Zero Encounters

Aftermath

      The rain poured over the city and Jisung found himself unable to fall asleep. He never had an issue with falling asleep to the sound of rain. He enjoyed the rain, often using recordings to destress before bed, but this time, he tossed and turned until he forced himself out of bed. He paced around his hospital room, using every trick and pep talk to get himself to fall asleep, but nothing worked. He let himself out of his room quietly and walked with his IV from one end of the hall to the other.

Yeonwoo crossed his mind every few minutes and it took everything in him to not check on her even though she was next door. Since the team visited, her side remained quiet with only the sound of the nurses checking on her well-being. He knew she needed the space to herself and to recover. He worried that perhaps if she saw him, it would remind her of what happened.

The unit doors opened behind him and he checked to see who it could be in this time of night. Captain Lee walked through the doors solemnly and noticed Jisung standing there. Jisung saluted him and he passed him a fruit basket.

"How are you feeling?" Captain Lee asked, looking at him from head to toe, "You should be inside resting."

"Couldn't sleep." Jisung thanked him for the basket. "Thank you for my phone. I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have it to respond to my parents."

"They must be worried. You should tell them where you are."

"Unless you want the world to know who Yeonwoo is, I think it's best to not let them know." He smiled, "Speaking of which, how is everything?"

"The Chief had been questioned, but he's cleared. Pastor Baek and Taejooon is still at large, but we should be able to track them down soon. The media has been covering everything."

"Yeah, I've seen some articles." He scratched his head, "Doctor Ji said I'm well. I would like to return to work to help everyone. I'm sure it's all hands on deck right now."

"No, you need to rest and that's an order." Captain Lee gestured to his room, "You're on leave until Doctor Ji clears you to be discharged. Thank you for looking after her and I'm sorry I got you in this position." He bowed, but it only made Jisung uncomfortable.

He waved his hands in front of him in disagreement, "It's not your fault. I wish I could've done more for her. I'm sure she's glad to see you." Captain Lee straightened his back and stared at Yeonwoo's door. "I think you're the only one who can get through to her." He said and watched him walk towards it.

"Where is she?" Captain Lee asked just as Jisung was about to return to his room. They both looked at each other with confusion and looked for Doctor Ji for answers. The doctor enters the unit with his eyes on the ground. "Where did she go?" The Captain was afraid she had ran away as per usual.

"I gave her a way out." Doctor Ji explained with his eyes still on the ground. He knew Zero's history and only knew it would cause her more harm if they continued to confine her, "Her vitals were good and there was no concerns with her cognitive abilities."

"You let her go without my permission?" Captain Lee raised his voice.

"I'm sorry, Captain Lee, but it was the least I could do for her. We both know, keeping her here wouldn't help her. She promised me she would contact you before she left. She said she'll wait for you at home."

Captain Lee left without another word. He only had space for anger, but only towards himself. He habitually blamed himself for Zero's pain even though he knew the fault doesn't entirely fall on him. He thought of every possible route that she could've taken and where she would be, but the options overwhelmed him. When he finally got on the road, he rang her phone like a mad man, but his father's calls interrupted him.