Soyeon Park
Copyright 2011 by Soyeon Park
Smashwords Edition
It had been a week since Jun moved to the new town. The 12-year old boy with a pale face and kind eyes didn’t have a problem making friends. He immediately got involved with the popular group. Some of their fathers and his dad were colleagues. However, getting to know everyone was more tiring than exciting.
Jun walked into a block jam-packed with apartments. It looked like a maze made of apartment buildings. It was hard to believe that this whole area was a hot piece of real estate. It was the whole point of living on this block. That’s why Jun’s family was there.
Jun felt someone was watching him. When he turned around, Min was there. Min was the guy who wore a taekwondo uniform all the time. His name was sewed on it. That’s the only reason Jun remembered his name. Jun looked at him carefully for the first time. Where everything around them was new and luxurious, Min stood out like a sore thumb. Min was obviously from the working classes.
“Take me to 5-108.”
5 meant the building number and 108 meant the number of the apartment. Jun wondered what was up with him. Building 5 was the exclusive part in this exclusive neighborhood. While Jun was thinking about Min’s connection to the place, Min grabbed his arm. Min was strong and rough. “A typical working class guy!” Jun thought.
Apartment 5-108’s door was open. Min went inside without hesitation. “What rude, uneducated behavior,” Jun thought. Jun felt responsibility for bringing an uncivilized child here. There must be very important people living in this apartment. Jun thought there must be a need for interpretation between this animal-like boy and them. If they find Jun charming, it might lead to an opportunity to build a network with important people in the future. It was the philosophy of Jun’s dad. Jun walked in.
It was a bit of a disappointment for Jun. The furniture was rather humble and old. Jun knocked on one of the doors to look for someone to explain the situation while watching Min to make sure he didn’t steal anything. Jun couldn’t hear a thing. He opened the door.
Light entered the room. The room was full of old maps, paintings, and books. Some of them were written in Chinese. Jun could smell the smell of time. The smell of old books possessed him and dragged into the room. He took one of them from a shelf and dropped it accidently. The book was so old that pages fell out and scattered on the floor. He picked them up quickly but couldn’t figure out which page belonged where. He was going to put all the pages together and arrange them as if nothing happened. That was the moment when a pair of floppy slippers showed up in his line of sight.
Jun couldn’t move. It was as if he were frozen. Only his eyes could move. He looked up. Jun was too frightened to move or say a word. There was a skinny old man standing and staring at him. The old man was so skinny, as if a live skeleton had come out from a science lab. The only difference was that he had skin. It made his eyes seem so big. Jun was frozen.
“Good afternoon.”
Jun said it. Jun heard that his voice was shaking. So was his body.
“Did you leave the door open again?”
The old man’s voice was like thunder. Jun shrank back. There was another man in the living room. Younger. Gentle looking.
“They are from the house,” the younger man said.
Jun wanted to correct him about where he was from, but the old man looked serious. Jun decided to stay quiet. At the same time, Jun couldn’t wait to find out Min’s connection to this old man.
They all sat down on the sofa. The old man was Mr. Choi, the famous, grumpy old man in the neighborhood. A notorious real estate dealer. He specialized in buying cheap houses from poor people and left them empty until he could sell them back at a higher rate. His stepson, Hyunil, was assisting him.
“We won’t sell our home,” the rude little boy shouted. It was brave of Min, but it failed to threaten Mr. Choi. Min’s words scattered in the air.
Mr. Choi stared at Min with silence. Min stared back. The more Min stared, the clearer it became that he wouldn’t win this game. He imagined how the fight was going to be. He had been told how rich Mr. Choi was. He knew what money could do. He’d heard about many people who fought against this old man. No one had won. It was a devastating feeling to know there was not much he could do. As if Mr. Choi read Min’s mind, he went back to the dark room where he had come out from. Min knew he had lost today. He would lose this game.
Min felt like he was going to explode. The anger and frustration was roiling inside of him. He was looking for a way out. Min started to breathe heavily. His heart beat so fast. He wanted to scream but couldn’t allow himself to show frustration. He was only a boy but he was still a man.
Finally, he burst into tears. His tear drops were so large and heavy that Min soon had a little stream on his face. It wasn’t only his face where the stream ran. His uniform was getting wet. The stream couldn’t handle the amount of tears, so it started to overflow. Min’s face was covered with tears.
The tears mixed with the dust which was on his face originally. It made Min look awful. It made everyone in the living room embarrassed but him. Jun and Hyunil didn’t know what to do.
Hyunil offered Jun a cookie he had made. Jun didn’t feel like eating, considering the situation Min got him into. Jun wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. However, Jun was going to have to wait until Min stopped crying by the looks of it. So Jun thanked him quietly and had a bite.
The cookie was amazingly delicious. It was so soft and sweet. Egg and milk gently swirled inside of his mouth and disappeared down his throat. The taste was so magical it made Jun think that it wasn’t too bad being involved with this hassle. Jun was beginning to feel better, but Min’s stream had become a river on his face.
“Your dad had a deal with Mr. Choi. There was an additional condition. Mr. Choi is doing you a favor.”
“How can it be a favor when you take away someone’s home?”
“Things are complicated with adults. You will understand when you grow up.”
“What is so complicated about it? How many houses can a man live at once? A man can be in only one place as far as I know.”
Min walked out. Jun couldn’t swallow the last bite of cookie. Jun said goodbye quickly to Hyunil and ran after Min. Jun came out thinking that he had to run to catch up with Min, but Min was standing right in front of the door.
“I can’t find a way out.”
Min looked so lost surrounded by shiny modern buildings, luxurious foreign cars, and well-dressed people wearing designers he’d never even heard of. He looked so out of place. Jun began to understand that Min didn’t exactly want to be part of the life here. All he wanted was peace.
Jun had a package of cookies Hyunil gave before he left Mr. Choi’s apartment. Jun wanted to take it home. While he was thinking of what to say to Min, they were already in front of Min’s place.
It was a tiny rundown place. There was a huge tree growing next to the house. It looked like the tree would get larger and tear the house apart soon. Jun couldn’t imagine living in it.
“What are you doing here?”
Min realized that Jun was following him. It was annoying and embarrassing. Jun wasn’t supposed to see all that. Especially not Min’s place.
“Get lost.”
Min grabbed Jun’s collar. Jun had never been in a violent situation like this before. Jun was frightened. At that moment, a guy walked out from the tiny gate.
“You must be a friend of Min’s.”
He was Min’s father. Unlike Min, Min’s father was friendly and he kindly invited Jun in. Jun didn’t want to go in considering what happened just now and over the last few hours. Min’s father insisted. Jun blamed his parents who had taught him to be polite to everyone. He hadn’t learned how to refuse yet.
The inside of the house was even smaller. They walked around the root of the tree. Min’s father was searching for something to treat his guest with, telling Jun that Min never brought any friends over. Jun wasn’t surprised. Jun had seen enough of Min.
“We have this.”
Jun noticed there wasn’t much for them. He said something about the cookies. Min’s father looked into Jun’s eyes for a moment.
“Will you do me a favor?”
Jun was afraid. What would this lead to next? He had been through a lot today already. It was almost too much to handle in one day. However, he was a polite kid. He felt like he’d been cursed for not being able to say no. He just couldn’t say it. He hated himself as he felt the smile form on his face.
“Sure, what is it?”
“Will you be a good friend to my boy?”
Jun looked at Min. Min looked angry. Jun couldn’t tell if Min would be even angrier if he said no.
“Of course, we already are.”
Min faked a big smile. Min’s father laid the cookies out on a plate and set it on the floor.
Apparently Min’s father was a handyman who fixed everything. He was going to go out to work. Jun was ready to escape from Min as soon as Min’s father went out. Before he left, Min’s father gave a hug to a girl behind a door. There was a girl. Jun was surprised by the fact that he could miss another person living in this small place. She was calm. She was tapping the floor with her foot, looking at her father leaving. Just like saying goodbye to dad.
She must be Min’s sister. She looked younger, and cute. She was humming. Jun found something strange about her. Her eyes were wandering and they settled on the cookies. It looked like she was analyzing what they were. She dashed to the floor and shoveled cookies into her mouth. It was rather animalistic, if you can say that about a human being. Jun was scared to death and started screaming.
“I’ve had enough of it! I can’t handle anymore!”
Jun’s scream intrigued her. She started screaming too. Her voice was like crying and singing at the same time, but it wasn’t a word. It was more like noise from someone who never learned how to speak.
Her noise made Jun scream even louder. She started to hit her head. It got faster and faster and her noise got louder and louder. Min covered Jun’s mouth and forced him to stop screaming. Strangely, through Min’s arms, Jun felt comfort. He could read Min’s intention. It was a force of protection.
“She reacts to loud sound,” Min whispered.
When they were both quiet, she slowly calmed down and her noise turned into humming again. She went out to the garden and hopped between the roots. She looked happy.
“It’s Suzi, my sister.”
Jun needed more explanation.
“She is autistic,” Min added. Min could tell Jun didn’t know what it meant. “She sees differently, hears differently, and thinks differently. She lives in another world. Well, that’s what mom said.”
“Okay, I am leaving. Goodbye.”
Jun walked out towards the gate. Suzi caught his eye. She was digging in the ground. She was covered in soil and eating it. Jun couldn’t believe his eyes. When he blinked, she disappeared. Suzi wasn’t there anymore.
“Where is she?”
“That is exactly what I was wondering.”
Both boys looked at the bottom of the tree. There was a big hole where Suzi was digging. It was as dark as hell down there. Min listened for any sound from his sister. Jun held his breath. Min’s ear found only silence.
“This is all your fault! If you hadn’t come around, nothing would have happened.”
Jun didn’t know what he did wrong. As far as he remembered, Min didn’t thank him for taking him to Mr. Choi’s place. Jun was the one who should be angry. Jun didn’t even want to be involved in any of this. It was Min who interrupted Jun’s day.
“Well, if that’s the case, you should be grateful to me for getting rid of your sister!”
Min pushed Jun. Min didn’t look like the same kid who was crying at Mr. Choi’s place. Min was strong but Jun wasn’t going to step back this time. The two boys rolled on the ground and fell into the hole.
They both landed on their backs and couldn’t move because of the shock they got when they landed. There was a sound of metal objects scraping against each other. It was a small trolley on a rail. Min saw Suzi’s feet sticking out on top. The only thing Min could do was to call his sister’s name loudly, knowing she wouldn’t answer. He struggled and got up to catch his sister, but Suzi disappeared into the dark again.
“Wait here and get help. I will look for Suzi.”
Jun was left alone. He never felt so alone before. Jun stood under the light. Jun screamed, shouted, and called out. He could hear only his own voice. There was no way people outside were going to find him. Jun did not know how long he had to wait. The feeling of being alone was growing. It started to possess him.
Jun looked at the dark area where Suzi and Min disappeared. The darkness was scary. The fear of being alone was growing. It got bigger and bigger. Eventually it got bigger than the darkness. Jun ran straight into the dark to escape from the fear.
He couldn’t see a thing. He didn’t know how far he had run. All of sudden, there was a light. There must have been a lake above them. It looked like a massive fish tank. The sun was so strong. It shone underground through the water.
Whenever fish swam by, it made a ripple of shadow. Trees were growing. Flowers bloomed. They smelled good. It was wild but it was certainly a man-made garden. A small stream ran through it.
Min followed the stream. He stepped in with his bare feet. Water ran, tickling, between Min’s toes. Min wiggled his toes. It felt good. Min thought it might be good to come down here to escape from what was going on up there. He finally noticed Jun was there.
“Did you talk to anyone?”
“Yes, he is coming.”
“Who?”
“Um...Your dad.”
Min seemed to believe it. Jun couldn’t tell how scary it was to be alone. Min looked opened and relaxed. Talking to Jun reminded Min of what he was supposed to do. Min carried on, following the rail. Jun held Min’s sleeve so tightly Min had to take his arm away from Jun.
Once they passed the garden, it got dark again. It was going to take a few minutes to get use to it, but it could have been better if they couldn’t see a thing. When Jun tripped and fell, he faced a huge skeleton of an animal. With his imagination, Jun added flesh and muscle to the bones. A cow materialized. Jun couldn’t even scream. They were bones of animals. Some were big. Some were small. Min and Jun were surrounded by dead animals.
“They are all farm animals. That one looks like a cow. Look, this is a chicken.” Min didn’t look scared. Yet.
“Ok, I am leaving. I will wait back there. Bye.”
Min grabbed Jun.
“Oh, come on, stop being a chicken,” Min said without thinking. His own words reminded him of the chicken bones he saw earlier. In fact, Min was scared too. Well, a little bit. Jun read his fear from his hands. From there, Min held Jun’s sleeve as if he was afraid of being alone. They walked in the dark. They were better off together.
They did not know how long they had walked when they stood in front of an old traditional house. The huge gate showed that it belonged to a manor from before 1944.
After Japan murdered the Queen of the Chosun Dynasty in 1895, things only got worse for Chosun and finally it became part of Japan in 1910. There was not much left in the country. People had to carry on living with humiliation. They hoped to give their children a different future. They set up a school.
A boy without a name turned up one day. Nobody knew where he was from and what happened to his parents. It wasn’t a surprise to see a boy like that. The only thing they knew about him was that he was very smart.
He helped out with everything at school. He soon built a reputation. His reputation brought jealousy from other students. He saved other students from trouble. He got beaten up as a reward. The boy was very lonely.
Jealousy wasn’t the only thing his reputation brought. He caught the interest of the master of the manor, Mr. Choi. Mr. Choi showed up at school one day to take the boy. His eye weren’t like those of the other children. Mr. Choi saw anger in them.
“You are going to be nothing more than my servant.”
The boy didn’t wait a second when Mr. Choi offered to take him away. From that day, the boy had a name.
People called the boy Little Choi. Mr. Choi took Little Choi wherever he went. Mr. Choi taught foreign languages and manners. Little Choi was a fast learner. It didn’t take long for Little Choi to take responsibilities in Mr. Choi’s business. His business did well because he kept the Japanese happy. Little Choi kept all the records of Mr. Choi’s accounts.
Mr. Choi expanded his business as well as his house. He recruited large numbers of workers. Once the workers came to work on his house, they couldn’t leave or go outside. The construction took nearly 10 years. Mr. Choi sent his workers to the Japanese army. He wouldn’t allow anyone to talk about what they had done. It was a massive project, but had to be kept secret.
When it finally finished, Little Choi had grown into a decent young man. Secretly he admired Mr. Choi’s daughter, Heeyeon, but he never spoke or showed his feelings. He escorted her to social clubs and dance parties. When she entered a room, the room was brighter and people couldn’t help looking at her. Then, there were competitions between Japanese generals about who would be the lucky one to dance with her.
While she was enjoying being a queen at the party, grown up Little Choi waited outside, listening to the music, knowing exactly what was going on. It wasn’t a difficult guess that all the guys would be fighting for her.
“Hey, did you hear? There will be a war.”
“A war?”
It was a boy who drove a rickshaw for the Japanese. He was little but tough. He looked excited.
“Man, you haven’t heard? Those Japanese bastards are finished. We will get our country back.”
It was surprising. Little Choi didn’t know how he was supposed to feel. He was excited to know there wouldn’t be any more Japanese in this land. He wanted to be a part of the big movement. He wanted to fight back against the Japanese. He would do anything to get his country back and have a free life.
In the next few minutes, he wondered what would happen to someone who survived by sucking up to the Japanese, like Mr. Choi?
“You don’t look so excited.”
“Of course, I am! So, when will we get rid of those pigs on this land?” Little Choi copied the rickshaw man’s excitement in his face and voice.
“Next year, boom! Oh, you won’t believe what I’ve done. Do you see the general, there? He will be the first one I’ll kill. I literally wipe his ass every morning. He promised not to take my sister to the army. You know what happens to those girls. They become prostitutes. Guess what has happened to my sis now? She is his slave day and night. That sick bastard is a freaking pervert. You should see her face, my friend.”
“I understand. I really do.”
He meant it. He felt the rickshaw boy’s pain. He wanted his country back badly. And when he looked inside the window, he saw a flawless woman. He was afraid of what lay ahead for her. On the way back to Mr. Choi’s, he knew he had to make a decision between his country and his heart.
When Little Choi and Heeyeon arrived, all he was thinking about was the war.
“Do you know how to dance?”
“Miss…”
“Just do as I say. You always do.”
Heeyeon lifted her hand and put it on his hand. It was the first time he felt her skin. His heart started to pump. He followed Heeyeon’s lead. Heeyeon was humming the music played at the party. It was pleasing sound.
Little Choi looked where the music came from. It was the most beautiful music he’d ever heard. They were dancing like two young lovers who never had to care about who they were. Something was clear between their eyes, as if they were the only couple left in the world.
“There’s something I want to talk to you about, son.”
It was Mr. Choi. They split immediately. Heeyeon disappeared into her room. Little Choi was afraid, but he wasn’t going to apologize.
Walking down Mr. Choi’s new underground property, Little Choi realized the place had more purpose than a holiday house. It was a bunker. There was everything you needed to survive as long as you needed to.
“Sir, how did you know there would be a war?”
“What did I teach you all this time?”
“Do not trust anyone.”
He made his fortune pleasing the Japanese. He would do anything to keep his daughter safe from the madness of the time. He saw a chance and took it.
Mr. Choi never trusted the Japanese. He always paid enough for them to leave him alone. The way he got by would turn him and his daughter into enemies when they got back their country. He must be independent from both sides.
Only one thing was getting in the way. He knew Heeyeon wouldn’t be happy without Little Choi. She loved going to parties because Little Choi escorted her. She made it clear that she wouldn’t go anywhere without Little Choi.
“I don’t think your feelings for her are much different. So, what will you say, son? Will you come down here with us?”
It was an offer he dreamed about. It was something he wanted more than almost anything.
“Ever since I got here, I’ve never stopped loving her. What you are offering is more than I deserve.”
“Wrong. You deserve more than this.”
Little Choi felt a pain in his chest. He knew his decision would break their hearts. It was breaking his heart. They were the only two people he had cared about in all his life.
“But sir, I can’t neglect my country anymore.”
“Better leave soon, then.”
Mr. Choi wasn’t going to ask him to reconsider. Little Choi wasn’t going to delay, either. Little Choi got on the first train the next day.
He headed to Shanghai, where the temporary government resided. Things weren’t easy. He couldn’t believe how far Mr. Choi’s reputation reached. It seemed like every single person from Chosun knew who Mr. Choi was and they all hated him. For them, Mr. Choi had betrayed his country.
Little Choi had to try harder to find his place to save his country. But the chance didn’t come. Japan surrendered to the U.S. before they declared war.
Little Choi rushed back, but he couldn’t find Mr. Choi or Heeyeon. The whole town was burnt down and destroyed, including the manor house. He desperately followed their trail and tried to find the entrance to the underground property, but couldn’t find anything. Little Choi knew the town well. They disappeared as if they had never been there. It was such a mystery.
“Hello?”
Min and Jun entered the house. Min’s voice was loud enough to reach every room. But they didn’t even get an echo. The house was abandoned a long time ago. The doors of each room fell apart or barely managed to stay on.
“Suzi, are you there?”
The house was huge and there were so many rooms. Min and Jun thought they heard something in the corner. Min chased the sound. Jun followed, but he lost him. Jun did not know where he was. Suddenly, Jun heard a noise behind him.
It was a familiar humming. Jun snuck into the room. There she was. Suzi was in a good mood and her eyes were wandering around the room.
“Now I have to find Min.”
Jun held her hand and saw something on the floor. When Jun recognized what it was, he didn’t look at it again to confirm it. He felt Suzi’s hand was slipping from his. She was still humming. Jun remained frozen.
“Suzi!”
Min found them. He also saw the same thing as Jun.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Someone was in the bed. Suzi’s humming made it spookier. Jun held Min’s hand while he slowly reached the bed. Min held Jun’s hand tightly. It gave some kind of strength to Jun. Min gently poked it.
“Whatever it is, it’s not alive.”
It made the boys calm down. Jun came close to it and took away the cover. It was a skeleton. The boys screamed until their voices became hoarse and their jaws got too sore.
“We should get out of here.”
They realized Suzi’s humming had stopped. They couldn’t hear her anymore. She laid down on the floor. A snake was sliding away from her.
“Suzi, stay awake, please,” Min desperately shouted, but he was losing her. “Why is dad taking so long?”
“Min, I didn’t meet anyone.”
“What?”
“I didn’t want to be there alone. So what should we do...”
“She is dying because you are an idiot!” Min punched Jun’s face a few times.
“Why is everything my fault? What have I done wrong? You got me into this, remember? I was just trying to be nice. I didn’t want any of this shit to happen to you, your sister, or me. I am very sorry that you have a disabled sister, but that’s not my fault. Why do I have to suffer? To be honest, I am more concerned about how I am going to get out of here. Shit, I was scared to death.”
Jun was out of breath, spilling out all his words with anger. Min couldn’t hit him anymore.
“Now, let’s get on with it. We’d better hurry up.”
Jun started to search for some way for them to get out. Min followed Jun.
It was too quiet when Min’s dad came back. He knew there was something wrong. The house was so clean and quiet. It should be a mess, Min usually wrestled with Suzi to try to calm her down. That was a scene he got on normal days.
It didn’t take very long for him to figure out where they’d gone. He was devastated. He could barely press the emergency number on the phone.
“Sir, I think it’s been found.”
When Hyunil said it, Mr. Choi didn’t realize that his hand started to shake. Mr. Choi thought his heart stopped. Hyunil pretended not to notice it.
They got to Min’s place before the rescue team. Hyunil had brought a ladder and a light. He came down and helped Mr. Choi. He had waited for this moment his whole life.
He had carried many names ever since he had come back from Shanghai. He was once a communist and once a democrat. It depended on which side suited him. When he finally settled in Seoul, he claimed himself as Mr. Choi. He knew exactly what he needed to do to accumulate wealth. However, it had taken his whole lifetime to reach this point. He looked down the hole. It was exactly how he remembered. At the end of this tunnel, he might find something he had searched for: Heeyeon. He put his foot down, but it didn’t reach the bottom.
He would have broken his back if Hyunil hadn’t caught him. He was so fragile.
“You’ve waited all your life, if you hurt yourself now, you may not get there.”
Hyunil was right. Mr. Choi relied on Hyunil’s strong arm. His fragile body had to hold on to Hynil to make strong steps to get there. Hyunil had never seen him lean on someone else before. Hyunil knew he wanted it badly.
When Mr. Choi walked across the garden, he regretted the decision he made and the time he wasted. He couldn’t come back any faster. He never stopped thinking about coming back and it was too late.
His heart stopped when he found Heeyeon. She was still 20 in his eyes. She hadn’t aged at all. There were two boys crying, holding an unconscious girl. Hyunil held the girl and ran as fast as he could. Mr. Choi wasn’t there with the others. He was 60 years in the past, on the day he left. He got down on his knees.
Suzi was handed over to a rescue team member.
“I am sorry, so sorry. I didn’t really mean it. I shouldn’t have even thought about it. Please wake up.”
“What is it?”Min asked. Min’s father couldn’t say a word while looking in his son’s eyes. He was afraid to tell. “What is the thought you shouldn’t have had?”
“Your dad asked Mr. Choi to look after you.”Hyunil helped.
“What do you mean by ‘look after me’? Why?”
“I was going to leave with Suzi.”
“To where? Without me?”
Min realized what Hyunil mentioned about adults being complicated.
“Is this how you adult deal with the situation? And were you going to tell me that it was all for me? Abandoning me?”
“I think I understand,” Jun interrupted.
“What do you know about my family?”
“I know nothing about you and your family. But considering what happened today, I think I understand your father. And I don’t think it is fair to you,” Jun continued. He saw how much Min cared his sister.
“Adults are always like that. They think they teach us to be polite, to respect others, and everything. But they forget to show politeness and respect to us.”
Hyunil couldn’t help but laugh. Jun was a completely different kid compared to earlier this afternoon.
“What you kids have found was what Mr. Choi was searching for all his life. I am pretty sure he will be very generous. I will see what I can do.”
Min’s father thanked Hyunil over and over again.
“Hey.” Min hesitated, then was going to say, “Thanks for speaking out for me.”
“Please, don’t. It isn’t like you.”
When Suzi came back from the hospital, she created chaos as usual, except in a different place. Min’s family moved into Mr. Choi’s apartment. Things got easier for her father. Hyunil looked after Min and Suzi when their father was out working. Jun came over to hang out sometimes. The house Min yearned to save was removed as part of a city plan.
One day, Hyunil took all of them out to the lake. While they were enjoying a day out, Jun looked into the water of the lake. It wasn’t clear what he saw, but he thought he saw two people picking up fruit, having a good laugh. Just like a happily married couple.
<End>