The smell of urine and faeces was over powering , and when Kim Eun Ae and her team of volunteers entered the building, she almost gagged at the stench .
The face masks helped a little and her and her 5 other colleagues spread out to check the building.
The building was up for demolition and her group was part of a charity run organisation that cleared buildings of vagrants , and helped get them into shelters and half way houses .
When she first saw Song geom-eun gae she had thought he was dead , but after calling her team mates over had found him to be alive and they had called an ambulance...
The beep of a monitor was what roused him this time and he slowly opened his eyes to the bright light of a hospital ward. Some one was sat to the side of him and at first he thought maybe the police , but it wasn't, it was a kind looking women in her 50s . She saw him move and stood up " you're awake ," she said smiling, " ill call the doctor "
She went to leave but he called out " Excuse me " she stopped " how ?" He said .
His mind was working fast, and he was mentally checking his body ...last time he had woken he had made plans , but he must have fallen asleep or passed out again because he didn't remember anything after that .
" oh , erm , me and my team found you and you weren't in a good way so you were brought to the hospital . You've been unconscious for 3 days !, they've cleaned your wounds and reset you cast. I'll be right back I have to get a doctor "
He watched as she scurried out and he quickly looked around to gather his surroundings.
He was in a ward and was hooked up to a drip. His foot hurt less he noticed and a lot less swollen than last time he saw it and instead of a cast his wrist now seemed to be in some sort of wrap. He wiggled his fingers and internally smiled with the lack of pain.
There were 3 other occupied beds in the ward but no one seemed to be taking any notice of him thank fully .
He moved his head from side to side , no major pain , just a dull headache , he opened his mouth wide , split lip seemed to have healed and although he did fancy a drink , his body wasn't craving it so bad he was shaking, so he must have gone through detox whilst unconscious... no matter how he looked at it everything seemed to be going his way at the moment , proving that his plan was the right one.
He smiled and closed his eyes ..now to worry about the next problem ... getting out of here before the doctors figure out who he is and sent him a huge bill.
Talking of bills though he didn't even have the money for a meal , how was he supposed to move forward ?...
Just then a doctor came in and shone a light in his eyes and asked him questions. The genius idea of amnesia came to him just as he asked him his name .
Worried that he had a concussion the doctor left saying they'd do more tests tomorrow .
He relaxed again ,at least one more day of comfort and although he didn't have a carer he knew they'd provide basic food at least. He needed to get his strength up. From the logo on the bedding he knew the hospital was in Seoul meaning he was in the same city as that bitch...more good fortune...
Just then the lady that had found him came in and sat on the chair next to him. Although it pained him he smiled and thanked her for her kindness and even promised to pay it forward .
She left and wished him luck , leaving him the number of a charity that could help re home him....It wasn't until much later, after he had eaten , dozed and even managed a wash that he saw as he was coming back to his bed a small purse, just under the little counter. He looked around to see if any one was watching then quickly picked it up, getting into bed as fast as he could manage and then under the covers opened it.
As though a gift from the divine there was enough money in there to see him in food for at least a week.
He couldn't believe his luck and slept soundly with a big grin on his face ...tomorrow ...he'd leave the hospital tomorrow..
***************************
Suga had picked her up from work and they'd gone back to her place , he'd ordered in food and Teri had said soju was needed if she was going to tell him everything .
He had thought after the night before that she'd had enough to drunk, but if his girl said she needed it , then he would supply.
He watched her patiently, they'd eaten and she was on her second bottle, but still he didn't push her , he had shown her pictures of her security and explained a little as to how Rose even worked with them , txting locations and stuff...she'd nodded as though she understood and accepted and he could only hope she would too.
The wait was killing him but eventually, quietly she said " he's my step father ...I don't know who my biological dad is , my mum married him when I was about 5. I remember at first he used to carry me on his shoulders and I was happy because I was the same as my friends now ..I had a dad ." Her smile was strained and Suga reached out to hold her hand . She let him , seemingly lost in her story, her words coming quicker as though to get them over and done with.
" I thought we were the perfect family ...it was only as I got a bit older I noticed that some weeks we had extravagant food on the table , and other times just soup and rice...some times he wouldn't come home for a few days and I assumed he was working , but my mum would be sort of lost when he wasn't there . As an adult I think she loved him too much and didn't know how to function with out him. But his gambling caused them to row sometimes too , they were good at hiding it from me but I'd hear them sometimes and I'd hide under my covers and look forward to morning , because I knew the next day they would both be the smiling family I pictured us to be .
One day me and mum went to collect him from what I thought was his friends house , but found out later it was an illegal gambling place. I remember I could smell the alchohol from him and my mum was angry . " she paused and took a drink , collecting her thoughts, Suga didn't say a word ...his heart already breaking for her childhood ..she took a breath and continued " I don't really remember the accident properly ..rain..shouting then waking up in the hospital feeling like my chest was on fire. I was alone for days , no one could tell me where my parents were either , they just looked sadly at one and other and said someone would come soon .
Then one day he walked in with a bag of clothes and said get dressed. " Tears sprung to her eyes as the memory of that day became so real , Suga reached for a tissue and gently wiped her face..she didn't even seem to notice him.." all he said was we were going home and my mum was dead ...when I started to cry he told me shut up and not to wake the nurses . I can remember the pain as he took me out of bed and put clothes on me , I think the way my arms had twisted went a long way to opening my wound on my chest " her hand rubbed between her breasts as though the pain was still there , but still she carried on " he disappeared again once we were home and then I got sick. " she seemed to come back to her senses for a bit and gave him a watery smile " you know how I was found and saved ..." she shrugged " the next few years though I had wished I had died , he blamed me for my mother's death. He would tell me daily I should have died and not her and that I was ugly and deformed..I ran away as soon as I was old enough to get a job and hadn't seen him since until recently "
" you've seen him ?" Suga asked .. the anger that had been building slowly with her story threatened to break through ...it took every ounce of restraint he owned to ask calmly " is he the reason you hurt your foot ?"
She lowered her head and quietly said " yes "
