She woke up slowly, her head felt like it weights one ton. She was on a bed in a random room of their hospital. There was no one in the room.
She could get up and started to walk towards the hall. Where they usually gather together. She was still dizzy, could barely walk on two feet. She could hear the voices from the hall.
She entered the hall. Everyone was looking pretty normal. Forest was cooking something for the breakfast, Kunimitsu was cutting some vegetables, Hwoarang and Xiaoyu was preparing the table and Master Wang was sitting and- no not reading or doing calligraphy, he was talking with that guy. The guy she fought yesterday night. He woke up before she did and he was just simply sitting on the breakfast table, talking to Jinrei.
"What's he doing here? What's going on?" Everyone turned their heads to her.
"Nina, you're okay!" Xiaoyu was relieved to see her on foot.
"You got us worried shithead." Hwoarang added.
"Come on, sit-" Forest is interrupted by Nina. "Is everyone okay? Can everyone see this guy, sitting there?" She pointed to him.
"Calm down, my child. You and Jin had an unfortunate interaction yesterday." The man greeted her with a head move.
"He thought we are those bad men. That's why he acted like that." Xiaoyu explained to her.
"You applied an out-of-date tranquilizer to him. Tsk, tsk, tsk." Hwoarang said with crossed arms.
"Uh- do you realise he did the same thing to me?" She was very irritated. Why was everyone was on his side?
"Come on Nina, how could he knew that there was tranquilizers? You did it first."
"BECAUSE, he attacked me!"
"He says your hand was on his neck." Forest said.
"I was checking his pulse! I thought he might be dead, he was asleep for hours. Are you guys serious?" She shouted.
"The one he inserted to you was in worse condition, you might've been sleeping more and more, i mean mooore." Hwoarang throw his hand to her shoulder and pull her to the table. She was angry to all of them so she throw his arm off of her. "Fuck off!"
She sat in front of the guy. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"I am Jin. I am so sorry about yesterday. I woke up in a place where I don't know with people I don't know. I thought you captured me. That's why I att-"
She interrupted. "What were you doing in the woods?"
"I was running."
"From?"
"From men with the guns."
"How did you passed out?"
"I don't know."
"Why did you come into the woods? Where were you going?"
"Enough, child. Stop interrogating him. I spoke with him. That's enough. He will rest here for a bit. Then he will leave when his wounds are healed. Try to be welcoming, all of you." Jinrei silenced her.
"Chef's special is served." Forest brought the food he cooked to table. Everyone came to sit.
"Now, let's have our breakfast in peace."
"I am not hungry." Nina got up and and furiously left. She went out for some breath, sat on a bank. She was angry to all of them. She could eat later.
The dog they've been feeding time to time approached her. She started to pet it. "Hey there, Panda." Xiaoyu named it. "Thanks for being on my side." she was playing with it.
After some time she felt someone was approaching. It was Kunimitsu. Well, she wasn't angry to only her. She brought a little game named Go. Since she cannot see, stones were not differing in colours but shapes. Nina loved playing games with Kunimitsu, because she was a clever opponent. And wasn't cheating or doing some stupid jokes like Hwoarang. Not that she doesn't like him, actually he's her best friend but if she wants to play a game, Kunimitsu was her first choice.
And Kunimitsu, even she doesn't speak too much, she was always making friends feel comfortable besides her. She was a complete mystery to all of them but everyone was trusting her without doubt.
They played the game for some time until Kunimitsu wins.
"Ugh, I should've played with stupid Hwoarang." she chuckled. They got inside the hospital together.
"Hwoa! How long should I wait? COME OON! I'm late again!" Xiaoyu was waiting for him to go to her school. They only had a motorbike and Hwoarang forbid everyone to use it since he likes it as his own child. So he was giving her a lift until her bicycle got a repairment by Forest in hopefully fifty years...
"Fix. My. Bicycle." She pointed him after every words.
"I will, I will. Just, not today. I am going to meet the spy. Gonna have the updates."
Nina pinched his arm. "Stop exposing things in front of him." she said silently. The guy was sitting in the corner in silence. Oh, she absolutely doesn't trust him.
"Auch! I didn't expose anything!?"
"Yeah, I can see. You have still time."
Forest rolled his eyes. "Mitsuuu, let's gooo!" he shouted.
"Wait, wait. You all are leaving?"
"Um, yeah?" Like everytime they did.
"I need to go and check the area, it's my turn today." Nina explained. Everyday they were checking the area around. Actually it was Xiaoyu's turn yesterday when they found Jin. But Nina didn't want her to by herself alone.
"So, do it?" Forest shrugged.
"Are we gonna leave him here all by himself, without anyone observing?" She whispered so he couldn't hear.
Forest looked at him confused.
"Wang is here?" he suggested. He wasn't whispering at all.
"Oh yeah? Where is he? He never leaves his room, don't be stupid."
"Then you wait." he shrugged again.
"Who's gonna check around?"
"We'll check it and leave after that okay?" Forest exhaled. She was being too cautious. And boring.
Nina crossed her arms. She wouldn't let anyone do what she has to do but she cannot let this unknown guy to be alone here. He could do anything.
"Okay, be careful then."
"Okay, okay."
Forest and Kunimitsu left. She made herself a tea and started to observe him from the distance. He was sitting with his eyes closed. Was he sleeping? Or was he faking it?
She accidentally hit a pan and made a big noise. The noise made him startled and open his eyes. Then he stood up and started to walk.
"Hey, where are you going?" she said with the pan in her hand, pointing at him.
"To get a rest." he was walking but because of his wounds he was limping. He was heavily injured then, she thought. She couldn't care less. But she thought, she need to empty the cabinets in the room, shouldn't left anything he might use against them. So she started walk to the room he was staying. When she was walking past him, he stumbled and hold on to her. She wasn't expecting this so she could balance in the last second.
"I'm sorry." he said.
"Hmpf." she tried to help him this time. She hold his arm and put it on her shoulder and made him walk easier. His bandages were covered in blood, needed to be renewed. Probably yesterday he made them bleed again.
They reached the room and she helped him lay down. She frowned when she remembered what happened here yesterday.
"Thanks."
She went to the cabinet and took the bandages and stood beside him without telling anything. Waiting for him to remove his top. But he was just looking at her.
"I will change your bandages."
"Oh, okay." But he wasn't doing anything.
"You need to remove your top." she explained.
"Oh." he tried to remove his t-shirt. But his wound were probably hurting because he couldn't remove.
Nina sighed and started to help him remove his t-shirt. She first removed his one arm, then his head and lastly the arm with the wounds. Then she started to remove the bandage. The clotted blood was making it harder and probably hurt him. He wasn't showing any sign but she could understand it by his deepened breaths.
After she's finished she proceeded to leave the room. Right then she stopped when he said "I am truly sorry for yesterday." She didn't turned to him nor said anything. She turned to cabinets. She nearly forgot to take them. She emptied all, put them in a plastic bag and left the room. She heard him chuckled before leaving. She was annoyed.
Decided to go out to garden and take care of the plants Kunimitsu planted. She, Xiaoyu and her grandfather were vegetarians so it was better to grow them by themselves.
Does he thinks it's funny? I might've been in a worse condition right now, it's not a joke!
We don't know anything about him but still he stays in our place which should be a secret to others.
He might be doing something to sabotage us anytime.
She stopped when she thought of this. He might do anything, that was right. She decided to check him from the window. She went that side of garden with hose in her hand. She was acting like she's watering the flowers and grass there. She tried to peek but she couldn't see him. So she turned completely to look. But he wasn't there. She dropped the hose and got closer to window to take a better look. But he wasn't there. She panicked and started to run to the room. He wasn't anywhere in the room.
I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! God knows where the fuck is he now.
Oh no, Wang! He might be in danger!
She started to run in panic but when she was near the door, the door of the bathroom has opened and Jin came out of there with a questioning look, wondering what she was doing here and why was she frightened.
"Something's wrong?" he asked.
She stopped and started to look him awkwardly.
So, he went to bathroom...
"I, umm, I was-mm, gonna ask you something." she mumbled. She felt so embarrassed.
"Yes?" He was looking concerned because he still couldn't understand why was she in this situation.
"Ummm," she waited for a few seconds to think of something. "How did you get these scars?"
Oh, no.
He frowned. Wasn't the question he was expecting, especially when she was this worried. The he understood that she was spying on him.
"Umm..." now he started to mumble because this wasn't a question he wanted to answer. So he decided to go for it. "You shouldn't worry anymore. I don't mean to bring harm."
"And you expect me to trust your word." She crossed arms.
"You guys brought me, I didn't ask to be here."
"What if you bring harm even if you don't mean to?"
He looked at her and stayed silent.
She raised a brow and turned around to leave.
"I will leace as soon as my wounds heal." he said before she left.
She turned her head for a second then left the room.
Since she was not leaving the hospital today, she could do things that need to be done in here.
She started to fix Xiaoyu's bicycle. She wasn't that good with mechanics as Hwoarang or Forest but she could do some.
After several hours she heard the noise of the engine. Hwoarang and Xiaoyu were here.
"Hiiiii!" Xiaoyu entered with an energetic mood.
"Oh, are you fixing my bicycle?" She sounded disappointed.
Nina have her a look. "Oh, you're are welcome, you ungrateful brat."
"Nina, just accept you're shit when it comes to fixing something. Remember?" Hwoarang patted the broken fan on the table.
"You guys just accept that you're lazy, I am being useful unlike you."
"Nina, thank you but I will ask Forest to do it. You do it like I do bandaging." Xiaoyu pit her hand on her shoulder.
"Whatever." Nina dropped everything on her hand and got up. "I am going out for a while. Keep your eyes on the guy."
"Okay, I will!" Xiaoyu sounded excited.
Nina shook her head. "Don't bring Miharu."
She left the hospital and checked around even though Forest and Kunimitsu did. She wanted to do it herself to feel at ease.
Why she couldn't trust him? Because last time she trusted someone, it cost Nina her sister. There was no way she'd do the same mistake again.
She turned back when she's done. It was time for dinner and the chef, Forest, was back with the blade master Kunimitsu to cut things to help him cook. Bad men couldn't be the only thing that she cuts.
And Jin was up and there, having conversation with the others very normally. Others were more sympathetic, no lies. But she knew that there was no way she'd become like those. She was happy and safe in her comfort zone.
She had her shower and turned back for dinner. She was very hungry since she protested at the breakfast and didn't eat anything.
"Where is Wang?" Nina asked.
"He's on fasting meditation." His granddaughter explained.
They all sat down. There was a meat dish and for 3 of them some vegetarian meal. When they placed the plate with meat dish in front of Jin, he said "Oh, thank you but I am vegetarian."
"Like us!" Xiaoyu got excited while Forest took back the plate. "Perfect." he said when he divided the meal to three to share between him, Hwoarang and Nina.
"More meat, yay!" Hwoarang exclaimed.
"How did you get this beefy without beef man?" Forest ask while putting the vegetable dish for him.
"There are other protein source other than meet."
"I don't think they'll make you stronger like meat." Nina commented breaking her silence.
"Actually, they don't have that much effect. It depends on people. I mean, I was injured and half unconscious and still managed to get you ineffective."
Others on the table started to cheer like they were watching a match. Hwoarang was booing since he came for his best friend.
Nina smiled annoyedly.
"I was unprepared and didn't know you were awake and don't have an ongoing testosterone pump in my body biologically, I managed to get you ineffective."
They cheered again. They were having fun with this feud.
"Wait wait wait, I have an idea. When he heals, we will set a match. Between you and you." Hwoarang pointed her and Jin.
Nina shrugg and accepted.
"Deal." Jin said while looking at her directly.
After they finished eating, chef's and injured Jin started to rest and the others started to clean.
They all sat down to have an evening chat altogether like every time. This time extra Jin was present. Nina wasn't comfortable since they tell each other any kind of thing here.
Of course Forest started to talk about amazing things happened them today. They were all sure he was exaggerating because after every extreme memory Kunimitsu would chuckle. But they all enjoy his stories so they listen without interruption.
They were having a great evening again. Xiaoyu and Kunimitsu left early. After they left Hwoarang looked at everyone mischiefly and stood up to went to the fridge. He came back with some soju.
"Ayyyyee!" Forest and Nina exclaimed and took them. When he offered one to Jin, he said "I don't consume alcohol. Thank you."
"Aaah, man of virtue." Forest started to nod.
"Never?" Hwoarang asked. He was surprised.
"No, never."
Nina slowly put it down. She couldn't consume alcohol if he wouldn't. What if they all become drunk and he's not. No, no way. She was gonna observe every little thing he does.
"Why did you put it down?" Hwoarang asked.
"My stomach isn't feeling good." She lied. She didn't want them to think she was being overly concerned.
"Oh man!" Forest took hers. He was happier now.
Nina was laughing at him. Then she realised Jin was looking directly at her. She stopped laughing and looked at him like he did. He of course understood the real reason. She was okay with it.
Let him understand.
After some time, two guys got drunk and sleepy.
"Go to bed big boys." Nina helped them up one by one."
"Good morning Nins, mwwwaah!" Hwoarang kissed her cheek with saliva. She wiped it with disgust, "Good night, Hwoa..." She slapped him on the back and sent him to his bed.
"What an idiot, he says good morning at this hour. I usually say good morning if the sun was at highest."
Jim was chuckling at their drunk comments.
"That's afternoon, you dork." Nina helped him also. Made sure he can walk by himself an sent him to bed also. After she sent them she chuckled too. Then they came eye to eye with Jin. She stopped any positive expressions at her face. Looked at him for a few seconds.
"You need help too?" She asked.
"No, no. I can manage." He stood up slowly and started to walk at the same slow rate.
Nina helped him to his room.
"Thank you." he said. She left without saying anything and came back a minute later with a big hug of water.
"Thank you." He said again, this time confused.
She nodded and left, closing the door behind her.
He was surprised that she has done something nice. The he heard something.
It was... the sound of her locking the door from the other side.
He was shock this time.
"Are you serious?" He hoped she heard that, but no answers. Only footstep sounds...