Read Online Yin Yang Tattoo by Ron McMillan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ron McMillan
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ears, showed signs of greying. Even Korean men dye their hair at the first hint of grey so I assumed she was foreign and even from this far across the room, I could tell she was an attractive thing. I plotted a course that might give me a better look.
The ever-shifting crowd forced me to change direction and move in closer. I was curious, but not curious enough to cop a fresh set of instructions from Schwartz, whose radar at that moment locked onto me. As he gently took the woman by the arm I looked in the other direction, listening to him call my name. Maybe he wanted me to photograph them, which would suit my current curiosity. With a camera in front of your face, a long rude stare becomes a badge of professionalism. I turned casually towards them with my camera held to my eye. Schwartz leered at me.
âI think you know Miss Kim â Jung to her friends.â
He whispered an apology in her ear before retreating into the crowd.
âHi Alec.â
The pause stretched forever. I stood numbed, my ears filled with a rushing sound that drowned the conversational hum of the cocktail party. Standing maybe five foot four in low Italian heels and a shimmering grey two-piece suit, she displayed the effortless sense of style that I knew so well. As ever, her make-up was immaculate, and if it werenât for the grey in her hair, she could easily pass for ten years younger. I hadnât seen her in ten years. I realised I was still looking through the viewfinder of the camera. I let go and it bounced harmlessly on its strap. If it had broken into pieces on the polished floor I might not have noticed.
âJung-hwa.â It came out almost as a whisper. âWhat a surprise, I mean what a nice surprise. I â â
âDidnât expect to see me?â
âNo, I didnât. How do you know Ben Schwartz?â
âVery well.â
Cryptic. I raised my eyebrows in an unspoken request for more information. She obliged, and I instantly wished she had not.
âWeâve been married for nine years.â
Schwartz chose this moment to return.
âDarling, thereâs someone you really must meet.â
She took his hand and didnât look back. My Miss Kim.
âYouâre as white as a ghost, Brodie.â Bobby Purves looked at me, curious, as Schwartz and Jung-hwa slipped through the throng. âYou didnât know?â
â You knew Jung-hwa was married to Schwartz?â
âOf course I bloody did. Everybody here knows. I assumed you did too, and thatâs why you never mentioned it.â He started to say more, but swallowed his words. The look on his face was one of pity that made me feel very small.
I escaped a few minutes later. I hadnât been able to have another word with Jung-hwa, but after the way she had looked right through me, I wasnât even sure I wanted to try. At the hotel entrance there was a line of waiting taxis. Thanks to the quieter evening traffic, a few minutes later the cab set me down at a corner shop near the Hyatt, where I stocked up on cheap beer.
Back at the room I walked around in a near-daze, sucking from a bottle of OB. What a first twenty-four hours back in Korea it had been. Iâm wined and dined by the K-N Group President and treated to a high class whore who entertains me with a night of sex and whisky. I find out I have to work with Ben bloody Schwartz, that my client company is nearly bankrupt â and that tomorrow I have to photograph a factory in a part of the country where K-N Group has never manufactured anything. On top of all this, from nowhere, my very own Miss Kim pops up wearing Schwartzâs wedding ring and freezes me with a chill glance that belies the years we spent joined at the hip. It surely could not get worse than this. I looked at my watch. John Lee was picking me up in less than five hours.
Chapter Seven
Picture a major highway leading out of any capital city on a holiday Saturday. Hopelessly
The ever-shifting crowd forced me to change direction and move in closer. I was curious, but not curious enough to cop a fresh set of instructions from Schwartz, whose radar at that moment locked onto me. As he gently took the woman by the arm I looked in the other direction, listening to him call my name. Maybe he wanted me to photograph them, which would suit my current curiosity. With a camera in front of your face, a long rude stare becomes a badge of professionalism. I turned casually towards them with my camera held to my eye. Schwartz leered at me.
âI think you know Miss Kim â Jung to her friends.â
He whispered an apology in her ear before retreating into the crowd.
âHi Alec.â
The pause stretched forever. I stood numbed, my ears filled with a rushing sound that drowned the conversational hum of the cocktail party. Standing maybe five foot four in low Italian heels and a shimmering grey two-piece suit, she displayed the effortless sense of style that I knew so well. As ever, her make-up was immaculate, and if it werenât for the grey in her hair, she could easily pass for ten years younger. I hadnât seen her in ten years. I realised I was still looking through the viewfinder of the camera. I let go and it bounced harmlessly on its strap. If it had broken into pieces on the polished floor I might not have noticed.
âJung-hwa.â It came out almost as a whisper. âWhat a surprise, I mean what a nice surprise. I â â
âDidnât expect to see me?â
âNo, I didnât. How do you know Ben Schwartz?â
âVery well.â
Cryptic. I raised my eyebrows in an unspoken request for more information. She obliged, and I instantly wished she had not.
âWeâve been married for nine years.â
Schwartz chose this moment to return.
âDarling, thereâs someone you really must meet.â
She took his hand and didnât look back. My Miss Kim.
âYouâre as white as a ghost, Brodie.â Bobby Purves looked at me, curious, as Schwartz and Jung-hwa slipped through the throng. âYou didnât know?â
â You knew Jung-hwa was married to Schwartz?â
âOf course I bloody did. Everybody here knows. I assumed you did too, and thatâs why you never mentioned it.â He started to say more, but swallowed his words. The look on his face was one of pity that made me feel very small.
I escaped a few minutes later. I hadnât been able to have another word with Jung-hwa, but after the way she had looked right through me, I wasnât even sure I wanted to try. At the hotel entrance there was a line of waiting taxis. Thanks to the quieter evening traffic, a few minutes later the cab set me down at a corner shop near the Hyatt, where I stocked up on cheap beer.
Back at the room I walked around in a near-daze, sucking from a bottle of OB. What a first twenty-four hours back in Korea it had been. Iâm wined and dined by the K-N Group President and treated to a high class whore who entertains me with a night of sex and whisky. I find out I have to work with Ben bloody Schwartz, that my client company is nearly bankrupt â and that tomorrow I have to photograph a factory in a part of the country where K-N Group has never manufactured anything. On top of all this, from nowhere, my very own Miss Kim pops up wearing Schwartzâs wedding ring and freezes me with a chill glance that belies the years we spent joined at the hip. It surely could not get worse than this. I looked at my watch. John Lee was picking me up in less than five hours.
Chapter Seven
Picture a major highway leading out of any capital city on a holiday Saturday. Hopelessly
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