12

Beyond the Veil: Kiran's Supernatural Hunt

Chapter 12: The Story of Ten Years Ago [2]

"Mom, are you ashamed to have a failed son like me? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Mom."

If any mother is asked whether she feels sad to have a son who doesn't stand out from the rest, she will always say that it's a silly question and that it's something she doesn't care about. However, for any son who has ever wondered if his mother is unhappy with his life outcome, they think every mother is lying.

Kiran felt the same way; he felt like he had lost life, and right now, he had lost the last battle for which he was still sane in the face of so many misfortunes that had happened in his life.

Baseball in his life was the only thing keeping his future centered; it was the only weight holding him back from giving up everything. Kiran focused so much on baseball because it was the only memory he had with his father, and when he thought that dream of becoming an athlete to honor his father's mind was gone, he realized that in South Korea, he could excel as an athlete. But after arriving in this country, his mother died.

A little later, his uncle fell ill, and as if that wasn't enough, he, who had given everything to secure his future, injured himself in such a way that his career as an athlete was over.

There are ways in life to give up on a dream. The first is because there is no talent, money, time, or even health, but if there is something that hurts much more than any of the aforementioned things, it's an injury.

Kiran, beyond feeling shattered, felt lost; he couldn't grasp what he would do in the future and how society would eventually consume him because he would be an outcast. At first, he excelled in both studies and sports, but when he found out his mother had died, the grades that remained above average began to fall.

Teachers understood him, and the students Kiran called mere classmates didn't care because he was considered the young star of the minor leagues. However, now that he had ended his career as an athlete, the scholarship was immediately withdrawn, and he would have to attend regular classes.

Surviving the demands of this country so that, in the end, he could have a good degree and work until he died was something Kiran couldn't afford. His uncle was no longer there; he had money but not enough, as his mother required many treatments that were by no means affordable, and considering the costs of a good university, it was something Kiran couldn't afford.

Faced with all these life adversities, Kiran seriously wondered, What now? Yes, now Kiran didn't know what to do—whether to cry, laugh, or simply let the days pass.

Kiran's eyes looked towards the mountains, and he thought of an infinity of things. He looked down and saw all the police officers, firefighters, and paramedics scared in case he decided to jump. To be honest, he didn't really want to jump or climb onto this rooftop in the first place to take his own life; instead, he just wanted to clear his mind of so many depressing ideas that crossed his head.

Some idiot must have recognized him, knew about his situation, and imagined that he wanted to take his own life at the same school where he ended his career as an athlete.

But still, looking down, Kiran thought that jumping would end all his problems. "This is nonsense," Kiran murmured with an extremely calm look.

Like any person, he had a certain respect for life, so he held back his thoughts that told him to jump without thinking much about what would happen afterward.

...

Meanwhile, various people made the most of their lives in this world full of adversities.

Emma, on the other hand, quickly climbed the stairs of the building where Kiran was causing the commotion, seemingly with no intention of stopping him. The police officers and firefighters who were at the entrance and along the stairs tried to stop her.

"I'm his friend; they told me to come as it would be useful for the negotiation; don't stop me." Emma spoke quickly as she advanced, avoiding being stopped. Although she was called silly or useless in class, she is really intelligent in critical moments.

At the same time, outside the rooftop door, Detective Colin was sweating profusely and continued trying to engage in conversation to stop Kiran: "Don't worry, I'll talk from here and won't move towards where you are."

"Try to relax!"

"Don't move your buttocks so much, as it might cramp."

Boom!

Upon hearing a slight commotion at the entrance of the rooftop, Kiran became interested and turned his head just to see a girl he had never talked to before.

"Emma?" Kiran murmured, slightly confused—what was this girl doing on the rooftop where he was? No, the better question is: how did she get in with so many police officers at the rooftop entrance?

Although Kiran had never had a conversation with this girl, Emma's fame preceded her, but it must be said that this fame was not the best of all, as it only circulated among whispers of students who had spare time to criticize the lives of others. Therefore, although Kiran wasn't interested, he had heard others talk about Emma.

Emma didn't take the time to greet anyone or to explain why she was here, so without looking at Kiran, she took a chair from a broken armchair that was on the rooftop and brought it to the edge of the building.

"Hey, you!"

"Hey, hey, hey!"

"Hey! Hey..."

"Hey, student! Wait! Who are you? Are you his girlfriend?" Detective Colin asked, looking at Emma with doubts written on his confused face. Due to the fear that Kiran might decide to jump suddenly if he approached, he stayed in place with no possibility of intervening to stop the girl who had entered without prior notice.

"Not at all!" Emma replied without looking at the nearly collapsing detective.

However, the frozen gaze of the detective was not enough for Emma to realize, and as she climbed onto the ledge where Kiran was sitting, she spoke to him once she got close: "Hey, I can't go home because of you!"

But after not hearing any words from the detective, she turned to Colin and said, "Detective, I'll talk to him for a moment; stay right there and just watch as I handle this."

"Heavens, what's wrong with the students at this school?" Colin wondered, losing almost all his sanity. Without the chance to move, he simply watched. He hoped that this girl would help a lot in the decisions the student Kiran would make.

Next to Kiran, Emma sat down. Looking at the sunset in the distance, she asked, "Are you thinking of jumping because you can't play baseball?"

Kiran, who was looking into the distance as if nothing mattered, was surprised to know that Emma knew him. So he responded with a slow voice, "It's not that... I came up to get some air because I felt frustrated, but an ambulance and a police car suddenly entered the field."

"Who was the idiot who reported me?"

Kiran was not at all agitated. He just looked without understanding everything that had happened so far, just because he decided to get some fresh air.

"To be honest, I'm just watching to find out how far they can go... After all, I have nothing better to do right now," explained Kiran, looking at the police officers and firefighters moving back and forth under the building.

"Is baseball the only thing you can do? Don't you have something else to do?" Emma asked naturally, as if she and Kiran had been friends for a long time.

"Of course not. That's all I've done in my life. And I was pretty good at it too. Would you be okay if this happened to you?" Kiran asked, looking at the police officers below, adjusting the cushion to save lives with great concern.

"I've never done anything in my life, and I've been fine until now." Emma replied, thinking about her own problems.

"It's easier if you've never done anything; you wouldn't understand the pain of losing something you've worked for since you were a child," murmured Kiran, feeling misunderstood.

"I've been in a hospital for a long time, and I know from experience that once the torment is over, it becomes a good memory," said Emma, with old memories passing through her mind.

"But I'll never be able to play baseball again. My life, as I know it, is over. I don't even know what to do with my future, you know?"

"I don't know what to do..."

Kiran was still shattered after coming to terms with the fact that his bright future had shattered. Looking at Emma, he inevitably asked, "And you, then? What are you going to do with your future?"

"Until last week, I wanted to be a nurse. Now, I'm thinking of becoming a civil servant."

"I need a stable income to live independently, but I keep changing my mind over the days," Emma said, unsure, as if what would happen in the future didn't matter to her.

"See? You also feel uneasy because you're two years behind in school... In the end, we just suffer with the fate we've been dealt," said Kiran, making her see that she was also in a similar situation to him.

"No!"

"I'm saying our future comes with many options," Emma said, getting up from the edge of the building.

"Alright, do what you want regardless of the results. Anyway, you have nothing to lose," Emma said, extending her hand to Kiran, who was sitting.

Smiling, Kiran accepted Emma's hand as he stood up from the edge of the building. It must be said that talking to someone made him feel less upset; maybe that's what he needed in the first place.

"As I did..." Emma said, suddenly pushing Kiran off the building.

"What?" Kiran felt his body falling into the void, and in the first moments, he couldn't think clearly about the situation he was in.

"Oh?"

"Ahhhh!!!"

Kiran fell down, and his gaze didn't leave Emma. At that moment, he understood and knew that all he wanted was to live, no matter what would happen tomorrow.

The fall that lasted only a few seconds for Kiran, who was the one falling, was maybe minutes.

Boom!

Upon falling on the life-saving cushion, Kiran was stunned for a few minutes. Ignoring the pain in his body, Emma's last words echoed in his head over and over.

The police officers and firefighters moved quickly to check if the student was okay.

"Help him."

"Are you okay?"

"Be careful with his neck."

Detective Colin on the rooftop was dumbfounded, confused, and frozen. His gaze didn't leave Emma. "Just now, the student who intended to jump off the building ended up being pushed by the student who claimed to want to help that troubled student...?"

"Oh? It's not like that, sir," Emma said, looking at the detective who was staring at her strangely. She quickly tried to explain what had happened.

"I deliberately calculated the fall so that he would land on the cushion; he'll be fine. To be honest, I don't want any reward for being a good citizen."

The detective, on the other hand, remained motionless, still staring at Emma in disbelief.

...

After the commotion caused by Kiran was resolved, all the students quickly left their classrooms and headed home, while some others wanted to see what had finally happened with Kiran and the police.

"Woooo!"

"Woooo uuuuuu!"

Kiran looked towards the noise of the commotion, seeing Emma being brought by Detective Colin in handcuffs.

"Alright, we'll talk there. Hey!" The detective said he saw Emma running towards Kiran.

"Kiran, tell that man you don't want to press charges. He's trying to arrest me; you know, I can't go to prison." Emma said she was concerned.

"Hey, Emma... Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Kiran asked naturally, while smiling.

"Eh?" Emma was taken by surprise.

Kiran felt it; he believed that both now and in the future, he would be romantically attracted to this girl, who left a very strong impression on him. It's not that he enjoyed sadomasochism; at least, he hadn't discovered it yet, so he didn't know anything about that term. But obviously, it wasn't that. Many more things were involved in this choice.