INM 5 Part 8

Though it was still broad daylight, the young man had said this in a dim, secluded corner of a cafe. The intense Brisbane sunlight struggled to break through the open window, almost melting him as he stubbornly remained in the darkness. 

The loud laughter of people enjoying the moment and the cries of insects trying to burn out the moment echoed outside the window. On a bright, cloudless day. Who lived more brilliantly?

With the noise of the outside world in the background, the young man continued in a low voice.

But it’s not going to happen, Luke.

I started to say something to the young man. I couldn’t help but interrupt.

“Stop it, don’t open your mouth.”

My voice trembled pathetically. Of course, my plea didn’t reach the two of them, and the me in front of me continued to speak with gestures. The sight of myself filled me with so much anger and hatred that my vision turned red.

Without thinking, I raised my hand and shouted.

“Stop it! Please, Alan, don’t listen to him!”

As if my words had reached him, the young man looked up and smiled. He looked directly at me with his black eyes.

Could I connect with people in the gentle way you say? Could I move my life forward?

I closed my eyes tightly.

Thank you, Luke. It’s a promise.

The daydream was over in an instant and I was back in the middle of Mary Street. The face of Alan that I had finally remembered disappeared from my mind, replaced by the man staring at me through his sunglasses.

He took a step forward in very slow motion. No, it wasn’t just him. Everything in my field of vision seemed to move slowly, as if covered by a thin film. Sounds were distant, as if underwater.

In this dull world, I was only stimulated by the sharp alarms ringing from different parts of my body. It was clear that I had to leave this place immediately. However, I couldn’t take the first step to save myself.

The world gradually returned to its normal speed, and in less than a second, various scenes flashed through my mind. Inspector Robinson rubbing his forehead in annoyance, my grandmother’s less than perfect singing, a broom given to me at a friend’s house when I was young, the weight of Kasim’s body illuminated by the sun filtering through the trees.

The anguished voice of my childhood friend shook me.

Don’t let me lose you from my life…

Unconsciously, I stopped. The man’s toes moved subtly toward me. White sneakers. A slight feeling of unease seeped into my thoughts. 

Just as the man was about to step toward me, a sharp scream echoed in my ears.

Luke!

The sound exploded through every inch of my body and I jumped, turning my back on the man. Almost collapsing, I sprinted away as fast as I could.

“Grandma, Grandma, Grandma…”

My knees trembled with every step. I couldn’t push myself off the ground. I wasn’t out of shape to run that badly, and I wasn’t old enough to be unable to run. Panic alone should have made me move better. No, my hands and feet were cold, too cold to summon any strength.

In the time I’d been making excuses not to help myself, my body had frozen with fear.

As I realized this, a chill ran through me, making my legs even more unsteady.

Was the man following me? Maybe he just stared in disbelief as I ran away. I didn’t have the courage to look back and confirm it. Once again, a voice… her voice, the one I loved… struck me.

Turn right!

Without a second thought, I immediately turned right at the intersection. I almost collided with a familiar small figure, but the person quickly dodged me with agile movements. Glossy black hair flashed at the edge of my vision. 

With dark skin and symmetrical almond-shaped eyes, the young man, probably on duty, wore a crisp white shirt and navy pants that looked easy to move in. He gave me a look of amused surprise… Hail to Brisbane’s law enforcement for always showing up when you need them!

Blessing the moment in my mind, I called out to the cop with a trembling voice.

“Oliver…!”

His water-filled black eyes that had been smiling changed in an instant. Stripped of any semblance of “emotion”, his cold eyes shone with a fierceness that dominated the surroundings… or rather, overwhelmed me.

Oliver stepped towards me and then, in the blink of an eye, he flew past me. My instincts made me follow his afterimage with my eyes, and I nearly collapsed when I saw the large figure that had crept up behind me. I had hoped he had left me alone.

The man in the black baseball cap easily caught up with me without breaking a sweat and was met with a swift kick from Oliver, who seemed to leap into the air as if pulled by a wire. As if I couldn’t believe my own eyes, Mr. Baseball Cap slashed his left hand. Had I been the target, such a sharp, heavy blow would have knocked me out.

But before the heavy blow could land, a much faster spinning kick deflected the man’s left hand. My jaw dropped even lower. My whole body tingled with the exhilaration of witnessing something incredibly cool, different from the fear I’d felt earlier. 

A high, muffled sound echoed between them as Oliver landed on the ground. A beat later, a sharp metallic sound scraped against the asphalt. The grating sound bounced off the street. Even an amateur could tell that Oliver had deliberately aimed only at the man’s left hand to avoid hurting him. The difference in skill was obvious to anyone.

As soon as he landed, Oliver moved. However, the man in the baseball cap quickly assessed the situation, and by the time Oliver landed, he had already turned his back on us and started running. Oliver did not chase after him, but just watched with unwavering black eyes.

Seeing his face, I thought he looked like he wanted to go after the man, so I hesitated before speaking to the policeman.

“You can go after him.”

“No way.”

Oliver dismissed the idea as if I had said one plus one equals nine. He carefully noted the direction the man had taken before turning back to look at me. When our eyes met, my heart jumped, but his cold black eyes soon regained their usual gentle warmth.

“Are you hurt, Luke? You’re safe now.”

“What was that amazing move?”

The policeman seemed to understand my vague question perfectly. “It’s Vovinam.” he replied, and sensing that more explanation was needed, he continued.

“It’s a Vietnamese mixed martial art. I was bullied a lot as a kid.”

“You are strong.”

“Not at all.”

His extreme modesty made me laugh a little and I thanked him. Oliver smiled warmly and took his phone out of his pocket to make a call. 

“Mr. Lucas Potter has been secured. His worries appear to have been justified… Yes, I completely agree. A man in his early twenties, wearing a black baseball cap, was armed with a knife, which was confiscated. The incident took place on Albert Street in front of the Australia Post Office and he fled along Elizabeth Street towards Fortitude Valley. Please take care of the rest.

Calmly and meticulously, the policeman relayed the situation, then immediately called another contact.

“This is Nguyen, Mr. Darcy. Oh, he’s here with me now, so don’t worry. Yes, please. If you could come down to the station… I understand. Thank you.”

He ended the call and turned back to me.

“Support will be arriving shortly, so please wait a bit. After that, could you come with me to the station?”

My unease must have shown on my face because Oliver continued to explain to calm me down.

“We just need to talk in a safe place. The station is only a thirty-second walk from here. You’ll feel safer there.”

“Thirty seconds… That’s just because you run fast, Mr. Policeman.”

I muttered in exasperation and then voiced a thought that had been nagging at me.

“Hey, you’ve been keeping an eye on me, haven’t you? Knowing that I was attending the university, and now this… it’s not just a coincidence, is it?” 

Oliver gave me an exotic smile at my question. He lowered his eyes slightly and prefaced his answer with, “I can’t go into details.” before continuing.

“I heard about the incidents around you from the detective you hired. It seemed related to the case, so I paid a little attention.”

“Brian… When did he…”

“It may be unnecessary, but you might want to thank him this time.”

The old, dark feelings I thought I had shaken off returned and I fell silent. Oliver must have noticed my grimace and dejected face, but he continued calmly without changing his expression.

“Still, if you hadn’t been wandering around the station, I wouldn’t have been able to help. You’re lucky.”

I didn’t react to his words. For some reason, my happiness felt unbearably annoying at that moment.

The interrogation at the police station wasn’t as bad as I had feared. The room was a bit noisy during the interrogation, and from the conversations between Oliver and the other officers, I gathered that they were looking for the man in the black baseball cap. Still, the questioning about the man was rather cursory, and I was released after filling out a few forms during the brief interrogation.

I didn’t mention that I had any idea of the man’s identity. But as I walked toward the exit, thinking that Oliver might have already figured it out, I saw my childhood friend sitting on a black, unwelcoming bench in the hallway, fitting for a police station. The sun had completely set and the harsh fluorescent light was illuminating the room. His long legs were stretched out, causing passersby to frown, and his hands were clasped loosely as if in prayer. His usually straight back was deeply arched, and his disheveled hair almost touched his knees. 

The sight struck me deeply.

The rumpled, wrinkled shirt, the plain white walls, the dirty tiles that used to be white… everything was in harmony, like a beautiful painting. It was probably about 7 PM. It was probably the busiest time at the police station, and the environment was filled with chaotic noise. But around him, it was as if there was a noise-cancelling filter that made it eerily quiet.

I took a deep breath and forced a smile.

“Brian! I’m glad you came. Sorry to drag you into this mess at such an odd hour.”

Brian looked up suddenly and stood up. He looked exhausted. The shadows on his face were deep, and the lines around his eyes were more pronounced than usual. Somewhere inside me there was a dark satisfaction in seeing him exhausted because of me.

“I got you worried, didn’t I? By the way, is this still within the bodyguard service area?”

Brian, still in shadow, walked toward me with an unsteady gait. I thought he would scold me. That would have been easier to take. He should have yelled at me for being careless, for not telling him when I was going out, as he had told me repeatedly.

But instead, Brian just hugged me stiffly and took a deep breath.

“I found a familiar shopping bag on the way.”

Now that he mentioned it, the bag of pink grapefruit juice had disappeared from my hand. The shriveled bundle of white cloth next to Brian was my dropped shopping bag. 

Brian’s arms tightened around me. I felt his soft lips brush against my ear and shivered slightly.

“I thought you might have accepted violence against yourself again.”

“Haha, you… really…”

I wanted to laugh out loud, but my voice cracked and broke against my will. He’s such a good person. Just looking at this good person used to make me happy.

“I’m glad you’re safe. You did well to run, Luke. Thank you.”

Why is he thanking me? I almost gave up. I almost failed to save myself… if I hadn’t remembered your words, if Grandma hadn’t been with me, I might have accepted that man’s evil intent.

Because I’m hopeless.

Grandma helps me even after she’s gone, so why can’t I help anyone?

If I had fulfilled the role I was given then, wouldn’t he still be alive?

No, Kasim.

I shook my head vehemently in my mind at the young man’s resurrected words.

No, it’s not your fault. It’s mine.

That day, it was my arrogance that made me want to help him, my irresponsible words that spurred Alan on, that pushed him forward.

It was I who took away all hope from him.