WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES TO EAT YOU.

Raven In Between Pigeons

The hospital chair holding Ga-Hyeon while she took a quick but uncomfortable nap started to groan under her weight. Her eyelids divided, not because her system was filled with energy, but rather because the raw uneasiness was rotting inside her twisted stomach. Just a few hours ago, she had to chose between carrying on with the race after the ruthless abductors, or to take the left to the closest medical care center.

If only the bustling relative of the victim never ran away, for now she would have caught her alive. Now the chances of finding the girl, alive if ever, were decreasing like water in a broken glass. But desperation overtook fear and rationalism, and his brain swam in anger and frustration, guiding him to act impulsive, making the authorities' jobs even more complicated, and now he ended up there.

“Woke up already?” Tae-Il murmured while positioning a bag of groceries on the chair right beside her.

“The hospital isn't my favorite place to take naps.” she truthfully answered, searching for anything that could fulfill her hunger, and maybe dissolve the disquiet.

“Any news? Has he woken up yet?”

“I don't think so, I haven't heard anyone roam around here ever since the investigators left.”

“Why'd they come here anyway? What they needed to investigate was outside.”

“Curiosity.” she shortly stated, taking a bite of the dumpling she was holding with the tips of her fingers, avoiding the need to wash her hands later. “It's the second hospital I visited today, I'm starting to grow familiar with the environment. Maybe I should consider moving in one.”

“Don't!” he argued in a playful way, hitting the floor with his shoe. “Boss' gonna pair me to work with the old lady 'till my rookie title falls.”

“Ji-Eun?” Ga-Hyeon giggled, her full cheeks reaching her eyes, her eyesight becoming just a thin line through which she peeked at Tae-Il's concerned expression. “She's not that bad, you should be grateful you don't work with Hee-Jun.”

“He looks like a kind old man.” he acknowledged, not finding what could be wrong with the workmate he respected the most, but his superior's answer was soon to come.

“That's exactly the problem!” she exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What's your goal when you're old? To rest. He's not as eager to work as when he was young. You would've ended up doing all the work.”

Their voices pierced through the air, hitting the walls just to come back to their ears like a peaceful melody, and the sound of shoes approaching the hall joined the orchestra, getting louder as they got closer until the supposed background instrument covered the soloists. Tae-Il was the first to straighten his back at the sight of a white - dressed staff, causing Ga-Hyeon to do just the same, like a domino piece hit by his sudden movement.

At first, both prosecutors questioned the nurse's presence, sharing a confused look that got interrupted by a cough stuck in the fist she placed over her mouth. While the female made sure to place her generous dinner on a clean surface, getting rid of the crumbs by brushing her hands against each other, the male searched for his badge id under his coat, placing the blue thread holding it over it.

“The patient has woken up just now.” she explained to wash their bewilderment off their tired faces. “The walls aren't that tin, you couldn't have heard the alarm. It only rings at the nurses' station.”

“Can we see him?” Ga-Hyeon asked, swimming a hand through her hair to get rid of any trace of her nap.

Her expressions signaled reluctance until she met the badges hanging around their necks, detail that made her move aside for them to enter the room. A basic hospital room, with dark corners that represented either the lifeless light bulb or the dirt no one ever dared to wipe away. Far from a medical center in Seoul's heart, but closer to the place they've found him. They were choosing based on chances of survival, not Michelin stars.