PROTECT • Duty After School

Chapter 7

3rd Person POV
Jinho was just sitting here at their classroom, keeping his eyes down on the desk, staring blankly on it, as the scene earlier couldn't stop replying in his head. No matter how hard he tries to not think about it, the more it can't get off on his head, it just wouldn't leave his thoughts. He knows that he wouldn't able to sleep later, as the scenes are already starting to hunt him down.

He felt useless again, and coward at the same time as he just watched the kid gets killed by the monster, that he just watched him die, and did nothing, and didn't even try to save him. He balled his fists, digging his nails into his hands tightly, then suddenly tears falls down his cheeks, as guiltiness are starting to eat him up.

Lieutenant Lee and Ms. Park just finished talking, as Ms. Park immediately makes her way to check on the three kids on the room. Before she could go inside she saw the two boy which is Ilha, and Chiyeol through the window staring blankly at the ground, still thinking about the traumatizing scene earlier.

And what caught her attention the most was the other kid with his head hung down, that sitting at the very back. Ms. Park quickly wiped off the tears that falls down her cheeks, before opening the door and gets inside.

Ms. Park decided to approaches Jinho first, but the latter seems not realizing the presence of their homework teacher, as he didn't even look up, as he was still in a deep thoughts, more on blaming himself from what happened to Younghoon. The guilt was eating him alive.

Jinho suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, making him finally look up, with his already teary eyes, causing Ms. Park to felt hurt, "Are you okay?" She asks the kid, but of course it was a stupid question, as she could already tell the answered just by looking at his teary eyes.

The kid didn't say anything, but just burst into tears lowering his head, as his shoulder started to shakes, giving Ms. Park to have a cue to pulls him, then starts to stroke the kid's hair, and let the kid sobs on her stomach.

Tears starting to stream down her cheeks as well, as she was comforting the kid, she just can't imagine the pain of them watches their classmate gets killed right in front of them and couldn't do anything to save their classmate, and also the pain of losing someone that she already consider as her child.

Only Jinho's sobs can only hear at the room, until he slowly calms down, but still sniffing. Jinho pulls himself from Ms. Park, then wipes off his tears, as Ms. Park can only stare at him in a pitied way, before wiping off her own tears.

Jinho looked out the window, then immediately sees Lieutenant Lee, with Sergeant Kim, staring at him from outside. While watching the kid suffering again, makes the Lieutenant's heart broke into pieces. Even though he always acts cold, it can't deny the fact that he has a soft spot for the young man. If he sees the kid breaks down, it can also makes him want to breakdown as well, but his just trying to hold back himself from breaking down, as he doesn't want to show him his weak side, as he knows that the kid needed him most, that's why he keeps trying to be a strong for him.

Ms. Park walked over to Chiyeol, and gets down to see the kid's face, "Are you okay? Any injuries?" Ms. Park asks him as worries was written on her face.

The kid didn't answer her, as Ms. Park gets up and went over to Ilha to check him up also, "It's alright. I'm here for you." Ms. Park said, rubbing Ilha's shoulder, while the kid was just staring blankly at the ground.

Ms. Park went over to Chiyeol again, then sat down on his side, as Chiyeol can only looks at her with his teary eyes, "It's not your fault, guys. It was an accident. So, don't blame yourself about it. Come and talk to me when you're distressed and during class..." Ms. Park stops talking as she realized something, "You know what? You should take a few weeks off. What do you say?" Ms. Park asks the kids, but the kids only looks at her, without responding her.