Whatever Happened to Enos' Little Girl?
by KayCee1951
Part One
Mount Jiri, South Korea
Theme Song:
You Are the Reason
by Calum Scott, Singer/Songwriter
Chapter Two
Wounding Puppies
Still August 3, 2022
Esme arrived at the appointed spot at 3:10 pm and checked the time on her phone…she was early. Okay, so that was a sure sign she was interested. Although intrigued might be a better word.
"He'd better show up," Esme grumbled under her breath. She stood in the same spot he had left her that morning.
At precisely 15:15, Mr. Mysterious appeared holding a lined parka similar to the one he wore.
"Even though it's the first week of August down at the lower elevation, that jacket you're wearing won't cut it up here when the fog rolls in or it starts to rain. And that tiny body of yours won't have enough insulation to protect you where we're going."
"Speaking of which, where are you planning to take me that I would need this?" she asked, wary of his motives. How often had Appa warned his daughters about charming men with evil agendas? But he'd brought her a warm coat to protect against the chill. Was that actually redeeming or part of his plan to lull her into a false sense of security only to break out the fangs when she was most vulnerable?
"You'll see," he said, smiling adorably. "There's someone I need...want you to meet."
"Which is it?" Esme asked.
He managed to wiggle his way out of answering the question.
They hardly knew each other…actually, they didn't know each other. Their interaction thus far was limited to the exchange of acerbic comments that Auntie Dae claimed was…gulp…foreplay.
There was much more to that sweet, silver-haired elder than met the eye. But for gosh sake, Esme had almost had him arrested, and he wanted to introduce her to someone? Who does that? Now she thought him strange on top of being mysterious. Was the someone a cult leader? All that happened earlier played out in public.
Now, they were alone on a barely traveled road at the tail-end of nowhere on a mountain she was not familiar with…and it then made her less interested and more wary. She had inherited Appa's suspicious side, which made him a good detective.
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who you are."
"Fair enough." He bowed European, not Korean style. "Kim Min-Jun, Lieutenant, Republic of Korea Armed Forces." He showed her his ID and dog tags as proof. "Now it's your turn."
Esme still hesitated, however, not so much from any concerns about him. She was not supposed to be in South Korea. And some people already knew her first name. Only the airline knew her last name. And the couple who owned the bike rental business. She was aware of being paranoid but couldn't help it. Cameras and social media were everywhere…and practically invisible. Even an innocent post by someone…That's when she realized her anger was more the fear that Omma would find out she was in South Korea than anything the Lieutenant had done or said.
"If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone, and I mean anyone, that I'm here…in South Korea?"
The Lieutenant scoffed, "Funny, I haven't seen any Red Notices identifying you as a wanted crim––?"
"I should have known you wouldn't take it seriously. Do you think everything is a game?" Esme turned toward what she hoped was the road back to the village, only stopping when she felt his hand on her arm. She didn't pull away because she felt more in his touch than its physical warmth.
"Okay…I'm an idiot," he said contritely. "Can we start over?"
Esme closed her eyes and sighed. "My name is Esmeralda."
"That means emerald, doesn't it…in Portuguese?"
"And Spanish."
" Do you prefer to be called by your full given name, or Emerald, or Esme?"
"Esme. Definitely Esme."
"Esme it is. See how easy that was and how cooperative I can be?"
"I still didn't tell you my last name."
"I'm a lot easier to get along with than you think. Esme will do for the moment."
Despite her uneasiness, Esme had to turn her head and stifle a chuckle. They broke the mold when this guy came off the assembly line.
"So, this is me being serious…Why can't anyone know you're in South Korea?"
"When my mother discovered my plane to Tokyo was diverting to Hiroshima Airport, she got nervous because it's so close to the Korean Peninsula and made me promise not to set foot on South Korean soil. She knows I want to visit where she and my sister were born and where I was almost born."
"They were born around Jirisan?"
"No…in Seoul. I wanted to see Mount Jiri because of all the beauty in the videos posted about it."
"So your mother is Korean. Why wouldn't she want you to be in South Korea? And to the extent that it seems to freak you out."
"It's a long story that reaches back too many years, and we don't have that kind of time."
"Are you ready to go, then?" Kim Min-jun asked.
"You're still not gonna tell me where you're abducting me to, are you?"
He laughed at her choice of words.
"No. Not just yet," he said, flashing that infectious smile Esme felt had a deeper meaning... and not for the first time since they met only hours before. "Now, let's hurry. We want to get there before dark."
"I still want to know where 'there' is."
He didn't answer right away. "I can't."
"Can't or won't?"
"Does it matter which?"
"Yes."
"Then, both."
"I'm not going anywhere, especially with you, until you tell me where we are, where you intend to take me, and why. I should warn you that I took self-defense classes for years, and I don't mean the polite kind where you bow to each other first. I mean the kind where you aim to do as much damage to your opponent as possible. My Dad is a passive man, but he'll do whatever it takes to protect us when his daughters are involved. Get it?"
She regretted what she'd said…or maybe the harshness with which she'd said, "Especially with you."
Lieutenant Kim's playful expression sank into genuine hurt. "Yeah, I got it."
With a few well-executed words, the battle was over. She had done the most damage to her opponent. Still, she reminded herself they had met only a few hours earlier. Harsh words from her shouldn't have affected him so. And now he was on his cell phone. For some strange reason, he had put it on speaker. The voice on the other end of the conversation had a French accent.
"Min-jun-ah…it's been a long time."
"Too long and not long enough."
"Oui, Mon Ami…but I understand."
"François, can you borrow the truck long enough to drive someone back into town?"
"Not sure. I'm just a man on perpetual retreat with less influence than the lowest lowly novice around here. This is for the guest you told Father about?"
"Yes. And I won't even ask how you know."
"It is an obscure monastery with a few monks and many rumors…The monks are in meditation, and I will not disturb them. But for you, petit frère, I will find a way."1
"As resourceful as ever, hyung. I owe you one."2
"You owe me many, but who is counting? And we are speaking English because…?"
"I thought it would make her more comfortable."
Kim Min-jun had not even glanced in her direction since the conversation began.
"You did not tell her where you were taking her? Quel genre d'idiot fait ça? Is there any wonder why she would not want to stay?"3
Esme supposed she should tell them she was fluent in French. The Lieutenant's supposed friend had just called him an idiot. But this was more fun…and informative.
"Father asked me not to put the temple at risk…and you once told me if I ever told anyone about this place, you would either kill me or make me wish I were dead."
About halfway through the strange dialogue, Esme realized their destination had been a remote Buddhist temple…one that preferred, no…jealously guarded its anonymity.
"So I did…In this particular situation, I might have been mistaken…but when did that ever stop you?" the voice on the other end asked. "Give me about fifteen or twenty minutes."
Min-jun finally looked Esme's way, only to find she had buried her head in her chest, contritely nodding. She didn't hear the rest of the conversation…She'd turned away and tried to focus on the vanishing point of the overgrown, little-used roadway. It reminded her of some of the cow paths and ridge runner roads in the Georgia hills that led to people who just wanted to be left alone and in peace.
Only later, after she stopped feeling like crap-warmed-over, would she ask the questions that should have been obvious to her from the get-go.
References and Translations:
1) French for Little Brother
2) Korean for Older Brother
3) French for: "What kind of idiot does that?"