Chapter 4 4

"Oh, look who wandered into our territory. From Tan Siu," I looked up and saw men in black uniforms surrounding us, mocking us while giving meaningful glances to the gangster with me.

"And he's got chicks with him," one of them commented, raising my anxiety. Are we in trouble again? I glanced at the gangster beside me, silently urging him to intervene.

"Kids, don't you know where you are? This is our territory, and Tan Siu folks aren't allowed here," I gulped. "Right, we're not supposed to be here. Sorry, we'll leave," I nervously replied. They laughed simultaneously, escalating my anxiety. I looked at my gangster companion, but he remained silent, sipping his drink. Come on, gangster, send them away!

"Leaving so soon? Why not stay with us?" one of them suggested.

"What?! Excuse me?!" I raised my voice. Do I look disrespectful to them?

"Seems like she's a fighter. Those are the kind I like," one remarked.

I closed my eyes. This was a terrible idea joining forces with this gangster. He's not even defending me as I face humiliation. Where's his superhero act?

One of them sat at our table. "What's your name, Miss?" he asked. I swallowed, staying silent with my head down.

I nervously glanced at him when he leaned close. What's he planning to do? Suddenly, a beer bottle hit his head, shattering instantly. I looked at the cursing machine beside me, who pushed our table, causing the guy to fall.

He stood up, fists clenched. "She's my property. You can't touch what's mine. F*ck off," he declared.

I swallowed hard, observing his intense gaze on the men in front of us.

"Wow, you're brave! Do you even know where you are?!" a big guy from the other group angrily shouted.

People in the bar were now glaring at us, wearing uniforms similar to the guys in front of us. We need to get out of this trouble. What was the cursing machine thinking, coming here and drinking?

He faced me, giving me a surprising smile. He looked serious when he spoke, "Leave," calmly and seriously. My heart raced. Why am I seeing kindness in his eyes now?

The men advanced towards him, and I stepped back. There were too many of them. Can he handle this trouble alone? Will he end up beaten like the first time we met?

"Gangster, I'm not taking you back to the hospital!" I shouted, closing my eyes. I heard no response from him, just a series of loud noises. Shouts, breaking bottles, and things falling.

I was startled as someone grabbed my arm and pulled me up.

"Hey, Totoy! Do you see this?!" the guy shouted, holding a knife to me. My knees trembled, and I glanced at the cursing machine. He stopped punching one guy and looked at me, then lowered his gaze to the guy holding my arm.

"Didn't I warn you about not touching what's mine?" he said, releasing the guy. The men on the floor writhed in pain. Did he really take them down so easily?

Angry, the cursing machine approached us. The guy holding me seemed panicked. "Don't come near or I'll stab this girl!" he shouted, but the cursing machine continued to approach.

"And what do you think you're doing, gangster? He said not to come close, or he's gonna stab me!" I shouted. Doesn't he understand? Or does he want to harm me? Ugh! I closed my eyes as the guy brought the knife closer.

"Go ahead, stab her, and I'm gonna f*ckin' kill yah."

"Haha! Do you think I'm scared of you?" the guy laughed.

"Don't you know who I am?" the cursing machine confidently asked.

"Why? Who are you?" the guy nervously asked.

The cursing machine released a mischievous smile before revealing his name.

"My name is Jack Frost," he declared, instantly silencing the surroundings. Everyone in the bar was left dumbfounded.

The guy let go of the knife pointed at me, and others started backing away. In a rush, they all fled the bar. With a swift motion, only mess and broken items remained inside.

I looked at the cursing machine in front of me, and he gave me a meaningful smile, gently caressing his chin.

"Don't you ever underestimate my capabilities ever again," he arrogantly stated while continuing to stroke his chin.

"Tch! I didn't know that you could save the both of us by merely saying your name."

"I had no choice. They were lucky I didn't kill them," he threatened.

I sighed and approached our previous table, grabbing my bag. "I swear to God, I don't wanna see you again," I said.

"Yeah right. Whatever," he replied, turning away. "See you tomorrow," he added and began walking out of the bar.

"But I said I don't wanna see you again," I protested.

He stopped walking but didn't look back. "Alright. So do you want me to take your eyeballs out?" he jokingly asked.

Ugh! So frustrating, gangster!

"Whatever!" I replied and hurriedly walked out of the bar.

Annoyed, I walked home in haste. What a great place to live! No lights, and to top it off, no taxis passing by. I don't even know how I'll get home. I think I'm lost. Why did I even agree to go with that gangster? He keeps dragging me into trouble!

I passed several houses, but I still didn't know where our house was. I'm tired of walking, and I badly want to rest. I stopped walking, looking at the person who had been following me.

"Will you please stop following me?" I ordered in annoyance.

"I'm just making sure you'll get home safe," he replied.

"You know what's safe? It is a place where you don't exist, gangster."

He chuckled softly at my response. I just glared at him and slowly sat down on the sidewalk.

"I'm tired," I weakly said. "I really am tired."

Since this morning, I've had no energy left. In just one day, all my strength was drained, especially being with him. I looked at the stars in the sky and slowly closed my eyes. "Can I just sleep here?" I asked.

"Do you f*cking have any idea what you're doing?" he scolded when I lay down on the sidewalk. "Get up, stupid."

I sighed as he pulled me up. "I don't have the energy to go home. I think I'm lost," I said.

"I know. But I can't let you sleep here."

I was surprised when he suddenly bent down and took off my shoes.

"And what do you think you're doing?!" I asked in shock.

"You won't have your shoes back unless you ride on my back for me to take you home," he said seriously.

"What? Are you insane? Why would I do that?"

"Because you're tired. Now, are you going to ride on my back, or will you walk barefooted?"

I stepped back away from him. No way. I'd rather walk barefooted than ride on his back.

"Just as I thought," he muttered, and I was shocked when he threw my shoes into an empty lot.

"Are you crazy?! Those are brand new!" I yelled.

I was even more surprised when, instead of answering, he suddenly grabbed my uniform blouse. The next thing I knew, he could almost see my undergarments. I immediately covered my chest. "What the hell?! Why did you ruin my uniform?" I shouted. I swear if killing were legal, I would kill him first!

He laughed loudly at my reaction, and my face burned with embarrassment. Ugh!

"I saw nothing, alright? As if I wanted to see that," he said with a laugh. If I could endure his actions earlier, I couldn't now. I felt my anger rising, and I couldn't close my uniform because the buttons had scattered. If I knew this would happen, I would have worn something else.

I turned away, ready to leave and abandon him, but he grabbed my arm. "I didn't ruin your uniform for nothing. Now, get on my back. If throwing your shoes didn't work for you, I guess I'll have to undress you. Or do you want me to do something more than this?"

I sighed. He's different-someone who leaves you with no choice. It's either you follow what he wants without objection or you comply forcefully. He knows how to get what he wants. Since he left me with no choice, I reluctantly got on his back.

"Are you even carrying anything? It feels like I'm not putting any weight on you."

I don't know why, but I just smiled. Despite his monstrous image, he still had a somewhat kind side.

We were silent as we searched for my house.

"What's your real name?" I asked out of the blue, but he didn't answer, just continued walking. I sighed. "Mine is Summer," I said, and he still remained silent.

I was surprised when he suddenly stopped walking. "Are we trying to get to know each other here?" he asked.

I chuckled softly. "I think there's no point in hiding my real name. You've already found me, in just a span of one week." He didn't speak, just continued walking. I leaned my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes for a moment.

"How did you find me?" he asked.

I held onto him tightly before answering. "There were guys shouting, and they caught my attention. They were beating you up. I thought you were already dead, but apparently not, so I took you to the hospital."

We fell silent again until he stopped walking.

"Why?" I asked.

"There's a man," he replied. "I think he's looking for you."

"W-what?!"

I looked ahead and saw my dad. I quickly got off Jack Frost's back and straightened myself.

"D-Dad."

"Summer?" he questioned with a furrowed brow. "Is that really you?"

I nervously nodded. "Yes."

"Do you know what time it is?" he angrily asked, glancing at the cursing machine with me. "Say goodbye to your companion, we need to talk," he said and went inside the house.

I looked at Jack Frost, and he had a sharp glare on me. "Is he your father? I thought he's dead?" he angrily asked. "Lying about your name is somehow forgivable, but this time it isn't. I thought you were different. You disappointed me," he said straightforwardly and turned away.

"W-Wait," I pleaded.

"You don't want to see me again, right? So am I. I don't want to see you anymore. Don't show me your disgusting face ever again," he emotionlessly said.

I was left speechless. "Aren't you going to listen to me first?" I said, irritated.

"There's no way you can fool me again. Goodbye," he said. And with that, he left.