Chapter 16: The Test
‘Taeyoon?’
What is he doing here? Don’t tell me he is-
I open my mouth to speak when he suddenly, out of rush, acknowledges our presence as if he doesn’t know me at all. His actions telling me not to proceed with what I am about to say.
“Good morning. I am Doctor Ri Tae Yoon,” he spells out his name confidently with a mild smile on his face which changes into a momentary discomfort when his eyes fall upon me. His eyes imploring. Whatever he wants to say, I’m keeping my mouth shut this time so he need not worry.
“Good morning, Doctor Ri! I’m Hong Soo Hyun,” she extends her hand which he accepts in return. Giving her a gentle bow and quickly returning his gaze in my direction. As I don’t know what to say at that moment, Soo Hyun speaks for me and smartly leads the conversation as we go out of the door. Tae Yoon fixes a look of interest on his face with what she is saying, making Soo Hyun more enthusiastic.
We have reached the end of the corridor when Tae Yoon turns to Soo Hyun suddenly.
“Wait, I forgot to take my locker key to Ms. Seo Min’s table, can you get it for me?”
Too happy to be obliged, she heads back to the HR room. After making sure that she’s far enough, Tae Yoon suddenly pulls me gently into a corner, staring at me unbelievably.
“Why are you here?” he asks, though the answer is obvious.
I left the house early this morning without telling him where I am going. My phone vibrated a lot of times and even without sparing a look at it, I know that those came from him.
“What about you, why are you here?” I ask in return, though at the back of my head, I already have assumptions why he’s wearing a doctor’s uniform instead of the usual civilian clothes detectives wear.
“I was contacting you since this morning, don’t you have your phone with you? Or are you ignoring my calls?” he asks with a slightly raised tone.
“The latter,” I reply coldly.
He lets out a deep scoff and stares at me impatiently.
“Okay, I’m starting work here today,” I say, to appease him, “Now, answer me why are you here.”
“You are undercover, right?” I ask when he did not say anything but just stared with his usual stoic air.
“Stay out of it. I want you to act like you don’t know me,” he tells me.
Squinting my eyes, I let out a smirk and say: “I will do that... if you agree with what I’m going to say.”
His brows narrow this time and gave me a questioning look.
“What do you mean?”
***
“I should try my luck today. Yoon Ma Ri doesn’t know how to give up! Fighting!”
Walking down the slope of the hillside, I strutted ahead with a renewed hope and vigor. Suddenly, a hooded guy with a black face mask appeared in front of me and snatched my bag. So much for my positivity.
“Yah! You robber!” I screamed and then ran after him. Good thing I was wearing something light today.
He ran swiftly and turned left to a near alley where I followed suit. The end of the alley opened up to another street where he quickly sprinted. He’s too fast for me so I have to do something. I grabbed a plastic garbage cover and threw it directly to him before he could cross the street. It hit the back of his knee, a critical part that made him stumble on the ground and moan in pain.
Unfortunately, before I could even reach him, another guy, who seemed to be waiting for him, took my bag away.
‘Ugh!’
This one was slower so I caught up easily with him. But although slow, he was surprisingly very agile that he had managed to avoid my clutches.
When he turned to another alley, surprisingly, he slowed his pace and stopped in the middle. He turned around to face me and I stopped, panting from running and trying to figure out his scheme when another man appeared behind him. A taller and leaner man with black overall as well. They looked like young street thugs.
“Hey, kids! Return the bag to me if you don’t want to get hurt,” I yelled as I caught glimpse of the dead-end behind them. They have nowhere to run to. The idea of it being strange was immediately pushed back at the back of my mind when the tall guy started to walk toward me in confident strides. I took my button-down wool sweater off, stretched it out to its full length, and rolled it like a whip, holding both its ends. One thing I learned from action school was to grab anything within reach and use it as a weapon.
He lunged forward the moment he reached me and threw his right fist which I dodged, entangling the hand with my sweater in the process. Quickly, I gave him a sharp knee kick above his lower abdomen area and while wincing, I pulled his right arm hard and bound it on his neck. I grabbed his left hand and turned underneath it to twist it, shifting our stances. He shouted in pain.
The second guy started to approach us and so I smacked the tall guy down to the ground. His hands still twisted. I tighten my grip and he howled in pain, threatening the second guy who was already two paces near us.
His eyes grew wide with alarm and gestured that he will hand me back the bag instead. Holding the guy in one hand and pinning with my knee, I stretched my hand and grabbed the end of the bag, I pulled it but he wasn’t letting it go. It wasn’t his intention to give me the bag after all. It became a struggle as he tried to empower me on his end. After three pulls, I let go and as he fell backward from the unexpected release, I reached up to him and pushed him with a high kick, slamming him on the empty old barrels behind him.
I picked my bag from the ground and when I stood up, two arms restricted me from the back. Holding me in a strong grip.
‘Quick recovery, I see.’
Resisting, I reached up to grab his head, throwing his cap away and digging my fingers into his scalp and he yelped in pain. I stomped his feet and spun him around in front of me, not letting go of his hair. The second guy struggled to stand up and when he did, I immediately flung my arm over his head to catch him. They were moaning in pain but strange enough, they weren’t fighting back anymore.
“You, thieves! Don’t you have anything better thing to do, huh?!”
They were helplessly struggling when a clap resounded at the entrance of the alley. Astounded, I turned my head to the direction of the sound and there I saw Detective Pyo Ji Soo, clapping. Beside him, the hooded man a while ago - Ji Sook, smiling at me and leaping at the same time.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“Aww, noona! Let go of me now,” the second guy pleaded.
“Yoon Ma Ri, you can let go of them now,” Ji Soo said as he advanced a step.
“Not when you tell me what’s happening,” I said firmly. But overtaken by the sight of the two bellowings from pain, and also somehow having the idea who they were, I let them go at once.
“Jun Ki?” I exclaimed when the tall one took off his face mask. I turned to the second guy and he was what I have expected, “Yeong Ho!”
They smiled at me amid the pain they were enduring. What were they doing here? And, why did they snatch my bag?
“Wow! You’re really incredible, Ma Ri noona!” Yeong Ho commented under his breath, giving me a thumbs up. While Jun Ki stretched his neck and hands without saying a word.
“Alright... now, tell me what’s this ruckus is all about before I get so pissed off!” I thundered out of guilt.
“A cool coffee can cool you down, Yoon Ma Ri,” Ji Soo said.
Minutes later, I found myself sipping my cold-brew latte in front of the four people who created a grand plan to mess with me today. What’s the word they used again, “test”. And looking at the result in front of me; a scratch on one cheek, pain relief patches over aching body parts, an almost dislocated arm, and cotton in one hole of the nose. I don’t know if I should be elated the same way Ji Soo was while talking. I wonder if he could talk that way if he was in his men’s position right now.
So yeah, to sum it up, based on my performance, I passed their test and now was qualified as a civilian agent. I have to say that the compensation was very tempting, I almost forgot I was talking to police officers when Ji Soo laid out the package like an illegal recruiter. But of course, this was legal. I couldn’t help but say yes. After all, I love adventures.
“Alright, count me in!” I said.
“But... we have something to settle first,” Ji Soo started. Making me lean forward with full attention.
“You have to get Detective Tae Yoon’s to say yes first. You know, he’s such a stubborn dude.”
* * *
“What?!”
Surprised by what I said, Tae Yoon looks like he is hearing a piece of ridiculous news with his horrified face.
I stand up straighter to meet his gaze, telling him that I am damn serious.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone