I have to run away every time, from everywhere I go to get away from my family. I don't understand why he can't leave me alone. I am trying to live my life.
I get on a plane, he finds me. I get on a train, he finds me. I get in a random person's car, he finds me. Right now, It is about 3:00 a.m. give or take, I am on the run again. My destination: New York City. I booked a plane in my friend's name so my family doesn't know it's me. When I mean family, I mean my father. He has been chasing me for years, all since I was 18. When I ran away from home.
At home, I have twin sisters waiting for me always. One of them is called Ma-Rin and the other one Mi-Ran. The names only have two letters switched around. The names are foreign. My father, Jeong-Jin Park is from Korea and my mom, Selina Mamani Choque, was from Bolivia. I now have a stepmom, Seo-Yin.
Fall of 2008 a few months before the twins were born, my mom died in a car accident. I didn't see her at the funeral. The door was closed for everyone except my father to enter. I don't know, I knew someone killed my mom, and I knew who that someone was. This broke my heart but what broke my heart, even more, is that those two baby girl twins had to grow up without a mom. Just thinking about this, a tear dropped out of one of my eyes, I missed the girls. I remember always playing with them, piggyback rides, swimming in the pool, and feeding them food when they were hungry. Ma Rin and Mi Ran must be all grown up. I regret leaving them behind, but It was for my good and they are good too!
I'm almost at the airport, the Yangyang International Airport, where I have to hop on my plane in about 30 minutes. Wait, 30 Minutes! I need to hurry.
15 minutes later
I reach the Airport. I run and see all the schedules on the huge screens. I find mine, it is on the farthest left side of the airport and I am on the right side. I let out a sigh. No, No sighing. I can get there. Don't give up! I spot someone chasing me. I turn around and these tall and huge fully dressed Men-in-black guys in suits, head-to-toe, turned around. My father's minions are back. Sometimes I wonder, Do they ever get bored of playing this hide-and-seek game with me. Seriously, I would have quit already. I start running as fast as I can. I have to head through the place where passengers pick up their luggage. I turn around and keep running forward. I lost them... I can't see them anymore...when I turn back around a lady is in front of me and I couldn't stop myself...Boom.
"Owwwww, Yo you, young man, watch where you run next time" A woman seemed in her early 30s with dark curly hair says glaring at me from the ground. I reach out a hand to help her up but she ignores it. She drops her ID. I pick it up for her. Gwen R-. She snatches the ID from my hand as she stands up. Chills scatter throughout my body.
"I'm sorry Ma'a-" I have no time for this. I have to keep running. I don't want to lose my flight. Then all of a sudden...Someone pulls me by my backpack...
"We caught you, Young Master Park, No running from us anymore" How?! How? Where did they come from? I hate it when they call me that.
"Oh come on, How about if I give you money and you can take your ginormous Squid arms off of me. This way, We can all enjoy our day! Huh? How does that sound?" I pull out 100,000 dollars for each one of the three guards.
"Young Sir, I am afraid we can not accept that, We follow orders from your father"
"Yup figures as much," I say giving out my arms. I have been defeated once again. I could have fought them but Violence solves nothing. I wasn't skinny like KPOP stars are. I am built. I had to keep it that way. I can't be a weak person. I was not a basic Korean guy especially since I was mixed with Spanish traits. I had black straight hair, Light brown eyes that turn lighter in the winter, a height of 6'3. Still, though, They carry me into a limousine.
"It's too early to be running away from me, son," He says in the deepest raspy voice. I don't say anything. I'm looking through my phone for the next flight to New York City. My father snatches my phone.
"Hey! Not Cool!" I say in Korean in an informal form which is disrespectful, I have not seen my father for 11 months, at least at that time I managed to escape.
"Watch your tone with me, Alejandro Park," He says also in a formal speech to me in Korean.
"Then, What do you want?" I say, crossing my arms.
"You think it is a coincidence that I am here, or you think that I am still chasing you right now?" I am beginning to get annoyed.
"Quit the stalling and tell me what you want from me?"
"I need you to come to a company dinner with me, my son."
"I am not your son"
"Yes you are and you are coming whether you like it or not"
"I do n-"
"I do not want to listen to you right now, this is urgent, you are the heir to my company, Park group, it is going to be like this for generations, this is an important meeting with the Directors and Shareholders of the company. Don't say another word until we get to the hotel," I kept quiet because it is no use trying to get out of this situation. However, I am reminded of this expression 'It is going to be like this for generations' My grandpa would use this expression, except he said that the love that he has for me will go on like this for generations and I will carry this love to the future generations. I wonder, how is Grandpa doing. My grandpa lives here in South Korea with my grandma. He never told me where he lives, every time I try to call him or text him, he never says anything back or answers the phone. Grandpa was old-fashioned though so he still would have a flip phone and never change his number. In my head, thinking did something happen to him, did my father tell him not to contact me? For now, I know I will escape again and be on my way to N.Y.C. I wasn't going to ask my father about grandpa, I am willing to wait for the right time to embarrass him and expose him for what he is.
1 hour later, 4 in the evening at the hotel
The guards open up the doors for us to get off. We walk inside and I wait to the side while my father checks us in. When we arrive at the suite, my father showed me to my room. I throw myself on my bed as my father walked out of the room. I started to close my eyes suddenly, I needed sleep.
"Alejandro!" My heart is beating quickly, I feel as if I am in trouble. I walk out of my room towards the living room where my father is sitting on the couch with his legs crossed as if he meant business.
"Yes, Father, what do you need?" I ask feeling drowsy.
"The meeting of directors is going to be tonight at 7 p.m. so get enough sleep, you need to study this material" He throws a packet at me. I skim through the papers.
"I already know all of this"
"How do you know? You never did anything for the company"
"Because I do" I glare at him "I am going to bed" I walk towards my room and lock my door. I will sleep for at least just 3 hours.
"Who are you..." I see a little girl. She is sitting down on the floor. We are in an attic. Is this a dream?
"Gwen" She responds quietly.
"I am Alejandro..do you know who I am?" I ask. She nods her head yes. I am in a state of confusion. All of a sudden, the door that leads out the attic creaks...my heart starts to beat quicker and quicker by the second not knowing if someone was there and who that someone would be...the door opens...it is a woman...I can't see her face...why can't I see her face...she's walking towards the girl...wait is she about to...no.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh no no no stop get away from her" I wake up in the real-life with tears falling down my face. This wasn't a dream...it felt real...
"Are you okay Young Master Park?" One of my father's guards says from behind the door.
"Yes, I am okay, just a bad dream," I say catching my breath and wiping the tears from my eyes.
"The time is 6 p. m., you have to get dressed for the meeting" I get out of bed, slide into my slippers, and unlock the door. I grab the suit from the guard.
"Thank you" and I lock the door again. The suit is simple. Black and white pants and jacket with a white dress shirt and a black tie. I take a quick 5-minute shower.
5 minutes later...
As I get out of the shower and change into the suit, I noticed I have miniature bruises on my abdominal muscles, along the lines of my abs as if it was dotted. One miniature bruise then skips then another bruise and it skips. Did I beat myself in my sleep? I don't think so. I don't pay much attention to it and continue to dress. I walk outside to get a quick drink of water. All of a sudden, I see papers sticking out of an envelope on the dining table. My curiosity, my gut, tells me to read the papers. I walk over to the table and pull the papers out of the envelope.
"Stocks of Park Group 2020:
January-100 Billion
February-198 million
March-234 thousand
April-146 thousand
May-100 thousand
June-20 thousand
July- 10 thousand and declining."
President Park, Your son, needs to help you take over the company, The Stockholders and Directors are losing trust in you because of the last incident that happened a few years ago. The acci-"
"What do you think you are doing?!" My father barges into the room, snatching the papers from my hand.
"I was just reading, is that a crime?" I respond still thinking about what I read about an accident a few years ago, how long ago? I think I know exactly what this is about.
"You are wrong, these things are none of your business"
"Is this why you need me here? Your stocks have been dropping quite drastically, haven't they? You want money. And I am the only one that can help you, is that it? Is this the only reason you have been scavenging me for the past years huh? Am I nothing to you? Am I not a son to you anymore? Why did you change after mom died? Did you even care? Just to marry months after she dies? Father, did you seriously love her?" I yell, All these emotions start to arise as if they were asleep and have woken up.
"Don't assume situations that aren't true," He yells back.
"It is true, isn't it? All I'm saying is true. You know something, I don't want a father like you!"
"At this moment in time, I could care less," He says hiding his face " We were supposed to leave 20 minutes ago so let's go now." We head downstairs and there a car is waiting. We get inside the car. The whole ride was completely silent. We reach the hotel. We went inside to the ballroom and everyone starting bowing. Here in Korea, it is a huge gesture of respect. I have never realized how many directors there are in the company. This makes sense contributing to the fact that my father's company is worldwide. We sit at the table in the middle. The dinner meeting starts with one of the directors speaking.
"Welcome! Everyone! We are grateful you all directors, from all parts of the world, could join us today, and now we have big news for Park group announced by the chairman, Park Jeong-Jin"
"Good evening, Hope you all are doing well. I have some good news for the company, all of you, and your families. Starting today, My son, Alejandro Park, will take my place as President of Park group" Everyone starts looking at me and applauding. I never agreed to this...I can't say anything right now. One word and I ruin my father's reputation. My father knew I wouldn't say a word either. He did this exactly where I can't refuse, well played Father. I smile and wave, smile, and wave. Things couldn't get any better until he says...
"President Park please come up on the stage and say something like their new chairman" He waves his hand at me to head to the stage. I walk towards the stage with no other choice.
"Hello Everybody, My name is Park Alejandro..." Uhhh I don't know what to say next... then someone in the audience asks "Will you make us a lot of money?"
"Yes, he will," My father tells them patting my back. Here it comes again, smile and wave, smile and wave. We both walk down the stage and sit down, he looks at me with a look like 'I won'. The main directors sit at one table and that is where we are at, in the middle of the room. The directors and my father conversate. Right now, I don't care about what they are saying. That's right, I still have to escape. How can I do that? I can leave and use the little boy's room and flee after that to New York City. I excuse myself, head to the outside, right when I start to walk out I notice a woman swimming alone under the water from one side to the other without breathing. She rises out of the water. Her wet dark brown curly hair drips on the floor. When I begin to leave, I tip over and accidentally drop a pen from my pocket on the ground and move into the darkness as she turns around.
"Who is there? Hello?" She yells. As I am hiding I hear something from my side, a creek... a whisper between two people... walking of footsteps...before I can move... darkness takes over my vision...no...something takes me away...whatever this is...My voice fades away...help m-
-
Where am I?... How long has it been? Ugh, I press my hands against my head, I get a piercing headache. I get up to look out the plane window. When I leave the room, I see the bathroom and run towards it. I head to the toilet, start to retch, which is not successful. I wipe my mouth and walk out.
"Hello, Son...How did you sleep? You have been sleeping for 10 hours" Someone says to me as I turn around. It is my father and his minions. I march to my father feeling weak.
"WHY?! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!? A PARENT DOES NOT JUST KIDNAP THEIR ADULT SON AND PUT THEM ON A PLANE. WAS I EVEN MADE FROM YOU?! BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, I DO NOT EVEN KNOW IF YOU ARE A HUMAN BEING!" I let out all my anger in Korean. I feel like I am so red. I am shaking inside of my head but on the outside, I stand strong without showing I am in pain. After I say this, he dares to clap.
"Let me explain myself"
"Go ahead," I say as my arms are crossed.
"I would not use the word kidnap but I would say we helped you get to somewhere that you did not want to be at"
"OK so you kidnapped me"
"I know you were leaving. I told you 'I could not let you do that and you still did not listen. Do you think I did not know? I know you like the back of my hand. I know all your moves on the chessboard"
"Then why have you not caught me all this past year?" He cleared his throat "Why? You did not answer my question"
"Alejandro, the company is going bankrupt and I need your help. I can not, simply can not lose the company. I know you know everything about this company. I know you also spend your time studying the company's materials, the shareholders, and the companies we merge with. This once I need your help, please, my son" He is making me feel bad now for yelling at him, he sounds sincere.
"I just can not. I just want to be build houses for poor people, homeless ones, and help those in need that grew up with nothing"
"You have no money to waste on people who are not like us" I take that back, I do not feel bad for him.
"Do not refer to them as 'waste.' You just do not know. You do not know me 'like the back of your hand' as you say. I have been all over the world, building houses for people. My last stop is to get a house built in the U.S., that is all I want"
"I see, one thing I know, I can never shake a decision you set your mind to, even if I am completely against it. I will make a deal with you. I will pay for your expenses...after you work for the company...bring it back to the top. I will let you do what you want to do in New York for 3 years. After that, you will come back and continue to be the Chairman of Park Group. So, set up your meetings, come up with plans and we will continue with the plan. I warn you, do not try to run away again. Deal?"
"Deal"
"Now are you not going to ask me where we are going?"
"Nah, I am exhausted from all this jet lag, from you and your pride so I am heading to bed, Good Night."
"Good Night son," He says so sweetly, Why is he acting like this?
"Leave her alone," I light up the house on fire for the woman to leave the girl. The fire starts to burn quickly, overtaken with flames. I start to cough, I can not breathe. I start to sob. A man walks towards me.
"Do not be scared I am here" He says in a loud but reassuring voice.
"Get away from! Help!" Tears rushing all through my face
"I am here to help you"
"N-no, NOOO!" I yell, crying more, as he reaches to pick me away from the fire.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" My heart is beating so fast. I wake up. What type of dream was that? I feel so enclosed. I open a window seal to take a look outside and see if I can see land. I do see land, we are in Australia. It is obvious because of the plain and the color of the land, low desert plains. I built one big house here for 30 different families that were homeless, consisting of children, couples, handicapped and elderly ones. This mansion was one of my last projects since my father always took me to Australia so I might as well do something about it. I would ask around where the homeless lived. Many did not want to tell me but I found out eventually. The sympathy that I felt knowing I could not help many but as much as I could find. This is how people lived and I wanted to at least change some lives. The mansion I built with many workers, of course, was divided into many parts, separating the different families and groups. Therefore, everyone has their own space. I wanted everyone to be overjoyed with what I built for them.
We land at the house where our generations started, the Park house in Queensland, Australia. The plane lands on our private runway for this plane. The plane stopped, I unbuckled my seat belt and walked out as the plane door opened. Here in Australia, it is freezing. I am glad that I bring huge jackets with me, as I traveled, I couldn't tell what weather that country would have. I was constantly ready for any weather. I put on my big jacket and wait outside for my father. He walked out in his suit and a classic puffer jacket. In Korea, it was known as a classic and the center of Korea's style. The question I have though is why does he have a suit on? He did not have it before. He and his minions walk inside the house first, we are greeted by the maids cleaning at the entrance. They stop and bow to my father. The house is quiet, especially because this is the time where the twin girls were going to be in school. I am guessing my stepmom went to drop them off. I never, truthfully, liked my stepmom. I felt as if she replaced my mom and the point was that she was one of my mom's best friends. Isn't that what girls call breaking the 'girl code' If you date the other man or something like that? The month after my mom died, they married. She had another best friend. Now, thinking about it, I do not remember meeting another friend. Just thinking of my mom brings back so many memories, brings tears to my eyes. I wiped my tears before my father saw them. He showed me to my room, even though I still remembered. Now, walking inside, I notice that nothing has changed, nobody has changed, it shows how dust has piled on the furniture, bed, and floor. I did not want to ask who left it like this. My guess was the butlers and maids, they were always caring towards me. I was the only one who gave them breaks. I also am extremely nice to them. I hear a car pull up in the front, this must be my stepmom. I walk outside and wait for her to come out to greet her and the girls. Here comes my stepmom, Seo-Yin, the first thing I notice is her huge belly. She is pregnant?!?!
"Your pregnant?!"
"Do not ask questions like that" My father says.
"So this is why you only stayed in Korea for a short period," I say and she starts crying, saying how much she missed me.
"Are you okay? Why are you crying?" She grabs onto me.
"Honey, do not be like this right now. You are having your mood swings again" My father takes her off of me. I look back to the car, where are the girls? We all sit down on the couch on the opposite side of the room from them.
"Did your dad tell you we are having a gender-reveal party?"
"No, he did not."
"It is going to be a late party from 8 p. m. to 12 p. m. Your dad's family is coming and so is mine from Korea." She says. I am reminded of when all of my father's family members learned Spanish and my mom's family learned Korean before the two of them got married. The effort of learning each other's languages is what amazed me and how quickly they learned. The way my father and mom met and how they fell in love. It all started in the year 1980 in summer, my mom at the time was 20 years old in her second year of college and my father did not go to college because he was going to be the heir of the company so he studied work of the company. Back then, my father was not a fan of becoming a CEO but rather he wanted to become a firefighter and save others. Now thinking about it, why does he pressure me now? Before my grandpa was my great-grandpa which is when the company started in 1920. My grandpa was 15 years old when he started the company that my great-grandpa gave him. The company was starting to expand more and more when my grandpa became the heir because Grandpa had many more connections.
As my grandpa took my father to La Paz in Bolivia in the mountains. Grandpa and Father stayed at a hotel for the weekend. Grandpa was planning to ally with Mamani Choque, my mom's family business, which sold soybean products, 6.3% of the company took part in South Korea. Now the products are all over the country because of the expansion of the company right now. However, since my father was only 20 years old and Grandpa at the time was 40. He wanted to give his son the company as soon as possible. But, my father wanted to be a Firefighter and just save people, Grandpa did not want that. That day, he was at the meeting with my mom's family business, and my father started arguing with my grandpa on purpose to ruin the deal. He threw food on his dad and yelled at him to embarrass him in front of Mr. Mamani Choque, his mom's dad, to show that Grandpa was not capable of being one of this company's shareholders. At that same time, my mom was in a cabin close to the river with a few of her friends. This was the summer break of college. Mom had two best friends, one came on the trip while the other did not, her friends were Ari Silva and Seo-Yin Park. It was funny how the word 'Silva' in Spanish meant whistle. Ari Silva did not attend this summer though she went to Venezuela. Ari Silva is originally from Brazil so she decided to visit someplace she never visited before. She knew Spanish because it is a law in Brazil for Spanish to be taught. That same night at 10 p.m., my mom saw an Instagram post of Ari and her new boyfriend, Andres Rio. Andres Rio was my mom's long-time crush since middle school. She never got to tell Andres how much she liked him even if they were close friends. This broke her heart so she left the cabin to go to the Rio Pazna, a river downhill. She left the house crying and only Seo-Yin knew. She spent all night by the water crying, regretting she did not tell him how much she liked him, how much she loved him.
It was noon, my father starts to yell at himself, talking to himself, saying his dad was so annoying and he walked down the mountain. He was so loud but since my mom was sobbing and in her head. She could not hear or listen to anyone. My father walked down to the lake and notice mom crouched down crying. He stood there, admiring her, her curly hair, her light skin, wondering who could make such a person cry like this. When she stood up and looked at him, his eyes shined at the sight of her, her face, was the most face, beauty, he has ever seen in his life. He starts a conversation with her. She wonders why he is there. He explains to her how his dad was doing something he did not want and forcing him to take over the company. As he starting talking about his story they both sat down on the sand next to the water. Right when he finished, she felt as if she should tell him everything, mom was not an open person like that, that is why she only had two close friends. She mentioned to him how she has liked this person for a long time. Her best friend, Ari, knew that she liked him a lot. She felt betrayed and heartbroken. They exchanged different good bits of advice for each other. It was getting late, they thank each other for the time and listening without another word or exchanging numbers, the both of them head back in their ways. Both mom and father told me that this was the day they met and fell in love. 9 years later, they meet again. He is finally the CEO and she is in an advertising company. This advertising company was hired by Father for an advertisement. Right when they saw each other again, they could not believe their eyes and thought that they were still sleeping. This meeting was unreal and impossible with such a fate. They started talking again, dating now, and finally, that same year married in 1990. I was born in 1997 on March 5th in South Korea. In 2008, the twins were born, a few months after the twins were born then my mom was in a car accident. Yeah, that was that story.
As we eat breakfast the bell rings and Father runs to the door. I hear tiny steps and when I look up it's the girls with their hands on their faces, tears start to rile up in my eyes as I remember they were only 6 or 7 years old when I left them.
"Girls you can open your eyes, Oppa is here" The girls take their hands off their faces with faces in shock as they open their eyes and see.
"Oppa!!" Mi-Ran and Ma-Rin yell so happily running to me for a hug. I open my arms wide for them.
"I missed you two so much...ahh do not cry, you are going to make me cry" I had tears in my eyes but now feeling their tears in my arms, I start to sob.
"You're back, I can not believe, you grew up so much, your so much more handsome now!"
"You too are the ones talking, look how much you two have grown about 10 years old now," I say laughing wiping my tears like them. We head to the park down the road. We played all day as we used to on the swings, slides, and the monkey bars.
"But really, how have you two been...since I have been gone"
"We have been okay but you know, Oppa, it has not been the same since you left," Mi-Ran says.
"Yeah, we cried for months when you left," Ma-Rin says.
"I know, I am extremely sorry, I just had to leave. I had no choice." I whisper looking down at my feet like a little child who is getting scolded.
"What do you mean,' you had no choice.' Like what happened?"
"I will explain it to you in the future okay? I promise" I tell them, rubbing their backs.
"Okay but do not leave us again without telling us, do not run away again"
"Oh well look at the time, all the family members must have arrived, let's go!" We start to walk to the house and they go to change into their dresses, as I look for my father to see what the plan is for today.
I walk towards his office which is probably where he is. As I walk towards the office, I hear stepmom too. She sounds as if she is having her mood swings again. I decided to come back after I change but then I overhear my name, and like a normal person with curiosity, I listen...
"What if he finds out, I need to tell him what happened that day his mom died," Mrs.Park says.
"No, it was not our fault"
"If I did not go there that day then maybe she would have lived but I ruined everything and if Alejandro finds out..h-he will hate me forever" She starts to cry.
"You are having your mood swings again honey. Stop talking no sense"
"What if he remembers that day...what if he does...that is why he ran away after all those years...he could not take it anymore" She cries more throwing herself to the ground.
"You do not have to worry about it...he does not remember that day...his memory loss will stay the same and his memory will not come back," My father says reassuring her. What does he mean, I do not remember that day? What day? The day my mom died? What is going on? I am starting to lose consciousness. Maybe...that is why I can not remember that day? I can not do this again...my feelings are overtaking my brain...I can not go back to square one after all those years of recovering. But, I can not leave the girls either. No...I have to leave. I head upstairs in a hurry, grab my backpack. I overhear another conversation with the family members who know the gender of the baby. It is a boy. I always wanted a little brother. I wanted to help my little brother grow up in this cold world. The way I took care of myself, I wish I could have had a shoulder to lean on but I guess it did not turn out that way for me. I walk away without getting seen and get out of the house. I run and run...New York City here I come.