I Became an NPC That Rankers Are Obsessed Over

My breath became ragged.

Every time my feet touched the ground, my heart ached as if it were being crushed.

But I couldn’t stop.

I didn’t know when that swordsman and the blind ranker would return.

I saw the electric tower.

And the white-haired killer was still leaning against the tower, asleep.

I placed my hands on my knees and gasped for air.

Even though I had run a short distance, my heart pounded like crazy.

My sweat-soaked T-shirt clung to my body.

Grabbing the shirt, I approached her.

“Anna… we have to run. The ranker chasing you is…”

But despite my urgent words, the killer showed no response.

Soon, I realized why.

In the brief time I was gone, her pale body had turned pink.

She was breathing much more heavily than me, to an incomparable degree.

It felt like she was fighting something inside her body.

“Why… why are you like this? Are you okay?”

I grabbed her shoulders and lightly shook her.

But unlike when she drank the potion, Anna showed no signs of consciousness.

This was the worst.

If I waited like this for her to wake up, the hunters from the association could return at any moment.

Caught for giving false testimony and being with her, I’d immediately be branded an accomplice.

The red blade that saved my ID earlier would pierce my neck this time.

There was no choice.

I slid my arms under Anna’s armpits.

And I lifted her with all my strength.

“…!!”

But her thighs barely lifted off the ground before her weight pulled me down with her.

As I struggled, her jacket slipped open, revealing her sleeveless top.

And I realized why Anna was unexpectedly heavy.

Despite her slender build, her shoulders were packed with lean muscle.

Her ability to sever opponents’ necks in one strike wasn’t just thanks to skill.

Even though she was much smaller than me, I couldn’t possibly lift a body like that.

“…”

But it wasn’t completely hopeless.

Earlier, when I ran, I had heard the sound of glass bottles rolling in my backpack.

That meant the last cocktail was still there.

Normally, it was a healing cocktail used to stop bleeding.

But when consumed by someone healthy, it provided a “special buff.”

Without hesitation, I opened the potion.

And I downed the black liquid in one go.

It burned my throat like swallowing lava.

It was a vodka-based cocktail with nearly 40% alcohol content.

But I didn’t stop.

Dying from a cut throat would be worse than a little burning.

My blurry vision sharpened.

My previously weak legs felt as strong as they were when I was a man.

“—!”

But at the same time, hiccups started erupting from my body.

Every time a strange sound came from my mouth, the drunkenness grew, making me dizzy.

“Of all things, it had to be the alcohol effect…”

I slapped my cheeks repeatedly.

Then I approached Anna with firm steps.

Her body now felt as light as a child’s.

This gave me more confidence.

Fueled by that confidence, I carried Anna on my back.

Due to the height difference, her dangling boots scraped the ground.

But there was no other way.

To escape with Anna from here, this was the only option.

Before the drunkenness made me collapse, I moved my legs quickly.

The moonlight shone on us, as if revealing us to the hunters.

In the ruined streets, only the sound of my footsteps filled the air.

“Even if you get caught later, don’t say I helped you…”

Anna didn’t respond.

She just breathed softly each time I took a step.

It reminded me that she, too, was a living, breathing human being.

That shared sense of humanity reassured me as I carried the killer.

It felt like she was keeping me from collapsing under the intoxication.

After walking for a long time, I saw a familiar sight.

I had reached somewhere near my home.

There were no monsters, and the streetlights were lit—a peaceful place.

I brought the most dangerous person in the world here.

Laughter and chatter echoed from all around.

Following those sounds, I eventually reached my home.

The man who had been beaten up by the Executor’s subordinates a few days ago came into view.

The man, wearing a tank top, smoked a cigarette and made eye contact with me.

He seemed startled by the sight of me carrying a blood-soaked woman, then quickly turned his head.

Without sparing him a glance, I climbed the stairs.

I didn’t have the luxury to reassure the residents.

I could feel the potion’s effect fading.

My legs trembled visibly.

Anna’s breathing had finally stabilized, and I didn’t want to risk waking her by collapsing.

Without even taking off my shoes, I headed straight to the bed.

I carefully laid Anna down on the mattress.

Even with that motion, she didn’t wake.

She only shifted slightly, as if in a deep hibernation.

“You sleep so well…”

Relieved at last, I let out a deep sigh.

Perhaps because of the potion’s side effects, I felt completely drained.

It was as if I had just possessed this body for the first time—everything felt hazy.

My body was drenched in sweat.

Especially my back, which had been in contact with Anna.

I untied the jacket around my waist.

And just as I was about to take off my T-shirt, I froze.

My gaze landed on the silver-haired woman sleeping in my bed.

I stared at her intently.

Her beautiful silver hair glistened under the moonlight.

Its color gave her an otherworldly, mysterious impression.

“She looks like an angel when she’s asleep.”

I muttered quietly to myself.

And I slowly approached her.

Had I ever looked at Anna this closely before?

The fine downy hair on her face looked soft, like dandelion fluff.

Following that fluff upward, her white eyelids shimmered faintly.

I suddenly recalled the image of her face when her eyes had been half-open.

Surely, she was so beautiful back then that it was almost disconcerting.

As I recalled that face, I found myself close enough to feel Anna’s breathing.

For some reason, my chest felt warm.

I tried to ignore that sensation and observed her rationally.

There was definitely a wound on her neck earlier.

Thanks to the potion, most of the bleeding had stopped.

But that didn’t mean the wound was fully healed.

The ranker’s blade might have been poisoned, so it was better to disinfect it now.

Especially the long cut on her neck.

I felt I had to treat at least that.

I averted my gaze from her momentarily and brought a medical kit.

I rummaged through the box, looking for bandages.

All I found was a small band-aid, the kind you’d put on a finger.

It was a children’s band-aid with an unknown squirrel character printed on it.

I had no idea why a grown adult would have bought such a thing.

I tried my best to flatten the band-aid and place it over her wound.

It was far too small for a cut of that size…

“…”

Perhaps because I leaned closer to apply the band-aid, I heard a faint sound from Anna’s lips.

“Sun…”

Was she dreaming?

Slowly, I brought my ear closer to her lips.

Unaware that my short hair might be tickling Anna’s face.

Warm breath brushed against my cheek.

The tickling sensation on my fine hair made me shiver.

Eventually, I managed to catch the words she wanted to say, even if only in her dreams.

“Don’t go.”

Don’t go…?

“—!”

The moment I repeated those words in my head, a shadow loomed over my face.

The shadow grabbed me tightly and pulled me toward it.

“Wait a minute…”

The arm wrapped around my neck was too heavy.

Having already spent all my strength, I couldn’t resist.

Before I knew it, the arm pulling me had drawn me into an embrace.

I was pressed against Anna’s chest without any way to move.

The blood on her body began soaking me thoroughly.

The sharp scent of iron assaulted my nose.

Was it the alcohol?

I couldn’t shake off her arm.

Every point where our skin touched burned hot.

From her soft thighs to her chest.

The heat from her skin made my body flush.

My breathing grew labored.

Weird noises kept escaping my mouth due to my ragged breathing.

I covered my mouth with both hands to stifle them.

Fortunately, it seemed to be just sleep-talking, as Anna remained deeply asleep while pressing her body against mine.

“…”

The house was silent except for the ticking of the clock’s second hand.

But that wasn’t all I could hear.

I could hear the breathing of a deadly killer.

And the pounding heart of a hostage captivated by her.

A memory of my childhood resurfaced—watching a bizarrely themed adult video.

In the video, there was an armed robber and a female employee taken hostage.

The hostage had an expression as if she was excited about what the criminal might do to her.

I couldn’t understand the concept at all and had turned the video off with a grimace.

But now, things were different.

Maybe I understood that feeling just a little.

Every time my skin brushed against hers, a sensitive tingling spread to my groin.

I desperately wanted to get rid of that strange sensation.

I tried to compose myself and think rationally about this situation.

But the more I focused, the clearer the sensations became.

The provocative touch only made me feel more dazed.

This is all because of the vodka.

Yeah, there’s no way I’d enjoy a situation like this.

I blamed everything on the cursed Black Russian.

My body, stiff like a stone, moved.

All I could do was press myself closer into Anna’s embrace.

I no longer had the strength to resist.

“…”

In her sleep, Anna murmured.

She called out someone’s name longingly.

Eventually, I realized who that person was.

It was Sun-ye, the girl I’d seen in her memories.

If Anna mourned her this much, she must have died as well.

Perhaps it was her death that had broken Anna so completely.

Just like I lost someone I loved right before my eyes.

Yet, despite experiencing the same thing, we had taken completely different paths.

I chose to comfort people.

Anna chose to kill them.

That ironic difference made me pity the woman lying against me.

Perhaps because of that feeling, I found myself sympathizing with Anna.

I felt her warm body heat against mine.

Savoring that warmth, I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.

How long had it been since I’d slept so peacefully?

Ever since possessing this body, I had spent my life dreaming of my comrades’ deaths.

But that night, no one appeared in my dreams.

Not even Ji-soo noona, whom I so dearly missed.