SAVE ME // JIKOOK

Chapter 3

Now, however, as SooJin greeted his friend, he noticed something a little different about him. He acknowledged him with a slight smile and a "Hello," but the expression didn't quite reach his eyes–they were hard to decipher, but the man almost seemed jumpy or perhaps distracted about something.

"Hey buddy, something wrong?," Hyujin asked curiously.

SooJin took a deep breath before he angled his head up to face the other man, forcing his voice – and his face to put a more casual pose and tone before responding. He smiled. "No, I'm fine," He reassured the other man; internally, of course, he was nervous as hell about what he was about to do, but again, he told himself he was doing this for his family.

"Just a little preoccupied," He explained. "LeeYang was in the hospital for a couple of days." He was surprised how easily the lie slipped off his tongue as he internally felt disgust for using his handicapped wife as a convenient excuse.

"Oh, man, I'm sorry to hear that. Is she okay now?,"

SooJin nodded. "Yeah, just a flare-up of the disease. She's back home now but thanks for asking," He added as he nodded again and continued to wheel the laundry basket over to the back entrance door.

"I'll be right back," He told the guard, who nodded. By now, even though it was strictly against procedure, Hyujin trusted the long-time laundry employee so implicitly he didn't even accompany him into the back of the prison where the commercial washers and dryers were located. The man knew his way around so well by now there really wasn't any need.

As SooJin closed the door, he leaned back against it and closed his eyes briefly in relief that his friend didn't apparently realise there was anything unusual going on; he had already been warned that if their plan was discovered, the guard would have to eliminated, and he actually had come to respect and admire the man.

Hoping his luck would hold out just a little longer, he pushed the cart over to the designated area and waited anxiously for the other, soiled container to arrive.

Come on, come on, He pleaded silently as he stood impatiently waiting for his delivery.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he observed another guard slowly pushing the soiled cart toward him from the end of the hallway. He noticed the man looking nervously to his right and left as he came closer, apparently making sure no one else was around.

SooJin's breaths were coming out in small, shallow pants now as he waited for the man to approach; the only other sounds were the squeaking wheels of the undoubtedly heavier-than-normal, industrial-size laundry hamper being pushed toward him.

"Here's your pickup," The man announced authoritatively; SooJin couldn't help noticing the man's eyes studying his badge to determine his identity, as well as the hand that was resting lightly now on his holstered gun. The man, apparently satisfied that he was who he was supposed to be, nodded once before adding, "Take extra good care of it, you hear?,"

SooJin swallowed another lump of apprehension but nodded his understanding. The man stared at him for a few seconds more before he turned and slowly, almost casually, strutted away, no doubt richly compensated for his part in this masquerade as well.

Taking a deep breath now, SooJin grasped the round, metal bars of the hamper's handle and began to push the object toward the exit door, grunting at the unexpectedly-heavy weight of the cart he normally handled with ease; he hadn't considered how much more difficult it was going to be to push the hamper with approximately 400 lbs. more of excess weight in it.

Thinking silently how this whole thing may have been a huge mistake, he knew he nonetheless had no choice; he was convinced if he didn't go through with it now, chances were good he wouldn't get out of this whole fiasco alive anyway. Resolved, then, to somehow play his role properly, he slowly pushed with all his might as the wheels eventually began to turn and he was able to, thankfully, pick up adequate speed as he rolled the item toward the back door.