Chapter 20: Riding Through Shadows

Before mounting Min-Jun’s motorcycle, Jia couldn't resist sending another text message to her father, a plea for answers. Deep down, she knew it would likely go unanswered like all the others.

Where is he?

As Min-Jun pulled his bike around, she also sent a quick text to Zilly, asking if she’d learned anything more about the etchings on her amulet. In the half minute before Min-Jun pulled up and handed Jia a helmet, Zilly did not respond. At nearly 9 pm in Seoul, it would be almost 4 am in California. No wonder.

Jia clung to Min-Jun as they rode through the bustling streets of the city. The wind whipped past them, and the sensation of Rorschach's presence brought her a modicum of comfort. She felt the amulet nestled snugly inside her jacket and tee-shirt, and at times, it felt as if it warmed slightly, and at other times, she thought it seemed to be gaining weight, dragging her head down, but she decided that was an illusion. As the minutes passed, her frustration grew like an unrelenting storm cloud, casting a shadow over her thoughts.

She swiftly dismounted the motorcycle at the hotel and handed Min-Jun his helmet. Their eyes locked for a moment.

"You okay? What's going on?" he said, his voice soft and kind. “I get the feeling you’re…well, kind of alone. I guess I can’t blame you. I mean, I can’t imagine how it must feel with your mom gone…”

Jia's desperation for answers welled up within her. She was tired of the family's secrets and evasiveness, tired of feeling like an outsider.

"No, I'm not okay. Not really," she confessed, surprising herself. "No one seems to know where my Dad is, or at least if they do, no one is saying anything. Is he even okay? All I get from Baem, Jun-Young, and Mee is that he's traveling. Do you know where he is?"

Min-Jun shook his head, sympathy in his eyes. "No. Sorry."

"Do you keep in touch with him?"

"We don't see each other much. But he's always been very nice to me. I wish I knew where he was.'“

Their gaze held, and Jia watched him for a few beats.

"Min-Jun, when I first met you at the compound, I thought you didn't want to be there. Why not? What the hell's going on, anyway? And what were you and Jun-Young talking about, anyway, that you had to stop so suddenly when Baem and I came into the room?"

Min-Jun hesitated and cut off the motorcycle's engine. "Yeah, I figured you'd seen that. I was essentially being scolded for not showing up earlier. And for not helping out when I was asked. When I was first told you were coming, they insisted I show you around. But I would have had to turn down two important clients. So I said no, the timing was bad. They didn't like that. They wanted me to drop everything and jump. So I told them I'd come to dinner to meet you. And I'm glad I did. You're cool. Quiet, though."

"You should hear me when I'm with my buds," she said with a small laugh. "I can't shut my mouth. But yeah, when I'm around people I don't know, I clam up.”

"Yeah, no surprise. You're in a difficult situation. But it would be cool to know more about you. My family keeps wanting me to do things I'm not interested in. I do my own thing and have for years. The family is a little odd, and I tend to stay away.“

Jia waited, sensing that there was more to his story.

"Now I have a question," Min-Jun said.

"Yeah?"

"What did you and the old man talk about? Downstairs with his — trains. It seemed kind of — thoughtful."

Jia weighed her words carefully, not ready to divulge everything Dae-Won had shared with her. "Trains. Helluva layout," she said, hiding a smirk.

Min-Jun nodded and returned the smirk. "Yeah? Just trains?"

She waited a beat before continuing, "Well, he mentioned some sort of weird sorcery thing in the family, but I didn't really—you know—"

"Riiight," he drawled sarcastically. “I figured. No surprise. You are what they call a firstborn—your father's firstborn in his generation."

"So I've heard—family stories. Legends, magic, sorcery,” she said, rolling her eyes.

"What has your father told you?"

Jia shrugged and looked away. “Nothing, really—my Mom—“

"Well, it's kind of cool," he said, cutting her off. Then he echoed her mother’s story about two families who had created the amulet a thousand years ago.

"You didn't get the magic gene, eh?" Jia said, grinning back.

"No, but that’s okay. I’ve got a full plate. I’m too busy to worry about magic. In this day and age…? How about you?”

"Me? I mean, well, the old man sort of mentioned something about it, but…"

"Yeah? He did, huh? Well, I've heard you have the amulet."

Jia's face flushed, but the dim light concealed her embarrassment. "It's true. Why do you ask?" She wasn't ready to discuss it.

"Well, there are many secrets in the family, but Mom — Jun-Young — talked about it recently and said that your Dad had given it to you. That it belonged to the family. And that—"

"—She wants it back? Yeah, it's true. She tried to buy it from me. If you can believe that," she said, her voice rising in disbelief, “and the only reason I'm here in Korea is that Baem came to the US and offered two hundred grand because she said it's what the family does when kids in the family turn sixteen. But then Jun-Young said I would only get the dough if I turned over the amulet. Sure, I'll give up the amulet. Right after I trade my soul for a used car and my childhood memories for a box of magic beans. She gave me a choice. The amulet for the money. Which I won't do.

“And by the way, is that true? Did you get a bunch of money when you turned sixteen? Does your family do that?"

Min-Jun shifted his feet before answering.

"I did. It's true. They helped me through college and start my own business. But there were no conditions on it. That's—weird—what she did. It doesn't make sense."

Neither spoke for a half-minute, their thoughts swirling in the night air.

"What about your mom? Dad's twin. Wouldn't she have a little power as a twin?"

Min-Jun met Jia's gaze and shifted on the bike, hand returning to the key. He shrugged and sighed but remained silent.

"Okay, you don't want to talk about it. But your mom is definitely up to something. Every time she smiles at me, I want to check my pockets to make sure nothing's missing. Did Dae-Won ever do anything magical while you were around?"

Min-Jun stared at the sky momentarily, then looked back at Jia. “Yeah. When I was younger. Like a teenager. He'd do big fireballs and light balls and stuff. To entertain. He'd talk to animals. Talk to plants. But at the time, I just thought he was a crazy old man. I figured magic only came in comic books and movies. Maybe he was magical. Maybe not. I don't know. It's just not something that's talked about. If he does magic now, he keeps it pretty hidden."

"So why does your Mom want my amulet?"

Another shrug.

"You're as talkative as a turtle, Min-Jun," Jia teased. "One more question before you go."

"Uh-huh."

"Since my Mom died, I've met your great Aunt Baem, your Mom, your sister, our grandfather, and you. I heard about your grandmother, the concert pianist, who passed away several years ago. But one person I haven't heard mentioned at all is your Dad. Where is he?"

Min-Jun's face drained of color. He looked away and hastily put on his helmet.

"We don't talk about my Dad," he muttered, kicking the bike to life and disappearing into the busy city night.