Side Story 24. That Man (1/2)

“Your ramen is the best, Seol!”

Today again, Hugo was starting his morning at Seol Jihu’s ramen restaurant.

“Hey, I see you’ve got some new ramens on the menu, Seol!”

“Ah, yes.”

“But what’s up with these names? Seo Yuhui Ramen? Phi Sora Ramen?”

“Um…. Yeah, things just turned out that way.”

Seol Jihu let out a cough.

Hugo didn’t seem to mind.

“Anyway, your ramen tastes so good that I feel guilty about eating them alone. I want everyone to have a bite!”

“I mean, you can always bring them here.”

Seol Jihu answered simply to Hugo’s loud exclamation.

“Oh, I’d love to, but unfortunately, they’re not Earthlings.”

“Yeah? Do you want it to go, then?”

“No, no, that’s okay. There’s a whole bunch of kids, and I also don’t want the noodles to get all mushy on the way.”

“I see…. Wait a second. Kids?”

Seol Jihu’s eyes widened.

“Hugo, you’re married?”

“No way!”

Hugo jumped in surprise.

“As if! I’m still single.”

“But, you just said….”

“Oh, that? That’s nothing. I’m just… looking after a few kids….”

Hugo smiled awkwardly before suddenly shooting up from his chair.

“Man, that was good! Now that my stomach’s full, I gotta go do some work.”

“Yeah, right. I bet you’re going off somewhere to drink.”

Quipped Chohong, who was eating ramen in the seat next to Hugo.

“But seriously, what’s with the hurry? You’re always stalling to spend more time with Lust Unni, but today you seemed to be in a rush.”

“I told you. I have work.”

“What, like an expedition or something?”

“Not in Paradise. I’m going back to Earth.”

“Earth? Oh, you’re going there?”

Chohong smirked.

“You’re so devoted to them~”

Listening to their conversation, Seol Jihu tilted his head.

“Where are you going?”

“Hmm? Ah, nowhere. Just home.”

“Home….”

Seol Jihu asked, turning his eyes away.

“Where are you from again, Hugo?”

Hugo stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head around and grinned.

“Detroit!”

*

Richard Hugo was born in Detroit, Michigan. His parents divorced when he was young, and his mother abandoned Hugo and his little brother at an orphanage shortly thereafter.

It’s common, really, for a kid who’s brought up in a not-so-ideal environment to perform poorly at school, fall in with the wrong crowd, and spiral down the wrong path. Stories like his were common in Detroit, especially in the slums.

By the time he became an adult, Hugo’s life was full of weariness. He spent all day roaming the streets with his friends and often got into fights. His day began with alcohol and ended with alcohol. He wanted nothing from life, but sometimes when he was completely drunk and walked along the Detroit River, he felt the urge to jump into the dark waters. He had no hope, no dream.

Even that day, Hugo was staggering along the streets at night. Only the sound of falling rain filled the air until suddenly, the sound of a gunshot rang out.

Hugo scoffed. This was no surprise to him. Gunshots were heard at least twice a day in some parts of Detroit. He clicked his tongue and continued walking.

But by coincidence or by a quirk of fate, Hugo had to stop before he could even walk a few steps. He saw a woman running toward him from the opposite direction, panting and puffing.

The woman also noticed Hugo and came to a sudden stop. A look of fear crossed her face. Her suit was soaked in the rain but still looked pricey and certainly out of place for the neighborhood she was in. Hugo couldn’t help but wonder what someone like her was doing here at this hour. She seemed to be running from a mugger with a gun.

“Ah…. Fuck….”

The woman saw Hugo and bit her lip. She seemed to have mistaken him as the mugger’s comrade.

Stupid. She should’ve just handed over her wallet. Then at least her life wouldn’t be in danger. Hugo thought to himself as he turned away from the woman. He didn’t want to get involved in something like this.

The woman stared at Hugo as he tried to walk past her toward the side road.

A light flickered in her eyes.

“Help!”

Realizing that he was just a passerby, she shouted quickly. Of course, that did nothing to change Hugo’s mind, but at least it kept him on the scene long enough for the three muggers to arrive.

The trio flinched at the sight of Hugo and raised their guard.

“Who the fuck are you? Are you friends with this bitch?”

One of them asked, aiming his rain-soaked gun at Hugo.

“No way. I’m an innocent bystander who just happens to be passing by.”

Hugo raised his hands into the air.

“What? Haha! Do you think we’re gonna buy that?”

“Hey, wait a minute, I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before….”

Two men standing next to the man with the gun snickered.

The gunman gestured with his chin with the gun still pointed at Hugo.

“I suggest you get lost. Not that way, but this way, so we can see you.”

“Sure, I’ll get out of your hair.”

Hugo moved slowly, with his hands still in the air. He could feel the woman’s gaze on him, but it didn’t bother him. However, just as he was about to pass the trio….

“…Wait.”

The gun changed its direction.

“I changed my mind. I wanna play safe.”

As soon as the gun locked on him, Hugo turned around at lightning speed. All the mugger could see the next moment was the thick arm flying toward his face.

“Aaaak!”

A terrified shriek rang out.

Tang! Tang! The sound of gunshots filled the alley.

Everything happened so quickly that the mugger couldn’t make sense of what was going on. His vision distorted, and his back bent. He felt an explosive pain in his right shoulder as it was forcibly dislocated. And his hand—it felt empty. He clenched his fist instinctively. Suddenly, his eyes widened.

He felt the coldness of his own gun on his neck.

“No—”

Tang! The sound of a gunshot filled the air.

Blood spattered everywhere.

The mugger’s body twitched once and then helplessly fell to the ground.

The remaining two finally realized the seriousness of the situation and began to move. One of them rushed at Hugo from behind, and the other quickly pulled his gun out as he moved away from Hugo.

“Watch out!”

The woman shut her mouth because she saw Hugo was already moving. Hugo turned around and smashed the mugger’s face with his elbow. At the same time, without even looking, he aimed his gun sideways and fired.

It happened simultaneously—the mugger, who jumped from behind, fell to the ground with his hands wrapped around his temple, and the mugger with the gun flew across the alley.

Hugo looked down at the mugger on the ground with a scoff.

He aimed his gun at him without hesitation.

“P- Please….”

Tang!

The mugger stopped moving.

The pool of crimson spread wide across the ground and mixed with rain.

The woman, who had been watching the whole fight from the beginning, looked puzzled.

“Hm. I wonder where they’re from. They ain’t bad.”

She stared at Hugo with eyes full of shock as he examined the gun, turning it over in his hand.

“Next time you run into people like them, keep your head down and just hand over your wallet. You’re gonna lose your life trying to save a couple of bucks.”

Hugo lifted his arm to wipe the blood off his face and turned around. He hummed to himself as he walked out of the alley, waving the gun in his hand.

The woman stood dazed for a moment before hurrying after Hugo.