JO YOUNGMIN

I heard my name mentioned by my parents. They were inside the private room and I listened to what they were talking about.

                “It has to be so soon.” Appa said.

                “But Youngmin is too young.”

                “We have to do this or else it would be taken. She worked hard for it and there’s no way I’ll let others take it away from her.”

I opened the door widely. “What are you talking about?” I asked.

                “Youngmin-ah,” Umma walked to my side. “What are you doing here?”

                “Tell me, why my name was mentioned in your conversation.” I asked for the second time.

                “You don’t have to know it. It’s nothing.” Umma said.

                “No, he’s already 16 and he’s not young anymore. He has the rights to know what’s happening around him.” Appa said.

He sat on a chair and I was intently looking at him.

                “Youngmin, you are obliged to marry this girl.”

                “What girl are you talking about?”

We heard three knocks and a girl entered.

                “She’s the girl I am talking about.”

KIM JIN AH

I entered a really, really huge house. Not a house actually but a mansion. I wasn’t speaking yet when, I guessed, a butler told me to follow him. We walked through a long hallway. And we stopped when we saw a big and coloured red door.

He knocked three times and told me to enter.

                “Wait.” He was already gone so I had no choice but to enter.

                “She’s the girl I am talking about.” I heard someone spoke.

I was startled to see three persons staring at me. It was a huge room as well and there was a long table in the middle.

A guy was sitting on one of the chairs while another guy was standing beside a girl.

                “Excuse me, is this the right place? I think I entered the wrong room.” I said and I was about to go out when a hand stopped me.

I turned and see the girl holding my arm.

                “Can I see what’s inside that envelope?” she said.

I gave it to her and she opened it. I, myself, was curious what was inside so when she opened it, I looked what was written on the paper.

                “The sketch of the house.” She said and she handed it to the guy who was sitting on the farther end of the table.

My head shifted to the other guy who was standing adjacent to me. His face looked familiar.

                “Have we met before?” I asked.

I waited for his answer but he didn’t respond. He just stared at me with blazing eyes then went out.

                “Your name’s Jin Ah, right?” the other guy spoke.

                “Deh”

                “I believe that you already know the agreement.”

                “What agreement?”

                “She doesn’t know?” The girl said.

                “You will be married to my son.” He said bluntly.

I stared at the floor when I heard what he said. “It was just the voice of a ghost that you heard.” I convinced myself. It wasn’t true.

                “We’re serious about it. Haven’t your parents told you about this thing yet?”

I felt my knees wobbled. So it was true? Were they selling me?

                “Please, uh, how should I say it? Why will my parents allow me to marry someone I haven’t met for my entire life?”

                “It’s because of the money. Don’t you get it?”

                “Yah!” I shouted. “You don’t have the rights to say that. You don’t know the real reason. I have to go home now.” I turned but I was stopped on my tracks when he spoke.

                “I already made my promise to your grandfather. A promise is a promise so when you’re ready come back here and we’ll gladly accept you.”

As soon as he finished talking, I ran outside and rode a taxi straight to the house. I knocked for so many times but no one was responding.

                “Umma, Appa! Open the door! Where are you?”

I went to the windows. I was relieved that one of it was opened. I looked through it and I collapsed with what I saw.

I felt hands on my arms. Tears flowed on my face.

                “What’s happening here?”

                “I saw them.”

                “Sungyeol, is that you?”

                “Deh”

It was dark so I couldn’t see his face. And due to all of these things, I pulled him and hugged him really tight because I felt like killing myself.

                “Sungyeol-ah, where are they?”

                “They were taken by those men in black. I tried myself to stop them but they only beat me and good thing I didn’t die.”

                “What!”

I pushed and held his face. His lips were bleeding as well as the other side of his face. His clothes were almost thorn.

                “What do they want from us? And even you?”

                “They wanted an immediate payment. I wasn’t able to stop them that even your house was burned. Mianhe”

I hugged him again and cried.

                “I have no choice right now. I have to think of my family and not myself. Come with me.”

We went to the hospital.

                “Stay here and I have to go somewhere.”

                “Where are you going? It’s dangerous.” He stopped me.

                “Nothing is to fear now. They have my parents and I’m ready to die for them and I’m ready to forget my own dreams for them.”

I ran and went back to the mansion. I went inside even if the maids were trying their best to stop me.

                “Ma’am, you’re not allowed to enter.”

                “Yah! Whoever you are, come here because I already made my decision.”

I expected that the guy who talked to me earlier would go out but it different.

                “What do you want?” He asked.

                “I need money.” I said candidly.