Release From Hell

Big Brother

Just as they were exiting the bedroom, there was the sound of more sirens, followed by a yell upstairs. They rushed to the base of the stairs, asking what had happened. Another man ran into view, breathing heavily.
"Gi-nim! We found two more! Everything else's okay up here, but it scared Han-Jae pretty badly."
"Damn it! Two more? It sounds like the ambulances just arrived so we'll send them up. Is he going to be okay?"
"I don't know. He won't move, but I'm sure he'll be fine. He's new, after all."
Seungbae stepped forward and started up the stairs. When Gi asked what he was doing he said he didn't know, but that wasn't completely true. He remembered what it had felt like to see his first dead body. When he had been new to the police, things like this had been quite a shock. He wanted to make sure the new kid was okay. When he had met him before, he had seemed so young and innocent. He hated seeing the cheerful ones when they saw something terrible. Even though he was only a few years older, he felt a kind of brotherly responsibility towards the younger members. He pushed open the door and saw the boy sitting curled up in the corner of the room. He was staring horrified at a trunk under the window. Seungbae glanced over cautiously and glimpsed a decaying arm hanging out. He grimaced and headed over to crouch in front of him. Their eyes met and Seungbae could see the boy's were full of fear. Immediately, he was reminded of Yoonbum and he felt a sharp pain in his chest knowing that what Yoonbum had seen had been ten times worse than this.
"Hey there. You know me. Look, I know it's scary but you're doing this job because you like it, right? You want to help people?"
He nodded very quickly.
"Well then you have to be brave, okay? You'll be fine. Come on, let's go."
He offered his hand and pulled the boy up, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Seungbae turned so neither of them could see the bodies, and they began to exit the room.
"So, Han-Jae, was it? How old are you anyway?"
"I-I just turned twenty, Yang-nim. Me and my sister went out with some of our friends, it was really fun!"
Seungbae could already tell he would be just fine. Although he was so close to Yoonbum's age... Seungbae was only twenty-seven, but he had been eleven years old when he had seen his first dead body. As if to prevent him from getting caught up in memories, the EMTs burst through the door with stretchers and body bags. Seungbae dropped his arm and they hurried out, heading back down the stairs. Han-Jae went off to talk with the other man, while Seungbae turned to Gi.
"How many other were there?"
"Just one," she said, not meeting his gaze. It was clear this bothered her, but she was being brave about it. Seungbae couldn't pretend it didn't bother him, too. On the contrary, this was probably the most disturbing crime he had seen. It still didn't feel real, like something out of a horror movie.
After the ambulances had sped away with three body bags in tow, the others headed back to the police station. The rest of the day passed in a blur of paperwork, and before Seungbae knew it, he was on his way home. When he entered his apartment, he was suddenly overwhelmed by the comfortable, welcoming environment. After everything that had happened that day, it all seemed too much. For no reason in particular, Seungbae started to cry. He hadn't cried since he had joined the police, but everything had suddenly come crashing down around him and he felt sad. He was sad for Yoonbum, who was so young and who had endured so much. He was sad for Han-Jae for the same reason. Most of all, everything that had happened reminded him of his brother. Suddenly, Seungbae was ten years old again. His little brother was his best friend and he protected him with everything he had. His brother had always been prone to sickness, but one day he got sicker than normal. There was nothing Seungbae could do to protect his brother from his own body, so he watched. He stayed with him at home and in the hospital, watching him wither away. He was watching when the heart monitor stopped beeping. After that, Seungbae resolved to help strangers, because he figured every person he helped was to someone like his brother was to him. Everyone had someone who would miss them. That's why, he realized, he couldn't leave Yoonbum in the hands of the hospital. He needed someone to look after him and Seungbae needed someone to look after. Although he wasn't fully aware of it at the time, Seungbae made a mental promise to be there for Yoonbum, no matter what. Exhausted, Seungbae kicked off his shoes and crawled into bed. He passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow, and for a short time he forgot about death and violence and surrendered to the darkness.