conflicts of competence
The Red ShoesThank you all for still reading and commenting and subscribing and ... ^^ I appreciate it. And sorry that this took a bit longer, but I had a couple of lose ends to fix before I could go on telling the actual story. I hope you still enjoy!
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While we’re watching and waiting General Yoon comes rushing over. The appears to be chronically angry. He shouts at Song from afar.
“What the do you think you’re doing here? A little side-show for disappointed teenagers?”
I can see that Song is pissed to no end with all the competence shifting among involved parties.
“You deal with the terrorist activities ... Sir”, he shouts back, “my job is channeling out the civilians.”
“You’re blocking access ways”, Yoon keeps ranting while climbing our stage.
“It happens when you have to move 15.000 people”, Song replies and I’m impressed by the way he screws with the General. He is in charge now and he knows it.
Pointing to the display above the entrance the sneers:
“And why are those fairies still in there?”
“I thought you already understood the connection”, Song boldly answers.
“There’s just one pair of trigger-shoes, so get the fanboy out here. I don’t want any further casualties.”
Not that again.
“Stick to your job, Yoon”, Song hisses not using honorifics anymore, “work with the bomb-squad to disarm those devices, go find your presumed terrorist, but leave the civilians to us.”
The bickering stops when Minho suddenly shouts:
“He’s got a cramp again ...”
And I turn to the screen fearing to see Kibum on his knees. But it’s Taemin who is in trouble. He obviously has another muscle cramp in his calf, the same ing problem like a couple of month ago. He desperately tries to keep dancing but fails to do all the steps.
Although we can’t see the lights in his shoes from where we are I’m sure our guys are in trouble.
Then we hear Kibum’s voice over the speakers. He’s still wearing his headset.
“HEY!” he yells “HEY DJ, GIVE US A BREAK ... PLEASE!”
He’s looking directly into the camera.
The music goes on, maybe the guy isn’t even listening.
We can’t hear much of the explosion and can’t see any of it at all, since the camera only captures the center-stage. But we see Kibum’s head whipping around towards the stands to his right.
“It’s the stands, top tier on the right”! He shouts into his microphone and I wonder if it’s a message to the police and rescue teams. And I’m positive it is when he adds “I think there was nobody up there.”
“That boy’s got a nerve”, Song mumbles beside me.
‘Yeah, that’s Kim Kibum for you’ I think but don’t say.
A young man in the squads jump-suit runs over to us.
“The explosion right now was in a safe area”, he announces to General Yoon but looking at Song as if he is aware that the latter is more important.
“Yeah ...”, Song says but is cut short by the General who asks the messenger:
“How much longer will you need to disarm the remaining bombs?”
The guy looks puzzled.
“But ... well, the commander told us we’re abandoning as soon as the evacuation is completed.”
“Abandon? Are you nuts? Just blow up a stadium?”
“But ...”
“Get your commander here”, Yoon bawls at him, “NOW!”
The young man looks at Song for approval which fuels Yoon’s re-emerging rage. Song just nods and turns away glancing at me.
I don’t know what to think. Was Moon, the bomb-squad leader, lying to us to make us leave Taemin and Kibum behind? Or did he decide without actual backup by the military?
Minho’s and Jjong’s eyes are glued to the screen. A new track has started, ‘Juliette’.
This would be an easy one if Taemin was okay. But is he?
It looks like he’s gritting his teeth but he’s dancing, a bit wobbly but still on point with the beat. Kibum is dancing along watching our Maknae closely.
“They need electrolytes, just water isn’t enough”, a medic tells Song.
“Do you have anything working fast?” the police-officer asks back.
“Yeah, sure ...”
“I get back in and give it to them”, Minho immediately volunteers, but Song just cuts him short. “No, you don’t.”
“Sir”, a young policeman who was obviously following the conversation climbs our stage, “I’ll go.”
When I take a closer look at him I see that it’s the guy who tasered Kibum. He can’t be much older than Taemin, so he’s practically a child. I bet he wants to make up for his mistake.
Song thinks the same.
“Don’t waste any time and come straight back here”, he orders and the kid runs off with four bottles of electrolyte drinks.
Two minutes later we see him on the screen. We can’t hear what he’s saying but Kibum nods at him and passes one of the water bottles which the guy hastily prepares, adding the electrolytes, to Taemin.
The young policeman mixes the remaining fluids together and then turns to leave but changes his mind and comes back.
“What the hell ...”, Song says but shuts up when we see the young man bow down deeply to Kibum before he finally dashes away.
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