Secrets and Truth

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

“Kyung Min” the sharp voice of my elder sister Seo Kyung mixed with her shaking my hands causes me to jump. I turned to her and she has a worried look on her face “You’re so deep in thought, are you okay?” she asked with a frown

Up until six years ago when I found out that I had siblings, I never had anyone check up on me the way my sister and twin brother now does, I mean I had my dad Min Gi and her– she whose name I’d hate to mention – I had So Ra too even before I met Seung Gi but it’s not the same. Having a sibling check-up and worry about you was different from other people doing so. 

I had to learn how to lean on someone, I had to learn how to share things with people who at first were strangers despite having the same blood flowing through our veins

The first year was the toughest

Their lives were different from how I grew up, I grew up with money and convenience and what I once mistook as love but not Seo Kyung noona – not my twin Kyung Soo­ 

They didn’t have much but it felt like they had the world. I envied that. I envied how they smiled without being forced to, I envied how even though the three-room apartment felt too small and suffocating they lived in it happily

I felt out of place

Hell, I still do and sometimes worry how was I suppose to compete with people who had been together all their lives? How was I suppose to live like I was part of them even though it was too awkward sometimes to breathe

I would selfishly wish I never found out the truth and dreamed that if I didn’t overhear what I did that day that maybe by now I would still be Choi Hyun Soo. 

I had these thoughts over and over again when I first moved here but when I see the huge picture of my birth mom on the wall, the guilt rushed in so fast almost kicking me off my feet so for the last year I buried it and tried my hardest to fit in. I know their love for me is genuine so I should be happy right?

I shouldn’t be selfish and think of all they’ve lost just because of me. This should motivate me to live my life to please both my birth dad and my sibling and I was fine with this thought

I was fine with burying Choi Hyun Soo down the ground, I was fine with burning everything that made me Choi Hyun Soo but why is it that after the high school reunion party, I started thinking more of thoughts I thought I had come to terms with? 

One meeting with my past and I am filled with mixed emotions

“Kyung Min” Seo Kyung noona said again this time her eyes widens 

She’s right. I’m Kyung Min not Choi Hyun Soo

Why would I still want to be Choi Hyun Soo? After all the trauma and disappointment, I’m happy this way. 

I am happier as Joo Kyung Min, I have my birth dad who loves me and is still trying to get over the fact that I like boys, I have my sister who is a tomboy and protective of me like no one ever has, I have my twin Kyung Soo who loves me was the easiest person to talk to. I have my family who loved me as Kyung Min so I had to be happy, if not for anyone, for them at least

So I give my older sister a smile to assure that I was okay, that she had nothing to worry about, and that I, Joo Kyung Min was happy “I’m fine”

“Are you sure?” she asked and I nodded

“Right, so should I drop you off at work or would Tae Yong do that?”

Tae Yong. 

Oh my god, I totally forgot about him, he will probably be so angry that he hasn’t been able to get a hold of me since Saturday. I don’t remember where exactly I kept my phone

I drank too much that night that I have not even the slightest recollection of where I kept my cell phone. “I’ll ride the bus,” I told her

“Okay, I have to leave early today,” she said standing from my side, heading to the sink. The kitchen is smaller than that of the mansion I grew up in and even smaller than the new house my dad Min Gi now lived in. I catch myself somethings comparing both houses even though I knew it was wrong

My birth dad worked as a salesman all his life and retired two years before I met him, he now owns a small hair salon down at the corner that keeps him busy, while Seo Kyung noona works at one of the biggest companies that own half the restaurants, Hotel and clubs in this part of South Korea, she transferred from working in the marketing unit to the Hotel still owned by the same company about a year ago and god does she love her job. 

My twin Kyung Soo is a K-pop idol, he debuted two years after I got here and at first, his group wasn’t doing so well but now, it was better although he was always so busy we barely had time to hang out like we did when I first moved here and then there’s me – a police officer 

None of us make enough to even compare to the life I once lived and although it might sound selfish to the people. 

I miss the life 

“Something has to be on your mind for sure,” Seo Kyung noona said with a frown on her face

“I’m fine”

“You’re obviously not” I heard the door open from behind me causing me to turn, I see my birth dad walking out from his room, the door squeaks so loud like it was begging that we fix it. I have told my dad that we should call a carpenter or whoever fixed doors but he would always brush it off with ‘no need to waste money talk 

Growing up I never really got the 'oh you look so much like your dad complement' and that was because Min Gi wasn't my father, even looking now at my first birth I can see how I would look like when I am his age

He has winter-white hair that made him look older than he actually was, his eyes are blood-flecked as he grew older. He has a goatee and it suits him.

His face is timeworn and it is wrinkled and when he walks, he is unsteady on his feet. Some of his clothes are moth eaten but he still keeps them in the wardrobe and says the clothes I bought for him are too precious to be worn and it makes me get mad at him because all I want is for him to dress nicely. He instead would say I don't buy anything for him but use the money for myself and my friends

Two of my father's fingers are crooked from an old sports injury and his eyes are a sparkling, brown colour and he seems to see everything, He has a very friendly smile that always made me feel safe and comfortable enough to talk to him

“Dad have you noticed anything stranger with Kyung Min?” my sister asked the second Dad walks closer to me “He has been spacing out a lot”

my sister Seo Kyung was identical to my birth mom, I've seen her pictures and there is one large one of her and dad on their wedding day as she wore her brightest smile, she looked so happy it made me feel happy that at one time in her life she was very happy, maybe if she never gave birth to me she would have still been happy and alive

“I’m fine” I chuckled, grabbing a seat for him. He sits on it then turned to me giving me a good look like he is examining me if something 

“He looks okay to me,” he said turning away from me, his voice can be weak and fragile at times 

“Ugh! I don’t have time to argue with you too, the company hired a new director” Seo Kyung noona takes out the roll out pin from her medium length hair, softly touching the bang gotten as a result of putting the roll out pin in her hair overnight “I heard he’s super young and was the best graduating student out of his university” she grabs her lipstick from her purse and a small mirror “This is why you have to go to a university”

“You went to a university noona” I reminded her shaking my head. Dad is too busy eating to even join in on the conversation although he continues to look up at Seo Kyung noona as she spoke

“Yeah, I forgot” she snickered “I mean I heard the new director is like 26 or so and he is already a director”

“Maybe he just is lucky, or his parents own the company” I replied

“No, rumors have it that when the owner of our company visited Melbourne he almost died and this new director saved his life so he repaid him by bringing him to Korea to take over a branch of his company”

I snickered at her, shaking my head, she remains me of Min So Ra when we were in high school, she always got the news before anyone else, and hardly was she ever wrong, I guess that’s why she clicked so well with Seo Kyung noona they are like two peas in a pod, although I’m not quite sure why she clicked with Kyung Soo, they have something going that wasn’t just a flirt

“You always know all the things you aren’t supposed to yet be clueless about the one you should know,” dad said all of a sudden

She sighs not bickering with dad like she could “I wish I knew English. My new boss is a foreigner and I don’t know a lick of English. I should have studied better” she slouches “Should I call in sick today?”

“No” I laughed standing up, taking my plates to the sink “If you call in sick today, what about tomorrow? Or the next? You love your job too much to lose it just because your director might not speak Korean” I said “If he doesn’t learn Korean then he’s the one in wrong. This is the republic of South Korea not – where did you say he’s from again”

“Australia”

My heart dropped, I almost laughed at how stupid I must look. Lee Seung Gi must have gone back to Australia, Rosaline did say they were only staying for three days 

I cleared my throat “He's the one who should learn the language not you, he has a bunch of people to lead and won't even be able to communicate with them? Then I don't think he is fit to be a leader"

“You’re right or better still even if he doesn’t speak Korean as long as he’s handsome I’m good”

“What?” I laughed 

“His handsome face will fill me up” she grabs her bag, adjusting the skirt she had on

“You do know you have a fiancé right?”

“I’m not married yet though” she rolls her eyes “Goodbye dad” she kisses dad on the cheek “I love you”

“Have a great day, I love you” dad replied with a laugh

The most difficult thing to get used to here was how expressive they were. When growing up it was never even normal to be too expressive and all of sudden in a new family, they said I love you as much as they say their hellos. It took one big getting used to and I would still cringe when I had to say it

“Bye dad” I grabbed my police cap from the table “love you,” I said in the littlest of voice and he snickered, giving us a small wave as we headed out

The air outside is pregnant with moisture like I was going to rain so I grabbed an umbrella by the bucket I the entrance, passing one to noona. She stares up at the sky and we talked outside. As soon as we opened the door, Tae Yong is found resting on the car with a pair of sun glasses as huge as his face

“Hyung do you know how much I was worried. What happened to your phone “

“Hi to you too” Seo kyung noona eyes him then turns to me. She waves saying goodbye

“Hi noona” Tae Yong waved at her “Bye noona”

Seo Kyung noona eyes him before leaving us alone, Tae Yong turns to me with a frown on his face

“Explain” he demanded

“Explain what?”

“You are really going to pretend like you don’t know why I'm angry at you”

“Yep”

“Ugh!” he rolls his eyes and I laughed

“Why are you here anyways? Don’t you have class or something?”

“Exams” he corrected “My final exams start today came to receive good energy from you”

“Uh?” before I could ask what he meant by that he wrapped his hands around me, hugging me “I have a gun,” I threaten and he laughs

“Just five minutes Hyung”

“Get off of me Tae Yong, I swear I will shoot you” 

“Fine” He surrounded, raising his hands laughing “Get in, I’ll drop you at work”

“I’ll take the bus”

“You don’t like the car”

“What? No”

“Are you sure I can change it if you _”

“Shut up” I shut him up before he says he’ll change it. he already did once and I know him he can do it again, I wonder what his parent does and how rich they are that he gets to change his car as often as he changes his clothes “I’ll get it”

“Alright” he smiled and opened the car door for me, I mutter a thank you then waited for him to go round the car and also sit in it “How was the reunion party?” he asked

“I don’t want to talk about it”

“I guess it was terrible,” he said and started the engine to the car