"I didn't do it! I've already told you that I didn't kill him! The murderer had a mustache!"
"As I mentioned before, there was a video camera in that room, capturing images of only one person - you. No one else..."
"That's not true! I saw him kill that child!"
"Oh... Well, the camera captured images of only you, and besides the victim, there was no one else in the room. And the murder weapon was in your hand as well."
What is going on here? Are they blind? Why can't they see that murderer right there? He killed that child and then put the gun in her hands. No matter how many times they replay the video, the clear image of it is still visible. But these people only focus on accusing her of being the murderer and locking her up in this place.
They think she's crazy.
"The blood test shows no signs of substance abuse. It's probably a genuine mental disorder," said the other police officer.
"But the psychiatrist hasn't confirmed anything yet. They say they need to talk to the patient more before confirming it as a psychiatric illness," replied the detective, sighing in boredom as he glanced through her file. He then burst into a mocking laugh. His face beamed as if he was mocking her, with no guilt.
"Is there anything else to discuss? The kid's clearly hallucinated and she's even able to tell the story this well," he turned to the other detective standing on the left, who smirked and joined in the mockery.
How vile they are.
"You, May, do you realize that you'll be here for a long time? Good, isn't it? It's better than being locked up in jail for years," he sneered, his face twisted with a sickening smile. Whether it was the sneer or the yellowed teeth aligned haphazardly on his disgustingly cheerful face, everything about him was despicable. And so were these people. Everything... everything was abominable!
Enough!
"Hey," the police officer startled as she quickly got up from her seat. However, the handcuffs restrained her, keeping her firmly attached to the chair. She couldn't move anywhere beyond this. "You seem aggressive. It's good that you have the handcuffs on."
"Well, you've been mocking her, haven't you? She is still young. It's a pity."
"I'm just telling the truth," he shrugged lightly before turning to smile at her again, ignoring the colleague who sighed softly with impatience.
"Sometimes, we don't want to listen to the truth, do we?"
That sentence caught her attention, diverting her gaze towards the other police officer who uttered it. What is the truth? The truth is that she is merely a witness to the events, not the killer. They should pay attention to her testimony. But then, why do they find her guilty? They should examine themselves thoroughly, as they are the ones who cannot see, the ones on the wrong side. They should investigate what the truth really is.
It's not her.
"Time's up," said the hospital staff, entering the room to get the attention of both police officers. Before the hospital staff could take May out of the room, the standing police officer walked straight towards her, extending his hand with something in it. As soon as he opened his hand, revealing what was inside, she felt the urge to pull her arm away from the officer's grip and grab it. It was there, right now.
"Miss May, this necklace belongs to you, right? It must have slipped off when you stood up earlier," the officer in front of her smiled slightly, although his smile appeared friendly, she didn't fully trust it. She simply nodded without saying anything.
"This necklace is beautiful, it looks like some kind of carved stone..." The police officer began to examine the stone pendant in his hand, seemingly interested. "Hmm, it seems to be a key shape. Where did you get it from? I've seen you wearing it all the time."
The attempt to start a conversation didn't significantly lighten the tense atmosphere, but it made her feel more cautious towards him. She didn't know what he was trying to deceive her about or whether that smile was undoubtedly a deceptive one. These people would never do anything good for her without expecting something in return.
"Time's up, detectives. If you're going to continue, please come back tomorrow," the emotionless voice of the hospital staff called the attention of the other side instead. If it weren't for the fact that both of her hands were tied up, she would have already grabbed the necklace that had been in his possession for too long.
"Just a moment, please. Let me return the necklace to her, and continue our conversation for a bit longer," he said.
"You've already requested an extension twice, sir. I also have other tasks waiting," the female officer sighed in frustration.
"Just a little longer. Is this place really that strict?"
"Not really. Actually, they're quite lenient, but it doesn't matter. I might get scolded for this,"
Lenient…It might be true. The hospital staff barely seemed to care about her whereabouts. As long as she took her medication and entered the room at the designated time, it was sufficient. Perhaps it was because of the locked iron door. Even though there was no one guarding it, the patients here couldn't escape. Sometimes they might not even realize where they were.
Trapped... with no way out.
"Oh, come on, just a little longer. You said they're lenient, right? We just want to ask her a few more things." the young police officer tried to persuade. Eventually, the hospital staff reluctantly nodded with a faint expression, granting permission.
After he returned the necklace to her, the next five minutes were consumed by the two police officers relentlessly asking her the same questions and prolonging meaningless discussions. Therefore, May made the decision to stay silent because she knew that speaking wouldn't bring any benefit. No matter how much she reiterated what she had witnessed, they would never believe her.
May's frustration grew as time passed, even with the requested five-minute extension. They pleaded for more time, ten minutes, fifteen minutes, hoping for a resolution. Then finally, both of them had to reluctantly accept defeat and leave the place.
It was exasperating.
Infuriating.
May was angry at them, angry at everyone who refused to believe in her, even for a moment. But deep down, she knew that those people were not the ones who deserved her utmost anger.
She was furious at herself, at her own powerlessness. She was frustrated by her inability to make any significant change. She shouldn't have been in this place, trapped in a situation that seemed never-ending. Moreover, there were other pressing matters demanding her attention, especially when it came to Miu—her younger brother. If she stayed here, who would take care of him?
No, it wouldn't be right.
If she stayed here, what would the future hold for Miu? If Miu's friends knew he had a sister in a mental hospital, others might pretend not to care, dismissing it as something normal in today's society. But that would only scratch the surface. The negative prejudice towards mental illness still lingered within people's hearts.
If she had to stay here, Miu's future would be tainted by the sin of having a mentally ill sister, even though that sin belonged to her alone.
It wouldn't be fair... but fairness doesn't exist in this world.
Therefore, she refused to let Miu face the cruelty of being labeled as the sibling of a mentally ill sister. She had to do something for Miu... for her younger brother.
It had been exactly two weeks since she was captured and confined in this place. The lack of sleep made her feel like she was a zombie all the time. No matter how hard she tried to force her eyes shut, her mind kept replaying the events of that day. Even when she was exhausted to the point of collapse, she couldn't stop thinking about it. In her dreams almost every night, she saw the image of her younger brother overlapping with the image of the victim who had been killed, causing her to jolt awake in the middle of the night.
And even now, she continued to question herself.
If she hadn't walked into that bakery on that day... would that child still be alive?
Why did it have to be that child who died? Why wasn't it her? Why was she the one chosen to survive and take responsibility for an event she had no part in? Being labeled as the scapegoat was the consequence of her decision to walk into that bakery shop on that day?
Or perhaps it was the result of her inability to save that child's life?
Or maybe it was the consequence of her destroying Miu's life?
But the more she sought answers to these questions, the more her chest ached. What if that child had become Miu instead and she couldn't save him, forcing him to face death in front of her...
Fear.
No, why did her consciousness escape completely on that day? Why? Why? Why? Why couldn't she do anything at all? Just standing there like a statue. Was it because of the shock? What was there to be shocked about? There was only someone pointing a gun at the head of a child. If she had shouted something at that moment, maybe that child would still be alive today.
Despite her determination not to fall into the same situation as eight years ago, she found herself in a similar predicament…again
No, no, she had to stop thinking about it now. There was no benefit in dwelling on the past. No matter how heavy the burden of emotions in her heart, she had to endure. After all, she had endured for a full eight years. Adding this to the equation wouldn't change anything. Regardless, she had to endure these emotions and keep going!
And what she had to do now was to think of ways to help Miu.
During the past two weeks, psychiatrists and police officers had been questioning her incessantly. However, no matter how much she explained what she saw that day, no one believed her, not even a single person. But if she lied and claimed that she didn't see the murderer, it would imply that she was accepting the role of the killer instead. Furthermore, all the evidence pointed to her being the one who killed the child. Therefore, regardless of what happened, in the end, she would be labeled as either insane or a murderer, and her younger brother would be burdened with the guilt for the rest of his life.
There was a door at this hospital, one door that she had been watching for the past two weeks.
Initially, it was because she had nothing else to do, but recently she had become quite interested in that door because she often saw some of the hospital staff secretly entering or exiting through it occasionally. Especially that thin man with neatly combed hair, who sometimes forgot to lock the door or intentionally left it unlocked to save time unlocking it again. He probably thought that no one was watching him because his duty was to watch others.
He was wrong.
She didn't know what he did behind that door, but she knew where the door led. She knew because they had talked about finding cigarette butts there before, and sometimes some of the staff would pass through that door to go out to investigate about the cigarette butts. However, in the end, they still couldn't find the real culprit, or maybe they weren't really serious about finding the culprit from the beginning, as the female hospital staff had previously mentioned.
They're lenient.
But she had to thank the lenient rule and the neatly combed hair man as well. It allowed her to walk through that door and stand in this place without much difficulty.
On the rooftop of the hospital.
Miu.
If she stayed here any longer, it would definitely be detrimental to him. So she couldn't stay here anymore, and she wouldn't accept the accusation of being a murderer either. Therefore, her only option was to leave.
Just one step further and everything would be over. All the problems would be resolved, and Miu would no longer have a mentally ill sister or a sister who was a killer. All she had to do now was take that step. Just one step…
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
Damn it! The sound of the heart beating rapidly in her chest was so annoying. Right now, she needed to focus on taking that step, not listen to the sound of her own heartbeat.
The sound...
Hold on. Upon listening carefully, that sound wasn't just the sound of her own heartbeat; it was mixed with the sound of footsteps as well!
Realizing this, May quickly turned her head to look at the person behind her.
He was a handsome young man, with a somewhat pleasant appearance. He wore a well-fitted black suit, which made his incredibly pale skin appear even more unnaturally white, almost eerie. Judging by his looks, he seemed to be around the same age as her, or perhaps even younger, as he had a youthful appearance. However, what made her gaze at him intently was not his skin color, appearance, or attire. It was his calm and piercing gaze, accompanied by a neutral expression, that was directed straight at her, setting him apart from anyone else.
What kind of person stands and stares at someone who is about to commit suicide?
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice filled with annoyance and puzzled.
"Watching you" he replied.
Apart from his facial expression and gaze, his voice was also devoid of any emotional tone. She didn't know why, but it irritated her. If he wanted to interrupt, he should just speak up or do something else, rather than standing there and staring like this.
"Why are you looking at me? I don't know you. Leave me alone!" she exclaimed.
"Are you here on vacation?" he asked.
"...Huh?" She was taken aback by the sudden and peculiar question. It made her wonder if she had misheard. "No!"
"Oh, then you don't have a camera. I think the people here are interesting." he remarked.
"What are you talking about? Go away, okay? I'm busy!" she snapped.
No matter how much she tried to calm herself, her irritation didn't diminish even the slightest. And the more she thought about the current situation, the more agitated she became. This was not something she should be discussing with him right now. And why would he ask about a camera? Did he intend to take pictures of the patients here? What was so interesting about them? Hold on, no, this wasn't the time to contemplate whether the patients were interesting or not. She had to take a step from this rooftop entirely.
"Do you see the hallway on the second floor? The decorations there, especially the clocks, have a very Tompian style. Thomas Tompian, do you know him? But that's irrelevant. I don't think you know him. The owner of that house must have excellent taste. The room decoration is remarkable, except for the door handles. Did you see them? They're not beautiful at all," he said.
He fell silent, still gazing at her with a calm and steady gaze, as if waiting for her response.
"...Huh?"
"It really doesn't match, you know. It's probably because of the color. The color doesn't go well with the rest..."
"No, that's not it! What are you talking about? Stop bothering me!"
She diverted her gaze back to the empty space in front of her and tried to focus on both sides of her feet to step away from the concrete floor. But the feeling of being observed by someone made her lose her concentration once again. So May took a deep breath, trying to suppress the boiling anger in her heart. She turned her face to the side and glanced at the person behind her.
"What are you doing?"
"Watching you"
The expression on his face and his tone of voice remained unchanged. No matter how much she told him to go away, he stood there in the same spot, unmoving. Moreover, he seemed to be teasing her about the room decoration. What the hell? What's wrong with this guy?
"I'm going to jump off the building, and you said you would watch me?"
"Yeah"
A calm smile appeared on his face, not a mocking smile or a sinister one, but a simple smile that didn't convey any harm or emotion at all. It was as if this was just a normal and ordinary matter, and she was just a decoration meant to be looked at for amusement. This made her feel even more furious and unable to bear it any longer.
"What is this? Am I some kind of clown to you? Or... or a comedy show performer?"
"No, you're not like those TV shows. You're not on TV, and I don't think there's any producer interested in making a show about someone committing suicide. It's boring. Everyone does that."
He responded with a serious and sincere tone, causing her to feel a little surprised because she had expected him to act indifferently like before. But even so, it still left her feeling confused as to whether they were talking about the same thing or not.
"...Huh?"
While May was feeling puzzled about the whole situation, he suddenly took a step closer, causing her to startle with such surprise that she almost stepped out into the air. Even though there was the sound of her heart pounding rapidly in her chest, confirming that she was still standing in the same place, the fleeting relief vanished, leaving her startled and shaken.
And at the same time, it made her despise herself even more, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief when she realized that she was still perfectly safe.
She was such a self-centered person.
"Don't come any closer," she said, her voice trembling from the shock she just experienced, as soon as she felt him approaching too closely. It was as if he were standing right beside her.
"...Who are you? What do you want?" she asked.
The young man didn't say anything at all. His face remained as calm as ever. The silence made the chirping of the birds in the sky sound louder than it should be.
"That depends on who you are," he finally replied.
What the…!? At this moment, she herself didn't even know who she was or what situation she was in. She could be a mentally ill person or even a murderer, or maybe both.
Just as she was about to retort, he handed her a small piece of paper. May hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it.
D.
What is this? The letter 'D'? What does he mean by this?
May turned the paper over, hoping to find a message or something else, but besides the letter 'D' followed by a small dot, there was nothing else written on it.
"What is this?" She exclaimed angrily, raising the paper with a sense of frustration. She could feel that this piece of paper was thicker and sturdier than regular report papers.
"A business card." he replied.
A business card!? The answer made her look at the paper in her hand again in disbelief. She didn't want to believe her own eyes. What kind of business card only had the one letter written on it.
"D..."
"It's my name."
"Your name is 'D'? Wait, so your name is actually 'D' and ends with a period?"
He gave her a nod.
Huh? Actually, it should be an abbreviation of a name, shouldn't it? It couldn't possibly be his actual name, right? Which implied that he didn't want to give his real name to her.
"This is just an initial. It doesn't seem like a business card at all," May continued, expressing her doubt.
As May thought it over, she couldn't help but feel a bit foolish for finding herself in such a bizarre situation. What on earth was she doing? This wasn't normal. No. No, it's this guy. What the hell was he doing? Handing over his business card to someone who was about to commit suicide?
"This is my name, and this is the card with my name on it. So, it's a business card," D.—or whatever his name is—said, pointing his finger at the letter 'D' and lightly tapping his finger on the edge of the paper to explain his 'business card'. "Everyone calls me 'D,' so that's my name."
His reasoning sounded ridiculously absurd.
"D or whatever it doesn't matter. Why are you standing there staring at me?" May questioned.
If he didn't want to tell her his name, it's fine. She was not even interested in knowing his name anymore. She just wanted to know what he wanted. Why did he keep staring at her? Normally, when people ask who they were and what they wanted, they tend to disclose the relationship with that person and state their intention why they want to talk. If it were in the business world, they would probably exchange business cards. But this didn't seem to be related to business, and on top of that, it's a fake business card, which made it even more suspicious.
However, D. remained silent. He stood there quietly, his gaze steady, watching her gradually moving away from him.
"Are you afraid of me?" D. asked, as he observed her with calm eyes, noticing her slow retreat.
His stoic expression was momentarily disrupted by a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
"You are afraid of me. But if you try to look from another perspective, it might make you think that you're afraid of me hurting you, causing you physical harm or even death. Or perhaps, it's the fear of injury and death that you're afraid of, which is rather strange because I didn't think you would fear death to this extent."
May was puzzled and bewildered. She couldn't understand what the person in front of her mean by that.
Afraid of him? Yes, especially someone weird like him, she had every reason to be afraid.
Fear of injury and death? Yes, that too. Who wouldn't be afraid?
But it was strange that she was afraid of death. It didn't seem right. The fact that he brought up this topic made it even more unsettling.
"I don't know why you find it strange," She replied with an irritatingly firm tone.
As May listened to his elongated talking, she felt even more exhausted. Exhausted from having to listen to something bizarre from someone she didn't know. Talking to him felt like she had to exert an immense amount of energy to process and try to make sense out of it. But in the end, he didn't provide any answers at all.
"Think for a moment why you're standing here." he finally said after the long silence.
Suddenly, the echoing words from the person in front of her felt like a thunderbolt striking her chest. It also made her swallow a lump in her throat without realizing it.
Strange...? He's probably right. She came here to end everything for the sake of Miu... her younger brother. But in the end, she hesitated more than she should to take a real step forward. She wanted to die, but at the same time, she feared death.
If only she could turn back time. If she could turn back time, she would go back before that tragic incident happened, and no matter how much Miu would beg to eat at that cheese cake, she would never set foot inside. If she hadn't entered the bakery shop that day, that child might not have to die, and today she would probably be living a normal life as she did before. She would go back home every day instead of being trapped in this cage.
The past... such a suffocating word. What good is it to have it when it no longer serves any purpose?
To learn from it? Ha, what a laughable thought. What would she learn from it? When the past has already robbed her of any future.
"Perhaps you should get acquainted with the phrase 'give it a chance' for a moment."
Those words made May turn her head abruptly to look at the person speaking, surprised.
The person in front of her smiled faintly and looked straight into her eyes without saying anything else. For a brief moment, she felt as if he could read her mind. He couldn't possibly read her mind...right?
After maintaining eye contact for a while, she had to be the first to avert her gaze because she couldn't bear the ongoing pressure.
"If you give me a chance, you might find that I'm not as scary as you think. And maybe you'll be glad that you met me" he calmly said with a smile. Although it was a friendly smile, she couldn't quite tell if it was a smile from the heart or a calculated smile.
Glad to meet him? It sounded strange and had some hidden motives. Maybe it was just a sweet smile to create a temporary bond according to his version of camaraderie. After all, he himself didn't seem quite like an ordinary person either. Who would willingly befriend a mentally ill patient in a hospital, right?
"And why should I be glad that I met you?"
Was she trying to get on his nerves? Perhaps. But she really wanted to know how he would respond. She could already guess that his answer would probably involve elusive words like fate or coincidence, or some kind of predetermined destiny.
"Because I can help you get out of here."
His answer shattered her theory, leaving her speechless.
May felt she unintentionally hold her breath and her mind unable to think clearly as soon as she heard the response from the person in front of her. She could sense a rising hope within her chest.
"But there is one condition," he said.
Even though she knew in her heart that no one in this world would help others without expecting something in return, at that moment, she wanted to believe that there must be someone who would come to her aid no matter what. She focused all her attention on that hope within her soul, without thinking about anything else.
"A condition?" she asked.
The young man didn't explain any further. He looked directly at her with calm eyes, his slightly tousled hair gently swaying with the soft breeze passing by.
"You must promise to help me hunt ghosts," he said.
Then, the sound of an alert bell announcing the time to enter the hospital room echoed abruptly with the weight of his words hung in the air, swirling with mystery.