Heal me // A Jikook Trilogy //

《80》Waiting for a Raven

"Fucking damn it Tae," I cursed loudly as I bound my brothers banged up knee.

"It's nothing," the boy grit out but his face revealed the obvious lie it was.

"You're lucky it isn't broken!"

"Yeah well, you know I always get lucky!"

I growled again and bound the bandages harder which caused Tae to hiss and jerk back in pain.

"Serves you right. Perhaps you'll learn your lesson about jumping off a moving car next time."

"Well, it got us the bastard, didn't it? And I jumped from a moving car onto another moving car! It had to look awesome right?"

And the asshole had the bloody nerve to smile right in my face.
The worry turned into anger.
He was behaving like his old self again, holding no regard for his life, acting reckless and rash.

We had gone out tonight to do what we did best.
Hunt those pricks who used their status and money to hurt and pick on those weaker.
Today it was a casino owner who secretly sold imported girls from Thailand to rich, disgusting perverts, some of them so old they were already knocking at deaths door.

It was risky to continue doing our work, now that half the city knew it was our doing, our secret out in the open, but we were going crazy staying at the camp.
And it had felt so right to be back to help make the world a better place.
One less perverted bastard on free feet.

I just didn't expect Tae to act this way again.
Perhaps he needed a reminder why he no longer had a fucking right to do that.

"And what would Lian say if she knew about this, hm?"

Tae changed immediately and I regretted speaking so carelessly.
His eyes grew dark, his face paling which had nothing do with the nasty hit to his head that left a trail of blood running down his face.
Some even got into his hair, turning the bright gold a deep red as it dried.

"She's not here though, is she?"

His voices was strained, breaking halfway through.
I shook my head and fought with the worry that squeezed my heart together.

Tae's condition was worrying us.

He lost weight.
Considerably.
His face was sunken in, his nails bitten to stumps and I missed his laugh.
Missed seeing the life in his eyes and his wide, cheeky smile.

"Sorry. I.. I shouldn't have said that."

Tae cleared his throat and sat back when I was done bandaging his knee.

It was way past midnight and finally, winter was coming.
Little clouds formed in front of us after every breath, the street light illuminating the night with a single ray of cold white while we sat on a brick wall at the side of the road.

It was silent.
All but the rustling of the trees lending us company.

Jimin was currently dropping off the conniving little casino prick at the doorsteps of the nearest police station and would pick us up in a few moments.

I wished he would hurry, because watching Tae go through it again was hard to watch.
And because there was so little I could say that would make him feel better.
That and considering the fact that it was just as painful for me.
Imagining what Lian was going through right now...

"Three weeks, JK," he rasped out in a voice that sounded graver than the rustling of dying leaves.

"Three weeks and we have heard nothing. Not a word.
Suho hasn't made a move. Hasn't called for a party. What... what if she was wrong?
What if he just does nothing, knowing that only by holding her hostage, he has the power over us he needs... What are we going to do, hm? I shouldn't have let her go... I should have stopped her, even if that meant loosing her.
But at least she'd be safe now. She-"