The Mirage of Soo Mingyu

Chapter One

      Soo Mingyu walks along the halls of Shangri Conservatory School, alone. Her only friend, Ying Yue was busy taking the entrance exam to go study abroad after they graduate. She slides her earbuds into her ears to drown out the voices of her classmates that filled the hall. Over the years, she has learned to keep a low profile because of her baba's occupation as a police officer. Baba is always hounding Soo Ming to live her life as her classmates do but Soo Ming knows the reality of a cop's life and what it entails. If things go south for her father on a case, the next of kin is in danger. Baba has never taught Soo Ming any self-defense or talked about his work. "Focus on your studies, xiao nu. Your brain is greatest weapon." She may not be the class president but she's not the lowest rank either. 

     Soo Mingyu slides into her seat by the far window. The afternoon sun warms her face through the translucent glass. The students take their seats as the break ends and Professor Liang enters. "Ni hao, my fellow students." Soo Ming is registered to Shangri Conservatory School, Grade Twelve, Class B. The math teacher begins his lecture but the girl hears none of it as she stares out the window overlooking the field. She does not even notice when Ying Yue sat in her designated seat beside her. The blonde hair is what caught Soo Ming's attention. The friends exchange notes in their own notebooks. 

考试怎么样？(How'd the exam go?)

和吴教授的考试一样糟糕。(It was about as bad as Professor Wu exams.)

你睡了吗？(Did you get any sleep?)

猪会飞吗？(Do pigs fly?)

这是关于你爸爸的事吗？(Is this about your dad?)

总是 (Always)

别再偏执了(Stop being paranoid)

      "Soo Mingyu." Both Mingyu and Yue's heads whip up to find the headmaster in the doorway to Grade Twelve, Class B. "We need you in the office. Your father is here." Mingyu glances down at the phone underneath her notebook. There is nothing from her father to indicate that he would or should be at school. She slips her phone into the pocket on the inside of skirt that she had made. Mingyu follows her headmaster out of the classroom and out into the hall. She gives Yue an apologetic look but Yue does not seem to understand what is going on. The headmaster walks five paces in front of the student leaving Mingyu the opportunity to check the location on her baba's phone. She installed this secretly about two years ago. The app immediately zooms in on her baba's spot, showing that he was at the station and not at SCS. Soo Ming looks at the space between her and headmaster Ju. They are about turn left to go upstairs to the high floor where the offices are held. Soo Ming slips off her shoes before the two turn the corner. She sneaks quickly down the stairs while Headmaster Ju turns the corner for the second floor entry hall. 

      Soo Mingyu glides down the stairs to the ground level of the school. She pulls her shoes back on before stepping out of the building. Her dark hair falls out of her ponytail, hitting her back. She races for the back exit. Three years ago, she memorized the layout of the school building in case anyone came for her at SCS. The blades of grass ripped at her ankles as she ran. Her chest was on fire as she made her way to the station. Since grade nine, she has been increasing her stamina in physical education class. She makes sure that she is in first every time that they have to run laps. It took her about ten minutes until she could see the Shangri Police Station twenty paces away. Huang Jang greeted the girl walking into the building, who was clearly out of breath. Soo Mingyu just went straight for the investigative department. The girl paused for a moment, seeing that her father was in a meeting with Captain Chung and Detectives Lang, Lui, and Qi.

      Soo Mingyu waits outside the Captain's office for her father to notice her. She looks at the screen ahead to see a picture of a young man who has a well defined jaw line and dark eyes. It looked like a surveillance photo taken from between forty to fifty paces. Detective Soo Chang finally looks up to see that his daughter is outside his boss' office instead of at school. "Xiancheng, I need a minute," Soo Chang acknowledges the Captain. The detective steps out of the meeting to meet with his daughter. "Nu'er, why are you here? You are supposed to be in school."

       "Someone came for me at school claiming to be you," Mingyu says softly. 

       "I do not have time for this, Soo Mingyu," Soo Chang sighs. "You should not be this paranoid."

        "Ba, teach me, please. Before it's too late," she begs.

        "Mingyu, we have been over this. You just need to finish school. I am not going to teach you because you are not in danger. Now, go back to school," he finishes the discussion and heads back inside the office. Soo Mingyu swallows and waits for him to be distracted. She turns around to the cubicles. Her father's is the one by the end. There's a picture on the desk of the young girl in a dress that she could not remember. It was taken by the Shangri River Park back when she was seven. The girl thumbs through the files on his desk until one caught her attention. It was in a red folder rather than a vanilla folder like the rest of them. She flips open the file to find the same picture that hangs in the Captain's office. Kang Lishang. The leader of the Luk Feng Organization who covers the drug cartel in China. The file also holds information on Dafu Jun, who is Kang Lishang's right-hand man. If she wanted to learn to fight and survive, then she would have to go to outside sources.