I arrived at a large building with a big logo in the center and brown walls. 7-Eleven. The automatic doors opened for me and I walked through them. The 7-Eleven here was quite massive, bigger than the original 7-Eleven I went to.
I realized that I didn’t even make my list before I came here. I slapped my head. Well… I guess I’ll just list them now. More notebooks. Some living utensils that would make my life much easier are also definitely a must. Better toilet paper. The hospital’s toilet paper is so hard and scratchy. 

I pushed a shopping cart through the aisle. At some point, I must’ve given up on what I was trying to find because I ended up buying a whole ton of random items, ranging from essentials to plushies. Before I checked out, I thought about my poor wallet. It’s going to be taking a big hit. Sometimes, there are just moments when you must reevaluate your life choices. 

I ended up buying everything anyway, clearly having no clue how to transport everything back. I only realized that as I was leaving.

“Oh my goddess, this is a disaster,” I groaned. My shopping cart was full to the top, and I still had so much to do for the rest of my four hours. Luckily, there was a storage place. It saved my ass. 

After getting permission from the manager of the store, I took the cart and rented storage, putting everything inside of it. I returned the cart. I checked the time. 16:25. My wallet isn’t infinite but it’ll survive. It’s time to eat out tonight and spend even more money.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I took the phone out and checked my notifications. Someone texted me something. I opened the phone and checked my message. 

The bank owner managed to find my phone number to repay me for saving his life. He said he’ll be covering half of my hospital bills.

No way, there’s no way he’d do something that nice. I checked my app that listed my bill. Surely enough, half of my bill was already paid. I was speechless. There are also a lot of nice people in this world.

I texted him back a thank you and put my phone away. I smiled. Now I can do what I want to do without the fear of money. Luckily, I had insurance. Who knew how much the bank owner and I would have to pay if I didn’t. 

I can’t do much right now, which is kind of irritating. I can’t go to the gym or do any strenuous activities due to the wound that I have. Doing such activities could lead to dehiscence, which is essentially a wound reopening after a surgical operation. The doctors and nurses have reminded me a bunch of times. It puts me on the spot. 

Wait, I think there’s something I can do. I pulled up my phone and searched for a nearby park. Their refreshing and not strenuous. So there’s a park, about half a mile from here. I excitedly put away my phone and walked to the destination, crossing a lot of crossroads and tall buildings in Seoul.

I entered through a red gate shaped like a Torii which was the same height as the surrounding trees. Although part of the view could be seen behind the Torii, the view from the front was completely different. Trees, in colors of red, white, and green could be seen everywhere. Light gray, square concrete tiles could be seen until it broke into two roads at a fork, each going on its own journey and disappearing. Two-inched dark green grass filled anywhere that wasn’t concrete. The scenery was beautiful enough to be its own fantasy world. 

A lot of people were there, but at this time, when the park is at its peak beauty, that’s not unexpected. Children’s voices cry out and add high-pitched sounds to the chorus. The trees’ branches were wind chimes, every time a breeze blew across, they would have their voice. My ears were hearing the sound of happiness.

Following the path and turning right, I stumbled upon a bench. It’s a perfect opportunity for me to sit down and get some relaxation; I’ve already walked so much and extra walking without a break would increase my risk for dehiscence. It felt like sitting on a hand warmer. The sun must’ve warmed up the bench. Although already uncomfortable enough from the heat, it’s still tolerable. The heat doesn’t bother me that much.

I leaned back. The sun was still high in the sky. In the summer, the sun usually doesn’t set until around 21:00. The sky still didn’t give a hint about changing colors. 

Squeaky, high-pitched voices broke my meditation. I glanced behind me. There was an adult, playing tag with a bunch of grade-schoolers, acting like a 9-year-old. 

The only word I could describe him was childish. He was at least a whole ruler taller then them and he still acted like they were all the same height. 

A snort escaped my nose. One of the kids noticed me and started to make his way toward me. Oops, maybe I made a mistake.

“Mister, would you like to play tag with us?”

Okay…, I thought maybe I was going to get reprimanded or something. I did just laugh at them. Still, being asked to play tag with 9-year-olds is just as embarrassing. 

“Ummm,” I started to say, but for some reason, I just couldn’t finish the sentence. 

Luckily, the older one also made his way here and saved me. He gently patted the kid’s head. I was able to see clearly what he was wearing. Black short pants and a light orange t-shirt.

“Come on, not every adult would play tag.”

The kid pouted, before turning around and running back to the others. 

The adult bowed. “Sorry to interrupt your peace.”

“It’s fine. By the way, are they your kids?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No, they're just some people I met in the park. I decided to have some fun with them.”

I nodded and smiled. “I see.”

He squinted at me. “Wait… are you the victim of the BHK incident, Jin Youngjae?”

Everybody can recognize me now I guess. It's as if I became a celebrity. 

I bashfully nodded my head, not sure how to respond.

“Really?!” he exclaimed.

He seemed as excited as if he was a 9-year-old who was told they are visiting a rollercoaster park.

“If you’re him, then I was the police officer that was with you when he was shot.”

“That was you?” I asked.

He nodded. “I was with you until you were shot. We called the ambulance as fast as possible, and you still almost died.”

He paused for a moment, seeming to dig into his memories.

“Wait, I just remembered. I never introduced myself to you. I’m An Hwan.”

“Are you heading for dinner soon?” he asked me.

I checked my watch. 17:32. 

I looked back at An Hwan. “Yeah, I’m going to eat soon.”

“Me too. You should come to eat with me.”

I nodded. “Alright. I can pay for the bill-”

“The bill is on me.”.

“Um… okay,” I replied, a bit shocked by his generosity. 

I got off my bench and walked with An Hwan back to the Torii after he said goodbye to the children.

“Did you walk here?” An Hwan asked me.

“Yeah, I did.”

“I see. You can ride in my car then.”

We turned left and followed the path that led us to the parking lot. We approached his blue Honda. 

“You can sit shotgun,” he said.

I opened the door and sat on it. The seat was quite cold.

“People don’t seem to sit on this seat often,” I said. 

An Hwan got in his seat. “Yeah, I usually use this car for my personal uses. Most of the time though, I use my police-issued car.”

I buckled my seat belt and closed the door. 

“So, where should we eat dinner?”

I glanced around. “I’ve got no clue. You can pick.”

An Hwan smiled. “Well then, I think I’ll get takeout at a restaurant I know nearby. Their takeout is legendary.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his childish vocabulary. 

“Their takeout is legendary,” I repeated.

He scrunched his eyebrows. “What’s wrong with that sentence?” he asked. 

“Nothing,” I replied. “Just… maybe I guess I’m thinking about that the wrong way.”

His grin widened. “Well then, that settles it. We’ll get some legendary food.”

Despite being a police driver, he drove like a crazy maniac. I’m somehow surprised we didn’t get pulled over. I guess being a police officer teaches you how to evade the police. The 10-minute drive became 8 minutes somehow.

We arrived at a big restaurant. The entrance was rather fancy and had sliding doors, while also containing a spectrum of lights. Instead of using plaster, all the walls were made of glass. Everywhere was see-through. 

An Hwan parked in the parking lot. 

“I’ll go in and get takeout, you can wait in the car. What would you like?”

I didn’t want to make his bill super expensive, so I just ordered some noodles. However, he insisted that I eat some of the smoked salmon here because it was super delicious. He managed to convince me, even though it was rather expensive. 

So, that night, I ended up eating salmon, curry, and some tofu. An Hwan has a big appetite and ate salmon, oysters, and curry. We cleaned up our food and threw everything away.

“So, let me finish the favor I told you that day. Would you like to go home? Where’s your home?” An Hwan said.

“Um… I actually have a lot of stuff in a locker somewhere that I want to bring back with me to the hospital.”

“You haven’t been discharged yet?” An Hwan asked.

I shook my head. “I still have about one and a half weeks.”

An Hwan nodded. “I see. Alright then, let’s go pick up your stuff!”

I gave him the location of where I put all my shopping stuff and we drove there. He shoved everything into his trunk.

“And you make fun of me for using the word Legendary while you’re over here buying a bunch of plushies.”

My face turned red with embarrassment.

He chuckled to himself. “I guess we’re both immature.”

He drove us back to my apartment and helped me unload my stuff there. It was around 18:45 when we returned to the hospital. As he was leaving, a question nagged in the back of my mind. 

“Wait, An Hwan. I have something I need to ask you.” I said before he left.

“Hm?” he asked, his left eyebrow raising. 

“Why did you go so out of your way to help me today? Nobody’s been this kind to me.”

He smiled.

“I have an older brother. His name is An Won-Shik.”

An Won-Shik… he’s the younger brother of the leading investigation of Black Hat Killer?

“You see, he’s working his hardest to find Black-Hat Killer, the one who shot you. The least I can do is to help the victims that were hurt by him.”

My heart felt warm. It’s not every day you meet someone as kind as An Hwan. I couldn’t help but grin.

“I understand now. Thank you so much for today.”

“No problem. I hope we meet again, Jin Youngjae.”

With that, he waved and bowed to me before returning to his car And just like that, he disappeared. 

So many people are working to stop BHK. I’m not alone in this scavenger hunt. I smiled. It is time for me to get to work; everyone’s working their hardest, and I need to too. 

It turns out however, it wasn’t that simple. That’s what I failed to realize that night.