Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry this one took so long to upload! I hope the length sort of makes up for the wait. ^_^ Let me know what you think. :)

Chapter 7

            It was July 12, 2005.  This day used to be very special when Minjin and Minseon could be home for the summers.  But, at the Comet Academy, it was just another day for learning and training. 

            Minjin sat in Minseon’s bed, holding the picture of their parents limply in her hands.  She looked over at Minseon, who was sleeping in Minjin’s bed, her arms and legs sprawled out in every direction.  She hadn’t been able to sleep alone for the past few weeks.  Minjin didn’t mind letting her sister sleep with her in her bed, but she always retreated to Minseon’s bed in the early mornings.

            At a certain time during the night, the door to their dorm would automatically lock.  The only way to unlock it was by inputting a password on the outside of the door.  Every morning, Ms. Ko would come by to unlock the door and take them to breakfast.  Minjin had always wondered why the door locked during the night, but now she was oddly pleased by the thought of it.  The image of Professor Oh burned so freshly in her mind.  She wondered if there were other people at the Academy who would want to hurt her or her sister.

            Ever since Minjin and Minseon were accepted into the Summer Program at the Academy, Youngbin and Ms. Ko would visit their dorm before breakfast to wish them a happy birthday.  But Minjin hadn’t seen Ms. Ko around campus for a while now.

            A small click interrupted Minjin’s thoughts, and she watched as the door to their room slowly began to open.  Youngbin peeked his head in and gave a bright smile.  Minjin returned his beam with a slight grin, but she couldn’t actually find anything to smile about.

            “Good morning, Minjin-ah,” Youngbin told happily, slipping into the room with a small package in his hands.  “Do you know what today is?”

            She gave a weak chuckle and rolled her eyes.  No matter how silly he sounded, he would always ask the question with an excited look on his face.  “It’s our birthday.”

            “That’s right.”  He carefully unwrapped the small package to reveal a tiny, messy cake with red and orange frosting sloppily lathered over it.  Minjin looked at it in shock, recalling the more decorative cakes they had received in the past.

            “Um, thank you, oppa,” she said politely, taking the cake from him.  She placed it on her nightstand and tasted some frosting on her on her finger.  “At least it tastes alright.”

            “Are you insulting my cake-making skills?” he asked defensively.

            “It’s a little messy, oppa,” she laughed quietly.

            “Well…Soomin-ah usually orders a cake from the city,” he admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.  “I had to make this one in the cafeteria’s kitchen.  I hope you don’t mind.”

            “Of course not!”  She admired the cake’s strange colors and gave a smirk.  “It’s very pretty, oppa.”

            Youngbin looked over at Minseon with curious eyes.  “She’s still out like a light.  Did she not sleep well last night?”

            “She’s had nightmares almost every night since she met Professor Oh,” Minjin sighed, wandering over to her sister and moving the hair from her face.  Minseon, though in a sound sleep, appeared to be lost in a nightmare, embraced by worry and fear.  The muscles in her face were tense and twitchy. 

            “Ah, Minseon-ah.”  Youngbin kneeled down next to Minseon and watched her pained expression.  “I should have looked for her sooner.  I knew it was odd for her to be so late for dinner.”

            “Ms. Ko said not to blame anyone, oppa,” Minjin whispered, looking at him with remorseful eyes.  “Please don’t feel guilty.  It wasn’t your fault.”

            “Well…Still, it shouldn’t have happened.”

            “Where is Ms. Ko, oppa?” Minjin questioned, peering at the door.  “Isn’t she here at the Academy anymore?”

            “Of course she is,” Youngbin assured quickly.  He rose from Minseon’s bedside and gave a long sigh.  “She’s just…on vacation.  She’ll be back soon.”

            “Sometimes…I want to call Ms. Ko ‘unnie’, but I’m too afraid.”  Minjin fiddled with her fingers as she stared at the ground.  “Sometimes…I just wish I had someone to take care of me.  I do everything I can to make sure Minseon is okay.  But sometimes…I wonder if anyone will make sure I’m okay.”

            “Oh, Minjin-ah,” Youngbin called gently, staring at her helplessly.  “I will always be here to take care of you.  And you can always talk to Ms. Ko unnie.  We care for the both of you very much.”

            “Thank you, oppa,” she grinned feebly.  “Please don’t ever leave us.  I don’t know who could ever replace you.”

            “I won’t leave you, Minjin-ah,” he smiled.  “That’s a promise.”

            “Is there…Is there training today?”

            “With firearms?” he asked, the words so sour on his lips.  “I’m not sure.  I believe you’ll be meeting with your teachers in a different classroom today.  Maybe they’ll let you do something easy for your birthday.”

            “Hopefully.”

            “Unnie…”  Minseon stirred in Minjin’s bed as her eyes began to open.  “Unnie, what time is it?”

            “It’s 6AM,” Minjin informed softly.

            “Oh, I really slept in,” Minseon sighed.  She finally sat up in her bed and noticed Youngbin.  “Oppa, what are you doing here?”

            “It’s your birthday, Minseon-ah!” he exclaimed passionately.  “Aish, what is wrong with the two of you.  Am I the only one who knows it’s your birthday?  I even made you a cake!”

            “Ah, wow,” Minseon beamed, looking over at the messy cake.  “I’m sure it’s delicious.”

            Minjin observed Minseon’s sad expression and sat down on the bed with her.  “Did you have another nightmare, Minseon-ah?”

            Minseon rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath.  “Yes.  But I think I’m okay now.  Let’s just eat this cake, okay?”

            “For breakfast?”

            “Yes,” Minseon insisted fervently.  “I’m hungry, and nothing will stop me from eating this cake.”

            “You two have fun,” Youngbin laughed, slowly backing out of the room.  “I’ll come get you when you have to be at class.  And I’ll tell the cafeteria that you’re not hungry for breakfast this morning.”

            “Thank you, oppa,” Minjin called gratefully.  “You’re the best.”

            “Happy birthday, girls.”

*          *          *

            One hour later, Youngbin led the girls into the basement level of the Language building.  The twins had never been down here before, and it seemed somewhat mysterious and out of place.  They walked down a long, bright hall filled with many locked doors.  Youngbin carefully read the numbers on each door, looking back at the girls frequently.

            “You have a class in one of these rooms today,” he explained, a bit of nervousness in his shaky voice.  “I…I’m not sure what you’ll be doing.  I’ve never been in this part of the campus before.”

            “I hope we can learn more English,” Minseon requested eagerly.  “Learning languages is one of the more interesting subjects here.”

            “We’re in the language building, so I’m sure that’s probably it,” Youngbin smiled.

            They reached door 17, and Youngbin swiftly took a badge from his shirt pocket and ran it across a scanner beside the door.  It opened with a small click, and the three of them slowly entered the room.

            Inside the small, square room were several computers and control panels in front of a large window.  The window revealed a cozy, chic living room on the other side with two doors on either side of the room.  The computer screens in the square room showed different angles of the living room, and Minjin spotted the cameras that were placed on the ceiling of the living room.

            Standing by the computers and control panels were three men.  One of them appeared in a guard uniform similar to Youngbin’s.  His serious eyes scanned the twins for just a moment before he looked back at the computer screens.  Another man wore a long, white coat, and he had a scruffy beard on his fairly chubby face.  The last man was an older man wearing a dark green suit with overwhelming shoulder pads.  His callous expression sent chills down Minjin’s spine, and she tried to avoid his icy gaze.

            “Here they are, Sir,” he called sternly.

            “We will begin shortly,” the man replied with a deep, gruff voice.  He conjured a stiff, cheerless smile and looked at the twins.  “Hello there.  I’m Mr. Ko.”

            “Mr. Ko?” Minseon asked curiously.  “Are you related to Ms. Ko?”

            “I’m her father,” he responded.

            “Her father?”  Minseon looked up at him eagerly.  “Do you know when she’ll be back here at the school?”

            “She’s on suspension because she is an unruly employee,” he sighed angrily.  “She’ll be back when she can learn to do her job correctly.”

            “…Oh,” Minseon whispered nervously.  “Okay, Mr. Ko.”

            “Anyway, today is a very important day,” he began, looking through the window and into the living room.  “Today you, Heo Minseon, will prove that your training was not in vain.  And you will correct the mistakes that you recently made.”

            “Mi-Mistakes?”

            “That’s right.”  Mr. Ko observed the living room carefully, his grim stare so unsettling.  “Do you know why the two of you have been so thoroughly taught in martial arts?”

            “I guess…to protect ourselves.”

            “That’s right,” he affirmed, an icy smile emerging on his face.  “But you couldn’t even do that much.  Mr. Lee, please put her in the room.”

            “Yes, Sir.”

            The man dressed like Youngbin walked up to Minseon and firmly grasped her arm.  Minjin watched anxiously as he led her towards a door next to the window.  The door opened on its own, and the man sent Minseon through, quickly closing the door behind her.

            “Minseon-ah!” Minjin called, jumping towards the door.  “Where did you send her?  What are you doing?”

            “Don’t worry, Minjin,” Mr. Ko smirked, looking through the window again.  “She’s just right in there.”

            Minjin pressed her hands up against the window and looked inside the living room.  The door on the left side of the room opened up, and Minseon carefully walked through it.  She observed the room with scared eyes as her heart trembled within her.  That’s when Minjin noticed the small handgun in the middle of the low coffee table.

            “What is she doing in there?” Minjin asked frantically.  “I don’t understand what’s happening.”

            “Minseon-ah,” Mr. Ko called gently.  Minseon’s eyes darted across the room.  She looked at every corner, every wall, yet couldn’t find the source of Mr. Ko’s voice.

            “Mr. Ko?”  Minseon’s voice clearly came through a speaker next to one of the computers.  “Mr. Ko, what is going on?  What am I doing in here?”

            “Do you remember Professor Oh?”

            Minseon’s eyes opened widely as she stared at the window separating her from everyone else.  “Professor…Professor Oh?  Yes…I remember him.”

            “Do you remember what happened that night?”

            Heavy, uneven breaths could be heard through the speaker.  Minjin stared helplessly at her anxious sister, wishing she could make her forget every memory concerning Professor Oh.

            “Do you remember that night, Minseon-ah?”

            “I remember.”  Minseon’s eyes scanned the window aimlessly.  Minjin pressed her face up against the glass, but Minseon seemed unable to spot her.  “I…I can’t forget it.”

            “Would you say Professor Oh was a bad man?” Mr. Ko asked simply, his voice calm and gentle.

            “Yes,” Minseon answered, nodding her head earnestly.  “I think he was a bad man.  And Ms. Ko said he was a bad man too.”

            “Of course she did,” he sighed.

            “Sir, why are you doing this?” Youngbin questioned in frustration, looking at Mr. Ko with furious eyes.  “You know that Professor Oh traumatized her.”

            “Oppa?” Minseon called suddenly, rushing up to the window.  She placed her shaking hands upon the glass.  “Oppa, I’m scared.”

            “Can’t she see us?” Minjin asked, pressing her hands upon the glass where her sisters’ were.

            “This is a one-sided window,” Mr. Ko informed coldly.  “Kim, don’t interrupt me.  You’re out of line.”

            “Sir-”

            “Wow!”  Mr. Ko let out a loud, comical laugh as he looked at Youngbin.  “You know, you act just like my daughter.”  His laugh quickly ended as a livid frown engulfed his smile.  “They say lovers become very similar when they’ve spent so much time together.  But, considering the two of you are coworkers on different levels of the social class, such a situation is certainly impossible.  Am I right?”

            Youngbin’s cheeks filled with red as he endured Mr. Ko’s fuming gaze.  He looked down at the floor and nodded his head.  “Of course you’re right, Sir.”

            “Minseon-ah,” Mr. Ko continued.  “Tell me what you were thinking when you were with Professor Oh.”

            “What I was thinking?”  Minseon closed her teary eyes and wearily leaned against the glass.  “At first, I thought he was a nice man.  But then he started acting strange.  There was something in his eyes…I was so scared.  I thought he was going to hurt me.  I thought he was going to kill me.  Mr. Ko, can I please come out now?”

            “Not yet, Minseon-ah.  Tell me, why didn’t you use your training to incapacitate Professor Oh?”

            “I…I don’t know what happened,” Minseon sniffled.  “I felt frozen.  I…I didn’t want to hurt him.  Ms. Ko talked to me afterwards.  She told me it wasn’t my fault.  She said it’s normal to not want to hurt someone.”

            “Is that what she told you?”  Mr. Ko’s whole body became tense as he stared at Minseon.  Minjin could hear his loud, angry breaths.  “Ms. Ko obviously does not have your best interest in mind.  If she did, she would have instructed you to be better prepared for those kinds of situations.  You shouldn’t be afraid to hurt someone.  Bad people need to be eliminated.”

            “Eliminated?”  Minseon slapped her hands against the glass.  “Please!  Let me come out now!”

            “You’ve had a very strenuous training schedule these past few weeks,” Mr. Ko reminded.  “We even taught you how to use firearms.  Don’t you think you’re better prepared to handle such situations, Minseon-ah?”

            “I…I suppose,” Minseon agreed reluctantly.

            “Well then, here is your test.  Mr. Choi, let in the prisoner.”

            The door on the right side of the living room creaked open, revealing a tall, foreign man wearing a white jumpsuit.  He had a large, brown beard to match his messy brown hair.  His eyes were filled with terror and desperation.  Minseon faced him swiftly, her tense body pressed firmly against the window.

            “Mr. Ko!” she cried.  “Mr. Ko, what do I do?”

            “Your only instruction is: don’t let him get the gun.”

            As soon as Mr. Ko said the word, the prisoner’s eyes fell upon the handgun on the coffee table.  He looked up at Minseon for a moment, observing the fear in her eyes.  Minjin watched in horror as he suddenly made a dash for the gun.

            “No!” Minseon screamed, running forward.  She attacked his legs first, sending him onto the floor in agonizing pain.  The panicked girl worked quickly, pushing him down onto his stomach and holding his hands behind his back.

            “Hold him tightly, Minseon-ah!” Minjin instructed hysterically.  “Mr. Ko, please stop this!  Let her out!”

            “Sir, this is madness!” Youngbin insisted sternly.  “This can’t continue!”

            “Wow, Minseon-ah,” Mr. Ko smiled, ignoring Minjin and Youngbin.  “You worked quite fast.  Do you have a good hold on him?”

            “Yes!”  Minseon struggled to hold him back as the prisoner made strong tugs towards the gun.  “Please, let me out!”

            “You have one more instruction, Minseon-ah,” he began slowly.  “…Kill him.”

            Minjin and Youngbin turned to face Mr. Ko with stunned faces.  Minseon nearly lost her grip of the prisoner as horror filled her eyes.

            “What did you just say, Sir?” Youngbin asked, stepping towards him.  “Did you just order her to kill him?”

            “I did.”  Mr. Ko kept his eyes on Minseon and the prisoner.  “He is a Daghanian terrorist who has already been sentenced to death by the South Korean military court.  Kill him, Minseon.”

            “What is a Daghanian terrorist doing here at this school?” Minjin cried.  She rushed over the door which led into the living room and attempted to turn its handle.  Banging her fists against the locked door, she looked back at Mr. Ko.  “Let her out!”

            “You heard my order, Minseon.”  Mr. Ko’s voice rumbled through the room.  “Kill him.  He’s a bad man like Professor Oh.  Kill him.”

            “Пожалуйста, отпустите меня.”

            Minseon looked down at the prisoner as he stopped struggling.  He rested his head on the ground and gave sharp breaths.

            “What did you say?” Minseon questioned with a shaky voice.

            “Пожалуйста, отпустите меня ( [Russian] Please let me go),” the prisoner pleaded.  “У меня две дочери дома. И моя жена очень больна (I have two daughters at home.  And my wife is very sick).”

            “Minseon-ah, keep holding him tightly!” Minjin begged, running back to the window.  “Don’t let him go!  He might be trying to trick you.”

            “What is he saying, Minjin?” Mr. Ko asked curiously.

            “He says he has a family back in Daghan,” Minjin informed quickly.  “Please, just let us in there.  She needs help.  She can’t handle this one her own!”

            “Ваша жена больна (Your wife is sick)?” Minseon replied helplessly.  “И у вас есть две дочери (And you have two daughters)?”

            “Да (Yes),” he promised wearily.  “Пожалуйста, помогите мне (Please help me).”

            “I…I can’t kill him,” Minseon sobbed, her hands slowly releasing him.  “I can’t do this.  Please let me out!”

            “Don’t let go of him, Minseon-ah!”

            “Kill him, Minseon!”

            As everyone continued to shout, the prisoner suddenly leapt up from the ground and dashed towards the gun.  Everyone watched in horror as he fell down beside the table and took the gun in his hands.

            “Minseon-ah!”

            “No!”  As the prisoner turned to face her, Minseon jumped towards him and took hold of the gun.  Both of them held onto it tightly as they wrestled for control.  She felt her fingers press against the prisoner’s fingers, against the handle of the gun, even against the gun’s trigger.  She closed her eyes, knowing that nothing good could come from this.  The struggle seemed to last an eternity, until it was ended by the loud, echoing sound of a gunshot.

            Minseon opened her eyes and looked up at the prisoner.  His eyes were full of bewilderment and chaos.  She felt his fingers loosen around the gun, and she held it limply in her trembling hands.  His face appeared so young.  An apologetic grin appeared on his youthful, confused face.

            “Прости, что я обманул вас (I’m sorry I tricked you),” he whispered.  “Я даже не знаю ... Как моя жизнь стала таким образом (I don’t even know…how my life got this way).”

            No words could be formed in Minseon’s mind.  Her eyes slowly fell from his face down to his chest.  A red stain grew on his white jumpsuit.  His eyes lost their vigor and even their fright.  Minseon’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched him fall to the floor.

            “No…No.  You can’t be dead.”

            “Mr. Ko, let us in there!”  Minjin’s voice was a fervent roar.  Even Mr. Ko appeared shocked at her tone.

            “You can’t be dead…You can’t be dead!”  Minseon kneeled down next to the prisoner and put her hands on his face.  “Wake up!  Wake up!”

            “Open this door, General!” Youngbin shouted, stomping up to Mr. Ko.  “Open it now!”

            “Mr. Choi…you can open the door,” Mr. Ko told reluctantly, looking into the living room.  “We have to clean up the body.”

            The door opened, and Youngbin and Minjin rushed inside.  Their eyes filled with terror as they watched Minseon stand up and flail the handgun around her.

            “I can’t take this anymore!” she cried, backing away from them.  “I don’t want to be here!”

            “Minseon-ah, calm down!” Minjin pleaded.  Youngbin held her back, not wanting her in danger of being shot as well.  “It wasn’t your fault!  You had to protect yourself!”

            “I can’t do it, unnie!”  Suddenly, Minseon held the gun up to her own head and gave a loud scream.  Minjin broke free from Youngbin’s grasp and ran towards her sister, but it was too late.  Minseon had pulled the trigger, yet only a soft click could be heard.  Though the gun failed to fire a bullet, Minseon still held it to her head, closing her eyes tightly as her body shook terribly.

            “Minseon-ah!” Minjin called, grabbing the gun away from her sister.  She threw it to the ground and swiftly wrapped her arms around her sobbing sister.

            “Let go of me!” Minseon screamed, violently thrashing her arms at her sister.  “I want to die!  I want to die!”

            “No, Minseon-ah!”  Tears filled Minjin’s eyes as she took the painful hits from Minseon.  She put her arms around Minseon’s whole body, restraining her from using her fists anymore.  Minseon fell to the ground, pulling Minjin down with her.

            “I want to die, unnie.  I want to die.”

            “Stop saying that, Minseon-ah,” Minjin wept.  She pressed her face onto Minseon’s shoulder and squeezed her tightly.  “Please stop saying that.  Please.”

            “Unnie…”

            “It wasn’t your fault, Minseon-ah,” Youngbin insisted gently, kneeling down next to both of them.  “My God…this shouldn’t have happened.”

            Minseon only leaned into Minjin’s arms and cried harder.  A heartbreaking wail emerged from her innocent lips, and neither Minjin nor Youngbin could bear to hear it.

            “Why are we here, oppa?” Minjin asked desperately.  “Why are they doing this?”

            Youngbin stared at them with wide remorseful eyes.  He examined the splattered blood on Minseon’s clothes.  He watched the tears flowing down both their cheeks.  Could anyone truly answer that question?  Even the most logical answer that Mr. Ko could give wouldn’t be sufficient enough to explain such torturous pain.  As he looked at those broken little girls, the most ironic words echoed through his mind.

            Happy birthday.