Cigarette Smoke and Leather Jackets

Chapter Three

Yuna was tired . Tired of sitting on her ass all day. Tired of her mum rushing around the empty space they called home. Tired of hearing her mother cry every night over the loss of her eldest daughter. Tired of keeping her sisters promise.

"You will leave this life behind."

Sorry Hana.

I tried.

I really did.

I'm sorry.

And Yuna picked up her jacket and a pack of cigarettes from her mum's coat pocket and set off into the crisp night of Busan, with no intentions of going for a simple quick walk.

Min-Jae and Jin-Soo had slipped away from the laughter of their friends and ambled along the dusky, star-lit ominous alleyways that seemed so friendly to them. They wandered in silence for a long time. Neither of them feeling the need to say a word. They did this often. Just the two of them. Like it used to be. Not that they wished they hadn't met Dae-Jung, Seo-Jun, Juwon or Bon-Hwa. Not at all. They just sometimes need each others company. Just them. Min-Jae and Jin-Soo had known each other since before they could remember. Min-Jae's parents had childminded Jin-Soo and when the younger boy started school, the older boy, 1 year his senior, took him under his wing. The two had been inseparable, unstoppable, ever since. Min-Jae was the only person who knew about Jin-Soo's past and Jin-Soo was the only person to know about Min-Jae's past. That's the way it was. Nothing would ever change.

But then there was a scream.

A scream that changed everything.

A scream that made the impossible, possible.

The two boys looked at each other and no words were exchanged. Just a look. A look that said everything. They raced off towards the sound of the scream.

They shot round the corner to see a strikingly familiar girl with scarlet hair and a leather jacket push a man off of her, for what must have been a time of many. The man, clearly drunk, jeered at her and carried on slithering closer towards the girl who could be no older than 14. Min-Jae nodded at the brunette at his side and the smaller boy barrelled into the brute and knocked him flying whilst Min-Jae pulled the girl to safety. Jin-Soo landed the final punch, noticing the girl was safe and stood up, smiling sheepishly as he dusted himself off. The younger girl watched him with wide eyes and then slowly, her face spilt into an awefilled grin. "That was awesome!" She looked down remembering what had happened to her. "And, thanks." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Yuna."

Jin and Jae exchanged a look. Jun was the first to smile and take her hand. "Hi Yuna. Nice to meet you. I'm Jin and this is Jae."
Yuna smiled up at the boys. "Can we go now?"

The boys nodded and took the girl home, thinking that would be the last time they saw her and she was their good deed for the year. But oh, oh how wrong they were.