By Zephyria “Ah, no, stop it!”
Koi shouted urgently. His head was spinning. He had to stop them and get them out somehow, but the other gang members kept holding him, so he couldn’t move a step.
“I said stop it, everyone get out! Put everything down and leave!”
“This bastard.”
It was when the guy who was holding Koi grabbed his collar.
“Wait, let that bastard go.”
At Nelson’s sudden interjection, the guy who had been grabbing Koi’s collar had no choice but to step back. Koi, who had staggered greatly from being violently pushed away, stopped awkwardly, and Nelson approached him.
“Hey, what did you say?”
Nelson’s body, approaching step by step, seemed bigger than usual. Koi unconsciously stepped back. He had to stop the guys who were smirking around him, the guy who was tearing open a bag of snacks from the display case and eating it at will, and the guy who was drawing slush from the machine at will, but the only person in Koi’s sight right now was Nelson.
“What did you say? Huh?”
Nelson asked sarcastically. He walked towards Koi, who couldn’t open his mouth and was just trembling. Nelson, who smirked at Koi’s wide-eyed and trembling appearance, pushed Koi’s shoulders hard with both hands.
“Hey.”
“Ah!”
Nelson pushed Koi again, who staggered back.
“What? Stop it? Leave?”
Nelson, who pushed Koi again, grabbed his swaying collar with one hand. Nelson, who brought his face close to Koi’s face as he was dragged away, gritted his teeth with a ferocious expression.
“How dare you order me around? You sick loser, you don’t know your place.”
“Ugh, ugh.”
Koi was suffocating and struggled to get out of his grasp, tears welling up in his eyes. But the more he struggled, the more suffocated he became, and Nelson didn’t budge. Koi gasped for breath and turned his tearful eyes to Nelson. Nelson stuck out his chin and glared at him fiercely. As if to say, “What are you going to do?” When he met those eyes, Koi suddenly felt a surge of resentment.
“Stop, I said! You, you didn’t pay, you messed up the store, you, you’re a thief. All of you are thieves, robbers!”
“What?”
Nelson’s voice rose. Veins popped out on his forehead, and his large palm went up. Koi squeezed his eyes shut, ready to be slapped on the cheek right away.
In just a few seconds, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. What if I pass out after getting hit? What will happen to the store? When will I finish cleaning up? How much will all the things these guys took cost? Will it be covered by my weekly wage? I wish I could just get beaten up and never open my eyes again…!
That’s when it happened. Suddenly, the bell rang loudly. Someone had come.Is it a customer? Koi vaguely thought, but at best, it was just a temporary delay of the painful time. There would be no one to help in this situation. If they saw this mess, they would naturally be surprised and leave…
“What are you all doing?”
Huh?
Koi flinched in surprise at the sudden, refreshing voice. The surroundings instantly became silent. Koi cautiously opened his tightly closed eyes, but he still doubted it. He thought there was probably only one person in the world who could make such a clear voice, but it felt completely unreal.
No way, it can’t be. No way.
No way Ashley Miller is here…
His finally opened eyes gradually widened. Koi couldn’t believe the sight that came into view.
He’s here.
That was all that came to his empty head.
Ashley Miller is here.
That was it. His head wouldn’t turn anymore. Koi wasn’t the only one staring blankly at him. Nelson, who had been causing a ruckus, as well as his entire gang, were standing there, embarrassed, looking at him. Only Ashley Miller walked into the store with a nonchalant gait.
The bell on the glass door that closed automatically rang. Even though everyone’s attention was focused on him, Ashley didn’t seem uncomfortable at all. Rather, seeing him walk in as if it were natural, Koi thought, well, yeah.
This must be his daily life, so there’s nothing new about it.
As he felt a bitter feeling that didn’t fit the situation, Ashley, who had stopped a couple of steps away from Nelson, glanced at Koi and then back at Nelson.
“What are you doing? You’re not going to hit him, are you?”
Nelson, who was grabbing Koi by the collar, flinched. He was belatedly enraged by the fact that he had revealed that he was scared, so he shouted even louder.
“What, what’s it to you?”
I’m screwed.
Everyone watching, even Nelson, thought the same thing. It was important to take the lead, but no matter how loudly he shouted, he stuttered, so everything was ruined.
As expected, Ashley said with a full smile.
“It’s something to me, are you guys drinking alcohol right now?”
“W, what?”
Belatedly, one of the gang members hid the beer he was holding behind his back, and Nelson hurriedly threw the remaining beer can on the floor. Ashley, who had been watching the beer can rolling while spilling white foam, turned his gaze back to Nelson.
“That’s troublesome. Alcohol for minors… Aren’t we all too young to drink yet?”
“S, so what?”
When Nelson stubbornly spat out the words, Ashley replied nonchalantly.
“I’m just going to report it to the police.”
He took out his cell phone as if to show off, and the gang members widened their eyes in embarrassment and looked at each other. Nelson also widened his eyes and didn’t know what to do, then angrily lashed out.
“Who are you, are you really trying to mess with me?”
“What? I’m just trying to obey the law?”
Seeing him press the button on his cell phone while speaking glibly, Nelson threw Koi down and lunged at Ashley.
“You bastard…!”
Koi, who had hurriedly gathered himself at the sight of Nelson swinging his tightly clenched fist, gasped in surprise. What should I do, this is really going to be a disaster! His head went blank and he grabbed his head.
Please don’t mess up the store any more than this!
“You son of a bitch!”
Nelson screamed and swung his fist. The gang members watched in surprise, and Koi covered his head with both hands.
No!
It was when he let out a silent scream. Ashley took a step back.
“Uh, uh oh.”
Nelson, who had thrown a big punch, ended up flailing his whole body from the missed swing.
“Nelson!”
“Hey!”
The gang members shouted in embarrassment, but Nelson was pathetically cornered. The guys who saw that snorted here and there, but they couldn’t laugh out loud and started shaking while pursing their lips.
Nelson, who barely got up and saw that, turned red in the face and clenched his fist again to pounce on Ashley. Ashley, who was looking down at such Nelson with a pathetic look, opened his mouth.
“Are you really going to fight? Against me?”
Think carefully.
Koi felt as if he could hear the unspoken words. Koi wasn’t the only one who felt like he was giving friendly advice. Nelson, who had been grinding his teeth fiercely as if he was about to pounce on him right away, also hesitated and his momentum was broken. Feeling an unusual atmosphere, the gang members began to read the room.
“W, well, we were just about to leave. Right?”
When one person plucked up the courage to step forward, the other guys nodded in agreement.
“Oh, then, of course. There’s nothing fun here.”
“Hey, let’s go, huh? Nelson.”
“Nelson, let’s just go.”
With the continued words, the strength gradually drained from Nelson’s fist. As if reluctantly leaving due to the urging of the gang members, he straightened his body and looked up at Ashley.
“Consider yourself lucky today.”
The situation ended absurdly. After uttering words full of bluster until the end, Nelson hurriedly left the store following the other gang members. Watching Nelson’s retreating figure, Koi felt like he was watching the last scene of a villain he had seen in cartoons when he was young.
In an instant, the store became quiet. Koi, belatedly realizing the silence, hesitated and looked up at Ashley. Ashley, who had been looking at the retreating figures of the guys until then, finally turned his head towards Koi only after they had completely disappeared.
The moment their eyes met, Koi shrank his shoulders. Unlike Koi, who was nervous without realizing it, Ashley opened his mouth with the bright smile he had shown so many times.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh…”
Koi, who nodded absentmindedly, hesitated and asked cautiously.
“W, what brings you here…?”
Did you come to find me?
He thought inwardly, but as expected, he was wrong. Ashley replied nonchalantly.
“I came in because I had something to buy while passing by.”
I knew it.
Koi indifferently held out one hand and stretched out his arm. As if telling him to find it himself. Ashley, who looked around the store once following his hand, said.
“The locker room after the game wouldn’t be this messy.”
“If you know, hurry up and buy something and leave. I have to clean up.”
It was a voice that seemed to have no energy at all, even to himself. It was true. Thinking about the store that had become a mess, as well as the things that Nelson’s gang had ruined, eaten, drank, and taken, his head ached and he wanted to run away somewhere. Of course, he didn’t have the courage to do that at all.