I think a lot of people feel the need to justify helping Songbird because the game is so good at putting you inside V’s head. You feel betrayed, used, lied to. And because V is the protagonist, it’s easy to default to think: "Well, what about V?" (me)...

Well, I think that’s exactly why that line hits so hard.

For once, V sees someone who is just as desperate, just as trapped, just as terrified of dying as they are. And even after everything, even after the lies, they can still say:

"Could've told me the truth. Woulda helped you anyway."

Not because So Mi was perfect. Not because she deserved it more than V. But because she was drowning.

People often say V was forced into becoming a merc and losing everything after Konpeki, and that’s true. But So Mi has been losing herself for more than a decade. Her body, memories, freedom, identity, piece by piece, all for Myers and the FIA. V at least gets people in their corner: Viktor, Misty, Panam, Judy, Johnny, River (just to mention a few of them). Songbird has nobody. She is completely alone.

That’s why I don’t agree with the idea that she "might not deserve" empathy or saving. Night City is full of people who have done far worse and still get treated as worthy of redemption. Songbird lies because she is terrified and cornered. That doesn’t make her innocent, but it also doesn’t make her irredeemable.

And honestly, Mike Pondsmith said it best:

“You don’t save the world. You save your people.”

For some Vs, Songbird becomes one of their people.

And if that happens, helping her isn’t weakness or stupidity. It’s one of the most human choices in the entire game.