Chapter 5 The Unexpected Call

Russel's POV

Konna koto ii na, Dekitara ii na. Anna yume konna yume ippai aru kedo. Minna minna minna. Kanaete kureru. Fushigina Pokke de kanaete kureru. Sora wo jiyuu ni tobitai na.

As my phone rings, I hear the first few lines of a song from my favorite cartoon, Doraemon.

"Damn, annoying!"

The phone kept ringing, which woke me up. I still have an exam tomorrow, so I went to sleep early, but this monster who doesn't sleep at night doesn't care about me. I got mad, so I picked up the phone from the table next to my bed to see who was calling. Still, the light from the screen blinded me.

"What did I do to this pervert to deserve this punishment?" I said, irritated. I answered with a yawn.

"You have nothing to do, do you? What do you know about..." I couldn't finish what I was going to say because I dropped the phone when I heard a gunshot on the other line.

I was shocked and frightened. When I heard the gunshots, I thought someone was shooting at me. I checked my phone and saw that Daniel was still on the other line. My heart felt like it was about to explode.

'What is going on? Why was someone shooting? Who's it?'

I started to feel my heart race and my breath quicken. A little shaky, I picked up my phone and inched it closer to my ear. The air was suddenly sucked out of me. Sounds of gunfire and human speech are coming over the phone line.

"Sir Daniel!"

The sudden, piercing wail caused me to grab my chest. Warm liquid was dripping down my face.

"Shoot him!" I could hear Daniel's voice. When Daniel is joyful, furious, or experiencing any other emotion (besides concern), I can recognize it in his voice. But I couldn't move my entire body at that time.

"Did that pervert do it on purpose to scare me?"

Wait. Am I scared? Why should I be afraid of that pervert? No. I need to calm down. God! It is all in my head.

"Run! Run!"

"Hide! Hide!"

It was like watching a movie with the volume turned up.

"Shit!"

"That's just a close shot. Not to worry."

I can't take this any longer. After hanging up, I grabbed my water bottle and gulped it down.

"Lord, I don't know what is going on. But please save Daniel."

--

Daniel's POV

"Turn to the right!"

A series of bullets causes me to flee quickly for cover. I ducked behind the massive stack of logs. One of my colleagues was shot, and I had to abandon the others to go after the culprit. Whoever is in charge needs to be caught.

I swiftly reloaded my gun and resumed firing at the enemy. The explosion may be heard from quite a distance. The suspect we were after had just left, so I quickly followed him. A bright light and a strong wind greeted me when I got out of the helicopter. They also shot more than one time. As soon as I heard gunfire, I sprinted back inside and crouched behind a wall.

The chopper finally lifted off a few seconds later. I aimed, but it sped away before I could fire. I was panting while watching the helicopter fly away.

"Sir, are you okay?"

I looked around my group. "How are you all doing? Who hasn't gotten hurt?" I asked.

"Only Marquez, sir."

"Collect the dead bodies. I called the other team, and they're coming up here."

"Yes, sir."

When my team left, my senior approached me, turned to the others, put his arms around me, and pulled me away just a little bit.

"Joseph Atienza got away, and because of what we did, they will be more careful with every step they take, making it harder for us to follow them."

"I will tell my next plan to the team. We need to get that bastard."

"From now on, the two teams assigned to arrest the mobsters' syndicate members will report directly to you."

I was surprised by what my senior said. We're both working on that case, and I'm now in charge of both teams. If the unit can catch the gang, we will get promotions, just like when we captured the Lee couple.

--

While taking a break, I looked at my phone, which was in my pocket. During the operation, I used two phones: an Android phone and a phone with an easier-to-use keypad. I'm checking my phone as I drink water. I would have called my maid, always on call, to clean the house before I got there. It was morning, and the sun was up, so everyone in the city was already awake.

You don't have enough credits to make the call.

"What the heck?" I haven't gotten used to my load yet." I said.

Kim replied, "Maybe your service provider ate it."

"Is it true?

"Check to see if you called anyone."

I frowned and looked at my call list. I was surprised to see Russell's name and how long the call had lasted.

"What the heck?"

I grabbed my other phone and immediately called Russell. She is probably up because she needs to get ready for school. It rang several times before she answered.

"What do you do?" Russell asked on the other line.

I took a deep breath before I spoke. "Hello, Russell. This is your future husband..."

"What? I shouldn't talk to someone crazy!" she said to me in an angry voice.

"Wait, this is Daniel..."

Russell says, "I know that's why I get so angry. Remember what you did this morning? Did you mean to call me when you were in the middle of a gunshot?"

"Of course not. Maybe it was just pressed in my pocket, but I wasn't planning to call you because my situation is so dangerous. I won't do it on purpose because I don't want you to worry." I said.

"Well, you've done it."

"W-what? You mean you're worried about me?" My heart skipped a beat.

"Why should I be worried about you? You called me while you were shooting with someone else. Please don't call me because you're ruining my day."

The next thing I heard was a busy tone. "Haist, it is annoying. I have done something again. Instead of missing me, Russel seems to be more annoyed with me."

"Let's move, team! Hurry!" my senior commander command.

"Yes, sir!"

---

Russell's POV

"Are you serious? You may have received the call because he unintentionally pressed his phone button. It happened by chance."

I told Claire what had happened last night and how what I heard on the phone almost gave me a heart attack. And, as expected, my reasonable friend likes Daniel.

"Do you really believe that?" I asked. "Do you think he called me accidentally with the many numbers saved in his contact? Of all the numbers, my number was the lucky one he accidentally dialed?"

"We don't know, but when you think about it, why would he call you in the middle of a war?"

"Maybe he wants me to be worried..."

Claire smiled and then looked at her with a frown. "And he made it?"

"W-what?"

"Were you worried about him when you heard gunshots? Were you worried about him?"

"Oh, well, you can't blame me. I just woke up, and I heard that. So how do you think I should feel?"

"Couldn't you have fallen in love with him because you hated him so much? That is, the more you hate..."

"Even more, I swear. Could you stop with that nonsense? I don't like Daniel. I told you I'd never fall in love with a man older than me. A man like him can't understand young people like us. Big B doesn't understand what I want and insists on what he wants, even though it's no longer fashionable and is out of style. Do you think there is any difference between Daniel and him since they are the same age and fur?"

When Ryan arrived, we turned around. He sat down beside me and put the food tray on the table.

"Why do you look sleep-deprived, Ryan? You have such big circles under your eyes. Do you take care of them?" Claire joked.

Ryan smiled instead of answering. "You were not here yesterday. Why?" I asked him.

"Mom's birthday was yesterday," Ryan said. "We went out for a simple dinner celebration."

We've known Ryan for years but have yet to meet his parents or see them. He had just started middle school when Claire and I first met him. My prom date was him. Ryan gave me my first kiss, and I hope he will also be my first boyfriend, but I need to get to know him better first. Because he is so private, I am more interested in him. Even though many women like him, at least he wants me. Even though Daniel did something wrong on prom night, Ryan did not avoid me or stay away from me because of it. We became closer instead.

"I'm glad I saw you."

We all turned around, and Patricia and a few classmates walked in. Patricia was one of the most well-known students at school, but it wasn't because she was brilliant. She became famous because of who she was.

"What do you need, Pat?" Ryan asked. Ryan initially pushed me away from Patricia, but Patricia kept approaching me.

"Oh, I just wanted to invite you to the party I'm having for my birthday on Friday," Patricia said.

"Your birthday? I didn't know you were born. I thought you were just created like a puff ." Ryan said. She didn't get mad about it, though. Instead, she just laughed.

"Of course. My birthday party is open to everyone. It will be at a bar, and I'll tell you where it is. Hope you can make it." Patricia said this with a smile as she looked at me.

We didn't answer, so his group got up and left immediately. Ryan glanced at me.

"Don't go there because you know Patricia, and she could have other plans," Ryan said.

I nodded and said nothing.

--

Before the day was over, Patricia and I met up with the rest of the group, and it was just Claire and me. She led us to the restroom.

"You already know what I'm capable of, Russell..." Patricia replied when I informed her I couldn't attend her birthday celebration.

"Am I that important that you don't want me to not come to your birthday?" I asked.

"Well, our families are wealthy and well-known, and we look out for each other."

"What do you want from me?" I asked Pat.

She gave me a smirk and then looked at Claire and then at me. "I'd like for you to come to my party. Do not worry. I only asked a few people to my birthday party. And you're my lucky choice."

"Seriously?" Claire asked.

"Don't forget to bring a gift," Patricia said. "Let's go, guys."

Patricia turned away from us, and her friends followed. Claire glanced at me.

"Don't tell me you are going?"

I took a deep breath and quickly glanced at Claire.