Even after taking the bullet, Minjun knocked the guy who shot me unconscious. It happened so fast that my mind couldn't keep up with what was happening in front of me. He won the battle, but at what cost?
"W-What are you doing? W-Why would you do that for me?" I asked.
"I don't know. My body just moved on its own."
I knew I wanted to reach out to Minjun after everything he did for me, with nothing in return. He stood in front of me and took the bullet with his body. It even left a hole that approximately came from his abdomen, while slowly filling his space with a pool of blood.
Within seconds, Minjun fell on his knees and tried pressing his wounds. However, he couldn't. The excruciating pain driving him insane wouldn't let him do a thing to his body. And That was when I came to his rescue.
I snapped out of my twirling thoughts and scampered towards the injured Minjun. He had told me he couldn't use his powers, since it was in cooldown. Despite everything, he shielded me. Minjun knew what was going to happen, but jolted in front of me, regardless.
He was truly a hero. Minjun took down the criminals while I called for the police. Those cops would arrive here in a second, which would clean up this mess.
"Can you move?" I asked, and offered him my shoulder. "Oh my god, you're bleeding!"
Even though my shoulders weren't broad, it was still something he could use to balance himself. I didn't know anything about helping people with gunshot wounds, but I knew I could carry him on my side. It was the only thing I could do.
"Thankfully, yes. I'm still alive. Don't worry." Minjun answered.
"The cops are going to be here any minute. We should leave the criminals to them and focus on treating your wounds. They might call an ambulance for you if we wait for them. We need to-,"
"No! No ambulance. I don't trust them," Minjun interrupted me, while shaking his head.
"Why not? Can't you see yourself in the mirror? You're even worse than a drunk guy on the streets!"
"I-I don't want them to know…. my identity. If those people would know, they might experiment on me, or the criminals would come after…. my father. I don't want that…. to happen."
Even though Minjun told me he was Steel the superhero, he didn't want others to know his identity. If everyone knew who he was, he would receive fame and probably fortune from the people he saved. But this guy still had a point.
Minjun acted like a superhero and placed the thugs behind bars. I didn't know who he fought, but I was certain those people hated him for what he did. There was no telling what those criminals would do to his father, himself, and all the people he loved. Those bastards would target him, just like what he did to the thieves.
"Okay. But what do you suggest we do, hm? I can't bring you inside the apartment with or without your mask. The guy behind the desk would definitely tell the school about it. I don't have any powers compared to you," I said, and thought of an idea. A light bulb illuminated above my head. "Why can't you just use your liquid form and go back to the apartment? That's our only option if you don't want those cops to interrogate you."
As we spoke, sirens down the streets notified our eardrums. It only told us that the cops and some reporters were heading towards this alley and would place it on the news.
"I could for a short while…. But how about you? You're going to be in the middle of this trouble," Minjun asked, still worrying about my safety.
"Why do you care about me when you took a bullet right through your stomach? I'm the one who should be worried about you! What if you die from blood loss?! You're the one who saved me, so this is at least what I could do for you."
"You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine. Trust me, okay? And don't…. tell them about my identity."
I had no other choice but to give Minjun a nod and watch him turn into a slimy liquid. Minjun travelled through the ground instead of through the air and crawled out of this place. And since I sacrificed myself and my time, I would be the one who would communicate with the people arriving in this post.
"Make it out alive, Minjun. I'll kill you myself if you die!" I murmured to myself, and turned to face the cops and reporters coming in this direction.
After a few seconds, police officers wearing blue uniforms and armed with heavy firearms appeared from the scene. They parked their car right in front of me, together with another van with the brand's news painted on the surface. It was the reporters. Just as I had imagined, a crew of cameramen and people with mics entered the premises.
I only had one goal in mind. If these people tried to question me about what happened, I would mark Steel as the hero who had saved the mother and her child, together with me in the fray. He was a hero. I wanted the world to know about him, especially an aspiring journalist. And once I finish everything, I will return to my room and smack the hell out of Minjun for dragging me into his mess. The best thing that I would do was grab a cappuccino and have the best start for tomorrow's class.
"Are you the one who called for 911, ma'am?" the cop asked, while his other comrades put shackles on the criminal's hands.
I nodded and replied, "Yes. And Steel saved us from the criminals."
"Steel?" the cap asked. "You mean the hero that everyone keeps talking about?"
He had a star on his badge, which looked like he was the one in charge. That man also was the one who gave instructions to the detectives and policemen. It only meant one thing. This guy was above everyone else in terms of their positions, especially at a crime scene.
"I'll have you interrogated inside the station. Please come with me and cooperate by answering our questions before realising you," the cop added.
I nodded my head once more and answered, "Sure. Please make it quick. I still have things to do."
"And we also have some places to be. Are you a kid? A student?"
"A kid? No. A student? Yes."
After our exchange, the man who briefly questioned me ordered someone to escort me inside their vehicle. As I turned around, the family that Minjun saved was also in a different car. If my guess was correct, they needed a physician to check their wounds in the aftermath. It didn't look like it, but the thugs harmed the mother from protecting her child. That car would head over to the nearest hospital and have them treat their wounds if the family had any. And these cops would question the mother if she finally recovers.
Within a few minutes, I finally reached the station. Fortunately, it was not far from our apartment. It was just around a few blocks away from where I lived. This might not take long.
The guard led me inside a room filled with a bunch of policemen running around with some documents in their hands. Since the event was just a minor, there was no need for me to go inside the interrogation room. I only needed a few minutes to give everything I knew and witnessed from the occurrence. All I needed to remember was the identity of Steel or Minjun. These police officers needed not to know who he was behind the mask.
And that was the guard's first question. He was also the man whom I talked to earlier. Even though we rode in separate vehicles, the captain cop arrived first at the station. It almost looked like he had teleporting powers, just like Minjun. Kind of.
"Why were you there? Who were you with? And what did you see? Tell me, and you'll be good to go. I also don't want to let a student stay inside this place. It would traumatise you."
I was at the cop's desk. There was a picture frame on the board, including him, his wife, and his son. He had a family. Beside the photograph was a mountain of documents from his previous and current cases-I assumed. There was nothing noteworthy on his table, besides his uncleaned towel and his unfinished doughnut box on the side.
"What a lovely place you got here," I said, cracking out the ice. "Mister cop, can I charge my phone while I'm here? It's dead."
The cop scratched his head but eventually got a charger from his drawer. He offered me the device and watched me fiddle with the sockets, with my tongue sticking out.
"What a drag."
"Hey!" I shouted. "I heard that."
The man let out a stern gaze before continuing on the interview. "I'm waiting for your answers. I'd also like to hear about the superhero that arrived and 'saved the day."
I told everything about what had happened during that event. I also included myself for it while giving him photos of the occurrence. The cop checked the pictures and nodded while viewing them. There was no telling if he was silently judging me or he was a detective at work.
"So you're saying you're a journalist who wanted to unravel the things and truth behind everything. And when you heard a crime happening nearby, you immediately raced towards it and brought your camera. That's why you were there? And the superhero, Steel, saved the day? Is this story correct?" The man repeated my narration.
I feverishly agreed to the cop and answered, "Yes! On point, sir!"
"One last question," the man asked, while glaring in my direction. "You told me you heard it happen inside your apartment. How come that was possible when the crime occurred at least one and a half kilometre away from you? Isn't that really absurd to know that the robbery took place there, and you knew it was a robbery? Did someone tell you about it? Your story doesn't add up, Ms. Seok."
Oh no. I didn't think this through.