Undeniable

Prologue

Sunday March 24, 2002

Naree walked along the streets of Seoul, her tiny hand holding onto a few of her older brother Ji-Yong’s fingers while they strolled behind their parents. The family had just finished dinner and this wasn’t something new for them to go for a walk after eating before stopping at an ice cream shot to get some dessert then return back to their home.

“Appa, can we take some cake home? Eomma, we can get it for appa’s birthday!” Naree squealed and it was probably heard blocks away through the bustling around them.

“Naree, it’s supposed to be a surprise.” Naree looked up at her brother when he teased her and she felt his fingers curl and move her hand a couple times while he looked down at her.

“Oh I’ll be surprised, Naree baby, you pick out any cake you want.” Her dad laughed and Naree watched him look over at her mother who seemed to have a disapproving look on her face.

Naree really hadn’t meant to ruin any surprise but she knew that her father’s birthday was coming up, it was marked on her calendar and she wanted to make sure that he had a delicious cake. His birthday last year, Naree vaguely remembered that it wasn’t the best, maybe this year they could all celebrate it as a family. Maybe this time Naree wouldn’t hear her mother crying in an empty dining room on her dad’s special day.

“Oppa, look…” Naree pointed towards a large shop window. “Can we go in? Can we?!” She didn’t even wait for an answer from her brother before she released his hand and went running towards the shop. Her little coal colored trench coat flapping behind her.

Naree dashed through the opened door and was enamored by all of the colors and little gadgets she saw hanging around. This wasn’t a shop she’d ever got to go into often so this was amazing. She moved along an isle and saw someone at a large claw machine, with it shining so bright she was like a moth to a flame.

Pressing her hands to the glass along the side of the machine she watched a guy maneuver the claw until the prongs gripped around the large head of a pale pink stuffed pig. With her mouth agape in astonishment she watched the pig get carried away from where it was laying all the way back to the corner where the claw released the toy into a hole.

“Wow…so cool.” Naree whispered and she watched the glass in front of her fog up from her breath, she was so busy looking at all of the other toys within the large box she didn’t even notice the guy step over to her until the pig was nudging her shoulder.

“Here kid, take it.”

“Seriously? I can have it?” She asked and stepped back from the machine and her tiny fingers curled around the body of the animal. Naree was surprised how close the pale pink matched the dress she was wearing and immediately fell in love with the pig. When she looked back up at the guy he nodded and gave her a smile.

“Sure, what do I need some pig for?”

Naree didn’t even care at that point, she clutched onto the pig and bowed towards the guy and darted around him towards the front of the store, she wanted to show Ji-Yong what she had gotten.

Ji-Yong grumbled slightly and watched his sister run off, “I’ll go get her and meet you at the ice cream shop.”

“Son, make sure she doesn’t get lost, we need to be getting home soon.”

Ji-Yong bowed before taking off through the pedestrians around them, he had his eyes on Naree just a moment ago before he lost her. “Damn it Naree, where did you go?” he muttered to himself.