Light A Flame || Hoshi

Chapter 16

Grabbing the bottle, Jang-mi heard a disruption outside. There were screams, some rustling, then all hell broke loose: some thumping, and then a loud sound; the sound of shattering bones, of someone getting thrown into a wall. She bolted to the door. Cautiously unlocking it, a scene akin to a climax of an action movie was unfolding.

The two fighting were Heejin and S.Coups, with a worried Hana, as if an ice statue, looking onto the commotion in horror. He tackled Heejin, causing her to crash into the wall once more. She was bleeding. She quickly regained her balance, striking him in the head with a precise kick, leading him to swing out of control, disoriented, crumpling onto the floor.

Jang-mi had no idea what to do. She was glued to the ground, watching on in fear. Heejin then delivered the final sentence in the form of another kick, this time straight onto his grounded face. She'd managed to best a man double her size. Jang-mi's blood ran cold.

The assailant turned her attention away from the motionless body in front of her, instead facing towards Jang-mi. She then smiled. Well, it was hard to call a smile: it was a crooked, twisted thing. Distorted, unrecognizable to the joy usually conveyed by the motion.

Heejin sighed. "I'd do it in your room instead, easier to hide the body, but I guess the corridor will do too," she said, in a tone similar to one she could use to scold her dog for stealing a glove. Jang-mi wished she could move, regain control of her limbs, run - get to anywhere, alert the police, bring down this maniac. But she just couldn't.

Heejin approached Jang-mi, eyes glinting like the blood on her face. She slowly pulled out a small syringe out of her pocket, flashing it to Jang-mi like a prize she'd just won.

"This'll be painless, for the most part. I tried suggesting something more... appropriate for your death, but I was told not to. Consider this your lucky day,"

"How lucky," Jang-mi retorted sarcastically.

"You know, I never liked that attitude of yours. About time someone taught you some manners," Heejin growled, pinning Jang-mi to the wall, the syringe inching closer towards Jang-mi's frozen body. Time slowed. Jang-mi felt like laughing: that trope of a character's life flashing before their eyes when facing death felt less like a trope, now that she was living through it. Regret washed over her for things she didn't do, couldn't do, people she couldn't make amends with or repay for what they've done for her. Such was her life, now that she was faced with how short it was. Like a grain of sand on the beach, meaningless and small.

She held her breath. Not that it mattered now anyway: there'd be no lungs to take oxygen, no heart to pump blood. A dried river. What was the point of it now, when she was practically on her deathbed?

The syringe came closer, threatening to pierce the delicate skin of her arm. She shut her eyes. At least she'd look peaceful as she went.

Suddenly, a loud smack broke the deafening silence of Jang-mi's thoughts. Her eyes burst open, only to find her assailant strewn on the floor. She scanned the situation. Facing her, with a large kettle in-hand, was Hana. The girl looked mortified.

"I grabbed the nearest thing I could," she meekly stated, causing Jang-mi to chuckle. Knocking someone unconscious with a tea kettle was certainly a creative choice, one that Hana should've been commended for, at least in the artistic sense.

"That's great, but we have to go alert someone. Right now. First person you see, tell them to call the police immediately," Jang-mi barked to her friend. The two ran to the reception desk, breathing heavily as they approached the receptionist.

"Ma'am, I need you to call the police, now."

The woman furrowed her brows. "I will dial them right now. Could you please tell me what happened?"

"There was a fight. People are bleeding, someone broke a rib, I think. There's two unconscious people on the fifth floor right now. Be quick, please," Jang-mi explained.

The woman mumbled something in Japanese into the phone, then nodded.

"Thank you for informing us, the police will be here shortly," she politely said, a twinge of Japanese in her polished British accent. Jang-mi let out a sigh of relief,

Soon after, the police arrived. Two officers barged into the decorated lobby, looking very out-of-place with their harsh uniforms in the marbled reception hall of the hotel. They made their way towards the reception desk, being greeted by a now-calmer Jang-mi.

"Ma'am, lead us to the scene, please," one of them grunted. Jang-mi complied.

The three stepped into the elevator, Jang-mi punching in the button '5'. Light muzak filled the air, contrasting excessively with the gravity of the situation. The bell dinged and the doors slid open. They piled out of the elevator and Jang-mi led the way.

"Did you say there were two people unconscious?" one of the police officers asked, rounding the corner.

"Yes, two," she nodded, following behind.

Turning the corner, Jang-mi released a gasp. S.Coups was where he had been, still lying on the floor in the same position, arms limp near his body. As for Heejin...