SHE BENT ME

Confession or Expectations

[LISA]

WHAT THE —?

What she told me is the biggest revelation in my entire life. HOLY COW! It seems like fate is playing with us right now.

Nini explained to me that she has met me before when we were little and mentioned a woman named 'Min-a" whom I don't have any memory with. The dots are slowly connecting and I didn't expect that Nini and I have sort of connection in the past. She remembered hers whilst mine isn't vivid.

I'm furious with my dad.

Okay, here's the summary of what she said:

    'Lili, you were part of my past and I'm part of yours. We've met before when I was 7, we met at a game arcade, you even won teddy bear for me, you actually won two, one for me and one for you. You were in Korea at that time and you still don't know how to speak Korean, that's where I met Min-a,  your translator as far as I've recall, she was kind, lovely, and a very caring woman. Also brave.

     'My uncle. I mean. Mr. Jeon. I used to call him uncle since he's my dad's best friend. H-he. Ugh, Lili, it's so hard. Uhm, he's the mastermind of everything. He kidnapped you when you were young. He kidnapped you and your translator. He's very determined to have you and the thing I recalled that time is that he wants money or something. He — (sighs) he made me witness deaths in his slaughterhouse, which I would like to call that way. I witnessed innocent lives getting shot on the head and their bodies were sliced open to pull-out some organs and send it somewhere for business.

     'Min-a's lover died in front of my own eyes. I can still remember his dead body and his face with a bullet on his head. I can still remember the other people who died on my watch but I haven't seen Min-a's death. I heard a gunshot while I helped you with the directions for you to escape. Min-a helped you escape as well from Mr. Jeon's men. We both heard it actually, I can still recall how you cried so hard when you heard the gunshot. I can still recall how you were locked-up in Mr. Jeon's dark and smelly room. I can also still recall how you were mad at me for days because you thought I was an accomplice of his dirty acts.

     'Those things traumatized me, it almost drive me crazy. I didn't have the needed therapy and just healed on my own. I mean, I went to therapy but just for attendance but the truth is it never even helped me, it just made everything worse. I hate to say this to you but I heard about your father's dirty secret.

        'W-what?' — I gasped and Nini continued.

'Your dad has other kid aside from you. I — I'm not sure what more I heard but Mr. Jeon wants money and that's the main reason why you were kidnapped. If not for Min-a unnie, I will never have you here in front of me. She sacrificed her life for you because you mean so much to her even if you just spend a little time with her.

'We ran and ran until we reached the safest street but I tripped and you didn't stop from running. Suddenly, a car purposely hit on you and you flew real heard and hit your head on the ground. You were full of blood. During that accident, I met your parents was, I told your mother that you were killed intentionally because I really thought you're dead. Your parents brought me to the police station since one of the police officers can speak and understand your language.

'I heard that I am their lead and only hope of the investigation but — but the image of my parents flashed into my mind and also the image of Mr. Jeon threatening me that if I get him exposed or if I tell anyone about this, the life of the people that I love the most will vanish. I c—can't let that happen. My parents aren't around all the time and Mr. Jeon is with dad almost everyday. So, I walked out from the police station and I saw how the ray of hope from your mom's face diminished and she fainted when she saw me disappeared and with that I am so so so and deeply deeply sorry.'

Nini bursts into tears in front of me and apologized many times. She apologized for not telling me early and for hiding it on her own. She admitted that she's scared but I didn't see any wrong about what she revealed to me. I can see it in her eyes that she never wanted to be a part of it and she's also a victim of the evil doings of that ugly Mr. Jeon. He deserves to be in jail.

Even if Nini told me everything, I still can't remember any.

I pulled her close to my chest while absorbing everything that I just knew from her. It's painful to know that my dad have other kid aside from me and for cheating on my mom. How could he do this to us?

"That Mr. Jeon whom you agreed to meet before I flew to Thailand. What did he do to you?" While Nini is trying to get herself in good composure she softly pulled her face from my chest and gazed her feline eyes to mine. It's literally sending chills to my bones.

"He gave me something," She stood up from my bed and pulled something out from her black tote bag.

It's an envelope.

She handed it to me and I quickly open it to take a view.

It's some photos of dead individuals with bullet holes on their forehead. I saw two familiar faces from the photos and tried my best to recall who they really were but my mind failed me.

Nini examined the look on my face. "Do you remember them?"

I shook my head hesitantly.

I remember the files that Bam handed to me and took it in a flash.

"What's that?" She asked curiously.

"BamBam knew something about the tragedy I had when I was young. He's been secretly investigating in the last 4 months and just told me earlier before we arrived in here," I briefly explained and the question that was written on her lovely face vanished.

"Lili, I have to tell you something," She said and grabbed my hand, and set aside Bam's files.

"Mr. Jeon knows that you're alive. I don't know how he knew and where he got the information about you but he knows you're studying in the same school as me. That's why he asked me to find you but I didn't know who you were not until I saw your parents in Thailand — on the day you were hospitalized," She looked down and I just stare at her blankly.

She squeezed my hand and whispered, "Say something,"

What can I say? I'm overwhelmed. I slugged my shoulders inwardly and softly bump my forehead on her forehead.

"I — Uhm. Nini, I really don't know what to say. Did you tell him about me on the day that you knew?" I whispered while we're on forehead to forehead and felt her warm breath on my face.

She closed her eyes and heave a sigh. I can smell her cherry warm breath on my face and said in a raspy tone, "I didn't. I can't put you to harm. I don't want to lose you. I'd rather lose myself than losing the one I love,"