June 17, 1999
’Please let Ji Won be okay’, I prayed
to myself silently. Hopefully my prayers will be
answered. So is this the end? My heart never changed
because it was still the same one I loved Ji Won
with. I couldn’t bear the thought of trading
it with someone else. I was so confused. Had I finished
what I had really come for? What will happen to
my love for Ji Won? I didn’t know these answers.
I felt weaker and my pen fell from my fingers. I
stopped my story right there. Truth is, I didn’t
know how to end it so I might as well leave it unfinished.
I took off my cap and clothes. I was wearing a long
white flowing dress underneath. It was the kind
I always wanted to wear when I thought I was going
to marry Ji Won.
My hair had grown out a little bit. It grazed my
chin. I started to put on some light make up and
combed my hair. I don’t know why I’m
getting dressed up for but I knew I wanted to die
looking like Nam Mina, and not Ahn Min Sung. I looked
at my reflection again. ‘At least I look like
a girl now’, I thought with a little laugh.
When I was done, I leaned against the hard rock
and wrapped my arms around it, pretending it was
Ji Won. Then I heard a voice yelling out my name.
“Mina!” I recognized the voice. Ji Won.
I smiled, knowing at least he’ll be the last
person I’ll see before I go.
Ji Won looked around the beach and saw a figure
in a white dress. ‘Mina,’ he thought
as he ran towards her. It was Mina. He lifted her
into his arms and onto his lap as he sat down on
the rocks. “Mina,” he whispered to her
and kissed her on the neck and face. Tears began
to fall down his face.
All of my energy seemed to have been drained as
I forced myself to open my eyes. My face felt wet
but it wasn’t from my tears and it wasn’t
raining either. My vision was kind of blurred and
I couldn’t see Ji Won too well. I reached
up to touch his face. It was wet. “Ji Won,”
I whispered to him. “Please don’t cry.
You’re scaring me. I’ve never seen you
cry before.”Ji Won looked down at Mina, through
his tear-filled eyes. “I’m so sorry
Mina.”
“Don’t say you’re sorry,”
she whispered back to him. “You’ve done
nothing wrong.”
Ji Won shook his head. “I’m so sorry.
You’ve done so much for me and I haven’t
even realized it. I haven’t done anything
for you except put you through a lot of pain.”
I reached up wipe away Ji Won’s tears. “I
didn’t expect anything back from you oppa.
But I want to know why did you leave me in Hawaii?
I could have called the wedding off if you didn’t
want to marry me.” I felt Ji Won’s grip
on me tighten.
“I didn’t mean to leave you Mina,”
answered Ji Won, his voice shaking. “I couldn’t
take my dad anymore. My grandpa had given me his
inheritance and I planned on taking you and Sung
Hoon with me. I didn’t tell you about it because
I was afraid you wouldn’t leave your family
for me. When I came to your house to get you, my
uncle’s men were there waiting for me and
chased me to the docks. I escaped but I wanted to
go back but couldn’t. I could have put your
life in danger. This isn’t the first time
I’ve cried Mina. I cried when I knew I was
going to be separated from you.”
Despite the pain, I managed to smile. Ji Won didn’t
want to leave me, I thought. “Look Ji Wonee,
I’m wearing the dress I always wanted to wear
if we had gotten married.”
Ji Won looked at me. “You’re beautiful
Mina,” he said to me. “If everything
would have gone as planned, we could have been married
here in Korea.”
One thing was still bothering me. I think I managed
to hold onto my life this long because of this question.
“Ji Wonee, do you love me? I mean romantically,
and not as your dongsang.”
Ji Won looked down at Mina. She was beautiful. His
heart ached when he saw how pale she was. He realized
she never did know that he had loved her all along.
“Yes, Mina,” he told her. “I loved
you since the first day we met. I loved you then
and I had never stopped loving you.” He bent
down to kiss her.
My heart was deepened to a warm bliss. Ji Won said
he loved me, I told myself as I felt him kiss me.
Then a cold realization washed over me but I didn’t
really care. I always thought that I was hurt when
I didn’t receive Ji Won’s love. Instead,
I found out my pain came from when I didn’t
give Ji Won enough love. I haven’t told Ji
Won I loved him yet.
“Ji Won,” I said to him as he looked
down at me. “Thank you for making my dream
come true by saying that you love me. I know you’re
lying and just saying it to repay me but you didn’t
have to. I did it all because I—I—“
I was losing my voice. Not now, please, I prayed
as tears fell down my face. I need to tell him before
I go. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the
white marble stone Ji Won had given to me when I
was Min Sung. I pointed towards the ocean to make
Ji Won look. I threw the stone with all my remaining
strength. It skipped 3 times.
‘Perfect,’ I thought as I closed my
eyes for the last time.
As Ji Won listened to what Mina was saying, he was
stunned still. He couldn’t believe his ears.
She thought he was saying he loved her as payment
of what she had done for him. More tears fell down
his face as he shook his head. Then when Mina pointed
out to the ocean, Ji Won saw her throw the stone
he had given her.
It skipped 3 times. I love you.
Ji Won smiled, knowing that Mina loved him too.
He had known that she had loved him all along but
she never told it to him either. “Mina, you
don’t understand. I do love you!” he
shouted. Then Ji Won looked down at her. She had
passed on.
“Mina?”
He shook her gently. Her body was still and completely
lifeless. “Mina!” he screamed in pain.
He held onto her tightly, burying his face into
her neck. He was crying so loudly and painfully
that both their bodies shook.
Sung Hoon and the others finally made it to where
Ji Won and Mina was. They circled Ji Won, who was
bent over holding someone they couldn’t see.
“Hyung,” said Sung Hoon as he put his
hand on Ji Won’s shoulder. “Are you
okay? Where’s Min Sung?”
Ji Won lifted his head up and Sung Hoon saw who
Ji Won was holding. He fell back into the sand shocked.
“M…Mina?” he asked in disbelief.
“Mina?” the others repeated.
“Min Sung is Mina?” asked Ji Yong.
Ji Won nodded his head. “She dressed up as
a guy to join SechsKies to be with me.”
“You’re right, Mickey. Mina did love
Matthew hyung,” said Jae Duc quietly.
Sung Hoon got up and hugged both Ji Won’s
and Mina’s bodies tightly. “Why?”
he asked crying. Everyone remained silent. Ji Won
shook his head. He moved away from Sung Hoon and
turned to face all of them.
“SechsKies is my family. You guys are all
like my brothers. Please be my witness as I make
this promise to Mina.” They nodded their heads
sadly and listened.
“Mina,” Ji Won began. “When you
were alive, I was never able to tell you that I
loved you. Now that you’re gone, you don’t
believe I love you. Even though I never showed you
the kind of love you wanted me to, it doesn’t
mean I didn’t love you with all I have.”
Ji Won paused and yanked off the ring around his
necklace. “With SechsKies here as my witnesses,
I, Eun Ji Won, take Nam Mina as my wife ‘til
eternity. I have nothing to give you Mina except
my heart, which belonged to you from the first day
we met.”
He kissed her lips as he slipped on the ring. The
others watched him in silence. They were surprised
when because of all the time Ji Won had been their
leader, he had never used his real name Ji Won before.
They knew he was serious. When it was over, Ji Won
lifted Mina up into his arms as he stood up.
“As your leader, I have a final announcement
to make. I am quitting SechsKies.”
“What?” they all asked in disbelief.
“Hyung,” said Su Won. “Please
reconsider.”
Ji Won shook his head. “This is the second
time Mina left me. I really can’t go on as
your leader. The person I loved the most is taken
away from me too soon and she died not knowing that
I truly do love her.”
The others understood what Ji Won meant. Jae Jin
walked up to Ji Won. “What do you plan to
do then Matthew?”
“I don’t know,” he answered.
I’ll be somewhere where I’ll always
be with Mina and constantly remind her that I love
her. And as for SechsKies, with all the money and
businesses we have, I don’t see any reason
why we have to commit any more crimes. We each have
enough money to spend for the rest of our lives
already.”They all nodded.
Ji Won placed a hand on Sung Hoon’s shoulder.
“Sung Hoon,” said Ji Won.
“Yes hyung?” asked Sung Hoon. “If
you do love Kyung Hee, tell her before it’s
too late.”
Sung Hoon nodded. “I will.”
Ji Won looked at his 5 brothers for the last time.
“This final meeting of SechsKies is now adjourned.
I wish you all the best and hope you do find your
true love because I have. Good bye.”
Ji Won picked up Mina’s book and scribbled
something into it. When he was done, he placed it
down back on the rock. Then Ji Won lifted Mina’s
body up into his arms as he walked away.
“Hyung!” shouted Sung Hoon. “Where
are you going?”
Ji Won continued walking and didn’t answer
him. The 5 Kies watched their leader walk towards
the sunset carrying his bride and disappeared. They
picked up the book to see what Ji Won had written.
The last entry of Mina’s story was,
“True love never has an ending.”
