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My Second Life

The End of the Beginning: Part 1

The End of the Beginning: Part 1

Dec 31, 2022

This content is intended for mature audiences for the following reasons.

  • •  Physical violence
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A few days later, Ha-neul wakes up from the iron bench in the courtyard, removing the newspapers and the extra jackets that form her makeshift blanket. She looks over to Yeong-su's bench and he is already gone this early in the morning. She recalls the incident from a few days prior and feels a sharp pain in her heart. Yeong-su hasn't looked her in the eyes since then. His smile is gone, his laughter nonexistent, his appetite reduced to a single bite of food before giving his entire portion to Hye-jin. His eyes have fallen back to the ground, perhaps never to rise again.

She looks over to Hye-jin who sleeps on the bench with her. The sun has yet to fully appear, the empty street running by the courtyard still dim. Ha-neul needs to pee. She reaches down below the bench for the funnel and grabs it. She then reaches for an empty bottle but finds none. She then remembers saying she would grab some empty bottles before nightfall the day before but realizes she forgot to. At the end of the street there is a dumpster behind a restaurant that always has plenty of empty bottles.

Ha-neul decides it's safe to leave Hye-jin momentarily and gets up from the bench. She covers Hye-jin's head with newspaper and places the plastic funnel into her inner coat pocket before walking down the street alone towards the back of the restaurant. After a five minute walk, she reaches into one of the dumpsters and sure enough there is an empty soju bottle, over which she then places the funnel. After she is done filling the bottle, she screws the cap back on and carefully places it into the dumpster. Suddenly, she starts to hear footsteps nearby and realizes someone is approaching. Assuming it is the restaurant owner opening up the building, she drops the funnel into the dumpster and immediately walks back down the street towards the courtyard, acting as if she wasn't the one that left the soju bottle full of urine.

It is not long when she realizes she hears the footsteps are behind her now. She turns around to take a peek and sees a small man in a brown coat smoking a cigarette following her. The man has two tattoos of wings on each side of his neck. He looks straight at her but doesn't change his blank stare. Ha-neul turns around and immediately makes a left onto a side street running back towards the main road leading into town. When she makes it to the main road, she crosses over to the sidewalk on the other side, walking briskly back in the direction of the courtyard, passing several stores that have yet to open.

The small man in the brown coat follows almost her exact footsteps, walking down the side street to the main road, crossing over and walking down the same sidewalk Ha-neul is on. It's too far for the restaurant owner to be following her. Besides, he hasn't said a word this entire time, and it's too early for anyone to be out and about, the sun barely breaking on the horizon. Ha-neul concludes this man is not from the restaurant and is after her for some reason. She starts to panic, and looks around for anyone but sees no one. She decides she can't lead him back to Hye-jin, so she turns off onto another side street leading to the coast, hoping to run into Yeong-su.

Ha-neul goes on this harrowing morning stroll for ten minutes. She makes it to the coastal road and makes a left back towards the port away from town. The small man in the brown coat by now finished his cigarette but is still following her with plenty of distance behind, perhaps about a city block amount of distance.

The sun has already come up by now. Suddenly, Ha-neul hears the footsteps pick up in frequency. She turns back and sees the small man running towards her. Ha-neul instinctively runs too, hoping to see Yeong-su beyond the next hill. Thank God, she thinks to herself, as she sees Yeong-su sitting on a rock looking out over the bay.

"Yeong-su shi!" Ha-neul calls out to him. Yeong-su turns and looks at her. His tranquil expression gradually changes to serious determination as he immediately gets up and trots towards her. As Ha-neul reaches him, Yeong-su places himself between her and the small man who by now has catched up to them, Yeong-su stretching his arms out slightly as a barrier for Ha-neul who is stricken with complete fear standing behind him. Yeong-su, though still a bit scrawny, is nevertheless taller than the small man, who clearly looks a bit intimidated.

"Why are you running baby?" the small man says frantically, before adding, "I want to offer you a job."

Ha-neul remains silent. Yeong-su answers firmly, "What job?"

"It's a good job," the small man replies, "It pays good baby."

"No thanks," Yeong-su says firmly.

"It's a good job," the small man persists, "A fun job. I know some powerful people, I can get you connected."

"We're not interested," Yeong-su adds more firmly.

"Who asked you?" the small man retorts in annoyance before adding, "Are you her boyfriend?"

"I'm not her boyfriend," Yeong-su responds coldly.

Just then the small man tries to move Yeong-su's arm out of the way. Yeong-su immediately punches the small man in the jaw, dropping him to the ground.

The small man touches his index finger to his lip which is now bleeding. He looks at his own blood before his eyes focus back on Yeong-su, now inflamed with a helpless rage. The small man gets up and glares at them as he walks past them down the coastal road back towards the port, with Yeong-su turning as the small man walks by to keep himself between the man and Ha-neul.

As the man leaves, Ha-neul is on the verge of crying, her hands trembling with fear as she clutches the cross at the end of the rosary around her neck with both hands.

"Thank you," is all Ha-neul can mutter as she tucks her head onto Yeong-su's shoulder. "Thank you."

Just then, Yeong-su gently lifts her head back up away from himself. His own head is now tilted down again, his gaze returning to its customary downward angle. "Let's go back to Hye-jina," he says calmly.

The two of them walk on the coastal road back towards the town, Yeong-su in the lead and Ha-neul following close behind. When the fear finally subsides, Ha-neul recalls how Yeong-su plainly stated he wasn't her boyfriend, as if he was annoyed by the question.

Just then, Yeong-su says to her, "From now on, I won't head into town alone. Let's always stick together. If something ever does happen and we're split apart, let's meet back up at the courtyard and wait for each other there. I will definitely be there. If I'm not, then something kept me from making it."

"Okay," Ha-neul replies as they walk single file back down the street towards the courtyard.

The two of them make it back to find Hye-jin now awake sitting on the bench, wrapping herself in newspaper. "I need to pee," she says to Ha-neul.
writerhongpao
Writer Hong Pao

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A. Harris Lanning
A. Harris Lanning

Top comment

That man did not have good intentions! It was a close call.

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My Second Life
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Ha-neul is a beautiful, kindhearted sixteen-year-old teenager living in North Korea with her rambunctious sister and her loving parents. Threatened by an ambitious school administrator, they are forced to flee the country and search for happiness elsewhere.

Once out of North Korea, they meet Yeong-su, a mysterious teenager whom Ha-neul is immediately attracted to. Together they look for a way to sneak into South Korea and a better life. Will they survive? Will freedom automatically bring happiness? Can you really escape from your past life, or will it catch up to you in the end? Ha-neul seeks to answer these questions as she starts her second life.

This novel has a more serious tone and is not too long, about 78k words, with a lot of life lessons poured into it and a redemptive ending. May it help those who feel discouraged.

NOTE: This is for mature audiences only and deals with mental health issues, please be aware of the warnings from Tapas before reading.
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The End of the Beginning: Part 1

The End of the Beginning: Part 1

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