"I-I know my right! I have the right to remain silent!" I croaked. In all honesty, I didn't know a thing about the law. Well, not for now. I had a subject that could tackle the rights of a human.
"Nobody is taking that right from you," the cop uttered. "All I'm asking for is the credibility of your words. I can't just write your answers off and never look at it again…. You're thinking about it, aren't you?"
I reluctantly nodded. If I planned on becoming a journalist, I only wanted to tell the truth. And right now, that was the truthfullest thing I ever said on this day. I could lie, but I chose not to.
"And lastly, about this superhero, Steel. What did he do?" The cop questioned me once more. "Can you tell me about what had happened there with him?"
"He saved us! When I arrived at the scene, Mi-." I said, but immediately cut off my sentence before telling Minjun's name.
"Mi?" the guard uttered, as if letting me continue the word that I would've told him.
"Steel. Steel was already there, kicking those asses and saving the mother and daughter. Can I please go now?"
The cop, who was acting like a detective, gawked at my perplexed face. Beads of sweat cascaded like a waterfall from my face, not because of my anxiousness taking over me, but because of the room's temperature. Someone could fry a barbeque inside without using a grill. Even the policeman fanned his uniform as he felt the scorching heat kicking in.
"You're free to go. Don't forget to stay out of the way next time. I admire your passion for your job, but you still need to value your life. Fortunately, these thugs never hurt anyone from the scene. But if you're not lucky, you'd be dead the next time I'll find you. You are also a girl, after all," the cop chided, as he finally released some buttons from his uniform.
"So you're an antifeminist? You're telling me I'm a girl and I can't fight?" I said, while pouting.
"Believe whatever you believe. I'm just telling you that if I were a father, I wouldn't want my daughter to visit those kinds of places. Your parents would've been worried about you."
Despite hating the cop's words, he was right. If mom found out that I was here, she would've already freaked out and called a chopper. And if she were the one who was in these kinds of areas, I would've also done the same.
"My parent. It's just my mom and me," I whispered.
"Oh… I'm sorry," the cops apologised, and continued. "The pictures you took could be used for the next story. You're a student, right? From Yong university, since you just told me that earlier."
I nodded.
"My name is Detective Baek-Hyun. If your professors forced you to issue a story for tomorrow or the next day, use this and the pictures you took. Also, tell them you're with me, Detective Baek-Hyun. They will help you. I'm actually a popular cop around these streets. But between you and us, just call me Baek," the cop, who was also the detective, instructed.
"Why are you helping me?" I asked.
"It's because you know who Steel is, the superhero running around this city. I know he saved you and all, but we need to keep a tab on him," Baek said, while organising his papers. I assumed it was the report from the recent crime that had happened. "
"And why would the guy even do that? He's trying his best to save the city, am I right?" I asked, slightly defending Minjun. He did save my life, after all.
"There might be a time that that hero would turn against the city. And if that possibility exists and happens, what would happen? The missiles made by the army came from metals. What does he do? Bend metals. And if he has these powers, there are still others out there that are exactly like him. I'd rather prepare for the worst than wait for it to happen. Unless we know his identity and why he chooses to fight for the people. And most importantly, he has the power to choose whether or not to save someone from dying. That responsibility would take a toll on him."
Baek had also hit the nails with his words. If Minjun turned out to be an enemy of South Korea, it would cause a disaster. I had never even thought about that. He needed to have a clean heart and save everyone without prejudice. According to Baek, Steel didn't have any records of killing other criminals. But if someone tried to use his identity and commit an indecent action, it would be on him. Despite rescuing everyone, Steel or Minjun would have to defend himself for his actions.
"He'll get on that bridge when he sees one," I uttered.
After our conversation, Baek led me outside and showed me the directions. I grabbed my phone and carried on even after the life-and-death situation I had experienced. Within a few minutes, I finally arrived in front of the apartment.. Baek also told me that the news from this crime incident would also be available in the news tomorrow.
"If you need to showcase your report, Monday would be your day." Those were the words that came right off of his mouth. It was as if it was my good luck charm to become a journalist.
But before I could enter the building, my phone rang. Someone was calling. I took out my phone from my pocket and viewed the contact presented on the screen. It was my mom who had called me a hundred times and texted a dozen messages. As soon as I swiped the phone and answered her call, things had gotten out of hand.
"WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER MY CALLS AND MESSAGE ME! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? WERE YOU ABDUCTED? SHOULD I CALL THE COPS OR AN AMBULANCE? ARE YOU HURT? WHAT WERE YOU DOING THESE PAST FEW HOURS, SEOK! ANSWER ME!" my mom yelled like a hungry lion demanding food through the phone. Even the people passing by heard my mom screaming at me while burrowing my head underground.
"I was just buying some pads and came from the convenience store. My phone was out of battery. Geez, mom. I'm not a kid anymore. People can actually hear you," I said, defending myself.
I couldn't tell my mom about the crime I witnessed before. I kept it all to myself and cut the conversation short with her.
After saying our goodbyes, I resumed my journey and stared at the front door. When I entered the apartment, the receptionist grumbled at my sight. He scolded me about the time. I looked at the clock and became shocked as well, with my eyes widened and my mouth gaped open. I didn't even notice the streets becoming dark, with only the street lamps illuminating my way.
But there was no time for me to debate with him. I bolted on the staircase and reached my room on the tenth floor. After catching my breath, I opened the goddamn door and looked for Minjun. A fountain of sweat finally covered my face when I entered the place. My legs also wobbled, and I longed for the bed that I dearly missed. However, I still needed to check on Minjun and see if he was alright. Regardless of his answer, I would call an ambulance if I found out he needed one.
I zoomed across the kitchen and opened his room. Even though we had privacy inside the house, he was still injured. Minjun took the bullet and retreated with a shell inside his abdomen from the scene. If I were the one shot by the criminal, I would've run to the hospital and taken it out. Minjun's powers were also in cooldown, which added to the tension.
However, a different route happened. Much to my surprise, Minjun was lying on his bed with some notes on his pillow. He scribbled some notes as if he was a student and wrote equations that my mind couldn't decipher.
The wounded MInjun I saw earlier disappeared, as if it was a dream. I had expected a hole in his stomach, but that also got fixed. His clothes didn't have blood. And the only evidence that I had that he was with me was his costume on the side of his bed and a slimy trail.
"What the hell are you doing? Shouldn't you be in pain or something? Because I would've," I voiced my concerns, while tilting my head. It was unreal.
"Hm? Ah, thanks for your help a while ago. I really appreciate it. If it weren't for you, the mother and her child would be dead by now," Minjun answered, while still focused on the notebook in front of him.
"Oh, that. Thanks. Don't mention it. But aren't you shot? And tomorrow's just the first day of classes, right? Why are you studying right now?"
"Ah, this? Don't you know that our school usually gives surprise quizzes on the first day of classes? They have this screening test to gauge your strength and weaknesses in a subject. By the way, those tests are graded. A word of advice, you should be studying by now."
My brain juggled the words Minjun said and processed them. Within a few seconds, I finally realised what he had meant. I panicked, closed the door from Minjun, and raced towards my room. Minjun was a second-year student, so he wouldn't lie to me. He didn't have any reason to prank me.
Since Minjun was not in pain, I grabbed my bag and took out my notebooks. The best thing that I could do was browse the subject and better understand it while maintaining a schedule. Although a lot of things had happened today, I was still a student. And I didn't have a laptop with me, since we can't afford one. It would've been easier if I could surf the internet with it. But someday, I will have one. Not right now.
"