A Simple Happening
"Officer, shouldn't I be going in there?" The policeman glanced at the iron bars I'd pointed to and shook his head.
"No, miss."
"Then do I have to pay bail?"
"You haven't even been detained. Why would you pay bail?"
"I shot a gun, though."
"····Just leave quickly. This isn't a playground."
In Korea, this would have flipped the country upside down twice over, but the officer just waved his hand like I was a nuisance. To him, it was probably just another minor incident in the vast expanse of America.
Left with no choice, I stood up and started walking down the hallway to leave. A man in a suit who had been sitting on a bench rose and approached me.
"Hello, miss."
"Neng."
Even though we'd never met, the word "miss" sent a wave of unease through me.
"There won't be any problems, so you don't need to worry."
"Why not?"
"Because we slipped some money to the investigator."
"Why?"
"So the prosecutor with jurisdiction can issue a non-prosecution decision. Since you fired a gun and someone was hit, we can't avoid prosecution entirely for the sake of appearances."
"Why?"
"You little troublemaker. Once this is over, stop by the old man's house. You're in for a scolding, he says."
"I'm screwed."
I didn't even need to ask who it was. I already felt thoroughly scolded.
"By the way, who are you?"
"I'm the lawyer the old man sent."
"Ah····. So there's really no problem?"
"Of course. The media is being handled as we speak, and as I said, the prosecutor has already issued a non-prosecution decision."
He smiled brightly while casually dropping spine-chilling information.
"What's prosecution?"
"When there are facts constituting a crime, the prosecutor with authority files charges regarding those facts. In your case, you have a strong self-defense argument on the favorable side, but there could be an issue of false accusation on the unfavorable side."
"Aha. I don't really get it, but it means I'm fine, right?"
"Of course. Aside from the gang members you shot constantly trying to commit suicide, that is."
"I put a suggestion in their heads to do that."
The self-proclaimed lawyer's ever-smiling face froze solid.
"The old man mentioned something similar happened with a senator····."
"Want me to show you?"
"····Yes?"
Thwack! The lawyer's eyes instantly glazed over, and he raised his hands to start strangling himself.
"Kgh····. Krrk····."
"Shadow."
─Click!
"Stay put."
Shadow melted into the lawyer's shadow and vanished.
Thwack!
"Hah!"
His eyes regained their color as he gasped for breath, his face filled with shock.
"Cool, right? I use it when hunting monsters."
"·····."
"You should try catching a lawyer too. You get experience points."
"I'm fine, thank you····."
Even in this day and age when few people believe in unscientific things, he quickly smoothed out his stiffened expression and smiled again. His composure proved he was someone who worked beside the old man.
"I left a suggestion that if you talk nonsense, you'll strangle yourself again."
"····I'll keep that in mind."
"You really don't have to."
"No, I must."
"Neng. Anyway, thanks for helping."
"Don't mention it."
After finishing our conversation, the lawyer rummaged through his pocket and handed me a business card.
"If anything comes up, please contact this number. I'll come running as fast as I can."
"Wow, thank you."
"Yes."
The way he stared at me with those beady eyes really rubbed me the wrong way. The more I looked at him, the more a sticky, unpleasant feeling welled up.
Leaving the lawyer behind, I stepped out of the police station. A crowd of people with worried faces had gathered.
"Ga-eul!"
"Neng."
"Are you okay? What happened?"
"They said it wasn't a big deal and not to worry. The prosecutor issued a non-prosecution decision."
"Eh? Even if you rush something like that, it usually takes a few weeks. How did it happen so fast, like roasting beans over lightning?"
"I guess so. I kind of wanted to try out jail time once, you know?"
"Yeah!"
I vigorously petted Baek Seol, who had scurried down to me, and she flipped over to show her fluffy belly. Such a brave rabbit.
"Aigoo, the kid's saying weird things again. Good thing it worked out."
"But what about our stream? Can we keep going?"
"We can keep streaming. What's the problem?"
"I mean, I shot someone. And it's really okay?"
"Well, our country's sensibilities are the complete opposite of guns, so even if it gets noisy back home, it doesn't matter here. It only got a brief mention at the end of the news, and no one really cares."
Not everyone, but most of the people around me were smiling. It was the exact opposite of what I'd expected. If I were in their shoes, would I have been able to smile? Of course, some of them probably felt fear too. It would be abnormal if they didn't.
"Aren't you scared? I shot someone."
"Do you think we're heartless beasts? We clearly saw you take the lead."
"Hmm. I guess so?"
"I've got a mountain of questions, but I'll hold off for now. Also, watching a mop handle get driven into someone's body was pretty gory. I'm gonna have trauma."
Even as he said that, he was chuckling. He was probably trying to lighten the mood for my sake.
─Puff, puff.
"Huu─"
When I exhaled cigarette smoke, the people watching me made strange faces.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's weirder seeing you smoke than seeing you shoot a gun. You look like a soft little dessert, so it really doesn't suit you."
Everyone nodded in agreement with Uncle Woo-hyuk's words.
"Want one?"
"Nah, I'm good. I've been off them for a while now."
Clap, clap.
While we were chatting in front of the station, PD Kang's clapping interrupted us.
"Since it looks like everything's resolved, let's resume the stream."
"Is it really okay to keep going? I feel like I ruined everything."
"Actually, it's better this way? Plus, the camera was shaking so much it didn't even capture it properly. Don't worry too much."
"Umm. Neng."
Vrrrrng—!
───
Miss, cleaning's done.
[Jeremy Farrell]
───
Looks like the cleanup went smoothly too.
"Huu─"
After PD Kang gave a few instructions, the staff began moving busily. I waited a moment, then he gave me a finger sign. I guess that meant the stream was back on.
"Hello, viewers. Not the host···· but Han Ga-eul."
"Ga-eul, there was an incident, right?"
PD Kang naturally picked up the conversation and guided the flow. Pros really were different.
"Ah, right. There was some trash, so it took a while to clean up. I have this condition where I can't stand anything dirtier than me. Kind of like how smokers hate secondhand smoke—selfish, I guess."
"Man-seung, is this okay to broadcast?"
"Umm····. Yeah, probably····."
"Alright, enough of that. Let's get the stream going. Ga-eul, hand that over."
Thud! Uncle Woo-hyuk snatched the cigarette I'd been holding in my mouth out of habit and stuck it in his own.
"Hey! That's my cigarette!"
"A little runt like you shouldn't be smoking. Puff— Ugh, dizzy."
"You said you quit, Uncle."
"It was because of a wild filly like you."
"Aww, you just wanted to smoke anyway."
PD Kang was covering his face with his palm, head bowed low. I guess this wasn't included in the "free and show everything" concept he'd been talking about for this stream.
"Man-seung, hang in there."
"Yeah····."
Uncle Kwak Jin patted PD Kang's shoulder as he crouched in front of everyone else.
"Anyway, we should probably speed through the next schedule. We're really behind because of me."
I'd originally thought about taking it easy and visiting some tourist spots after arriving in Flagstaff, but since it was a small town, there wasn't much to see anyway. If we delayed any longer, the sun would set. One thing was certain: the public safety here was far worse than where I'd lived.
"So what are we gonna do?"
At Uncle Kwak Jin's question, everyone turned to look at me.
"I get to decide?"
"If it's too much pressure, just think of it as giving your opinion."
"Umm····. For now, unless it's a big city, we probably shouldn't do outdoor activities at night."
"Right."
"We've still got a long way to go. Let's save sightseeing for tomorrow and head straight for lodging."
I'd been told to give my opinion, but I was the only one talking. Still, after going through that dangerous situation, no one objected to my suggestion of prioritizing safety.
"Then where should we stay?"
"Kids, help."
"Ah, why are you like this? We're traveling together, aren't we?"
"Yo."
"Yo."
"Isn't the Grand Canyon a national park? Are there lodges inside?"
When we needed help, the viewers immediately gave us answers that were right on the mark.
"As expected, collective intelligence. What do you two think? They say there are lodges inside the Grand Canyon."
"That sounds great?"
"Call. But I'm hungry."
"Since we're out west, should we stop in Flagstaff for some Southwestern food on the way?"
"What's that?"
"You know chicken tikka masala in England? It's curry, but it's been localized for so long that it's treated as British local food. Southwestern style is the same kind of fusion."
"What even is that·····. Before that, Ga-eul, what do you do?"
"Neng?"
Uncle Kwak Jin, who had been staring at his phone, tilted his head and pointed a finger at me.
"She's good at cooking? A pudding-looking kid who smokes like a chimney?"
I couldn't tell if it was an insult or a compliment.
