11:59 (34)
11:59 (34)
I'LL GIVE A MASS RELEASE IF WE REACH 500 COINS!
.......
Jina was at the dining table, chowing on her cereal. Her two musketeers were out looking for that dark shadow Yumi had seen at the hospital. For the past few days, they had been stationed there, keeping an eye on it. They had to wait until everyone was asleep to report to her because for some reason, whenever they were near, Gayoon would also appear and drag Jina away. For once, Jina wished she got some privacy to talk to her friends.
She looked up to see Minho descending from the stairs. He bent down to kiss his daughter and smiled.
"How are your exams going, Jina?" he asked, taking a piece of toast to put jam on it.
"I somehow passed maths," she said. "The rest were easy."
Minho gave her a reproachful look. "Have you been practicing? What is it that you don't understand?"
"That's this thing," Jina said, feeling unabashed. "I don't even know what I don't know! As long as I can add and subtract, I'll be good. It's not like I'm gonna ask criminals how many oranges they had left over after they gave them away to their friends when I'll be arresting them."
"It's an important subject. Even police officers need to learn math!"
Just then, Gayoon was coming downstairs. She was still sleepy and needed at least five cups of coffee to stay awake. She slumped onto the dining chair next to Jina's and laid her head on the table.
"Haven't you slept enough?" Minho frowned. You're the reason I'm awake on a weekend! She screamed internally but did not retort in front of Jina.
"Hey Lady Cop!" Jina piped up. "Tell me, did you ever need maths in your entire career as a police officer?"
"No," Gayoon yawned. "As long as I caught criminals and made sure they were in jail for their crimes, I didn't need math. It's not like I had to ask them how many oranges they gave away to their friends!"
Jina beamed while Minho shook his head in dismay. Mother and daughter indeed, he sighed.
"So where are we going today?" Jina asked.
"You have exams," Minho frowned. "You can't go out. Plus, you're still grounded."
"Yes, but the punishment dictated that I could not go out alone," Jina pointed out. "Nothing about not going with you two. So, where are we going?"
"You need to study," Gayoon said, pinching her cheek. "Whether you do well or not, you should be studying!"
Jina was disappointed. Stupid exams! She cursed. Not only she could not go out but it was impossible to even help Yumi under all the stress. Being a kid was hard!
Gayon picked up a toast to eat and glanced outside. It was a sunny morning and since she was off duty that day, she wanted to check the beautiful garden the Hwangs had. If Mina was not on duty, they could have gone to a bargain market.
I should text her, Gayoon decided. She took out her phone from her pocket and sent a text. But to her surprise, the text bounced back.
"Mina's phone is switched off," she remarked.
"She might be at a surgery," Minho replied. "You can try asking Kanji. He always meets up with her whenever she has weekend duties."
"I should," Gayoon nodded. She dialed Kanji's number. He picked up after one ring.
"Detective!" he greeted cheerfully. "Hearing your lovely voice brings joy to this wonderful morning! How are you feeling now?"
"I'm fine," Gayoon laughed while Minho scowled. "Do you know where Mina is? Her phone is switched off."
"Oh yeah she has a surgery," he replied. "We texted this morning. She told me to meet for lunch. I'll head out and wait for her until she's done before taking her out. Relax! She's at the hospital. It's not like someone can kidnap her from there. It's a public place and I'm sure she'll be safe."
"Okay…"
But for some reason, Gayoon was having doubts. Maybe it was the police officer in her which was overthinking. I'll call her again after an hour, she decided.
...
Mina was rushing towards the ward where Dohyun was kept.
"Dohyun, I just-" she was saying, entering the room but to her surprise it was empty. She frantically searched for her in the bathroom but the girl was not there either. Mina stopped a passing nurse.
"Where is Dohyun?" she demanded. "She wasn't supposed to leave the hospital!"
"We've been trying to find her as well but she's been unavailable," the nurse replied. "The security has been informed already and they're trying to contact her mother."
"Where does she live?" Mina asked. "Does anyone have her address?"
"I think she lives in the apartment complex four blocks down," the nurse frowned. "The three storeyed one right next to the school. A lot of the interns live there."
"Alright," Mina nodded and dashed off towards the changing room. She had to talk to Dohyun about the reports. How did the human flesh reach her stomach? Why did she eat it?
The repulsive memories of CCK were coming back to her. Even though she was too young to understand what he was doing, the fear had remained in her heart. That menacing laughter still echoed in her ears, chilling her very soul. She knew Dohyun as a hardworking and compassionate doctor. There was no way that girl would consume…
Mina did not want to think about it. She changed her clothes and rushed to her car. Revving up the engine, she drove towards Dohyun's apartment.
Please let me be wrong, she prayed. Trying not to think about what would happen if the authorities found out, she kept on driving until she reached the apartment. To her surprise, Dohyun was on the doorstep, standing like a statue.
"Dohyun!" Mina called for her and rushed to her side. The girl was pale and her eyes were completely blank. She looked at Mina with those lifeless eyes.
"Doctor Hwang," she mumbled weakly. "What is happening to me?"
"Dohyun, come here."
Mina pulled the traumatized girl aside and sat her down on the steps. Her body was unusually cold and Mina took off her jacket to put it around her.
"What's going on?" she hissed. "I saw your reports and…"
Dohyun did not respond but was staring at the ground. "Are you really consuming human meat?" Mina demanded.
"I don't know…" Suddenly, she burst into tears, unable to hold in her confusion any longer. "What's happening to me? Why is this happening? I don't even know what I'm doing!"
Mina could not help but feel bewildered. How come she did not know what she was eating?
"Dohyun, what's going on?" she asked firmly. "Are you stressed? Did someone offer you food which you didn't know was human flesh?"
She held the girl's shoulders and forced her to look at her in the eye. "Tell me," Mina said.
"For the past few nights, I've been losing my memories," Dohyun admitted tearfully. "I've been having memory gaps. I don't know where I've been nor do I know what I did. And then, I began to throw up meat which I do not recall eating at all! And there were traces of blood on my shoes. I don't know how it got there! I was so...so scared. I…"
She broke down and hugged Mina. The latter bit her lip in worry.
"We'll have to get you to a psychiatrist," she said gently. "I didn't tell anyone about the reports yet but let's get you help. I'm sure it's some form of schizophrenia."
Dohyun's eyes widened in fear. "W-what?" she asked fearfully. "Am I mad?
"No," Mina replied. "It can happen and it can be controlled with proper treatment! We'll get you all the help you need, alright?" So just trust me. Don't be scared, alright? Now let's go back to the hospital and complete your remaining treatment."
Dohyun choked up her tears and nodded. "Wait," she said, remembering something.
"I left something in my van," she said. "My wallet."
"Let's go and get it," Mina suggested. She helped the girl to get up and led her towards a van parked at the backside of the building.
"I think it fell between the gaps of the seats," Dohyun sniffed. "I'll look in the front. Can you search in the passenger seat?"
"Sure," Mina offered. She opened the backseat and began to search between the gaps. "What does your wallet look like?" she asked.
"It's purple!" Dohyun's voice came from the front seat as she rummaged around. Mina stooped lower and her eyes fell on the wallet which was underneath the passengers' seat.
"Found it!" Mina declared. Picking it up, she emerged out of the van and was about to turn around when suddenly, a hand clasped her nose and mouth.
"Mph!" Her voice was muffled as she began to lose consciousness. A strong scent of chloroform hit her and her mind was becoming muddled while her eyes drooped.
"Long time no see, little one. Ready for a meal?"
The voice was different but it had the same chilling tone. The last thought she had before losing consciousness was the memory of that evil laugh which had haunted her dreams for so long.
...
Yumi and Casper were watching the whole scene in horror as the younger girl heaved the unconscious Mina into the van.
"It's the same van!" Yumi exclaimed. "That's the one!"
Casper held his breath as Dohyun drove away. He could see the black shadow too which was engulfing the girl. For some reason, it could not sense them at all which struck him as strange.
"We need to tell Jina!" Yumi insisted. He nodded and they vanished in thin air. There was no time to spare.