Without fear, Mina gulped down the liquid handed to her so quickly that she began to choke. The woman who was standing beside her, helped her sit up and she rubbed her back, unaware that she was pressing on a bruise.
Mina squinted and the unknown woman shifted her head, catching a glimpse of a giant green and purple bruise. Mina saw the woman looking at her, but she did not mind, for some reason she felt safe with her. She had at least been brought to a hospital, and she hoped it meant that she would not be made to suffer for much longer.
After three more cups of water, the glass was taken from Mina and placed on a nearby table. While gently holding her hand, the woman spoke.
"Can you speak now? Can you tell me what happened?" Her tone was inviting, and Mina instinctively felt that she must have been a professional counselor. She probably worked for the hospital because she could not see President Lee sending anyone to comfort her.
"I… I don't remember," Mina said in a painfully hoarse voice. Luna looked at the girl in front of her and could not see any indication that she was lying.
"What is your name? Where is your family?" Mina froze. She withdrew her hand from the woman's and laid back down. She closed her eyes and forced a smile on her face. There were no tears, but her lips trembled slightly.
"I already told President Lee that I would tell him everything, and I have. I don't know what I said to set him off, but I would really rather you just kill me now." Luna's impression of Mina changed. Mina was intelligent enough to make her way into a Lee family hotel without being stopped or questioned and somehow, she was able to tell that she and Ian were on the same side with just a single question. Luna sighed and took a deep breath.
"My name is Luna Lee and Ian Lee is my older brother. I do not know what happened between you two, but I would like to understand. Please tell me the truth," she said. "While I cannot promise that nothing will happen to you, I can promise you that I will ask my brother to leave your family out of it." Mina nodded and began to give Luna the condensed version of the story.
Mina told Luna that she was unable to find stable employment from the moment she graduated from school. The stress of the situation was beginning to weigh on her, and when she was at her lowest point, she thought she found a golden ticket. She had reunited with a girl named Adley who introduced her to Mr. Mike.
After meeting a few times, Mr. Mike sent Mina to sneak into President Lee's room, although at the time she did not know it would be him, or she would not have agreed. Mina told Luna about the $50,000 and about the $100,000 that was supposed to follow. Then Mina told her everything that happened in the hotel room before she could not remember anything.
Listening to Mina speak, Luna had the feeling that the woman was not ordinary. She was not crying, although she was obviously in discomfort. Most women in the same situation would be crying their eyes out, but Mina only seemed to regret her own actions.
Luna studied Mina's face for a while; she was incredibly beautiful, and she wondered if her brother had a moment of weakness and took advantage of the girl. She did not want to suspect him and the lack of emotion, was not enough evidence to condemn either the woman, nor was her brother's odd behavior a sign of guilt.
"Mina," said Luna, while slightly leaning forward. "Did your head injury happen before or after you lost your memory?" Mina reached up and touched the side of her head. She could feel the bandage. It was then that Luna realized that Mina had not seen her own injuries. The woman pressed down on the bandage and told Luna that the injury happened when she fell out of the bed. She told her that she was originally unable to move, but the urge to puke forced her to roll and she hit her head on the nightstand. "Damn!" Luna shouted, as she sat in a chair near Mina's bed.
"You were hoping that someone knocked me out to frame your brother?" Luna looked up in surprise. The woman was smart. However, Luna did not answer.
Seeing that President Lee's sister was no longer in a talking mood, Mina turned her face away. She was embarrassed, and she did not want to be seen. Especially since she had walked herself right into the situation.
A long while passed in silence and Mina shifted in the bed, wincing before speaking.
"President Lee told me that we were going to have a long night before he gave me a piece of chocolate," she said. "I didn't think much of it then, but I don't remember much after that." Her voice cracked, but Luna did not move to comfort her. "The next time I saw him, we were both naked, but I could see in his face that he was also confused. He brought me to the hospital after I asked. I do not expect to leave this place alive, but please keep your promise and do not involve my family."
As the two were speaking, Ian walked into the room. Mina looked at the man once then forcefully retreated her gaze. She shut her eyes tightly and turned her head to avoid seeing him. Luna saw that Mina's actions were not fake. She was genuinely afraid of Ian.
Luna quickly walked toward Ian and pulled him aside. There were curtains around the patient's bed and she pulled them shut. Ian looked at his sister in confusion.
"Can we speak outside?" she asked, making Ian even more confused than he already was.
'Since when did his family use manners around corpses?' he thought angrily.