Three [Steel]

In the shadowy office, Chaewon is meditating on her desk when she hears footsteps approach in the distance. 

Once the sound of uneven steps stops, she hears Hyewon’s voice at the door. Peeking through her left eye only, she sees that her second-in-command brought company. 

A smile crosses her face as she makes out it is Bomin standing beside but a step behind Hyewon. Fortunately, the young man has proven himself capable of following her directions and worthy of their management. However, what inspired her beam was not the fact that he did a decent job as an amateur but that she was right to assign him the task after their first meeting. 

Her gaze is fixated on him when she opens both eyes and sluggishly relaxes her shoulders. “Well done. Should we move onto our next mission then?” 

“Wait,” Bomin cries quickly, “how many missions are there exactly, and what did you mean by you’ll turn me into a national star?” 

As if someone is pulling the strings to Chaewon’s lips, the corner of her lips rises effortlessly. Then she scoots forward and lets her right leg hangs off the wooden table, “Ever heard of GoldMusic Entertainment?” 

Bomin blinks dumbly. “GoldMusic…Entertainment? The company that produces high demand actors and all-rounders K-pop performers?” 

The seated doesn’t answer his immediate question, instead, she speeds them along, “GoldMusic is holding a two-day audition in three days. They are looking to debut a coed group with three boys and two girls. Our insider informs us that none of the auditioners have to excel at a particular skill but they must be able to act. Basically, GoldMusic is putting together an actor/actress group.” 

“So...you want me to audition?” Bomin asks, scoffing in disbelief. “Sorry but I can’t sing or dance—”

Chaewon clicks her tongue and waves her index finger at him, refusing to accept his poor-of-an-excuse response, “What matters is that you can act. Besides, you’re not exactly an ugly face and I’m sure you know how to play an instrument or two. If not, Hyewon here is an excellent violinist. We also have pianists and guitarists who can teach you so you wouldn’t embarrass yourself at the audition.” 

From the corner of his eyes, Bomin studies Hyewon shortly. If he has to be honest, he believes the woman is more than an excellent violinist. She could possibly make a living as a professional boxer too, or a human mannequin. 

“I didn’t mean—”

Rather than giving him a chance to digest her new assignment and speak his mind, she sighs aloud to cut him off abruptly, “Why did you come back if you weren’t interested in working for me, Mr. Choi?”

When she her head to the side, her eyes instantly seem colder and darker. A sight that sends chills down Bomin’s back. If looks could kill, he’d be dead. 

“I uh—” he gulps, “I guess I felt lucky and was...curious about you and uh—your gang.” 

Once he utters the last word, he catches a glimpse of Hyewon turning her head so she can see him over her shoulder. 

With hesitation, Bomin tries his best to explain without stuttering, “I mean with my luck o-or ba-bad luck that is, I’m just astounded that I’m st-still alive. I mean if this was a movie, I’d probably be dead and dumped in a dumpster somewhere. Right?”  

Unlike the stunt he tried to pull over Hyewon’s eyes before, Chaewon knows he’s being honest. However, she couldn’t empathize with him as it’s been years since she’s experienced any misfortunes or major setbacks. 

“Therefore, if you want to keep your life, you better audition for GoldMusic,” Hyewon states, unexpectedly. 

Bomin immediately bites his own tongue. The woman is nowhere as flexible as her leader. She also wastes no time entertaining her minions such as he, himself. 

“Understood,” Bomin obliges in a polite tone. 

Chaewon smirks. It’s always a turn-on when Hyewon takes control and move things along. However, Chaewon also sees something she isn’t fond of. Bomin has an effect on Hyewon, one Chaewon hasn’t seen in a while. Hyewon’s limitless patience is short-lived when he’s present.  

Twice now. 

“If you understand then pick the instrument you want to learn. From simple to complex songs, you must be able to play them all in front of the judges without breaking a sweat,” Chaewon informs. 

Bomin swallows hard and his hands shake a little, “I uh-I’ll like to play the guitar...”  

In front of the bus stop, Minju readjusts the bag over her shoulder as she turns to Yena and says, “Tell your grandma I appreciate all that she’s done for me. She treated me like her own granddaughter when I didn’t deserve it. I’ll forever be indebted to her and I’ll make sure to return and repay her one day. Hopefully, after Yeonhee is safe.” 

Yena purses her lips then waggle her head, “Say whatever you want. But once you leave here, I’m sure you’ll forget about this place.” 

“You—”

“And I wouldn’t blame you,” Yena voices loudly, placing her hands over her chest powerfully, “If I can get away from this dump of a so-called place to a nice city like Seoul, I’d forget about here too. That being said, don’t miss my grandma and me too much and do what you have to do.” 

Minju shakes her head and scoffs a gentle smile, “Spill it.” 

The single expression ‘huh?’ is written all over Yena’s face when she heard what Minju said. 

“You only act mature when you’re feeling apologetic about something. So say it. What’s on your mind?” Minju asks, crossing her arms across her chest calmly. 

Yena scoffs and chuckles nervously. “What are you talking about? I have nothing to be sorry for. Maybe it’s you who feel guilty.” Before Minju can answer, Yena snorts and says, “The wind is ruining my hair so I’m leaving! Go have a good life and never come back!” 

The older woman doesn’t spare her a second glance as she starts jogging away from the bus stop, pinning the sides of her locks down with her hands. 

Once Yena turns around the corner and disappears from her sight, Minju hears a bus come to a stop behind her. Spinning around, she is the last to board the vehicle that is heading to the subway that will be taking her to Seoul. 

In about four hours, she’ll reunite with her half-sister who is her lifeline and the only person she’s willing to fight for any day of the year.  

Kim Yeonhee. 

Four hours later...

Hyewon holds the phone, with the speaker's side, against her chest as she passes the message to Chaewon, “She’s back. Our people saw her getting off the subway. Should we put a tail on her?” 

Chaewon, who is in the middle of feeding a three-year-old yellow-bellied turtle green pellets, grins with satisfaction. “No, we should...” she trails off as an evil idea came to her, “welcome her back.” 

“...welcome her back?” Hyewon asks, cluelessly for the first time today. 

The feeder hums, “Have our men greet her. Focus on whether or not she’s still in fighting shape.” 

Hyewon flattens her eyes fleetingly, “A brawl? Order our men to attack her in a secluded location?”

Chaewon shoots Hyewon with her fingers, “You know me all too well, Hyewon.” She comments then turns back to face the turtle tank and whistles a song Hyeon isn't familiar with. 

Hyewon doesn’t question Chaewon’s method. Instead, she does as she’s told over the phone. 

“Do not kill her. But make it unbearably painful.” Hyewon concludes to the caller. 

Walking away from the evening sun, setting down behind the horizon, Minju reads her sister’s letter once again as she makes her way through a maze of storied homes and apartments. In the beautiful penmanship letter her sister spoke of missing her, missing the good times they were inseparable, and how much she had wish Minju will return home. Then in P.S. Yeonhee shares the incident with a calculator and her concerns about the threatening message behind it. 

Folding the paper in half, multiple times, Minju slides it back into one of her pockets. 

As she turns the tight corner, she isn’t impressed by what was standing in her way. A dozen men in black dress-suits in rows of four. In their hands were bats and wooden sticks with rough-but-not-so-sharp ends. 

Judging from their weapons of choice, alone, Minju knows they aren’t planning to kill her. Their same-colored uniform but different shades and styles suggest they aren’t from an organization but rather a gang. They could be loan sharks as well but they’d know better than to confront their debtors in public and on a neighborhood street. There were also no vehicles around that could belong to them. They got there on foot. 

Minju sighs, flinging her bag over her shoulder again. “Got a death wish?” she asks, her voice low and dangerous. 

The man standing in front hardens his expression. “Guys, get her!” 

When the three men beside him spring forward and launch themselves at her, she slingshot her bag into the face of the man in the center, knocking him onto the ground with a painful grunt. She takes a quick step back and dodges then catches the man’s, who’s reached her first, bat with her left hand and uses it to block an attack from the second batter. 

After the weapons made contact, she strikes the second man in his Adam’s apple with her knuckle. Such action never fails to catch them by surprise. While the second stumbles back to feel and cover his neck with his hand, Minju twists the first bat in the opposite direction then she clocks the man on the jaw with an open hand. As he collapses onto the ground with free hands, groaning, Minju tosses his bat off to the side. 

Before she knows it, the remaining nine have her encircled. 

Minju scoffs, “Give up already. Are you all that desperate to see your hospital beds?” 

“No one leaves until you’re on the brink of death. That was the order.” the man states, tightening his grasp around the wooden stick. 

She clicks her tongue, “Right off the bat, I can tell most of you are new recruits. You’ve all lost sight of what a real gangster is. Who retires because the enemy touched a sensitive spot? Even if you break your weapons today, you won’t be able to hurt me. I’ve trained my body longer than some of you've been alive. I’m made out of steel.” 

The man, leader of the pack, eyed Minju up and down rapidly. “Oh yeah? Wouldn’t hurt for us to test that body of steel then, right? Guys, get her!” 

Almost immediately they held their sticks up towards the sky then swing down hard at her. 

“Right back at you, traitor.”

“...traitor.” 

“Traitor!” 

The time is 9 o’clock when Chaewon woke from her nap in her desk chair. Lying face down and open on her tummy is the magazine she’s been browsing through to kill time; news about Kim Minju. She notices that the room is dark and that her only lamp is the moon’s light flowing through the opened blinds behind her. 

Rubbing her eyes, she scans the room for Hyewon. 

Over the years, Chaewon has caught Hyewon watching her and over her in her sleep. So now, whenever Hyewon isn’t present, it’s usually a bad sign. At times a world-is-ending bad sign. 

Stretching her arms and legs, with her feet still on the desk, she yawns without worries. 

A moment later, Chaewon sees a dark silhouette at the door. 

“Good nap, sister?” 

Chaewon becomes fully awake and her jaw lowers slightly at the sound of the voice. 

“...you. You’re back.” 

“I’m back. Ready to kill for you.” 

Yunseong pulls up slowly in front of Yeonhee’s home, then he parks and kills the engine before getting out to open the door for her. As she thanks him outside his jet black jeep, he hums sweetly and shuts the door. 

“I’ll walk you in and check that the windows and doors are all locked and that no one is hiding inside,” Yunseong says softly, then he places his hands around her arms and together they walk toward the apartment complex. 

“It’s late so if you want to crash here for tonight, I wouldn’t mind.” Yeonhee smiles. Yunseong rejects her with a small chuckle. 

“It’s alright. I’ll just make sure you’re fine before I—”

“Oh?” Yeonhee cuts him off unintentionally, “...Minju...?” 

Across from them, the young couple notices Minju leaning against the wall by the door that leads to Yeonhee’s room. Minju doesn’t respond to their arrival but seems to be in agony and pain. Then they see her leaning to the side and before they could really tell something’s wrong, Minju limply collapses onto the ground without any warning. 

“Minju!”