Chapter 31. A part that still has a heart
Slow, dragging footsteps entered the Bureau: barely making a sound, as if they belonged to someone who had forgotten how to live. Shin barely looked up. He kept eating, not paying attention to the comings and goings of people inside the Bureau. He was used to ignoring background noise, well, until those frail steps broke into a run and rushed toward him.
He turned, just in time to feel a pair of small arms wrap tightly around his face, clinging to him like their life depended on it. For a second, he nearly panicked. His instincts screamed to retaliate—his fist was halfway to its target—until he realized something: the arms were too small, and the body pressing against him was far too light.
He gently pried the figure off, only to freeze when he saw her face.
It was the little girl from the train—the one who had offered him chocolate with a bright smile. But that light was gone now.
"Mister!!" she cried, her voice trembling but cheerful, her tear-filled eyes lightening up a bit despite the dark circles beneath them. "I knew it was you!!! How are you, Mister?!"
He tilted his head slightly, frowning as he took in her condition. He never forgot the people he met—their faces or even some of the slightest details about them. But the girl before him wasn't the same as the last time he saw her. Back then, she had big, vibrant jade eyes and a glow of life in her. Now, her eyes looked dull, heavy... like they were ready to close forever.
"What happened to you?" he asked softly.
"I..." Her voice faltered. Then came the tears—hot, silent rivulets carving down her cheeks.
"Don't cry," Shin said gently, brushing her cheeks. He stood, lifting her into his arms, and silently walked out of the Bureau.
Most people didn't even notice. But the people hunting him did.
Tony glanced up, narrowing his eyes. His fingers twitched with the urge to rip Shin to pieces—but killing was forbidden in the Safezones. He'd die the moment he tried.