April
The heavy rain was draining the whole of Seoul again and I could tell how much it was heavily pouring by the sound that rain drops making on the shutter I took shelter from, I don't take lessons from experiences often and that is why again, i did not bring an umbrella with me. it's a whole other hassle to get wet in February's rain. Waiting patiently for the rain to slow down I recall every scenario and every word from my father's tape.
Suddenly I heard a loud voice of a bike that must be on a speed and my heart skips strangely wondering if he was him.
it's been a week and he didn't show to up school after that night in the hospital, and i'm curious to know where he is or what is he doing right now. But all the questions in my head after watching all the tapes made me curious to know who he is. Or maybe I just want to know who I am?
Suddenly my phone rang and it was my sweet aunty.
"Yes," I answered quickly.
"Where are you? It’s raining heavily" her voice was full of tense.
"Don’t worry I’m near to the house just waiting for these clouds to finish dropping" I said with an exhale but she still seemed tense.
"Okay I am waiting for you" she informed me and hung up.
I tried to ask her about the tape but she would make a scene so I didn't, ever since she came from Busan she is acting weirdly shady. she now receives certain phone calls that make her almost whisper and I could see the frustration and fear all around her face during the call.
How much more she is hiding from me? Is she delved into some bad hands? Or is she just actually hiding something big? Is it something about me? Is it me?
A sharp pain shoots through my head, and I quickly shake it off, wondering what I'm even thinking. But the pain worsens, and my vision blurs again.
"No!" I cry out, hitting my head in frustration. The pain feels like a huge mountain pressing down on me. I blink rapidly, trying to clear my vision.
Finally, the pain eases a bit, and I take a deep breath, looking out onto the street. Something catches my eye—a strange shape lying in the middle of the road. my pulse rate got high suddenly, there was no one on the road a minute ago, what was it? With my vision still fuzzy, I rubbed my eyes and started taking small steps towards it, my boots splashing on the wet ground.
As I get nearer, I realize it's a woman lying face down. I see something red pooling around her chest, mixing with the rain. Is it blood?
"Excuse me?" I call out, hoping for a response, but there's none. Panic sets in. Is she dead? I hesitate to turn her over, afraid of what I might find. I take a look around, and I notice the eerie emptiness of the streets, adding to my growing fear. people were walking a few minutes ago, have I been transported into another world or something? my legs started to shiver and I breathed heavily with sound as I tried to reach my hand to that body.
A strange sensation tingled on my ankle, causing me to jump back in fear. Did she just move? God, I swear she did!
My whole body trembled with fear, my hands shaking uncontrollably. I wanted to scream, but it felt like there was no one around to hear me. I was trapped in my terror, suffocating and frustrated. Unable to bear the uncertainty, I mustered all my strength and flipped her over. "No, no!" I cried out in horror. It was Aunt Soo Hee's face, her eyes staring blankly at me. She was dead.
"No!!!!" I screamed, feeling the air rush out of my lungs. Suddenly, something snagged my legs, and I crashed to the ground right beneath the "shutter". As I lay on the ground, disoriented and confused, a passing couple shot me a puzzled glance, clearly wondering what had happened to me. But I couldn't remember how I ended up here—I was just standing there a moment ago! I glanced at the spot where Aunt Soo Hee had been lying, but there was nothing there, not even a trace of her.
But Aunt Soo Hee...? My heart pounding, I hastily grabbed my stuff and ran through the rain, my breath heavy with both exertion and anxiety. Reaching home, I pounded on the door with both hands, ringing the doorbell repeatedly. The door swung open abruptly just as I was about to knock again, and there she was—Aunt Soo Hee, looking as concerned as ever.
"April! What monster is chasing you?" she asked in her usual anxious, motherly tone.
I couldn't help it—I immediately hugged her tightly, relieved to find her standing there, unharmed.
She didn't say anything, nor did she try to push me away. A few raindrops mixed with my tears as I hugged her, hoping she wouldn't notice my crying.
When I finally let go, she gave me a curious look. "You must have a good reason for soaking my clothes," she remarked with a hint of amusement and we sat down for dinner.
"So, I wanted to talk to you about something," Aunt Soo Hee said, and I nodded in response. "How about we move to America?"
I couldn't help but pause for a moment. "Is this coming from you? The same Aunt Soo Hee who's never wanted to leave Korea" I teased her, but she seemed genuinely serious.
"Yes, it's me," she confirmed, her tone determined. "I think it's a good idea, especially since you'll be passing out soon. We can make the move then. there are many good universities there you can enroll into."
"It's cool," I replied casually, though internally I was still wondering about her sudden change of heart. As far as I knew, she had always been stubborn about staying in Korea.
As our conversation continued, her phone suddenly rang again, and it must be that suspicious call she had been having since she came from Busan. She hurriedly excused herself to take the call. I silently followed her to her room and eavesdropped on her conversation.
"I've already told you everything I know. Why do you want to meet me now?" I could barely make out her voice, tinged with anxiety, as she rejected someone's request for a meeting. Was it a date? Or perhaps a stalker who had fallen for her?
"I've given you everything, okay?" Her voice grew louder momentarily, then softened again. "I gave you the address, and look what you've done to Mr. Diego. Do you really expect me to trust you now? leave me and my daughter alone Please, don't contact me again," she pleaded, ending the call abruptly I rushed back to the table.
She emerged from her room, her face covered in sweat and frustration, her hands trembling noticeably. We ate in silence, but I couldn't just sit there any longer.
"Who was it, Auntie?" I asked, and her complexion suddenly paled.
"No one, darling, just a... a call from the bank," she replied hesitantly.
"How long are you going to keep hiding things from me?" I pressed.
"What things?" she feigned innocence.
"That call... those tapes!" I gestured towards the painting on the wall, and she followed my gaze.
"Tell me you didn't see those tapes," she pleaded, her face drained of color.
"Yes, I did see those tapes... and I need answers," I insisted.
"Why did you see those tapes?" she deflected.
"Is that what's important to you now? I have questions, and I want answers," I insisted.
Frustrated, she paced back and forth, lost in thought. "Those tapes were incomplete. Where are the others? And who is threatening you on the phone? I've noticed it since you came back," I continued to press.
"Who is George Kingston?" I asked, causing her to stop abruptly and stare at me with wide eyes. Without hesitation, she rushed to the windows and hastily drew the curtains shut.
"You shouldn't say that name... no! You must never say that name again, not even in front of Ha Ri... promise me!" she demanded, her words sharp and urgent.
"Then tell me who he is?" I urged.
"PROMISE ME, APRIL!" she shouted, startling me for a moment.
"Fine, I promise," I relented, and she finally seemed to calm down.
"Was that drug the cause of my parents' death?" I asked, desperately. Aunt Soo Hee hesitated, her pity-filled gaze avoiding mine. But I needed to know.
"Your mother, Ji Ho, and I attended the same university, where she met Falcon and others," she began, her voice heavy with emotion. "After graduation, she went to Australia, and we lost touch. But”
“But what?” I asked with curiosity.
“She sends me very expensive gifts every month and every time I ask what she does in Australia, she always says I'm just a corporate employee” She is getting into the details so I cut to the point.
“But what does it all have anything to do with their death” frustration leveling up “WHO killed them!” I asked as anxiety consumed me.
"I don't have all the answers, but everything changed after Ji Ho married Falcon so urgently, without inviting anyone. We lost touch after that but Three days before their deaths, Ji Ho called me..." she trailed off, her voice trembling.
"She told me she was sending two boxes to me, and she instructed me to send one to an address she gave me. She also said that she had made some mistakes and asked me to take care of you, to prevent you from the truth, and told me to come to take you home with me on 7th July, I didn't know they were in Korea and when I was heading towards her given address, I received a call from Thomas Diego, he told me that your parents died and he brought you to hospital" Aunt Soo Hee explained, her words only adding to my confusion.
Her statement made things more confusing.
“falcon invented a drug that could cure George Kingston’s mother and when Falcon sees how dangerous it can be if it reaches in wrong hands then he hides everything and so is the last sample of that drug. I hid one box and Thomas hid the second one. but we both don't know where Falcon and Ji Ho hid that last sample. George threatens him and that’s why both of your parents escape to another country but they got traced due to the call Ji Ho made me and…”
“he killed them!” I concluded, the realization hitting me like a ton of bricks. “I know the story after that Aunty…I remember the image of them.. it blurs but I remember it” I said with a numb mind and Aunt Soo hee turned towards me whipping out her tears.
"Some of their men are threatening me to tell them about those boxes, I was the last person Ji Ho called maybe that's why they were asking me, so I gave them the address I sent that box on. I think they killed Thomas"
"why didn't you tell them you also have one of those boxes?" I asked and she started crying in fear.
"I was afraid they might harm you" Her words paused due to her tears then she added " George must not find out that you are Falcon's daughter," she said and I hugged her and wiped a few of my tears. someone got killed because she was trying to protect me.
"Ji Ho wanted you to have a normal life, April. She loved you, which is why I kept all of this from you," Aunt Soo Hee said, tears welling in her eyes. "Promise me you won't seek revenge. Promise me you'll choose a path that won't bring you harm," she said petting my face gently but I felt nothing for a second. I wanted to take revenge because they were innocent. I feel nothing but fire to just grab Kingston by the collar and ask him why. Why? Why did you have to kill them? We could have been together today if you would not have killed them.
“April?” Aunt Soo Hee’s voice occurred but fainted in my thoughts I didn’t care about any of it. I have no memory but the pain feels like yesterday. Why can't I remember my childhood? Just some selective memories but I can remember that night, sometimes it's blurry but sometimes it's as clear as my reality.
How can I just make a bargain of the fire I’ve lived in with a promise? When I wanted to shred every piece of his skin with my hands and wanted to keep his skin in my nails as a memorial.
“April?” the voice echoes again.
He wouldn’t know, right? He would never understand.
The most frustrating thing is not recalling any single compassionate memory of your childhood.
"April!"
"I'm okay!" I replied, trying to hide the turmoil inside me. She breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned on the TV to change the environment.
"Why haven't you told the police?" I inquired patiently, but she remained silent for a long moment.
"Do you think the police will do anything now? They didn't do anything when I filed a case for your parents' murder," she said, gripping my hands gently. "Kingston is a mafia boss, April. He has his pawns in military, judiciary, police, politics, and business. Do you think people like us can even scratch the surface?"
"You think too lowly of yourself, Auntie... Do you really think we can't?" I challenged.
"No! We can't and we won't!" she exclaimed firmly, making her stance clear. I wanted to argue further, but we were interrupted by a breaking news report on the TV that grabbed our attention.
I couldn't catch all the fast Korean spoken, but then a banner flashed across the screen: "Kent Wallace, owner of Wallace Group, has died with a Heart Attack".
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