Uncomfortable History Part 1

My mother once told me that she had relatives in Seoul. She never told me their names, though, and we never met them, too. We've spent most of our lives in Daegu and never gone anywhere. When my mother died, no one came to her funeral. I didn't invite anyone either. Other than our sparse neighbors, only Min Gyeong and Min Gi were present. No one called me either and asked about my mother thus I was never really sure whether the relatives in Seoul that my mom told me about were real or imaginary.

I tried to sleep on the train, but my eyes were wide awake. It took me about an hour and a half to reach Seoul, and it would be midnight once I arrived there. Where would I meet Min Gi then? I was still shaken by what just happened, and I couldn't help but turn my head around every second when I heard someone walking behind me. What scared me more was that I didn't see the person's face who stood behind Min Gyeong's window. Anyone who stood behind me now could be the onlooker, slowly creeping his way ever closer to my back.

I jolted in my seat when my phone vibrated. It was a message from Min Gi saying he was already at Hangang-daero station. My phone screen showed me it was still twenty minutes before my train arrived. I squeezed my phone as if that could make my train go faster—instead, it made my heart beat quicker, and my body shivered with nervousness. That feeling would stay long with me until we found Min Gyeong, I knew it. But right now the anxiety was tripling greatly thanks to what I saw earlier at Min Gyeong's apartment. Or, rather, what I came to realize. I couldn't sit still, and every time I heard people walk or move, my senses went alert, as if I was ready to hop and run away anytime.

Once the train stopped, I jumped immediately and went to the exit. It was easy to spot Min Gi by the station's exit: he was as tall as his sister and had the same face as Min Gyeong, a face that I dubbed funny—because Min Gi, in my eyes, looked like a man born with a woman's features. His lips and eyes, even his cheekbones, looked exactly just like his sister, save for his sharp jaw. Or perhaps he was Min Gyeong's identical twin born with a man's features. Nevertheless, looking at Min Gi was like looking at a man and a woman in one body—that's why it sometimes seemed awkward, but not uncomfortable, either. Had I met Min Gi first, it probably wouldn't feel strange, but I had seen his sister first. Some of Min Gyeong's friends had called her brother handsome, but I couldn't agree with them because I felt like Min Gi was born with the wrong face.

We went to his apartment and he told me to take a rest, after offering a cup of hot cocoa. After that, he left me alone in his apartment, saying he would stay at his office (which was only downstairs) and we'd talk in the morning. He said his place was pretty safe; the only way to get inside the apartment would be through the office, so I needed not to worry. I went to sleep on the sofa, too tired to go to the bedroom or think. I didn't even ask him whether he lived with his friend or not. My eyes closed themselves once Min Gi assured me that I was safe.

It seemed like my mind was still on high alert; hence I bolted upright when I heard a loud crash and was ready to run away. But everything seemed still in the apartment, except for the hubbub from Seoul traffic, which was far noisier than my neighborhood back in Daegu. I glanced around to find the source of the crash, and that's when a young man with hair dyed blonde came out from the kitchen, grimacing as he saw me sitting in a tense position. He seemed to wonder who I was—he stared at me so intently that I felt embarrassed. But he didn't ask me my name.

"Sorry," he grinned apologetically. "Did I wake you?"

I squinted to see who was talking. I hadn't put on my glasses yet. "Uh, no," I answered, albeit lying. My heart was beating a hundred miles per hour. Maybe I was still scared after what happened last night. I scrambled for my glasses. "What time is it now?"

"Hm, just past eight," the man said. "By the way, I made some French toast, since it's the only thing I can make. Feel free to take a bite, though." He chuckled, then walked into the kitchen.

The man was called Yeo Joon, a friend of Min Gi. I learned about this when Min Gi came upstairs and introduced him to me later. Yeo Joon and Min Gi had been friends since high school. They were separated when Min Gi entered the army and Yeo Joon went to the police university. Somehow, they came upon the idea that they didn't enjoy each other's work either in the military or as the police, so they decided to leave them and become independent investigators.

Yeo Joon seemed intrigued by my presence because he kept glancing at me over the table as we had our meals, but he didn't say anything. I, in turn, didn't say anything as well. Min Gi was aware of our glances at each other, so he cleared his throat and pointed at me, saying, "Sook Ja is here because I asked her to come."

"Oh, yeah?" Yeo Joon responded.

"She saw someone, or maybe some people, barging in my sister's apartment last night. She recognized none of them. Apparently, they were looking for something, before they realized that Sook Ja witnessed them. I'm afraid they had to do with the missing of Min Gyeong, so I told Sook Ja to come to Seoul in case whoever was in Min Gyeong's apartment was after her now."

Yeo Joon sipped his coffee noisily, bobbing his head up and down as Min Gi explained the events leading to me coming here. "Hmm, I see. So, it's like you've made your own apartment as the safe house."

"Yes," Min Gi agreed.

"You're Min Gyeong's friend?" Yeo Joon looked me up and down. "You don't look like a model."

"Excuse me?" I was lost. "What does that mean?"

"I thought Min Gyeong's friends are all models, or actors," Yeo Joon grinned, then giggled at his own remarks. I briefly glanced at Min Gi, but he just kept eating. "You're way too thin to be a model, I guess."

"Yes, I'm underweight," I admitted grimly. "What about that?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, still finding the whole situation, or perhaps his awareness of who I was, humorous. "Well, I used to have a crush on Min Gi's little sister, but since Min Gi was always ready to punch me in case I made a move on his sister, I never got to talk to her. I imagine I could meet her friends someday, and get myself a beautiful model as a girlfriend. Or two models." He burst out laughing while Min Gi glowered. I could only frown.

After some time, though, his laughter stopped. "I see. I might've put my own standard too high. Well, one can always dream, though," he mumbled to himself, glancing at Min Gi and me.

Min Gi cleared his throat as if suggesting it was time for us to talk about the real business. "About my sister, I still haven't found out where she is." And he proceeded to tell us about what he said to me on the phone last night.

Yeo Joon rubbed his chin while listening to what Min Gi told him. "I see, I see," he commented, all the while eating his breakfast, which was his burnt French toast doused in marmalade jam. (None of us accepted his offer to eat his burnt toast, so Min Gi bought chicken soup for us) He didn't say anything in turn, although one could observe him thinking hard. His brain probably ran at the same speed as his mouth munching the food inside.

Yet I couldn't wait any longer. "Yeo Joon, didn't you do your own investigation to help us locate Min Gyeong?"

"Mm-hm," Yeo Joon nodded in agreement, mouth too full to form coherent words. He swallowed his toast before saying, "Yes. Min Gi called me two nights ago about his sister coming to Seoul, but he couldn't reach her. He asked for my help, and yes, I remember saying yes, I'd help you," he pointed his butter knife to Min Gi, "without telling him that I was, actually, in the middle of my own little project."

"Your little project?" Min Gi furrowed.

"Yeah," Yeo Joon's eyes were gleaming with exhilaration. "I might've never told you much about my work as a police officer a long time ago. But it was an important work, perhaps the most important work I've ever done in my life, and I'm still working on it until now."

"What kind of work?" I was curious to hear more. "Does that have something concerning Min Gyeong?"

"Believe it or not, it does," Yeo Joon winked his right eye. "Even if it's just a shred, it has something to do with Min Gyeong. I think I know where your sister might be," he looked pointedly at Min Gi, "but before I explain to you what I found about her, I need to start this super long story from the time when I was still a police officer, six months ago."