Listen to 4MINUTE's Say My Name: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDyzvWJROSc

“Where do you think you’re going in that shirt?”

I resist the urge to groan, and turn to face the bristling woman behind me. “Not outside." 

“Go upstairs right now, SunHee. You are changing out of that shirt.” On a normal day, I would have obeyed. But today, I had no interest in bending to her obnoxious rules.

“I don’t understand why I can’t wear this shirt.  I’m old enough to wear what I want, mother. It’s not even that bad. The front is covered, see!” I snap back.

The shirt was an off-the-shoulder top I bought online a few days ago. Knowing the shirt might possibly upset my mother, I tried sneaking out of the house incognito this morning. But unfortunately, my foolproof plan failed almost immediately. 

“Go upstairs and change or I’ll eat the Goldfish.” She barks, her eyes throwing daggers in my direction.

I surrender, but throw one last glare in her direction and trudge up the stairs. I’m not a little girl anymore. She has no right to control what I wear or what I do. I’ll wear whatever I want, even if I have to hide it from her. I kick my backpack to a corner of the room and throw open my closet. Changing my shirt, however, was not an option. Instead, I throw a bulky, old lady-like sweater over it, so the shirt underneath is completely hidden from view.

“Have a nice day!” She calls out cheerfully. I roll my eyes, slamming the door behind me.

I walk over to my motorcycle, pulling my sweater tightly around my shoulders. The bike was still wet from last night’s storm. Taking my sleeve, I wipe the moisture off the seat, raindrops lingering on my fingers. The rain had infused the air with an irresistible freshness, and I breathed the air in deeply. With weather like this, I couldn’t help but be in a good mood.  

I push strands of hair away from my face, pulling a helmet over my head. The café opens at 8 A.M. and after looking at my watch, I’m sure to be late. But that’s only if I drive legally. And when does Shin SunHee ever drive legally? There’s hardly anyone on the roads in the mornings anyways, so why would I? I’ve never gotten caught, and I doubt I ever will.   

I grip the handlebars, and speed off down the street.

The bike screeches into the parking space behind the building. I take my helmet off, shaking my hair out vigorously. As I step inside the café, I’m greeted by the warm and doughy fragrance of coffee and bread. Nothing beats working at a café, especially with the amount of free food I get to eat. My fight with my mom immediately becomes a thing of the past.

“SunHee!” Before I could react, something barrels straight into me, almost throwing me to the floor. I turn around and laugh at the smile that is Kwon JiHae. Her nose wrinkles faintly as she sees my shirt. “Are you really wearing that?”

I shake my head, pulling the sweater up and over my head to reveal the one underneath. “That better?”

She grins. “Much better. Now hurry up and work or I’ll “pinkify” your bike.”

“I would kill you if you actually did.”

“That’s why you stop being useless and open the store.”

It’s only 8:00 in the morning, and I’ve already been threatened by two intimidating women. My day was only beginning.

“Target found, master.”

A crackling noise fills his headpiece, and the man rolls his eyes.

“Target found,” he repeats. “Code Black.”

“Black? Are you absolutely sure?” A deep raspy voice answered his call.

He smirks, revealing a set of dangerously straight white teeth. “Send them in.”

“Welcome to Phoenix. Can I interest you in our daily special?”

The man stayed silent, his eyes fixed on his Blackberry.

I keep the smile plastered on my face, and try again. “Sir, would you…”

“No.”

I squeeze away the contempt that’s creeping in my mind. “So what can I get you today?”

His eyes finally leave the screen of his offending phone, and his gaze is unreadable. “Water. I want a glass of water. Ice cold, please.”

This man is really starting to get on my nerves. Honestly, who comes into a café to order a glass of water? “Yes, sir. I’ll bring that right out.”

His gaze follows me as I walk towards the sink, and I can’t help but feel incredibly uncomfortable. I take a glass, drop a few ice cubes in, and fill it to the brim with water. I hesitate a few seconds, entertaining myself with the thought of spitting in his drink. But I decided against it, who knows what JiHae would think. I grab a straw and walk back to the table.

When I set the glass down on the table, a strange transformation happens to the man at Table 6. The cold façade remained, but the apathetic look he gave me had become almost evil. Looking into his piercing eyes, I felt exposed. For a moment, I believed that he knew me better than I knew myself, and that thought scared the heck out of me.

I steady my voice, but I somehow could not bring myself to look into his eyes. “Anything else, sir?”

A mirthless smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “Tell me about the special.”

I collapse onto the marble floor, surrendering to the temptation of the cool ground. “I’m dead.”

JiHae rolls her eyes. “You always say that. Cheer up! Your shift is over right? Be glad that I didn’t work you harder!”

I smile weakly. “Gee, you’re great at comforting people.”

She throws my sweater at me in response. “Whatever, just go before I make you clean the tables.” She grins. “I like your shirt by the way. And your birthmark is really cool.”

“Thanks, Hae. I’ll see you on Thursday!” I slip my sweater back over my head, and fly out the door.

I leap onto my bike, swiftly snapping my helmet on my head. Think I drive fast going to work? Well, most people don’t understand how fast I drive going home from work. And today’s no different.

I arrive in a few minutes, and the door creaks when I go in. The house seems empty, but I try anyways. “Mom, are you home?”

No response. Normally I would have ignored it, and gone upstairs. But this time, I had a strange feeling that something was terribly wrong. I step into my mother’s room, calling her name repeatedly. Finally, I hear footsteps behind me. A sigh of relief escapes my mouth.  

“Hey mom, I just wanted to…Wait.”  

This man was definitely not my mom. I step back. “Who are you? What have you done to my mom?”

A malicious smile covered his face. “I didn’t do anything to your mom. She’s perfectly fine. Maybe you should be more worried about yourself.”  

I looked around frantically for an escape route, but the man was too fast. He pounced, landing on me and pushing me to the ground. I widen my eyes, fear tickling my arms, legs, fingers. “What are you doing?”

He smirks. “Not what you think I’m doing. Just stay still until the others come.”

I squirm, trying to wrench myself from his grasp. But every struggle only makes him tighten his hold even more, until eventually, I lay limp under his weight. What would happen to me now?  

“You know, if I didn’t know better, I would think I was intruding right now.”