Bad Blood || K. Jongin

02| Reunion

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(Lyra)

Being a morning person has its advantages. Like today for instance.

I'm all ready, dressed in a new outfit I had purchased just for today. Everything is going perfect and just as planned. I check my phone, pulling it from its charger.

It's only 9am, but I received a text from my grandmother, saying she's already gotten our table. Ji-Woo, her name,  wants to meet me for breakfast. She plans to take me out to see the Hannam Bridge. It's the place where her husband had proposed over 40 years ago. Probably the cutest thing I have ever heard.

Im very excited to meet my grandmother in law, and hopefully I can practice my Korean with her. I want to be as fluent as possible.

So with that last thought, I grab my purse and head down to the lobby. The hotels extravagant interior multiplies as I enter the space, much too big to be called just a room. I didn't notice how beautiful it was when I came in last night.

It's buzzing with excitement, and my smile widens as I notice the street is just the same. So many people in such a small place, who knows how long it will take me to find my grandmother.

"Excuse me?" I ask politely in Korean, handing the bellhop a piece of paper I had written the directions and name of the restaurant on. "Do you happen to know if this place is close by? Im sorry to ask, I have-"

"No problem mam, its just a few buildings down on your left." He smiles and hands me the directions. "You should be able to see it."

"Oh that's so close!" I chuckle. "Jeongmal gamshabnida."

He doesn't seem to notice my gratitude, due to the fact he's already being loaded down with another lady's bags.

But the man is right, just as I start to walk down the crowded street, I immediately spot the restaurant.

It's a little stuffy on the sidewalk, I feel so small walking under the bridges and looking up at the large buildings.

I walk quickly, weaving through and passing by the crowd, focusing so hard on the lively city that I almost don't notice the man staring at me from across the intersection.

We lock eyes, his demanding gaze sending ripples of fear through my body.

But something is off by the way he looks at me. My eyes linger to the others surrounding him, much taller, scarier, and wearing tailored black suits.

I quickly look away from the man, not wanting to understand. Not wanting to know.

It's probably just be my paranoia anyways.

I brush it off, deciding to not think much of the incident, and continue to admire the magnificent city.

My heart seems to tingle with excitement while looking at all the signs, incredibly proud of myself for knowing what they mean.

But what made me smile the hardest, was seeing my grandmother through the glass window, her face immediately lighting up as she catches my eye.

"Grammy!" I squeal, rushing into the building without a care in the world.

"Lyra, my sweet sweet Lyra." She chuckles and embraces me in a tight, warm hug.

"Im so happy to finally see you in person. I've heard so much about you!" I ramble on after she releases me.

"Mark has told me a lot about you, but he never told me how beautiful you are in person! My my, you are a sight to behold."

"So are you Ji-woo." I sigh and take in her true beauty that still shines through all the years of aging. She looks so incredibly young for her age.

Grandma smiles warmly. "Oh, you are too sweet."

"Right back at you." I grin, sitting down on the opposite side of the table and picking up the menu.

By the looks of it, she had already ordered two cups of coffee, and is on her third.

"Where's the breakfast page?" I whisper after a few minutes of peaceful silence, flipping the restaurant menu around in surprise.

"Oh my." Grandmother laughs.

"What's so funny?" I crack a smile, loving the way her laugh sounds.

"I should have told you, yeobo!" She puts the menu down and looks me in the eyes. "There is no breakfast here, we eat the same foods we do for lunch and dinner."

"What?!" I gasp over dramatically. "No pancakes?"

"No pancakes." She smiles. "But I can easily make some for you tomorrow. You might not like the taste of this kimchi in the morning, you Americans seem to have a gag reflex for anything with a tang."

"I cant argue with that halmoni," I snort. "But I think I can handle it."

"You seem like a tough girl, my little one."

I lift a hand to cover my face in embarrassment from the praise. "Do I really?"

She nods, the twinkle in her eyes faltering. "But even that might not be enough." She mumbles in Korean, hoping I wouldn't catch it.

"Hm?" I lift my head. "What are you talking about?"

My grandmother stares at me with old and tired eyes. "It may seem sweet and innocent here, Lyra. But I can assure you that is not the case." She is speaking in English now, her voice deep and harsh. "I was unsure if you should come here, especially this part of town. You're beautiful which makes it even more dangerous."

"Halmoni?" I set my glass of water down in revelation. "What are you saying?"

"There are many evil people in this city, just like any other. But these men will take you without warning and you won't even know what's happened until it's too late."

My eyes widen. She has turned into someone else without hesitation.

She titters quickly, as if to soften the blow of her words. "I don't mean to scare you darling. But you must know before you go do something stupid." She takes a deep breath. "I don't think you will, but having knowledge is just a tiny advantage."

"I don't want you to wander around by yourself. This city is controlled by drug lords, I don't want anything to happen to you."

Drug lords..? Since when?

"I don't know what to say.." I drop her gaze, debating if I should tell her about the man earlier. It seems like nothing, but the tall men standing behind him had thrown me off even more. They seemed lavished and confident, like they owned the place. And to make matters worse, the locals walking beside them seemed to pay no attention.

"They've already scoped you out, haven't they." Grandmother whispers. "I knew you should not have come."

"No, halmoni. I'm fine, nothing has happened. I promise."

She looks at me intently. "Are you sure?"

I nod. "I'm sure."

"Be careful. Please, you mean a lot to me and my son."

I sigh, happy to hear she has already accepted me into her family. "I live in Boston, a lot of bad shit happens there as well. I'll be careful."

"Oi," she furrows her eyebrows in exaggerated pain. "I'm going to get even more wrinkles."

Grandmother takes my hands in hers. "I'm sorry for scaring you darling. But you had to know and I wanted to tell you as soon as I can, please don't trust any men who confront you."

I nod furiously. "I won't."

"Good." She sighs, as if my words were enough to convince her. "Now, shall we order?"

"We shall." I smile, even though on the inside, I am deeply frightened.