In My Arms (Hometown Cha Cha Cha fanfiction)

Chapter 29: Shades of Orange and Yellow

Mi Seon's POV

"There it is." I say as I pick my phone up from the table.

"Ms Pyo, hello. Is that you?" I hear someone call me. I turn and look to see the agent who's been helping me with the wedding planning.

"Oh, Ms Hak, hello! What are you doing here?" I ask her.

"What do you mean?" Ms Hak looks curiously at me.

"I thought I was supposed to meet you in the building next door?" I ask Ms Hak.

Ms Hak gives me a puzzled look. Her eyebrows are knitted together with a look of confusion.

"No? The office is here. It's right upstairs in this building." Ms Hak clarifies.

"What..." My voice echoes through the room. Suddenly, an eerie feeling creeps over my shoulder and makes my hair stand. "Then who was it... who called me to tell me that we were supposed to head to the other building?" My voice trails off.

"The other building? Oh, you mean the opposite one?" Ms Hak asks. She smiles politely. "Ms Pyo, I think you're mistaken. That place is our storage unit. It hasn't been used in many years." She says.

An alarm goes off in my head and I race to the window that shows the building opposite.

"MS HAK! MS HAK! QUICK! CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT!" I scream at the top of my lungs. I feel like I've swallowed a huge pill and it burns against my throat.

Without another word, I race out of the building towards the other that illuminates with the orange glow of fire and thick smoke. The building where Hye Jin is.

"HYE JIN! HYE JIN! WHERE ARE YOU!" I'm screaming at the top of my lungs in panic as I reach the building that is billowing in flames. My eyes scan the exterior of the building. There is no possible entrance or exit.

With shaking hands and tears of panic stinging my eyes, I yank my phone out of my bag.

Eun Chul's POV

"Here, this is for you. Thank you for helping me today." I say as I hand Du Sik a cup of instant coffee from the police station.

"Thank you." Du Sik says as he sits down, exhausted.

"I didn't know patrolling could be so exhausting in this heat." Du Sik comments as he angles his face towards the fan.

"Aish, I realise drinking a hot cup of coffee doesn't help either." I comment, looking at the coffee in my hands. "I think I prefer iced coffee." I say.

"Do you know where to find the best coffee in Gongjin?" Du Sik asks me.

"Where?" I ask him.

"Yoon Dental Clinic." Du sik smiles. "They serve the best instant coffee there." He says. Du sik always lights up at the very mention or thought of Hye Jin.

"I've never tried the coffee there. Most of the time, I'm just looking at Mi Seon." I say unashamedly. Du Sik laughs heartily.

At this moment, my phone rings with a call from Mi Seon. A smile spreads itself across my face immediately

"Hello? Oh, Mi Seon ah?" I say.
"Eun chul! Eun chul!" Mi seon says in a frantic, panicked voice. I've never heard her sound so fearful before.

"What happened? Are you okay? Why do you sound like you're crying?" I suddenly stand up straight, ready to run off to wherever Mi seon is.

"There's a fire! There's a fire!" Mi seon says breathlessly, in between sobs. "And... and Hye Jin is trapped in it!" Mi seon's words are like a fire alarm that sends a shiver down my spine.

I look at Du sik.

"What's wrong?" Du sik asks me as he notices my eyes that must be bulging with horror.

"Du sik, we need to go. We need to go now." I say and drag him out of the police station.
"Why? What's going on?" Du sik asks as he follows me and breaks into a run.

"Mi Seon, did you call the fire department?" I talk to Mi seon on the other end of the line.

"Yes, yes. I did." She says.

"We're coming over." I say as I hang up the phone, still racing towards the police car.
"Get in! Hurry up!" I say to Du sik as he gets into the car with me.

"What's going on?" Du sik asks me.

Du Sik's POV

"What's going on?" I ask Eun chul as he steps on the accelerator. Panic is knitted into his expression.

"Eun chul. What's going on?" I ask him as he seems to be hesitant to reply.

"Yah! Eun chul! What's going on?" I ask him again, louder and stronger.

"Du sik ah..." Eun chul says hesitantly. "Don't panic, I'm sure everything will be okay." Eun chul says slowly which frustrates me further and doesn't answer my question.

"What are you talking about?" I ask him again, shifting uncomfortably in the seat.

"Du sik..." Eun chul says slowly.

I feel the anticipation rise dangerously in me. Feelings of terrible grip me fiercely.

"Du sik..." Eun chul starts again. "There's a fire."

"Is Mi Seon okay?" I ask, worried.

"Wait. Hang on." I suddenly snap to a realisation as I make a connection in my mind.

"Isn't Hye Jin with Mi Seon!" I ask heavily.

Eun chul looks at me with a grave look.

Every word Eun chul says now weighs heavily. It feels like I've been trapped in a time lapse and every word is spoken at an agonizing slow rate.

"Du sik, we're not sure... but..." Eun chul swallows hard. "But Hye Jin may be trapped in the building."