Lines Crossed - Volume 1 Chapter 44 ..ask
I watched her as she was rolled away as soon as she had rounded the corner. I reached inside of my pocket and pulled out my phone, running a finger over the smooth card inside my pocket.
I hit one. The call went through immediately; I pulled the card from my pocket and frowned, staring down at Mina’s pretty face.
“Jaemin, can you run a number for me? 168354-2390779.”
“An id number?” There was a slight pause.
“She has an id? A real one? How did you get a hold of her card?”
“She dropped it and didn’t notice.”
“So you stole it.”
“I will give it back I just I need to know how she ties into everything. There was another attempt on my life today and she was just there to save me again.”
“What, that’s it I am coming to you there, I told you I didn’t need a day off. I told you to take Felix, but you never listen. Jeez. Okay, I will be there soon.”
“Okay, I understand, I could use the help thanks Jae. I am fine now, and Felix, well Miran needs him. We don’t know if they will try to attack people close to me if they can’t get to me.”
“You really think your uncle would try that?”
“I think he has failed twice and the attempts are pretty close together. I think something has sped up his timeline, maybe? It’s just a guess at this point. One thing I do know is. Wherever there is danger Mina is right there and trying to stop it.”
“I don’t know why she knows, or how she knows. Or why she is coming now, but I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for her.”
“Well, I suppose whatever has made her choose to be your guardian angel even if I don’t like a stranger coming into your life and just knowing all the places you are supposed to die, all we can do is hope that she continues to help. I will be there soon, Mark.”
“Seoul University Hospital.” Mark said then hung up.
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The nurse came in and started checking the machines, then fluffed my pillow. The entire time a sweet, genuine smile on her face. Mark sat in the chair, flipping a magazine that had been sitting on the little table in the middle of the room. Jaemin was standing looking out the window. His back turned towards me. I didn’t blame him for showing up, heck I wanted to chew off his ear for not being there when Mark needed him.
Can I just say you two look so cute in your couple outfit, when i was younger they were not around it’s so adorable. I wish I could have had that cute phase too.
“Oh no, we are not together.” We blurted in unison.
My head snapped to look at Mark. At the same time, I caught Jaemin turning around to stare at us through my peripheral.
‘How? Why? Why are we always here in these awkward situations? Why can’t I stop myself from coming to you when you need me? How do I even know when you need me?’
I stared at his strong jaw and wondered. ‘Just why Is it because I drew you, that we are inexplicably intertwined?’
Mark reached out and gently touched my arm. I winced.
“Ah, sorry I wasn’t thinking.. I dunno what’s wrong with me.” Mark tilted his head in confusion.
“Ah, sorry to interrupt, but I went to get her a new blanket and there is a huge plethora of reporters out in the hallway. What do you want us to do Mr. Wang?” The nurse said.
Mark sighed and broke away.
“Sir, I will get them to go. Leave it to me.” Jaemin said.
Mark nodded then turned back to me.
I stared at him anxiously.
“Reporters, coming to see Mark. If they saw me They would assume, a new woman they have never seen with Mark. My face would be plastered everywhere faster than I could breathe. Everywhere. And people would begin looking for the mystery girl in Mark’s VIP room. That can’t happen.” I realized I was panicking.
Mark saw my face and sucked in his bottom lip.
“Mark.. I, I, I want to say”
“You have to go.” he said.
I stared at him. “I..I… I”
He sucked in a breath.
“I can’t I can’t let you go. I.” He paced back and forth, pinching his bottom lip between his thumb and index finger.
“I am never wrong about my feelings.” The little old lady said, interrupting.
I turned to look at her.
“We really are not..” I paused as she waved my excuses away.
“I will help you two..” she pat me on the arm then clutched my shirt and dragged me out of the bed then gently towards the bathroom.
She closed the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I walked out of the bathroom wearing the nurse’s outfit, my own clothes rolled in a ball inside my hands, the nurse came out behind me wearing a hospital gown that had been hanging inside the bathroom.
I could hear Jae out in the hall arguing, that it was just Mark in the room and that he had come here after hurting his arm a little but that it was fine.
But all of us in the room could hear them insisting to come inside, insisting to see Mark for themselves, to make sure there really was no woman.
I knew Jae wasn’t going to be able to hold off that many people much longer.
The old lady grabbed my clothes and shoved them inside the couch cushions. And then motioned at Mark, he followed her motion and realized she wanted him to get into the bed.
He nodded, and motioned silently a simple okay, then followed her lead. She motioned at me, something with her fingers walking then she smacked her hand into the other making a fist. She walked over to the wall of cabinets on the side and opened a hidden door there to the room next to it.
I stared at her confused. The old lady rolled her eyes.
She pointed at herself, then motioned at the gown she was wearing. I realized she meant she was going to play a patient.
“Ah, look at my cute boy. Why are you so hurt?” She started crying out hysterically.
The sound of many people breaking past Jae and for the room followed, and a moment later they were at the door just in time to see me, picking up the old lady who had fallen to the couch while crying out hysterically, Mark stared at us both as if he were shocked to find us him his room.
I grabbed the old lady by the arm keeping my head down so my face was not visible much.
“Oh, my poor baby!” The nurse wailed. I clutched her tightly for support and fanned her gently, masking my face with concern.
Mark opened his mouth to say something but before he could, I looked up from the old lady’s face and pretended to be mortified at whose room we were in.
“Miss, this isn’t your son.”
“My Jisoo, My poor Jisoo, she cried out and beat her chest.”
I grabbed the old lady’s hand and she clutched it tightly while beating against my good arm..
“I am so sorry sir, she just barged in here. I couldn’t” I looked at Mark with pleading eyes, that I hoped he could see I was begging him not to follow us, not to leave the room.
“It’s fine, just uh,” he started
“Ahhh,” the old lady grabbed my leg and hit it three times, weeping, interrupting what Mark had been about to say.
I looked down at her. Then back up at Mark, who gave me a look.
“Jisoo isn’t here. Jisoo isn’t here anymore, Mrs. let’s go back to your bed.” I insisted. The reporters looked at us both with pity in their eyes, some of them annoyed at the interruption at what clearly wasn’t much of a story after all..
Mina turned the nurse and steered her towards the other door.
Jaemin, who had been watching everything, carefully turned towards the reporters. But I didn’t miss the little look he gave me.
“Look see, they were wrong. There was no woman. He was just alone in here, just like I had said before.” Jae insisted.
I plastered on my normal face I could, even though I felt nauseous, scared that I was about to be found out, not only by the reporters but by Mark. there wasn’t much else I could do or say to keep him off the scent much longer.
“See look guys I am fine. I thought I had hurt my arm and side, but I am okay. The report was false.”
The reporters’ faces grew upset and some sighed, putting their stuff away and slowly filling out of the room annoyed at their “Bad tip”
The empty room rang quietly before Jae closed the door, then closed the mini curtain and turned to me. I jumped out of the bed, ignoring him and went straight for the door of the next room.
I pulled the door open. The old lady smiled from the bed.
“Where did she?” I started.
The lady pointed towards the hall.
I grimaced having a feeling she had done so. I opened the door a crack and then looked both ways, a few of the reporters still hung around in the hall. One or two on their phones, complaining to their bosses.
I ducked my head then turned out of the room, timing it so that none of them were looking then I slipped away down the hall. Checking the signs carefully. There was a sign towards the main elevators. I ignored those and went for the sign that said stairwell cafeteria on it.
I shoved open the heavy blue door and looked over the railing. A small hand was on the rail moving quickly about three floors below mine. I ran down the stairs. The sound of my fashionably clunky black shoes beating against the concrete stairs almost drowned out her slower footsteps.
I peered over the edge of the railing and we caught each other’s eyes.
Mina swore under her breath before speeding up. I jumped down the stairs two at a time and caught up with her easily. My hand slipped around her wrist before she could remove it from the deep brown railing.
“Wait.”
“Let me go!” Mina cried out.
I looked into her eyes, which glazed over with worry.
“I can’t be here right now.” Mina said.
I watched her so slowly, the sound of her soft anxious breathing broke the air between us.
“What are you so afraid of? Why do you always run?”
Her eyes searched my own.
“I’m scared.”
“Of me? But you saved my life multiple times now. I owe you everything.”
“Exactly.”
‘Exactly You are always there when I am in danger. Always. How do you know Mina?’
“Ask.” her voice trembled the words out of it.
“What?”
I blinked slowly.
“How are you always there to save me?”
“You will never”
“You would never believe me. How I know the things I know.” She whispered.
“I feel it happen.”
“In my dreams.”