.
22. i'm not invincible
i have memories of becoming weaker
.
As the open window attracted a breeze inside, Dana continued to flip through faxed reports. Sitting in a chair would be optimal; however, she sickened of the cushiness and allowed Guineung to take hers and his to form a makeshift office bed. After hours of coffee duty and playing the courier for her completed documentation, the poor kid deserved a good nap. In the meanwhile, Dana used her left hand to sip cold caffeine, her right to tuck Guineung's heart-patterned blanket over his curled figure, and not once did her eyes roam from the pages upon her lap.
There was no way she'd return to this dusty, dimmed backroom if it wasn't for Chief Chief. To be honest, Dana hadn't had a decent talk with him in ages. Aside from the weekly reports she'd send him, but courteous replies were rare—until this morning when Chief responded to her KNIFE-less report. Accordingly, his contained official statements regarding KNIFE's recent criminal activity (starting after the POT bombing) that was printed by SPOON's Intel department.
Lucky for her today's focus was paperwork.
Having finished those stacks ages ago (and sent in by her kinda-official secretary), Dana had the time to brief Chief Chief's response. Which, apparently on page 13 of 27, there was nothing of significance that could tie her back to eradicating KNIFE entirely. After the POT bombing, the villains thought it best to lie low and hide somewhere in the back corners of Hell. Their crimes were under the radar, pretty much consisting of petty murders—yes, in KNIFE's case, manslaughter was low-hanging fruit—none of which was committed through extreme bombing. And then shit like identity theft, which was yawn-inducing, but none that evidently pinned down that it was all due to Baekmorae. Although, when Dana irritably flipped to page 15, a photograph could be just it.
Hundreds and hundreds of yellow paper littered the streets from at least four different angles. Captions stated the money appeared hours after midnight on New Years Eve. The streets rang a bell in Dana's head. That was no surprise. SPOON had her running around the city's nooks and crannies almost every other day. But then the pictures on page 16 tied it all together. A simple image of a luxurious, abandoned balcony of a hotel she'd been before.
Under her breath, Dana tagged, "Osu."
That didn't click. Why would Osu throw away thousands worth of cash after she and Guineung left? Was this some reverse villainy publicity stunt? Teeth gritted, Dana read onward to scrutinize for anything semi-explanatory, but the notes were legitimate, nothing malicious happened to the bills-grabbing bystanders, and when the police checked the balcony, no one was there, and there was no evidence that lead to the fact Dana knew Osu was there.
Perhaps something of significance was overlooked—almost always, that was the case—and if Dana had to find the incriminating evidence herself then she would.
"Chief?" That was her title and Dana gave an irritated glance up. "Chief, how long have you been sitting there?" Rosy squatted down to her eye level and ruffled Guineung's snoozing head.
Dana swatted his hand away. "I don't know. What time is it?"
As he knocked over a stack of Godt-knew-how-old manila folders, Rosy coughed into his collar. "Geeze! Dunno… Around seven maybe? Kidding!" he cackled and showed her his phone's display. A selfie of him and Jelina; how adorably mundane, quaint even. "It's only five thirty."
Thirty minutes of overtime then. Lately, she'd been working a good two hours or three past her regular hours, but going over the same shit over and over again wouldn't always grant her any useful information. Now if she could only pin that the scene of crime involved some sort of criminal intent without tying back to the fact she'd been there herself to fraternize with the enemy then that'd be a lead and if only she had a lead—
"Chief, your artery looks like it's 'bout to pop!"
"What're you doing here anyway?" she growled and thought twice about waking about Guineung. The kid stirred in his sleep, turning away from Rosy's squatting self.
As he hefted the sleeping panda into his chest, Rosy sent her a sly smile. "I was looking for you, of course! You know your phone was turned off or something, 'cause your almighty presence is needed elsewhere, Chief!" he said all too cheerily. Though any type of sunny disposition was unwelcome for Dana at this point of the work day.
Dana raked her hair back, looking among her papered circle of shit. "Where?" she asked as she pushed aside a file cabinet. Stale coffee cups. Right, she had to hide those from Snow-sunbae who periodically checked in with convenience store snacks. More manila folder mountains. Dead pens from numerous outlining on document margins. Though a track of Osu chastising her played in her head, Dana hefted the heavy-eyed hybrid onto her back, piggy-back style, and told him they were heading home.
With his hands freed and folded behind his bedhead, Rosy called, "Stay right on my tail!" That was usually her job whenever she'd give villains chase. That never lasted too long, ten seconds max. However, Rosy adopted a lazy gait toward wherever they needed to go.
When Dana was ten seconds from turning heel and clocking out, Rosy waved her toward the SPOON's general lounge room for heroes with time to kill. However, the door's rectangular window showed that the room was encased in complete darkness. Was this the part Rosy was about to mug her? Totally moronic, and of course unbecoming of his occupation but it was more than predictable from a personality like Rosy. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have Rosy around Guineung, especially when—
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHIEF!"
A sort of dead-eyed expression blanketed her face before Dana tried on a strained smile. "Um. What a surprise," she said with the least amount of conviction. She wasn't fooling anyone. Though Dana really did forget it was her birthday since no one, herself included, wanted to grow older. Then with all the excitement she could muster, she raised a hand from the ceiling streamers and her voice to the corners of the less-than-spacey room. "Thank you, everyone involved."
The lounge room had been effectively transformed into some stereotypical location for celebration. The plain chairs were pushed against the wall for an open area for roaming SPOON heroes. Most heroes donned the ridiculous cone-shaped hats though they were smiling and chatting pleasantly among each other, now that the lights were back on. Even Chief Chief was there, holding up an enormous cupcake-shaped balloon, and Dana instantly wanted to speak with him about KNIFE. Now probably wasn't a good time, not with a tacky banner with her title (just 'Happy Birthday Chief Dana!' thankfully) hung above a tackier party-pandas-patterned table. Beside her, Guineung was sluggishly awakening but his eyes flicked on like birthday candles at the sight of birthday cake.
Relief flooded Dana's shoulders when the cake wasn't decorated with an amount of candles equating to her new age. Dana preferred to keep her private life enclosed as possible. Even when her colleagues congratulated her for surviving one more year, especially when they were doing that now. A grimace touched the corner of her mouth. No, she was gonna fight this. She kept one hand on Guineung's head as he sprung toward the iced goods.
Knowing where this was going, Dana swiped one arm into the air. All attention was trained on the birthday girl. "Please do not sing me a song of any kind," she declared. "That's all."
What that meant to be was a warning but it turned out to be an invitation. The closest traitor there was, Guineung started clapping his hands and singing the standard 'Happy birthday to you.' At first, Guineung was solo-ing it before Rosy kneeled next to him and boomed along in a terrible tenor. Then the whole room dropped into darkness with the one source of light coming from her cake. Before the last lyric hit, SPOON's heroes were singing to Dana, and despite how much she loathed the awkwardly standing amid a singing crowd, she was a little touched that they'd go against her orders. Easily, so very easily.
"Blow out the candles!" yipped Guineung as Rosy and Jelina helped him hold the alighted cake toward Dana. Left eye twitchy, she blew them out purely for show. "Yay! You're old now!"
Rosy's team, who surrounded Guineung, laughed at varying levels as most of them peeked up at Dana once or twice. But her mind was elsewhere. Age wasn't relative, she was the youngest to be assigned Vice Chief then Sectional Chief, but time was. As her fellow heroes chatted and handed pieces of cake around, Dana got to thinking. Her success rate was pretty damn good, but when it came to fucking KNIFE. Him included, it was the longest she'd stayed stumped on a case. Sure, there were leads and there, but she'd crash back to square one.
Suddenly, at least to Dana, a pastel purple head popped underneath her face. "Hey, Chief!" Jelina called and waved a ruffled arm. "Are you gonna stay on the clock or party with us?" Behind her, Rosy raised a glass cup, Sangjae shared a slice with Sasa, and Guineung squinted in satisfaction as cheeks were both stuffed and smeared with cake.
Osu wasn't gonna be happy with the sugar overload. Then again. Fuck it, one night wouldn't hurt. "Yeah," she gave in and raked her bangs back, "yeah, should I go clock out first?"
.
Dana wouldn't put it past Osu to not remember her birthday, seeing how well she acted with parties or of the like. But as soon as Guineung had whipped the door open, a pungent smell almost punched them in face. A good punch, one that could really zap a sleepy panda awake. The sugar cranked his eyes open for the few hours they stayed at SPOON, but with the telltale scent of grilled meat, Guineung zombie-walked his way over to the kitchen. Awaiting this supposed surprise, Dana followed him with consideration of her half-caffeinated stomach as though cake could ever solve that.
"Surprise!" Osu welcomed them with his arms swept toward the table. A circular grill, like the ones at the barbecue joints, sunk into her table's center. Wait, that wasn't her table. No, wait, when the hell was that ceiling vent installed? Amused at the questions clustering her wide eyes, Osu asked, "Did you two have a good time at SPOON?"
Guineung flopped onto the chair closest to Osu and hugged his waist. "Hyung, we had cake! Can I have some meat?" Dribble leaked in the corner of his open mouth and he scrambled for his chopsticks. Dumbfounded, Dana scraped a chair back (thankfully, one of her usual chairs) and warily took her seat before the succulent scent of grilled beef smacked her again. "Suuuuuper nummy, Hyung," Guineung squealed with puffed cheeks. The boy was gonna live through a feast of a different degree. A satisfied smile touched Osu's lips as he spooned more meat into Guineung's rice bowl.
But, of course, this birthday banquet wasn't comprised of a poor man's rice and meat. Clean slices of crispy pinked duck that could only source from Beijing, steam wafted off plump gummy-white dumplings that must've been Hong Kong's dim sum though Dana could never tell with genuity, and somehow, Osu remembered he couldn't go wrong with localized fried chicken and a dripping six-pack for Dana.
"Did you get cake too, Hyung?" Guineung asked with his cheeks fuller than ever. Tempted to poke, Dana told him not to talk with his mouth full as Osu assured that he'd only request for the best of the best. "Awesome! I get to eat cake and meat! More meat, please!" Guineung commented, salviated, as Dana flipped over a marbled slab of beef. Even from the sizzling juices steaming towards them authenticated the highest of whatever Osu's blood money could buy.
"Osu, look," Dana started and tapped metal tongs around the grill's metal edge. "I don't know how you did this but." But there was nothing to it, he'd probably say. "Listen, just. Thanks. Don't take it to heart, but I appreciate. This." Her tongs waved over to a meal she'd only cock up on her own, then to Guineung, who was kneading his cheeks with dramatic delight.
Like this was nothing at all, Osu smiled. "I received some help. Or not too much of it, depending on how much you appreciate me."
Dana scoffed but it crossed with a chuckle. "Don't take all the credit."
Right back at her, Osu returned an amused laugh and his lighthearted mood sailed throughout the rest of dinner. Guineung salivated at the sight of a birthday cake that looked more like it came straight out of a French patisserie window. If Osu wouldn't, Dana played the parent and allowed the kid a single slice of the premium shit since he inhaled a fourth of her SPOON cake. Though Dana skipped out on eating cake before, this patisserie shit practically melted on her tongue, like she literally tasted a slice of heaven. Even then, Guineung was restricted after his first slice and sentenced to homework since he blew that off earlier for secretarial work. Might be Dana's fault for allowing him to get away with it during the day, but it wasn't over just yet.
Once she and Osu cleaned up, Guineung called them over to the living room. "You didn't forget about us, did you?" he snickered with his hands behind his back. Dana's eyes were drawn to his workbook, forgotten at his socked feet. "Chief, we got something for ya!"
Even at home, she was Chief to him. Not that Dana minded; the kid had been hanging out with Rosy's team a lot, and ever since she was promoted, she was always Chief to him. Now her thoughts wandered to what possibly could count as a present from him. Something appropriate from child secretary to his superior slash guardian. Whatever could fall under that dauntingly specific relationship? Then again, as Dana glanced at a smiling Osu, she realized she was all about daunting relations.
The temperature suddenly plummeted, which was due to the kitchen's open windows (the smell of grilled meat was going to fester in her kitchen for days otherwise), and as Osu stood up to close it, Dana took a seat on the floor. A panda's lazy smile reached from Guineung's ear to ear. He was just a kid, so she shouldn't expect anything like on Osu's scale.
Once Osu sat cross-legged beside her, Guineung thrusted a wrapped package into her hands. Noted, it was soft. "Open it! Open it now!" he demanded like this occasion was his day. Though his black and white head covered her view, Dana tore through the wrapping paper at a languished pace. "Ta-da! Happy birthday, Chief!" he declared with flourished hands as though they caught on with sparklers.
A dress shirt. They got her clothes. Dana didn't know what she expected.
Someone's sleeve brushed her cheek. "He insisted he'd pick that out for you," Osu whispered, lowering his arm, and beamed back at a hyperactive Guineung. "Try it on." His sleeve motioned toward her present in encouragement.
Fuck it. Without missing a beat, Dana unbuttoned her plain dress shirt and threw it onto the sofa behind them. Because of the wintry weather, as of January anyway, she'd been wearing t-shirts instead of tank tops underneath. Regardless Osu turned around with humility and Guineung practically cheered her on like this was some kind of button-fastening competition.
"There," she said, all buttoned up, and got to her chest. The shirt fit to her chest, weirdly enough, even though the overall fit didn't feel right at all. Absurd, if anything. "Opinions? Good and bad?"
Fists clenched to his chest, Guineung exclaimed, "It's really pretty, Chief!"
A fist holding his chin up, Osu added, "As pretty as a flower, Chief."
That was a bunch of lazy lies if she'd heard any. A mid-sized mirror by the front door reflected her disconcerted expression. Dana slowly dropped her gaze. Guineung's gift gaudily wrapped around her in a sea of Prussian blue and dotted with huge sunflowers. Sunflowers, why sunflowers? Why flowers at all when hardly anyone would look at her and think, 'Oh, she'd look better bedazzled like some kinda bizarre bouquet—'
"Chief!" On his tippy toes, Guineung tried to peek at his own reflection. "Osu-hyung helped me pick it out! What'd you think?"
Lying to him seemed like a good option. Though Dana scratched against a sunflower planted on her collarbone. "Why'd you two conspire to get me this?" she asked in return, but not before tacking on less than tactfully, "I'm just asking."
Like he knew his intentions were to be questioned, Guineung explained excitedly, "Hyung got you flowers before 'cause you wanted him! We thought you wanted them 'cause they're pretty!" Yes, but Osu's floral frenzy ended once pollen season hit. Winter was here so Guineung brought forth a newly-arranged spray of violets and sunflowers. A birthday bouquet to end today off. "And Chief is pretty. Kinda. Like flowers!" he said and handed over the bouquet.
His fist against his upturned lips, Osu said, "Exactly what Guineung said."
Embarrassment would've been Dana's first reaction; however, just like with SPOON's surprise, a tender tether hooked into her chest. Sure, she felt ridiculous, but she wasn't ashamed that Guineung and Osu wanted to and therefore partnered up to search for a gift with her in mind. Wasn't it something along the lines that it was the thought that counts? Though that probably meant for a gift that she hadn't acquired, and she wasn't going to think that she'd rather not been mistaken as gangster trash.
But it was the thought that counted.
"I like it," Dana found herself saying. Guieung's grin elevated by a tenfold with Osu smiling fondly upon him and her. No, she wasn't lying to them. "It's cool, sunflowers are cool." Eyes downed, she paused to turn toward them and smoothed down the wrinkles of their gift. "Thanks. For getting me this and. You know, everything," she mumbled before she met their eyes. Before the sheepish flush left her cheeks, Dana crashed to the floorboards as her foster son slash child secretary tackled her to the floor. On the other hand, her most infuriating nemesis slash partner-in-parenting kneeled beside her and hugged them tight.
Dana wasn't going to cry like a little bitch, but the feeling lingered behind her eyes anyway.
After Guineung completed his homework and was sent to bed, Osu was granted an extended stay. The night was coming to an end, marked by the scented steam of green tea, and it wasn't a terrible closing to an eventful day. Though Dana could never be accustomed to Osu and his tea. Bitter green tea was the least, but nonetheless, bitter drink, and apparently the medicinal properties were a benefit to a strength-based hero such as herself.
Not that she needed hot drinks to help with that. Attempting to swallow down at least halfway, Dana glanced at Osu's expression, at ease as ever. "When did you take Guineung out for this?" she asked and set the teacup down.
"A few weeks ago? This was Guineung's idea, if you must know," he said and gave due credit.
"Yeah, I should've known."
"You know Guineung." The corner of his smiling eyes crinkled. "I took him around to a couple different places. For some reason, we couldn't decide. I had already told him money was no obstacle. I suggested a couple things for his consideration. If he had agreed with me, you could've been an owner of your own diamond mine."
"What would I do with a diamond mine?"
Osu laughed. "That's what Guineung thought you'd say. It hasn't been long and he already knows you as well," he emphasized on a heavy breath as though nostalgic, and that didn't make sense to Dana. "He wanted to get you something that's both practical yet personalized. I'm very content that I'd listened to him." Pride, or something akin to it, swelled in the line of his lips.
What was she watching him way too closely for? "I'll be honest with you." Just because they didn't do much of that. Beginning with an uncertain mutter, she told Osu, "I wanted to trust you because Guineung wants to and he does. And I know, I see you're good with him." Truth sounded awfully weird in front of Osu, especially her truth. Lying would be so much easier, but she barreled on. "But, there's always this nagging sense in the back of my head that you're not—that you will turn him into someone I wouldn't know. But then. Then again... Guineung is turning into Guineung, whoever he was before I found him. He likes you and yet he's a good kid." Dana plucked at the collar of her ridiculous, sunflower-patterned shirt. Ridiculous, yes, but her taste was faltering. "Thanks for—for being there for Guineung."
"For basic human decency?"
"When will a villain ever?" Dana attempted at a joke.
No, no fighting, but there was light laughter that covered his thin shoulders. When he met her eyes, his head rose, his forehead lined with bemusement, before he pointed behind her. "Dana-ssi," he said, and his pale fingers unfurled toward her. "There's something on your back. May I remove it for you?"
Automatically, Dana reached behind with her own arm, and she found her fingertips brushing whatever it was, but she was unsuccessful. "Yeah, get it off me," she mumbled and swiveled on her seat. Something crinkled under his touch, right below the nape of her neck, before he pried it off her jacket with no effort at all. When she turned, Osu showed her it was one of those gift wrap bows. The bow's metallic blue was in sharp contrast within his colorless fingers. For someone with a knowledge of gardening, he sure was pale like an inpatient.
"Thanks," she found herself saying and reaching. Though not as harsh, her hand was tanner than his own, not by a lot since Sectional Chiefs complete a shitload of documented overseeing rather than kicking ass, but. Osu was always pale, but with her fingers latched around his white wrist, Dana wasn't sure what exactly was building in her chest.
"Um, Dana—"
"I'm just being nosy here. Stop me if you want to." A short gasp escaped his lips as she flipped his hand around easily, tailing down the faint veins protruding from his pallid forearm. "Are you getting better or whatever?" Not that it was her job to care about his well-being—actually it was her life's purpose to lock him behind bars along with the rest of KNIFE. But, in that moment, she didn't want to care about them. Right now it was all about her and—
"Osu?"
Closer, closer, she leaned into him and her other hand flattened near his knee, consequently knocking over his cup of cooled tea. Neither of them paid attention to it, though Osu seemed to be more than aware of her hand ascending, brushing the outside of his thigh.
With averted eyes, Osu held the back of his head onto his mouth. "Yes. I'm better. I'm alright," he said, all too focused on wrenching his words from his mouth.
"You're alright... I'm glad," she said. The weird thing was she meant it.
Something was happening here. Dana didn't know what the fuck it was, but it was moving for her. Osu must've felt it too, the way his wide eyes darted, but his stiffened stance stayed the same. He was never stiff, always comfortable in her all-too intimidating presence. Without knowing her end goal, she veered closer to him, to his breath caught in his throat, as though some ill-intentioned asshole moon forced the tides crashing toward the shores. No, Dana wasn't meant to crash, not like this, not like her hand crawling onto his hip, not like her other hand crushing the gift bow between their palms and the dulled edges crumpled into her calloused skin. But Osu, on the other hand, was softer and paler and warm too, she couldn't forget that, and with no consideration of consequences, something pushed her to close the—
"Hyung? Can I have warm milk?"
As though scalded, Dana jerked to her senses. Blood pounded in her eyes, climbed up her collar, as she heard Osu reply gently, "Oh, um. Of course, Guineung, give me a moment." Head bowed, he ducked past her arm. "Excuse me," he mumbled before he was gone.
It took a minute. Fifty-one seconds, if anyone was counting, for the past five minutes to sink in like damned quicksand, burying and to be buried, and that was all the time Dana needed to assure herself. Yes, that was completely inexplicably—there was no explanation, there couldn't be—and when nothing could explain itself, Dana snatched her jacket and rushed out the door, out of her apartment, out of existence if preferably as she ran for much more than her life. Her thoughts whizzed through just as fleetingly, though she could hardly hear herself think, 'Here's to growing older and much, much stupider, you dumbass!'
.
A day of true celebration was when luck laid it down on Dana. Because she signed off a good two weeks' worth of paperwork, her schedule was pretty much freed up to pursue her own case. That meant along with her latest KNIFE report, she headed to their last known location as the most invested hero on their trail.
Guineung wanted to help, but with the new year, he was assigned to half-day private schooling, before playing secretary at SPOON in the afternoons. Osu had wanted to assimilate him with other kids his age, even if the classroom ratio was seven-to-one. It was better than wasting his days inside a government building around grown-ups who knew how to reload a firearm.
Kid around other kids though. Osu had his good ideas sometimes. Would probably be a bad idea to lock him up. Would be a worse idea to invade his personal space because of—
"Chief Dana?"
From the plush seating of the hotel's lobby, Dana jolted onto her feet, straightened her jacket, and headed to the concierge's L-shaped desk. "Anything at all?" she asked after waiting a while.
The concierge in his shiny bellhop hat shook his head sadly. "It is most embarrassing on our part," he said solemnly and clicked around on his desktop. "We uphold the most reputable security on our surveillance, but for some reason, the early hours of New Years are off our records. Our security company cannot access them either." The clicking intensified before he frowned and ducked his head. "Is there any other way I can be of assistance?"
No surveillance, no detailed records of Osu, no witnesses, and apparently, no evidence in the penthouse suite. "Do you mind if I take another look around the room in question?" She pointed upward though she meant the highest floor possible.
Lips pursed, the concierge clicked around his computer before brightening. "Ah yes," he granted and searched in a gilded cabinet behind the desk, "there had been another guest after our New Years client so I'm afraid whatever you'll have to be very thorough. Our cleaning services have swept through the penthouse twice now."
The key card in possession, Dana swiped it between her middle and pointer finger. "That's fine. Thanks for your cooperation." Then she strode over the waxed tiles, keeping her eyes down from the unnecessary opulence though Guineung had been entirely starry-eyed, and waited for one of four elevators. When one dinged for the ground floor, two girls from the lobby called for Dana to hold. She listened, even sticking one foot between the inpatient doors. As the girls thanked her relentlessly, taking in her sunflower shirt and sharp suit, Dana thought it was a good idea to bring up, "Hey. Can I ask you if you've seen this man?"
A picture of a stone-faced Osu displayed on her screen. Partially blurry because it was the only photograph SPOON had on file of him and Dana didn't dare to use the hundreds on her phone, of selfies he'd taken with Guineung.
They shook their bubblegum-pink heads.
If they hadn't seen Osu, they'd most definitely wouldn't have seen anyone else. Or KNIFE could've used a member they didn't have a photo of. That was the smarter option and Dana swiped onto a picture of Baekmorae—the white-haired, fake-ass POS—whose intelligence was lesser than goldfish shit yet how the hell was he managing his organization to successfully destroy POT and evade her? It was fucking insane how long this had been going on.
A hand raking back her hair, Dana just shut off her phone off when one of the girls gasped, "We've seen him before!"
"Him?" Dana wiggled her digital image of Baekmorae. Leave it to Osu to cover his tracks but not for his imbecile so-called boss. "When did you see him? Did he speak? Do you remember what he was doing?" she questioned all at once.
The other, taller girl held up her hands to slow Dana down. Blood rushed through her veins much too fervently, pulsed like thunder of the storm that was to shit on KNIFE. "In this elevator, actually," the girl said and cherry-picked her next words. It was all based on memory on one interaction. "He was wearing that outfit in the picture. A white suit. He was whistling and on his phone too. I snuck a quick glance but it was only a boring news article."
"Do you remember what it was about?"
Both girls shook their head. The taller one continued, "I think it was about a bird, but I could be wrong. Although I did remember him saying something like. Good bye and. Something about 'screws too loose' and his taste buds? I can't remember exactly."
As though wanting to contribute, the shorter girl shared aloud, "He laughed, like, a real creeper at whatever he was reading and smiled at us." With their arms hooked together, they shared a shudder like twin telepathy."We left the elevator before he could say anything else to us, and like, murder us or whatever."
Before Dana could confirm that was what exactly what the creeper's capabilities were, the elevator's landing ding resounded. Being that their answers were better than nothing, Dana thanked the girls for their help before they got off. Then she was left on her own and exited the highest floor this swanky joint had to offer. The last time she'd been there, the night sky was littered with stars, and now, a cloudless expanse of sky blue stretched above her, almost endlessly.
For a moment, Dana stood still and allowed the wind to whip through her short hair before she heard it. Grating ringing, not from the elevators, but from inside the suite. But the concierge said no one was using it. Guard raised like a barricade, Dana laid low to the floor as she swiped the room card before kicking her way open.
The door collapsed right on the indoor doormat. Really, there was really nothing to be afraid of, for Dana anyway, and she simply sauntered in with her six senses heightened, aware of every unfamiliar piece of information to take in. The suite was empty of possible KNIFE members, much less hotel employees. As the concierge said, the cleaning service made their rounds so that explained the absence of any strong scents. Most prominently, the ringing was most prominent, screeching from a wall phone near the kitchen. However, just as Dana held her hand out, the ringing died. It had been dialing for a minute there. Just as Dana's back turned, the phone rang again and Dana wondered if the concierge stumbled upon good news.
"Did you find anything?" she asked.
A beat passed and she realized the other end of the line was much too quiet to be at a concierge's desk. Then, without any warning at all, sharp laughter resounded and the other giggled, "It's been a while since you became Sectional Chief, isn't that right?" As Dana hissed in a breath through her bared teeth, Baekmorae exclaimed, "Oh, that's right, how's everything with Osu? Tell me everything~!"
—
a/n: i'm gonna do this. the longest idwtkoh completed fic will be osudana and you can jot that down. or the rest of my fic idk anyway idwtkoh might be near it's english publication nd so will my fic! i plant that seed into harvest yo!
i wanna thank those readers who've been nothing but encouraging im gonna finish this monster for you. mainly me. but always always always thanks to my beta EternalNocturne lemme know if you're into puyo puyo cause she's gonna be writing for that fandom and ill hook ya up when she posts so. it's free real estate! i used that wrong lmao.