So Min

“Miss So Min.” One of the two men addressed me in English.

I was shocked that he knew my name. “How did you know me?”

“That doesn’t matter, Miss So Min. Something bad has happened to your friend.” He broke the news with a worried look.

My heart started to pound aggressively against my rib cage.

SUNBAE? Something bad had happened to him?

“Where is he? Is he injured?”

“He is with us now. We need to bring you to him. He needs you.” The other man replied.

By now, my mind was shrouded with anguish. I feared for Sunbae’s safety and I desperately wanted to reach his side as soon as possible. Tears had streamed down my panic stricken my face without my knowledge. I only realised that I was crying when I tasted their saltiness on my lips. Embarassed by my sudden outcry, I wiped them off hastily.

“Please bring me to him!” The plea was so urgent that it must have sounded commanding to the two men.

They nodded and signaled me to follow them, and I did. I had no idea where they would bring me to, but I obediently stayed close behind them. We went through a few narrow pedestrian paths, with shops still visible on the left and right. I could sense eyes boring into the three figures walking hurriedly from both sides but I ignored their stares. My only concern now was to get to Sunbae quickly to comfort him.

Hyun Joong

The men were saying something to Jinx Girl. Her face turned pale with fear written all over her face.  Wait! Were those tears rolling down her puffy eyes.  I wondered what they were talking about. If it was what I thought it should be, her reaction is ridiculously over dramatic. 

Part of me wanted to leave my viewing window and go to her side; another part of me reasoned that nothing bad could happen - What could possibly go wrong in this harmless prank? Right…?

 When she moved off with them, all my uncertainties fell through. I sprung off my seat in preparation to end my plan. My intellectual mind nagged that definitely something was amiss.

The moment I stood up and moved away from my table, I felt a hot splash of liquid on my coat.

“Aiya..What’s wrong with you?” exclaimed the old waiter in Mandarin.  It didn’t take a genius to comprehend that in my hurry to leave, I had walked out of my seat abruptly and the waiter was not quick enough to avoid me. He fell backwards onto the floor and the two cups of hot coffee he was carrying spilled onto me. 

“I’m sorry…” I said apologetically and quickly bent down to pull him up.

“Next time watch where you are going!” he scolded angrily and grumbled his way back into the kitchen with the empty cups. I took off my stained coat and immediately averted my attention back to where the trio was.

“Oh no!”

To my horror, they have disappeared!

I darted out of the café and ran to the very spot where I last saw them. Looking in all directions, I could not detect any traces of them anywhere. I took out my phone to dial Jinx Girl’s number, hoping that she would pick up my call.

Dooo dooo….Dooo..dooo…Dooo…dooo.. (dialling tone)

I had to warn her that there was something wrong with those two men.

 She had to pick up the phone.

“Come on, Jinx Girl. Pick up! Answer the call, damn it!”

 Dooo dooo….Dooo..dooo…Dooo…dooo.. (dialling tone)

“Hello, I’m So Min..” came the reply at the other end.

As soon as I heard her voice, I fired into the receiver, “So  Min, where are you? Come back here… …“

“…Sorry, I’m unable to talk to you at the moment. Please leave your message after the beep tone. Thank you”

Beep

It was only a voice recorded message.

Where is she, for goodness sake? I feared that she could be in danger and yet, I felt helpless of what to do.

“Are you looking for your girl?”

 A woman in her late twenties was staring in my direction. She was wearing a black mini skirt and a tight fitting, translucent ‘thing’ as her top.  I gawked at her terrible fashion sense and concluded quickly that she must be one of the es here.

“Are you dumb? I’m asking you a question!” She asked again, this time, rather impatiently. 

“Do you know where she went?” I replied, ignoring the wrong perception of my relationship with Jinx Girl.

“What kind of boyfriend are you to leave your girl alone here? Do you know that this neighborhood is dangerous!?” I was startled by her outburst but I did not argue for I desperately needed her to tell me Jinx Girl’s whereabouts.

“I know! I know! Do you know how to find her? PLEASE…..”

She snarled at me and grunted the information that I wanted. “She went that way.” She pointed at the direction with her index finger.

I thanked her and was about to dash off when she held on to my arm, “Wait! Do you know who you will be dealing with?”

Shaking my head, I looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Those two men are part of an illegal ion syndicate. They have been lurking around here to look for potential customers or increase their ‘baits’. They are pimps.” She elaborated.  

I swallowed the lump in my throat nervously, “What do you mean by ‘baits’?”

She gaped at me with a disgruntled look, “You know…girls who will serve their customers.”

“And what has that got to do with my friend?” I tried to confirm my suspicion with her.

She literally screamed at me “Are you really that dumb?”

“She will not agree to their demand..she will not…” I mumbled to myself, regretting that I had carried this hoax too far.

“They have ways to make her agree. I was not a willing party in this business too.”

I stared at her, bewildered.

“GO! Find her before she is forced to do something that both of you will regret. Go till you find a jetty by the waterfront.”

I did not bother to thank her verbally again. Gratitude was already in my heart and I knew she felt it. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, uncaring of the stitches that attacked my sides as I swerved through the streets like lightning.

All I wanted to do was to teach her a mild lesson initially, not to create a massive mess. It was not supposed to turn out this way.

Trepidation took over my senses as my hands and legs quiver with uneasiness. This couldn’t be happening!

What have I done?

Would I be in time to save her? What would happen if I failed to do so?

It was not my intention to destroy her life!         

What was wrong with my stupid ego and the so-called revenge to salvage my pride?

If anything untoward was to happen to her, I would never ever forgive myself…