"You heard it too, right?"
"Yes."
The police officers descended the hill and reached the reed field.
"Hic... Sob..."
A sobbing sound came from inside the drainage tunnel.
Heo, one of the officers, flashed a light inside.
A young child in blue clothes was far away. The girl flinched at the light and covered her eyes with a grimace.
'Oh my God.'
Her clothes were covered in mud. Her face was also smeared and mud dripped from her hair.
Her limbs were trembling and her eyes were terrified.
There were glass shards stuck in her bare feet. They looked so painful that the officers unconsciously gasped.
Heo asked carefully, "Hey, are you okay?"
She still had a fearful look.
"I'll go in."
His junior officer walked into the tunnel. His wet shoes made a splashing sound.
"Uh... Ah...!"
The girl ran further inside, startled by his approach. Heo grabbed his junior.
"I'll go."
He handed him the flashlight.
"Can you shine it for me? Diagonally, so that she can see my face without the backlight."
"Yes."
Heo walked slowly and crouched down to match her eye level. Then he spoke softly.
"Hi."
She was a girl who was scared of people bigger than her. And she was in an irrational state.
He made himself as small as possible.
"Can you hear me?"
"..."
"If you can, nod your head slightly."
Nod.
"Thank you."
A sinister sound of water echoed in the darkness.
It felt like something was watching him. His neck was stiff, but he calmed himself and smiled gently.
"Seoyoon, right?"
Startled.
"Seoyoon's mom asked us to find Seoyoon. See this badge? I'm a police officer."
It wasn't a suitable tone for a 9-year-old, but it was appropriate for someone who was regressing.
"It's really scary here. You're scared too, right?"
Nod.
"But you're also scared of me getting closer, right?"
Nod.
"Let's do this. I'll take a step back and you take a step forward. One, two, one, two. Like that, we'll all come out and ta-da. How about that? Can you do it?"
Nod, nod.
It was a positive sign. He gestured to his junior, who walked back. Heo adjusted his pace to the child's speed.
'Damn...'
She was crawling more than walking because of the glass shards in her feet.
She should cry if it hurt, but the child in shock seemed to have no sense of pain.
YOU ARE READING
In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe (Part 2)
Fanfiction(200-399) Title: 이번 생은 우주 대스타, In This Life, I Will Be The Greatest Star In The Universe Author: Son Yoon, 손윤 Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Supernatural, Shounen, Sci-fi Source: Korean Novel, Webnovel A face is a face, a song is a song, a compositi...
