Story
Protecting Angel
23.
Story.
"Wh..What?" Hye Min trembled, as she swallowed and took in a deep breath.
"I'm, sorry." Her father could only say that. What else could he say?
He sat on the bed, staring blankly at the wall, trying to recall the memories, and what exactly happened on that particular day. "It happened actually when you e, at that time, your mother had to go on a mission."
"A mission?" Hye Min asked as she furrowed her eyebrows. She has never known anything about her mother as she left her when she was young, and she could hardly even remember her face.
Hair that was till her shoulders, thin eyebrows, sparkly eyes. That wasn't helping. In fact, just find any typical woamn on the streets and you would know the similarities.
Her father nodded. "Back before you were born, we both were bodyguards, but work for different companies, and that's how we met. And we also shared one common interest, which is hiking." Her father slightly smiled, those happy memories made him melt, softening. "Our relationship then grew, as she told me about her, and we shared things about each other, then had you," Hye Min's father smiled once more as he said and reminisced those memories, before Hye Min's mother died.
"She loved this family a lot, but soon after you were born, she started to go out and come back only during the night, I don't know where she had gone, and I didn't ask, because I trust her. In every relationship there must be trust, andI trust her that she's faithful, so I suspected that she goes out because of her job, even though she has long retired." Hye Min's father frowned at the thought of it. After letting it out, indeed he really find it suspicious of Hye Min's mother's death, that could be related to her job.
"That may seem that, omma's death actually linked to her job?" Hye Min asked.
He nodded. "Your mother, HaeIn, and always wanted to be a cop, and protect the people to uphold justice, but she couldn't become one, and instead became a bodyguard, but its almost the same thing-protecting and she loves her job dearly, but her job, also cost her life.." Hye Min's father's voice broke, as he silently sobbed.
He regretted everything. For the past 17 years, he looked for HaeIn, everywhere, but just not their favourite place-hills.
"But I didn't know, that HaeIn would die such a horrible death, her body left in the hill for 17 over years, and it was never found, until now.."
"The police said that, omma was actually killed by a shot, according to their result as her one of her ribs was dent, and they believed that.. Omma was shot, not accident, but intentional," Hye Min's voice croaked and looked away as tears flowed down. She bit her lip in agony and also in misery. Her mother was also a bodyguard, like her. And also loves to uphold justice, but justice is hard to uphold, because of Hye Min's mother job, it took away her life, and not only did it not help to protect people, it just showed that the evilness out there, just kept growing.
"At first, I had my doubts because of HaeIn's disappearance. I thought she was just out for a moment because of her job, but when the clock strike midnight that day, my heart sank. Because there's a high possiblity that she's gone.." He clenched his fists tightly and shut his eyes.
She couldn't believe that actually not only was evil begin to grow, it also influence people to be one of them, and purity.
"She wanted to work with others to fight justice, that was my goal to, but sadly, another heroine, gone.." he whispered and looked away.
"Then what's the point of upholding justice if I'm the only person who wants to do it while others just stand by the side?" Hye Min blurted out. At that time, her anger took over her, and she was just agitated and impulsive as she walked down the streets. She was wandering around her neighborhood aimlessly, walking around in circles for hours and her legs were tired, but she wanted to walk on, numbing her legs, numbing her whole entire body. She wanted to feel numb, so that she could feel nothing.
At the same place, Suho was wandering around, and unknowingly he landed in Hye Min's neighborhood. He was walking around with his hands in his pocket and looking down, not even bothering to wear disguises when he came out. When he look up from the ground, he saw Hye Min at the opposite street, aimlessly walking around, his mood immediately brightened up, as he walked towards her, while Hye Min was just staring blankly at the ground, standing in the middle of the road, not knowing or caring whether there were cars as pedestrians walked passed her. At that point of time, she really felt like dropping dead and accompanying her mother in heaven.
One word, impulsive.
The green light flashed and cars began to move. When Suho saw her, his eyes widened as he quickly dashed towards her before a car run over her.
The car honked as Hye Min looked up to see an incoming car driving towards her direction. She stood there as she didn't know what to react when all of a sudden, a pair of arms grabbed hold of her and pushed himself and herself backwards, where the pedestrians were standing, waiting for the man to turn green. Hye Min look up, and saw Suho's worried face with his arms still around her.
"Hye Min! Are you okay?" Suho asked in concern as he check for any bruises, while Hye Min uncomfortably let go of his arms.
"I'm fine.." Hye Min let go of his hands and walked away from Suho, while he quickly catch up.
"Do you know how dangerous it is? You could have died!" Suho said in despair as he threw his hands up, frowning.
Hye Min then stopped, and turned to look at him. "Then just let me die, my mother is dead, and she's dead because of her job. Her job killed her! One day I'll just be like her and die!" Hye Min burst into tears as her voice broke and she quickly walked away before Suho would see her crying again.
"She wanted to make a difference and evil stopped her by ending her life. And her body was in the wild for 17 years. 17 years! Do you know how long is that? And I'm like her, wanting to help people while people just blindly follow the evil and they just grow stronger, and you see all those cases of junkies or drug lords not being able sentence to prison or death even though everyone could see they are all evil? Even justice can't do a single thing to them, and you want to talk about me? Trying to put them behind bars? Impossible!" Hye Min wiped away her tears and stormed off, with Suho catching up with her.
Suho frowned and his lips nervously. "You have that passion in you, the flame that wants bad people to put behind bars, and I know you could do it, EXO-K believes in you, like how your observant helped us, and your skills, techniques saved us all. Hye Min, snap out of it, if you just admit defeat, you will just let evil continue to prevail, you're not helping, you're just unknowingly become one of them," he persuaded, catching up with her as she shut her ears and frowned, picking up speed.
"Besides, you dont know whether there are people not kneeling to evil, they are just hidden, and comes out when the time is right," he finished and stopped in his tracks, looking at Hye Min who completely ignored him and walked off without him.
He rubbed his palms together in despair and frowned. "Lee Hye Min! You can't give up!" he shouted. He really had no idea what to say, and sometimes only the simplest things would actually help the most. His eyes softened and his words just came out unknowingly and knocked some sense out of Hye Min, which made her stopped in her tracks and looked up. She slowly turned around and saw Suho looking with at her with those concerned eyes, and Suho could actually see the vulnerable side of Hye Min behind those swollen eyes.
Hye Min she scanned the truth from Suho's eyes, and she could tell, Suho just spoke from his heart.
Hye Min bit her lip. She mouthed, raising both her eyebrows in apology. 'Just, leave me alone.' She mouthed and walked away, and this time, Suho didn't catch up with her. He knew, what to do; leave her alone, to think.
An ear piercing scream filled the neighbourhood, and it was repeatedly heard crying out, thief.
Hye Min scanned the surroundings like she always does, and spotted a middle aged woman crying out loud, while a young man was running away fast with her handbag.
Hye Min's foot was instinctively one step in front of the other, getting ready to run, but then quickly stopped in her tracks.
*It's none of my business anyway. Besides, others also just stand by the side. It's just the woman's fault, not being able to take care of her own belongings..*
But sometimes, there's always a blessing in disguise. People at a very young age already start learning to uphold justice, so Hye Min, you need to follow them, alright? Her father's words rang in her head. When she was six, that was how her father trained her. Hye Min, don't give up, Suho's words kept ringing in his head and his eyes kept appearing in her mind. Those bright truthful eyes, and also filled with concern.
*Those people come out only when the time is right, and you'll see,* Suho's words rang in her mind once again.
Don't bow to evil, stand up for yourself, for the people you love. Hye Min's mother's words suddenly rang in her mind. Hye Min remembered hearing those words everyday, morning eating breakfast, noon having lunch, night having dinner, and whenever she was about to sleep, her mother would always teach her how to uphold justice, how to stand up for herself, and don't bow to evil. She actually hate it. She found it naggy, but now, she wanted to hear her voice again so badly.
Hye Min, I'm not with you, doesn't mean you can give up, stand up for yourself, for the people you love.
Just then, the thief was running towards Hye Min's direction, and Hye Min look up/
"Move! Move!" the thief shouted at Hye Min, while Hye Min just stood like a block of wood, blocking him unintentionally.
At last, the thief ran past her and bumped shoulders with her, then ran past her.
Suho was walking past, and was curious about the commotion as the crowd was surrounding at a place. He squeezed in, to find a boy chasing after a man older than him, and also.. Hye Min, standing like a piece of wood.
Suho shook his head. *Don't give up, please.* He closed his eyes and looked down, pursing his lips and praying hard.
Then, the thief was being pulled back, and was pulled back by nonetheless, Hye Min. She pulled him by his hoodie by one arm and used his hood to cover his face, making him not seeing a single thing. She then used her other arm and grabbed it, then twisted his arm, which made him wince and let go of the handbag, then pinned him onto the wall.
Suho smiled at Hye Min, he knew it all along.
Two patrolling police officers quickly took over, as Hye Min picked up the handbag and returned it to the woman.
As Hye Min look up, she saw Suho in the middle of the crowd, smiling widely at her, and her lips slowly curved upwards. Having a faint smile on her face, she nodded her head at him and gave a thumbs up. *Thank you, Suho.*
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