At that moment, the officer stopped in front of us. He took a small breathalyzer device out of his pocket. His face was expressionless, his gaze stern, his voice devoid of any emotion as he said:
"Put your mouth on this device... Breathe deeply."
He sighed after a few moments of waiting, then raised his head and said:
"Enough. We have confirmed the result... Come with us to the police station."
The young man froze in his place, as if time had stopped. His mind was racing: What have I done? Why did I listen to that strange girl inside me? Why did I agree to come in? Why did I sit at that table? Why...?
But a harsh voice cut through my thoughts:
"Come on... Get out of the car."
I opened my eyes in surprise:
"What? Why?"
The officer replied sternly:
"You have both been arrested. You were publicly intoxicated, and he was driving under the influence of alcohol. You are both responsible."
I turned to the young man, my voice faltering:
"But... but you were the one drinking and driving. What do I have to do with it?"
He shot me an angry look, his voice sharp as a sword:
"You're heartless! Just get me down and stop arguing with me!"
Then the doors opened, and we were all taken out. We walked with heavy steps until we reached one of the offices in the police station. The metal chairs were cold, and the air inside was filled with the smell of old paper, sweat, and rust. We sat there while the officers filled out papers at their desks.
The atmosphere was tense. I looked at him, the young man who started thinking, rubbing his forehead, then said angrily:
"Damn it... I'm going to lose my job because of you, you crazy girl! Why did you ask for two bottles at once?"
I lowered my head, but something inside me refused to accept the blame.
I... am not solely responsible. You're the one who brought me in there. You're the one who drove the car. You're the one who let me drown in this mess.
A young policewoman with stern features stood in front of us, lifted her head from the paperwork, and called out in an official tone:
"Name."
The young man raised his head hesitantly:
"What? Are you asking me?"
She replied indifferently:
"Yes. Name."
The young man took a deep breath and said:
"My name is Ji Hoon."
The policewoman wrote down the name, then raised her gaze again and said:
"How old are you?"
He answered, breathing heavily:
"Twenty-two."
Then he added agitatedly, as if trying to regain control:
"Hey, officer! When will you give me back my car keys?"
The policewoman raised an eyebrow and said coldly:
"You won't get them back now."
His voice rose, almost shouting:
"What? Why? It's my own car!"
She snapped sharply:
"Be quiet! You are accused, and you will stay here until we finish the investigation!"
Silence prevailed for a moment. Then she turned to me, looked at my face, and asked:
"And now... what is your name, miss?"
I was in a bad state, my face red from the effects of alcohol, my heart beating wildly. The words came out stammering:
"Are... are you my mother? Or what? Why are you asking?"
The policewoman exchanged glances with her colleagues, then said with sarcasm mixed with seriousness:
"She seems completely drunk. Well... maybe we'll find something in her jacket. Let me search her."
She approached me with quiet steps, reaching out her hand to search my pocket.
At that moment, something inside me flared up. A feeling of rejection, a feeling of rebellion. I didn't want anyone to touch my body or my things.
Suddenly, I grabbed her wrist firmly and pushed her hand up. Then I twisted my body and threw her to the ground!
Her body hit the metal floor, and the sound of her fall echoed in the room, creating a moment of terrible silence.
All eyes were fixed on me.
The officers were astonished. One raised his eyebrow in shock, another dropped his pen on the desk.
As for the young man, Ji Hoon, his mouth fell open in disbelief, and he said loudly:
"No way... What did you do? You... you knocked down a policewoman!"
The light gradually faded before my eyes, and the world began to spin like a wheel that wouldn't stop. My body couldn't take any more; the alcohol had crept into every nerve, extinguishing my consciousness like a candle snuffed out on a stormy night. My head fell onto the table, then I slowly slid down until I found myself drowning in pitch-black darkness.
I fainted.
At that moment, overlapping voices rose around me, quick footsteps, and successive orders. The police crowded around me, while Ji Hoon bit his lip, trying desperately to explain the inexplicable.
One of the policewomen leaned down to check my breathing, then raised her head and said:
"She's still breathing... just lost consciousness from the alcohol. Her body is weak. Maybe she's a minor."
She raised her gaze towards Ji Hoon, her voice stern:
"You. Who are you to her? Do you know who she is? Who her family is?"
The young man was terrified, as if caught for a crime he hadn't committed. He raised his hands, puffing out his chest, trying to stall:
"I... uh... I mean... I don't know who she is, I swear."
The policewoman narrowed her eyes, reached out and grabbed his arm that was hurt from the earlier incident, squeezing it hard until he winced in pain, and said sternly:
"Don't try to be evasive. This girl doesn't look ordinary. Her features suggest she's just a teenage student, yet she acts like a gangster. Tell us the truth: Who is she?"
Ji Hoon cried out in pain:
"I told you... I don't know! I met her by chance, I don't know anything about her family, not even her name!"
But the policewoman wasn't convinced. The officers exchanged glances, and questions started raining down on him:
· "So, is she your girlfriend?"
· "What? No!"
· "Your friend, then?"
· "Also no!"
· "A study colleague?"
· "I said I don't know her!"
One of the officers raised an eyebrow, then said coolly:
"Strange... If she's not your girlfriend, nor your friend, nor even a colleague... then why is she with you? Why was she in your car?"
Ji Hoon answered quickly, trying to escape the trap:
"She got into my car by herself... She didn't know her way back home, so I agreed to give her a ride. I swear she asked me to!"
One of the officers laughed sarcastically:
"A minor! Strange appearance... Doesn't know her way home... Gets in a car with a man she doesn't know... And drinks alcohol until she passes out?"
The policewoman who was interrogating him stepped closer and slammed her hand on the table, saying:
"This means only one thing... You're a kidnapper!"
Ji Hoon's expression froze, and his heart nearly stopped.
"What?! A kidnapper? You're mistaken! I didn't kidnap anyone! I swear she rode with me willingly!"
But his defensive words seemed weak; no one listened to him. The officers approached him, grabbed his hands, and put them in handcuffs, the sound of metal ringing in his ears.
He shouted in despair:
"Damn it! This is insane! You don't understand...! I'm just a driver! All that happened is that I drove the car after we had a little to drink... I have nothing to do with her!"
Nevertheless, the policewoman wrote in her report coolly:
"Suspect: A 22-year-old male named Ji Hoon. Preliminary charges: Kidnapping a minor, and public intoxication."
As the officers dragged him to another room, his eyes trembled with fear. He looked at the unconscious girl and whispered through his teeth:
"You idiot... You've ruined my life... and you don't even know my name."
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