UNTOUCHABLE - TIAOM

BREAKUP

"Kim...?"

"Hey, Honey. What's up? I'm sorry for not returning your calls right away. We were up since three am and just got back here in the room."

"That's fine... Were you able to eat dinner...?"

"Pie, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Kim... my dad..."

"W-what happened to him...?"

"W-we rushed him to the hospital this morning. Stroke..."

"Oh, my..." Kim slides down against the bed frame. "H-how is he...?"

"He's unstable. Half of his body is paralyzed right now. I don't know what to do, Kim..."

"Shhh... Honey, your dad's a strong man. He'll make it."

"B-but the doctors said his chances of survival are really slim. We're not even sure if he'll even wake up again..."

Kim massaged her head with her hand. All the stress from the morning is finally taking its toll on her. However, she can't show any sign of weakness or tiredness as her girlfriend is in a bad situation right now.

"Pie, Honey, you have to stay strong. Your dad wouldn't want you to see like that."

"I don't know to do if he won't make it, Kim. I... I'm not ready for this..."

"It's going to be fine, Honey. I promise you that. He's gonna make it."

---

"The man was able to make it the next morning. However, after three days, he died," said Kim sadly. She's stroking Katrien's side with her thumb while the little girl is taking a nap on Kim's shoulder. "It was really hard for her to take. She's her dad's baby girl, you know. She asked me to file an early leave so I can be with her. She was really feeling down. However, the earliest schedule I got was three months after her dad's burial."

"In other words, you didn't make it to the burial?" asked Zee.

Kim shook her head no. "I couldn't leave. It was a busy year for AEF that time too. We were working for like eighty hours a week. I rarely talk to her. And there were times she's not in the mood to talk. I understood. I knew she's grieving for her loss. I gave her time because I know that's what she needs."

"Then what happened?" asked Yam.

"Two days before my scheduled vacation leave, the list of SAU passers arrived."

---

"W-we passed," said Conan, trembling.

"Yeah." Kim is staring intently at the paper in front of her. "I can't believe it. The exams were crazy, especially the psychological tests."

"It says here that all SAU members who wish to continue will be deported to Brazil the day after tomorrow," said Conan, looking at the instructions. "There, the new SAU members will have intensive training for two years."

"Two years..." said Kim, stepping backward to sit on the bench. "That's a really long time."

Conan sat on the bench too beside Kim. "Yes. It's an uninterrupted training. Meaning, our families won't see us for two years."

"Will you go for it?"

"It's now or never, bud. The next exam will be after two years again."

Kim inhaled and blew air from her mouth. "Why is this happening to me?"

"You want to come, right? But you can't."