anwhile, in a private ward...
Benjamin sat quietly on the side of the bed, staring at the unconscious Mint. Tonight, he had just been preparing for bed when he got a call from the hospital. The mont he heard his cousin was there, he rushed over—still in a pair of cute pajamas and mismatched slippers.
His eyes were fixed on Mint, who was clearly beaten. Part of her arm was nearly black, her lips and cheek were swollen, and there were bruises on her neck, as if she had been strangled by sothing. He knew if he looked closer, there would be more injuries. But he couldn’t bear to.
Just the bruises on her face were enough.
"Ugh..." Mint let out a groan as her eyes fluttered open. She winced, her entire body aching at once. "Damn..."
She let out a shallow breath—deep breathing felt like being stabbed in the lungs. As she tried to gather herself, she noticed a blurry figure from the corner of her eye. Turning her head slowly, her breath hitched.
"Beanie," she whispered, her lips trembling as if to say more—but no words ca.
All she could do was look at him, and he did the sa.
Benjamin hadn’t noticed it at first, but now that she was looking at him, one of her eyes was red—blood clotted within it. His mouth opened, but only air ca out.
"..." He shut his mouth again, swallowing the tight lump in his throat.
Mint pressed her lips together, her eyes filled with silent apology. But she had no excuse this ti. She rembered everything—how she was ambushed, how she’d been sedated, beaten, and nearly killed... had Hugo not shown up.
"What else can I say, Mint?" After what felt like an eternity, Benjamin’s quiet voice finally broke the silence. "Just what do I have to say... so you’ll want to live longer? For ?"
Her chest heaved, watching the redness grow in the corners of his eyes as he fought back tears.
His brows furrowed as he swallowed again. "How many more tis? How long do I have to go through this? This rollercoaster of emotions every ti my phone rings—dreading it’s the hospital saying you’re hurt... or soone else telling you’re dead."
"..." Mint opened her mouth, wanting to say "I’m sorry," but that word had been worn thin by now.
"God, this is frustrating!" he hissed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "Is it really that important that you’re constantly walking the line between life and death?"
"It’s my duty—"
"Duty?! What about your duty as family?!" he snapped, balling his fists. Benjamin paused, struggling to breathe through his emotions, tears now streaking down his cheeks. "What about your promise? That you’d always be here for ? We promised we’d always be there for each other, but lately... it feels like I’m only there for you."
"I’m only there when you’re hurt, when you’ve cheated death again. You always laugh it off, even brag about it. But do you know... every ti, it takes a piece of ? Every ti I wonder, what if next ti you’re not so lucky?" He exhaled shakily. "Do you even realize that?"
"Ben..."
"Mint, for Pete’s sake—look at you!" Benjamin shouted, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "Just... look at you."
How could anyone live like this?
Growing up, Benjamin had gotten into his fair share of fights, but he’d never had bruises like these. As an adult, he’d never even had a real physical altercation. Yet looking at her injuries, he knew—this hurt. Like hell.
The thought of her being hit made his heart clench.
His lips quivered. He pressed them together tightly to stop himself from crying again. Then he slowly leaned forward, resting his arms on the bed’s edge.
Clasping her hands in his, Benjamin looked her in the eyes. "Stop, Mint. Don’t let yourself get hurt like this anymore," he whispered. "I’m scared."
Scared that one day, the phone call would say she didn’t make it. Scared that one day, he’d be staring at her portrait, wondering what could’ve been. Terrified of the re thought of hearing "She died with honor" from people trying to comfort him.
But most of all, he was scared of losing a family.
Tears slid from the corners of Mint’s eyes, falling silently onto the pillow as she looked back at him. She gently squeezed his hand.
"Just stop," Benjamin pleaded. "You’ve done your part. No one will bla you if you stop now."
Mint tried to smile but failed. "Even if I do... they won’t stop anymore."
"What?"
"Benji, when I started as a police officer, I never thought I’d want more power than I already had. But the more I worked, the more I realized... being kind and doing our duties isn’t enough," Mint whispered. "If I want to make the world a better place—even just a little—I need more."
Benjamin froze, staring at her blankly.
"A scratch, a bruise, even a bullet or stab wound... they’re nothing," she said softly. "Just small sacrifices. People die every day, and most of them die because soone wanted them dead. And most of those people are innocent—just in the wrong place at the wrong ti."
"Hah..." Benjamin slowly let go of her hand, disbelief and disappointnt in his eyes. "You’re not going to stop?"
"I’m already in too deep."
"Mint." He shook his head. "It’s never too late to stop."
Mint let out a dry laugh. "Zoren really protected you like a baby, didn’t he?"
"Stop."
"I’m sorry," she said, exhaling deeply. This ti, her voice grew firm. "But I’m not going to stop. This is my duty, my calling, my life. It’s who I am now. I can’t stop, I won’t stop, and I will never stop. Whoever did this... will pay a heavy price."
Benjamin stared at her, stunned. "Do you... really have to hurt like this?"
"I’ll hurt you even more, Ben," Mint said, her voice cold and resolute. She gestured toward the door with a tilt of her chin. "Leave. I’m not changing my mind."
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