KIMJONGIN

Chapter Three

The next morning is a Saturday; I wake up with Minah in my arms. There’s dried up blood all over the roof, it’s not that noticeable against the black painted ground. I pick up Minah and bring her back in. I set her down on the couch in the living room and shake her awake. I hold her hand and shake it a bit; Minah opens her eyes and gasps at my appearance. There’s a blood stain on my cheek and my hair’s a mess. How often do you see a guy dressed in all black in the middle of your living room with guns strapped onto him? I shush her. “Minah it’s me…Jongin.” I whisper.

“Last night…” She says with her eyes full of fear.

I shake my head. “Don’t talk about it. You almost got killed. “

“Thank you.” Minah whispers. I nod and tell her to wash up. She gets up and walks to her room. I touch the stain on my cheek and run to my room. I grab a cotton swab and dip it into alcohol; I wipe the blood off my face and hope it’s not to dried up so I could find out who this blood belonged to. It’s certainly not mine because I got home in one piece. Minutes later, a profile comes up. Minah walks right in while drying her hair. “What are you doing?”

I turn to her. “Who’s Do Kyungsan?”

She sits next to me and reads through the profile

Do Kyungsan

October 29^th , 1965 – Present

Spouse: Hwang Minyee

Associations: Oh Sejun – CEO of Oh INC c. 1989 – Unknown

Children: Unknown

Possibly MIA - Unseen since 1999

“He knows Oh Sejun…” Minah whispers.

“You know Sejun but not him?” I question.

She shakes her head. “I only know Oh Sejun because he was the head of the murder but…do you think Kyungsan could be one of the 16 men?” 

I shrug and scroll though his profile. "Possibly. When did your father die?" 

"1999. I was 5." She whispers. 

I turn to her. That was the same year my parents were killed. "I'm sorry?" I ask again, I could've misheard her. 

"1999." Minah says. "I was 5."

I ignore the profile for a while and turn to her. "What's your father's name and how did he die?"

"It was a gloomy afternoon..." Minah starts. 

It was a gloomy afternoon, a five year old Minah wonders around her house as she looks for her mother. She finds her resting out on the porch, she sits down and sighs at her mother's porclien white skin. The color was slowly draining from her face as the days passed, Yeun was out for the weekend like usual. Minah watched her mother sleep peacefully, her mother had leukemia and had to go to the hospital often. It was tiring and all the tests and treatments were wearing her body out.

It was cloudy, before Minah knew it, it started raining. Her mother went with her back inside. Minah played in her room quietly, hours passed and she was oblivious to the odd smell that was starting to circulate her room. Grabbing her teddy bear, she opened the door a crack and watched as a bunch of men in SWAT suits run into her father's room. There's yelling in screaming. A man in particular watches angrily as he barks. "GET HIM." 

The sound of his voice will be something Minah would never forget. She watches as her father stumbles out, the bullets fly though him. Soon enough, the men pick up everything and make a run for it. Minah closes her door and sits there stunned before she cries herself to sleep. 

She wakes up a few days later, Yeun is back. Minah's starving at this point but she forgets about her hunger when Yeun carries her out. She sees all the blood and notices the smell. The stench of a decaying and that odd smell. 

Yeun runs out of the house and calls 911. When they get to the hospital, Minah cries loudly as she struggles to squirm out of Yeun's arms as she watches the doctors put a white sheet over her father. Her mother is being rushed inside the ER.

She soon learns that the man she looked up to her whole life will no longer be there. Minah learns that the woman who raised her and guided her the whole five years she was alive might not even live to see her graduate elementary school. 

Yeun sighs and holds back her tears, she holds Minah in her arms until she cries herself to sleep. She'll never know why her father was killed. Ever. 

I look at her and sigh. "I'm sorry...But the same thing happened to me. My mother was shot to death and my father died protecting me." I mumble. 

She nods slightly before her lips tremble. She's going to cry.

Minah hugs her legs and breaks down into tears. "I miss them so much." She cries. 

I turn around and look under my bed, my guitar's there and I take it out. I strum it a few times. "I grew up in Thailand, my uncle raised me with my aunt like I was one of their own. My aunt showed me a guitar, she would sing for me every time I was sad. I wanna show you something she wrote..." 

So baby don't cry, tonight

We can find a way to let it go

So baby don't cry, tonight

No one else would have to know

You will never be sheltered from the heat

and in the end you don't have to know

So baby don't cry

Cry

My love will protect you 

I sung an excerpt of the lullaby she wrote. 

"You're amazing." Minah whispers.

I chuckle. That's the first complement I've gotten in a long time. "How so?"

"You can sing, you can fight, you're so strong after losing your parents. You seem so smart...I just...Wow." She says. 

"What can you do?" 

Minah shakes her head. "Nothing."

"Don't say that, you never know what you're capable of." 

She smiles and looks down. I sit there in silence when her phone goes off. "Hey..." A look of confusion appears on her face. Minah holds her phone in front of her and stare at the screen. Its an unknown number and she hears only static. Minah hangs up and puts her phone on my desk. "Uh..." She looks sort of scared too. 

"What was that?"

She shrugs. "I...I don't know. Jongin I'm gonna go out." 

I take her phone and punch my number in. "Be safe." I say. 

Yeun comes home earlier then expected. "Minah says you're out for the weekends."

"My family's out on vacation in Jeju Island. I went to run some errands. Is everything alright?"

I nod. "Yeah, Minah's out." 

"Did she get a phone call today?"

"A one where she only heard static? Yeah." 

"Jongin, can you go to her graduation? It's on Monday." Yeun asks.

"Sure...but why? I just met her." 

"I would go but, my son's coming back from Jeju with his wife and I'd like to see him. And what can I do? I can't protect her."

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

The middle aged woman sits down with me, "Jongin, please. It's for Minah's own good. You guys have lots in common, and besides, you can go and support her."

I raise an eyebrow and agree to go. I have to admit, that phone call today was a bit odd. 

The day of her graduation comes. She looks very beautiful with her hair in waves. Her gown looks great on her and for once, Minah is happily smiling. I walk Minah to school. Its blazing hot, I'm wearing a grey tank and a leather vest. It's breathable so I'll be fine. I have black skinny jeans on and my combat boots on; they come with me everywhere. My hair's slicked up and Minah's happy to see me. "Hey...thanks for coming." 

I hand her a bouquet if flowers and smile. "My pleasure. I don't think Yeun's arms are long enough to reach out to take pictures of you anyway." 

She giggles and we snap a picture together. "Thanks Jongin, really. I'm happy around you."

The girls around us are staring in envy, they're talking about me. Yeun finally comes to accompany her, I walk off when I get a call from my uncle. Being that everyone here is speaking Korean, I speak in English so no one knows what we're talking about.

"Be careful." He says. 

"Why?"

"You need to protect Minah."

"Uncle why exactly is she so important to you?" I ask.

"KAI!" He barks. Kai's the name I went back when I was in Thailand, my aunt gave me that name when I was brought there. 

I shove my phone in my pocket, something's up and I feel it. I walk up to Minah as fast as I can. My pace quickens, Minah's my number one priority right now. Everything soon happens so fast. There's a gun shot, everyone seems so surprised. The graduates of the class of 2013 all gasp in unison. I run up to Minah and grab her by the shoulders and turn her around, the bullet is aimed for her but I'm her shield. "JONGIN!" She screams. 

Author's note: Thun...thun...thunnnn. Comment! 

Heheh, I graduated today! x3 Class of 2013! 

Baby Don't Cry - Cover