“As The Night Ends”

Where are you going to I don't mind

If I live too long I'm afraid I'll die

So I will follow you wherever you go

If your offered hand is still open to me

{ Strangers, The Kinks }

The night was already in its brink of falter. However, Seunghyun was still scurrying to the place of his apartment. Damn that woman, he thought. Ruining plans for him, oh trust me, he didn’t like it. If he ever sees that woman again – and he’s hoping not to – he won’t let her pass without his way of settling scores ensue. He continued walking, and stopped when he was only a block away from his apartment building. The sudden contraction of his brain causing the feel of it being pinched brought him to a halt. Now his head’s aching. He slowly massaged his temple, when sore spots were hit. He missed the world outside that stupid cell, but it seemed like his body was in opposition to his belief.

***

She has no doubt that the path she would be taking was hard. She could sense it. That guy has been through holes of needles – and maybe even more. Bom heaved a deep sigh. She’s been stuck in this hollow alley she had found a few minutes after leaving the convenient store and puzzled schoolboy. It was the quietest space she could find. And she needed silence above everything at this time. She thoroughly thought of important things to consider. First: how to get near her temporary charge. Just by the impression that man exuded, she was certainly sure that he was dangerous. Of course, after all she’d done, she shouldn’t be expecting an easy task. Normally, before taking on with temporary charges, you would be given information about them. Names, where they live, what they usually do, and what they need. Above all, archangels would be informed of what would be their sole purpose and business with their charges. And she wasn’t given a single data about him. Second: how to find the man. How could she be so foolish letting him pass her! Though she was hoping that he would be just on this very town, roaming around – but then again, she couldn’t afford the expense of him doing things like what he was supposed to do a while ago. Third: where she will be staying. She couldn’t just sit and be out here in the cold, could she? She has to have a place to stay in.

A loud whimper coming from her back broke the train of thoughts. She stood from the wood she’d been sitting on and looked back. There she saw a man bleeding helplessly. She was already positioning herself to walk toward him when she heard a group of noise somewhere near the dark alley.

“Where did that go?” she heard a thick voice groaned.

“I am sure he went there!” somebody replied in a higher voice.

Then she heard footsteps – many of them. They were getting louder and louder. She felt the hair on her nape stood, tension building inside her stomach.

Despite the fear she was feeling, she gathered enough strength to exit the alley. She ran toward the group of man. She counted them by instinct. Six, seven, eight – eight creatures wanting to mob the feeble man? Oh how terrible. That was just bad as a mere archangel to enter the forbidden temple above! How excruciating.

“You,” the man nearest to her spoke. He looked like he hasn’t been washed for days. Good heavens, those inks overwhelmed his body like it’s his second skin. “Have you seen a guy running around here?”

Her response was instinctively quick.  “Yes, I think…”

“Good,” somebody from the back cut her. “Where did he go?”

She pointed her shaking finger toward the farthest street on sight. “I think he went there. You can look for yourselves.”

And they run off. She exhaled deeply and wiped the sweat on her forehead. Her mind traveled to back to that store where she saw her temporary charge. He was either standing in the same shoes with the man bleeding helplessly or just like those guys who found joy in taking advantage over defenseless people. But remembering his act of trying to steal, Park Bom chose the latter. She recalled his appearance. He has a jet black hair which ends fell strikingly down to the collar of his black slick leather jacket. He has an astounding facial bone sculpture; from his pointed nose to his high cheekbones that accentuated his visage and to the cunning curve of his alluring lips. Such fascinating face couldn't be so hard to find. She soon snapped out from her trance and brushed her reflections off. She staggered her way back to the man lying on the ground. When she was a step away, her frail companion closed his eyes, muttering an incoherent thank you. She knelt beside the man who was weakly catching his breath which smelled a lot like liquor and cigarettes. She tried to help him sit up, avoiding to touch the blood soaking his torn shirt. “Do you need to go to the doctor, my friend? You look badly hurt.”

The man chuckled in response. “Doctor?”

“Yes, I mean-”

“No, no, no. No doctors,” he said between his unsteady breathing. “And I mean that literally,” he looked straight to her. The man has wrinkles sprouting every time he speaks. “You are obviously not from here, lady.”

“I am not, yes. What’s the matter?” Bom asked in total bewilderment. Didn’t the man need help? He looked awfully injured.

“There are no doctors in this town, my dear,” He smiled, his crooked and bleeding teeth flashing. “And that is why I am thanking you for helping me. Now, take my hand, let me stand.” He reached out his hand. Boom took it without hesitation.

When they were already standing, though failed a couple of times, she spoke again. “Are you sure? What about-”

“No more words, please,” the man broke his contact with Bom. “My head’s spinning. Bye, lady.”

Bom said no words. She just stared intently to the man before her. He looked back, his eyes somewhat dim. “Oh, and I suggest you stay outside this town. You don’t know the life waiting for you in here,”

“I know it’s tough,”

The man laughed, and it echoed through the vandalized walls of the street, sending chill to her body. “Yeah, it is tough. So you better go home.” And he walked away. Bom watched his back completely vanish into thin air before sitting down on the cold ground.

But she couldn’t go home. And the fatal realization hit her like a bullet straight to her chest. This town has crooks swimming around the area. And you couldn’t escape things that surround you. They may be small, they may be big but one thing’s certain: they are scary thoughts. But she would try to carry on. She has one mission and she should be all eyes on it. She couldn’t get it wrong this time or else she would be the one to suffer the consequences.

Her mind brought her back to her last temporary charge. The old man Heewan became her friend. He trusted her but she failed him. He was lying on the hospital bed that time. He was sick, badly sick and she knew that he wanted to see his son before he dies. So she was sent there...

She visited him daily and sent him flowers, helped him laugh and feel light, forget his woes for a moment. It lasted two weeks. On the fourteenth day, she said to him that she would go down the building to buy him the soup that he lovingly sought after; on the contrary, that soup didn’t leave an appeal to her taste buds. She crossed the street. She asked the soup vendor how her day went.

She was once a cheerful kid. She loved talking to people and making them smile. But her recent failure made her turn a huge curve.

Minutes after talking with the soup vender, it came to her that she had the most awaited meeting with old Heewan’s son. She looked at her wristwatch. She was already an hour late! She had left Heewan’s soup to the vendor, and scurried down her and Heewan’s meeting place. It was supposed to be his surprise for him. When she arrived on the place, her eyes automatically found Heewan’s son. She talked to him and told him that she was sorry for keeping him waiting for a long time. In a flash, they were already on the hospital, old Heewan’s soup on Bom’s hand. She was incredibly excited; her smile wouldn’t leave her lips.

And then everything crashed when she saw nurses and doctors running to old Heewan’s room. She could feel her heart beating so hard, wanting to jump outside her chest. She broke into a run, and asked the nurse outside what was happening. The world completely stopped when the nurse uttered the words, “We tried. But he couldn’t hold on for long.” She dropped the plastic bag containing old Heewan’s soup. It couldn’t be. She felt her tears pouring down her cheeks, prickling her skin. Everything around her started to spin into hazy circles. She fell down on her knees. She was too late. And old Heewan’s wishes, to see his son and hear him call him father before he dies, weren’t granted.

“If I hadn't been so late...” she mumbled to herself, silently crying. She pondered over the Head Chaerin’s words before she was sent here in this very town. “Don’t expect yourself to get back here after a short period. I want you to take your time. This is your last chance, and be sure you won’t fail once again, Archangel Park Bom.”

I won’t fail. And yes, she considered, this is going to be tough.

***

“So, you’re really back, huh?” Hong Jun Park, popularly known as Teddy Park, recoiled, drawing the gun on the table in circles.

“Obviously,” Seunghyun stood up from the tarnished chair, and headed closer to the man in front him. He reached out his hand. “Now, come on. Give me the gun,”

Teddy stared at him in return. The looming shadow of Choi Seunghyun didn’t give a pleasant atmosphere so he got up, and faced him, raising his head a bit for the man stood a good few inches compared to him. “Why did you come back?”

Seunghyun scoffed. “Come on, dude. Where do you expect me to go?”

Teddy sneered, and the tension completely broke. He man-hugged Seunghyun, patting the younger man's back genuinely, saying, “Oh, man. I can’t believe I missed you.”

Seunghyun chuckled. “For the love of God,”

Teddy Park has been Seunghyun’s best friend since he stepped foot on this place. He’s been through hell and back with this guy. He didn’t die of starvation because of him. He taught him how to use the knife and the gun for life protection. He said he needed it now that he had chosen to live in this kind of place with this kind of life. He lived on because of Teddy Park. And that was why he owed his life to him. He would never leave his side. He knew that there are more troubles to get into and get out with him.

“So you’re back,” Teddy put up his hand.

“I am so back.” Seunghyun replied as he shook Teddy’s hand. 

Teddy reached for the gun lying steadily on the table beside him. He handed it to Seunghyun, reminding him that he should get his straight and get away from the cops. Teddy didn't want Seunghyun to get back in prison again mainly because of his carelessness. He was the one who got a hold on his case, anyway. He managed it. Though it's been three years before he did his role as his friend – and brother, he thought it was all for Seunghyun’s good. He wanted him to unwind and loosen up from the things that bothered him. Three years was all it took. He needed this man now. So he did his thing. He got him out of the ing jail.

Seunghyun was already at the door when he looked back. He reached to his pocket and threw what he got from it to Teddy.

“What the hell is this?” Teddy asked after catching the thing perfectly.

“Look at it,” he replied. “I don’t need it anymore.” And he took off.

Teddy opened his hand. A pack of menthol. He smirked. That guy.