NETIZEN

MENTOR

Just like that, the conversation ended. 

Dazed Hye Mi didn't think to ask twenty questions, and the guy had resumed his occupation. The young woman left once outside she realized she was under Hongik University. She hanged out at Hongdae after spending the day roaming the streets. Sometimes it was Dongdaemun, and other times Myeong Dong. Unable to stand being stuck in this dirty goshiwon where her mom cried 7/11, this had become Hye Mi's daily routine.

The four guys recognized and chased her. It was dark; there were so many people; no one realized they pursued the girl. Even if they had, they would have probably left her to die when they found out who she was.

Go to the police, the guy said, Hye Mi visited many police stations since her father's death for other assaults. Every time it was the same, they would take her seriously until the horrible moment she asked her to state her name. Usually, the policemen either stopped typing or put his pen down and would say something like: You shouldn't tell lies, or you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

This time wasn't any different, but the remarks came for other reasons.

"다시 한번 말씀해주시겠어요? [Tashi hani bun mal-seum hae Ju shi-gyesseyo]."

Hye Mi tried to repeat as asked her story.

"Ya, so you are trying to say Myeong Sung Min, the heir of Ice In frozen foods, tried to assault you," the policemen said and pointed his pen up and down at Hye Mi's direction.

"Ya I-sarami, stop going around blurting out such nonsense. I mean, look at you. You are young, but you resemble a female avatar of Yank Rak Choi. The boys on these papers are from good families. They do not need to rape people. Girls queue up to be with them. Boys like that don't hang around in Hongdae. Ah, tchin-cha, stop wasting my time."

Another policeman came and grasped the prints, "뭐예요이게? [mwo ye yo igeai?= what's this?] When did you get the time to print out identifications? 보세요 [poseyo=look] Seo Hye Mi Ssi, you shouldn't be doing stuff like this people will only hate you more. You know what happened to the boy who cried wolf, right? Do you know how many complaints have your name registered on them? Search for a place to hide and live quietly, hmm."

Case closed, no one cared, and no one would ever care because it was her, the daughter of a pimp.

Hye Mi cried under her shower; she wanted to die. They should have raped and killed her. It would have made things easier. The girl detested the world, but she despised herself more for being this weak, so fragile, and breaking down at every trial she faced.

Hye Mi forgot she was only a 14-year-old about to turn 15. Too young to be facing this trial, which would even terrify the elder. The bruised girl desired to be strong, not be crying under her shower. Hye Mi wanted to be older and have the strength to chase and make everyone pay. Every single person involved in this affair, destroying and sparing no one.

She knocked at many doors, which remained closed. There was no one left to help her; the only person who came to mind was the Kang's son, Jun Ho, but it had been years since he had left Korea. 

Would he recognize her or even help her? Not now, she was nothing, not after this.

And there, as she wiped the steam from the shower mirror, it seemed clear there was only one person who could help her.

"So you're here again. What do you want?"

Hye Mi found her way back to the man's hideout without a problem. He welcomed her as if he expected her. Hye Mi imagined he must have seen her on his monitors.

"I want to die."

The printer went off instantly in the background. The guy walked up to her, "here; you have the best suicidal spots of Seoul noted there. Death is guaranteed." He said the sentence casually and handed Hye Mi the papers as if he gave a list of the best shopping spots.

Seeing her expression, he got his jacket, "come on; I'll take you there."

Thirty minutes later, they arrived on the suicide bridge.

"You told me to go to the police, and they didn't believe me," Hye Mi complained.

"I'm sorry about that. I presumed the police would do their job. I guess I was wrong, but don't worry; I made sure your complaint was registered."

"Who are you? "Hye Mi asked.

"Let's say I'm a person you don't want to have near your computer."

As he spoke, Hye Mi read the inscriptions written on the bridge, made to influence people on the verge of suicide to give up on the death resolution.

"So here we are if you want to end it, it's here and now," the guy said.

"Are you just going to watch?"

"Well, what else do you want me to do?"

Hye Mi was stuck. She wondered why she went back to his hideout.

Why did it seem like he could help her?

Was this the answer she wanted? Did she just want a witness to testify she was dead?

What did she hope for as she there on the bridge?

"Jared, my name is Jared," the man said.

Hye Mi turned, her eyes filled with tears, "that's a nice name."

"Let me tell you a story; it's about a girl who, like you, walked through hell on earth. And like you, she thought no one would miss her if she died. Convinced no one on earth cared about her, she planned her death. One day when all hope was gone, she received a message from someone who said they cared," Jared said while looking at Hye Mi's expression to see if she was receptive.

Jared continued, "my point is the girl waited for a miracle, a ray of hope. Her ray at first was an unknown entity who happened to be a person, a guy named Bowie. What I'm trying to say is hang on. Hang on to anything. All things come to pass, believe me."

What could she hang on? Hye Mi's mind raced; there seemed to be nothing; even her mother didn't have the right weight to carry her.

"I care, Hye Mi, but don't hang on to me. I'm not recommendable," Jared said. With these simple words, the girl cried, screamed, and shrieked. She shook the bars of the bridge before collapsing to the ground.

"I won't help you up, Hye Mi, not because I don't care but because if you don't stand up by yourself now. You'll always look to lean on someone."

These words were difficult for the 14-year-old to seize. How could the man say he cared and then tell her to make it on her own?

"You've already died, Hye Mi. Now it's time to rise from the ashes like a phoenix," Jared said.

"Will you help me?"

"It depends on what you want to do," Jared replied.

"I want to become strong; please help me to become strong."

"Now, you're talking Rock Lee. Keep that fighting spirit."

Hye Mi smiled a genuine smile. It was a first in months; her lips hurt as they stretched. She stood up from her position without benefiting from a helping hand.

"Ah, you're much prettier when you smile. You should smile more tchin-cha."

Jared was handsome, intelligent, and had a weird sense of humor, but he was Hye Mi's guardian angel. Someone like him was definitely heaven-sent.

"Just one question," Hye Mi asked.

"What?"

"The story earlier, you made it up, right?"

"No, I swear I know a kid called Bowie."

"Ai-sh, tchin-cha I-saram, Bowie mwo-seun."

"No, seriously, his name is Bowie," Jared said as he walked along Hye Mi's side.