The tall guy's fingers curled into a tight fist, his shoulders tensing as he drew back to strike. He never got the chance.
Minji caught his wrist mid-motion and shoved him away with a force that sent him stumbling. She didn't spare him another glance. Instead, she turned and rushed to Rei, straightening his crooked collar with quick, practiced hands.
"You okay?" she asked, her voice steady despite the heat in her eyes.
"Yeah," Rei said, dragging the back of his hand across his forehead to wipe away the sweat.
"Good. Stay here, alright? Gimme a minute."
She adjusted her top, exhaled once, and then turned around.
Minji walked toward the tall guy with calm, deliberate steps.
"Oh, so he's your new shit—"
The word never made it out.
Her fist swung clean and sharp, connecting with his face in a perfect arc. There was a dull, satisfying crack as his nose took the hit, blood blooming instantly.
"Oooo~," one of the shopkeepers groaned from somewhere nearby, half-impressed, half-horrified.
"Damn—" Rei muttered under his breath.
He stared at Minji, wide-eyed. This—this—was a side of her he hadn't seen coming.
"And that's why you don't fuck with a woman," Minji pointed sharp at him and turned around grabbing Rei by the arm and walking away.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
The apartment had fallen into a heavy, awkward silence. Rei sat on the couch, hunched forward, fidgeting with his fingers as his mind replayed everything that had happened that day, over and over again.
The quite broke when Minji stepped out of her bedroom, towel in hand, dabbing at her damp black hair. She headed toward the fridge, pulled it open, and reached for a drink—only to pause when she noticed Rei still sitting there.
Her sharp, dragon-like eyes flicked over him, then around the room, as if trying to figure out why he was still in his clothes.
She grabbed a bottle, rested one hand on her hip, and tilted her head. "What?" she asked flatly.
Rei just stared at her, completely blank.
"Rei?"
"Uh?" He snapped back to reality, eyes widening. Then, all of a sudden, he burst out, "You. Are. AWESOME!" He jumped to his feet, red hair bouncing with the movement.
Minji jolted in surprise, placing a hand over her collarbone and shooting him a seriously? look.
"Tsk—mm," she scoffed. "You need skills to survive here, kid." A crooked smile tugged at her lips, like she'd just proven her point.
She turned back to the counter, grabbed a glass, and started pouring her cold beer. "You want a glass?"
"Uh—y-yeah, sure, I guess, but…"
Minji paused.
The stream of beer slowed, and the soft, steady sound of it hitting the glass echoed through the room.
"Uh- who was that," Rei pointed backward with his thumb as if the lean dark eyed guy were behind him.
Minji opened her mouth to say something but just closed it and gave Rei his glass of bear, "Don't worry bout' it, he's not a big deal," Minji smiled blankly and took a sip of her beer while reaching for her phone on the table.
She sat down crossing her legs and was about to scroll when she noticed that Rei was still standing in front of her, he gave an expression which said ok...? in an empty manner.
Rei then simply shrugged his shoulders at Minji, "Imma get changed I guess," he made an empty duck face before turning to his heels and walking back upstairs to his room.
______________________________________________________________________________________
The door closed behind him with a soft, almost soundless click.
Rei let out a long sigh. "Hah… what's even happening here?"
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration tugging at his chest. "God, how I wish I'd never been reborn," he muttered. "I don't even know if I was reborn… or just forgotten."
He fished his phone out of his pocket and tossed it onto the bed before reaching for the light switch.
The moment the bright light hit his face, he squeezed his eyes shut like the world itself had just ended. "Goddamn!" he groaned, quickly switching it to a dim, dark-blue night light. The soft glow filled the room as he turned on the small indoor waterfall behind his bed, its gentle trickle wrapping the silence in something almost comforting.
Rei pulled off his shirt and fell back onto the mattress, staring up at the ceiling.
"Am I really that forgetful?" he whispered.
His eyes glimmered with doubt.
"Am I even who I think I am?"
_______________________________________________________________________________________