The scene unfolded slowly, like a slow-motion video.
Sabrina, holding a knife, turned around and grabbed Hailey's shoulder, pulling her towards herself while Hailey, startled, dropped the phone in her hand and looked at Sabrina with a surprised expression as she was forcibly turned around. Her sky-blue dress shimmered, revealing her white calves.
Jeffrey, standing next to Geon, quickly drew a gun from his holster, and the officers close to Sabrina also drew their guns, aiming at Sabrina.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"What, what's happening!!!"
*Bam bam!!!*
In an instant, the joyful party turned into chaos, and Sabrina, with Hailey held in front of her at gunpoint by the officers, brought the knife towards her neck. A drop of blood trickled from the tip of the knife on Hailey's neck.
"Everyone step back!! If you come closer, I'll slice her!"
Sabrina shouted sharply. Although the officers gradually stepped back from Sabrina, they did not lower their guns, surrounding her. Hailey, terrified and unable to speak, looked at the officers with pitiful eyes, but everyone hesitated to move for her safety.
With a gun aimed at Sabrina, Jeffrey approached her slowly, shouting, "Sabrina Molly! Drop the knife! You're under arrest for stalking Kay, illegal filming, wiretapping, and attempted murder! I warn you again, drop the knife!"
Hiding her face behind Hailey's head, Sabrina pressed the knife deeper into her neck.
"Eek..."
As Hailey, with her neck slightly cut, whimpered softly, Jeffrey fired his gun into the air.
*Bang!*
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
"Uhhhh!!"
Again, aiming at Sabrina without taking his eyes off her, Jeffrey slowly lowered his gun to the ground.
"Last warning, Sabrina Molly! Drop the knife!"
With tears in her eyes, Hailey pleaded, "Please, please let me go... Please."
Sabrina, shaking Hailey by the hair, shouted, "I'm finished anyway! If I'm caught, I'll kill this fox-like woman myself, so do as you please!"
Shocked by Sabrina's aggressive behavior, the officers looked at each other. Jeffrey, who had been aiming at Sabrina for a while, raised the gun towards the sky and raised both hands.
"Alright, let's hear you out. What's your reason?"
As Sabrina continued to shake Hailey from side to side, she screamed, "Kay is mine! Mine!"
Jeffrey, holding the gun with one hand and aiming it, showed the palm of the other hand without raising the gun.
"Sabrina Molly! Okay, I get it! But that woman is innocent, right? Let her go."
"Don't joke! I've seen this woman flirting! With my Kay! How dare she touch my Kay?!"
Sabrina shouted into Hailey's ear, who was terrified and looked at the officers with tearful eyes, but none of them moved easily for her safety.
Jeffrey, keeping his eyes on Sabrina, slowly lowered the gun to the ground and said, "Calm down, calm down, Sabrina Molly. Don't torment the innocent lady and come talk to me. Okay?"
With a distorted expression, Sabrina said, "What do you know about me! I have nothing to say to a cop like you! Get out of here!"
"Sabrina."
A low voice spread quietly among the people quietly watching Jeffrey and Sabrina. As soon as Sabrina heard Geon's voice, she felt her strength leave her hands. As Geon, who had been quietly watching Jeffrey and Sabrina, approached her side, he looked at Sabrina with sad eyes. As Geon, without saying a word, just looked at Sabrina for a while, Sabrina, with a trembling voice, said, "Why... why are you looking at me with such sad eyes.."
With a trembling voice, Geon said, "Liking someone is not a sin, Sabrina."
Sabrina's expression momentarily turned fierce.
"Do you, too! Do you think it's not a sin for that woman to flirt with my Kay?"
Geon shook his head slowly and said, "No, Sabrina. I said liking me isn't a sin."
Sabrina's eyes widened. As Geon took a step closer and said, "Love among people is something you can't hide, especially. It can't be a sin to like someone. There was just a problem with the way, Sabrina."
As Sabrina, holding onto Hailey, stepped back, Geon took another step closer and said, "You didn't have to do this, Sabrina. You could have come to me and just said you liked me."
As Sabrina tried to step back further, the table with food on it hit her waist. As Geon approached again, the officers around tried to stop him. Seeing them, Jeffrey raised his fist and stopped the officers. When Jeffrey signaled to watch him, the officers aiming their guns took another step back.
In the center of the party venue, with a knife pointed at Hailey's neck and Sabrina standing behind her, except for Geon, who was standing a few steps ahead, everyone else was gathered in a circle, watching from a distance. Geon took another step forward and spoke.
"Sabrina, your first impression on me wasn't that bad. We clearly had a chance. The discord in love isn't about two hearts being out of sync, but about two timelines being out of sync. We had a chance, Sabrina."
Sabrina's eyes trembled thinly, gradually showing signs of a spasm on her face. Her hand trembled, causing the knife around Hailey's neck to slightly shift. Geon took another step closer. Standing within reaching distance of Hailey, Geon said,
"Was it difficult to say you liked me? If you had told me, you would have had at least a 50% chance, Sabrina. But now, even that chance is gone. Why did you do that, Sabrina?"
A large tear formed in Sabrina's eyes. Tears that had been trickling down her cheeks one by one turned into a waterfall. Sabrina, using her other hand that wasn't holding the knife, wiped her face with her sleeve. Just as Hailey, who had been waiting for that moment, bowed her head and began to fall forward, Sabrina, in a panic, tried to catch her, but the bystanders aimed their guns and shouted,
"Don't move! Any step and we'll open fire!"
Sabrina looked around with tears streaming down her face. Seeing people looking at her with disdainful eyes, Sabrina lowered the hand holding the knife. As the guards rushed towards her, Geon raised a hand. When the guards momentarily stopped and looked at Jeffrey, who nodded slowly, Geon remained in place and said,
"Speak."
Sabrina, whose head was drooping weakly, looked up.
"W-What... what do you want me to say?"
Geon took another step closer. The guards tensed even more, aiming their guns at Sabrina. Geon grabbed her shoulder as she reached out. As soon as Sabrina felt Geon's hand, her body seemed to lose strength, and she dropped the knife to the ground. Geon, holding her shoulder tightly, said,
"Say it. This is your last chance, Sabrina."
Sabrina's pupils shook violently as she looked at Geon. The expression on Sabrina's face, which had been silently waiting for Sabrina's answer, gradually crumbled. With thick tears streaming down her face and trembling all over, Sabrina collapsed in front of Geon, sitting on the ground hesitantly.
Geon looked down at the collapsed Sabrina with sad eyes. Sabrina, who had her hands on the ground and was sobbing, said softly,
"S-Sorry... I love you."
Geon looked down at her, saying,
"I can't hear you, Sabrina."
Sabrina looked up at Geon with a face covered in tear-streaked, and said,
"I love you, Geon."
Geon knelt down, facing Sabrina's eyes.
"I've heard your heart. Sabrina."
Sabrina looked at Geon with eyes that seemed to suck him in, giving a faint sad smile. After staring at Geon for a while as if she would never forget his appearance, Sabrina said,
"I love you, Kay."
Geon knelt down on one knee, looking into Sabrina's eyes.
"I've received your heart well. Sabrina."
As Sabrina looked at Geon with eyes that seemed to suck him in, a group of large guards rushed in and handcuffed Sabrina, who was sitting on the ground. They lifted her up, handcuffed, and as the ambulance arrived, Geon approached Hailey, who was sitting in a chair, and knelt down, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Aaah!!!"
Hailey shivered and slapped Geon's hand away, causing her to fall to the ground, knocking over the chair. Just as Geon tried to approach the fallen Hailey, the rescue workers who had come down from the ambulance stopped him.
"Don't approach! She's in a sensitive state due to shock!"
With a regretful look, Geon could only watch as Hailey, supported by the rescue workers, was taken into the ambulance. As he was staring at the departing ambulance with concern, Snoop, who had called Eminem to inform him that Hailey was safe, approached him.
"She'll be fine. It's probably just temporary shock, so she'll get better little by little if she rests. Kay, it's better not to contact her until Hailey contacts you first. Hearing your voice might trigger her memories and cause her pain."
As Snoop spoke, Damien, who had been standing aside, sighed.
"Well, at least it ended here. But, what about the concert tomorrow without a conductor? Isn't it going to be canceled? With this much of an incident, wouldn't the school cancel it? I'm fine, but it's a shame for Shaun, who has been preparing for a year."
Shaun shook his head and said,
"That's the problem right now. The concert can be postponed. Hailey needs to be safe first."
Snoop looked at Geon with concern.
"Are you okay? You must have been surprised too. Anyway, the party is over for today, so go home early and rest. I'm sure the school will make some announcement about the concert tomorrow in the morning. It's not like an immediate decision will be made here. Let's all go back and rest. Come on, you guys too."
Although Snoop clapped his hands to air out the room, Geon's steps didn't come easily. Shaun and Damien also couldn't leave. They were the four people watching the ambulance rushing away into the distance with worried eyes.
The next day, the Juilliard School officially canceled this year's free orchestra performance. The decision was difficult but necessary, as Kay's prominence and the spread of stories from attendees of the party made it impossible to proceed with the performance. The unfortunate incident committed by the conductor, intended to benefit the underprivileged, rippled far and wide, constantly bringing Kay's name into public discourse.
Even after the resolution of the incident, the swarm of journalists gathered outside his home to report on the stalker case prevented Geon from returning home, leading him to stay longer at the accommodations provided by the Bronx Zoo. Concern for Geon brought Sean to his doorstep early in the morning, where he sat on the living room sofa, visibly bored, prompting Geon to express his regrets.
"Sean, I'm sorry about the performance we prepared for an entire year, all because of me."
Sean waved off the apology.
"No, no, don't say that. You had a serious issue to deal with. The performance isn't what's important right now. I'm just a bit bored, don't worry about it."
As Geon sighed and looked out the window, Sean inquired.
"How's Hailey? Have you heard from her?"
Leaning on the windowsill, Geon responded.
"Yeah, I talked with Eminem this morning. She's stabilizing, but still just looking out the window without saying much."
"That's worrying. I hope she's okay."
"Yeah... I feel guilty since it all happened because of me."
"What do you mean 'because of you'? You were attacked by a crazy woman. You're a victim too. Eminem doesn't blame you, does he?"
"No... But I can't help feeling responsible."
"Don't. Both you and Hailey are victims here."
Geon remained silent, staring out the window, then softly added.
"Honestly, it's disappointing, isn't it? The performance, I mean."
Sean looked straight at Geon and agreed.
"Yeah, it is disappointing."
Geon nodded, understandingly.
"I would be too. After all, it was a year's worth of preparation."
Sean sighed before speaking again.
"Still, if you hadn't helped, I might have been the first to drop out of the performance. If I were alone, I would've given up on it. So, it's okay. There will be other opportunities."
As they shared their regrets, a knock on the door interrupted them.
"Knock knock"
Geon got up and opened the door to find Olivia, Alisa, and Taylor standing there. Surprised, Geon asked.
"Is the zoo closed already?"
The three smiled at Geon, who checked his watch in confusion.
"It's not time yet?"
Alisa put her hand on her hip and smiled brightly.
"Did you see the news, Kay? Heard you've been through a lot?"
Geon replied with a forced laugh.
"Ah.. yeah.. ha ha"
Taylor leaned in and suggested.
"How about a party to change the mood? Maybe another barbecue?"
Geon, puzzled, asked.
"A party? Another barbecue party?"
Olivia grabbed Geon's hand, pulling him along.
"No, come this way. Sean, you too. Oh, and Kay, bring your guitar!"
Confused, Geon grabbed his Gibson J-200 while Sean, noticing the cue, slung an electronic keyboard case over his shoulder. Led by Olivia, Geon and Sean boarded a truck parked in front of the accommodation. Seated in the truck's cargo area, Geon turned to Alisa.
"Alisa, what kind of party is this?"
Alisa replied with a fresh smile.
"A party only possible at the zoo. It'll definitely lift your spirits, just trust us, Kay. It's almost closing time, so we can have the party to ourselves."
The truck stopped in front of a large building after about three minutes. Alisa jumped out first, followed by Geon and Sean looking at the building.
"Huh? This is the maternity section, isn't it? Where Shihwa is?"
Alisa ran ahead and gestured from the building's entrance, leading Geon and Sean inside. Passing several doors, Alisa stopped in front of a large, thick metal door, turned back, and asked.
"Kay, you've visited the germ-free room to see Shihwa quite often, haven't you?"
As Geon nodded, Alisa opened the door, exclaiming.
"Ta-da! Welcome to the special nursery for baby animals!"
The thick metal door opened to reveal a room decorated with colorful wallpapers and low wooden fences, where baby animals frolicked. Geon, smiling broadly, hesitated before exclaiming.
"Wow!! So cute!! But are we allowed in here?"
Alisa crossed her arms and nodded.
"Yes, with the director's permission, we've brought in animals older than
5 months. Just use the hand sanitizer provided at the entrance, and there'll be no problem, Kay."
Geon quickly used the sanitizer and washed his hands, while Sean, standing awkwardly, was nudged forward by Alisa. Sean protested as he was pushed.
"Hey! I'm not really fond of animals!"
As Alisa tilted her head, Sean scratched the back of his head.
"I had a dog fur allergy when I was young.. I'm fine now, but still, I guess I have a bit of an aversion... Sorry, I'll just watch from outside the fence."
Geon, having sanitized his hands, leaped over the fence.
"That's right, Sean! You stay there! You're missing out! Hehe"
As Geon made eye contact with the baby animals on the floor, they toddled over, licking and gently pawing at him with curiosity in their eyes. Seeing Geon sprawled on the floor, laughing as if he were cleaning it with his entire body, elicited from Sean a murmur.
"There... that's where the animals have peed and pooped..."
Geon spent more than two hours joyfully interacting with the baby animals, like a child. When he started singing with his guitar out, the baby animals gathered around him, tilting their heads and listening intently to the sounds he made. The small enclosure filled with joyful music as Sean joined in with his electronic keyboard.
The fun continued until Olivia came in to suggest they go for a meal.
"Kay, it's time for the babies to rest. Let's go have dinner. Director Emma invited us to join her."
Even as they were led to the dining room by Olivia, Geon kept looking back at the baby animals with a longing gaze. Upon reaching the staff-only dining room, they found it empty except for a central table laden with food, where Alisa, Taylor, and Emma were seated. Emma greeted Geon with a smile.
"Kay, welcome."
"Ah! Emma, it's been a while."
"It has. Funny how we live in the same zoo but hardly see each other, ho ho."
As Geon and Sean took their seats, the meal officially began. Everyone, apparently famished, eagerly dug into the food and soon started chatting over after-dinner tea. Emma watched Geon playing with Alisa for a while before broaching the subject.
"The performance... I heard it was canceled?"
The mention of the performance quieted the lively conversation among the keepers. Geon nodded with a wry smile.
"Yes, it was canceled."
"Was it the school's decision?"
"Yes, given the main conductor was arrested for an unfortunate incident, it would have been difficult to proceed. They officially announced the cancellation of this year's performance this morning."
"That's unfortunate. Not just for you and Sean but for all the orchestra members who practiced so hard."
"Probably.."
Emma paused, sipping her tea, then spoke.
"Um... Kay."
"Yes, Emma?"
"Well... I might sound a bit silly asking this, but I heard from Olivia that you've been singing to the animals every night during your stay. Is that true?"
"Um, yes, that's right. I sang while walking around the zoo at night. Why?"
"Well... It might be hard to believe, but the health indicators of the animals you've sung to have been improving."
"Health indicators?"
"Yes, it's a graph that quantifies the animals' health. Even the sick animals are showing improvement."
Sean interjected with a surprised look.
"Really? You think that's because Kay sang to them?"
Emma laughed awkwardly.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure, Mr. Lennon. But we haven't changed the treatment methods or the environment. The only new factor is Kay's singing. And according to other keepers, many animals have been sleeping better through the morning since Kay started living here."
Sean looked incredulous.
"That sounds a bit... speculative, doesn't it?"
Emma responded with a smile.
"Speculative or not, we're just grateful the animals are healthier."
Sean scratched the back of his head in agreement.
"Ah... well, I suppose..."
Emma leaned forward, looking intently at Kay.
"So, Kay."
Geon waited for her to continue.
"About that orchestra performance. Would you consider doing even just one piece here at the zoo?"
Geon looked surprised, and Sean chimed in.
"Really? A performance here? Do we have a suitable space?"
Emma glanced between Sean and Kay.
"Of course, we do. It's been three years since the last one, but we have an outdoor stage capable of hosting small concerts right in the middle of the Bronx Zoo."
Geon, still surprised, remained speechless, prompting Sean to ask.
"If we ask the orchestra members, do you think they'd perform here?"
Geon shrugged, looking at Sean.
"We'd have to talk to them. What do you think, Sean? Want to do it?"
Sean tapped the table lightly.
"Of course! We've prepared for a year for this!"
Geon looked at Emma gratefully.
"Thank you for considering it, Emma."
Emma raised her hands enthusiastically.
"Thank me? I truly believe your singing provides the animals with comforting rest. If anything, I'm the one who should be asking you."
Geon nodded with a smile, then turned to Sean.
"Sean, Damian hasn't left yet, right?"
Sean grinned.
"He got caught up drinking with Snoop last night and is probably still sleeping it off in his hotel."
Geon laughed.
"Ha, for once, I'm thankful for Snoop's hospitality. Shall we give him a call?"