day 20
11.31 pm
lee haru

finding you

when i reach the station
it's awfully silent

i pull the dark hood of my parka over my head
grab my backpack
and anything of value from the backseat
just in case the car gets inspected

i parked it quite a distance away
so i doubt people might find it suspicious

i head out into the dark of the night
pondering as i take my careful steps
towards the back of the station
no one spots me yet

i finally end up hiding behind a wall
in the back of the station
where there's a narrow alleyway
i peek out to see a group of three cops
typically eating donuts
it's ridiculous how much this
seems like a movie
and i'm the part of the main cast
as the character that screws up the most

when i'm sure that they're distracted
i try to find a way inside
through a door in the back
but there's got to be cameras

shit, this is stupid
i'm trying to break into a police station
without getting caught
a police station for goodness' sake

suddenly there's a commotion
happening from the front of the station
and i hear the sirens of the police cars
and some struggled shouting of a man
definitely not jeongguk

the cops with the donuts seem to be alerted
because they're rushing to check it out
and i take the golden opportunity to sneak out
and try my chances with the back door

but the universe
just has to
mess with me
at that exact moment
screw you milky way

"hey! freeze!"

i purse my lips together tightly
slowly turning around with my hands held up
the man is pointing a torch at me
and a baton in another hand
my eyes trail down to the gun in his belt

no way i'm taking my chances anymore
so i do the only thing i can think of in my
logical rational mind: run
and again, for the second time in my trip
from the freaking cops

i hear the quickening footsteps chasing after me
and duck in another alleyway
right behind some dumpsters

come on, haru, think
what's your plan b?
i don't have a plan b

"come out! i know you're there"
the man's voice rings through the alleyway
and the light from his torch
nearly exposes my hiding spot
when there's another chaotic scene
from inside the station
where people are running around and shouting
about someone trying to escape

someone trying to escape...
someone is trying to escape!

the man hesitates
between waiting for me to come out
and going in to help with the mess
he eventually decides on the latter
because next thing i know
he's muttering something under his breath
and turning around on his heels

i release the huff of breath i didn't realise
i've been holding
and the shouts from inside get louder
as if the cops are panicking

and then the chaos flows outside

"go after him!"

that better be you jeon jeongguk

i adjust the hoodie on my head and peek out
making sure i'm in the clear before dashing
out of the alleyway
but not before someone grabs me
by my shoulders
roughly, i may add
and shoves me behind a wall

thank the heavens for god's mercy tonight

"pinky?
what in heaven's name are you doing here
you should've gone without me"

"i fucking hate you" i say as i stare into
jeongguk's waverung eyes

he flinches a little
and i realise that this is the first time
i've thrown in such harsh words into my sentence
"h-hey don't curse"

at this point do i still care?
"you idiot
did you know how much i was
struggling to find you?
did you know how lost i was?
if you do this to me again
i don't know if this whole thing is going to work—"

he cuts me off by pulling me into a tight hug
and i instantly melt in his warm embrace

"i'm sorry" he whispers apologetically
"it's going to work, i promise"

i break down into quiet sobs in his chest
and he shushes me gently
"h-how did you g-get out?"

"it's me, i can do anything"
he chuckles softly as he pats my head
"and i wasn't about to let you go alone
we said we'd do this together didn't we?"

i nod slowly
and he pulls back with a smile
"let's go before we get caught
alright?"

he takes me by the hand
and i hear the cops coming after us from behind

he tells me to trust him
but by the time we get to the car
the cops are already surrounding it
carefully inspecting the strange vehicle

looks like my senses were right

jeongguk does the only thing he can think of:
he messes up the wires of an unlocked car
somehow gets the engine to start
(because jeon jeongguk manages to do
literally, everything. or maybe its just google)
and tells me to get in

the shouts of the cops grow softer and softer
and we drive further away
until they're all gone
and we're back off to where we were

"thank you" jeongguk says softly
"for coming back"