Chapter 8 - Mistake
The night falls late, sky is dressed in a velvet color. Street lights are dim and there are very few traffic on the roads, so are passengers.
This is June. At night, winds blow slightly. But when the winds of Teran gets you, you feels a breeze to your bones.
"I'm officer Bratos, here to escort the foreign woman to Mr Lieutanant's office."
It's spoken in familiar Teran accent, but with a deep tone of voice.
The police officer looks up and catches the cold eyes of a combater.
He has never met this young man before, but it's nothing weird, combaters are from special action unit of the Lieutenant office whom seldom shows up unless carrying the special missions.
Hmm... to escort that super strong woman..? Very likely...
"Do you have any letter, or any written instruction from him, officer Bratos?
"No." The combater replies, remaining the coldness. "I said I need to escort the woman to his room. Don't waste our time."
"But..." Mr Lieutenant does do many things without following proper procedures.
"You can accompany me and request the documents from him." Bratos says.
"Yes, it's a good idea." The police officer stands up, willingly to open the interview room to fulfill the request.
...
Hyunkel's appearance in the room makes Marm speechless, and in addition it gets a smile out of her when he is in Teran police uniform.
"This is the woman Mr Lieutenant would like to meet." One officer informs Hyunkel. "Beautiful and wild, you'd better be cateful."
Another officer smirks, asking, "Are we taking her to the Lieutenant room now?"
Marm sees Hyunkel nods at them. With him in this room Marm finds everything back to order. But he should know...
"How about my watch?" Marm intentionally asks, hopefully Hyunkel will notice that it's taken.
"We will return it to you as soon as possible, ma'am." The female officer replies quickly.
"Now, follow us."Hyunkel escorts her. Obviously he initiates this in purpose so no one else can touch his wife.
"You must be one of the combaters from Mr Lieutenant team?" The policeman who is accompaying them mingles with Hyunkel. "But I can't remember where did I meet you?"
"I don't find you familiar at all." Another officer says.
"Sorry, I'm not allowed to disclose my info."
"Oh I see." The policeman nods. "By the way, you are quite obeying to officer Bratos, madam." He looks at Marm.
Hyunkel is using his father's name? That's cute. It makes Marm smile.
"She is having a crush on him..."
"Unfortunately Mr Lieutenant looks very different."
They laugh.
It does reveal something about the personality of the Lieutenant, which is annoyed by both Hyunkel and Marm.
...
Hyunkel leaves Marm a side and opens the locked door. Behind him, the two police officers starts getting confused.
"Why is the door locked from outside?"
But Bratos doesn't awser. So naturally, they follow him into the room.
"Mr Lieutenant!"
Both police officers are shocked and run to their huge commander who is lying on the floor.
"Bratos, call..." And he is unconcious before finishing the sentence. He is hit by Hyunkel from behind.
Seeing what Hyunkel is doing, Marm does the same to the remaining man.
"They really need more trainings. Do you think so?" Marm asks, looking at the police officers easily falls into inconciousness with her simple attack.
"Come to me, babe." Her husband tells her.
"Hmmm... you are so late!"
Anyway, Marm soon is into his embrace as requested.
"Yes, I'm late, sorry." Hyunkel places a kiss on Marm's forehead. It's already seven in the evening, Marm has been captured in this police station for almost six hours.
"What did I violate? Why do we have to hit them? Can't I be released officially? How about my..."
In a response to her questions, he only undresses himself out of the uniform that he's wearing.
Marm gets distracted easily, eyeing on the topless him.
"You smiled too much when I was in this uniform. I just wanted to make out with you right there." Hyunkel tells Marm when putting on his own clothes.
Marm looks up at him, wondering who will not fall in love with him? "Your Teran accent sounds natural."
"I'm surprised at myself, too."
"And you use your father's name."
He smiles, telling her. "A good name, isn't it?"
Marm nods.
That Hyunkel has such a respect and love to his adoptive father is very adorable to Marm. Marm loves a fact that he has a soft side when it comes to their big family, extended to Avan sensei, and Furora, and friends.
"Hyunkel, we need to find my bag, otherwise tonight we won't have any protection..."
Marm doesn't explain more, only leans in him and wraps her arms around his hip.
"I see. But it's even better, babe."
...
Romos
Rella is reading a book, having Karl and Danny play with each other within her eyesight.
"Madam, it's about Karl's school time." The helper comes in the living hall to remind her.
"Oh, thank you."
Karl is attending kindergarten year one. Danny is still too young to join, but Rella remembers Marm's instruction to bring Danny along to send his brother off.
After three and a half years, this is the first time she is asked for help in looking after the grandsons.
In many ways, Rella is glad that Marm is very capable of taking care of the family on her own, but sometimes, it would be good to be more involved.
"Boys, get dress and go to school!" She sits down next to the grandsons and tells them gently. They are the most beautiful kids Rella has ever seen, even being boys, in some extends, they are more beautiful than Marm at her childhood time.
While Danny smiles cutely and nods, Karl suddenly becomes disobeyed and starts yelling.
...
Just as being warned, Pop and Menru are rather busy at dinner time because they provide free meals to fellows that need it. Hyunkel and Marm are aware of this, but never witness how busy the friends are until today.
"Hey, you need to queue if you would like to have the meal..."
"Eh..." Marm looks at a kid who is talking to them.
"... You'd like to receive the meal... don't you?"
"No. We don't." Marm replies with a smile. In a quick glance, she soon notices that he is the only child who is at the queue. "Where is your family?"
"I don't know."
Obviously there is a loneliness hidden clumsily behind this short answer and firm voice tune that makes it difficult for Marm to walk away.
"You got lost? We can help you to find your family."
"I'm good... on my own." He says.
Hyunkel bends down to talk to the boy. "Follow us, you are hungry, aren't you?"
"Let's go." Marm offers a hand to him and walks him into the house.
"Sir, how can you carry a man on your shoulder?" The boy asks Hyunkel.
"My wife can tell you some tips." He smiles.
And together with the boy, they come in Pop and Menru's house, with the Lieutenant being dragged on Hyunkel's shoulder.
...
Pop laughs out loud hearing the stories of Hyunkel and Marm.
"So bascially they thought Marm is still with the Lieutenant."
"Yes, although I don't like that idea." Hyunkel says. "it doesn't matter as long as Marm is out of that place. Obviously he had no intention to release her."
"You confirmed?"
Hyunkel nods.
"This was what Menru and I thought, too. And not only Marm, we suspect that they have been capturing a great number of foreigners and locals illegally. But there has never been any witness to accuse this and no foreign interfede can be made."
"I get your points and what they are doing is harming the democracy and human right. But you are playing with fire. The foreign interfedes may make the situation messier in Teran."
"If that country we seek for help is Carl, it will never be a problem."
"Avan sensei confirms to involve?" Hyunkel asks.
"Yes...Kind of..."
"Kind of?"
"When the victim is... Marm, then not only sensei, but even Kingdom of Romos and Papunika will involve."
"Marm, victim?" Hyunkel looks at Pop. "That bothers me even to hear of that term. But Marm may not say No to this and I respect her decision. By the way, you can make use of the Lieutenant."
"Ok. Thanks..."
"Pop, you are here! Menru was looking for you!"
They hear Marm's voice, sounds like she is not in a good mood.
Marm walks into the living hall, heading toward Hyunkel and sits down next to him.
"I'm not aware of it. What happended?"
"Melsa was nagging, wanted to have you tell her the bed stories."
"Oh... My baby Melsa." Pop immediately stands up, "Excuse me for a while. I need to be with my child now."
"She is already asleep now, so is Menru. I've never seen Melsa nagging until today."
"Nagging is not strange at her age, guys. Your eldest boy may be suffering the three-year-old crisis, too. That's a natural growth process for any children." Pop advises. Melsa is a daddy's girl. Pop has read lots of books to prepare for his child.
"This is the first time both of us are away from the boys... My mom is taking care of them. So far so good, mom said."
"Terrific children! Melsa and Bob are more difficult to handle, we can't leave them for more than a day, especially with Menru's grandma. By the way, how about the boy you brought here? What are you going to do with him?"
"Hmm... that's Hyunkel's story."
"We are going to send him to a school in Romos."
"Good for him. What leads to this specific act?"
"Hyunkel is missing Karl and Danny. His fatherly love is spreading strongly. The kid and him get along well, they talk..."
"Anyway, Marm, this is not an act of emotions." Hyunkel cuts Marm off. "I've done it before, sponsoring all of your community projects."
"Marm is right. This is the first time I've heard about your direct involvement. Why not let him study in Teran?"
"It's just easier for us to support him in Romos. I'll need to check the process, to avoid any future problems, you know."
Pop smirks, "As if you guys have not committed to any illegal activities in Teran!"
"Speaking of that... Why are we capturing the Lieutenant?" Marm asks. "And why couldn't you bill me out? What did I violate in Teran?"
"Hmm..." This conversation may take the whole night. Hyunkel thinks. "We will explain to you tomorrow. Let's go to sleep now."
"Sleep now? It's pretty early." Pop is surprised.
...
"I'm sorry the trip is not as smooth as expected."
"No..." Marm shakes her head while crawling into him.
"What no?"
Her arms are reaching for him, wrapping him and leans into to him tightly.
"The trip is wonderful." She says. "We have never been in any trip on our own. This is the first time, don't you realise?"
"Yes, you are right. I made Marm pregnant too soon." He smiles.
"There is nothing like your smile is so great that all your mistakes are erased."
"What mistake?"
"Future mistakes."
"Fuck you, babe." He says, while nippling her earlobe.
"You have already done that like a mad man tonight." Marm giggles.
"Yes, and Marm still needs more. With me, of course."
"Can we do this once a month?"
"Once a month? What?"
"I mean the personal trip of us."
"Right... Yes, we can."
"I want to look for Dai. We can split the search into small trips."
"Somebody has been doing it."
"Who?" Marm's eyes open wide. "You never told me!"
"It's somebody's else story." He smiles at her. "We'd better not involved. But yes, we can look for Dai by our own trips. We should have done a long time ago"
"Hence, the Dragon Chamber is in our itinerary, we're going there tomorrow morning."
"Is there anything not in Marm's plan?"
"Otherwise you will be with your work here and leave me on my own."
"No, things happended today won't repeate." He lifts her up and lets her lay on top of him. "Pop and Menru would like you to lodge a formal complain on the Central Police Team. If you agree, it can drag to a long process."
"Why is it a long process?"
"It's related to the political issue in Teran, and is an unplanned move. I'm not sure how smooth is this. In addition, the curse, so called, is still inside you. I don't want you to involve in anything complicated now."
"If you don't want, then I won't involve in, Hyunkel." Marm looks into his eyes. "Years ago I made a mistake of being too careless when healing Ella, I won't repeate this."
That gets a smile out of him and drags them falling deeper in love.
Concurrently in Romos, Dylan city is stunningly beautiful in its summer afternoon. The atmosphere has been lovely in Hyunkel and Marm's house. The boys are taking a nap after Karl finishes the kindergarten class.
He is in a dark room, there is a woman sitting in the room corner, her face is covered by the beautiful long blonde hair. Somehow he is scared. The woman is not happy, she is hurting herself with a knife.
He sees his mother stops the woman. And out of suddenly, the knife aims on him, stabbing him continuously. Karl feels like he can't breathe, nor can he scream.
End Chapter 8.