Miho the Killer
Chapter 26: Deal

Chapter 26: Deal

I didn’t stay long in the room with Miho. Part of it was because the old man called the end of our little reunion, but I was actually glad that he did. I was heartbroken to see Miho the way she has become. Was I wrong for feeling that way? Did I want her to stay as an unsympathetic killing machine that she was before?

Leaving Miho’s ’Thank you Dr. Yang.’ behind, we walked to the dining room and sat.

"Coffee?", he asked.

"Yes, please."

"Milk? Sugar?"

"Black. Please."

"I didn’t have them anyway."

As the old man put the coffee capsules on the machine, I asked him.

"Has she been like this the moment she woke up?"

"Yes."

"Who does she think you are?"

"She remembers me as someone she’s familiar and close to. I told her I was her uncle and she didn’t probe any further."

"What’s your name?"

"That will cost you an arm and a leg."

I put my arm and leg on the table. That made him laugh.

"You won’t be so rude to call an old man by his name anyway. Why do you want to know?"

"I’ll play Dr. Yang. It would be weird for me to call you an old man in front of Miho. It sounds unprofessional."

"You are reaching. But it doesn’t matter anyway. Call me Shin."

"Mr. Shin?"

"Yes. That’s what Miho knows me as."

"Fair enough."

Shin then brought the coffee over to the table and sat across the table.

"Would you mind taking your foot off the table?"

"Sure, Mr. Shin.", I duly obliged.

"Listen, Ms. Han-"

"That’s Dr. Yang for you."

"What are you trying to do?"

"What are YOU trying to do to Miho keeping her here in that state?"

We both took a sip of coffee without taking eyes off each other.

"There are people out there trying to kill her."

I listened.

"Now, that’s normal in this work, to some extent. But Miho took a job she shouldn’t have. She got involved in a business she had no right to get involved in. No pro would have taken such a job in their right mind."

"I presume you won’t tell me what the job was about."

"No."

"I will ask you this then - why did she take such a job? Why take the risk?"

"Money. What else?"

I never thought Miho to be someone who’d only kill for money. But what did I know?

I should know better than to hold on to any movie-like romanticized image of a killer by now.

"Why does she need money?"

"We all do, don’t we?"

"I need money, but I don’t go around killing people."

"One. Because you can’t. Two, because you don’t need money that bad."

"Point taken on one. Why does she need the money THAT bad?"

We took another sip, but this time he lifted his cup a little earlier than me.

"That’s why I decided to bring you here. Not for some crazy ass reason you gave me."

"Oh?"

"I need you to go see someone on Miho’s behalf."

"Who?"

"Her brother."

So she had a brother.

"Is that Juho?"

"Yes."

So I lost myself for no good reason back then. What a fool. My only excuse was that I was drunk and felt left out for the whole evening. I was vulnerable.

"Why me?"

"The boy’s smart. If he feels that someone I bring isn’t a genuine friend of Miho, he will suspect something’s amiss. Miho doesn’t have a friend. She never did. Someone turning up claiming to be Miho’s friend after all these years and trying to act trying to fool him won’t do."

"I get the feeling there is something you are not telling me."

"He has a special condition that requires him to be taken care of 24/7. He’s Miho’s only weakness in this world. The girl fears losing nothing. But she fears losing her brother. If anyone finds out that she even has a brother, he will become a target to lure Miho in, or use as a hostage to get her to do something stupid."

That made sense, but...

"Special condition?"

"He needs to live in a protective isolation room. Immunodeficiency"

"LIVE?"

"There is no hope for him. Despite what Miho would like to think. The boy will need to spend his whole life there. It costs. More than your arm and a leg can afford, mind you."

Things started to click in my head. It didn’t explain why Miho had to be so vicious and monstrous in the ways she killed people, but it did explain why she was prepared to do anything to make money.

So she had a protective side. And she was a provider.

That didn’t justify what she did, but I saw something human about the fact that she was doing what she did for the sake of supporting her brother.

He must have meant a lot to her.

"So what do you need me to do? I’m willing to help now."

"We will go see him later today. You explain to him that Miho’s injured, but nothing serious. Tell him you are her good friend. That’s the part where you come in - I don’t think even the best actress in the world would convince the boy that his sister has a friend to come tell him about such news. But you could legitimately pass as an actual friend. I’ve never seen Miho take a girl into her life."

"Excuse me, I took her in."

"You are mad."

Shin took out cigarettes from his pocket and asked.

"I can smoke in my own house, can’t I?"

"But it’s still rude to smoke in front of a non-smoker."

"What a difficult woman."

He put a cigarette on his lips but didn’t light it. Instead, he started to chew the filter, sometimes taking it out of his mouth and blowing a long breath out as if he was actually smoking.

"So do we have a deal?", he asked.

"What do I get in return?"

"You can stay here. I will give you a room. I will provide for your living. You take care of Miho."

Now it was my turn to probe.

"What is she to you?"

"A stray cat I should have ignored but couldn’t."