Ｓｔｒａｎｇｅｒ

Learning : 1.4

ⓒ Seonmyeong

"Hi."

The man's eyes tenaciously scanned over my face. It was not an unpleasant gaze, but it also didn't feel innocent. I could just ignore him and leave, but it was hard for me to do that. Every place touched by that man's gaze stung like being shocked with electricity. When I realized those were the place hit by Lee Sugeol, the man's lips rose again.

"Wanna hop in? If you have nowhere to go."

The man nonchalantly said that obviously suspicious line. Only then did I move my frozen gaze and looked at the watch inside the car. The time just passed by midnight, and the road was very quiet.

There was Benz written in the middle of the steering wheel. The Benz which the inside was neat and decent, a watch worn by the man on his wrist, and a formal suit with a necktie that was so messy that I wonder why he wore it. None of those proved the man's identity.

The man didn't even throw a poor bait like he would buy me tasty things if I followed him, or if he could let me stay in a warm place. He only watched me with a smiley face as if the choice was mine.

I had no reason to follow him. Nevertheless, there was also no reason for me to not follow him at all.

The worst scenario if I followed the man would be one of my internal organs getting taken out. I couldn't judge someone just by looking at their face, but the man didn't look like he took organs and sold them. He rather looked like he would eat it himself.

Since there was no goodwill with no price, surely I had to give something in return to this man. If it was a small amount of money, then it was cheap, but if it was not, then I had to escape no matter what. Would I be able to escape? This felt somewhat different from when I followed Lee Sugeol. I had to think carefully, but I was also tired of doing that. Right now I wanted to go anywhere and lay down. The areas hit by Lee Sugeol throbbed.

"What do I have to do?"

The short question turned the man's smile deeper.

"Nothing."

It meant I can do nothing. It sounded like he saw me as an idiot who believed that, or that I should act like that.

Then what will you give me? It was a question I wanted to ask him, but since I would find out if I followed him, it would only hurt my lips if we quarreled here. The seats looked soft, and it looked warm inside the car. It was meaningless to think if the man would harm me or not. Because that was enough, I opened the door and got in.

It was so comfortable that it was incomparable to the bus seat. Then, when I was about to touch the soft seat with my fingertips,

"Fasten your seatbelt."

The man said that, and as soon as I fasten the seatbelt, we departed. Feeling the soft movement as if floating in the air, I looked at the man through side glances. He looked like he was in his twenties, but he also looked like he was in his thirties. Looking at the car he rode or his clothes, I thought he might be in his thirties, but considering his age, I was sure he was a rich man.

When he didn't smile at all, he looked completely cold. No, I meant he looked cold but also looked tired. Bored, maybe? As I kept staring at him, the car stopped because of the traffic light, and I met the gaze looking back at me. The corner of his lips slanted upwards again.

The man asked nothing, and I also didn't ask. It seemed like the car wouldn't leave Seoul. In order to memorize the way, I focused on the signposts outside the window. Perhaps because the wind blown by the heater was warm, I tried to close my eyes. When I started to think it was fine to not reach anywhere and spent the day like this, the car gradually slowed down.