Fire & Silk

18. Sick Daze

The small box fan across the living room was barely keeping Jeongyeon cool. She didn't anticipate being sick and she certainly didn't anticipate being sick and bored. Had she known she was going to feel like death, she would have brought work home with her before she left on Friday. She put a hand to her forehead, making a face at how sweaty and hot it was. Deciding that she needed to do something to feel a little less uncomfortable, she dragged herself off the couch and into the bathroom. She shuffled through the medicine in the cabinet above the sink, thankfully finding something. She took the medicine and crept into the kitchen, trying to ignore the way her entire body was aching. She barely made it to the fridge, opening the freezer at the bottom to grab an ice pack.

Jeongyeon plopped back down on the couch, resting the ice packed wrapped in a towel on her forehead. The cool relief she felt was almost immediate. That mixed with the breeze from the fan almost made her fever bearable. "Of course I had to get sick this week of all weeks." She groaned and pulled her phone out, checking to see if anyone had tried to contact her. Unfortunately, her phone was as dead as she was. She was itching to text Mina to ask her how the interviews with the men from Sana and Jihyo's company were going, but she wasn't sure if she'd answer. It was her third day on bed rest and each passing second felt like an hour.

She spoke to Mina on Monday and hoped she would offer consoling words but instead was met with nagging. She could take care of herself. Who did Mina think she was to be telling her how to take care of her sickness? She glanced over at the empty water glasses and half eaten ramen sitting on the table, wanting to clean up a bit but not having the energy. "I'm taking care of myself. I've eaten at least one thing today." Jeongyeon grumbled this to herself and rolled over on her side, trying to find some kind of relief for her aching body.

Normally when she felt this sick, she would watch TV or read a book, but all that she could think about was the Copy Cat. It was like he was in every corner of her life. His case file was scattered on her kitchen table, she had papers on her bedside table about him, and all she could think about was him. Maybe sleep was what she needed since she wasn't able to get any the night before due to her fever being worse.

The hallway was dark, only illuminated by a candle down the long path. Jeongyeon carefully crept along the wall, following closely behind the figure in front of her. The floorboard squeaked every few steps beneath them, only adding to the eerie feeling of their location. Now that she thought of it, Jeongyeon had no idea where they were. Wasn't she just at home with a terrible cold? She was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts as she gently bumped into the person who was in front of her. They turned around, turning the flashlight on and shining it above them. "Keep close to me and if I tell you to hit the ground, you need to lay flat immediately." Jeongyeon was immediately confused when she saw who was speaking. Why was Mina in front of her and why was she holding a gun in her hand. Wait was she wearing a police uniform? Jeongyeon looked down at herself and saw the same uniform, her right hand suddenly gripping the handle of an old revolver.

"What the hell?" Jeongyeon muttered this under her breath and looked up when Mina turned her flashlight off. She switched to the light attached to her gun and quickly but quietly crept to the end of the hallway, stopping in front of the door at the end. It was illuminated by the candle and crookedly hanging off of it was the number 20. Jeongyeon took in the image of the rusty number, feeling a chill down her spine. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew it couldn't be good. She felt a tap on her shoulder and was barely able to read Mina's lips who was asking for her to cover her when she tried to break the door down.

"1...2...3!" Mina counted down quietly, kicking the door in with all of her strength. It caved in way too easily, exposing a dimly lit and dingy room. There were old newspapers scattered around the floor and the smell was nothing short of unpleasant. Mina and Jeongyeon took a step in, the debris from the door and doorframe crunching underneath their boots. Mina turned her flashlight attachment off and scanned the room, gun still raised. Jeongyeon looked around and walked into the next room, the smell of week old leftovers immediately hitting her nose. She looked on the table and grimaced when she saw a swarm of flies buzzing around old pizza and a weird mix of what looked like spaghetti and spinach. She carefully took a step around the kitchen table and back into the living room area.