Back Flash

I already knew about Bom before I met her. She had a reputation around the high school as a hard that would sooner kill you than look at you. My reputation on the other hand is I’m the class clown who talks about nothing else but his ‘sister’. Every so often, some punk would come up to me and tell me how he ed my sister the night before and I would knock him out. That would shut people up for a while.

Despite the things I heard about Bom I never paid them any attention. My mom had taught me not to judge someone until you knew them. And I didn’t know Bom; she was never at school so how could I learn anything. What I did know was the rumors about her because it seemed like the school has nothing better to talk about.

Teachers used her as an example of what will happen to you if you don’t finish school and become a failure. Students talked about how she was a major drug dealer, e, or how she killed fifty gang members in one fight. If any of that was true I don’t know but the rumors where enough to make it to where NO ONE wanted to with her. And when she did come to school, she wasn’t doing anything to prove people wrong.

One day I was walking and I saw her with a large bag and curiosity got the best of me. I fallowed her to a dark ally and I was regretting it. What if I witnessed a drug transaction or turning a trick? What if someone killed me than violated my freshly dead corpse? These thoughts played in my mind but at the same time the thought ‘There is no going back now’ also going through my mind.

Finally, she stopped and opened the bag and pulled out a small parcel of cat food, a jug of distilled water, and some food bowels. From what I could tell about the food bowels is they where the kind that fed two cats and she had about fifteen of them so she must be looking to feed at least 30 cats. She looked behind her at me and gave a sarcastic grin something soon I would have a love/hate relationship with.

“If you’re just going to stand there like an idiot make yourself useful and help me place the bowels.

Stupidly I nodded as I walked over and helped Bom place the bowels. I watched as she scooped the same amount of food into each bowel and filled them with water. She rang a bell and soon what seemed like a hundred cats came scurrying out of every nook and cranny. They devoured the food so fast it was hard to believe that there had been food in the first place. Meanwhile Bom watched with a contented smile. Not the kind of look one would expect to see on the face of someone who had a reputation for being a hard .

"So the famous Bom Park is a savior of strays?" I said crouching beside her as we watched the cats slowly leave to prowl the streets.

"Well I figured I had something in common with the cats so I might as well help." She wasn't looking at me but reached into her back pocket and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter and started to smoke.

"What could you have in common with strays?" I asked but I was oddly fascinated at how the smoke always blew in her direction. The rumors are true smoke is attracted to beauty. Now no one seemed more beautiful than she did.

"A lot more than you know.＂ was her reply as she stood up and stalked away like the cats she fed.

From that day on, I listened to the rumors a little more closely with a small satisfaction that I knew more about her than the rest. I was the only one who knew that Bom seemed to have made it her personal mission to feed every stray cat on town. Or that her reason for doing such a thing was that she had felt she had something in common with the cats.

A few days later, I was walking down a street that was a shortcut to my friend Landon's house. As I was walking, I heard yelling coming from one of the houses. I was going to ignore it until I noticed one of the voices belonged to Bom. The living room window was opened as if they didn't care who heard them or knew those who heard could care less. I figured it was a simplely that she and her mom didn't agree on something. Until her dad walked, up and started beating her with a broom. Bom fell to the ground and both parents started to beat her.

My better instincts told me not to get involved but every other part of me had other plans. I busted through the door and pulled her father off her and punched him then proceeded to throw her mother across the room. I grabbed Bom and pulled her out of the house. Her father followed us and started swinging at me.

"You mind your own ing business boy! And let me handle this little tramp!" I hadn't noticed before but he was clearly drunk, what an . I pushed Bom behind me to shield her from the drunken prick in front of us. I felt her grab onto me tightly she knew I would save her.

It wasn't long before the two of us where fighting on the front lawn. Bom's mother called the cops of course and soon the cops came. Lucky for me my dad is the chief of police and a private investigator and he was one of the cops to show up.

Mrs. Park tried and says how I had assaulted her and her husband (technically I did) for no reason. My dad looked at me and the park family than started to speak Korean.

“What happened Hyung Joon?” He wasn’t looking for lies and I could get in serious trouble if there where grounds for arrest. So I told him everything I had seen, what Bom’s father had said, and how I rushed in without thinking to save her. My dad nodded than walked over to Bom and pulled her aside.

I knew he was asking her of she wanted to press charges against her parents. She looked scared and vulnerable as she looked at her parents and my dad. I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her.

＂It’ll be alright.” I whispered I would protect her from anything if I had to. If there is one thing, Bom taught me while she loved me it was everyone wants to know there is someone who would die to make you happy. On the other hand it only really means anything if they are not obligated like your family.

I won＇t go into details about the year and half we where secretly together. Because I am afraid if I tell you about all the memories I‘m afraid they will loose their magic. I will tell you that Bom left me after she miscarried our baby eleven weeks into the pregnancy. I wont describe the look on her face as she broke up with me. I wont tell you about the pain I felt as I let her go without a fight.

End Back Flash

“Yeah you could say that.” I said to Rachel as she finished making sure that Bom was as comfortable as possible. Rachel just nodded not even asking for more details than I gave her. She was going to trust that I would tell her the truth when the time was right until then she wouldn’t ask. Thank you sister for all the things you will do.

Bom’s Point Of View

I don’t know if it was a reality or a dream but as Rachel cleaned me up, I saw Hyung Joon there with her like my own personal Guardian angel. I thought I could almost smell that familiar smell of sweat mixed with peppermint and cinnamon. I would know that scent I＇ve had dreams about it and the man it belongs to for months.

That＇s not the only thing I dream about. I dream about bows, dresses, and little ballerina shoes. I dream about little smiles and lullabies. I dream about a baby girl who never did anything wrong but have me as her mother. I dream about a man I love who three months ago I should have been handing him our daughter. I dream about my baby girl Alicia Chin-Sun Kim. It＇s all my fault I wasn’t able to protect you.

I remember the first time I saw Rachel and Kibum I had not known at the time he was Hyung Joon’s brother. But the way he was standing in front, her determined to protect her from the gang reminded me of Hyung Joon I had to pull over and help them. After talking to Rachel I figured out that she was the ‘sister’ Hyung Joon loved to talk about and that Kibum must be his brother.

From the moment I learned who Rachel and Kibum where to Hyung Joon somewhere inside of me I knew something. Kibum was meant for Rachel like Hyung Joon had been meant for me. I just pray that the two of them don＇t let the other get a way like me and Hyung Joon did.