Mine to Keep

Chapter 11

PART II: The Estate

Yeji's

Over the next couple of weeks, I slowly acclimate to my new home. An estate is a fascinating place, and I spend much of my time exploring it and meeting its inhabitants.

Besides the guards, there are a few dozen people living here, some by themselves, others with their families. They all work for Ryujin in one capacity or another, from the oldest generation to the youngest.

Some like Wonyoung and Yunjin take care of the house and the grounds, while others are involved in Ryujin's business.

She may have only recently returned to the compound, but many of her employees have lived here since the time when Ms. Jisoo, Ryujin's father reigned as one of the most powerful drug lords in the country. To myself, such loyalty to an employer is unfathomable.

"They're well paid, provided with free housing, and your wife even hired a teacher for their children a few years ago," Yunjin explains when I ask her about this unusual phenomenon.

"She might not have been here much in person, but she's always been good at taking care of her people. They're all free to leave if they want, but they know they're unlikely to find anything better. Besides, here they're protected, but out there, they and their families are fair game for nosy policemen or anyone else seeking information on the Shin's  organization." Giving me a wry smile, she adds, "My mother says that once you're a part of this life, you're always a part of this life. There's no going back."

"So why did they choose this life?" I ask, trying to understand what would make one move to a weapons dealer's isolated compound on the edge of the Amazon rainforest.

I don't know many sane people who would do something like that willingly particularly if they knew there was no easy way to return home.

Yunjin shrugs. "Well, everybody has a different story. Some were wanted by the authorities; others made enemies of dangerous people. My parents came here to escape poverty and provide a better life for me and my brothers. They knew they were taking a risk, but they felt they had no other choice. To this day, my mother is convinced that they made the right decision for themselves and their children."

"Even after—?" I start asking, then shut my mouth when I realize that I'm about to bring up painful memories for Yunjin again.

"Yes, even after," she says, understanding my half-spoken question. "There are no guarantees in life. They could've died anyway. My father and my oldest brother were killed doing their jobs, but at least they had jobs. Back at my parents' village, there were no jobs, and the cities were even worse. My parents did whatever they could to keep food on the table, but it wasn't enough. When my mother became pregnant with me, my brother, who was twelve at the time, went to Ms. Moonbyul seeking to become a drug mule, just so that our family wouldn't starve. My father went after her to stop her, and that's when the two of them ran into Jisoo, who was in the city for negotiations. She offered both my father and brother a job in her organization, and the rest is history." She stops and smiles at me before continuing, "So you see, Yeji, working for Señor Shin was the best alternative for my family. As my mother says, at least I never had to sell myself for food, the way she did in her youth."

Yunjin says that last part without any bitterness or self-pity. She's simply stating facts. Yunjin genuinely considers herself lucky to have been born on the Shin estate.

She's grateful to Ryujin and her father for providing her family with a good living, and, despite her longing to see America, she doesn't mind living in the middle of nowhere. To her, this compound is home.