Legend [YEONBIN] ✓

thirty-six ; soobin

At the hospital, the police came.

I should have expected it. The restaurant was a crime scene, blood everywhere. There would definitely be questions.

I stood, hugging my arms around myself in the waiting room as the officer interrogated me.

“Can you describe the attacker?” The cop was young. An officer in a gray button-down and neon-yellow vest. The thick black lettering labeling him as POLICE looked stark, almost angry. I stared at it instead of at the officer’s judgmental face.

“I can’t,” I said. It was the truth. No matter what mom had done, there was no way I could turn her in.

“Soobin-ah, what the hell happened?” Beomgyu stormed up, eyes puffy from crying. Huening Kai trailed behind with the forlorn expression of a lost puppy.

“Please, I’m conducting an investigation,” said the officer.

That brought a frown to Beomgyu’s lips and even though he backed off, he watched the cop closely.

The officer turned mistrustful eyes to me. “Now, are you saying you can’t remember anything about the attacker? You know it’s against the law to hide information in a police investigation.” I shouldn’t have been surprised at the suspicion. I literally had blood on my hands.

“I don’t know.” I lowered my head as three pairs of eyes scrutinized her now.

“Maybe a trip to the station might loosen your memory.”

“Is that necessary?” Huening Kai asked.

“It’s my job to ask questions.”

“It’s your job to catch whoever did this, not to treat a witness like a criminal,” Beomgyu said.

“I was only wondering if he’s not remembering all the details,” the officer said apprehensively.

“Oh.” Beomgyu backed up with a fake sweet smile, his eyes still bright as lasers. “Then I guess you’re done with your questions now that you got the answer.”

“Sure.” The officer stuffed his notepad into his pocket. “If you can remember anything, then please let us know.” He pulled out his card, handing it to Huening Kai and no one else. It would have made me laugh if she didn’t still feel like crying.

As soon as the officer left, Beomgyu spun on me again.

“What happened? Who did this to him?” The anger in Beomgyu’s eyes pierced through my heart. I hadn’t realized I’d grown so fond of this boy. And to see the disappointment and hurt on Beomgyu’s face caused me to falter.

“I can’t . . .” I couldn’t finish my sentence.

“But you do know. I can tell you know something you’re not telling us.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need your apologies.” Beomgyu stomped down the hall toward Yeonjun’s room, leaving Huening Kai to follow slowly.

I found my voice. “Huening-ah.”

He looked at me with sad eyes. “Can you really not tell us what happened? Not even to help Yeonjun and his halmeoni?”

I shook my head silently.

His face fell and his voice became flat. “You should go home. We’ll be with Yeonjun tonight.”

Huening Kai left me alone in the waiting room. I’d never heard such a harsh tone from him. And it was his disappointment that finally broke me.

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