Min-Jun
I keep struggling, but these two men have a strong grip.
They drag me to the porch and only then let me go.
I rub my arms and glare at them.
"What did you do to Ava?" I scold them.
They don't even deign to answer.
In fact, they turn and prepare to leave.
"I'm talking to you!"
I raised my voice, and one of them finally turns around. He takes off his sunglasses and gives me a look full of disdain.
"You're a Kim. You should know the rules and not complicate our work."
A Kim.
It seems like we've become entities above the law.
I feel rage rising, and I want to punch him to erase that elitist expression on his face.
I spit on the ground near his feet, and I think that's the best response.
"I don't know who you are, but don't make the same mistake as my grandfather. Learn to respect people, especially Ava. Because if you haven't figured it out yet, if she's still here, it's because, despite everything, she's still a Kim."
He takes a tiny step back.
"And, just to worry you, she's a very vindictive person."
With a sarcastic smile, I smooth the wrinkles out of my shirt and return to Roori, without even checking whether those two are staying or leaving.
When I open the door, I find the girl in my arms.
There's a sparkle in her eyes; she seems animated by a fervor I haven't seen in her for a long time.
"Where have you been? What happened?... Actually, no. Don't tell me anything, listen!"
She takes my arms and shakes them with hers.
Her eyes are lit up, her lips curved in a beautiful smile.
"I found the clue! The fish, Min. We have to find them right away."
"F-fish?"
"Yes, Dad's koi. Do you remember them?"
I frown as she continues shaking me.
"Min! How come you've forgotten?"
She pouts, her lips curling downward.
"The pond..."
"What pond!" she huffs, annoyed. "The carp, the books my dad studied. We have to find them!"
I still don't understand what she's talking about, but if she thinks she's found the answer to our problems, then I'll follow her without asking stupid questions.
She takes my hand and opens the door.
Out in the hallway, we find no one.
Susy hasn't shown up either, and I think that's the right thing to do.
I follow Roori around the perimeter of the building and out into the garden, at the western corner of the property. We head toward a vacant building on the edge of the Hispanic neighborhood. It was my grandfather's corporate headquarters for a long time, the place where he created the first branch of what later became the actual group.
In that two-story building, next to a low-rise building, Grandpa Kim and his brother arrived young, fleeing the war that was destroying Korea. Their parents took them away shortly after the Americans landed at Incheon. They took advantage of the opportunities provided by the Allies to reach the United States and build a new life far from war and pain.
Thus, the two Kim brothers, studying engineering, started one of the first electronics giants made in South Korea.
The grass is still tall around here, but Roori doesn't seem to notice.
She walks briskly toward the entrance, not even noticing that the air has suddenly turned cold and the wind is picking up.
"Roori..."
"I know what I'm doing, Min, don't worry."
His tone is light, but I can sense the tension.
We're almost at the gate when someone blocks our path. It's Seo-Yun, my cousin, one of the twins.
"Are you in a hurry, 'cousins'?"
His tone is sarcastic as he looks at Roori with barely concealed anger.
"What do you want?"
My tone isn't kind, especially since I don't have to be.
"Step aside, Min. I need my newfound cousin."
His words are sour as he speaks, and he's so slimy that I want to hit him.
Roori gives him an unreadable look, but she doesn't seem scared.
She observes him for a few seconds and then looks away.
She takes a step toward the gate and answers him curtly.
"Go away!"
He also seems surprised by the change in the girl, because he stops smiling.
"What did you say?"
"Get out of my way, Seo-Yun. You're getting in my way."
I see him pale and raise a hand, but I block his arm and push him back.
"If you're even thinking about touching her, maybe you don't understand the situation."
He gives me a venomous look and then shakes his head.
"I wouldn't want to be with her if my life depended on it, but the email I received says she has to come with me."
He picks up his phone and shows me the screen.
Roori leans forward and reads it too.
Then, suddenly, she bursts into laughter.
Loud.
We turn to look at her as if she's gone crazy.
She laughs loudly and shakes her head, tossing her long hair.
And suddenly she stops.
Her face becomes serious again.
Her look is pure hostility.
"Hang yourself!" she says to Seo-Yun.
And with a swift move, she opens the door and disappears inside the building.
We exchange a long look.
What the hell happened to sweet Roori?