Code of Jinge: His Mafia Code

3.0

PLEASE, MEET THE CANDIDATES

*************************************************************************************************************

The Busan's town church was located in the middle of small clusters of houses in Dongnae-gu. Its area span up to half of the hectares including the garden of flowers and vegetable maintained by residents as well as the orphans situated at the back of the convent. The place was often mistaken by the tourists as the Chungnyeolsa, a famous landmark in Chungnyeol-daero.

Sicily trekked the small paths made of pebbles towards her designated room, struggling to keep her bag's strap on her shoulder. Hours ago, she was escorted by some men of the province’s Governor from Seoul to Busan. Her nervousness overpowered her curiosity on the important matter that the Governor wished to discuss. Reaching her room, she discarded her bag onto her bed and wander her eyes to the scene outside. Her room was situated in front of the garden where some residents were helping. There was an exciting exchange of words between two older women, who wore those funny yellow-colored gloves on their hands while plowing the soil so that the cabbages will grow up nicely. She thought they were lucky enough in Busan since the city will suffer mild winter only which means the crops won't have any damages.

“Sicily?”

Her attention then went to the wooden door, opening it. “Sister Karen.”

"It's time. Come on."

She looked up to the sister as both of them paced to the convent's mini-conference hall. “The Governor called me out here, to talk about what?”

The sister smiled at her and continued walking. “You are not alone, Sicily. The Gov will have some words with you and Hannah, Sunny, Sheri, and Lyka.”

“Them too?” She asked incredulously. They were her fellow orphans here a few years ago before they go on separate ways to somehow choose their own choices of the university in Seoul. She chose in studying at Kaist. They too were the scholarship grantees of the governor after receiving hers. But what’s up with this gathering set up?

When they reached the hall, four girls sitting promptly in front of those three intimidating figures. Sicily slightly bowed to the three men and threw a small smile to the four girls. Upon finding her seat beside Sunny, she felt the heavy atmosphere around her. The governor stood up in front of them while an elderly person on old Kimono remained in the comfort of his seat. The way he clutched the staff for support, Sicily could tell that he might have an aching knee. His old features were a huge contrast to how his gaze was planted on each of the girls. It was always sharp and studying.

“Good morning girls,” Governor Raiyan Hyun greeted us. We all responded politely. “This is Elder Tahil of Japan and Sir Key.

The girls bowed to them as Sicily secretly scanned all the features of Elder Tahil and Key. She sensed the fishy business that will be presented to them.

“I hate beating around the bush girls,” the governor continued. “The elder is here to pick for his grandson’s future wife. And luckily, the five of you are the candidates.”

The girls stiffened on the revelation and exchanged shocked glances with each other. Most of them were still running twenty-one and here came the news that one of them will be possibly chosen as the wife of a total stranger!

Sicily was about to clarify things and confirmed if she might mishear it but Elder's companion spoke.

“The elder is the one sponsoring your studies. Your school obligations, books, lodging, weekly allowances, all of those. He supported this orphanage long before you came here and as you can see, this whole charity thing is still operating.” Key said after seeing the apprehensions among the girls.

Sicily stared at the Japanese elder, it never came across her thought that it was just an elderly man who constantly supported the orphanage. "What are you saying?" she dared asked.

“I am saying that as a p*****t for all of those debts you owe from him, I say you have to agree to be a candidate for his grandson’s future wife,” He said as if ordering the girls for something impossible to do. He was making a point that they don’t have the right to refuse at all. Like their very life depended on them.

They were all awed. Sicily threw a glance to mother's superior standing with the other two sisters right at the back of the Elder. She saw the sisters' superior odd furrows on her forehead; she seemed to know about this matter but was rather displeased with the idea of them marrying a stranger. One of them will be unfortunately chosen to face that bitter fate.

The next thing she noticed, the Elder finally made his voice heard."Your data were already sent in Japan two days ago for evaluation by the rest of the elders of the Yamaguchi Gumi clan."

Sicily made an intake of breathing while the rest of the girls gasped in response. They weren't well versed into who's who in underground society but Yamaguchi Gumi had made its influence across globes. Impacted a lot in the communities. The only mafia organization that was not afraid to be exposed by media or to people. So far as statistics had shown, the organization grew a lot bigger and stronger.

**************************************************************************

Sicily laid on her bed while staring in a deadpan expression on the ceiling of her room. She couldn't still absorb the whole situation they were in. It was mind-blowing news to them to have this bit of information behind the enjoyment of grants in the scholarship program. They were granted benefits with hidden consequences ahead of them. The grantee wanted to reap what he sowed.

Marrying his grandson? She thought its rubbish on its every angle. Who is he to manipulate his grandson’s life and entangle one of them to his cunning device? She heaved a deep sigh as she reached her phone beside her and fought the urge to hit the button to call Jessica and tell her to take her away from Busan. But of course, she can’t spoil her friend’s vacation now and Luhan too was probably on a cruise. She was pretty sure that she will not be chosen anyway. All four girls have potentials that made them eligible. Sunny, Lyka, Hannah, and Sheri had grown into gorgeous and smart women even at their young age while Sicily remained on her childlike body. Although intelligent as she is, she could hardly be defined as a woman.

This is weird, why must their charity be involved with the Mafias? She was curious if mother superior knew about this? About them meeting those people with criminal backgrounds? Mafias= goons + guns+ deaths+ life unease…

It's terrifying to think that one of them will be chosen to accompany a very dangerous person in Japan. They were not stupid not to know what does it mean to be involved with a group in the black society and much worst, to be married to the sole heir of the yakuza. The girls had been guessing what the heir could look like. As what they had pictured out, he was someone with a bald head, a little bit older with a disgusting overgrown beard, tattoos all over the body, piercings on the ears, big bellies, and carrying with him a dual samurai ready to slice a person’s neck. She added that by the way, he looked according to what Lyka drew on her sketchbook, he might smell bad too. Those facts were insufferable and torture. They gathered in the conference hall after having words from those three guys, Lyka, a Fine Arts student volunteered to draw our definition of Yakuza. By the time she was done, she showed her masterpiece to the rest of the girls. Most of them swore that they might choose Shrek over the fugly thing on that sketch.

"Ew that's even disgusting, Sunny" Sheri commented, fixing her messy ponytail into the right place. She's an IT student at Seoul University. A bookish kind of gal but a cheerleader as well. Her team has been joining in ESPN cheer dance competition which earned them champions three times in a row. The rigorous training and the crazy back handsprings and the tossing on the air made her soft built into a defined and strong ones. "Do you even know that Shrek is a troll?"

"What's so wrong about the troll? Why are you being a racist?" Sunny said dryly while flipping her hair. She was taking up Computer Engineering in the same school as Sheri.

"Racist? Shrek has no racial ethnicity FYI," Sheri countered back.

"Girls-," Sicily has slightly pushed aside when Sunny went near to Sheri.

"Behold the dawn of idiocy," Sunny gestured her hand to Sheri as if presenting to the girls.

"What did you say?" Sheri clenched her fist.

Hannah immediately ran between them before a fistfight could occur. Literally. This was not new to them. Since they were young, these two hot-headed girls would always fight on simple things. Hannah was always the brave one to stop the impending box fight. "Easy girls. Calm down... let it go." and it was effectively calming the two beasts. As a Psychology student, she might have been using her techniques to these two.

"Not my fault if backhand ninja springs and tossing made her brain scrambled," Sunny muttered in low voice.

"Not my fault if you didn't know what a troll is," Sheri countered back.

Lyka rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't we be more concern about our issue right now than whoever is this Shrek and stupid troll?"

Sicily giggled turning to Sheri and Sunny, "You know, for someone as smart as you two, you can be both dumb sometimes," she smiled, "Shrek is an ogre, not a troll and yes he has a race. Not the black and white kind of race but an ogre race."

"Oh, silly," Sunny laughed out loud before turning to Sheri. "Sorry."

Sheri snorted. "Yeah, I am too."

Lyka raised the sketch to their attention and they exclaimed," Ew. Get that away!"

Sicily's phone beeped which pulled her back from the reverie. The phone indicated an SMS was received. When she opened the notification, Jess's message made her smile.

**************************************************************************

Morning came...

Sicily woke up in low energy while looking around her small room and decidedly went to the garden where she found the girls gathering in a swing at the silence of the flower garden. They weren't talking with each other, drowned with their thoughts.

“Hey,” she called out with a smile as she joined them, “It’s morning…why these faces.”

The four of them heaved a deep sigh.

“You’re so lucky, Sicily,” Sunny retorted.

“Me? Why?” she asked raising her brows.

“I regretted why I have to be this-” Sheri trailed off and looked at Sicily. “- to be this beautiful, no offense,” The four agreed to compliment themselves as someone ‘perfect’ and ‘gorgeous’.

Sicily laughed heartily at the four of them. They were so conceited but she didn't mind it at all.

“Maybe this is my lucky day,” Sicily smiled at them while they responded with a look of disappointment as if wanting to exchange their beautiful assets to Sicily’s petit body.

“I might be chosen,” Hannah croaked.

“Or it will be me,” Lyka added weakly.

“Maybe the elder will choose me. He kept on eyeing me yesterday,” Sheri shivered by the mere thought.

“You’re indeed lucky, Sicily,” Sunny shook her arms as if wanting to strangle her. “I wanted a very hottie boyfriend and not just some freaky baldy leader of yakuza who might have looked as worse as Shrek.”

“And I want a very romantic man who will sing me a love song on the street.” Hannah said dreamily, “Yakuza might hardly know a single love song. All they know is slicing someone’s fingers through their rusty weapons. I should at least be someone like you, Sicily. You’re not eye-catcher as we are.”

Sicily’s face contorted hearing those girls. They don’t have to be so honest about her poor-quality assets. She will be lucky then if she won't make it to the list of the candidates. That would unburden her from tension.

“Or he might be someone to butcher a cheating wife.” Sicily giggled as the four of the girls were flabbergasted. “Why is that look? Are you planning to cheat?”

The four slowly nodded, pouting slightly.

“Omo! Cheaters!” Sicily exclaimed laughing while whacking the heads of the girls.

“We are running away with our own Romeo if we will have the chance.” Sunny huffed proudly.

“But do you consider the fact that you and your supposed lover will be hunted throughout your life?” Sicily said as a matter of fact. Sunny and the rest of the girls fell silent. “I mean, we are dealing with some nasty people from the black society. They are not the ones you can mess up with.”

“We are just hoping this nightmare will pass through us. No one deserves to be thrashed down that path.” Hannah commented as the rest of the girls agreed.

“Let’s just chill girls…everything happens for a reason.” Sicily ended.

The group hugged as they comforted each other with their situation. Gone with last night's quirky bantering. This was getting real. One might have been unfortunate to be chosen. None of them wished the other girls to suffer such bitter fate instead of themselves. They do hope that if the miracle was real, now is the best time to showcase its fang. Either by having the soil accidentally swallowed the three guys from yesterday or some fluffy clouds falling over them.