Min awoke to the sound of rain patting against the window above his bed. The room, now cold and grey, looked plain and stiflingly dull compared to when Min last saw it that night. His fingers ran over his torso. The wound which sent shuddering pains through his body last time, was now a little cut, covered in a bandage. How many days had he been asleep?

The sound of the rain was getting heavier. Min stumbled off the bed onto the cold stone floor, and slowly ascended towards the windows. As Min pulled the curtains aside, he stood speechless at the sight that unfolded in front of him. Ruins.

Min looked out to a jungle of grey, abandoned buildings void of any human life for as far as he could see from his current position. Where was he? What part of the country was he in? His immediate thoughts were to analyse the area to find out where he was. If he was going to find Hyun by himself he needed to start moving as soon as he could. From the look of the ruins, he was currently situated in industrial remains of old manufacturing factories and office buildings. There was no possibility of him being in Seoul or any other major city in Korea.

‘Knowing Lee Joon Young, this place is as far from Seoul as it could get. Can’t be the suburbs, I must be-’

A sudden ringing of a phone made him jump. The sound was coming from underneath his bed. He reached under his bed and pulled out a large black duffle bag and placed it on his bed. As he ped the bag, a phone at the top of the pile, still ringing, revealed itself.

‘Lee Joon Young’, he thought. He had no choice but to answer the call now. ‘Hello’

‘Lee Min’, spoke an unrecognisable female voice.

Min was surprised by the voice of a stranger. ‘Who is this?’

‘Change your clothes and be ready by 12pm.’

‘But who are you?’

‘Wait for my call again.’ The female hung up.

The time on the phone now read 11.10am. Tentatively, Min unpacked a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt, a grey sweatshirt and a pair of black boots from the bag. ing his hospital gown, Min slowly pieced together Lee Joon Young’s plan in his head.

As Min was about to put the bag away, he noticed a crumpled brown envelope at the bottom of the bag. Min Laughed. As expected, when he opened the envelope, three new identities all sealed with Min’s face in the left hand corner, spilled onto the hospital bed.

Living with his uncle for almost 20 years, had taught him that Lee Joon Young was impeccable in creating new identities. He had heard countless stories of his uncle giving the kids he had saved new identities as ‘presents’, so he called it, for their new lives. Hadn’t he also created the perfect lies for Min and himself?

‘Lee Joon Ho. Jung Sun Ho’, sighed Min. ‘Let’s see, who is it this time?’ Min scanned the papers. ‘Hmm Park Sung Min, a solicitor… and who’s this? Kim Cheol-‘

The phone began to ring again. It was 12pm.