episode_0031
by fnovelpia#31
Afterwards, the police arrived late and took control of the scene, and our group all headed to the police station to give a statement of the situation.
“… .”
The investigation was conducted with me as a witness and Jia as a victim.
Fortunately, since time was short, the survey was concluded after a simple Q&A session, which was a relief.
It’s not over yet, and I’ll probably get a call later… I just hope it ends well on its own.
‘You’ve done enough.’
After that, Jia and I decided to go home first and left the police station.
Yunseol and Hwayoung were the ones who solved the case, so it seemed like they had other things to do.
And now,
“Let’s wait here.”
“… Yes.”
Gia and I were sitting on a park bench near the police station waiting for a taxi.
’And come to think of it, it was a park bench yesterday too.’
I felt a strange sensation, as it seemed to overlap slightly with the place where Jia gave me a gift yesterday.
‘There really has been a lot going on… .’
Jia is kidnapped, he asks Hwayoung for help, goes to the police station with Yoonseol who came with her, and then rushes to the guys’ hideout to rescue Jia.
… it was hard to believe that all this had happened in just one night.
As I looked up at the sky, I saw the sun slowly rising.
‘I guess I stayed up almost all night. At this rate.’
I felt fatigue wash over my entire body and asked Zia, who was silently hugging her knees next to me.
“Jia. How are you feeling? Are you still feeling dizzy?”
“Okay, I’m fine. Except for the fact that my wrists and ankles hurt a little because they were tied up… .”
After hearing Jia’s words, I glanced to the side and saw a red mark left on her pure white wrist.
“… Relax, sir. It’s really okay.”
“Huh? Huh.”
The feeling I had when I first discovered Zia came to mind, and it showed on my face without me realizing it.
‘Ugh.’
The real culprit, Jia, is staying still.
“… .”
Rather, Jia is smiling strangely, looking pleased.
That look was a little strange, but… well, it was better than being gloomy.
by the way,
‘… Where did that girl go?’
The white-haired girl who was clearly with me when I left the building.
But after moving to the police station, I couldn’t find where he had gone.
I heard that he didn’t even ride in the police car with me, which made me feel a little uneasy.
…I wonder if I saw a ghost.
‘Hey. That can’t be.’
I’m not the only one who saw it.
He was kidnapped and released, so he might have gone straight home… Well, the police will take care of it.
“Mister. What are you thinking?”
“Just. I was wondering where that white-haired girl went…”
“Ah, that pretty girl… .”
‘Oops.’
Jia’s expression darkens slightly as she thinks back to when she was captured by those guys.
“Do I have to bleach my hair to make it white? Bleaching is scary… .”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. And by the way, what about Min-ah?”
Mina…?
“Oh, right.”
At Jia’s words, I hurriedly took out my cell phone, which was on silent mode, from my pocket.
‘ah….’
As expected, Mina’s messages piled up like a mountain.
[I couldn’t find Zia. I’ll go back to the store.]
[Oppa. Did you get a call from Jia? Where did you go without even turning off the lights in the store? Are you home?]
[Is something wrong? If you see the text, call me.]
[Oppa?]
.
.
[You’re not thinking bad things, are you? Please answer my calls.]
24 missed calls. 110 texts total.
“Mister? Why are you suddenly like this? Did your sister call you?”
“Uh.”
That too, a lot.
‘I completely forgot… .’
The situation was unfolding so urgently that I had almost forgotten about Min-ah’s existence.
The last text came about an hour ago.
‘I think you might be asleep by now… .’
I guess I should at least make a phone call just in case.
Immediately after, I called Minah,
[Hello, hello?! Oh, oppa?!]
Before the phone could even ring once, Mina’s voice, clearly excited, came over the other end of the receiver.
“Hey, Min-ah. Find Jia… ”
[Why didn’t you contact me!!!! Do you know how worried I was?! See…]
Mina almost crying.
After a brief sobbing sound, Mina spoke in a trembling voice.
[Ugh. So, oppa. What did you just say? You found Zia?]
“Uh. You’re next to me now.”
[Really?! Thank goodness… Where are you now? Should I pick you up?]
“No. I’m going to take a taxi anyway, so I’ll tell you the details when I get home.”
It’s a bit long to explain over the phone here.
[…Okay. Ah. Could you change Jia?]
“Jia?”
After hearing Minah’s words, I turned my head towards Jia.
“… Min-ah, are you angry?”
Zia glances at me, wiggling her fingertips.
I wonder if he’s being cautious because he thinks he’s worried. That’s absolutely not true.
“… .”
Instead of answering Zia, I handed over the phone. It would be faster to check it myself.
“Hello?”
After a while, Zia carefully picked up my phone.
I couldn’t hear Minah’s voice on the other end of the phone…
“Oh, sis. I’m okay… . I’m not hurt. Really.”
.
“Oh, oh… ? Don’t cry. I’m really okay… .”
.
“Don’t say that…! It’s not because of you. Yes, yes.”
… Thanks to Jia’s expression of not knowing what to do and her voice full of confusion, I was able to roughly understand the content of the conversation.
It seems that Min-ah is blaming herself, saying that Ji-ah was kidnapped because of her.
Because Mina seemed to think that this happened because she sent Jia to our store by herself.
… Of course, no one, including Nana Jia, would think that way.
“Mister came. Yes. Really, really, it’s okay. Yes. I told you not to cry… .”
After a while, the call ended with Ji-ah trying to comfort Min-ah.
“Unnie Min-ah. You’re really kind… .”
Gia’s expression as she handed over the phone was slightly mysterious.
What should I say? Should I say it looks like he’s trying to hold back the corners of his mouth from going up?
I nodded in agreement with what Zia said.
“He’s kind. He looks different from his appearance, but he’s also soft-hearted.”
Mina’s purple hair and the several piercings on her ears are both things she started doing after leaving the orphanage.
I guess it’s because the daycare we were at had strict rules, so I can only guess that it’s a backlash against that.
“… It was a little scary when I first saw it. Oh. I think a taxi is here.”
“Okay. Let’s get on quickly.”
After that, Jia and I got into a taxi.
.
Booong-
The taxi took me and Zia and headed to our destination.
‘I’m sleepy… .’
Unlike me, who keeps trying to open my eyes because I’m going to sleep anyway, thinking that I should just go home and sleep,
“… .”
Jia was staring blankly at the scenery outside the window, as if lost in thought.
“Mr.”
“Huh?”
And Zia calls me softly.
The head is still turned towards the window.
“That… .”
Are you trying to say something that is difficult to say right away?
Jia looks a little hesitant.
Then, Jia spoke to me in a slightly trembling voice.
“Thank you, sir. For coming to me.”
Jia still has her head turned towards the window, as if she is embarrassed to make eye contact and speak.
‘… That was your way of saying thank you.’
I answered in a slightly exaggerated tone before the slightly awkward atmosphere began to flow.
“… Our part-timer is being held captive. Of course, the boss has to step in.”
After hearing my answer, Zia continued speaking.
“That too… .”
Jia trails off slightly.
If not that, then what are you trying to say?
Just as I was beginning to have doubts, Zia continued.
“That day, in the alley, you came to me.”
‘uh?’
I was slightly surprised to hear Jia’s words, and soon turned my head towards her.
“… .”
Zia still has her head turned towards the window.
The side of Zia’s face, reflected in the moonlight streaming in through the window, is slightly reddish.
If the sides are like that, you can tell what’s ahead without even looking.
As I held back my laughter at the sight of Jia like that, I recalled the day I first met her.
“Get out. I don’t feel like talking to anyone.”
Zia was crouching alone in an alley on a rainy day.
Who would have thought that a relationship that started with a simple gesture like that, an umbrella extended to her, would end up like this?
‘… Being nosy. Not bad.’
I thought to myself as I turned my eyes to the scenery outside the taxi.
“… .”
The night view that seemed so cold before felt a little warmer today.
***
The hideout of the Land Spider gang, an entertainment establishment [Spider], from which all the police have left.
‘Fuck… They’re all gone, right?’
A secret room they created in preparation for emergencies.
In the room usually made to hide the female employees when the police came for a raid, one of the gang members cautiously peeked his head out.
“Whew… I almost lost.”
When he saw his brother being literally torn to pieces by Hwayoung and Yunseol, he took advantage of the confusion and hid right there.
Fortunately, the police were probably busy arresting other members of the organization and did not find him, so he was fortunately not arrested.
In addition, he was able to maintain his physical health, so he could be said to be the luckiest among the members of the organization.
Squeak.
The man who came out of the secret room then went into the space with the counter and started searching for something.
‘Surely there was a safe over here.’
Anyway, since the hideout and the hyungs were all destroyed, our organization was finished here.
A man who was searching for hidden funds for an organization, thinking that he should at least live.
Then suddenly,
“… As expected, there were some left.”
A soft female voice came from behind.
The man turned his head in surprise, thinking, “Could it be those hero girls?”
“… .”
What he saw was a girl with white hair like a field of pure white snow.
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