Monday

Minwoo sat beside his sister and watched as a machine wheezed and beeped as it forced air in and out of her lungs. Tubes and wires ran from taped off places on her arms and her head was swathed in white gauze. He held her hand, the only part of her that didn't have any bruises or scrapes on it.

“You should have worn a helmet, Hana. I've told you over and over that if you are going to ride a motorcycle with that hoodlum boyfriend of yours you have to wear a goddamn helmet!”, Minwoo’s voice cracked and he closed his eyes to hold back the tears that threatened course down his cheeks.

He'd gotten the call late the night before that his sister had been involved in a fatal motorcycle accident. His heart had dropped to his dirt stained Nikes until the caller explained that the boyfriend had been the one to die, not his little 18 year old sister. He rushed to the hospital in the beat up pickup truck he used for his job at a landscaping company; by the time he arrived they had checked out her injuries and were getting ready to move her to room. Once there, she lost consciousness and had slipped into a coma. The doctor explained to him that she had hit her head against the pavement and swelling on her brain was the cause of the coma. He recalled the conversation with the old man in the hallway outside the hospital room.

“Mr. Lee….. I understand that you are the only family that your sister has but the hospital bill must be paid.” The doctor used a brisk voice and had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at the 30 year old man before him. Minwoo shoved his hands into the pockets of his work pants and looked at the floor. Their parents had died 5 years ago in a hiking accident on the Jirisan trail during a freak storm that has washed them into the river. It had taken five days for the bodies to be recovered and since then Minwoo had been mother, father,and brother to his sister, Hana.

“I understand that, Dr. Choi. And I will be able to get the money to you, but I'll need time. My job doesn't pay that well”, Minwoo said, feeling inferior to the well educated man that stood before him. Minwoo, in order to take care of his sister, had taken on a string of low paying jobs. The landscaping job had lasted the longest so far, about 18 months.

Dr. Choi sighed and shook his head, “She should be awake in a few days and ready to be discharged as long as there aren't any issues. You will need to have the money by then.” He ignored Minwoo's shocked expression and left to take care of his other patients.

Minwoo looked at the clock on the wall and sighed, as much as he wanted to stay with her, he needed to leave to get ready for work.

“I'll be back after work, Hanners”, he said softly and kissed her bruised cheek gently before he crept out of the room. After a quick stop at home to shower, change clothes and a rushed breakfast of rice and eggs he headed to work and proceeded to work so hard and steadily that before he knew it, lunchtime had arrived. Instead of eating with the guys on the crew, he decided to head to a little tent that was set up a few blocks from the job site. Once he had ordered his food he called the hospital to check on his sister. A few tables away a group of five men watched him and eavesdropped on his conversation.

“Yes, Dr. Choi, I understand. I will be by later to check on her, I'm on my lunch break. Thank you for the update.”

Minwoo hung up the phone and signaled for the ahjumma running the food tent to bring him a beer with his food. One beer wouldn't hurt him and would help him steady his nerves.

“How the hell am I supposed to come up with 4 million won in a week?”, he said with a groan and laid his cheek on the table and closed his eyes. One of the men at the table that had been listening to his conversation motioned for the others to come closer and began to talk softly. By the time Minwoo's food had arrived at his table they finished their conversation and resumed eating and drinking. Minwoo ate in a rush so that he could get back to work; as he left the tent he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around to see a tall man looking down at him with a crooked grin. His dark hair was slicked back and he had a diamond stud in his left ear. His clothes were branded and fit him well. Minwoo wondered what the man could possibly want with him and just as he was about to ask, the man handed him a business card.

“Be there at 8pm….. I've got a very interesting proposal for you. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation earlier and I maybe able to he