What I Did for Love

Part 1
June 17, 1999

My name is MiNa Nam. I'm 19, still very young, but I am dying. Not right now but my life is slowly fading away as I'm writing my story. At this moment I'm sitting at 'our' spot. Mine and Eun Ji Won, the love of my life.

The sun is slowly beginning to set over the lake. I took a glance at my reflection in the water. My outside looks have changed drastically within the past few months, but the water reflected the true me. Inside I'm still the same person.

I have done and given so much for love but never once, have I received it back from Ji Won. There are times that I wanted to tell him everything that I've done for him and make him love me back. But I can't.
Love is not selfish.

So I did what felt right. I keep giving Ji Won my love and I never asked for his love in return. Even though I'll leave this world pretty soon, my love for him will still remain. My story begins when I first met Ji Won six years ago on this one fateful day. It all started out…

Part 2
October 31, 1993

"You better come back here you good for nothing brat!"

I covered my ears with my palms. That was my stepmother calling me. Her voice sounds murderous and I didn't want to face her today. She had slapped and hit me too much already. I'm afraid I can't take it anymore so I hid in my closet.
I peeked through the crack in my closet and saw my stepmom with a really pissed off look on her face. She was holding that stick that I'm always afraid of. I winced thinking about how much it would hurt if she hits me with it again.

I'm just thirteen and whoever said 13 was an unlucky number, they were right. My mom had died when I was just turning ten. Before she died she told me that I was the most beautiful girl in the world and how proud she was to be my mother. She said even though she'll be gone, her love remains with me always.

Tears rolled down my cheeks. 'If you love me mommy, how can you be so selfish to leave me?' So now when I had turn 13 my dad had married Mok Young A, who is my stepmom today. She was a cold-hearted woman who tortured me all day. Any self-esteem I had for myself was shattered and I was living a nightmare.

My closet door suddenly opened.
"There you are you wicked girl!"
My stepmom started cussing at me as she pulled me out and threw me onto the floor. I began to tremble because I knew what was going to happen next.

*Whack whack whack.*
I cried out in pain but I knew that no one is going to hear my cries. I desperately began to gasp for air. My heart was aching again. I couldn't breathe.

"Not again! Don't you see how much you're costing your father and me with your heart problems? If it wasn't for all these medical bills we wouldn't be so poor now!"

I had this heart condition where air would suddenly shut off and I couldn't breathe. The doctors are trying to save me by giving me a respirator and pills, but they're not sure how much longer I'll be able to live. My dad (who was a pathetic excuse for a man) came in.

He looked down at me with sorrowful eyes. He held my stepmom's arm lightly and said, "I think she had enough. You don't want her to have another attack. Calm down and let's have dinner."

"That's why I'm hitting her!" she yelled. "She got detention and stayed after school for an hour. She was supposed to be home to go buy food for dinner and make it. Your daughter is so evil. She wants me to starve or something!"

"I didn't get detention. The teacher wanted to talk to me about-"

But I was cut off by the whack of my stepmom's stick. I cried silently in pain and turned away. I didn't want to look at her.
My dad said, "Well, dinner's just going to be a little late today. Mina, say sorry to your mom."

Despite the pain, I managed to say, "Sorry mom. Please forgive me."

My dad handed me some money. "Here. Go buy food to make mee-yuk-gook tonight." My stepmom's temper simmered down a little as my dad lead her out of my room.

I picked up the money and headed for the store. Mr. Choi, the owner of Choi Food Market, shook his head as I walked in. He knew what kind of hell I was going through. I finished my shopping and checked out.

"That'll be $3.49."

"What?" I asked. "Umm…Mr. Choi. That's impossible. With all this stuff it should be around $15."

"I know Mina." Mr. Choi gave me a sad smile. "The exact price is $14.32. Why don't you keep the change for yourself?"

I opened my mouth in shock. "Mr. Choi…I..I can't do that," I said as I handed him 20.

He only took five. "No. Keep it. I know that stepmom of yours don't give you any money."

I looked up at Mr. Choi with tears in my eyes. Here he was, just a friend reaching out to me. I said thanks and headed for home.

Part 3
I decided to take a shortcut home but as I passed the alley, a hand pulled me in. I was knocked to the ground and a shadow hovered over me. I began to scream but the same hand covered my mouth.

"Shut up or I'll kill you!"

I shut my mouth instantly. I didn't want to die yet. In the moon's reflection I got a good look of my attacker. It was a boy who looked a little bit older than me. His face and clothes were dirty but he had really good features so I could tell he was extremely good-looking. But this was not a time to think about such things.

He held a table knife at my throat and said, "Give me all your money or I'll kill you."

I panicked but I knew what to do. I used the move I wanted to use on my stepmom every time she pinned me down and hit me. I kicked him hard, right into his family jewels. He gasped and fell to the floor, dropping the knife. I picked up my groceries and ran.

I guess you can call me the dumbest person alive. I was afraid I had kicked the boy too hard and permanently damaged him. Besides, since my life is hell already, I didn't want him to go through it too. So I turned back.

When I came back to the alley, the boy was still lying on the floor. He was moaning softly. I lifted him up gently. "Are you okay?" I asked. He shook his head no. "I'm sorry," I said to him. I reached into my pocket and pulled the money Mr. Choi gave me. "If you need money, then here. All I have is ten dollars."

I placed the money in his hand and walked away. He looked at me with this weird expression that I couldn't read. I picked up my groceries and this time I left without turning back. I could tell the boy was watching me as I was walking away…

Part 4
Ji Won stared at the girl who had just walked away.

'She must be the nicest or dumbest person in this world,' he thought.

He began to stand up but had to use the wall for balance. That girl had kicked him a little too hard. Ji Won had just run away from home again. He had run away so many times that the alley was his second home. When he ran away he always stole his parents' money.

They were the richest people in all of Hawaii but they were also the most messed up family. His dad would have a lot of women with him and would betray a friend if it would bring him money.

His mom, on the other hand, was an exact duplicate of his dad. She always had these young men around her and spent money like crazy. His parents were divorced and lived on opposite ends of Hawaii.

'Bitch and bastard,' thought Ji Won.

When he ran away this time, he didn't have the chance to steal any money from his dad. So he had no choice but to rob somebody. When he saw the young girl walking out of the store, she seemed to be the perfect target. But things didn't turn out as planned.

Ji Won kept wondering why the girl gave him the money even though he could have killed her. Ji Won knew he couldn't take the money because she was the first person in his messed up life that was nice to him because she wanted to be, not because she wanted something from him. He wanted to give the money back.

When he gained some of his strength back, he began to chase her…

Part 5
When I came home, I was greeted by the usual words. 'Ugly wretch, wicked girl, freeloader, etc.' but luckily I made it through dinner fine. When dinner ended, my parents went to sleep leaving me with the dishes. I cleaned the table and washed the dishes.
I also took out the trash and then suddenly I felt someone grab me from behind. My attacker turned me around to face him. It was the same boy I met in the alley. I began to panic.
"I gave you all my money already! What more do you want from me?"
He raised a finger to his lips and tried to shush me. I felt one of my attacks coming on. I started to hyperventilate and couldn't breathe. I was beginning to black out.

Ji Won looked at the girl who looked like she was going to die.
"Oh my God! Are you okay?"
This time it was the girl's turn to shake her head no. Then she collapsed in his arms. Ji Won didn't know what to do but he had to save her life. He began to give her mouth to mouth.
"Come on," he whispered to her. "Breathe. Don't die on me."
After a while she began coughing and opened her eyes.

I opened my eyes and saw a blurry object heading towards me. Then I felt something soft pressing against my lips and I felt a gust of air. Then I realized the boy was giving me air. I couldn't believe what was happening. I blushed and gently pushed him away.
"Thank you for saving me. I'm okay now."

The boy turned slightly red. "Uhh…you're welcome. You kinda scared me there."

"Sorry about that. Well, what is it that you want from me?"

"Here." He handed me back the same ten dollars I had given him. I looked up at him.
"No, it's okay. Keep it. I think you need it or you wouldn't have tried to rob me."
He shook his head. "No. I just wanted to borrow it only. I don't take charity. Well, goodbye."

Just as he walked away, I heard his stomach grumble. I bit my tongue so I wouldn't laugh. Since he didn't take charity, I said, "Um, hey. I just made some food and I don't know if it's good or not. I need a guinea pig because I don't want to serve it to my parents if it isn't and besides, you did save my life.

Ji Won looked at her. 'Why is she being so nice to me?' he thought. He knew she was just saying that because she heard him say he doesn't want charity. Ji Won's stomach was growling like crazy. He hasn't eaten for 2 days already and the mention of food was killing him.
"Uh, okay. I guess I'll be your guinea pig since I have nothing to do."
He studied her face as she smiled at him. 'She's pretty,' he thought as he smiled back.

Part 6
I let the boy wait outside as I got some of the leftover mee-yuk-gook for him. He finished it in less than a minute. Then he leaned back and sighed. Out of nowhere, he let out a burp. I had to giggle. He looked at me and smiled.
"Sorry about that."

"It's okay."

I hesitated before I asked him the next question. "Umm…so what's your name?" He glanced at me and then stared at the ground. I could tell he was debating to tell me his real name or not. I didn't want him to feel obligated to telling me his name. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Ji Won looked at her surprised. "No! It isn't that!" he yelled. She stared back at him surprised too. Then he lowered his voice. "I'm sorry. Please don't misunderstand."
She nodded her head slowly and Ji Won can tell that she was confused. Ji Won felt that he could trust her and he wanted her to be his friend.

"My name is Eun Ji Won and you are?"

"Nam Mi-Na, but call me Mina. It's easier to remember."
Then she gave him the sweetest smile. Ji Won felt his heart beat a little faster when she smiled at him. He blushed and looks away.
"So uh, how old are you?"

"13," she replied. "And you Ji Wonee?"

He smiled when she called him that. "I'm 15," he said turning back to look at her.

"15?" I asked in disbelief.

Ji Won nodded.
"Where are your parents oppa? You're too young to be living in the streets."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I can take care of myself." I gave him a doubting look because he was trying to pull that tough guy act on me. "It's okay though," he told me. "I have a family. It's just that things are bad at home so I'm just getting away from it for a while."
'So he ran away,' I figured out.

I could tell that Ji Won was a good person. "Do you have a place to stay tonight?" He shook his head. "How about staying in my room then," I offered.

Ji Won couldn't believe his ears. He stared at Mina. 'Did she just offer him a place to stay?'
"Ji Won?" Mina asked as she waved a hand in front of his face. "Are you okay?"

Ji Won shook his head and snapped out of it. She placed her hand on his knee. "Oppa, I asked if you want to stay in my room for tonight?"
Ji Won was so touched that he felt his heartache. No one had ever cared about him so much but he didn't want to feel as though he owed her. "No thanks."

Mina looked at him with her big sad eyes. "Please oppa? I'm afraid of the dark." Ji Won smiled. He knew she was lying so he would say yes. For the first time in his life, Ji Won felt warm inside because now he is wanted. He let out a sigh.
"Aigo Mina, okay. You talked me into it. But just for tonight though."
She giggled and nodded.

"Okay."