where is Jjong?
The Red ShoesI need to fix lose ends again, so this is probably not an exciting chapter. I have to admit, that I'm pretty disappointed with myself about this story. I think I can do better if I'm working harder. The more I appreciate that you're still reading and encouraging. Thank you for that! :)
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We keep hurrying away from the plaza. The remaining fans make way for the ambulances even before security pushes them aside. News is going around that both Taemin and Kibum are alive but everyone is worried about their condition. I catch up with the second ambulance and they let me ride with Taem who is already all smiles again. He just can’t help it even though he too is worried.
I hope they let Jjong ride with Kibum not just for Kibum’s sake.
When we arrive at the hospital Key is already on his way to ER. I catch a glimpse of him while we’re waiting for the elevator in the corridor. Two nurses are running along with the stretcher, cutting down the bloody remains of his shirt.
“Be safe, Kibummie”, I mumble without realizing until Taemin takes my hand.
“You know he’s tougher than the rest of us together”, he says. It’s probably true but I didn’t know that even our Maknae thinks so.
I wonder where Jjong is and we lost Minho too.
Then suddenly Taemin’s parents are there. Of course, everybody knows by now what happened. His Mom is all over him and he has a hard time to calm her down.
I slip away to look for Jonghyun and I think I should call Kibum’s parents but I haven’t got their number. Even if they followed the news they won’t be able to get here quickly all the way from Daegu. But they would certainly contact the company. And our manager ... well where is he anyway? Hopefully he has already taken the necessary steps. Probably he contacted Taem’s parents too, otherwise they wouldn’t have known which hospital we’re at, would they?
So hopefully Kibum’s family also knows. While looking around in the maze of corridors I stumble over Minho who is equally lost.
“Any idea where Jjong might be?” I ask him.
“I lost him at the plaza.”
“But he got on the ambulance with Kibum, didn’t he?”
“No, they left in a hurry with just the paramedics.”
Damn, so he’s probably still somewhere around the stadium.
“We can’t do anything for Kibum right now, can we?” I kind of ask myself as well as Minho. “Maybe we should instead take care of Jjong.”
“Yeah”, Minho agrees. “We all know what he’s like when he is upset.”
And God knows how upset he was.
I hurry back to Taemin to tell him we’ll go looking for Jonghyun and he is ready to come with us which is endearing and comical at the same time. But the doctor checking on him only raises his eye-brows.
So I’m off with Minho.
We almost make the mistake to leave through the main-entrance of the hospital but back away when we see the legions of press and fans waiting there for news.
Sneaking out of the emergency exit we manage to get around the crowd unnoticed and hail a taxi. Although we’re still in stage-costumes the driver doesn’t make the connection being busy listening to the ongoing news-rant on the radio.
They’re talking about casualties on site of about 15 deaths and 100 injured which makes me feel ill. But I’m surprised to hear that “all SHINee members were hospitalized” and wonder about the not yet confirmed information that “the culprit is a North Korean terrorist”. The latter part however gives me hope that casualties might be less than reported.
“You can’t go near the stadium”, the driver tells us stopping at the entrance to the park. “They said on the radio that the stadium will collapse.”
We get off two blocks from the venue and I immediately wonder if it was really wise to come back since there is still a big crowd in the vicinity and we might be spotted and get in trouble. But we find out that people are rather following broadcasts on their mobiles than paying attention to their surroundings.
It strikes me as dumb though to believe that we can find Jjong among the crowd. But Minho is more confident and pulls me towards the plaza. We probably shouldn’t be here anyway. There are authorities, police and well, all those involved who will take care of everything, sort things out. We might be actually needed for police-interviews although nobody so far asked us. Still I feel like we’re playing a childish adventure-game when we should instead be available for investigation or something.
I’m surprised that Minho, who is probably the most sensible among us, was more than ready to go on this mission with me. So maybe it’s not quite as stupid as I think.
We reach the skirting of the plaza and I have to swallow hard. The stadium-roof has come down. There is a huge dust-cloud above the building slowly spreading. If we hadn’t gone in to dig out Taem and Kibum on time they would certainly have died in these ruins.
“Look!” Minho shakes me out of my thoughts. He’s pointing at a number of army-vehicles nearby. There is General Yoon, the , obviously throwing a fit again. And when I look harder I see who he’s shouting at. ...
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