I took the smallest frame painting he had and returned to meet the party. That was when Assisi asked me when he noticed me looking at the picture.

  “Did you like the painting that much?”


  “Isn’t it good?”


  I showed him the picture and asked, but Assisi just shook his head.

  “I am not so sure.”


  He looked at me with a weird look.

  “Just…… it’s weird.”


  “That is the charm of this painting.”


  Giggling, I looked at the painting again.

  A town painted in dull dark purple color—the appearance of bizarrely painted people.

  “The world doesn’t need just pretty things.”


  Assisi’s expression stiffened at my words. I smiled at it.

  I would treasure it and hang it in my room once I returned. The old paintings in my room might cry, but this one in my hand seemed a lot more precious to me.

  As I walked a little more, I saw Valer in the distance. Once I saw him, I raised my hand.

  “Valer, look at this!”


  “Ack!”


  Uh? What was that sound?

  Suddenly, I heard a loud groan from the side; I turned my head without realizing this. A man was grabbing a woman by her hair and pulled her.

  W-what is that?

  “Dad! Dad! Stop!”


  “Let go!”


  “Dad!”


  People gathered in an instant to see what was happening. I couldn’t understand what was going on, but it was so noisy that I kept on looking at it.

  What was it? I was feeling scared.

  The woman, who was getting dragged, continued screaming. Right behind the couple were children following them, crying.

  “Move! Won’t you move?! How dare you!?”


  “Dad!”


  Ugh, a lot was happening.

  I was staring at it, shocked. I could hear the sound of people clicking their tongues, but no one would walk ahead to help her.

  Hitting her head and kicking her, and when the kids stopped him from hitting the woman, he would catch the kids and punch them; he didn’t seem human.

  “Assisi, that is……”


  Did I feel scared? I was shocked by the violence I saw and grabbed Assisi’s arm; I was so distracted that I didn’t even notice it; even Assisi seemed different. Seeing his hands clenched, I was puzzled.

  It was a natural reaction, but it was shocking to see Assisi react like that.

  ‘Assisi?’


  “Ack! Dad, please save me! help me!”


  Suddenly, the children were thrown away, and the boy was getting hit while he screamed for the pain to stop. People were speaking words of concern, but none of them moved.

  At that time, Assisi, who flinched at the sight of children getting hit, couldn’t stand it anymore and moved. I was shocked when he walked out of my side.

  ‘Hold on, Assisi?’


  It felt like he turned into someone else. A stranger, Assisi walked with a grim expression on his face, as if facing an enemy, and held the man’s hand, preventing him from beating the children further.

  ‘Is he the Assisi I knew?’


  “What are you doing?”


  “Assisi!”


  I never thought Assisi would lose to a man like that, but I couldn’t help but worry. As I ran over, the man looked at me with anger on his face.

  “What is with the woman there? You two have nothing to do with this, so fuck off!”


  “Assisi, you aren’t going to kill him, right?”


  This was the first time I saw Assisi like that. He seemed angry. I lived with Assisi for a dozen years or more; never had I seen him like that.

  For Assisi to get angry, no, it couldn’t be. I was confused. I had seen him irritated, but never like this.

  Assisi let go of the man’s hand, but before I could see what happened, the man was thrown to the street.

  “Ackk!”


  Assisi didn’t do anything else but watched the man try to get himself up. Was that man so weak? I felt pathetic for feeling afraid of such a man.

  No, that wasn’t the problem.

  Assisi, who threw the man, approached the children.

  “Are you alright?”


  As I watched the children stand up, Valer, who was far away, came over.

  “What happened?”


  Instead of answering, I sighed and replied while touching the temples of my forehead.

  “Look for a place to stay nearby.”