by Alana Terry
They had only been driving ten or fifteen minutes before something pounded in the back of the car. For the second time that night, Min-Ho cursed his fraudulent supplier. He watched his passenger out of the corner of his eye to determine if she had noticed anything. Sun was supposed to be comatose by now, and he didn’t have to time to stop.
A kilometer or two later, there was no way to keep ignoring it. The girl in the trunk was screaming loudly enough for her voice to carry over the engine’s sounds.
“What are you hiding back there?” Mee-Kyong sneered. “A pack of wild cats?”
“I’ll check on her a little later. This isn’t a safe place to stop.” If he was lucky, she’d fall back to sleep. Why wasn’t the medicine working?
Mee-Kyong crossed her arms. “Her? You sure you haven’t got more than one back there?” Her voice dripped with disdain.
“We’re not stopping now.”
Her body tensed up in the passenger seat. “You are stopping now, or I’m getting out of this car. You won’t see a single won of my money.”
He chuckled. “Nice try. But you’ve forgotten that I’m the one holding the cash.”
“Not anymore.”
Min-Ho glanced at the envelope in her hand and tried to hide his amusement. He knew plenty of moves that would disarm her in an instant, but for now he would humor her. After all, Sun wouldn’t bring him any income if she suffocated back there. With the concoction behaving so erratically, he probably didn’t have much choice. He drove for another minute with his jaw set, and then he pulled the car over to the side of the road. “Have it your way.”
He took the keys out with him and headed to the back. When he opened the trunk, Sun blinked up at him, the skin pulling against her collarbone with each shallow breath she took. He removed the tape from her mouth as gently as he could, and then he leaned down and scooped her up. “I’m so sorry I had to do that, little one. You know why, though, right? You’ve been so brave for a girl.”
“My shoe. It flew off my foot when you opened the trunk the last time.”
“I’ll get you another one,” Min-Ho promised absently.
“Are we across the border yet?” Sun’s voice was hoarse.
He shook his head as he carried her to the back seat. “We have a little longer to go still. But I thought you’d be more comfortable in here. You promise to be good, don’t you, and not to cry or make much noise?”
Sun nodded with wide eyes. “I’ll be good.”
CHAPTER 6
Mee-Kyong twisted around in her seat and examined the girl as best she could. She was a tiny wisp of a thing, even younger than Mee-Kyong had been when she first met Pang. “What’s your name?”
The girl didn’t raise her eyes. “Sun.”
“I’m Mee-Kyong.” She pressed against her abdomen, which protested in pain each time the broker’s tiny car sped over a bump in the road. “Have you ever been to China, little cousin?”
Sun shook her head.
“That’s a pretty dress,” Mee-Kyong remarked.
“Thank you,” the child croaked pitifully. How long had she been screaming in the back before Mee-Kyong and Min-Ho heard her?
Mee-Kyong winced and faced forward again, sitting carefully with one hip propped up to keep the weight off her sensitive areas. Don’t get attached to her, you sentimental wimp. You know exactly what the broker plans to do with her. Still, she couldn’t keep herself from wondering about the child. Where was her family? She was too innocent not to have one. Did they know she was here? Did they suspect what was about to happen to her?
“You’ll need to be ready soon.” It was the first time Min-Ho spoke since letting Sun out of the trunk.
Mee-Kyong grimaced and shifted her weight onto her other hip. “Aren’t you going to untie her hands?”
Min-Ho shrugged. “Do it quick. We cross the border in less than ten minutes.”
***
Sun liked Mee-Kyong from the very beginning. She didn’t know where Min-Ho found her, but she was glad she wasn’t traveling alone. She already missed her family more than she wanted to admit. She wished Jae were here to tell her one of his fantastical bedtime stories about lands where food grows on trees and the fields are filled with the leftovers that fall to the ground. She swallowed away the dryness in her throat. What had she been thinking to leave her family?
Just a few minutes had passed since Min-Ho handed a large roll of bills to the patrolmen on the bridge and drove across to the Chinese side of the border. Everything was so bright and colorful. Electric signs and bright street lamps illuminated the night. Sun had to squint her eyes to shield out some of the brilliance. “Is this where we’ll be working?”
Min-Ho shook his head. “Nah, this is just Tumen. It’s more like a town, really. I’m taking you on to Yanji. It’s even bigger.”
Nothing could have prepared Sun for the sights when Min-Ho’s car finally sped its way into the interior of Yanji about an hour later. She had never seen so many people gathered in one place before. Even in the middle of the night, young men and women scurried down one street and up the next. The women wore shoes with spikes on their heels, making Sun wonder how they kept from falling. The pedestrians were mostly Korean, with a few ethnic Chinese joining the throngs. Now Sun realized why Min-Ho told her she needed new clothes. Women and girls paraded by, some only a few years older than Sun, dressed in every color of the spectrum: flashy pink, bright teal, deep maroon. Their faces were just as vibrant, with glittery eyelids and red painted lips.
Sun put her hand to her throat and held her breath. She could hear her heartbeat all the way up to her ears. She squirmed in her new dress and stared out the window as Min-Ho rolled past one side street after another. Sun had never seen so many lights in one place and wondered how the Chinese could afford to keep them on all through the night.
Yanji itself stretched on and on. Each time Sun thought they must be through the heart of the city, Min-Ho would turn down another road, each one even more dazzling than the last. Eventually, he slowed down in front of a tall building. She counted the windows. It had five levels, and almost all of the lights were on inside. The sign in front was written in Korean, illuminated by a spotlight coming from the ground. Round Robin Inn.
Min-Ho parked. “We’re here. Get out.”
It was Sun’s first time in a car, and she didn’t know how to open the door. She watched the way he pulled against the handle.
“Not you,” Min-Ho barked at Mee-Kyong.
Sun jumped at his stern voice. Had Mee-Kyong done something wrong?
“You stay here,” Min-Ho ordered. “I just need the girl.”
Mee-Kyong turned back to face Sun. “Hope it goes well for you, little cousin.” Her words were kind, but her face was contorted like she was in pain.
Min-Ho came around and opened Sun’s door, his acne-scarred face softening. “We made it.” His voice was back to normal now, friendly and considerate. As nervous as she was, Sun managed to return his grin. He offered her his arm, and she took it like they practiced at the park. After smoothing out the skirt of her red dress, she swept her bangs out of her eyes and behind her ear. He brushed her bare arm. The light touch tickled. “Mr. Lee is going to love you. I just know it.”
Sun turned when she heard Mee-Kyong make a noise from the front seat. It sounded almost like a snort, but she couldn’t tell for sure. During the ride, she had assumed she and Mee-Kyong would be working together. So why did Mee-Kyong have to stay in the car? Sun felt flattered, but also a little guilty, that Min-Ho was going to escort her into the inn all by herself. “Will you be all right here?” she asked.
Mee-Kyong nodded and flashed a smile. “Of course, little cousin. Now go make a good impression.” Sun tried to read the expression on Mee-Kyong’s face, but the blinding lights all around made it difficult.
Min-Ho wrapped his arm around her waist. The protective gesture warmed her entire face. Had his sleeping medicine made her dizzy? “Come on, little one. Let’s go intr
oduce you to Mr. Lee.” She leaned heavily on Min-Ho’s arm as they paraded up to the front doors of the Round Robin Inn.
***
Mee-Kyong watched as Sun sashayed away. The child glided over the concrete sidewalk as she held on to the broker’s arm. Min-Ho stood with his chest puffed out, stretching his spine as if an extra centimeter might conceal his short stature. Mee-Kyong adjusted her weight once more, groaning from the discomfort. The self-assured broker wouldn’t remain so happy, she suspected, when he saw all that blood on the seat of his car.
She shut her eyes. She just needed another minute to regain some of her strength. The pimpled man and his buyer would haggle over money, and then they would be back for her. She could tell by his swagger the broker intended to come out rich. Mee-Kyong was just an afterthought. That’s probably why he hadn’t wanted to bring her inside for the first meeting.
It was just as well. Mee-Kyong didn’t intend to let anybody sell her into the underground market of human flesh. It was time to make her escape. She wasn’t even sure her legs would hold her up to stand, but she would crawl one meter at a time if she had to. After spending almost two decades of her life at Camp 22, she wasn’t about to walk into captivity again.
She studied the building where Min-Ho took the girl and thought about the child’s beaming face. “Good luck, little cousin,” she whispered. She shut her eyes for a moment, wondering which was worse — to grow up in the prison camp and never have a childhood to speak of, or to grow up with a family that loved you and have your childhood ripped away in a single night.
Gritting her teeth against her own exhaustion and discomfort, Mee-Kyong reached for the handle of the car. The door was locked. What did you expect, fool? Did you think he was just going to let you run off unnoticed? She fumbled with the gadgets around her. She had only been in a car once before, a week earlier when Pang found them a ride for part of their journey from Camp 22 to the cabin in Onsong. At the time, she had been too excited at the prospect of a free life with Pang to pay attention to doors and mechanisms. You idiot. You killed off the only good thing that ever happened to you, and now look where you’ve ended up.
Mee-Kyong scowled at the windows of the Round Robin Inn. She had suffered worse, but still she didn’t plan to stick around. She would find a way to escape. She fingered the knife in her pocket. She remembered the sight of Pang’s blood on the blade and imagined returning with it to Camp 22. Which of the guards would she approach first if she had the opportunity? She brushed the handle of her weapon and fumbled at the door with her other hand until she finally found the lock. She fell outside, gasping with pain, and stumbled out into the night. Her bare feet splashed in an icy puddle beneath her, and she almost doubled over from the burning sensation in her gut. She was too weak to even cry out in frustration.
“Going somewhere?” The pimple-faced broker was right above her. Next to him towered a man wearing a suit. His stomach was so massive it bulged out not only in front but also to either side of him. Mee-Kyong reached into her pocket for the knife, and then she saw the girl. Sun stood behind the broker in that flimsy dress. Her bangs fell in front of her eyes and she opened her mouth in the shape of a little ring. Mee-Kyong froze.
Min-Ho gestured toward her. “Here’s the other one.”
The fat man grunted but said nothing.
Sun rushed to Mee-Kyong’s side. “Are you all right? Were you afraid we forgot you?”
Mee-Kyong looked up and noted the hint of guilt in the child’s face. She tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace. “I’m fine, little cousin.” She stood up as straight as she could and glared at the two men. “I just needed some fresh air.”
CHAPTER 7
“What’s taking them so long?” Sun sat on the side of her new bed in the Round Robin Inn, swinging her legs back and forth over the side. Mee-Kyong lay down, thankful for the chance to finally recline. Everything below her waist felt like old, shredded meat. The fat man had posted two of his guards outside the bedroom door. She still had her knife, but she was too tired to even think about escape. She wasn’t foolish enough to hope her new owner would spare her since she had just delivered a child, and she wanted to rest before she had to worry about what the remainder of the night held. Unfortunately, Sun didn’t seem to share Mee-Kyong’s desire for sleep. “They’ve been in there forever,” the child complained.
“They’re just discussing payment. The usual. It can take hours and half a dozen glasses of soju before they come to any sort of agreement.”
“I hope Mr. Lee won’t send me away.”
Mee-Kyong couldn’t keep from chortling when Sun turned to her with wide, hopeful eyes. “You don’t have anything to worry about there, little cousin. You’re just the kind of worker he wants.”
“And Min-Ho said he could probably get you a job here, too.”
Mee-Kyong kneaded her bruised abdomen, welcoming the pain. She let out a dark laugh. “I’ve done this kind of work before. Well, close to it, anyway.”
“Really?” Sun scooted over closer to Mee-Kyong. “Did you like it?”
Mee-Kyong stared up at the dark brown stains on the ceiling. “Money is money, right?”
“Oh, I’m not here to make money for myself. It’s all to take back to my family when I’m done.”
“Yeah, about that ...” Mee-Kyong wondered just how much she should divulge. She could tell the girl everything, but what would be the point? The child would start working at the inn whether she was prepared for it or not. Maybe it was more merciful to let the poor soul savor her last minutes of youth with a little gaiety and optimism.
Sun twirled her hair around with a finger. “About what?”
“Never mind.”
“No, you were going to tell me something. Something about going home.”
Mee-Kyong sighed. “I just wanted to warn you it might take a little bit longer than you thought before you get paid. That’s all.”
“How long?” Sun leaned in so close her dark hair fell forward and brushed down against Mee-Kyong’s arm.
“Oh, you know. These men, they talk. And it takes a while for them to agree. Don’t worry about it too much. Just get some rest, and when they’ve figured out the details, I’m sure they’ll come and let us know.”
It only took a few more minutes before Sun dropped into the innocent sleep of the unsuspecting. Mee-Kyong fingered her knife and decided it was a good thing she was too exhausted to sit up, or she might have been tempted to let the poor child die happy right then.
***
That night, Min-Ho dined in the restaurant across the street from the Round Robin. Mr. Lee had haggled like the finest but eventually agreed to Min-Ho’s asking price and paid him up front in cash. Min-Ho scratched one of his infected pimples and savored his first bite of steak. He would probably always remember the little beauty in the red dress, wondering sometimes what it would have been like to keep her for himself. But the thick pile of bills in his pocket was enough to keep his mind from vain sentimentality.
The other woman, the bleeding one from Onsong, brought him in only a fraction of Sun’s price. She was older, much less feminine, and obviously more experienced, but she was no longer his concern. Half an hour later, Min-Ho was so full from his steak he couldn’t even take another sip of soju. After he paid his bill, he checked one more time to make sure he still had the money and then walked out of the restaurant, ready to enjoy the pleasures of the Yanji nightlife for himself.
He deserved that much at least.
***
“Take me to the man in charge. The fat one.” Mee-Kyong looked the guard square in the eyes.
He grunted. “Mr. Lee will summon you when he pleases.”
She lowered her voice. “You don’t want a hysterical woman on your hands. Trust me. There’s no telling what damage I could do to that little hotel room you’ve got us locked up in.”
The guard’s expression didn’t change. “Like I said, when the boss ...”
At that mom
ent the door at the end of the hallway opened. Mee-Kyong saw a set of stairs behind the fat proprietor, who waddled into the hallway panting from exertion. He furrowed his brow and glared at her. “What are you doing out of your room?”
“It’s about the girl. I need to talk to you.”
The security guard shifted his weight. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lee. She just came out a few seconds ago.”
Mr. Lee ignored him. “Say what you want to say and don’t waste my time again. Quick.”
“The girl I came with isn’t ready to start work right away. She needs a few days to rest.” Mee-Kyong’s leg muscles were about as solid as cooked noodles, but she managed not to buckle over as she faced him.
Mr. Lee eyed her pants. “You’re in no position to bargain with anyone right now.”
She lowered her voice. “I don’t want you to start Sun. Not tonight. She needs time to adjust.”
“Adjust?” Mr. Lee spat out the word like it was the punchline of a joke. Mee-Kyong wiped drops of his saliva off her cheek. He put his hands on his expansive hips. “Whether she’s adjusted or not, she’s got a job to do here. There’s no choice in the matter.”
She locked her knees so her legs wouldn’t collapse. She wasn’t frightened, just so weak that she could hardly stand. She couldn’t let Mr. Lee know it, however. He had to think she was strong. He had to think she was ready. “I can teach her.” The laugh she expected never came. Emboldened, she continued. “I can prepare her for what’s going to happen. I can tell her what she should do.”
Mr. Lee stroked one of his chins. “You could do that in ten minutes. Besides, I already have a customer in mind for her.”
She recalled the child’s hopeful eyes. “Yes, but if you give her another week, you would have more time to find a higher payer. Maybe even start a bidding war.”