BBDW 49 [Black Butterfly] - Nevereverland
Section 47, 48, 49, 50 & 51 (UNEDITED)
"Did the director treat you
well?"
"Yeah, well. She was a good person.
She has taken great care of me."
There was no special affection, gratitude,
or emotion detected in the voice of his partner who answered half-heartedly. He
gets a little flustered at times like this. Skillfully turning the steering
wheel, Tim glanced sideways at Jude. Jude had his eyes half-closed and hands
folded.
"Don't you have any good memories?
Um......there."
"Good memories? There's nothing good
or bad in particular. It was just an orphanage. I had a normal life, and everything
has been good with the kids around me. I wasn't one who started a fight. I
told you, I was a lonely kid. Fortunately, I didn't feel miserable staying in
the orphanage even though I didn't have my previous memory.”
"What, so you really haven't been
close to anyone there?"
"It's not like there’s no one,
but..."
Jude's voice was mixed with faint
difficulties. Feeling like he's pushing his partner, Tim stopped asking. Although
Jude is ostensibly lackadaisical, I was not unaware that he had a strong
tendency to distinguish people. No, rather than distinguish people, the
expression "not paying attention" might be right. Jude didn't treat
people with much concentration. I thought it was his inclination in a certain
situation, but it was his natural personality since he was young.
"It's just.....kids used to get along
when they were young. I do remember hanging out with them, but I don't think we
were very close... well, now that I think about it, they all felt inferior to
my extraordinariness?"
"Yes, yes. That's enough, Detective
Jude. So that’s it about the kids, and the teachers?"
"The teachers are so busy. There are a
lot of people to take care of, but few people in the world have a generous bowl
of love to pour warm affection on everyone. Mother Teresa isn't everywhere. As
it is, it’s just fine."
"What about the director who named
you?"
"Well, she... cared more about me.
It's a little burdensome."
Having said that, Jude stopped talking for
a while. To the point where it's burdensome? I would've done the same if I had
paid attention to you, why would it be burdensome. Does it mean that the
regulations were too strict that you think it’s burdensome? As Tim tilted his
head, Jude murmured in a quiet voice.
"......I think she had a good intention,
a little uncomfortable though.........she doesn't have to be that close.........just
treat me the same way as the rest of them..."
"-Jude? What are you talking
about..."
"-Oh! There, there, there, there! Did
you see that? The guy with the gun ran into the alley, I saw him! It's him, I'm
sure! Black jacket and blue cap!"
As soon as he turned to Jude for a very
short time, Jude shouted and leaned out in front of the car window as if he
would jump out. When Tim followed his gaze, the backside of a figure was
disappearing into the narrow alley in a hurry. Without any more time to think
about his partner's childhood, Tim ran out of the police car like an expert without
any more discussion with Jude.
*
* *
"I see.........I actually thought it
was a little weird. There's a strange sign that he doesn't get along with
people. It's okay with close friends, but he doesn't like to get stuck in
crowded places. It was always on my mind."
At Joan's serious and a little anxious
remark, Mary nodded several times in response. The young man in front of me
seemed to think of Jude sincerely. He looked well-educated and good-natured. I
must have an eye for people. In a proud voice, Mary recited to herself, and she
fiddled with her cup and spoke again.
"That's not the only thing that made
him unusual. There is another reason why I thought that child was really
unusual. I was very worried about it."
"Really? What else happened?"
"Maybe it's my imagination......but
he, I don't know, how can I explain it? I don't think he knows what fear means.
I felt like he had little sense of fear."
Joan's eyebrows moved slightly. What does
that mean? He could guess the meaning somehow, and Mary fumbled through her
memory with a slight frown to explain it in more detail.
"Children are usually scared. When
they see a fierce dog or animals, they quickly hide behind adults. But Jude was
different. Once upon a time, there was a huge stray dog that was like a rabid
dog that came into the orphanage yard. The children and the teachers were
scared and everyone ran away, but Jude dropped his stuff in the yard. It was
his favourite item, but I don't remember what it was. It must have been an
important thing, but.....without any time for the teachers to stop him, Jude
walked out to the yard casually.”
"Oh, didn't he get bitten?"
"We all thought our heart was going to
stop. I thought Jude would definitely be attacked by the dog. The 11-year-old
boy walked out into the yard showing us his back, and the world seems to be in
slow motion. When the dog growled and approached Jude, a teacher screamed.
But.....it's still amazing."
"What happened?"
Mary shrugged her shoulders and laughed. It
was still unbelievable, and she couldn't stop herself from laughing when she
thought about it.
"The dog didn't attack Jude. I guess
it's true that animals can judge those who are not afraid of them and wouldn’t
attack hastily. It just growled and looked, and didn't rush in. Rather, it even
took a step back. Maybe it was amazed that Jude wasn't afraid of it.
Jude....that boy, without stopping his steps or crying, picked up his stuff and
turned towards us. I was devastated by his expression. As if he couldn't understand
why we were holding our breath behind the door like this…..Yes, he just looked
indifferent. He came into our midst a moment later and escaped."
Joan's eyes squinted as if he was
sympathetic to Mary's laughter.
*
* *
“-Jude, watch out! He's got a gun!”
Hiding behind the cover, Tim cursed inwardly.
Of course, it was not his first time in charge of such a job since he became a
police officer, but he could not restrain the swearing from popping out every
time he had a shootout like this. Jude behind the cover not far from him clicked
his tongue irritatedly once.
"Didn’t he run out of bullets? If we
keep shooting like this, I think it's about time he falls down."
"It could be, but you can't let your
guard down."
"Oh, put up our guard and what - let's
just catch him first. How can we find him if he hides somewhere? Oh, he’s
running away! Tim, let's go!"
When the back of the blue-capped figure
began to run, Jude and Tim also ran after him. The injury was not serious, but
as the old grandmother who was in the hospital wandering between life and death, the
robber must be caught and put in jail. While running at full speed around the
corner, the blue-capped person suddenly disappeared from Tim's sight. For a
moment, he was nervous and focused on finding his trace, but suddenly he heard
an unstable voice behind his back.
"-Ooh, don't move."
Chuck! Tim
and Jude turned around, pointing their guns at the back almost at the same
time. The man with the blue cap, who stumbled in the middle road behind them,
was aiming his muzzle exactly at Jude, contrary to the precarious atmosphere.
"Me, don't follow me."
"Hey, calm down first, and ..."
"That's ridiculous. How can you tell
the cops not to chase you after a robbery?"
Jude's half-hearted remarks distorted his
face under the cap.
"No more, if you're going to come
after me, I'm really going to shoot!"
"Don't be ridiculous, you can't shoot
people. You didn't shoot her because you wanted to, did you? You were surprised
because you suddenly heard a sign of movement, weren’t you? I know, I know, so
stop and come with us."
"No, no, I'm really going to shoot
you....!"
"Forget it. If you were really going
to shoot, you would’ve just shot us instead of telling us not to move. You
wouldn't have thought we wouldn't follow you because you told us not to, right?
You know you did something wrong, right? You're scared because things got
bigger than you thought, right? We all know it, so put the gun down."
"Shut up, shut up! What do you
know?"
He's pointing at Jude with his gun as if he
was about to pull the trigger which made Tim's hand stiff. He knew well that
his partner would collapse as soon as the fire broke out from that gunpoint,
and he couldn't relax for a moment. But Jude's action the next moment left Tim
stupefied.
Placing his gun in the holster at his waist,
Jude raised his empty hand. "Jude, are you crazy?!" -- despite Tim's
low rebuke, Jude didn't respond much. Instead, Jude slowly began to approach
the man in the blue cap one step at a time. The man tightened his grip on his
gun with a fit.
“Don’t, don't come near me! I'm gonna shoot
you! Don't come!"
"No, you won't do that. You're not a
bad guy. Smart enough to know what happens if you shoot us now, right? You know
there's a better solution."
Without showing any signs of nervousness,
Jude went forward, casually speaking to him. Five years spent with his
partner and the occasional feeling that made him ill at ease intensifies again
- that was what he felt when he arrested Alvin Jones - Tim clenched his teeth
and held up his gun. Did he leave his fear in his mother's womb? Why are you
doing such a frustrating thing? Whether he knew what Tim was up to, Jude was
slowly moving closer to the man who burst into tears, loosening his grip on the
gun.
*
* *
"Haha, that's really unusual. It's an
interesting episode. Maybe he’s truly unafraid of it?"
"Yes, it could have been. But all I
was worried about wasn't just him acting like he lost his fear. That boy, he
never cried while he was in the orphanage."
At Mary's words, Joan tilted his head.
"He’s never cried? Isn't it just that
Jude was easy-going?"
"Oh, Joan, children do cry. Moreover,
children who realize that they don't have any flesh and blood to rely on, like
Jude, will cry at least once because of loneliness or whatnot. It's not just
that, they sometimes cry while playing and arguing among them. Maybe it's
because of the pain they’ve experienced while growing up, I think children hide
it in their own way but this is an orphanage. They can't help but get
caught."
It's a place where you can tell who fought
with who, and who are close-knit with who right away. Mumbling to herself, Mary
continued.
"But I've never seen Jude cry before.
It was very peculiar, an orphan, who doesn't even know his past, how can a
child who never had anyone came to see him even if we posted a huge
advertisement in the newspaper, stay in the orphanage for nearly eight years
without crying."
"Well... does that matter? He may have
been a precocious child, but..."
"You're wrong, that's a problem."
Steadily cutting off Joan's words, Mary
looked at him with her eyes full of the confidence of a woman who had devoted
her life to caring for the orphanage children. The clear blue-grey eyes were
curiously open. Looking straight into the eyes, Mary slowly threw up her words.
"-I think people who can't cry from
the bottom of their heart can’t laugh from the bottom of their heart."
"-A person who can't cry from the
bottom of his heart can’t laugh from the bottom of his heart.........that
sounds like an adage."
"Oh, I think it's pretty credible.
And......I was actually very worried about Jude because of that."
Mary wet her mouth with a cup of coffee.
Joan's blue-grey eyes were hardly blinking and fixed on Mary. The steam that
was rising from the coffee faded away little by little.
"I wasn't worried that he would not be
able to fit in with the others. Because he played well with the kids......but
he didn't seem to be having a lot of fun. As if he hated getting our attention if
he was alone, so….. it did seem a bit contrived. Oh, my God. That's too much,
isn't it?"
Seeing Mary, who was suddenly frightened – as if she was worried about Jude's job - Joan burst into laughter as he covered his
mouth with his hands. It was a bright and unobtrusive smile.
"No, it's okay. How many times have I
told you? I'm just curious about Jude's personal story because I'm a friend of
Jude. I can't keep a record of such subjective stories, so relax."
"Is that so.......That's a relief."
"Sure, would I write down something
like, 'He didn't cry when he was a child, so he’s a dangerous person' in his
record?"
Joan laughed as if it was really funny, and
Mary smiled ear to ear, lowering her hand that covered her mouth. What concern
would be better to talk to this cheerful summer breeze-like young man? He has a
good personality and is polite. Mary murmured inwardly as if she had made a
resolve to herself.
"There was definitely something
unusual about Jude. Well, it was such a subtle feeling that it wouldn't be a
problem even if you didn't pay attention. So other teachers also thought that Jude
was just a bright and nice kid who was good at getting along with his peers,
but I didn't think so."
"Oh, what did you think?"
"He was deficient in something. I told
you, right? I've never seen him cry. Sometimes, he acted as if he had slipped
out of somewhere where he left his emotions behind. It's definitely not a bright and
cheerful place. How should I say this? It's hard to express it in words. He’s just
laughing as he was suffering…..."
"He didn't seem to feel the pain in
itself?”
Mary nodded with a small exclamation at
Joan's words. This young man was not only polite but he’s also quick-witted, and
she smiled at the thought of that. A parent who has a son like this must be
happy.
"That's right. Jude was never a problem
child, but sometimes some kids were mean to him. As you can guess,
there aren't only children in the orphanage who are hopeful about their
situation and always brighten up. Some are dissatisfied and
others get upset over nothing. When they bump into such children, the
reaction that we usually see is very simple. They get angry, they break down, or
they get sad."
"How was Jude?"
"He was….He didn't seem very angry or
sad. There were signs that he would be in trouble, but he was in no particular
rush to fight back or confront them. It’s okay to say that he has a good
personality, but I don't know, an 11-year-old kid who was in favour of cursing
at him and giving him a good punch? It was hard for me to believe."
"Haha, but isn't it better than
fighting back, though?"
"The teachers gave him a big
compliment. Children who don’t make too much trouble are welcomed here, but I
was strangely anxious. I wanted Jude to get angry and being catered to by the
teachers. Well, why did he do that......... it’s weird. Why was I so worried
about the kid who just smiled when he was in trouble?"
The sight of that time flashed in her mind,
and the grey-haired middle-aged woman looked down and picked up the white cup.
The coffee that touched her lips was a little cold.
*
* *
"-Jude! Jude, what the hell happened
to you, huh?"
A loud voice echoed in the ears of Jude and
Tim, who had been stretching for a while after catching the blue cap robber who ended up crying. Jude, who always claims to lack sleep, sat with his eyes closed on a
chair with a cup of coffee in his hand, turned around and looked at the side
where the voice was heard. A dazed voice popped out.
"Huh? Huh? What? Why?"
"Didn't you hear the FBI order? You
had an interrogation this morning. You must've heard it from Roy! I just got a
phone call and I'm the one who's been pecked! Where the hell do you leave your
head that you're forgetting orders from your superior!"
The half-bald head of the Chief was red. Thinking
that it would be okay to use that as a substitute for a stove, Tim also looked
back at his stiff partner in a daze. I've never heard or receive an official
letter for that. With a face that faithfully mirroring Tim’s doubts, Jude
carefully opened his mouth and spoke to the red-faced Chief.
"Eh......Sir? Well, I don't remember
hearing that."
"What? Does that make sense? You
should have taken note of the instructions that were directed to you! What the hell
has been occupying your mind, do you think you're the only cop who's busy
running around?! Gosh, out of nowhere I had to hear my superior nagging about how to take care
of my subordinates this morning!"
The Chief, who poured out a torrent of
anger, soon went into the inner office and muttered something like a complaint
- "Why should I hear that from someone younger than me so early in the
morning…" -Tim, who had been looking at his back, turned to Jude. The
blond detective was scratching his cheek with a puzzled face.
"......what's going on all of a sudden?"
"What the hell happened, huh? Did Roy
really say that?"
"No, I didn't hear that. What kind of
interrogation is that? Alvin Jones again?"
"No, we should check it first. The
Chief doesn’t even check it, and he just starts yelling all of a sudden.....Oh,
Roy! Roy!"
Tim shouted at a young policeman with light
brown hair who had just entered the police station. As he was moving his feet
back irritatedly, he looked at their side with his head raised at Tim’s call. His
eyebrows were narrowed nervously.
"Huh? What's up?"
"Have you heard anything from the
Chief to tell Jude? Well, I heard the FBI ordered him to come to the interrogation
today?"
"......Ah."
At Tim’s words, Roy's disconcerted voice
came out of his mouth, which had been hardened like a stone for a moment. With Tim’s
suspicious eyes, Roy, who was spitting out the sound of "Oh, ah,"
soon frowned, scratching his head.
"Oh, yeah, there was. Sorry, I was so
busy that I forgot. You know my situation these days. It must have been this
morning. Why, what did you hear?"
"You call it what? The Chief just
said....."
Tim who didn't like Roy's lack of a
sincere apology -- no matter how much work and how tired he is, he should say
what he feel sorry for!-- As soon as he was about to say a word in anger, Jude
tapped Tim on the back. Looking back at his partner's face, Jude shook his head
briefly and turned to Roy with his unique sagging smile.
"Oh, well. I heard a little from the Chief.
So, what do they need me for?"
"That's obvious. What else could the
FBI find you? It's Alvin Jones. I guess they still have something they want to
hear."
"Really? I'm sick and tired of
it."
"Then I'll be on my way. I'm a bit out
of my mind because of the recent incident. Sorry, Jude."
It was not until Roy, who apologized
lightly, moved away to the other side that Tim looked at Jude with a little upset
face. In this situation, he couldn't understand Jude who only uttered lazy
words because he didn't want to go to the interrogation with a calm face. He knew
well that Jude was not hot-tempered, but he didn't realize that he would tolerate it this much.
"Why did you stop me? It's his fault,
and he doesn't even feel like he's sorry!"
"Huh? No, he’s busy. He could
forget."
"That's true, but you've been
criticized by the Chief so early in the morning and you're not getting angry at
him? Roy isn't the only one who's busy, but it doesn't make sense to use that
as an excuse. You said it before, if you're in trouble, I should settle it for
you?"
"That's enough, Tim. Thank you for
being angry, but I'm a pacifist. Let's move on, you don't have to ruin
everyone's mood, do you? Oh, I think you would have done well if you were a
priest. I think you can give Mother Teresa a business card."
So sly. Tim, who stared at his partner in absurdity,
ended up bursting into laughter. Where on earth did his unending peace come
from? Jude's face wasn't so bright as he chuckled and picked up his coffee cup
again. The voice contained as much annoyance as the caffeine in the coffee.
"-Ah, what else do they want me to
talk about? Oh, I hope it's not Jeffrey. Alvin Jones is making my life so
stressful..."
His voice wasn't so delightful. Just as he
sympathized with his partner who was distressed again, Tim reached out his hand
and swept through the messy blond hair.
* * *
Thank you so much dear ๐๐❤ when I saw the head-line saying 5 sections in one update ๐ฅฐ I was beyond happy ❤ Tnx again
ReplyDeleteI swear I'm not looking for praises but ☺ hihi you're welcome ๐๐
DeleteThank you ❤️๐ฏ
ReplyDeleteEverytime I see an update i feel super happy ๐
Tomorrow i have an exam ๐ญ but this motivated me.
Hopefully in this arc we will find out more about jude thanks to alvin's curiosity ๐
You're welcome too ☺ I guess this update is your good luck charms then ๐ค so may everything goes well. And yeah the arcs after this will be focusing on Jude too. With some twists ๐
DeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome ๐
DeleteI can’t help but feel speechless at the orphanage director.
ReplyDeleteLike, seriously, you have a good eye for people? This guy is the famous psychopath killer who you must have seen on TV you know???
And Alvin’s acting skill shock us again, he really knows how to act innocent, doesn’t he?
I agree with you that Tim is the uncrowned 2nd ML ๐
Thank you for the chapter ❤️
You're welcome ( เน‾̀◡‾́)ฯ » I'm glad I'm not the only one.
DeleteIsn't Tim straight?
ReplyDeleteYes he is. Him being the 2nd ML is just my wishful thinking ๐
DeleteI don't really see Tim as a romantic interest tbh. I like him too. He's more like a little brother trying to defend his adult big brother. Like he's getting annoyed for his sake, angry, sad, upset, happy etc. All the emotions MC can't feel are expressed by him.
ReplyDeleteHe is really cute and naive. A bit too self righteous. Like Jude always seems to ponder upon it - he is obviously a sheltered, happy child. Someone who hasn't had much experience with life and its unfair parts. With bad people. Even though he's a police officer and works with criminals, his personal life has never been touched by the dark side of humanity. Oh. I guess I'd say he's like a little child, happily playing in his little bubble, thinking that's the whole world and everything is as should be etc.