10 Thirteen Years Ago

We did our self-introductions on the first day of the year.

I asked them their names and their ambitions in life.

-----FIRST DAY-----

"Hello, I'm Yoon Minyoung.

Actually… I want to be a singer."

The whole class is in awe of what they just heard.

I want to know why she decides to continue her education, but cheer on her instead.

I chant, "Sing, sing, sing, sing!" The rest of the class, except her deskmate, chants along… which is making her uncomfortable, anxious to be exact.

Okay, that was a bad idea.

Perhaps she rarely sings in front of people.

While the class chants, I signal an okay sign to Minyoung. In reply, she nods.

I tell the class to stop chanting. Minyoung clears her throat and starts to sing a snippet of Sole's "Ride".

-----PRESENT TIME-----

Knowing Minyoung's talent, I have an idea.

As the busker finishes the song, I approach him, greet him and whisper to his ears about letting Minyoung use his mic.

I convinced the busker to agree by paying five thousand won.

I summon Minyoung and she shyly approaches.

"What song do you want to sing," the busker asks.

"Me? Um… You, Cloud, Rain."

The busker says okay, she goes to the microphone stand and I go back to accompany Yoona.

"Is she going to be alright, Mr. Lee," Yoona asks me.

I answer, "Undoubtedly."

Minyoung looks at me for guidance and I give her thumbs ups, telling her she can do it.

The busker starts to play the song then Minyoung starts to sing.

It may not be strong but the tone is what makes her voice so beautiful. It is amazing.

When I close my eyes, I hear Taeyon from Girls' Generation.

She definitely has the potential. And it's not a bluff.

The more I listen to Minyoung's voice…

To the lyrics…

To the instrumental...

The more I take a trip down memory lane.

About my parents.

About what happened thirteen years ago.

"Mr. Lee… Mr. Lee."

I come to my senses and look at Yoona.

"Y-yeah?"

"Are you okay, Mr. Lee? You're crying."

I immediately wipe my tears with my hands and reply, "Yeah. It's just… I don't know why. (chuckle)"

If you're curious about what happened thirteen years ago, perhaps this is the time to tell you.

January 27, 2007. Saturday.

I played with my friend whose house was a block away from ours.

I tutored the kids at the park and had to do some schoolwork before finally going to my friend's house at two in the afternoon.

"Be careful and come home early," said Mom. And I told her okay in reply.

Mom was the only one left at home after I left. Dad, who was an instructor at Portland State University, was teaching that day so he was out.

I went to the other house and spent hours with my classmate playing NBA 2K7 on his PS3. Looking back, I still couldn't believe every match was a close one despite his great skills at the game and my lack of experience in console games.

Later, a thunder sound resonated through our ears. That was when we realized that the weather was already bad.

I was worried at first when I realized the weather. I reacted, "Oh, shoot! How am I supposed to go home without an umbrella?"

Then my friend told me he'd lend me one of their umbrellas later. I sighed in relief and continued to play the game.

We finally stopped playing at eight and it was still raining. He lent me the umbrella and walked out of the house.

While I was walking, a police car passed by with its siren on. I saw it stopping at the front of our house. At the same time, I saw two more police cars.

"What's going on," I mumbled. I had a bad feeling at first.

I walked gradually until I ran while still holding the umbrella.

I reached the house only to see police tapes at the door.

I got confused so I asked one of the police officers, "What's going on, sir? What is happening?"

He answered, "Apparently, a couple was murdered inside that house."

After hearing the answer, I immediately threw the umbrella at the side and hurriedly ran inside.

I went through the tape and ran towards the living room, where another batch of police tapes went in the way.

I stopped and peeked at the crime scene.

I saw two dead bodies; one man sitting at the chair and one woman lying on the floor face down.

It was Mom and Dad.

I stepped back for a bit. My whole body was shaken by what I just saw. I was so shaken up I lost balance and sat on the floor. I started to let tears out.

The longer I stared at their bodies, the faster my heart beat.

Until I snapped.

I got up instantly and tried to get closer to the crime scene.

As soon as I was about to cross though the tapes, I was stopped by a police officer. He held both of my upper arms. I wanted to go closer to their bodies but I struggled getting out from the officer's clutches.

As he was trying to stop me, I wailed. I kept screaming, shouting, yelling "Mom" and "Dad".

I lost my parents, the ones who took care of me, the ones who considered me their own child.

Of course it was agonizing.

I was angry. Because it hurts me as to why the hell they had to die.

I felt hopeless. Because they were my only family left.

And the happiness I got from hanging out with my friend earlier turned into ashes.

It was the worst day of my life.

According to their investigation, bullets were found from their bodies, specifically from Dads' head and Mom's chest, thus reported to be murder.

Although they said it was it was murder, the identity of the killer was unknown.

When I found out about the report, I was more angry than before. I clenched my teeth and closed my fists tighter, thinking how someone could murder people like them.

What happened next is gonna be another story. I ought to tell you what happened at that time only.

Everything I said was circulating in my mind when I was listening to Minyoung's performance.

Recognizing their classmate's voice, Chaeyoon and Yongjoon join me and Yoona to watch.

"You guys! Why did you not tell us Minyoung's gonna perform," Chaeyoon complains.

"Aigoo," says Yongjoon.

I come up with an excuse, "Sorry, guys. We were distracted."

"Well, I can't argue with that. You really can't turn your head somewhere if it's Minyoung," Yongjoon concur.

Chaeyoon continues to complain, "But I won't be able to post her performance on SNS!"

I tell her, "It's okay, Chaeyoon. Besides, there are other people who'll do it. Look at them."

"Because it was raining, I thought of you". This is just the very first line of the song and it already hit me.

Whenever I recollect my memories with Mom and Dad, the only thing that's in my mind is that I miss them so much. That's all there is. And that's what I'm currently feeling as Minyoung continues to sing.

Unlike when I was an assassin, I'm not mad that they're no longer on my side. I mean, I've accepted that fact for ages. I knew I had to move on from what happened thirteen years ago.

I usually don't let out a tear when I remember them so it was the first time I did such a thing for a very long time.

Minyoung finishes the song, greets and thanks the busker and the crowd who recorded the performance.

She approaches us and exclaims, "I did it!"

After that, we decide to go home via bus. We're pretty much tired the whole day, and we still have class tomorrow.

I intended to have fun on my own, but I had fun with my students instead. What a day.