Shotgun K

“I believe you.”

I didn’t reply, I just sat there feeling relieved that Mrs. Kim had finally calmed down. I don’t know how long we were sitting on that bench but the sky was already starting to lose its midday light. I glanced over to the side where she was sitting on the bench and saw her looking down to the photo she held in her hand.
“I hear things aren’t exactly easy for you in this case.” she went on. “Detective Paek told me that you have a stalker.”

I sighed.

“A stalker,” I said. “So they say.”
“He told me this stalker may be the one responsible for…” she broke off, not finishing the sentence.
I winced, wanting to punch myself for being insensitive.
“Yes, they told me that also.” I said. “I’m sorry, I just learned about this stalker myself just three days ago when they interrogated me.”
I forced myself to push down the vivid images of the other things I saw that night.
“His partner, Detective Choi, thought I was the suspect.” I went on. A scoff escaped me and I shook my head. “He still thinks that I’m the guy.”
I let out frustrated breath out and ran my hand through my hair.
“All because I met her for a split second that night…” I muttered.

Mrs. Kim raised her eyes from the photo and look at me, suddenly alert.
“You met my daughter that night?” she asked. Clearly this was news to her, and a startling one at that.
I didn’t know if this was a safe thing to answer.
“Uh, well, ‘met’ wouldn’t be the right word…because I was on my way out of the place…” I started, choosing my words carefully. “I bumped into her on the way out. Her shirt really caught my attention.”

Mrs. Kim gave a weak smile, her gaze drifting back to the picture at hand.
“Eun-Hee worked all night on that shirt. She said she was going to stand out the most in the crowd with that shirt; wanting to catch your attention. I guess it worked.” she murmured. “Tell me, how did she seem when you met her?”

I bristled, suddenly very uncomfortable with the question.
She was like any other fan…
“…She seemed very excited. She really did stand out of the crowd.” I said, trying not to sound as vague as my answer.

She was quiet for a moment, but then I saw her expression tighten again to grief.

“The police said that they can’t release her body yet until all the tests and reports have been finished. They won’t give us back any of the things she had on her yet.”

I saw her hands shake as her fingers gripped the photograph. A hollow feeling settled into my gut, seeping numbly into my limbs.

“It’s all real then, isn’t it?” I said, my voice oddly flat. It didn’t sound right. “I was hoping it was just some bad dream, a crazy vivid nightmare. Maybe I was too stressed or haven’t eaten right…”
I stopped when I felt Mrs. Kim reach over and grip my hand. It seemed to tell me, It’s real. So is my pain.

That’s right, her loss is the greatest here. What did I lose? A fan? A fan who was a daughter, a friend and a student.
And here I am acting like a victim. All because I saw the gory glimpse of the scene…

Flashes of the package in that conference room littered with fan mail flitted across my mind, and I forced myself not to grimace. Calmly, I inhaled and glanced back at the grieving mother. She still had my hand but I saw more tears, her eyes locked onto the photograph in her lap.
“Mrs. Kim, how did you get here today?” I asked.
“I…I took the bus.” she replied.

I nodded and pulled out my cell phone from my back pocket to make a phone call. It only took two rings for him to pick up.
“Detective Paek,” I said. “It’s Jae-Sung…”



Detective Paek arrived at the park in twenty minutes. By then, Mrs. Kim had calmed down, and we had moved on to the place I had agreed to meet the detective. When I saw the black sedan pull up, I couldn’t help but feel relieved.

“Jae-Sung,” he called as he stepped out of the car. He rushed over to where we were sitting as we got up from the bench.
“It’s alright,” I said reassuringly. “She’s fine.”
“What were you doing here?” he asked, sounding a bit stern. He looked at Mrs. Kim and back to me. “Both of you,”
I was about to open my mouth when Mrs. Kim cut in.
“Can’t a grieving mother go to where she pleases?” she returned, almost challenging.
Detective Paek didn’t reply, instead he reached over and started to guide her to the car.
“Please, let me take you home.” he told her.
“I regret nothing.” she told him, but let him take her to his car.

I watched as the detective opened the passenger seat and Mrs. Kim got in without protest. He shut the door and looked back at me. I waved weakly, ready to watch them go. But he gave me a sympathetic smile and made his way back to where I was standing.
“Hey, how are you doing?” he asked in a soft tone. I just shrugged, my hands shoved into my pant pockets.
“Fine, I guess.” I mumbled.
“Jae-Sung, what were you doing here?” he asked again. “This isn’t a good place to be, considering you’re involved as a part of this case.”
Intentional or not, I silently thanked him for being vague about what this location meant.
“I needed to know this was all real.” I said, reusing the same answer I gave Mrs. Kim. “I think she would say the same.”
I nodded towards the car pointedly, though I couldn’t really see her face. Detective Paek glanced back before he turned back to me and nodded.
“Alright.” he said, and then sighed. “But really, what are the chances of you and her meeting, here of all places.”
Again I shrugged, not wanting to think about it.
“It wasn’t intentional.” I muttered. “If I knew she was here, I probably wouldn’t have come here.”
Detective Paek seemed to study my face a bit, as if to be analyzing me or something.
“What?” I asked.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “You seem a bit…off.”
I grimace a bit, but shook my head.
“No, I’m fine. I guess I’m just a bit shocked.” I said. “I’m not really good with crying, that’s all.”

And to think I’ve had two people cry in front of me today…

A quizzical look came across the detective’s face as his eyes drifted to my shoulder. I glanced down and saw the dark coffee stain from this afternoon.
“Ah…coffee accident at lunch.” I said lamely. “No big deal.”
Detective Paek smile and gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
“Well, thanks for calling in for Mrs. Kim. You’re a good man, Jae-Sung.” he told me. “But until your bodyguard situation is settled, try not to march around Seoul on your own.”

Oh, that reminds me---

“Ah, I’m supposed to be meeting them tonight,” I said, recalling the conversation I had with Mr. Park. I glanced down at my phone to check the time.
4:33 pm.
“You should probably head back then.” Detective Paek told me.
I nodded as the detective gave me one last grip on my shoulder.
“Take care of yourself, Jae-Sung.” he told me.
He smiled and went back to his car. I waved as I heard the engine start and watched them pull off of the curb before I made my way back to my own car to start my drive home.

The ride back was uneventful, though I don’t think I can handle anymore happenings for today. I almost wished the drive was a bit longer; it would’ve given me more time to think and absorb everything that was coming and going way too fast. What was this meeting with these people going to bring?
I cut the engine and pulled the key out of the ignition. The car became completely silent, which felt very good for once. I settled back in my seat and closed my eyes. How awesome would it feel if I could just fall asleep here and slip away into some dreamland for a while? To a place where there were no stalkers, murders, victims or blood?
I sighed and opened my eyes.
As great as that would be ---it was not realistic.

I reached over to the backseat and grabbed my bag and the stained hoodie before climbing out of the car. The parking garage was almost eerie in the way it was quiet and no one was around. I shut the door of my car and winced at how loud the car door echoed. Sighing, I headed towards the apartment building.
Thankfully, the lobby was empty, outside of the employees at the front desk. I ignored all the questioning glances I got from them and headed straight for the restricted residents-only entrance. I gave a half-hearted wave to the two guards standing there on duty, who let me pass with just a raise of an eyebrow.
Silently I crossed the small lobby and pressed the UP button on the elevator. The doors opened with a sharp ding!and I stepped in. I jabbed the button for floor 9 and leaned against the side of the elevator wall.

---mechanic. I was acting like a robot. Moving without thought, moving without emotion. Walk straight, push that. Look up, look down. It felt too weird to be this…rigid. What was happening to me?
Another sharp ding! rang out and the elevator doors slid open in one smooth motion. I stepped out of elevator and let my body follow the familiar way back to my apartment. My hands were already finding the right keys as I approached the door and seamlessly I unlocked the door and stepped into my home.
The moment I closed the front door, I heard hurried footsteps approaching me.

“Jae-Sung!” I heard Mr. Park say from behind me. He sounded worried.
“I’m back,” I said flatly.
“Where have you been?” he asked. But then he saw my appearance in a stained shirt. “What happened?”
“Coffee accident.” I replied, making my way to my bedroom. “I’m taking a shower.”

…so unanimated. It’s like I’ve shut down for maintenance or something.

I dumped my bag onto my bed and deposited my coffee stained hoodie into the hamper. The stain was probably going to stay now anyway.
I threw my wallet and keys on my bed with my bag and headed into the bathroom for the much needed shower.

It wasn’t until the moment the hot water hit my back did I start relaxing a bit. I sighed, and watched the steam roll in the bright light.
As I started to mellow out and recharge, I started to think more positively ahead. Well, at least this meeting coming up was something planned. Nothing could go wrong here. All the unexpected troubles are over and done with; the toughest part of the day is over.
What’s the most a meeting could have? I’ll just sit through the first introductions, and then the people assigned this job would explain what their plans were to keep me protected, have the final farewells and it will be over. Piece of cake.

I stayed in the shower for a while longer before I shut the hot water off. I stepped out, grabbed a towel and quickly dried myself off.
Feeling much refreshed and rid of the smell of old coffee, I started to feel human again. I stepped out of the bathroom in better spirits, even the cooler air of my bedroom sending chills down my spine didn’t faze me.
I quickly started to pull out a change of clothes, tossing the selected garments out onto my bed. I was in my own house, and I was going to be comfortable so I just reached for the closest pair of sweatpants.

I had just started to pull them on when I thought I heard something from the living room. Another voice, an unfamiliar one.
I turned to my bedroom door and tried to make out what was being said. I couldn’t make out the words, but I could definitely here a stranger talking to my manager.
My bodyguard was here.

Curious despite myself, I went to the door and opened it just a crack.
I could hear them better now, their voice resonating clearly from my living room.

“Thank you for coming, I hear that you were in a middle of a job when we called you.” I heard Mr. Park say nervously. “I hope we didn’t inconvenience you in any way.”
“Oh no, that business was being wrapped up when we received the request.” The male voice spoke calmly. “We were able to fly in with time to spare.”

---We?

“Oh good…that’s very good.” Mr. Park said, still sounding nervous.

I stepped out of my room and slowly started my way down the hall.
What was going on? I only heard about one bodyguard; was I getting more? Who exactly was this ’we’ this guy was talking about?

I couldn’t see them yet as I was taking my time sneaking down the hall way leading to the kitchen. I was trying my hardest to be quiet with my walking.

“Is she---are you sure… can she protect us?” I heard Mr. Park ask.

---she??

“I can assure you that you have nothing to worry. She may look…like this, but she does very well on her jobs. She has not failed a single mission in her training days, and she is one of the best we have.” the guy he was speaking to replied with confidence.

Now wait a minute, hold on! That’s not right. None of this was what I had agreed to!

I stepped out from the hall way and around the corner, walking by my kitchen. I stepped into the living room area and stared at my manager---and the two people sitting across from him on the couch.

“---Yah.” I said, irritation clear in my voice.

All three of them turned their heads my way. Mr. Park looked startled, as if he’s never seen me shirtless before. The guy I never seen before just blinked, not really giving any reaction.
And then there was a girl…her eyes found me and hardened steel-sharp. I couldn’t look away.

Who the hell are these people?
Finally, I tore my eyes away from the girl’s challenging stare and turned to Mr. Park.

“Yah,” I repeated. “Manager, who are these people?”