THE RESTLESS AUTUMN (completed) (a full-length novel)

Scent of One

Chapter 15

The pub owner could hardly believe his eyes. He stood around the cordoned area where fresh blood spilled and shards of glasses speckled the floor. Just minutes ago, five bodies strafed with bullets were carried out by the police. Only three were identified through the identical tattooed snakes around their arms. The fair-skinned one with short hair bore three gunshot wounds in the head, all fired from close range. A senior officer called the pub owner to a corner for questioning, noting the names of the casualties and the chain of events that transpired before the assault broke out. No one knew outside Geum Dong, some few blocks away, a middle-aged woman was limping briskly with blood dripping from a gunshot wound in her left rib.

"No! No, please wait," Eun-jung said, scrambling for a seat for Ji-heon. She held out her palms trying to appease the man whose eyes had changed from being impassive to warm.

He stared with a growing anticipation as he settled in his seat. Eun-jung's eyes, switching from his face to his chest showed signs of an emotional unrest. "Where do we start?" he asked, hoping to lift the tensed atmosphere in the air.

"I'll tell you where she is," Eun-jung said, her eyes still unsettled, "but you must promise me you won't hurt her."

"I've told you before, that is not my intention."

"I'm sorry if I've kept you in the dark. I-hardly know you. She hardly talks about her past."

"She never spoke about me…."

"Yes," Eun-jung replied, almost murmuring. "She never revealed the identity of Seung-jin's father. But I had an idea." She fixed her eyes on Ji-heon and said, "I was waiting for her in Yongin when she was released on parole. But she never showed up that day. I got a call from Father Vincent asking me to wait. He too didn't know when exactly she was coming to see me."

Despite a growing discomfort, Ji-heon appeared calm.

"I don't know what happened after. She never talked about it. I could only guess she wanted to give you a chance to get back at her. And you did, or didn't you?"

"I never asked for that chance," Ji-heon uttered.

"But she was in love," Eun-jung blurted out, only to regret her spontaneity. "She wanted you to know you were not just another victim to her."

Silence hung in the air. Ji-heon felt a jerk in his heart. It was painful recalling his suffering during those days, but even more painful realizing it was a bait and he had blindly taken it. He wanted to confess, but couldn't bring himself to speak at this point.

With both hands clasped against her chest, Eun-jung started pleading, "Please don't take the child away." Ji-heon looked at her and recognized fear in her eyes. "Seung-jin is her life. She has suffered too much. There must be a way where you can compromise."

"She's my own. I want to take care of her."

"But Euna has her rights, too."

"Then why did she leave the child with the nuns?"

"Believe me, if she could, Seung-jin wouldn't be away from her. You're still mad, I understand that. I could offer no justification. But the child is the only one she's got." Eun-jung stood from her chair and leaned closely to Ji-heon. "You have a whole future ahead. You can start a family and have more children. Please. Do not take her child." Without warning, Eun-jung knelt on her knees and pleaded some more. Ji-heon took her by the elbows and pulled her back to her feet. "Eun-jung ssi, stop it. Just show me where Euna is. I can only settle this matter with her."

Eun-jung moved away from Ji-heon and walked toward the cabinet at the far end of the room. She nudged it aside until a small door with a wooden handle appeared. Before pulling it open, Eun-jung looked at Ji-heon again and said, "I have something else to tell you."