighborhood. Ye Rim knew that 'Ryan Lee's' fame was causing a problem for the Yoo. But the most interesting thing was when she saw the woman make a sign and, coming from a side street, Kang Dae, wearing a mask, sunglasses and hood, ran and entered through the side gate. 

'They already have a celebrity logistic plan!' she had a fun thought. But she remembered to warn Eun Ha by message that Kang Dae was finally back home, and her unnie could speak to him today.

°°°

Ji Hyeon felt her strength was ending, as she pedaled the pink bicycle of the girl who thought she was a monster. She didn't know how much she had cycled. She had a general sense of where she was, now that she had reached an avenue with a known name.

She just didn't want to speak or be seen by anyone else. The reaction of those children tore her apart and took away much of the confidence she had in her previous plan. The plan Ji Hyeon had made before leaving her captivity. She thought people would help her as soon as they saw her. But now ... She thought those who didn't think she was a monster, would think she was a drug abuser or mentally ill. They would run and avoid her, in fear and disgust.

Every time Ji Hyeon thought about it, her heart ached as if she had been stabbed, and her eyes blurred. But now, she imagined she was about 10 kilometers from her old home. 

'What if my mom doesn't live there anymore?' Ji Hyeon wasn't sure. She also didn't know where Jun lived, or where the Ji Hyeon Foundation was. She just knew that she didn't want to be judged by strangers, who would avoid her gaze and ignore her. She wanted her home, her mother, Jun.

It was rush hour. Cars passed her, and other fast bicycles too, along the lane. They were annoyed at her. She even got slapped on the back of the head and was cursed for blocking the flow.

Bent over on a bicycle too small for her, but still faster than her own feet, she was an obstacle on the bike path.

The cramps started. Ji Hyeon tried to ignore it. A long time ago, in the past, she danced and trained to the limit of exhaustion, ignoring body aches and pains. However, her mind no longer worked like that. Much less her body, no matter how much she exercised in the bas.e.m.e.nt. Old Ji Hyeon was dead, and this one, about to die.

'If I die here on the bike path, I will certainly be buried as destitute and my family will never know what happened. They will continue to call Dae Won for family events and consider him a hero and a good fiancé,' she thought, when a stronger cramp made her lose her ability to move her foot on the pedals. She fell to the side, feeling the bike topple over with her. A cyclist whizzed past, just dodging her.

Thick tears streamed down her face in pain and humiliation.

Ji Hyeon curled up in a ball, grabbing her knees and crying as her muscles throbbed painfully.

Then she heard an engine approaching.

Motorcycle wheels?

A pair of All Star sneakers approached her horizontal field of vision, blurred by tears, she saw legs in jeans crouching in front of her. Hands touched her shoulder gently,

"Agassi? Agassi? Can you speak?" a young, rough voice spoke.

"Mmm... cramp!" she murmured, feeling her mouth full of gooey saliva.

The person helped her to sit up, even with her muscles aching as hell. She remained clinging to her knees, trying to let her hair cover her horrible face.

The boy came back with a half-full bottle of water. Ji Hyeon drank heavily, realizing how thirsty she was.

He also offered a banana.

This was strange. Then she looked at the green scooter, and saw a delivery box on the back, written "Yoo Greengrocer". She grabbed the banana with a deep thanks, and reaching for her can of potatoes, offered it to him in return.

This only elicited an intrigued denial from the student. He watched while she ate, which didn't take long.

The delivery boy had a penetrating look and an attractive face who was staring at her with concerned eyes.

"Agassi. Why did you leave the house during rush hour on a children's bicycle?"

She didn't know what to say. If she said he was kidnapped for years and was now on the run, would he still help? Or would he abandon it because he realized that it was a big problem?

"Agassi? Can you hear me?" the boy made exaggerated signs, and she understood that he thought that perhaps she was deaf. 

"Help me! I need to get somewhere! Can you help me?!" the words came out abruptly, and Ji Hyeon wasn't even sure if they looked like words at all. Putting her hands together, she rubbed and pleaded with the delivery man,

"I just need a ride! I need to get somewhere, nothing more! Please, please! I can't do it alone!"

He looked at her strangely, seeming to ponder and analyze. Ji Hyeon cringed at the scrutiny.

"Can we leave your bike here?" he asked, helping her to her feet. The touch of his hand caused a kind of shiver in hers, but Ji Hyeon was baffled and just thought it might be a sign of cramp in her hand.

She nodded. All she wanted to do was get out of there. Arrive home.

She thanked the heavens for this angel to meet her when she needed it most.

"I don't have another helmet," he commented, and she felt that was the excuse he would use.

But the boy took his helmet and put it on Ji Hyeon's head, buckling it firmly.

"Can you get on the back by yourself? Where are you going?" he asked.