Jin-Soo Kwon was one of the most academic young Koreans in his village. He was hard pushed to find a tough match. Although he was encouraged to do well by his parents, he concentrated very forcefully on his schoolwork and put his best efforts into it.
Jin didn't really enjoy the life he had and tended to be antisocial most of the time. His father on the other hand was a joyous, middle-aged man with many friends who loved to have gatherings and play cards. He didn't understand why his son never had friends over.
"Jin-Soo, why is it that I never see you having friends over, or hear you speaking of your gatherings?"
"Because dad…"
"Because what!"
"Why do you care? You have enough nights with friends coming over and drinking wine and playing cards in your life, why do you need to know about mine." This was not a question but a statement. Jin was a very demanding and forceful person most of the time, usually when he was trying to give someone an impression of him.
"Come on Jin, I'm your father of course I care about you." He gave his son an encouraging smile but Jin just turned and watched the T.V.
Jin grew up with very few friends but many qualifications, which led to many jobs. His mother died when he was 21 from Colorectal Cancer. This caused a great rift in the family for so many of them had only acted as a happy family for her satisfaction as she was the head of the Kwons. Although his dad had not done anything wring, Jin believed that his father was the one to blame for not realizing she was sick sooner and getting her to a hospital.
"Now I know you're upset about your mother but we are! You are not the only one grieving. We all feel for the loss but these things can happen anywhere. We have to just put it behi-"
"LISTEN TO YOURSELF!" Jin's anger had been increasing while he listened to his father talk. He could not believe how rational he was about the situation. "You speak of it as if it was a passing trouble. YOU'RE TOO LAID BACK ABOUT THINGS!" Jin was breathing very hard and stopped so he could try and calm down. Mr. Kwon was looking at his son as if he knew this was how he was going to react and was quite prepared.
"Jin-Soo," he began, clasping his hands together. "I understand that it is a big thing but you have to be prepared for this sort of thing. You always think that this will happen to someone else. Well this time, we were the someone else. Now don't think," he said holding up his hand to prevent Jin interrupting. "That we can't grieve. Of course we can, but we mustn't dwell on these things. They will only affect us in a negative way."
Jin knew his father was right. The part of his speech about 'them being the someone else' had hit him particularly hard because that was exactly how he thought, but he was about to give up his grudge against his father after a rather small conversation.
Jin-Soo Kwon had moved down south one month after the conversation with his father and acquired a job as a waiter. Though he knew that he was well qualified to overlook these sorts of jobs with ease, he just wanted a short-term job while settling in for the first few months.
It was halfway through about the second month of his employment here when he saw her. The most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on in his life. She had a perfect figure, dark straight hair a luminescent glow to her skin. He immediately hurried over to her group to serve, hoping to get close-up look.
"Hello," he said in an orderly fashion with a slight bow. "May I get you something?" The pretty woman smiled and said "Yes, can we have five Mai Thais thank you," she smiled again as he wrote this order down and walked off to get the drink with a smirk on his face. A few minutes later he returned with drinks to find that the lady had been looking around curiously but ginned when she saw him coming. He wondered if she was smiling at the drinks or him.
"Thank you," she said just before taking a sip.
"You're welcome," he replied. For the rest of the evening he kept his eyes on the woman's group, making sure that anytime they seemed to want something, he was there to get it. He noticed that all her friends were quite ready to go but the lady didn't want to leave. In the end, she was left alone at their table while her friends left yawning and stretching. Jin felt a sudden urge and went to ask if she wanted another drink.
"Would you like another drink, Miss?"
Just a water thank you," Jin turned to get the drink when- "why don't you join me with one?"
"Because my boss would fire me," he smirked. She giggled.
"I'm sure it will be okay for one night," she smiled brightly and Jin didn't see how he could refuse. They spent about an hour talking (the lady's water was never brought to her) and Jin came to find that her name was Sun. A beautiful name in Jin's opinion.
The meeting began a kindly relationship and soon enough Sun and Jin came to realize they were in love. Sun's father, Mr. Paik, didn't know about Jin until a month prior to the engagement and show that he approved of his daughter's choice. Jin offered to work for Mr. Paik to earn his daughter. Finally Jin was able to give up his waiter job and apply for an occupation that would need his high education.
Of course this was how it started. After a while Jin began to notice that there was a lot of blackmailing and unusual orders going around the office. He also noticed that he was spending more and more time at the office and less time home with Sun. Jin, having been given a dog from someone he had given a message, gave Sun some extra company for when he was away. To his utter shock, he was sent back with one of Mr. Paik's personal assistants who would redeliver the message. On the way there he realized that this assistant was on his way to kill. Shaking with fear, Jin jumped out of the car and put on an all-too-violent-but-necessary display when he beat the man who was receiving the message, knowing he had saved his life.
From that day forward Jin-Soo Kwon was never quite the same man he had once been. Almost constantly quiet, he barely spoke to his wife after an argument they had, and continued on with his work. But Jin came to realize that it was time to set something right in his life.
He was going to see his father.
He knew his father may well not want to speak to him but he needed to try. He knew that his dad still worked at his fishing job so Jin was headed back to his old village.
It was a beautiful day and as Jin parked the car on the side of the lake he spotted an older man putting fish into a net.
This is it, Jin thought. He walked towards the man. He turned around and looked at Jin with wide eyes.
"Jin!"
"Father. Please forgive me. I was… ashamed of you." Jin's voice faltered and Mr. Kwon leant over and hugged him. It was quite a good afternoon; Jin helped his dad with the fishing for the rest of the day talking about life in general when the conversation turned to Sun.
"What is she like?"
"Beautiful. Intelligent. Hardheaded." Jin paused. "We don't talk anymore."
"Why not?" Mr. Kwon furrowed his eyebrows.
"Because I can't tell her… about her father. In a good world… she would hate him, not me." Jin hung his head. His father put on an encouraging and reassuring expression. "It is a good world." Jin knew he couldn't make him understand.
"You don't know what I've done."
"You are my son. It does not matter what you've done."
"I wish I could start over."
"Why can't you?" He looked at Jin with a questioning face. Jin struggled with the answer.
"I have responsibilities."
"More important than your wife?" Jin knew his father was right but he just didn't see how the situation could be helped.
"Her father wants me to deliver watches to Sydney and Los Angeles."
"Then let that be the last thing you so for him… then walk away. Don't come back. Go to America… save your marriage," Jin's father had a definite tone in his voice when he said this. Jin smiled.
Australia was brilliant in Jin's eyes, although he did think he would have enjoyed it more if he and Sun had been on good terms. He had given what his father sad some serious thought. It seemed obvious but Jin knew that Sun thought he had done wrong, not her father. He couldn't bring himself to tell her what her father had done and was still doing.
Jin stayed in a 5-star motel and left Sun there with its luxuries as he went to deliver the watches. As he approached the factory he was glad that Mr. Paik had told them he was coming because a man who claimed to be there to see the manager was thrown from the building sustaining a large amount of injuries. Jin was also extremely relieved to find that the factory workers were both Korean and spoke it for Jin couldn't speak English. He had only made it in Australia thus far because Sun's father had organized his travel and accommodation for him (which would make sense as the Managers of the motel he was staying in was owned by Koreans).
"Hello. I'm here to deliver watched from Mr. Paik."
"Go on in."
Jin walked up the stairs and along the hallway and knocked on the Manager's door.
"What! I'm busy!"
"It is Jin-Soo Kwon. I'm here from Korea. Mr. Paik sent me here, I have the watches," he waited patiently for a reply.
"Ah yes, come in."
Jin pushed the door open and entered the office of a stocky, balding Korean man.
"Are the watches in there?" he asked, motioning towards the large box Jin was carrying.
"Yes," Jin walked over to the desk and placed the box upon it, opening it to reveal one hundred pure gold watches. "Mr. Paik also informed me that you had something for me to deliver to Los Angeles, alongside the watches I am already taking."
"Ah yes. That's right. These," he pulled out a small container from his draw and opened it. "These are the newest form of technology."
Jin peered inside the container and saw what looked very much like twenty metal cubes.
"They are to be delivered with the watches and spoken of to no-one. You need not ever mention it for those you are delivering to will know you have them but will not inquire about them." Jin nodded and left with the container, sure to avoid the eyes of anyone all the way back to the motel.
Sun never asked about Jin's work so as he walked in the door she laid out his dinner on the table for him and said nothing. All through dinner Jin thought about what he was delivering. He didn't even know what they were. Technology could be anything.
Ten minutes after he had finished eating Sun called him and said her father was on the phone. Jin took the phone from her and wet into the bedroom to take the call.
"Did you deliver the watches?"
"Yes."
"Did thy give you something extra I mentioned?" He supposed he could speak of them here. After all, Mr. Paik had told him about them originally.
"Uh, yes they did."
"Good, be sure to deliver them. In fact hide then in the box with the watches, and then no-one will know of them until the box is opened." Jin was still reeling with curiosity.
"What are they?"
"They're the newest explosives to be invented."
"Why would they need-?"
"That is not something you need to know. Just do the delivery and get back to Korea as soon as you can." His voice suddenly sounded demanding and he hung up the phone leaving Jin just as curious as he was before. He called the front office of the motel. He wanted to get the soonest flight to Los Angeles the next day.
Sun didn't understand the rush but Jin wanted to get this delivery over with. But now that he knew what the little cubes were he had no will to deliver them and on the way to the airport he dumped them into a river. He had not told anyone but he planned to do exactly what his father suggested. This was the last this Jin would ever do for Mr. Jin.
Although he and Sun didn't talk anymore, he noticed she was a little more subdued than usual. Even at the airport she was unnecessarily teary.
But he would make it up to her in Los Angeles…