Page 103 of Signed, I'm Yours!
I wonder if I’ll ever win him over. If I’ll win any of them over. If it even matters. Because…what if Jack walks out of my life as soon as I reunite with Omma and Min?
“Okay. Let’s go.” Jack ushers everyone back to the elevator and we get two cabs to Newark.
It takes a little over an hour to get to the address April provided, which turns out to be in a perfectly serene suburban area with more grass than road and large but unimposing houses.
We gather outside number 811, and everyone stands behind me, urging me on, encouraging me, but I can’t move. I can’t blink. I can’t breathe.
What if it’s a dud? What if there’s no one here? What if April made a mistake?
And what if they’re right? What if they’ve been here all along? Why haven’t they come to me? Why have they kept their distance? Are they in trouble? Someone’s captives?
“I can’t.” I fall back into the group, into Jack’s arms, and catch my breath.
“Yes, you can.”
“Of course you can.”
“You’re so close.”
They all chime in, but it doesn’t make my legs any more cooperative.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Jack whispers in my ear and I nod so fast my head might as well roll off my neck.
But it’s not just Jack who comes with me. It’s everyone. Which somehow makes it easier to walk and breathe and even knock on the door.
Light floods the porch, and the silhouette of a woman appears, but I have to close my eyes and adjust to the light before I can make out her features.
“Omma!” I say when I do, falling into her arms.
“Seojun?” She stops and takes a step back before I can embrace her. “What are you doing here?”
I’m confused. What kind of question is that?
“What do you mean? I’m here for you.”
“Why?” she asks, and someone walks up behind her—Min.
“Why? Because you’re my family. Because, one day, you were just gone, and I didn’t know what happened to you. Are you okay? Do you need help? Do you need me to rescue you?”
“Rescue us?” Min laughs.
Why is he laughing? Why are they acting so weird? Are they being mind-controlled by one of my enemies? Is that what this is?
“Yeah. Someone took you. Made you disappear. I’ve looked everywhere for you,” I tell him, feeling Jack slip his hand into mine and squeeze.
“Seojun, no one took us. What are you talking about?” Omma asks. “Didn’t you read our letter?”
I grimace.
“What letter?”
“The letter we wrote to you. Telling you we were leaving? Min, didn’t you write the letter.”
Min nods.
“Yeah, I left it with the neighbor. She was supposed to give it to him the day after.”
The neighbor? What neighbor? Everyone hated us in my old neighborhood. Except…
