chapter oneTheir first meeting.

WITH HEADPHONES resting against his neck, Kim Soohyun browsed through some CD’s at a local electronics store, thinking about the events of the past day. It had been a typical school day –first, there was his morning dance class, Korean, which was followed by a horribly boring maths lesson and finally Music. Starting from Monday, it would be the third third week since he had moved to Seoul. And, hopefully the last time he moved this year. He wanted to stay settled for longer than a month or two. It would be nice to have actual friends and one place he could call ‘home’. Just this once.

Pausing to look at a CD of Chopin’s nocturnes –yes, he liked all types of music– he scanned its contents, wondering if it was worth getting. He turned it over, deciding on a negative. It could wait until he found a part-time job. He returned the CD to its original place just as the shop bell rang. And, in entered… his little brother, Kim Gunwoo.

“Hyung!” came the excited cheer before Soohyun was ambushed into a hug. “Where were you today? Omma said it was that place where you have to dress up the same as everybody else and learn stuff-”

“Shhh. I missed you too, little brother.” He said, ruffling Gunwoo’s hair affectionately. Soohyun kneeled down in front of him. “Where did mother go? Why isn’t she with you, eh? …did you run off again?”

Gunwoo turned sheepish. Soohyun flicked his head playfully, causing a protest of “Hyung!” before he grinned, “Silly… let’s go find her then.” And with that, he led Gunwoo out of the store.

As the door shut, the shopkeeper chuckled.

Several blocks away, a girl about seventeen years of age was attempting to sleep as she lay behind a fruit stall, ignoring the shopkeeper’s constant urging to leave. She didn’t want to return home just yet. After wandering around all day doing nothing in particular, she realised that she needed her job back. Granted, she had in fact, been fired just yesterday for starting up yet another fight with a customer –and a rude one at that– but surely, it wasn’t impossible to exercise some forgiveness on her behalf.

“Eunjung-shi! Please get up… I’ll give you some apples but you have to leave.” Came the agitated voice of the shopkeeper and her previous boss, Park Cha-soon. She was a plump old lady, stubborn in nature but kind at heart. She was the kind of person who would scold Eunjung for her wrongdoings, then feed her to make sure she was eating properly. And this time wasn’t any different.

“I’m not going to leave.” Eunjung said in a sing-song voice, eyes closed.

“Eunjung! I’ve told you many times to stop being so rude!” When there was no reply, Cha-soon sighed in exasperation. “Aigoo…so persistent.” She muttered.

“I told you already, what I need is a job to pay for those apples. I need the money.” Eunjung replied, still not moving from her position. “Besides, I can’t just keep taking food from you. I promise I’ll be good this time.”

There was another sigh. “That’s what you say every time.”

“This time I actually mean it.” She pointed out. Then cracking one eye open, she looked up at Cha-soon innocently. “Doesn’t that count for anything?”

“Yah! You’re so cheeky! I don’t know why I’ve put up with you for so long. That’s it, you’re out! Now!” Cha-soon started pulling Eunjung by the arm, trying to drag her out, but with no success. Then she gave pause, “Ok, fine. I’m going to regret this but starting from tomorrow, I’ll give you one more week to work here. But, you must find a new job by Sunday. I mean it this time.”

At that, Eunjung immediately stood up with a grin.

“And before you say anything, make sure you understand me clearly. It’s just for one week and you’re not working at the front. I can’t risk losing any more customers.” She warned.

“Fair enough.” Eunjung agreed, shrugging. “So, in that case, thank you.” she added, bowing gratefully. This earned her a small smile from Cha-soon, however brief it was. It did not go unnoticed. “Omo… was that a smile? You totally smiled just then.”

Cha-soon practically growled. “Get out! …before I change my mind.”

Laughing, Eunjung stepped outside as she made to leave. But she couldn’t help herself and turned back with an afterthought. “So… how about those apples then?”

She ducked for cover when one came flying at her head.

Eunjung straightened herself when it seemed safe enough to do so. She glanced over her shoulder, brightening when she saw that the apple was not too far off from where she stood. It had been wrapped up as if to prevent it from dirtying, she noted with amusement. Smirking, she leaned over to grab it. “Cha-soon. You planned this didn’t you?” She mused.

In one swift movement, she unwrapped the apple and took a bite. And, man was it good. The sweetness of the juice that burst into was enough to satisfy the cravings of her sweet tooth for the day. Just what I needed. She thought, walking off with a swagger in her step.

Fifteen minutes had passed since Soohyun left the electronics store and had gone in search of his mother. She wasn’t at the fish markets as Gunwoo said, and neither was her phone . Since she often got distracted while shopping, Soohyun was trying not to worry but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was inexplicably wrong. Maybe he was being paranoid, but as the minutes went on, his uneasiness grew.

“Hyung!”

Startled, Soohyun peered down at his five-year-old brother. He had almost forgotten that he was there. “Sorry, what did you say?”

“Hyung, can we please get an ice cream?”

 “No.”

“But I said please.” Gunwoo said, pouting cutely.

“And, I said no.” Soohyun countered, trying not to smile at his little bother’s antics. “You’ve had bad breathing for the past few days. You’re not allowed to have ice cream.”

“Hyung… why are you always right?” Gunwoo complained. “It’s no fair.”

Soohyun laughed. “I’m only right most of the time. Don’t worry; I’ll make it up to you. How about I make something sweet for you later?”

Gunwoo nodded excitedly and grabbed his hand as they walked.

* * * * *

It was almost night time now. Remnants of the afternoon sun still lingered in the sky, barely lighting up the world underneath. As the activities of the day slowed, Eunjung walked through one of the more deserted parts of Seoul and came to a stop in front of the street that led to her apartment. Having lived with her aunt for the past two years, she had been accustomed to many odd –and not to mention precarious– situations.

As Eunjung turned into her street, the scene that met her was probably the most interesting one yet.

A man, most likely a thug, was tailing two people none too subtly –one boy who seemed about five or six-ish and another in school uniform who was probably around her age. They were holding hands, smiling and laughing but there was rigidness in the way the older boy held himself. Perhaps he knew they were being followed? Eunjung wasn’t going to take her chances.

Thinking quickly, she tucked her hair underneath her cap and pulled it on tighter, so as to effectively cover most of her face. She couldn’t risk being recognised in a situation like this. If she was caught in another accident, she would probably be framed and her record as a student was bad enough as it was. Hell, she had been suspended from school for the past two weeks for something that she hadn’t even done. But hey, life wasn’t always meant to be fair.

Eunjung inhaled deeply. This had better be worth it. She thought, sprinting towards them. The younger boy’s giggles died down when the man finally confronted them. She edged closer, hiding in the shadows of two houses and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

* * * * *

“Who are you?” Soohyun asked the burly man whom he suspected, had been the one stalking them for the past few minutes. The man’s threatening demeanour immediately raised his suspicions when he confronted them. Instinctively, Soohyun’s grip tightened on Gunwoo as he stepped forward, shielding his brother from the man’s view.

The man smiled, as if finding some joke in the situation. “A friend of your fathers.”

Soohyun’s gaze hardened.

“And that’s supposed to mean something…? I’m sorry, but I don’t specialise in telepathy or decrypting messages, so you might want to get to the point.” He said through gritted teeth.

“You’re a rude one, but no worries that can be fixed.” The man sneered.

And with that being said, he back-handed Soohyun across the face.

Soohyun stumbled from the impact but was otherwise alright. He touched his sore jaw, urging Gunwoo to run and hide. He didn’t need to be a part of this. Soohyun swallowed back his fear, glaring coldly at the man before landing a sudden punch of his own. He was surprised he had even managed to hit him. Soohyun was not a temperamental person and nor was he the type to be in a fistfight. In fact, he had never been in one before.

“Let me guess, you’re here to tell me to run and hide? You thugs are all the same.” Soohyun said, scoffing. “It’s all bull.”

In response, the man raised his fist as if intending to hit him again –but before it could make contact with Soohyun's face, a hand shot out and stopped him. Startled, both men looked up to see who the hand belonged to…

“Now, now boys. Let’s play nice.” The girl’s voice was condescending.

Preview of the next chapter:

“The name’s Eunjung. I would say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but it really isn’t.” She paused, “Oh, and if you tell anyone about this, you’re dead.”