TMIAP Chapter 10

Even seeing him twice, he was someone she knew.

Luis. The man from the harbor who, on the day Monica first arrived in this city, had guided her to the front of the train station.

"Um, Luis? Don't you remember me? Two days ago at the harbor, you showed me the way..."

"...Showed you the way?"

But none of that earlier kindness could be found in the man now. He glared at her with fierce blue eyes.

"Yes, you did. I was there..."

Monica tried earnestly to explain, but the man seemed to have no intention of listening to her from the start.

He ignored her words entirely and spewed abuse.

"That leaky sack of barley's been dripping everywhere again."

"Drip—"

"Hey, horsetail."

Horsetail? At that preposterous epithet, Monica's eyes widened and she involuntarily pointed at herself.

At her look that said 'Are you talking about me?' the man sneered.

"I've got nothing to do with that bastard, so move. Don't block the way."

The man was unbearably rude.

Having said that, he didn't wait for Monica's response but simply shoved her shoulder aside. It was a careless, rough touch, as if moving an object out of the way.

Monica let out an involuntary "Ah!" and tumbled backward.

"Hey!"

The man's stride was rapid. Though he still swayed slightly from drink, his long legs gave him an enormous gait.

Monica scrambled to her feet and ran, barely managing to catch up with him.

"Wait!"

Only after grabbing the sleeve of the rough shirt the man wore did Monica realize. The fabric was entirely different from Luis's clothing, which had gleamed with quality and refinement.

That Luis would never wear such clothes. It seemed the man was right that she'd mistaken him for someone else.

But that was that, and this was this.

"What the hell!"

The man jerked his arm away irritably. Monica held firm and protested.

"You knock someone down like that and don't even apologize?"

"What are you talking about? You bumped into me while I was walking!"

"I'm sorry about that! But you shoved me afterward!"

At Monica's words, the man shouted again.

"Fine! I'm sorry! Happy now? Now get lost!"

"I'm not happy!"

"What?"

The beautiful face so like Luis's colored with bewilderment. Monica paid no attention and pointed with her finger to where she'd tumbled.

"Because of you, my things are ruined!"

Monica had fallen precisely where old, filthy netting was piled over a drain. Which meant Monica's straw hat, comb, silk ribbon, and such had all fallen into the drain and been ruined.

The straw hat and comb were at least caught in the netting, but the silk ribbon had fallen entirely into the clogged drain.

Even if she retrieved it, the beautiful blue ribbon would obviously be ruined.

"That cost sixty shing!"

"So what!"

"Pay for it!"

"Later! Move!"

"I won't! Do you think I'd just let you go, knowing who you are?!"

"Luis! Bill that bastard!"

"But you said you had nothing to do with him!"

Back and forth, the argument went. The man seemed desperate, but that was no concern of Monica's. Besides, he was the one who'd shoved her.

Now Monica wasn't just holding his sleeve but had grabbed his arm firmly, even linking arms with him to prevent his escape.

"Let go! I need to—"

"I won't let go! Give me sixty shing! That's my entire fortune!"

He was twice Monica's size. So if the man really tried to shake her off, he could easily do so. Which meant she had to hold on even tighter—thinking this, Monica practically embraced the man.

'My sixty shing!'

She couldn't lose that large sum because of this rude man. Whatever it took, she'd collect.

But then, from one end of the alley came a loud commotion.

"Garcia! You goddamn bastard!"

"Found him!"

Monica's eyes went round. The man gritted his teeth.

"Bloody hell, you've ruined everything!"

"What have I ruined?"

The moment she asked, Monica got her answer.

Not that the man had answered. From the far end of the alley appeared three men holding menacing things like pickaxes and hammers.

They were rougher, more dangerous-looking men than the one before her. Rather than men, they'd be better called thugs.

"Hey, you son of a bitch! Today I'm going to cut you down for sure!"

"That bastard's wrist is mine!"

Hearing that, Monica instantly released the arm she'd been holding. Instinctively, she understood. A fight was going to break out between these men—no, a fight had already broken out.

However precious sixty shing might be, it was less precious than her life. If she got caught up in those swinging pickaxes, she'd be in serious trouble.

Watching Monica scurry away from him, the young man called Garcia laughed bitterly.

"Thought you couldn't let go?"

But there was no reason to answer that. Monica stepped aside to one part of the alley, and the laughing young man quickly ran in the other direction. The thugs also shouted "Stop right there!" and ran after him.

Monica inwardly hoped they wouldn't notice her. Please, chase him without me...

Of course, this sort of wish never comes true.

"What's this girl doing here?"

The one with the hammer grabbed Monica's arm. Monica squeaked and pleaded.

"I was just passing through! I have nothing to do with him!"

"Nothing to do with him? We saw you clinging to him!"

"That son of a bitch ruins all our goods and he's out here fooling around with women?"

"I really don't know him. He ruined my things, so I was confronting him too!"

But the enraged thugs didn't listen to Monica's protests.

"Where'd that bastard go?"

"How should I know? You saw him running that way!"

One excited thug grabbed Monica's hair and dragged her. Before tears could even well up, Monica was being hauled along.

"Your boyfriend burned down our entire warehouse. You know how much that's worth? A hundred thousand shing!"

"Bring that damn bastard here!"

'He's not my boyfriend, and I don't know where he is! And where am I supposed to bring him from?!'

She wanted to say that, but having her hair grabbed and being shaken made it difficult to think straight.

"Hey! He's gone!"

Another thug belatedly returned. The two thugs holding Monica made three, panting as they put their heads together.

"Where'd that rat bastard disappear to?"

"This won't do. Let's kill this girl first."

"I really have nothing to do with this, please..."

Despite Monica's pleas, the one with the hammer grabbed her chin and lifted it.

"Lucky you, having such a worthless bastard for a boyfriend. Losing your life this way."

Her eyes widened. Really? You're going to kill me like this?

The hand holding the hammer rose up. It was outrageous. Coming out to buy a comb in the morning and dying. Monica struggled, but the one holding her hair wouldn't release her.

This is maddening. Sixty shing or whatever, I should have just let him go—from the very first impression he was bad, so why did I pick a fight without valuing my own life...

'If you react to everything like that, you'll be in serious trouble someday.'

Someone's words came to mind.

She'd heard them while worrying about someone who'd been treated unfairly, so she'd let them pass at the time... Sol, I should have listened to you—thinking this, Monica suddenly felt aggrieved.

Sol! Do you know that someone with exactly your face has done this to me?!

At that moment—

"Crazy bastards."

A low voice growled. Monica instantly turned her head.

The golden-haired young man who'd surely shaken her off and run away was standing there again. He continued with a menacing expression.

"That woman has nothing to do with this, so let her go."

"There's Garcia, that bastard!"

"Nothing to do with it? Come back to save your girlfriend?"

The thugs gripped their pickaxes and shovels tightly. Garcia paid them no mind and glared at Monica. His gaze was sharp as steel.

"Didn't I tell you to get lost quickly?"

Monica felt somehow aggrieved. What about my feelings, being caught up with complete strangers and going through this? So Monica found herself snapping.

"You could have explained that crazy people were chasing you!"

"This bitch?"

The hammer-wielding thug who'd been holding Monica slammed her against the wall. Thud—her back struck hard enough to make a sound. It hurt so much that tears pricked at her eyes. Immediately after, Garcia shouted.

"I told you to let her go!"

"You pay for my warehouse first!"

"Quit your bullshit! Yaaa!"

The thugs rushed forward. She heard Garcia, teeth clenched, charge at them.

Pressed against the wall with her throat compressed by the man's arm until she could barely breathe, Monica couldn't see well, but she heard thud, thud sounds.

Intermittently, she heard shouts of "you bastard" and "that bastard." Since the thugs had weapons, the fight would surely be one-sided... or so she'd thought.

"Those idiots."

The one pressing Monica's throat grew increasingly agitated.

"Hey! Press forward! What are you doing?!"

Monica stealthily glanced around and turned her body. It was possible because the man's grip had loosened. But before she could move even one step away, she was caught again by the hair in the man's grasp.

Even in the midst of this, where she'd turned her gaze, quite a remarkable scene was unfolding. Garcia was still fighting fiercely, and one of the thugs was already down. And—

Thud—with that sound, another thug's jaw was kicked by Garcia's foot. Making choking sounds, the thug passed out.

Garcia's ice-blue eyes turned this way immediately after.

"I said let that woman go."

"You, you'll regret this. Your girlfriend's life is in my hands..."

"Shall we see who regrets what?"

The thug held Monica's head and threatened, but Garcia didn't budge.

"That horsetail, I don't even know who she is. You idiots. You think I'll blink if you threaten me with some woman I don't know?"

"You came ba—"

"Yeah, I came back."

Garcia answered perfunctorily and bent down. The thug blinked and involuntarily watched Garcia.

The next moment, when Garcia straightened up, a stone was gripped in his hand. The man instantly leaned back, then swung his arm forward.

Crack.

At the sudden stone throw, the thug holding Monica was struck squarely on the forehead.

Without even a sound, the man fell backward. Monica also gasped and staggered, falling with him. The thug hadn't released her hair until the moment he collapsed.

Crash—the sound rang out. Though she didn't fall completely flat, tears sprang to her eyes. Both her knees had scraped against the ground as she fell.

"Ah, ow..."

Unable to even raise herself up, Monica simply moaned. She couldn't gather her wits.

Her palms and knees stung, and her whole body ached. Yet even through this, she clearly heard the young man's footsteps approaching.

"Hey, horsetail."

"..."

"You all right?"

Monica made a decision. The moment she got up, she'd thoroughly scratch that bastard's face.