Soul Mate (The Mating Series) (18 page)

“Good?” I asked.

His tone softened.
“Delicious.” Cho said, with a mouth full of food. “This was a good pick.”
Food makes Cho pleasant.
I noted. I sipped my coffee. I refused food. My stomach ached from stress. “Look, Cassie, I don’t want you to think I don’t like you.” Cho said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“But?” I
asked.

“…but Jimmy is my first concern.”

“I understand,” I said. “He’s your brother.”

“I couldn’t let you talk to Jimmy.”

“I know.” I shrugged. “I’m happy I got to see Jimmy.”

“Jimmy thought I w
as being an ass,” Cho said. My throbbing thigh agreed. “It wasn’t my intention.” Cho rubbed the back of his neck. “When I saw Jimmy’s eye, I knew you’d open your mouth,” he said. “I aimed to shut you up, not hurt you. I panicked. I apologize.” He swallowed hard, looked down, and said, “I hated seeing my little brother like that. Jimmy doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.” Cho looked away. He sniffed a few times.

I placed my hand on Cho’s arm.
“We both love Jimmy,” I said. “I’m trying to help, but I don’t know how. Please tell me what I need to do.” I had a change of heart. I respected Cho’s love for Jimmy.

“That’s what’s disturbing me; I don’t know what to do either.” Cho said
, rubbing his eyes.
Was he crying?
I couldn’t tell. “I would handle this differently, if we weren’t talking about my little brother or if Jimmy didn’t have these strange gifts.”

“What did Jimmy tell you? I couldn’t understand you, but I could tell it got heated.”

“I guess he had a vision last night. That’s how he got the black eye,” Cho said, his tough demeanor restored. “He went into some kind of trance and the C.O. hit him for being insubordinate. When he didn’t react, they took him to the infirmary. They thought it was some kind of seizure.”

I put my hand to my heart.
“
Oh!
” A tear escaped my eye.

“That’s good news
,” Cho said.

“How is that good news?”
Jimmy’s eye looked terrible.

“Not the beating, but they’
re keeping him in the infirmary. They think he’s epileptic. He’s not in general population.”

“He’s not with criminals
,” I said. I let out a sigh of relief.

“Right
,” he said. “Jimmy’s too sensitive. He’d get worse from his cell mates.”

Shawshank Redemption
came to mind. Several tears fell. I blew my nose with a napkin. “Did Jimmy say what the vision was?”

“It was about you.”

“Me?”

“About your apartment being broken into
,” Cho said. “Jimmy said that he saw the apartment in shambles. The person searched for something. Jimmy is worried about you. He doesn’t think you’re safe in that apartment. He wants to stay with you when he gets out. I don’t think it’s wise.”

“When he gets out?” I questioned. “Will he be getting out soon?”

“His arraignment is tomorrow. Jay Huber is going to ask that he be released on bail,” Cho said. “I expect the judge to set the bail at a million.”

“No one can afford that!”

“That’s the point, but we can, well our parents can.”

“Your parents can afford a million dollar bail?” I
asked, surprised. I knew the Kim’s were well off, but not that well off.

“Yes, but Jimmy doesn’t want me to
involve them.” Jimmy worried about what his parents thought. They didn’t know he was still using his abilities. It was dishonorable for Jimmy to lie.

I don’t get the “honor” and “dishonor” stuff that Jimmy’s mom, Park Min, threw aro
und. If he didn’t do what she wanted, it dishonored her or the family. If she wanted him to do something she’d tell him “It will honor me greatly, if…”

I remember the first time I met
Park Min and Shin Kim. They came to visit Jimmy and check up on him. Jimmy invited me to join them. “I’ve met your mom and I want you to meet mine,” Jimmy said.

“I don’t know
,” I said, nervously. “I don’t want to give them the wrong impression.”

“I’ve told them that
you’re just a friend, not a girlfriend.”

I met the three of them
at St. Elmo’s downtown. I wore a nice pant suit, which Jimmy advised me to wear. He said it made me look like a successful business woman. “Do I need to impress your parents?” I asked.

“No, but my mother is impressed by successful women
,” Jimmy replied.

“I’m in no way successful
,” I said.

“
You’re successful. You love your job and you’re good at what you do.”

Jimmy introduced
us. “It’s nice to meet you,” I said.

“Hmm
,” Mrs. Kim said, eying me.

“Nice meet you
,” Mr. Kim said, slightly bowing at me.

“Where from?” Mrs. Kim asked
in broken English.

“Mom!” Jimmy scolded.

“It important to know where ancestors from, Gangaji,” she said. Jimmy’s father named him, but his mother insisted on calling him “Gangaji” her pet name for him.

“Her people are American
,” Jimmy said, annoyed.

“No one American in
America,” Mrs. Kim said.

“My mother is Swedish and my
father is Sicilian,” I said, trying to diffuse the situation.

“You not Swedish
,” Park Min said, examining me.

“
I’m, but I took after the Italian side of my family,” I said. “I didn’t get my mother’s blond hair and blue eyes.”

“Cassie, would you like a drink?” Jimmy asked
, trying to change the conversation.

“Yes, please
,” I said. Jimmy waved over the waiter. I wasn’t sure what would be considered appropriate to drink. I didn’t want to give the Kim’s a bad impression. I looked at Park Min and asked, “What are you drinking?”

“Soju.”

“What is that?”

“Drink,” Park Min answered.

“
I’ll have a glass of that.”

“Cassie, you don’t want that
,” Jimmy said, in a hushed voice.

“Why not?
”

“It’s too strong. Just have wine.”

“Not too strong,” Park Min said, interrupting the exchange.

“It is for Cassie.”

“Not too strong for mother, but too strong for
girlfriend?”
Park Min mocked.

“What is it?”

“It’s rice vodka,” Jimmy said.

“Like Sake?” I
asked. “I like Sake.”

“No, it’s much stronger.”

“It’s fine, I’ll nurse it,” I said. I noticed Park Min assessing me. She found me wanton.

“Do you like my
Gangaji?” She asked

“Yes,” I said. “He’s my best friend.”

“Mom, I told you that Cassie and I are friends.”

“
Gangaji, you need wife,” Park Min said. “You not get wife with
friend
always on arm.”

“Mom,
I’m not ready for a wife and besides,” Jimmy lowered his voice, “I have baggage, remember?”

“A nice Korean girl would honor you even with demons. American girl not understand, but Korean girl do.”

“Not now Mom,” Jimmy said.

“Why you call me
mom
in front of friend?”

“Uhm-ma, not now.” To me Jimmy said, “Uhm-ma is mother in Korean.”

“No explain,” Park Min said.

“Mrs. Kim, I assure
you. Jimmy and I are friends,” I insisted.

The rest of the night spiraled further downwards. It ended with me getting too intoxicated on the Soju
, and puking outside the expensive steakhouse. Jimmy thought it was funny, but it offended Park Min. Park Min would die if she knew her little Gangaji was in love with me, a Mee-Kook or American.

“Anyway,” Cho said
, breaking my thoughts. “I’m calling my parents later. Jimmy doesn’t want them to know, but I need to get him out of there, before...” Cho trailed off. He stared at me.

“What?” I
asked. I blocked Cho out while thinking. 

Cho rolled his eyes
at my short attention span. “I said…I’m calling my parents to put up bail.”

“What if they don’t?”

“They will
,” Cho said. “I just don’t know which will be worse for Jimmy, jail or Mom giving him hell about you.”

“Your mom really doesn’t like me
, does she?”

“It’s not you
,” he said. “She doesn’t want any of her kids to be with an American.”

“Doesn’t she like Americans?”

“She likes them as long as they aren’t dating or married to her children.” He hitched a thumb at his chest. “I learned the hard way.”

“You’
re married to an American?” I glanced at his left hand, no wedding ring.

“Not anymore
,” he said.

“What happened?”

“Our parents didn’t approve, which caused problems. That wasn’t the only problem, but it didn’t help. It was too much for Stephanie to deal with. I worked a lot and was never home. Stephanie found someone else and left.” Cho took a drink of coffee. “I was pretty heartbroken for a while. Jimmy came to Chicago and helped me through it. Now, it’s my turn to help him through this mess. Our sister, Jin, is married to an American too. Mom disowned her. Todd’s a good guy. Jimmy and I still talk to her, but Mom won’t even mention her name. Jin’s got a baby on the way too.”

“Wow, I didn’t know.”
My heart sank. “What if Park Min disowns Jimmy?” I asked.

Cho laughed
. “Murder is forgivable, but your relationship isn’t. Let’s keep your love affair quiet.”

“No problem. Park Min scares me
,” I said.

“If
you’re serious about Jimmy then don’t let Mom intimidate you. Stand your ground with her, but not until after Jimmy’s been exonerated.”

“Do you think Jimmy will be exonerated?” I asked.

“I hope so. I mean this guy is a nut job. It’s only a matter of time before he does it again. Hopefully, he’ll be caught in the act.”

“Do you know
why Jimmy was at Mary House yesterday?”

“He thought you
were there and knew something was going to happen. He went to save you, and catch the guy.”

“I never work on Saturdays. Why would he think I was
there?”

“Beats me
.” Cho shrugged. “How does Jimmy know the things he does.”

“He’s psychic
,” I said.

Cho almost smiled.
“No shit, smart ass, but where does that ability come from?”

“I don’t know.”

“Exactly, and I can’t explain this unknown power to a judge, and not have Jimmy locked up in a psych ward.”

“You believe him
, don’t you?”

“Without a doubt. I’ve always believed him. He’s been doing this since he could talk.
” Cho crammed a ketchup covered fry in his mouth. “Once we were having dinner, and Jimmy, at three years old, looked up and said, ‘Gwang-gwang is here and says that it’s okay you took her pearls. Your sisters didn’t deserve them.’ My mother about shit herself! My grandmother died two years before Jimmy was born.” Cho smiled and his dimples showed. He had Jimmy’s smile. “The next day, Mom took Jimmy to some quack in China Town. Then she hounded Jimmy for more answers about her mother.”

“I thought
Jimmy’s powers frightened Park Min, and she thought it was evil.”

“Not at first
. When he predicted my grandfather’s death and it happened, it scared the hell out of her. Mom thought it was a demon working through Jimmy.”

“Poor kid.”

“I know he has these abilities, my parents and sister do too, but it’s hard to talk about to anyone else. Now, we have to put a case together, and omit the fact that he’s psychic.” Cho idly stirred his coffee.

“Do you think he will be okay?” I asked.

“No, but Jimmy seems to think it will work out.” Cho added, “You, on the other hand, he’s worried about.”

“
Why?” I asked.

“He seems to think this guy is
after you.”

“Did he say why?” I asked.

“He doesn’t know,” Cho said. “He is hell bent on going against my advice and staying with you if he’s released.”

“What is wrong with that?” I questioned.

“It puts him right in the middle,” Cho said. “I don’t mean you’re not important, but why does Jimmy insist on being people’s guardian? He’s in deep shit right now and about to make it worse. What if he’s found standing over
your
body?” I flinched. “Sorry, I’m not trying to scare you,” Cho said, realizing his mistake. “I don’t discount your safety, but I’ve got to take care of my little bro.”