You have to see and smell and feel the circumstances of people
To really understand them.
-Kamala Harris

“Yeri’s still inside.” Joohyun is breathless, panicky, and it takes every single cell in Seungwan’s body not to be in hysterics herself. She dimly hears someone calling the fire department in the background and grips Joohyun’s shoulders with both hands.

“Calm down, Joohyun. It’s starting to rain, and the fire department’s on their way here. Yeri will be fine.”

Joohyun shakes off her hands and glares daggers at her. “You don’t know that! She may not mean anything to you, but she is everything to me, Seungwan. She is my world, and I’m not just going to wait for help to come and save her, because she might be dead by then!” Her voice crescendos to a shout as she fumes, and with one last disparaging glance at Seungwan runs head-first into the burning building.

“!” Seungwan makes a futile grab for Joohyun, completely missing her wrist by a good few inches. How reckless could Joohyun be to run into a burning building, knowing full well that she could possibly develop smoke inhalation symptoms, even death? It makes no sense to Seungwan why she would ever dare to risk her life for another without the possibility of reaping any benefits. But then again, she never really had anyone to bother endangering her life for.

Not until Joohyun, at least. Not until the both of them got tangled up in this ridiculous case she took up that, now that she thinks about it, she’s not getting paid for. Then she curses, tugging at her hair in frustration at her idiocy. Stupid!, she mentally berates herself. Joohyun, diagnosed with freaking Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, has the worst reactions to any scent that bears even the slightest resemblance to smoke, and she runs into a burning shophouse without a second thought. And to top it all off, Seungwan let her run in by herself! Just great, Seungwan, what was the use of having a brain and studying so much if you can’t even remember such a simple thing?

Seungwan dashes up the stairs to where the fire is brightest, her eyes desperately searching for Joohyun and Yeri as she enters the once-homely living quarters. The wooden floor beneath her feet grows hotter with every second, although she is too worried to notice the difference. “Joohyun!” she shouts as she pushes away rogue bags and furniture. Seungwan hears a hacking cough and whips her head towards the sound, and there she is: Joohyun with sweat-slick skin, leaning against a collapsed roof beam, hair sticking to her neck as she gags and clutches at . 

Seungwan quickly makes her way to the woman, and in one deft movement unlocks the clasp on her motorcycle helmet and secures it firmly over Joohyun’s head, lowering the visor to limit the amount of smoke Joohyun breathes in. “I need you to breathe slowly,” she coaxes as she eases Joohyun to the ground. “Don’t panic, just stay calm. Hey, look at me.” Tears spring to Joohyun’s eyes as she forces herself to keep her eyes trained on Seungwan’s face as she tries to slow her breathing.

“Okay, good.” Seungwan coughs and brings a hand to her face, covering her nose and mouth. “You need to get out of here. Your sensitivity and this smoke don’t go well together, and it’s going to help no one right now.” She points Joohyun towards the exit and gives her a little push. “Go. I’ll take care of Yeri. Go!”

Seungwan stares at Joohyun, making sure the woman is retreating before taking another look around the room. “Yeri!” she yells, and begins to cough again. She crouches, keeping low to try and avoid excess smoke inhalation. Not hearing any response, she gets on all fours and crawls towards the bedroom. A small glimpse of bare feet on the bed is all she needs. Seungwan scrambles up and shakes an unconscious Yeri to no avail. “, Yeri!” The young girl’s chest is barely moving, and Seungwan is afraid she might have breathed in too much smoke already.

She tucks one arm under Yeri’s knees and another around her back and hoists her up with great difficulty. Seungwan is beginning to feel weak, her strength sapping with every breath of smoke she takes. She takes heavy footsteps towards the exit and dimly hears the sound of sirens and shouts. About time, she thinks before her knees buckle. Yeri slips out of her grasp just as a firefighter sprints up the stairs. “Over here!” she waves, alerting him to their presence. “I think she might have inhaled too much smoke, and…” 

“We got ambulances outside, so we’ll take care of her,” he reassures. “Backup’s already coming up, so stay low and follow me.” He effortlessly scoops Yeri up and makes his way to the door, Seungwan crawling behind him. Just as they are about to reach the exit, a loose roof beam breaks and falls onto Seungwan, rapping her sharply on the side of her head. The sudden loud crack makes the firefighter turn in alarm, his eyes wide. The last thing Seungwan hears before she collapses is the sound of distant footsteps approaching before her world turns black.

*

Seulgi is speeding down the roads, and for once, Joy doesn’t enjoy the ride. She is too distressed, too distracted to care; her hands clench and unclench as she wills the car to go faster and for all the traffic lights to turn green. Seulgi sneaks a glance at her and places a hand on Joy’s and squeezes as she continues to expertly zoom towards their destination. It had only been a few hours since they had separated from Joohyun and Yeri, and Seulgi certainly did not ex