Chapter Twenty-Eight

I know that I owe them some type of explanation. While what I did was necessary it was out of character. I just don't want them to think any less of me. My life has been a series of unfortunate events with little rays of sunshine. The real world wasn't what I thought it would be.

"Rin?" Jackson softly says. His face shows his concern. He knows me well enough to understand that this is going to be a difficult conversation. At the same time, he is just as curious as Mitilda.

"When I got off of the plane and realized that I was in Korea. I knew that I was in trouble." I start

"I had no money, no food and no place to sleep. I didn't understand the language. I couldn't ask for help. Despite what I had experienced with Verner, I had no clue that their are people out there far worse than he is. I was naïve." I admit.

"A young guy who went by the name "Seutig" took an interest in me. He would bring me food or give me money to use the jimjilbang. While I was grateful that I was able to eat and take a hot bath. I didn't trust this guy. I was worried that he was trying to lure me away so he could sell me to someone to pay off a debt or even worse into sex trafficking. It wasn't uncommon. Despite how reserved and button up Korea may seem it can be a very dangerous place." I stress.

"I could see why you were concerned. You were a foreigner." Mitilda empathized.

That was the least of my worries.

"I started showing around winter time. Once Seutig noticed that I was pregnant he made it his personal mission to come see me every day. He would bring me pastry's and tea. He would give me money for the bath house. He bought me a coat. He would even sit at the park and carry on one sided conversations with me. Seutig treated me like a sister which I appreciated. He never pushed me to leave the area that I had set up camp in until it had been announced that the city was expecting a monsoon." I continue.

"You went off with him because you wouldn't have survived the monsoon?" Mitilda asked.

"Did they not have homeless shelters?" Jackson asked.

"Fearing that I wouldn't survive the monsoon I went with him." I said confirming her suspicions.

"He lived in a really nice apartment. He gave me a room and told me to make myself at home. He never invaded my space. He didn't try to lavish me with expensive gifts. He didn't try to pry into my personal life. I gave him the same respect that he gave me. I didn't know anything about him and I was okay with that." I say shrugging.

"One day, he came into my room, handed me a wad of cash and told me to go out and have fun for a couple of hours. It was out of character for him but I tried not to read too much into it. I just assumed that he had a girl coming over and wanted some privacy. So, I took his money, went and got some street food. I checked out a couple of book stores and went to see a movie before heading back." I continue.

"Then what happened?" Mitilda

"When I walked in the front door, there were six people standing around the table in the kitchen. When Seutig actually seen me walking through the house his eyes grew to the size of saucers. I have never seen this guy sport anything other than a smile but in that moment he was terrified." I explain.

"I didn't understand why he was so fearful until he stepped away from the table. The guys that were circled around him looked rough. There had to be at least twenty guns sitting out for display." I pause.

"Gun runners?" Jackson asked.

"Yes, but they were just a small part to a bigger picture. Seutig owed them money and he was given a few options. One, he could trade me and my unborn child for the cost of his debt. Two, we could sell guns on the black market until his debt was paid off. Lastly option three, death. As you can expect we went with option two." I explain.

"While Korea is a more reserved country it has its rough places just like any where else. In the denser areas, where the night clubs, bars and late night coffee houses are drugs run the streets. Which means you have two different people you can sell to. One, the dealer and two the buyer. You have to convince both groups that their is a serious threat. Tanya Degurechaff has said many times through out the series during times of war "You should try persuasion when people are mentally defenseless. The fascist that proposed that was a demonic genius." Which is what we lived by for the next five months." I pause running my fingers through my hair.

"You never got caught?" Mitilda asked.

"We were never in one place long enough to get caught. You have to understand, this was all about survival. We weren't living it up. We weren't staying in nice hotels, wearing the finest clothing or driving a fancy car. We had to do what we were told or be killed and sadly a lot of people got hurt because of us. Karma eventually caught up to us." I explain.

"Seutig had been told that there were some drug runners in Icheon that had been asking around about buying firearms. If we could sell them five guns his debt will be paid off and we would be free to return to normal civilian life. We were thrilled. I was seven and half months pregnant at the time. I thought that we could have this all wrapped up just in time for Seoul to be born." I sigh.

"Were you romantically involved with Seutig?" Jackson asked.

"No, I felt like I owed him for saving my life. Which is why I went along with the whole ordeal. Once, we got there and Seutig started talking to these guys I realized it was all a big set up. These guys never planned on buying anything from us. They had their orders and it was to kill us. Seutig handed one of the guys a gun to look at. The guy popped the magazine in, wracked the slide and shot Seutig point blank in the head. " I say as I feel my eyes start to water.

"I took off on foot, running as fast as I could. They still managed to hit me in the shoulder. I couldn't really feel it because of how much my adrenaline was pumping. While I was still small it was still hard to hide because of my stomach. So, I had to stay moving. I eventually started having intense lower back pain. At first I figured it was because I was too pregnant to be attempting to outrun someone. I thought it was pass in a few minutes but it only got worse." I explain.

"You went into labor." Mitilda stated.

"Yes, oddly enough I didn't realize that was what was happening. Until I felt this big gush of liquid come out. It soaked the pants that I had on. I honestly had hoped that I had peed on myself. The back pain just kept getting worse and it was starting to rain. I knew that I had to get somewhere safe because my baby was coming." I say pausing to look at my son who is nestled into my side.

"I was scared. I was fifteen years old and was about to give birth to a premature baby alone. I gave birth to Seoul on a bench at a bus stop in the middle of a rain storm. I done the best that I could to keep him warm. I figured that we could ride the storm out and then I would find my way to a hospital in the morning. We weren't safe hanging out in the open like we were. So, I wrapped him up and started walking." I continue.

"An old lady had walked outside from the back of her shop and seen us walking. She immediately offered us aid. I didn't trust her. I didn't trust anybody but I had finally slowed down enough to feel the burning pain in my shoulder and the blood running down my legs. The cold air was biting into my skin and my wet hair was dripping down my back. We were going to die if I didn't accept the help. The little baby that I was holding was the only person that I had left. He was the only person that would love me unconditionally. For that I was willing to put my faith in this women." I say as I feel my eyes start to water.

"I had been shot and I had something called placenta abruption. Both of those things could have killed me with out medical treatment which they made sure I received. For being as early as he was Seoul received a perfect bill of health. I attributed it to his alpha genes. We lived with them for a long time. Ba Ba as Seoul calls her taught me everything thing that I needed to know about being a mother. She taught me how to read proper Korean. She even got me my first job. Which is why he only speaks Korea because she was my baby sitter." I say laughing.

"She gave me all of the tools that I needed to get away from that life. With out her we would have died or I would have returned to gang life looking for protection. I am grateful to her. I don't have to be that mean manipulative person anymore. I am sorry that you had to see that part of me. I just don't want to loose anymore of the people that I love." I explain looking between Mitilda and Jackson.

"You are tough that's for sure but lets get one thing straight no one is going to disappear. We are going to take care of this witch and Daniel Verner then throw a big celebration party." Mitilda said laughing.

"Thank you for telling us your story." Mitilda said offering me a soft smile.

I nod showing her my respect.

"Rin you have no idea how much I love you and Seoul. You are absolutely the bravest person I know. I couldn't imagine going through half of the things that you have done and survived. You are an amazing person and an amazing mother. I can't thank the moon goddess enough for pairing me with someone like you." Jackson said as he stands up and gives me a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Can we video chat Ba-Ba soon?" Seoul asked.

"I think that might be possible. I'm sure Jackson would love to meet her." I say speaking his primary language.

"Your gonna have to teach me some korean words. So, I can somewhat communicate with him." Jackson said chuckling.

"He wants to video chat Ba-Ba." I translate.

"Can I meet her?" He ask.

"I think she would like that." I say smiling.

"Mama?" Seoul says.

" Yes baby?" I ask.

"Is Mr.Jackson going to be my daddy?" Seoul asks. The question kind of caught me off guard. I didn't think he would be thinking about things like that.

"Mr.Jackson is my mate. He is going to be around for a long long time." I explain.

"We are going to take down my real daddy together as a family!" Seoul declares. I can't help but grin at his statement.

"That's right Seoul. We are all in this together." I say glancing around the room at the people that I love. We are a family.