The moonlight shone through the trees and lit the forest. The fallen leaves rustled beneath Moonbyul, crumbling in her hands. As her senses returned, so did the pain that was spreading throughout her body. She placed her hand on a wooden debris that had pierced the left side of her stomach. , she groaned before examining it. It doesn’t feel too deep. I think I can remove it.

Moonbyul crawled to a nearby tree and leaned her back against it. She took off her sweater before ing her shirt. After folding her shirt to act as a bandage, she placed it in and took a deep breath. Sweats dripped from her forehead as she gripped the wooden debris. She carefully removed it, groaning under her breath. Once that was taken care of, she wrapped the shirt tightly around her wound and leaned back against the tree. That should keep for a while.

She looked up at the dark mountain and wondered how far down she was. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea. It’s fortunate that I didn’t break anything, she sighed and leaned her head against the tree. Guess Kang-Dae didn’t pay them enough to come after me, she scoffed. Good thing too. I wouldn’t have been able to hold them off in this condition. She sighed again; relieved that her gamble had worked without too much complication.

At that moment, her stomach growled. “Damn, I knew I forgot something,” she chuckled, holding her injury. “, laughing hurts.” I should get out of here and find someone to look at this wound. I think there’s a small town in this area. Her stomach grumbled again, something to eat would also be nice.

Moonbyul put her jacket on and navigated the forest, her hand pressed against her wound. The longer she walked, the more she hesitated. Each step felt as if she had chosen the wrong direction. She stopped to catch her breath once more, losing count of how many times it had happened. The pain was getting worse and her dry lips longed for the taste of water.

The insects' cacophony echoed loudly, piercing through the forest. In its background, soft waves were washing onto the shore. She listened carefully and followed the sound of water to its source. The sparkling sea was vast and empty, but it still brought her joy. She dropped to her knees and scooped up some water, fortunately she stopped herself before she ingested any. Her wound was also spared from being touched by it.

Moonbyul continued on her way, leaving her heavy footprints in the sand. It was a while longer before she spotted a house in the distance. Her small fragment of hope grew larger. She wanted to pick up her pace but her body was at its limit. Each step felt harder; each breath heavier. However, even when she fell, she kept crawling until exhaustion overtook her. In the moments before her consciousness faded, she heard noises as a silhouette drew closer. Who is it…?

============================================

“What are you thinking about?” Solar smiled, wrapping her arms around Moonbyul’s waist and placing her head against Moonbyul’s back.

She held Solar’s hands, “that it’s nice to be here with you. Watching the stars, the sea. It’s peaceful.”

“It is beautiful.”

She gazed into Solar’s eyes and said, “mesmerizing.”

“I’m talking about the scenery.”

“And I’m talking about the person in front of me,” she said as she embraced Solar.

“Keep teasing me and you’ll get it,” Solar pouted.

She kissed Solar, “I don’t mind getting in trouble if it’s with you. And I meant what I said.”

“I know,” she kissed Moonbyul. “Let’s stay here for a while longer.”

Moonbyul nodded, “we’ll stay for as long as you want.”

============================================

When Moonbyul opened her eyes she was lying in bed. Her clothes had been changed into a hospital gown. There was a bag of IV attached to her right arm, its content almost drained. She could hear the birds chirping outside the nearby opened window. The sun was shining brightly and the wind rustled the leaves, gently shaking the branches.

Moonbyul got out of bed and let out a sigh of relief that her wound didn’t hurt as much as before. It was also properly cared for. She stood by the window and took a deep breath, letting the sea breeze tickle her nose. The elderly wished her a good afternoon as they passed and she respectfully greeted them in return. A few kids were by the water, playing with a golden retriever. The beautiful scenery brought a smile to her face. As she was enjoying the sight, a nurse entered the room

“You’re awake!” the nurse said happily. “How are you feeling?” Before Moonbyul could answer, her stomach growled. The nurse giggled, “let me take a quick look at you and I’ll bring you some food.”

“Thank you,” she said, smiling shyly.

The nurse proceeded with the basic check-up as she questioned, “you’ve been asleep for more than half a day. How do you feel?”

“A lot better, thank you,” Moonbyul glanced at her nameplate, “Nurse Lee.”

She smiled and responded, “the person you should thank is Luna.”

“Luna?”

“Yes, she carried you here even in her current state.”

“What do you mean? Did she get hurt helping me?”

“No, nothing like that,” Nurse Lee sighed and paused for a moment. “It’s not a secret so I’ll tell you.”

Nurse Lee began her story, an incident that took place about eight months prior. Luna was a good doctor, well-liked by her peers and her patients. She had talent, but decided to stay in this rural town to take care of her ailing father. A modest and happy man even though he was wheelchair bound. He would come around often to chat with everyone, and they all loved his company.

One day, Luna requested time off to take her father on a trip. However, she didn’t return by the deadline. A month after her return date, she was found by the clinic front door. The back of her head was wounded. Her father was nowhere in sight. They searched for him throughout town but they couldn’t find him. And no bodies fitting his description had ever turned up.

“The strange thing was someone had already tended to her wound, but luckily they did or she would have died.”

“Why is that strange?” Moonbyul raised an eyebrow.

“Because it was very professional. Most definitely a doctor helped her.”

“Who?” Moonbyul questioned. Her detective’s instinct was itching for answers.

“That’s what’s strange about the whole situation. We don’t know. She was alone. Whoever it was just left her by the door and didn’t bring her inside.”

“Maybe they wanted to do a good deed but didn’t want their identity known.”

“Perhaps,” Nurse Lee was skeptical.

“What about Luna? What did she say when she woke up?”

Nurse Lee shook her head and sighed, “she can’t remember anything. She even lost her eyesight.”

“She can’t remember?”

“Yeah, she couldn’t even remember who she was,” she said sadly.

“What about the police?”

“Good for nothing fools, they are,” she said angrily, “They didn’t find anything. They still haven’t found anything after all this time,” she said, sounding more and more frustrated.

I probably shouldn’t tell her I am one. “Is Luna around? I want to thank her for saving me.”

“She should be free in an hour. You can see her then.”

“Thank you,” Moonbyul said as her stomach growled again.

“Look at me forgetting you were hungry. Let me go get you some food.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem. I’ll be right back.”

A few minutes later, Nurse Lee came back with a tray. There was a bowl of soup and a bowl of rice with vegetables and meat. The aroma filled the room and Moonbyul was excited to finally eat.

“Thank you for the food,” she said before digging in.

“Enjoy your meal,” Nurse Lee smiled. “If you need more you can call me.”

“Thank you. Is it alright if I walk around?”

“Do you feel unwell anywhere? Dizzy? Headache?”

“No, I feel great.”

“Then I don’t see why not. Just make sure to tell us if anything starts hurting. And take it easy so your wound doesn’t reopen.” When she was almost at the door she stopped and turned around. “Oh, and try to be careful the next time you hike.”

“Hike?”

“Yeah, isn’t that how you got those injuries? You fell down the side of the mountain hiking, didn’t you?”

I probably shouldn’t say I jumped off myself. She might think I’m suicidal. “Yeah, I was.”

“That’s what I thought. We get a few patients like you from time to time. Although you were a bit worse for wear. Just be careful next time.”

“I will. Thank you.”

Moonbyul proceeded to devour the rest of her meal, every spoonful warm her belly. Every bite filled her with joy. After finishing the food, she decided to relax on the bed for a while before going on her walk. However, a sudden interruption made her quickly open her eyes. I forgot about tonight. I was going to have dinner with Solar. She glanced down at her body, covered in bruises and wounds. I can’t go home like this. She will be really worried. I should call her and cancel. I’ll make it up to her later.

She left her room to go find a phone. The clinic was of modest size, with very few staff and the patients consisted of mostly the elderly. She asked a passing nurse about the use of a phone and was shown to the one by a corner, hanging on the wall. The nurse asked her to use her indoor voice so it would not disturb the other patients. After thanking the nurse, Moonbyul proceeded to dial Solar’s number.

“Hello?” A man answered the phone.

“Sorry, I got the wrong number,” she hung up and pondered for a moment.

, that was her old number. The number was saved on my phone and I haven't memorized it yet. What was it again? Oh right, I can call Hwasa and Whee-In. After dialing three numbers, she stopped. No, they’ll definitely suspect something is up. I shouldn’t make them worry. She took a few moments to think it through before making her decision. Guess I’ll call Jade and Dong-Yul. That way they can back up my story if Solar asks them.

“Hello. Jade speaking.”

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Me? Who?”

“Moonbyul.”

“Who called?” Dong-Yul questioned in the background.

“It’s Moonbyul,” Jade answered.

“Hi, Moonbyul!” Dong-Yul screamed. “What’s up!?”

“She’s talking to me,” Jade hushed him.

“Listen…”

“Why did she call you!?” Dong-Yul pouted.

“Guys…”

“Deal with it,” Jade retorted.

“SHUT IT YOU TWO!”

“Yes, ma’am,” they said apologetically.

“I saw Kang-Dae yesterday and went after him.”

“Alone!? Are you stu…” Jade was muffled before she could finish.

“Why didn’t you call us!?” Dong-Yul raised his voice.

“I didn’t have my phone.”

“Where are you? Are you hurt?” Dong-Yul asked.

“Just some scratches. I’ll be fine. I need you two to do a few things.”

“Name it,” Jade said.

When their friends asked where she was, Moonbyul instructed them to say that she would be away for a week, on a work related trip, which was not exactly a lie. If the chief asked, then tell him she was out doing field work. She also asked them to pick up her motorcycle at the market and a new phone. After giving them her current location, she also asked them to check where she fought Kang-Dae, to see if they could obtain any clues there. Although she was certain there wasn’t much to be found. The last thing was to investigate the gang that Kang-Dae most likely hired.

She described in detail the three boys that fought her. The first was easily shaken, most likely the youngest of the three, in his early twenties. If he was scared, he would most likely drop whatever he was holding. He stood about 5’5”, had a bowl cut with green highlights on both sides of his head. The second boy would constantly sweat and tended to rub his hands on his shirt. His slicked-back hair was green on the top and semi shaved on the sides. He was about 5’7”, in his early to mid twenties, and wore a pair of round glasses with a crack on the left lens.

As for the last one, he looked the most imposing. He was about 5’8” and was in his mid-to-late twenties. His forehead would show signs of injuries from his fight with her. He had a buzz cut with a spider design on the left side. As for the others that came after, she only saw them for a brief moment so she could not remember them well. The type of cars they drove as well as the graffiti that was covering it, however, she recalled vividly. It was covered in thorny green roses and spiders. It would be hard to miss on the street.

After Moonbyul was done with her instructions, she asked them for Solar’s number. Once she had it written down and bid them farewell, it was time to call Solar. She took a deep breath to prepare herself. The thought of lying to Solar made her feel guilty before she had even started. It was better than giving Solar unnecessary anxiety and stress over events that had already transpired, at least Moonbyul thought so. She took another deep breath before dialing.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Moonbyul.”

“Who’s number are you calling from?”

“It’s a public phone. Mine got broken.”

“I see. Will you be home soon?”

“Sorry, some work came up.”

“Can’t talk about it?”

“Sorry…”

“Then, when are you coming back?”

“I probably can’t for a week.”

“That long?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’ll make it up to you when I come back.”

“Like what?”

“Anything you want. We can go have fun. Eat delicious food.”

“Like a date?”

“Y-yeah, a date,” Moonbyul said shyly, feeling both happiness and nervousness.

“Okay, then it’s a date. You won’t cancel?”

“Of course not!” An elderly lady tapped Moonbyul’s shoulder, waiting for her turn on the phone. “Sorry, I have to go. There are people waiting to use the phone.”

“I’ll see you then. Be careful when you’re working and don’t forget to call me when you have time.”

“Definitely. See you.”

After hanging up, Moonbyul gave an apologetic bow to the elderly woman before heading for the front door. She took in a deep breath of fresh air and smiled happily as she stretched under the afternoon sun. The background was filled with children's laughter and the barking of the golden retriever. It was a calm and peaceful place unlike the bustling of the city. A nice change of scenery. I should bring Solar here, she would like it.