Part 6
Meanwhile, Bella and the Cullens are now on their second day in South Korea.
Edward and Bella went to a Burger King near the Jang family inn.
"Finally some real food," Bella said with relief.
"I did not expect Burger King to exist here," Edward said.
"I hope that Jake is okay," Bella said.
Edward glares at Bella upon hearing her mention Jacob's name.
"It's your fault that he is here," Edward blatantly said.
Bella stopped eating her burger and looked up at Edward in disbelief and confusion.
"What? How?" Bella asked.
"If you never told him we were moving here, he wouldn't have come here," Edward said.
"But I had to tell him, he's my friend," Bella explained.
Edward did not care. He only wanted to hear what he wanted to hear and see what he wanted to see.
Edward clenched his soda cup, causing the blood-colored soda inside to squirt out, splashing both him and Bella.
Other patrons in the Burger King turned to look at Edward and Bella. Bella looked around with an embarrassed expression. It didn't help that and Edward are the only foreigners in the Burger King and stick out like sore thumbs.
Edward is being an embarrassment and attracting unwanted attention.
Some of the locals started whispering. Even though Bella doesn't understand Korean, she feels the locals are talking about Edward and her since they glanced at her as they whispered.
"Edward, I think we should get out of here," Bella said.
Edward still glared at Bella and reluctantly picked up his crushed soda cup to throw it away.
I want to see her...so bad...Bella is being annoying...She won't let me do what I want...Edward thought.
Meanwhile, Biyu, Jun, Hyun-ae, and Jong-suk are at the local police station after Biyu and Hyun-ae were informed of case updates.
A facial composite illustration of the intruder, Edward, was produced based on Biyu's eyewitness statement.
The police chief spoke with Hyun-ae and Jong-suk first.
"Just to verify, the intruder you saw exiting your friend's property is shirtless, tan-skinned, muscular, 5' 10" in height, wore jean shorts and worn-out sneakers, has black hair in a crew cut, looks to be about 16, and happens to be a non-Asian foreigner. Correct?" The police chief asked.
"Yes, that's the description," Jong-suk confirmed.
"Yes, same. I saw what he looked like from the window and it was still light out at the time.," Hyun-ae confirmed.
The police chief then turned to Biyu.
"And for your case, the intruder who broke into your bedroom through the balcony is ghostly pale-skinned, has amber eyes, brown hair in a pompadour, red lips, looks to be about 29 years old, wore blue jeans, a gray coat, and a dark gray button-up, and is a non-Asian foreigner, a Westerner. Correct?" The police chief asked Biyu.
"Yes, that's his physical description," Biyu confirmed, nodding her head.
"Our forensic sketch artists managed to finish their sketches earlier than expected which is why we already got updates for you all..." The police chief explained.
A young police officer came by with two sketches, one of Edward and the other of Jacob, and displayed them to the four friends.
They all gasp in horror.
To Biyu, the facial composite sketch of Edward looked surprisingly accurate.
Hyun-ae and Jong-suk examined the composite sketch of Jacob, it looked like Jacob indeed just not exactly since they've only seen Jacob once.
"Just to let you know, we've already made "wanted" posters of these two perpetrators, and some of my officers are out right now, posting them. They've been posting them since sunrise," The police chief explained.
The four friends thanked the police officers before departing.
"You all stay safe, you hear," The police chief called out.
As the four friends walked home together, they spotted a wanted poster featuring the composite sketch of Edward plastered on the storefront window of a flower shop. They walk up to the poster to read the description.
Wanted: Burglary Suspect
Reward: Up to 2,000,000 won
Description:
Name: Unknown
Age: Unknown (not confirmed)
Sex: Male
Race: Caucasian
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Amber (likely wearing colored contacts)
Height: 6' 2"
Is extremely pale-skinned and wears hair in a pompadour
Crime(s): Breaking and entering, trespassing, and stalking
Last seen wearing a dark gray button-up shirt, light gray collared coat, and blue jeans.
(Author's Note: This is probably not an accurate template for a "wanted" poster. This is a case of artistic license: law.)
The "wanted" poster of Edward included instructions on making a report and the watermark of the local police station.
"Ugh, I can't believe this is happening to us. I've never filed a police report before," Biyu said, putting a hand on her face and shaking her head.
"My parents talked with our neighbors who were questioned by the police and some of them admitted they did see some suspicious activity. One of them told us they saw a shirtless man running through the streets." Hyun-ae admitted.
"Our neighbors back home, some of them said they saw a figure sitting on the roof of our house and then jumping onto my balcony without hesitation. They could not see his face of course since it was night. One neighbor told us she saw a figure jump off my balcony and run down the street and this is very odd..." Biyu explained.
"What was it?" Jun asked.
Hyun-ae and Jong-suk walked closer to Biyu, eager to hear the news.
"When she saw him run, she said it looked like he was running so fast he looked like a blurry blob...She asserted she isn't joking." Biyu added.
Hyun-ae and Jong-suk gasped and looked at each other. Jun felt like his soul left his body. Just hearing what Biyu's neighbor described already sent chills down his spine.
"Okay...I don't believe in ghosts, monsters, demons, or the paranormal but I think I'm starting to..." Jong-suk admitted, whimpering afterward.
"That shirtless weirdo jumped over Hyun-ae's fence in one leap! No way a professional parkour artist can do that. That fence is like 7 feet tall!" Jong-suk pointed out.
"There is no logical explanation for this," Hyun-ae remarked, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Makes me wonder, are we dealing with more than just burglars and stalkers?" Biyu admitted, staring at the ground in apprehension.
"If we are dealing with monsters, assuming they actually exist, then we need to stick together and go out in groups. None of us should go alone," Jun suggested.
"Ugh, I'm scared to go home because I would always see them and I have no choice but to be hospitable otherwise it would ruin the business," Hyun-ae groaned.
"Those weirdos are probably roaming around here and secretly watching us right now..." Jun speculated, looking around his surroundings.
The four friends huddled together and apprehensively looked around their surroundings. They continued their way and decided to explore their neighborhood and the urban city to look for wanted posters of Edward and Jacob.
They finally found wanted posters of Jacob.
Jacob's Wanted Poster
Wanted: Burglary Suspect
Reward: Up to 2,000,000 won
Description:
Name: Unknown
Age: Unknown (not confirmed)
Sex: Male
Race: Indigenous
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Has tanned skin, a crew cut, and does not wear a shirt.
Height: 5' 10"
Crime(s): Breaking and entering and trespassing
Last seen wearing blue jean shorts and worn-out sneakers.
"Haha, he looks naked in the poster," Jong-suk said, snickering at the poster.
"If he runs around naked, ugh, that would be a nightmare," Hyun-ae said.
"I will stab out my eyes if I see him naked," Biyu said.
"Guys like him are so egotistical," Jun remarked.
The four friends continue their journey.
Meanwhile, Edward and Bella are on their way back to the Jang family inn. Along the way, some of the passersby gave Edward dirty looks or try to keep a distance from him upon seeing him. Bella raised an eyebrow upon seeing the passersby avoiding them.
"Edward, did you see that? This is why I never wanted to move here. Everyone avoids us," Bella told Edward.
Unbeknownst to Bella, the locals avoiding Edward did not do so due to him and Bella being foreigners.
Edward then stopped dead in his tracks, causing Bella to stop walking as well. She looked at Edward, seeing that he has a look of terror in his eyes. Bella followed Edward's gaze and spotted a wanted poster of Edward plastered on the window of a barbecue restaurant. The text is in Korean so Bella could not read what it says but judging by the composite sketch of Edward, she can infer that it is a wanted poster.
"Is that...you?" Bella asks Edward.
"We need to head back to the inn," Edward whispered to Bella. Edward looks around to make sure nobody is looking and tears off the wanted poster from the barbecue restaurant window. The couple hastily fled the scene soon after.
When Edward and Bella neared the Jang family inn, they stopped when they were about to turn left. On a lamp post is another wanted poster of Edward.
Bella has gotten suspicious upon seeing the wanted posters of Edward. What did he even do?
She turned to Edward with concern and suspicion.
"Edward, what did you do? Did you get framed?" Bella asked.
Edward did not answer.
"Let's get back with the others," Edward replied, dodging Bella's question.
Edward and Bella stopped again when they arrived at the inn gates. On the gate is a wanted poster of Jacob.
Bella gasps in horror upon seeing the composite sketch of Jacob.
"Is that...Jacob?!" Bella asked in disbelief.
"What is going on? What did he do?" Bella asked, worried about Jacob.
"Edward, I think we need to get out of here," Bella said.
They knocked on the door of the inn and Mrs. Jang answered.
"Ah, you're back," Mrs. Jang said, letting Edward and Bella inside.
"My eldest daughter is not home. She's out with her friends." Mrs. Jang explained.
Edward looked back at Mrs. Jang upon hearing what she revealed.
So that means that Korean girl who's friends with her daughter is with her..Edward thought.
"Make yourselves at home," Mrs. Jang tells Edward and Bella before retreating to the home space. When she entered her bedroom, she closes the door, exhales deeply, and then glares resentfully. Mr. Jang happens to be in the bedroom. In his hands are copies of Edward and Jacob's wanted posters.
"I can't believe it! Edward is most likely the man who broke into the Huang family's residence through Biyu's balcony. And he watched her sleep, too!" Mrs. Jang snapped.
"I had a feeling he was bad news the first time we met. He has a dangerous aura as well as the others traveling with him." Mr. Jang admitted.
"He probably watched the girls in their sleep without our knowledge!" Mrs. Jang said, putting her hands over her mouth.
"We need to get these so-called guests out of the here. If the neighbors who've seen Edward's wanted poster find out Edward is staying at our inn, it's going to ruin the business or even worse, they might think we are accomplices." Mr. Jang suggested.
"This is going to be difficult because we can't just kick them out right away. We need to convince them to leave without letting them know we are suspicious of them." Mrs. Jang said.
Meanwhile, Bella and the Cullens are horrified upon discovering the wanted poster of Edward.
They are all convinced that Edward is falsely accused of a crime he did not commit. They do not know what crime Edward is accused of committing due to their inabilities to read and speak Korean.
"We have to leave this inn and find another place to stay," Carlisle suggested.
"We can just tell the innkeepers that we are leaving for our own safety," Alice suggested.
The Cullens all agreed with each other.
Bella is conflicted and worried. She is worried for Jacob's safety since he is all alone out there and is afraid that something terrible will happen to Edward. She is sure that Edward did nothing wrong and has been framed or falsely accused.
Hyun-ae finally arrived home after Biyu, Jun, and Jong-suk accompanied her during her trip. She waved goodbye to them before jumping onto the other side of the fence.
She entered her home through the secret entrance and entered the house through the dining room window. She looked to her left to make sure Bella and the Cullens are not present and hurriedly tiptoed to her parents' bedroom. Mrs. Jang texted her to go to her bedroom upon arriving home.
Hyun-ae arrived in her parents' bedroom. Her entire immediate family is inside.
"Mom, what happened?" Hyun-ae asked.
"We are planning to convince them to leave," Mrs. Jang explained.
Hyun-ae pumps her fist and sighs in relief. Finally, she will no longer be afraid of going home.
"If we let them stay, it will ruin the business and the public might assume we are accomplices," Mrs. Jang explained.
Hyun-ae exhales in relief and pulls out her phone to inform Biyu, Jun, and Jong-suk.
Part 6 End