Chapter 76: Speed
Gyros. They usually were an East Coast thing or usually whenever there was a Mediterranean restaurant on some corner. The first time that Sunny tried a Gyro was the second day after she came back to the city. It was a random spot, she doesn't remember where but it was around the downtown area. It was spicy lamb. The first bite was one of the zestiest bites that she's ever had, especially with the tzatziki sauce added to the mix. Even if it was considered street food she savored every bite and was one of the first meals that she truly enjoyed when she came back. Kimmy invited her mainly as a way to introduce Yuriko to her. Which she didn't mind, after all Sunny was the one who helped secure her release (even though she still played the plausible deniability game with her) and plus it's free food.
The waiter brought their food. Kimmy and Yuriko ordered the same dish, two beef gyros with fries. Sunny decided to order a shrimp gyro with extra tzatziki sauce on the side.
"So Kimmy, tell me everything about your girlfriend" Sunny inquires. Yuriko naturally blushed "Well we've known each other since fifth grade and we've been part of the gang since fifteen" Kimmy answered "I'm guessing you know why I'm interested in meeting you?" Sunny got to the heart of the matter "You mean you wanting to retake Little Seoul? The people on the block were talking about you nonstop" Yuriko said as she bites into some fries "Everyone is so fucking impressed by you, they're all taking bets on you on the block". Sunny smiled "I know you're eager to get back at that prick, as much as I am".
"How are you with crazy situations?" Sunny asked "I'm pretty great, Kimmy would know" Yuriko nudged Kimmy who in turn smiled "Okay you're in" Sunny gives her approval "I know you wanted to take down that fucker, may as well get that opportunity working with us", Yuriko gave her a serious look "Ā, watashi ga dore dake kare no kubi ni te o makitsuketai ka, anata ni wa wakaranaide shou (Oh you have no idea how much I want to wrap my hands around his throat)".
Kimmy finished her Gyro "On that we can agree" she mused.
Sunny's phone started to ring. She quickly answered "Yeonboseyo Joo Kwan (Hello Joo Kwan)". For Sunny it was good to hear a familiar voice "Eotteohge jinaeseyo? (How are you doing?)" Joo Kwan asked "Nan gwaenchanh-a, geunyang kimilang geu yeojachingulang jeomsim jom meog-eo (I'm doing fine, just eating some lunch with Kimmy and her girlfriend)".
It's this point that Joo Kwan got to the meat of the matter "Geuleom deul-eoboseyo...naega myeoch gaji jeongboleul gajigo iss-eoyo (So listen...I have some information)".
"Oh yeah? Do tell" Sunny curiously inquired. Sunny sat and listened "This persons name is Gary Fong" she hears a name. What this person does. And where to find him "Blaine County?". The fact that that she had to go back out to the desert to meet this guy was the one thing that was going to annoy her "Yeah; Blaine County. Fong does illegal races there where no one can bother them, so make sure to brush up on your racing skills when you see him" Joo Kwan states "I sent texts to your friends to meet you there". They say their goodbyes "How would you two like to come with me? You know, see how we work?" Sunny asked "For real?" Kimmy looked at her with surprise "Yeah, consider it on hands training" Sunny remarked "Let's go" Yuriko says as she finished her Gyro.
...
Traffic was annoying. As it ever was whenever someone had to visit this hellhole "Hello?" Sunny answered her call "Hey girl, I got a text from your secretary" Geraldine greets "Yeah we're going back to Blaine" Sunny wasn't amused "Knowing Chelsea she'll probably be stopping at some gas station to get a bunch of nachos and whatever fucking snack she can get her hands on". Geraldine chuckled "Alright, see ya there girl".
Kimmy looked at Sunny, something about her looks familiar.
"Can I ask a question?" Kimmy needs to ask "Shoot" Sunny says "Do you know a cop by the name of Linda Rhee?", Sunny sighed annoyingly "Oh fuck, does everyone know her?".
Kimmy looked at her confused "What? Are you two-?" Sunny let out annoyed sigh "We're sisters, okay?". Kimmy let a shocked and amazed gasp "Sisters? No way". Sunny takes a right to get out of freeway "Did she stop you and search you? If she did then I'll talk with her".
"No, she actually talked to me" Kimmy confessed "It was, I don't know, just a random day. It was the week before Park was killed, she pulled up and just talked to me. She didn't scream or tried to make me snitch on anyone. It went down like this".
Linda stared at Kimmy. They just stared each other down. Kimmy blew her gum, she was calm and collected. It wasn't the first time that cops would pull her over. It's been that way since she was fifteen years old. "How are you doing?" Linda asked "I'm fine" Kimmy simply responded "I'm not going to take you in, I just want to talk to you".
Kimmy scoffed "I have nothing to say to you" she turns to walk away "Please I'm not going to arrest you" Linda tells her "I don't care, most cops don't like me because of the fact that I like girls so kindly fuck off". Then Linda finally tells her "Look my sister's gay, I'm sorry if people are fucking with you. It's just...", Kimmy looked back at her "You remind me so much of my sister". For a moment Kimmy saw the hurt in her eyes. Slowly Kimmy walked back towards her "This better not be a sob story that you're making up" Kimmy says as she kept her distance "It's not" Linda assured as she sat on the hood of her squad car "What happened with your sister?" was the first thing that Kimmy asked "I-I hurt her when we were younger...three times if you can believe it and she'll probably won't trust me for a while".
Kimmy sat down next to her and just listened. Linda explained everything, mainly the thing that got Sunny sent to Juvenile Hall. "Wow..." Kimmy looked as if she was told a secret "I stopped talking to her after that, she...wasn't in my life for a long time. I was too busy being angry at her".
Kimmy saw how much emotional turmoil she was in "Are...you two...talking again...?". Linda exhaled "She came back to the state recently and she's been trying to put things back the way they were between us but...well it hasn't been easy for either of us". Kimmy didn't know how to feel about this cop. She thought maybe that this was some phony story to entrap her but then looked at her and realized that was genuine "I got into a fight with her a while ago when she was really trying to make things right but I ruined it...we're talking again but only a little, she still has some trust issues with me" Linda scoffed "I don't blame her".
Kimmy decided that she should just tell her what's on her mind "My best friend...she's inside because some asshole set us up to get killed. I-I never got the chance to tell her how I feel about her, shit she'll probably think I'm crazy for liking her like that". Linda relaxed a bit "I don't think you're crazy" she says nudging her arm "My sister is dating this nice girl with curly hair, it took me a bit to realize that my sister really loves her and that she's okay with her"
It was odd. Someone like Kimmy talking heart to heart with a hard nosed cop. Who would have thought. "Does your mom know your sister is gay? Does she support her?" Kimmy wondered "Our mother died while my sister was in juvie. So she never got a chance to come out to her" Linda looked back at her "I don't think that she would care that my sister is gay but that she was happy, that's what would really matter to her", Kimmy shook her head "That sucks". Suddenly the radio in her squad car comes to life "All units we have a 480(felony hit and run) on the corner of South Rockford Drive". Linda sighed "Goddamn it..." it's the worst time to get a call "I have to get back to work" she picks herself up and goes to her squad car "Wait, what's your name?" Kimmy just needed to know who she was talking too "Rhee, Linda Rhee" Linda tells her "See you around". She takes off in the opposite direction and disappears from sight.
"And that was the only time I met your sister" Kimmy confessed "I almost didn't put two and two together, you two are almost alike". Sunny cursed silently to herself "Fuck, we are but we're still working on ourselves as much as we can" she confesses "She looked like she really cared about you" Kimmy nudged her arm "I know she does and I do too but so much shit has gone on between us" Sunny says as she sighed. Yuriko scooched towards the front "So who are we going to see?" she asked "The guy's name is Gary Fong" Sunny said the name that she was given "He runs a gang called the 20K Dragons. He runs a few things like gambling, truck hijacking, selling illegal goods and freelance hits. But his biggest draw is doing illegal street races".
They pass a truck full of cattle "According to Joo Kwan, things went south between Fong and Kenny, apparently Kenny wanted a bigger percentage from those street races and stolen car parts. Fong told him to fuck off and that's when it hit the fan. During a routine pick up for hot car parts, a bunch of rival members showed up at the drop off point and ended up killing some of Fong's crew members. Turns out they got an 'anonymous' tip from someone and that someone was a one Kenny Tek".
Yuriko tapped Kimmy's shoulder "Kimī, sore wa anata ni totte najimi no aru hanashidesu ka? (Kimmy, does that sound familiar to you?)". Kimmy nodded "Ā, oboe teru yo (Yeah I remember)" Kimmy hated remembering how they were set up all because of Kenny's fragile little ego and his own greed just because they had the nerve to stand up to his nonsense.
"Get this, one of the guys who was killed was Fong's cousin; Lance" Sunny says as she exited off the freeway "It's one of the big reasons that Fong hates Kenny, he's a backstabbing piece of shit even before he showed his true colors because of that pathetic ego of his". Yuriko started to remember something "Hey Kimmy didn't we go to middle school with a guy with that same name?".
Kimmy groaned "Jeez why did you have to remind me of that Yuri?". Sunny chuckled "I'm guessing there's a story you want to tell me?".
Kimmy let out a sigh "Me and Gary dated briefly when we were...in middle school. I was really closeted at that time and I only dated him out of pity". Yuriko giggled because she remembered the most memorable part "Until he started telling everyone at school that you two went all the way!".
Kimmy groaned in embarrassment "I hated that, we never did that let alone I couldn't stand that funny cologne that he sprayed himself with. When he told everyone that I ended up kicking him in the balls in front of all his friends. Bakana kuso yarō (Stupid motherfucker)". Sunny laughed a bit "Well I can't you blame there. At least you knew you liked girls back then" she playfully punched Kimmy's arm "I came out when I was sixteen, I was already part of the gang by then and I started making my way through the ranks. Even then it took a while for some people to accept me" Kimmy shook her "Yeah but Kimmy, look on how far you came" Sunny proudly tells her "You worked under Park, you now work under me and you proved to me that you're great in crazy shit" Sunny laid out her accomplishments "Plus you and Yuriko are a really great couple. I think you earned a lot in life" she praised.
Yuriko quickly kissed Kimmy on the cheek "Soshite watashi wa anata o koreijō hokori ni omoimasen (And I couldn't be more proud of you)". Kimmy blushed and smiled. They exit off the freeway. It took fifteen minutes to find the trail but they found it. Sunny spotted Geraldine and Chelsea. She pulls over. "Hey" Sunny waved "Hey girl" Geraldine waved back. Chelsea waved as she finished her chili dog "I fucking called it" Sunny rolled her eyes "What? I needed to pick up a quick snack" Chelsea says as she wiped her mouth "Well look who we have here; our two newest recruits" Chelsea welcomed the newest members to their line of work "You already know Kimmy from that train job we did. The one next to her is her girlfriend Yuriko" Sunny introduced Yuriko to her friends "Hey, nice to meet you both" Yuriko greeted them.
They hear the sound of car engines nearby a few klicks away. Along with cheering. "Sounds like quite the event is happening" Sunny put her aviator sunglasses on "Yeah, they been at it for a while" Chelsea says as she checks her Sig Sauer "All right let's do this" Sunny orders "Remember let me do the talking". They walked through the crowd. It was quite the gathering. Everyone cheered as cars were racing each other. "Fuck, feel that energy" Chelsea smiled "Sunny, did you ever attend one of these?" Geraldine asked "No, I mean not as much" Sunny pushed the crowd "Besides I didn't know where to find some these places" she admits "But I've been to my fair share of underground fights; those were fun" she confessed.
They make it through the crowd. Cars sped off into the distance as everyone cheered loudly. "Kimmy please tell me what this guy looks like?" Sunny looked over to Kimmy as she scanned the crowd until she finally spots him "There he is" she points.
Fong was there crossed arm as he watched the winner of the race collects his prize money. Fong was tall around five foot ten. He was rather muscular, he looked like he could have been a boxer with that physique. His black hair was slicked back into a small ponytail. Like Sunny, Kimmy, Yuriko and probably many others in their line of work Fong had his fair share of tattoos. Dragons, various Chinese symbols and other things splashed on his body. It told him of who he was and what his position was in his clique. He had a thin looking mustache as the only bit of facial he had. As the crowd died down Fong noticed one familiar face "Kimmy? Kimmy Yamazaki?".
Kimmy sighed and rolled her eyes hoping maybe he wouldn't recognize her "Holy shit I haven't seen you since we're kids in middle school".
"Oh yeah" Kimmy remarked sarcastically "I still remember you by that funky ass cologne you always sprayed yourself with". Fong sighed "Hey that's really expensive stuff" he shoots back "I also remember that time you cried when you broke your dad's favorite golf club" she recalls "I-I wasn't crying" Fong denied "Whatever, Garrett" Kimmy mocked "Hey come on, don't call me that Kimmy! It's Gary, you know I don't like being called that!" he complained. Fong could hear the snickers from his crew members "Sau seng! (Shut up!)" Fong orders his crew "You know how much as I like this conversation I think we need to get to the heart of the matter" the person who wanted to meet him spoke "My names Sunny, I want to work with you to take down Kenny Tek".
Fong scoffed "Well that's ballsy, why do you need my help?".
"Look," Sunny decides to get to the heart of the matter "I know that prick is the reason your cousin got killed". Fong shook his head "What do you know losing someone?" he questioned "I know that piece of shit told those guys where those parts were going to be and I know your cousin got killed because of it". Fong looked angry "I hate that motherfucker" he voiced his disdain for Kenny "Lance was a good kid, he was everything". Sunny looked at the anguish on his face "Say if I do join you-".
"There is no if asshole" Sunny tells him "I want that fucker just as much as you do, we can talk about what happens afterwards once we get everything set up". Fong looked at a woman who had more than just enough balls to take on Kenny. Hell, even more willing to cut that pricks head off if she could "All right, I'll join you" he agrees "But on one catch" he suddenly gives a condition "You go toe to toe with one of my guys in a race, if you win then I'll join you in getting that fucker" he lays out the scenario of them winning "But if I win you work for me" he lays out the worst scenario if they lose "Fine" Sunny agreed to the terms "We'll give you a minute to get ready to lose" Fong snarked "Dong i jin, gaa i laak dak (Of course, Garrett)" Sunny mocked. Fong got annoyed. He hated when people called him by his full name. It wasn't his idea to have that name. It mostly his parents idea for him to have an American name when they moved from Hong Kong.
"Girl tell me you got a plan" Geraldine walked alongside Sunny "I do" she turned to her colleagues "You're going to be the one to race". Geraldine stood stupefied "M-Me? I don't know how to race". Sunny smiled "Geraldine, you got this" she reassured "Listen" Sunny tells her "You're a great driver and trust me when I say this; we got this in the bag".
Geraldine looked at her confused "Look, that guy is using a Dominator. No matter how tricked out it is, it has a flaw". Geraldine stared at her. Sunny already had a strategy even before she told them "That Stallion, trust me it'll be plenty fast if you know what you're doing". Geraldine sighed "Girl sometimes you scare me". Sunny gave her a reassuring smile "Geraldine, live a little".
Within fifteen minutes they were ready.
"All right, how is this going to work?" Sunny asked "There's a marker way down there, first one to come back wins" Fong explained "Do you could do all that?" he sarcastically questioned "Oh yeah I think my girly brain can do that" Sunny retorted back.
"Okay; ready?" Sunny asked Geraldine "Shit I cannot believe you're makin' me do this" Geraldine gave Sunny an evil eye "You'll do fine, just trust me". As Geraldine took her place Chelsea came up next to Sunny "Tell me you got a backup in case something fails?" she whispered "Not really" Sunny smiled back. Chelsea looked at her stunned "You think you should've told that to Gerry before you volunteered her?" Chelsea questioned "Now where's the fun in that?" Sunny chuckled.
"Geraldine's right, you really are a scary person" Chelsea snickered.
The Dominator and Stallion took their place. "On your mark!" the girl with flag readied the signal "Get set!" the engines revved to life "Go!".
Both cars take off. Everyone cheers wildly. Kimmy and Yuriko peered on as the cars raced towards the marker, it amazed them these three worked. Geraldine raced next to her would be opponent. He was a little faster than her. She kept up with him. He was the first one to pass the marker. He turned quick and headed back. "Shit!" she cursed as she passed the marker, Geraldine shifted into second gear. She came up from behind and manages to catch up. She shifts the gear into third. They're neck and neck. Her opponent looked at her This bitch is not going to give up he tells himself . They were almost at the finish line. With all her instincts Geraldine shifted into the fourth gear. This time she's in the lead. Everyone's on edge. The Stallion is the first one to hit the finish line.
Everyone cheered. Sunny and Chelsea high fived each other. Kimmy and Yuriko hugged then kissed. Fong looked on dumbfounded as his best racer lost. Geraldine stepped out as her colleagues ran up to her as they cheered and hugged her. "Oh my god girl! You were right!" Geraldine breathed happily "Told you so" Sunny smiled as she hugged her. Everyone in the crowd cheered her, Geraldine felt like a race car driver who won the big one at some tournament.
Fong walked up to them. Sunny looked at him "Well?" she crossed her arms "A deal's a deal, my friend beat you which means you need to work together with us" Sunny reminded him of their deal. Fong looked at Sunny. Never has he seen a woman like her. She was everything that made her harder than any bullet. "All right, I'll do it...for Lance" Fong professed "But when you find that motherfucker I get first dibs on him, got it?" he swore "I'd be insulted if you didn't" Sunny remarked.
They now have their first ally in the war to retake Little Seoul. Right now it's only one but for now it's a beginning to hopefully what will be something bigger.
...
Roberta looked on as Linda mixed creamer and sugar into her coffee. Linda mainly woke up around 10 or 10:30 in the morning. She was considered an early sleeper but a late riser. While it was nice to have her around she was always quiet and kept to herself. Even if Sunny and Linda are sisters, they don't seem talk to one another as much. Even during dinner they both seem rather awkward around each other. Sunny did say they've been apart for a long time, Roberta guesses that maybe they're just trying to get to get reacquainted with one another.
"You're staring" Linda says as she sipped her coffee "Oh er sorry" Roberta apologized "It's okay" Linda tells her as she ate her hash browns and eggs. Sunny made it a habit to make Linda breakfast, it was her way to show that she cares about her. "Something on your mind?" Linda asked "We never got a chance to talk, not like the first time we met" Roberta remembered her first encounter with Linda "Right; sorry about that" Linda apologized "Water under the bridge" Roberta accepted the apology as she sipped her coffee "Before you ask Sunny's interviewing people for the club we're supposed to open together, she told me to take the rest of the day off and that she'll take care of everything" she smiled.
They were both quiet for a minute. Linda was still trying to work on how to talk to others. She spent most of her time as a police officer. Arresting those who broke the law and those who committed serious crimes. It took her that first night sleeping in her new room (formerly the guest room) to let herself to relax and that she was safe. Linda had to keep reminding herself that she wasn't a police officer anymore, she was plain and ordinary. No badge. Let alone no bad guys to catch.
"So" Roberta decided to break the ice "What was Sunny like back then when she was growing up?. Linda looked at her "Did she...tell you everything...about...?" Linda remembered the night that Sunny pretty much shattered her life just to pay off a debt she shouldn't had to pay off.
"Yeah" Roberta stops her from finishing her sentence "S-She told me everything about that night, she trusted me enough to tell me everything about what happened".
Linda sighed. She knew and for Linda she at least didn't have to tell the whole story. It was painful enough as it is.
"Sunny back then was bright. Talented. Energetic. Funny and full of life" Linda described her sister the way she saw her "She always had an imagination and really had a big heart". Roberta smiled "She was always a bubbly girl back then" Linda mused "Especially when she had Biscuit at her side" Linda chuckled "She dragged him everywhere from the Livingroom to the pool and the park, she even ate breakfast and lunch with him". Roberta giggled "Don't think your mom was happy about cleaning him afterwards". Linda shook her head with a smile "She really didn't like cleaning up Biscuit especially with the amount of times she cleaned up maple syrup from his fur".
Roberta laughed "He's always by her side when she sleeps, he never leaves her side". Linda smirked with bemusement "She has a strange food that she likes" Roberta recalls "Let me guess, a peanut butter and honey sandwich" Linda fondly remembers "Yeah, how do you know that?" Roberta wondered "It's her favorite sandwich, our mom would make it for her whenever she was hungry".
Linda looked back at the moments that she always remembered. The ones that made her laugh. "You know she told me a couple of stories about you" Roberta tells her "I bet she never had any good things to say about me", Roberta funnily hummed "Well the first story she told me about you was when one of your friends gave Sunny a bunch of candy that she wanted you to hold on too, which when she showed to your mom turned out to be birth control pills".
Linda sighed "Ugh, dammit, I wish she never found those" Roberta laughed "Those weren't mine, I was holding them for a friend" Linda explained "I told Krystle to wait until the next day to give them to me so I can hold on to them for her" she felt the embarrassment of that situation "I'm guessing your mom was pissed off" Roberta guessed "She grounded me for a month, oh I never heard the end of it". Roberta laughed herself into a stupor "Okay what's the second story she told you?".
"Well, she said you ended up wetting the bed this one time" Roberta snickered "Oh Christ" Linda rolled her eyes "I didn't wet the bed, Sunny drank too much water when we were sharing a bed a long time ago and ended up wetting the bed". Roberta laughed a little harder "I took the blame for her so she wouldn't feel bad about it" Linda confessed "Don't tell Sunny that I told you about that, last thing I want is for her to get mad at me and I don't want to embarrass her". Roberta shook her head after laughing.
"Is there anything else she said about me? It better not be another story like that one" Linda wondered "She said that she always looked up to you. That she still looks up to you. Sunny said you were rough around the edges but you were always strong and kind, that's the one thing that she admires about you. She always considered you her guardian knight". Tears started welled up in Linda's eyes, she quickly wiped them away. It really surprised her that Sunny still thought of her that way.
"Sorry, I made you cry a bit" Roberta apologized as she handed her a tissue "It's okay, just really surprised me that she still see's me as that" Linda wipes the rest of her tears away.
"I'll tell you about our mom so you don't have to ask me" Linda says she went over to pour another cup of coffee "Sunny told me enough about her but I want to hear from your view of her" Roberta smiled "Our mom wasn't the typical Korean conservative mother, she didn't want to us to be bound by any doubt that came our way. She wanted us to be whatever we wanted to be, no matter how many times we were told no by someone we were to keep going until we reached the finish line.
"She was kind in every way possible. She was everything beautiful in the world rolled into one and she always never stopped loving us, even when we both acted like knuckleheads to each other. I can never forget her smile and everything that it brought to the world".
Roberta wiped her eyes. Hearing that made her cry.
"Sorry I didn't mean to make you cry" Linda gave her a tissue "It's alright". Roberta just pictured Sunny and Linda when they were younger, both of them having their mother ripped from their lives like that. Sunny going into Juvie when she was just thirteen and losing her mother afterwards, it was one of those things that would mess anyone up.
"I'm guessing Sunny never got a chance to come out to your mom" it was the one thing that Roberta wanted to know.
"Unfortunately no, she never got that chance" Linda sadly tells her "I don't think our mom would have made a big deal of it. Knowing Sunny she would've cried a bit thinking that our mom would be disappointed in her. Our mom likely would have sat her down, she would have made her favorite sandwich, she would talk to her and tell her that she loves her no matter what. Most of all she would have given her a big hug. If Sunny was happy then that's all that would matter to her". Roberta happily sighed, she pictured it in her mind. Coming out of the closet is one of those things that could scare anyone, the tragedy of losing everything just because they love who they love is the one thing that Roberta had seen too many times.
"Our mom didn't want us to be like most kids of immigrants, you know where kids are expected to be high maintenance about everything. Getting nothing but A's, a 5.0 GPA, getting accepted to whatever university that accepted them. Or be some corporate CEO at some fortune 500 company with no life. She wanted us to be who we were and just follow our hearts".
Roberta got a better understanding of both girls when it came to where they came from. Their mother raised them well but a lot of mistakes were made, both of them being apart for years and them now being brought back together to try to fix their problems. To try and heal whatever wounds they have.
There was one question that she never got a chance to ask Sunny but figured to ask Linda if she knew anything "Before I let you go, I need to ask you something that I never got a chance to ask Sunny".
Linda looked at her "What?".
"You told me a lot about Sunny and your mom but," Linda began to finish her coffee "you never mentioned anything about Sunny's father". It was there when Linda stopped drinking her coffee. She looked at the outside, she was unnerved "What's wrong?" Roberta asked as she could see the dread in her eyes "I'm not trying to pry, I just want to know; that's all". Linda looked at Roberta. This was the only time she'll likely have to tell this story. It's one that Linda hopes that she doesn't have to tell Sunny. And it's one that her mother swore her to secrecy. To protect her sister at all cost.
She turned her head to the Livingroom as if to make sure that Sunny really wasn't in the house. Linda sighed, she thought that she never had to tell this story.
"What I'm going to tell you is something I was sworn to not tell Sunny when she got older, I want you to promise me to never tell Sunny this" Linda first made Roberta promise to never mention anything "I know you love Sunny a lot but this is the one thing you can't ever tell her, otherwise it'll break her heart into a million pieces". Roberta grasped one of her hands reassuring her she won't say anything.
Linda sighed "I grew up in South Korea. My mom was with my father for the first few years of my life but he started becoming distant. Pretty soon he stopped seeing me. He would only come by several times that I remembered. I can't remember much but he was obsessed with having a son, he was the son of some high ranking bank executive. He wanted a son so he can inherit his father's position. He was a good person in the beginning but something changed, my mom thought she could build a life with him. Oh she was so misguided. I remember they used to get into arguments, all because our mom wanted him to spend more time with us".
Linda looked the remaining coffee in her mug. Her reflection staring right back at her "All he cared about was having a son and trying to inherit his fathers position. He obsessed over it. He was so head up his own ass. Our mom kept trying to love him and look past everything but she was at her wits end. It was around that time that my mom found out she was pregnant with Sunny. She was so happy but really didn't know how she was going to tell my father. She wanted him to come with us to the United States. She wanted to build a life with him, just with the three of us".
It was there that Roberta felt the mood shift from happy to something sorrowful. "My mom was four days pregnant with Sunny, she decided to tell him. He just ignored her and stopped talking to her. She decided to go to his apartment" Roberta could see the pain in her eyes as if reliving this moment would be to much.
Linda's voice started to shake "I-I waited downstairs. She told me it would take a few minutes. Then that's when it happened" her breathing got heavy as if she was back as a little girl in that moment "That's when he showed his true colors...".
She heard a loud smack followed by a painful yelp. Another smack is heard. The door opens violently. Her father drags her mother out by her arm. With his strength he throws her down the stairs. Young Shin hits the bottom of the stairs hard. "Eomma!" Linda shrieked as she rushed to her mother's side. Her mother's lip is bleeding and she was shaking. Her father menacingly walked towards her "Neo mwoga munjeya? Wae geunyeoege geuleon jis-eul han geoya? (What's wrong with you? Why did you do that to her?)" Linda shook his pant legs, mainly as a way to protect her mother.
Without saying a word his hand strikes her across the face. Linda cries wildly. Her father grabbed Young Shin by her shirt "Neon ssibal sseulmo-eobs-eo. Nan adeul-eul wonhaessji, daleun yeojaleul wonhan ge aniya! (You're fucking useless. I asked for a son, not another girl!)" he screamed "Naega adeul-eul nahji moshandago moduga naleul bius-eoyo! (Everyone laughs at me because I can't produce a son!)". Young Shin looked at him ever so scared "Nae nun-eseo naga! Ssibal sseulmo-eobsneun changnyeoya! (Get out of my sight! Fucking useless whore!)" he shouts as he let her go. He disappears back into his apartment.
Young Shin started to cry. Linda ran into her arms. "Gwaenchanh-ayo? (Are you alright?)" she asked "Geuneun wae uliege geuleon jis-eul haess-eulkka? (Why did he do that to us?)" Linda weeped "Moleugessseubnida (I don't know)" Young Shin tells her. She hugs her tightly.
Mother and daughter hold onto each other, not wanting to let go.
Roberta looked at Linda, horrified that their father could do such a despicable thing. It wasn't Linda's favorite subject to tell. It was one thing that she blocked out and forgot about until then. Relieving it made her want to take a shot of whiskey.
"The day that Sunny was born, my mom cried like any mother would. Sunny cried so loud. My mom was so happy that she was healthy and normal" Linda smiled with relief "I remember afterwards that night as my mom put Sunny to bed, she made me take a promise".
"Lee Yeon, Ne abeojiga ne yeodongsaeng-ege jeojileun il-eul ne yeodongsaeng-ege jeoldae malhaji anhgessdago yagsoghae jwo (I want you to promise me to never tell your sister what your father tried to do to her)" Young Shin tells Linda "Naneun dangsin-ui yeodongsaeng-i haengboghago pyeongbeomhan salm-eul salgileul balabnida. geunyeoneun gyeolko geunyeoui abeojileul alji moshal geos-ibnida (I want your sister to live a happy and normal life, she should never get to know her father)".
Linda looked at her mother, understanding that this was the best option that was available "Naneun...algessseubnida, yagsoghabnida (I...understand, I promise)" she promised. Linda looked over as Sunny slept peacefully "Neoneun ne dongsaeng-eul jikyeoya hae, naega neoege balaneun geon balo geugeoya (You have to protect your sister, that's what I want you to do)" Young Shin says as she looked at her daughter sleeping "Ihaehaessnayo? (Do you understand?)" she asked Linda "Ye (Yes)" Linda looked up at her mother. They both looked on as Sunny slept.
"I always told Sunny that she was left on our doorstep by a group of gypsies, our mom wouldn't say anything" Linda mused "Geez" Roberta shook her head "What happened to your father, if you don't mind me asking?".
"Well from what my mom heard he bribed people around his father to overthrow him. He took over but within a year, practically ran the company into the ground. Certain people, powerful people to be exact, were out to get him. From what I heard he was found floating in the bay" Linda sounded unamused, her least favorite person in the world. The one man she likely wouldn't shed a tear for "I'm sorry you had to go through that" Roberta tells her "I have Sunny as a sister, that's what really matters" Linda says as she finished her coffee
Linda put her mug in the sink, Roberta had one last thing to ask. It was mainly the heart of things "Listen, you understand Korean right?". Linda looked back confused "Yeah".
"Well, it's probably nothing but Sunny tends to cry in her sleep" Roberta mentions the many times she heard Sunny cry "She keeps crying out 'Eomma' and I think the other one was 'Yongseohaejusibsio'". Linda's blood ran cold "Eomma...it means mommy and Yongseohaejusibsio means 'Please forgive me'".
Linda looked back with sadness in her eyes "She's asking our mother for forgiveness...". It dawned on Roberta that Sunny was crying out for her mother the many times she was sleeping. "Um thanks for talking with me, I need some space" Linda went upstairs, she was sad. She never imagined that Sunny would shed tears.
Roberta stayed in the kitchen. She finally knew about her love's pain. The thing that haunted her at night. It made her understand Sunny a lot more than before. How one person could have taken away her life simply because he wanted a son instead of a daughter. The resilience of her mother raising both girls by herself. Today Sunny is everything that was forged through tragedy but resilience. It made sense that she keeps to herself when she cries.
Her love came this far in her life. She's going to keep going forward. And knowing Sunny she'll come out stronger than ever.
Chapter 77 is Coming Soon. Rate and Review.