The Guardian's Gift

3

     Her eyes fell behind a small cell in which the pocket knife man was sleeping. She remembered  when she was guarding a murderer who had been sentenced to life in prison. It had been the dullest moment in her entire guarding duty since his life had passed by like a never ending day, until at some point there had been a scent of smoke, burnt charcoal, and melted iron only she could smell. Needless to say, his story didn’t have a happy ending when a certain grim reaper had paid him a not so friendly visit.

     All of a sudden, the man woke up. As soon as his mind was accustomed to the fact that he had been sleeping behind the metal bars, he jumped out of his slumber. He pressed himself against the bars, eyes scanning the whole station until they met hers. His heart dropped, like someone had just punched a giant hole in the middle of his sternum.

     “W-witch! She’s a witch!” he yelled, his accusing index finger pointed right at her forehead. “What is that crazy witch… crazy bitch doing here?! Get her out! She’s a dangerous, murderous, psycho bitch! You should’ve thrown her here, not me!”

     “Shut up!” a tall, muscular police officer shouted back as he punched the bars with his fist. The bars clunked as they vibrated. “You’ve been saying that same bullshit every time you got your ass back here! We’ve heard enough of your crap!” he roared as if the pocket knife man was wearing a hearing aid. “Maybe it’s time for you to earn that death sentence you’re craving!”

     “No! Don’t!” Jisoo protested immediately like she was reading the officer’s script as she stood up from her seat. Everyone in the station put a halt on whatever it was they were doing and stared at her. The place  turned quiet, waiting for her oration. “Forgiveness and prayer is better for him. All this time he’s been lost… let’s hope he’ll find the light to guide him towards a better path.”

     Silence. She looked at everyone in the room one by one. Even the man behind the bars himself couldn’t find a word to say. They were unable to remember when was the last time they had been visited by someone so pious. Let alone a young woman with the remnants of The Almighty decorating her face and a charm undeniably irresistible. Aside from saving the wrongful man from the flaring hands of Kyungsoo, she was also sparing whoever it was that had been guarding him from unnecessary distress.

     Yongguk blinked and grinned. “Amen!”

***

The sky had turned black, allowing the moon and stars to show themselves after hours of veiling. Jisoo and Yongguk were walking together in the margin of the street. He had offered to bring her bags, since he felt that her dreadful encounter with the pocket knife man was too much for someone like her to handle. He looked at her and was concerned, to remember that the rest of the day would be even more dangerous.

     “Is your home still far from here?” he asked. “Want me to take the cab with you? It’s on me.”

     She shook her head. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m actually going to a hotel,” she replied. He frowned at her answer, it was unpredictable. He was about to say something when she added, “I ran away from home. Something happened, you know… usual family feud.”

     “Ah… didn’t think you’ll be one of those people, honestly. I guess even someone like you still have some shit going on in life,” he responded as he shifted his stare from her to the street. “Speaking of family feud, I have one of my own. Since you, somehow, have seen my job, I might as well tell you the whole story behind it.”