She pressed her fingers, tossing his head back to where it was place originally. He has his eyes shut. Unexplainable desires gave her the strength to let herself stood up and look closer.

 

His long hair was dripping in rain. It slid down to his face. Her stomach twisted by his bruises and cuts. She run her fingers carefully tugging his hair strands to its side revealing a better picture of him.

 

His face didn't recognize Jieun's compartment of everyone's profile in this town in her brain.

Who is he? She keep on remembering faces in her mind but this boy doesn't ring a bell.

The man moved its head weakly from her touch.

 

He moaned. 

Locking his eyes to her his mouth twitched. He didn't say anything, neither she. He stretched his body slowly from curling into a ball. Her stomach swirl when she saw his knuckles. Dry blood had covered the open wounds.

 

The bread she ate was half in ready to come out in any time.

 

Back off A voice told her but she pushed it away, at the farthest part of her mind.

 

She knew this could put her in danger but she also knew this man could be in danger too. Feeling his need for her help she set aside her first assumption.

 

Looking the way he moved Jieun sense he's dazed probably. Jieun extend her right arm in front of him, waiting for him to reach for it. The man gathered all his energy to glance up. His brown eyes narrowed at her. His unfocused gaze shifted from her face to her hand still hanging in the air waiting for him to reach. He looked at her like he was bothered from his sleeping. Jieun felt his nervousness. She stepped forward the man scoot backward. His back on the wall of the box.

Jieun lowered herself with her both hand holding the brim of the box. Their faces were divided by this imaginary thin margin. His eyes were looking for safety in this strange place.

 

"I'll help you" She extends her arm again. The man looked at her hand extended to him. This time his gaze were thinking if he should accept it or not. Jieun hold her breath agitated by his next move.

 

Finally his hand touched her. Clasping their hands together Jieun pulled him up. Jieun help him to swung his legs out by placing his hand to her shoulder as his support to stand steadily.

 

She feels her heart pounding fast, what happened to him? She tried her best not to touch his wounds. He was halfway to dead when she found him, she could say this man could be dead if she didn't found him by this time.

 

Her walks slowed down as she was carrying her own weight plus double her weight in her small body.

 

She opened the door, banging it from the brick wall making the metal knob dangling.

 

She laid him down at the couch near the kitchen door. She breathes exhaustedly and fan her both hands in the air.

 

Though the guy had his eyes shut, Jieun told him to stay while she make her way to call for help.

 

Jieun phoned Joonyoung but his voicemail answered after the fifth ring.

 

"I need your help" She left the message hoping he answers back after a minute. Stepping five steps backward she edged her body checking him lying still on the couch. The couch was too small than his body that it left his knees hanging at the arm of the couch.

 

She had notice his feet were bare and have partly violet and partly green dotted. Has he walked barefooted? They were pale and dirt had stained his feet. Jieun walked towards the sink and made a hot compress.

 

She went back and bent sideways, watching him carefully. She blew away the dirt left on his face. With the damped towel she wiped slowly his barefoot.

 

It took the towel to fold several times to clean the dirt away from his feet

 

Jieun flattened her back at the stool she dragged from the kitchen. She waits anxiously for Joonyoung's return call. She had her index finger made a rhythmic tapping against her lap.

 

She scribbled again his number.

 

Another machine had answered her call.

 

She scrolled down the names listed in the phone.

 

Should I call him? She chewed her lips

 

NO!

 

Her mind practically had divided weather call or not to call Taehyung his bestfriend.

 

At the end she decided to slid it into her back pocket. Taehyung isn’t going to help. He would exaggerate as he always did.

 

Weighing the situation, she sighed heavily. Pinching the tip of her nose, she stood up and swing her jacket out of its stand and slid it to her. She hooked the keys to her jeans then walked out the house.

 

Jieun slid herself inside the cab with exasperation. She hasn’t felt this stress for so long.

 

"What happened to him?" The driver of the cab asked trying to feed himself an information but Jieun didn't answer back. She close the thick margin between her and the boy, she swung her arm towards him to rest it comfortably in her shoulder.

 

Biting her lip, she gazed through her shoulder which he had his head resting.

 

Her heart fumbled in his view. It’s like a sad feeling drawn to her senses.

 

There are two options for now, stop the car and return to her home or go to that place where she hadn't visit since she was in 10th grade.

 

She closed her eyes.

 

Why are you doing this? She questioned herself but couldn't find the right answer.

 

Because he needs you

A voice from the back of her mind keeps on whispering this. She sighed.

You’re stupid This why she hates her other side, it kept on provoking her things she hates to do.

 

A few moments, all were moving slowly for her. Her knees wobbled as if she's ready to collapse any time at that moment.

 

"I'll take care of him. You did a great job" Her sister-in-law stopped her, giving her a courageous smile and a half worried look. Eyeing those skillful backs, pushing the wheeled bed where they place him and armed him with medical technology. She couldn't help but wait for the news. Jieun felt useless. It happened again, her fear controlled her. Seven years ago and now this is what exactly what had happened in the past.

 

 

She tried to step forward, through the revolving door. But her fear reigned over, her making her regain her foot who hangs in the air.

 

As she picked herself back into pieces she imagined the ground would open and eat her she fumbled down .But a hand tugged her through her elbow. She listlessly lifted her gaze up.

 

"I'm sorry" Joonyoung held her up then leads her to his police patrol car.

 

Joonyoung glanced at the side mirror where he had his eyes glued to her. He hasn't seen her cry for the past years. The pain he thought she forgot had return. Her face gone paler and horrified.

Jieun’s sobs make her breathes hastily. She was outrun with pills and her tense ate a lot of iron in her body. She shut her eyes controlling her heart rate.

Damn you Joonyoung If he had seen the calls earlier...

 

He let her calm herself from sobbing. The way he see it, it was like she almost had a breakdown again a while ago. He knew she would want to do it but she still can't. Relieving the pain isn't that easy. It’s a long process to go and she isn't started yet.

 

 

"I'm really sorry" He felt disappointed to himself. He promised to the graveyard of their parents that he would do everything to look after them. He should protect them that’s why he chose to be a policeman. To become a protector but he failed of all people he couldn’t protect his family.

 

Joonyoung tightened his grip from the steering wheel.

 

"Who was he? Your friend?" She shook her head. Joonyoung frowned.

 

"I found him in a box, down the porch" flitting her attention to him. His face pinched into hard line.

 

 

"I'll drive you home. I'll take care of him" Joonyoung said looking sideways to Jieun. She didn't say anything she just continue staring outside the car like something caught her full attention that she forgot the world revolving around.

 

Silence lanced over the car for an hour. Yoo Mi knocked through the glass window outside. Jieun pushed the side button opening it. Yoo Mi ducked her head forward.

 

"How was the stranger?" Joonyoung scowled. Jieun didn't like the address he used.

 

"How was he?" Jieun asked anyway. Yoo Mi turned her attention to her.

 

"I bandaged his head. His vital seems okay, but--"Her heart leaped a beat with that pause. Her face shadowed with seriousness. Her lips dry.

"I need to run some tests when he wakes up to make sure nothing serious aside from his cuts and bruises" She tucked both hands in her doctor's suit. She yanked her head backward.

 

"I need to go now. See you later" She winked then walked back inside the building. Jieun gazed through her shoulder caught off guard at Jooyoung's wide grin at her wife.

Gross. She fake a cough making Joonyoung to realize how he looks like.

 

"I'll take you home" Joonyoung heat up the engine. Her system couldn't accept what she had done today for this boy. She wandered her hands to her pocket.

 

Her iron pills were left behind the house in her drawer.

 

"I’ll just get my pills but I want to stay here" Jieun stops but Joonyoung shook his head then hit the car out of the parking lot.

 

---

 

Jieun waved at Joonyoung's car edging at the road leaving the driveway. She stepped through the porch but then walked back. She traced the place where she found the man early this morning.

 

The box was still there and it was dry making it to hold its form again. She flipped the lid and hunts down for something she might found inside that maybe connects to that boy. But the box was empty. Only traces of muds from his feet and shirt.

 

She was about to close the lid again when from a corner there was a paper crumped into small. She picked it up then straightened it in her leg folded to form a table like. It was a paper form into wristband. Something was printed to it but she can't read it fully because some of the letters had been washed out and the ink had overlapped one another making it difficult to read.

 

P-22 R-504 This was the only printed left there that she was able to read.

 

What does this means?

'Was it his address? A house address? But what does P and R means? His town or City address? Jieun massage her temple in circular.

 

I better ask him when he wakes up Folding the paper into four folds she pocketed it. She climbed the four steps stairway through the main door. From her jeans she wiggled her keys and unlocks the door.

 

Three hours had past and Jieun had been eyeing the phone in the kitchen. She was waiting for someone to make a call. But the phone was silent for the past hours.

 She sighed.

 

Jieun wiggled her phone out in her pocket. Her fingers were ready to punch Joonyoung's or Yoo Mi’s number.

Tapping the phone’s screen she chewed her lip.

I might sound too concern about him if I ask for his condition She sighed heavily. She put her phone down the table across her.

 

She had her fingers tapping the table synchronously

 

She finally decided to make something to eat. She had pancake and a hot chocolate in the table. She darted the fork at the pancake several times before her stomach decided to eat. After placing the dishes in the sink her phone rang. She almost jump just to answer the call.

 

"Kwangmin" Her voice dropped. It’s not the call she's waiting.

Kwangmin heard her disappointed tone.

 

"Why? Are you expecting for someone's call?" Kwangmin asked. Jieun nodded though Kwangmin couldn't see it.

 

"No--how's the trip?" She averted the conversation. Kwangmin's voice lightened up.

 

"The place is sooooo beautiful, yesterday we went to a toy factory and it was sooo amazing. Youngmin brought a mini size figure of his favorite toy character. And oh--promise me you won't tell Minwoo that I already told you what he had brought for you okay!" Jieun smiled at his cute little brother excited voice. She nodded.

 

"Minwoo brought you pair of socks of your favorite kitty design! They have it here!!" He almost scream on the other line. Jieun giggled.

 

"Really? Wooah!.I'm soo excited!!!" Jieun felt extremely happy hearing Minwoo's wonderful gift for her.  It felt like it’s the best news for this day.

 

"Is that noona?" She heard a voice. She was pretty sure it was Youngmin's voice. Because of that she suddenly feels alone. She misses them.

 

"You didn't dare to tell her about my gift don't you?!"Jieun heard Minwoo's sternly and threatening voice joining the call. She couldn't help but match a smile to their silliness.

 

"Nooona, take care!!!" Youngmin yelled at the other line. She imagined Kwangmin hit Youngmin and Minwoo rolled his eyes.

 

After a few minutes of talking Kwangmin had to ended the call because they had to leave the hotel to visit an amusement park.

 

Jieun left the kitchen and went to her room.

 

---

 

Jieun pressed the pillow against her ears, the lively sounds of a man singing fills the room. He was hitting the high notes smoothly. Giving up from blocking the constant ringing of her phone she sits bolt upright, hunting her phone with her just woke up eyes. She answered it on the other line a hysterical breathing filters.

 

"The patient was missing" Yoo Mi said.

 

"What?" Blood rushed to her head.

 

All her desire to sleep vanished.

 

"Okay" She ended the call. Yoo Mi told her not to worry anymore. Joonyoung together with his team were roaming around the town looking for him.

 

Massaging her temple in circular something crossed her mind. She slid her jacket on. Yanking with her was the yellow umbrella that Minwoo gave as birthday gift last summer.

 

The rain down poured. Shielded by her yellow umbrella she stepped out from the warmth of her home. Her gripped from the metal handle of her yellow umbrella tightened when the cold wind gripped under her skin. On her right hand was a flashlight pointed across the road.

 

Where were you? She wished she had her eyeglasses with her. The darkness lanced everywhere making it hard to see. She pointed the flashy light to her wristwatch

 

"Gosh, it’s four in the morning and its Monday, workday" She facepalmed and hurried herself from walking.

 

Passing the hospital's entrance she lowered the umbrella to her face. She made a promised to Yoo Mi that she won't leave the house until the morning sunlight but she thinks she was born to break rules. She glanced back through her shoulder. From the revolving door Yoo Mi came out with her white suit. She was talking with some other doctor, they seem like they’re discussing serious matter at each other. She lowered again her umbrella and pressed her jacket against her.

 

 

She wandered her eyes, maintaining its sharp sight she passed the market and some stalls.

 

Finding no trace of him she walked across the empty intersection.

 

Edging through the street she felt the end of her gray pajama getting soaked from the rain.

 

Turning left, she found herself standing at the coffee shop where she works every morning, four hours in a day, twenty hours in five days and seven hours during weekends. How ironic she thought, she said she can't stand coffee but her paychecks came from coffee she serves.

 

She glanced at her watch one hour and thirty minutes had past but she was alone no shows from him.

He’s probably inside

At this time, the early bird Thunder was surely mopping the floor. She decided to walk closer. She felt her need for something hot she’s been outside with her sleeping clothes and it isn’t helping her chills plus she needs someone to talk to.

 

Funneling her thoughts she walked hastily towards the wood fences only half of her leg's height. She watched her flat shoes spilled water from its corner.

 

When she reached the platform she saw barefoot curling from cold rain. Raising her umbrella enough to peek she saw him. Completely soaked in rain he was shaking. She knew rain could have caused it but he seems he didn't bother getting soaked. She bent in front of him. She edged the umbrella into him she felt the rain spattered through her back.

 

He was wearing the hospital dress but it wasn't as white as it should be. He was hugging his folded legs tightly. His face was buried between his knees. His long black hair was dripping in rain. He was shaking though he remained unmoved from the platform.

 

She sat beside him sharing umbrella with him was useless but it’s worth to try she thought. They remained silent for a minute before Jieun decided to broke the thin margin between the two.

 

"What were you doing here?" She asked but he didn’t notice her presence. She feels him blink his eyes several times before edging sideways to her. He slowly open his mouth...

 

"I--uh…You left without me"