"Hey Hung, do I look good in this outfit?"
"Mm." I replied in a sleepy voice, slowly sitting up from the mattress. "You look great…"
It had barely gotten light outside, and JJ had already woken me up just to ask that question.
As for the outfit she was talking about, it originally belonged to a friend who had asked me to buy it for her. But due to some "issues," I ended up giving it to JJ instead. Since last night, she had been wearing it nonstop and kept asking whether it suited her. In a way, JJ was still like a normal girl her age.
I picked up the glasses lying beside the bed, let out a long yawn, then kicked my blanket aside. Slowly, I got up and walked into the bathroom.
Standing in front of the mirror, I gently touched the wound from yesterday. It still stung a little, but it looked like it was already starting to heal. Luckily, it had only grazed my temple and could be hidden by my hair. I had no intention of letting a scar ruin my handsome face.
Today, I would have to skip university again so I could take JJ to the hospital in the morning, then head to campus in the afternoon to retrieve the "item" I had left behind. Either way, I had already missed another day of class.
Tch, I'd probably have to ask Kolnis to send me today's materials again.
Eight in the morning.
After a light breakfast of toast and fried eggs, the two of us started getting ready to head to the hospital. At first, I planned to take her to the university hospital where I studied, so I could save some money. But that would likely bring unnecessary trouble, so I decided to take JJ to a private clinic near the nightclub where I worked.
It took quite a bit of effort to make her wear a jacket to cover her scars and put on shoes so she could look like a normal person.
Wednesday morning. The streets were quieter than usual. Clouds covered the harsh sunlight, replaced by a gentle breeze and the damp air of an approaching rain.
If I had to choose between a scorching sunny day like yesterday and a gloomy day like this, I would definitely pick the gloomy sky, even if the coming rain might drench me. Somehow, I preferred the cold over warmth.
The cool weather, combined with my laziness, made me walk slower than usual. And just like that, we missed the 8 o'clock bus.
"So we have to wait another thirty minutes." I sighed, glancing at my phone before putting it back in my pocket.
The bus stop we were sitting at was nothing more than a simple black stone bench. It didn't even have a roof. There wasn't a single person around.
The silence felt dull, so I decided to ask JJ about what happened last night.
"Hey—"
"I didn't do it."
Before I could even finish my sentence, she answered as if she had already known what I was going to ask.
"That makes sense. Your reaction yesterday did make me wonder."
According to yesterday's news, the murder happened Monday night at a park near the city center. The victim was a middle-aged man heading home after his night shift. Based on the crime scene, his body had been stabbed so many times that his face was unrecognizable. Because of that, the authorities had classified it as part of JJ's serial killings.
But that couldn't be right. That night, her target had been me. Besides, for someone who had already killed five people, there was no reason for her to deny killing one more.
After all, killing seven or eight people wasn't much different…
So blaming this case on JJ made no sense. The only explanation I could think of was: someone was taking advantage of the situation.
Leaning back against the bench, I looked up at the sky.
"How does it feel to be falsely accused of murder?" I joked.
"Huh. I never thought someone would use me like this one day. Looks like I'm famous now, aren't I?"
She smiled, then pulled her sleeve up to her nose and sniffed it.
"This jacket is yours, right? It has a very unique smell," she added.
I pretended not to hear and continued the conversation.
"Could it be someone you know? Maybe they're trying to get your attention, make you go after them?"
"I don't think so. They wouldn't make things this complicated."
"Mm." I leaned back again. Countless theories formed in my head, but none of them fit, so my brain discarded them all.
At exactly 8:30, the bus slowly rolled up to the stop. JJ and I got on, and I forced a smile as I dropped in two coins for discounted student tickets before heading to the front seats.
Just like last night, the bus was nearly empty at this hour. Usually, only tourists or people with nothing better to do took buses at this time. Which, by that logic, included me.
I put on my Soony earphones and plugged them into my phone, quickly losing myself in music to distract from motion sickness.
But the disturbance came soon enough.
JJ tugged at my sleeve.
"Isn't this wired thing some kind of brain shock device? Why are you carrying it around?"
A brain shock device? It had been a long time since I'd heard anyone mention that. It used to be used to treat depression, but not anymore.
"This?" I took one earbud out and placed it in her hand. "It's just for listening to sound. Not what you're thinking. Try it."
She cautiously picked it up and slowly placed it into her ear.
Seeing how wary she was, I decided to tease her a little.
The moment she put it in, I turned the volume to maximum.
"HEY!!!"
She yelled and jerked back, her face still shocked.
I quickly smiled to calm her down.
"Sorry, sorry. That surprised you, didn't it?"
"How can you endure such terrible frequencies?" she asked, staring at me.
"Sorry, I just turned it up earlier to mess with you. It's normal now."
I handed her the other earbud after adjusting the volume. She snatched it, inspected it cautiously, then put it in.
The song playing was "Lemon Tree" by Fool's Garden. I thought it would suit someone new to music. But judging by her expression, she didn't seem interested, so I switched to something darker and faster.
Then, just during the intro, she turned to me with curiosity.
"This is…"
"Oh, it's pretty old. 'Sweet Dreams' by Eurythmics. I heard it again recently in a movie and liked it."
"It's good. I like it!"
After a while, I glanced at JJ. She was humming softly, eyes fixed on the passing scenery. Trees, baseball fields, gas stations with ridiculous prices. Things I had long gotten used to were still new to her.
And I hoped that someday, they would become normal to her too.
"JJ, you really can't remember anything from the Institute?" I leaned closer.
"Not much. Or maybe… it's all blurry." She shook her head.
That was expected. A facility like that must have used effective brainwashing methods to prevent information leaks. How she escaped was still a mystery.
If possible, I wanted to run an MRI scan on her brain. Maybe I could find a way to reverse the effects through hypnosis or chemical therapy. It might be cruel, but it could help her recover her past.
Of course… affording an MRI was another problem.
After giving her the earphones, I felt dizzy from motion sickness and leaned back to rest.
Around nine, we got off near the hospital. JJ tossed my phone back to me and walked ahead.
"Mm… the air feels so nice."
She stretched her arms.
The bus had been hot, probably because the AC was broken. Stepping outside felt refreshing.
After taking a deep breath, I held out my hand to her.
"Let's go, Lise." I smiled as naturally as possible.
JJ looked slightly dazed.
"Your personality changes pretty fast."
"Let's go. We don't have much time. Lise." I lowered my voice. "Remember what I told you. One mistake, and things could go very wrong."
She nodded and grabbed my sleeve.
"Alright. Let's go."