Unforeseeable

The next day, Yeo Joon finally came to the apartment. He was in much worse shape than Min Gi a day before. His face was grave and had thicker bags under his eyes. He said nothing to us, only went straight into the shower. Min Gi lent him his shirt and pants because Yeo Joon didn't bring his own change of clothes. Fresh from the shower, his mood had improved.

"Finally! A decent shower," he plopped himself next to me on the couch, toweling his wet hair. "Oh, well, why are you watching TV?"

I turned to him. "Why are you asking?"

"Because it might not be a good idea to watch it now. See for yourself." He changed the channel.

There was a breaking news report. It was about how the police arrested several politicians after they were found in a building in Hwaak-ri with hundreds of girls who turned out to be victims of kidnapping. The politicians, all female, were suspected of playing a role in kidnapping girls across South Korea and killing them. The police found a mass graveyard behind the building where they piled the bodies. But that wasn't the only worst thing—they also found First Lady among the politicians in Hwaak-ri. She was still under investigation, but people had started wondering whether our President was also involved in the crime. Journalists and demonstrators had flocked in front of the President's house. They demanded the President resign from his position now.

Another news channel was giving a special look inside the old building, which was a town hall once but had been abandoned long ago. A few rooms inside the building had been renovated and remodeled. They also put more rooms, including a secret entrance to the basement, where the girls were put in jail. One room, which used to be a meeting hall, was decorated with a high stone table in the middle, kind of an altar. That was the room where Elizabeth had wanted me to watch her sickening ritual. Bloodstain still clung to it and the floor around. It would probably be there forever.

I shuddered, remembering the pool of melting brain spilled from Elizabeth's skull and how I had vomited on it.

"They still don't know what happened in that horrid place," I muttered.

"It's better if they never know until everything is taken care of well by the law, but it's impossible," Yeo Joon replied. "Someone has leaked it to the media. They were already at the police station yesterday afternoon, swarming the office like mosquitoes. It's out of our control, Sook Ja. There's nothing we can do."

Min Gyeong and her brother had joined us in watching the coverage, and they stayed mute all the time. I saw Min Gyeong touching the wound on her neck unconsciously as if remembering when she nearly died in Elizabeth's hands. Yeo Joon, on the other hand, was busy telling us how he was being drilled at the police station by Captain Choi, who wanted to know how he investigated this case by himself. "And I still have to see him tomorrow, really sucks," he chuckled. "But I know that everyone is distressed. This is gonna take us, not just the police, a long time, even forever, to uncover the truth and accept it, which is how those people were willing to sacrifice a few bodies just to satisfy their desire for long-lasting beauty and youth, which sounds rubbish to us, but there are actual people who believe it."

"Do you know what happens to the other girls who were confined with us?" Min Gyeong asked. We were watching another channel, where one of the girls' parents was being interviewed, and they cried when they knew their child came back home safely.

"Some of them are back home, but some others are facing much more difficulties. They are immigrants or underage workers with no known parents, so it's not like life is easier for them once they're out," Yeo Joon said. "Poor girls, and poor Choi. It's his first-ever tough case, maybe the toughest. Lots of this country's leaders got involved. He even asked for my help in his investigation, and I can't help but say yes, just because we've been friends for a long time." He turned to Min Gi. "Don't expect to see me in a long time. I'll be helping Choi for a while."

Min Gi's eyes were glued to the TV. He left his answer to Yeo Joon unsaid.

Many days after that, we rarely saw Yeo Joon. He only came when he had spare time, which was only once or twice. Yeo Joon used that time to borrow Min Gi's shower or grab a bite, then he went to the police again. Min Gi allowed his sister and me to stay at his apartment while we were recovering. I only left the apartment for Daegu once with Min Gi to retrieve my clothes. One morning, Min Gyeong called her manager and asked for sick leave. She never told them how she got kidnapped and almost killed, saying that would only add more trouble.

We watched TV how the police in other provinces revealed more cases of girls being kidnapped. How they suspected this was an organized crime, done by what they dubbed a "cult group," with tattoos of a curling dragon encircling three white teeth as their crest. The tattoos adorned the members' bodies and even their victims. Whether it was the same group as the one who kidnapped Min Gyeong and me was still under investigation. But it seemed that the cases found in Seoul were only the tip of an iceberg, and they only needed to dive deeper to see how much bigger their actual problem was.

One afternoon in late November, Min Gyeong invited me to take a walk together. Min Gi insisted on coming with us, and he promised to walk far away from us, so we could feel like there were only two of us. Min Gyeong only rolled her eyes and punched her brother's arm playfully. But we said nothing more, and we set to go for a walk. Min Gi proved to be really great at camouflaging, because every time we turned around, we didn't see him anywhere. But we knew that he was following us not far behind.

It wasn't December yet. Nevertheless, when we passed Banpo Hangang Park, there were decorations for Christmas already put. "It's like people can't wait for it," said Min Gyeong. "Is it just me, or do they not care anymore about the kidnapping cases? You know it's still happening; police are still investigating."

"People get bored," I said simply. "They want something else to occupy their mind. Watching news like missing people or other crimes can be very depressing, you know."

"But it's not over yet," Min Gyeong protested. "People shouldn't forget such things."

"Most of the time, like it or not, we all will forget," I rubbed my hands together. It got chillier really fast, and I already missed the warmth in Min Gi's kitchen. "That's … life, I guess. And it'll turn around, like a wheel. There are times when we remember it again, and then forget, and something happens again, then we'll remember again. On and on."

Min Gyeong elbowed me. "You're talking like those Ancient Greek philosophers."

I rolled my eyes. "Like you've gone to Ancient Greece before."

We continued walking. I glimpsed Min Gi from behind bushes to my left, walking in tune with our steps. A family of five was enjoying the last of the sun near the river bank. The mother shouted at her eldest son not to play too close to the bank. I smiled inwardly, suddenly remembering the scene in Gyeongsang-gamyeong Park in the summer when I went to Min Gyeong's apartment. How it seemed so long ago, when, in fact, it was only about half a year ago!

"Sook Ja," suddenly Min Gyeong was saying, "have you ever … been thinking of going back to college?"

I looked at Min Gyeong. "Why?"

"Just curious," Min Gyeong smirked. "Sometimes, just once in a while, I imagine myself going to college, reading books, and studying at the library. And you also go back to college. Isn't that your dream?"

I snickered. "I left it inside this ultra-microscopic box and buried it deep somewhere in my unconsciousness." I glanced at Min Gyeong. "I already forget it, to tell you the truth."

"But you said once you wanted to go to law school. Has it really gone from your bucket list? Did you never consider it again?"

"Well," I scratched my head, "you know I'm not from a rich family. And the cost to enter law school can be extremely fantastic. I guess I need to work some more years, and I'll rethink about it. What about you? What's your plan?" I asked my best friend.

"Hmm," she was only buzzing like a bee. "I'm thinking I'll probably pause my work in modeling, and apply for a college. I used to dream of being an art teacher, and I think I'll be a good enough teacher. But," she linked her arm to mine, "only if you want to go back to college, then I will apply."

"If I still don't have the money then maybe I'll never go to college," I laughed. "What if we were already too old to go to college by then?"

Min Gyeong only shrugged, laughing with me. "Who knows? Maybe, in the near future, life has already gotten another plan for us. There's nothing wrong in it."

We walked inside a café to enjoy hot tea and warm our bodies, then went home. This time, Min Gi walked with us.

THE END