DM Chapter 4

She couldn’t trust anyone. If she had any connections among the porters or soldiers, she could ask them to help her, but with no such ties, she was hesitant to enter the exchange alone, unsure if she’d be robbed the moment she stepped inside. The idea of going to Sector 41 had started to fade. Taking all this money on a long journey felt too risky.

She decided that the safest plan would be to hire a decent mercenary to assist her in the exchange. Entering alone might lead to a mugging by any thug who spotted her.

The real issue was finding a mercenary who was decent—or at least had a conscience.

‘This world is far too harsh for a fragile child to survive in.’

Twenty-year-old Yoon Min sighed to herself.

“Hey, kid.”

On the third day of quietly hovering around the exchange, trouble found her.

“Me?”

“Yeah, you.”

It was one of the mercenaries guarding the exchange. He followed her into the alley, a sly grin spread across his face. Yoon Min’s body tensed as her instincts screamed a warning.

“What do you want?”

“You’ve been lurking around the exchange for a few days now. Looks like you’ve got some cash to exchange, huh?”

“It’s a misunderstanding. I was just scoping out a new begging spot. This place has lots of porters and soldiers passing by.”

“You’re that beggar who’s been in the shantytown alleys forever. And now you’re moving to a new spot?”

He sneered openly. Beggars rarely moved locations to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

The mercenary’s eyes glinted with greed and certainty.

Yoon Min cursed under her breath. She’d carefully scouted to avoid attracting attention from rough soldiers or porters, but she hadn’t considered that a mercenary from the exchange might be watching. A so-called guard—but he was no better than a thief.

“Buzz off. I only have a few coins.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

The mercenary cracked his neck, stepping closer. Yoon Min braced herself, waiting for the right moment to draw the knife tucked in her waistband.

A cold sweat ran down her back. Up to now, her only “fights” had been with half-starved beggars or children even younger than her.

In her pocket was the bill Lee Hyun had given her that morning. If she lost it here, at least she still had the rest of the money hidden under the mattress. Maybe it would be better to hand it over and spare herself.

But if she did, exchanging money in Sector 37 would become impossible. Word would spread, and she’d be watched constantly.

‘Damn it. I’ll just have to start asking for coins directly from tomorrow,’ she thought bitterly.

In this world, even earning money was a problem. She gritted her teeth, torn between handing over the money or risking a fight with her knife. It could be her last fight in this life. The mercenary was close now, grabbing her by the hair. Instinctively, Yoon Min yanked out her knife and slashed.

“Agh!”

A bloody gash opened on the mercenary’s hand, and he staggered back. Dung-gae sprang forward, barking furiously, snapping at the man’s heels as he inspected his bleeding hand with a scowl.

Gripping her knife tightly, Yoon Min charged at him, her ferocity making him hesitate, though only for a moment. Then he pulled a long iron rod from his coat.

The alley filled with the harsh clang of metal as their weapons clashed. Each impact reverberated through Yoon Min’s arms, painfully reminding her of the strength gap between them. She knew she had no chance if they went head-to-head.

She had no hope that anyone would hear and come to help. In a world where survival was already a struggle, no one would risk themselves for another.

Darting and weaving, she managed to evade some blows and even land a few shallow cuts on him, but her strength was failing, and she was starting to lose ground.

A powerful swing sent her knife flying out of reach. In that moment, Yoon Min felt the crushing weight of defeat.

“You little rat. I’m gonna beat you to death.”

The mercenary sneered, raising the rod high above his head. Dung-gae lunged, sinking her teeth into his leg with a vicious growl.

“Damn mutt!”

The mercenary kicked at her with frustration, but before he could strike, Yoon Min threw herself around Dung-gae, shielding her.

She braced for the rod to crash down on her back.

‘So this is where I die.’

She’d never expected to live longer than her aunt, but she hadn’t imagined she’d follow her only a year after her passing. She felt no great regret; death was always close at hand. Her only worry was for poor Dung-gae, left alone.

But no pain came. Dung-gae whimpered softly, licking her face, but the alley was unnervingly silent.

Cautiously, she lifted her head and found herself staring at the back of a polished black shoe.

She scrambled to her feet, startled.

Lee Hyun stood between her and the mercenary, holding the iron rod in one hand as he calmly regarded her attacker. In his grip, the thick rod was twisted and crumpled beyond recognition.

“N-No… I-I… I didn’t…” the mercenary stammered, instinctively sensing that the man before him was an Esper.

Yoon Min couldn’t see Lee Hyun’s face, but the mercenary’s quivering legs and the spreading smell of urine left no doubt. Lee Hyun gripped the rod tighter, snapping it cleanly in half with terrifying ease. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the broken metal into the corner of the alley, as if discarding a broken toy.

“Run, if you want.”

He granted his permission, as if doing a favor. As soon as the words left his mouth, the pale mercenary stumbled backward, his legs tangling beneath him. He tripped, scrambled on all fours, then alternated between crawling and sprinting like a madman until he vanished from the alley.

Silence settled over the alley, broken only by Dung-gae slipping out of Yoon Min’s arms to lick Lee Hyun’s shoes. Lee Hyun turned to look at her, his expression as calm as ever, as though he hadn’t just torn a man’s weapon apart.

‘Even an F-grade Esper is impressive.’

Yoon Min couldn’t help but be genuinely awed, realizing painfully just how unfair the world was.

“Why was he trying to beat you up?”

“I was trying to exchange money.”

Yoon Min pretended to tidy her cluttered dwelling, though there was no real hope of making it look clean.

Scattered on the floor were empty ration bowls from the distribution center, a hodgepodge of blankets and fabric scraps, various bits of trash, and makeshift weapons she’d cobbled together in her spare time. To the man, this dilapidated shanty must have looked like a beggar’s den.

But Yoon Min felt no shame. This was how most people lived nowadays; if the well-off Espers couldn’t understand, that was their problem.

She plopped down on her worn mattress and took off her coat, meeting Lee Hyun’s intense gaze.

“Just sit anywhere you like,” she said, nodding toward a chair piled with junk.

“You don’t seem to be limping.”

Ignoring her invitation, he made his own observation.

“It hurts sometimes, then it doesn’t.”

She replied with a bold-faced lie, her expression shamelessly neutral. Lee Hyun chuckled softly.

“Any other lies you want to confess?”

“Do I need to do that in front of you?”

Lee Hyun shrugged, conceding with a casual “Not really.”

After a brief hesitation, Yoon Min reached under her mattress and pulled out the stash of bills she’d saved.

“Eight bills in total.”

“You hardly spent any of it.”

She added the bill she’d received from him today to the pile.

“Actually, I haven’t spent any.”

Lee Hyun nodded, not fully grasping the significance of her showing him the money. But sensing he should say something more, he offered a quiet compliment.

“Well done.”

“Would you mind exchanging these for coins?”

Her request came with a hint of hesitation. After all, with the mercenary incident, exchanging money was no longer an option in Sector 37. She also wasn’t sure how safe it would be to continue living here.

One of her survival rules—rule two, “Move quietly and stay unnoticed”—had already been broken.

If this F-grade Esper would exchange the bills for her, she thought she might try making her way to Sector 41 at a slow, steady pace.

“Looks like giving you cash was a mistake.”

He spoke, as if realizing this for the first time.

“Yeah, for someone like me, young and fragile, carrying around cash is like carrying poison.”

“You’re not ‘that’ young and fragile, though,” Lee Hyun replied, glancing at the dagger lying on the mattress. There was a hint of laughter in his voice, which felt almost mocking, as if coming from someone truly strong.

“Are you going to exchange it or not?”

“I’ll exchange it.”

He moved closer to take the bills from her. Yoon Min suddenly realized just how tall he was. She’d never had someone so large inside her shanty before. Even the soldiers who had come to clear away her aunt’s body were slightly smaller than him. Compared to other Espers, he seemed quite tall.

Yet his kind smile and gentle demeanor prevented him from seeming threatening. As he took the bills, Yoon Min found herself studying his refined, orderly features.

“You shower every day, don’t you?”

“…That’s a pretty random question.”

“You look so clean.”

“They must have running water here, too.”

“All the water pipes burst when a monster broke through from Sector 8 back around 2185.”

“Ah. They haven’t fixed the pipes past Sector 39, then.”

“The ration center gives out water, so I get to wash once a week. Every day if it rains.”

“…That’s not exactly hygienic.”

He murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Yoon Min let out a deflated laugh.