Jin-hee helped her to her feet, gripping her arm firmly but gently. Rain plastered their clothes, and the faint smell of ozone from the robot lingered in the air. Min-ah's eyes widened as she took in his presence.
"Another… human?" she whispered, disbelief in her voice.
"Hi, Min-ah," Jin-hee said calmly, keeping his eyes scanning the surrounding alleyways for patrol bots.
Her brow furrowed, eyes sharpening. "Wha… how do you know my name?"
"I ran into you not too long ago," he said, keeping his voice low but steady.
Her expression froze for a moment—and then recognition hit. "Wait… you're—" Her eyes widened further, and her lips parted. "Jin-hee?"
He gave a small nod. "Yeah. You probably don't remember much of me, but we met before all this started."
Min-ah's gaze softened, a mix of relief and disbelief flickering across her face. "I remember… I remember now. You helped me with my packages… in front of the café."
"That's right," he said, allowing a faint smile. "I promised I'd be here if you needed help. Guess that time came sooner than either of us expected."
They began moving carefully through the broken streets, shadows clinging to them like a second skin. Min-ah glanced around nervously, taking in the ruins: the broken neon signs, smoldering cars, overturned trash bins, and distant silhouettes of robots patrolling the streets. "I… I didn't know anyone was still alive," she murmured, her voice trembling.
"I'm still here," Jin-hee replied, "and I'm not going to let them take you again." He tightened his grip on the sword strapped to his back. "Stay close."
Her eyes flicked to the weapon. "You… fought that robot?"
Jin-hee shrugged lightly, trying to sound casual, though the tension in his muscles said otherwise. "It was… close. But I didn't hesitate. Neither should you."
They walked in silence for a few streets, the drizzle falling heavier now, neon lights reflecting in puddles. Min-ah finally spoke again, quieter now, more curious than fearful.
"So… what do we do now?"
"We can't stay here," Jin-hee said, nodding toward a side street where the hum of a distant patrol bot buzzed through the air. "There's a safe place not far from here. We keep low, avoid open areas. We'll figure out our next move once we're out of sight."
Min-ah nodded, gripping his arm lightly as they moved. She couldn't explain why she trusted him, why this boy she had met so briefly before had come back at the exact right moment. But for the first time in a week, she didn't feel completely alone.
Above them, the neon signs flickered. Broken machines rattled in the distance. And somewhere beyond the ruined streets of Neo-Tokyo, the city waited—cold, indifferent, and ruled by machines. But for now, Jin-hee and Min-ah moved through the neon shadows together, two humans against a world that had forgotten how to fight.