Chapter 97
Macho-hae took a slow breath, trying to calm his flustered emotions.
Whenever he got excited, his voice grew loud and his words harsh. Macho-yeon always warned him to watch his mouth, and Macho-hae, being obedient, had always tried to follow her advice.
“What the hell is this guy?”
He didn’t say it out loud, only thinking it, which was a huge improvement.
Thinking about what would happen if Macho-yeon caught him, he looked up at the man crouched atop the wall.
Looking down from above made it feel even more so, but even at a glance, this guy was bigger than him.
Macho-hae had already thought that Danseohyeok, who clung annoyingly to Macho-yeon, was well-built—but this guy seemed even bigger.
“Like a wild bear.”
His closely cropped hair, natural bone structure, and bold facial features gave him a neat but solid impression.
Not a stunningly handsome man, but likable.
“Does he work out? He looks about my age.”
Putting that aside, Macho-hae couldn’t understand why a complete stranger was asking him for help. He also seemed athletic.
Macho-hae rolled his not-so-great brain.
“…Some new kind of kidnapping trick?”
Was he trying to abduct someone coming over to help? He quickly scanned the surroundings. No vans in sight.
Maybe he was overthinking. These days, the world was dangerous enough to make such assumptions.
“Or maybe just a little slow?”
Given the situation, that was plausible. He wasn’t scared, but his request for help looked… foolish.
“You could probably just jump down from there.”
Macho-hae took a step back and said. With legs that long, he could get down easily.
“I’m busy… if you can’t get down, ask someone else.”
Even if he wasn’t a criminal, he could be crazy—best to stay clear.
If Macho-yeon were here, he’d definitely help, but she wasn’t.
Macho-hae had never really cared if others were in trouble.
“I wonder if buying a cake would make my sister happy…”
Just as he turned to leave,
“Woof.”
“….”
Another strange sound came from behind.
Macho-hae tried not to turn his head, but curiosity got the better of him.
As soon as he looked, he saw a man, expressionless, spitting on his thumb and rubbing it on his nose with great focus.
“…What are you doing?”
“I got a cramp in my leg.”
“So?”
“I’m trying to catch it.”
“…Usually people make cat sounds, don’t they?”
“Oh.”
The man blinked slowly, then licked his thumb and rubbed it on his nose again.
“Meow meow.”
Is this… right?
‘Don’t people usually say “meow”? And why imitate a superstition like that with that kind of build?’
His head throbbed. A weird guy like this was impossible to ignore.
“Phew. Should I just hold your hand?”
Better to quickly do what he wanted and get out of here.
With that thought, Macho-hae walked back to him, reluctantly extending his hand.
But the man just stared blankly at it. Irritated, Macho-hae snapped,
“Why aren’t you taking it? You said to help.”
“How does holding my hand help? I still have to get down on my own.”
His innocent-looking objection was ridiculous.
But thinking about it, he wasn’t wrong.
‘Well, it’s not like he’s climbing up, so hands alone aren’t enough…’
Then how exactly does he want help? With Macho-yeon or some small kids, he could be carried down.
‘If I tried to carry that huge body, I’d probably tweak my back.’
“So… what do you want me to do?”
“Hmm.”
The man blinked slowly and tilted his head to the side.
“Exactly.”
Seriously? Macho-hae pressed his throbbing forehead.
“You said you wanted help.”
“Yes.”
“Then you should tell me how you want to be helped. Should I get you a ladder or something?”
“Oh.”
“…I was just saying. Where would I even get a ladder right now?”
“I see… I got a little excited.”
He sounded sincere, making Macho-hae even more flustered.
He had already offered to help, so leaving now felt awkward.
“You know I can’t just carry you on my back, right? Considering your size.”
“Yes.”
The man nodded slowly.
“I wouldn’t want to be carried by someone much smaller than me either.”
“It’s not that much smaller…! Wait, how old are you anyway?”
“I cannot reveal personal information to strangers.”
“Yet you’re asking a stranger for help… fine.”
Macho-hae pointed to the ground, resigned.
“Can you step on my back and get down?”
Better to quickly resolve this and leave.
The man considered for a moment, then nodded.
“If my back gets hurt and you bill me for hospital costs, I have no money.”
“Damn it, my back isn’t that fragile.”
“I see.”
The man’s gaze slowly shifted to Macho-hae’s back, tilting his head.
“Is that so?”
Why end with a question?
Macho-hae was tall but not as broad as this guy or Danseohyeok. He felt a little self-conscious.
Still, he was nicely slim—not skinny!
“I won’t charge you. Just step on me and get down.”
“Yes.”
What a ridiculous morning.
Macho-hae sighed, knelt under the wall, and placed his hands on the ground.
As if waiting for this, the man slowly began stepping on his back to descend.
“Ugh.”
He couldn’t help groaning.
“Sorry, and you seem much older.”
Was he deliberately trying to irritate him?
He gritted his teeth and waited until the man safely got down. Fortunately, he didn’t hesitate in fear.
Despite speaking slowly, the man moved surprisingly quickly, leaping down easily.
“You could have come down on your own, right?”
Macho-hae tapped his sore back and stood up. Standing next to him, the man was indeed huge.
‘A bear, a bear.’
His biceps were roughly the size of his own face.
“No, that was a great help.”
The man bowed politely at 90 degrees.
“I was just thinking I might need a restroom, but if I did it out here, the police would show up, and I thought I could get help from them.”
“…Then you’d get arrested as a pervert.”
“Yes, but at least I could get down.”
Was he positive or just clueless?
“Don’t climb up again. Just watch the cats from afar.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go our separate ways now.”
“Yes.”
Finally free.
Macho-hae hurried to put distance between them. But he could still sense the man following closely, almost like they were traveling companions.
‘Eh, I guess he’s just heading the same way.’
He decided to ignore it and focus on the path ahead.
“Um…”
Damn, the man spoke again.
“I usually don’t say this kind of thing.”
Why the hesitation? A cult pitch? Multilevel marketing?
Whatever it was, it didn’t seem right to vent his frustration at someone who had helped. Macho-hae spun around.
Their eyes met, and his unusually dark eyes reflected Macho-hae’s face.
“You have a female sibling, right?”
“What?”
“She might be in danger.”
The man’s face was calm. He had been acting bizarre before, but now, somehow, it was creepier.
“There’s something dangerous attached.”
“Dangerous? A ghost?”
If it were a ghost, there were already plenty.
The most handsome blond ghost he had ever seen.
(Though a dead human, of course.)
Plus a ghost in a useful helmet, a little girl ghost, and a stalker ghost somewhere targeting Macho-yeon.
‘Radio ghost, maybe? But how does he know that?’
Macho-hae grew wary.
“How do you know that?”
“Ah… my sister told me not to say, but I have a bit of psychic ability…”
The man paused mid-sentence. Seeing him flinch, Macho-hae tensed.
“…Meow meow.”
He again licked his thumb and rubbed his nose, leaving Macho-hae completely deflated.
