In front of me stood a guy who was clearly taller and better trained than I was, his shoulders tense beneath his T-shirt, his arms well defined the kind of build that commanded presence just by standing there.
Even so, I refused to lower my gaze.
He stepped forward until he was right in front of me and placed a heavy hand on my head, pressing down.
I felt the force pushing me, but my legs did not give an inch.
The guy frowned, visibly annoyed.
"In all seriousness, I'm becoming less and less aware of what my body is capable of now."
I still understood perfectly how dangerous these situations were. I knew one wrong move could drag us into something far worse.
But I also understood something else with absolute clarity: if I didn't take a firm stand here, if I didn't make things clear now, Seojun and his grandmother would never have peace.
The guy leaned a little closer.
—You really don't plan on giving up?— he asked, with a smile full of contempt.
I didn't answer.
I twisted my torso, rotated my hips, and delivered a clean, direct punch to his solar plexus.
The impact was sharp.
The air was violently forced out of his lungs, and his body was sent flying backward, crashing into the window of the place with a deafening crash that shattered the glass.
The man who had seemed so imposing collapsed to the floor, gasping for air and coughing violently.
The pool hall fell into absolute silence.
No one stepped forward. No one spoke. No one laughed.
I took a step forward and looked around.
—I don't care if you're Tomizawa's subordinates or anyone else's. If you keep this up, I won't stay still. It doesn't matter how many of you there are or what you try to do.
No one answered my words. Still, what I saw on their faces wasn't fear it was more like dogs waiting for the slightest chance to bite.
I didn't give them that chance.
I turned around, grabbed Seojun by the shoulder, and left the place with Aoi without looking back.
As soon as we crossed the door, the silence lingered for a few seconds.
Then Aoi let out a loud, almost liberating laugh.
—I had no idea you could get that serious, hahaha!— she said between laughs.
Seojun, on the other hand, stopped abruptly and dropped to his knees in front of us.
—I-I'm sorry… really… thank you so much…— he said, bowing his head.
I immediately crouched down and grabbed him by the shoulders.
—Don't do that. You don't have to thank us like that. What matters now is that you think about how you and your grandmother can live better, Seojun.
Seojun nodded, his eyes filled with tears. He said goodbye several times before running off down the street.
When he disappeared, Aoi and I were alone once again beneath the dim lights of the night.
We walked aimlessly until we reached a small, empty park.
We sat down on a bench, with the distant sound of the city as our only companion.
Silence settled in again.
—Aoi…
Before I could say anything else, Aoi interrupted me.
—You're right…
I looked at her, and the energetic girl who always met my gaze so boldly couldn't even look me in the eyes now.
—I ran away from home…