PITYING THE PRISONER | p.jm

f i f t e e n - c o r a

The time after the police interrogation is quite a hectic one. About an hour after the interrogation, one of the nurses calls for me. She's nice enough, and she tries to prescribe me some painkillers for my leg, but a problem seems to arise. There ends up being a lot of trouble surrounding me getting some medication because apparently, I don't exist. The Company never bothered to make my birth official, as they thought I was going to remain a part of them for my whole life anyway. I don't have a birth certificate, citizenship, or anything of the sort. I don't exist on paper.

This, of course, leads to quite a few phone calls having to be made. The nurse gets on the phone with a number she refuses to tell me, and after a hushed conversation, she informs me that everything will be taken care of soon. Some government guy shows up about an hour later, dressed in a well-tailored suit and speaking in a purely business tone. He too is a nice guy, but it's obvious that he doesn't really want to be here. He leads me into a room and asks me a bunch of questions. This goes on for an hour or so, and I can barely keep my eyes open. I haven't gotten any sleep and I'm in a lot of pain, so working with the man is pretty difficult. He's very patient with me, though, and after about an hour of questioning, he goes to get me set with all of the legal documents I require. It takes another hour for him to come back with the documents, and by the time I have them I'm dead on my feet. I make it back up to my room, and as I'm getting into bed, I hear a groggy Jimin ask, "Where have you been?"

I don't have much motivation to answer, and grumble out an "I'll tell you later" before passing out on the hospital bed.

When I wake up, it's to the sound of Jimin's voice. "We're going home, Cora. Come on, wake up."

I mumble an "Okay" in response and let Jimin help me out of bed. "What time is it?" I ask, curious.

"Six," he responds, seemingly a bit upset.

"Are you alright?" I ask him, noticing his change in demeanor.

"Yeah, I'm just upset that we didn't get to go home sooner. I really want to see the guys again."

"Well, you're going to see them now, aren't you?"

"That's one way to look at it. I'll just be happy we didn't end up stuck here any longer."

"That's my boy," I joke. "Now, help me."

"Right," he says, bringing me my crutches from across the room. We take the elevator ride down into the lobby and fill out the discharge papers, and finally, it sinks in that I'm going to be living with Jimin. As I hobble out into his company's car, I can't help but worry. What if his bandmates don't like me? What if they blame me for everything that happened to Jimin? What will I do then, if I have to live in a house with six guys who hate me and one who adores me? Would it be worth it?

I lean against the window, looking out at the streets of Suwon as they pass me by. Soon, they fade into the evening lights of the highway, and we're on our way to Seoul. I watch all of the city lights with fascination, totally immersed in the sights and sounds of the city. It's been so long since I've left The Company's complex that everything I'm seeing is overwhelming. I stare in awe at every little detail, amazed by the things I'm seeing. It's kind of magical, in a weird sort of way. It's like being dropped into a brand new world, one I'm not used to yet. I feel like it will take quite awhile for me to adjust.

"You alright?" Jimin asks, looking over at me.

"Nervous," I reply, not knowing how else to put it. "And excited."

"What are you nervous about?"

"What if your bandmates don't like me?" I ask, putting my unease out for Jimin to interpret.