BONG SANG PIL
FULL CIRCLE
RETURN
TO
KI SEONG
THE PRELUDE BONG SANG PIL THE BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU EXPONENT THE FLYING TRIANGLE CHOKE 
Bong Sang Pil was practising and honing his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighting techniques with his two practice partners.
Flexibility, power, speed and strength were important in martial arts. It was important for Bong to be in peak physical condition to fight the forces of evil, including gangsters. The martial arts expert was trying to perfect his takedowns, particularly the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Flying Triangle Choke. 
With two hands, Bong Sang Pil grappled with his first partner. He successfully took control and locked the left arm of the man in a white shirt.
       
Then, Bong leapt up, and kicked him.
When, Bong landed, he turned to the other partner who was hitting out at him.
Catching hold of the man with both hands, his right hand firmly clasping his opponent’s right shoulder, and his left hand on the other man’s wrist, Bong twisted the man around but the man somersaulted away.        
Turning around to face the first man who was about to attack him, Bong deftly grabbed his hand, simultaneously kicking him.
 
The Takedown. Bong Sang Pil suddenly attacked by leaping swiftly and powerfully into the air, mounted high above the head of his bigger opponent and turned smoothly around to apply the choke. He had landed an amazing flying triangle choke!
   They crashed to the floor but Bong prevented any grappling by swiftly lying across his opponent with weight applied to the opponent's chest. Bong planted one of his legs across his opponent’s neck and one across his body. He rolled over, sweeping two legs together over his opponent’s body to finish him off.    
When it was over, he rolled away.
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THE PRELUDE A MAJOR LIFE DECISION
The athletic and gorgeous Bong Sang Pil, clothed in a green USAF United State Air Force Jacket, walked out of the martial arts training centre in Seoul to be greeted by a man on a motorcycle.
Bong blinked in surprise when the delivery boy delivered a package to him.       
A shocking discovery. It contained a black notebook, probably containing some incriminating evidence against someone.
A train of thought was stimulated. His life was about to change.
  
Another Seoul resident, Ha Jae Yi was also headed for change. Looking like a forlorn and lonely figure walking wearily on the street, she had perhaps not expected the harsh blow dealt by fate.
She received a text message advising her that she had been fired from her law firm, Daehan Law Firm, as of 4 April 2018.
With her current crisis, she seemed devoid of any energy to think or fight.
  
Bong Sang Pill was also walking along the street with his lieutenant or sidekick, Tae Kwang Soo. In the near future, when Bong set up office in Ki Seong, the man would be his manager, the second in command.
Bong Sang Pil and Ha Jae Yi narrowly missed meeting each other in their lives. They seemed to be at the same place at the same time.
One burning question is, 'Was it a coincidence? Was The Red String of Fate unraveling to bring the two together?
Or, was Bong Sang Pil on a mission to stalk her?
Both were true. They had been joined together since the death of their mothers. And, Bong Sang Pil had been monitoring her life, determined from the very start to bring her into his life.
The broadcast of a fascinating murder case caught Bong Sang Pil’s attention. He had been drawn to the news on a giant screen on the street.
The former detective Woo Hyeong Man was the suspect for the murder of Lee Young Su, Ki Seong’s Mayor. His trial would take place at the Ki Seong District Court in 10 days.
The suspect had denied having a hand in the murder.
The intriguing news was Judge Cha Moon Sook would be presiding over the case.
Having been nominated for the post of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court three times, Judge Cha Moon Sook had declined them all.
The question posed is not 'Why did she reject the three nominations?' but 'When will she finally accept the position?' Judge Cha might have wanted to appear to be an unambitious and humble judge at the beginning. Perhaps, she wanted to indulge in her ploy to pull wool over other people's eyes. Being a Chief Justice meant power in one's hands. Chief Justice. The title was music to one's ears. Chief Justice Cha Moon Sook. It had instant appeal.      
Bong immediately invited his maternal uncle, Choi Dae Woong to have a meal and some soju together. He had already made a life-changing decision; they met at a street stall to talk about his decision.
     
He divulged that a mysterious person had sent him a thought-provoking notebook. He showed it to his uncle.
The notebook had inspired him to search for the truth. Bong Sang Pil’s serious expression showed his resolute and single-minded decision to move from Seoul to Ki Seong to set up his own law practice.
While his uncle was annoyed by his sudden decision, he was not unreceptive. Choi Dae Woong knew the contents of the notebook had affected him but he asked whether his plan to move to Ki Seong was also motivated by ‘that girl’.
He nodded. Who was that 'girl'? But, he would go alone; he did not want his uncle nor his henchmen to tag along.
Bong laughed at his uncle’s irritation.
   
His uncle, not unlike Big Brother who had been watching his every move, remarked that Bong Sang Pil was as stubborn as his mother. Mother and son, being iron-willed and independent, knew their exact goals in life.
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THE PRELUDE THE STARE OF THE COLD-STEEL LAWYER
Ha Jae Yi had left the courthouse but she turned to have one last look before leaving for another path in her life. She walked back the steps leading to the statue of Lady Justice.
She voiced her sadness to Lady Justice, ‘Living a righteous life has been difficult.’ 
The blindfolded Lady Justice was silent. Justitia, holding her balance scales and a sword, the personification of Justice in Ancient Rome, seemed to mock her.
The Goddess of Justice, supposedly objective or impartial, was probably blind to the injustice around her and had failed to protect people like Ha Jae Yi. 
Ha Jae Yi pored over the photo of her day of triumph, her graduation day on her handphone. She had graduated with a law degree, with her proud dad at her side.
But at that point in time, she felt like a failure. She wondered how she should apologise to her father for her painful and disastrous failure.
When she walked off, Bong Sang Pil promptly appeared.
He, too, studied the statute. Walking around the impressive standing figure which symbolises the fair and equal administration of the law - without corruption, greed, prejudice and favour, he fixed a steely gaze at Lady Justice and wondered about his fate with her.   
A feeling of despair enveloped him as the painful past came rushing back. ‘They say time heals everything. But those are the ones who haven’t been hurt before.’
Perhaps, it was true that only those who have deep emotional wounds could not forget or let go.
Would the balance scales which represent the weighing of evidence tip in his favour? Would the downward-facing sword, which represents punishment, bring poetic justie to all concerned?
If those who perpetrate evil get their just deserts, would he Bong Sang Pil, be healed?
  The long-fixed stare. Bong’s face assumed a mask-like quality and seemed almost inscrutable. But, in his eyes was the steely determination of a single-minded man who was out to change the Ki Seong judicial world. Buried beneath was an unspeakable vow of vengeance against the perpetrators of his mother's murder. It was a stare that could have almost turned any human to stone.     
As Bong Sang Pil turned to leave, the hard glint in his eyes send chills through one’s spine. Shudder.
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EPISODE 1
BONG SANG PIL AND HA JAE YI FULL CIRCLE
THE
RETURN
TO KI SEONG
A
CITY CLOTHED IN SMOG
Bong Sang Pil was driving back to Ki Seong with Tae Kwang Soo in tow.
Before entering the city, Bong Sang Pil drove over a bridge with a circular frame. A circle. It was a symbol of Bong Sang Pil’s life.
FULL CIRCLE: Life, for Bong Sang Pil, had come full circle. From Kiseong to Seoul and back to Ki Seong again. It meant he was returning to where his life had begun – to his original hometown, Ki Seong. It was a sentimental journey home. For him, he would have to dredge up agonizing, heart-breaking and painful memories.
 
The circular frame of the bridge was held in place by many cables on either side.
THE NET. From an angle, the anchored cables looked like a net. The net seemed to portend some changes in the near future. Did it mean that the net is fast closing on corruption and injustice in Ki Seong? Perhaps, the corrupt leaders and their henchmen would soon be reeled in by the lawless lawyer, Bong Sang Pil.
FOG. The place was swallowed by fog. Visibility was low. It seemed that the sun had disappeared.
Tae Kwang Soo mumbled, ‘I’ve never seen fog like this before. I feel like I’m in heaven.’ Tae didn’t know any better. But, Bong Sang Pil knew what it meant.
SMOG. To some, it may just be plain fog but when one learns of the tale of Ki Seong, one could only think only of it being choked in smog. Fog and smoke.
The image of *Ki Seong enveloped in smog brings to mind pollution which in turn conjures up corruption and injustice. Ki Seong is not unlike some other cities in the world which are administered by corrupt, unjust politicians and leaders with absolute powers. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.    But, fog and smog to the lawyer Bong Sang Pil, perhaps symbolized hidden truths, mysteries, danger, confusion and uncertainty.    
The traffic crawled to a stop. Bong Sang Pil thought, ‘After my mother left, time stopped for me.’ His mind floated back to the past.
He remembered his mother’s last words of advice and warning to him.
‘Don’t ever come back to Ki Seong. Don’t ever trust anyone in Ki Seong. No one!’ They were etched in his memory but he had to return to find out the truth and avenge her.
After her death, ten-year old Bong Sang Pil had fled to Seoul and stayed put for 18 years. When his mother was murdered, his determination to become a lawyer was irrevocably sealed.
The time to return to Ki Seong had been ripe for him to crack the mystery of two murders. At 28 years old, he was mentally and physically strong enough to challenge his enemies and unearth the truth as to why his mother and Ha Jae Yi's mother had to die.
But, were the two murders only the tip of the iceberg of injustice and corruption?
The Day of Reckoning was drawing nearer.
      
The traffic had not moved. Bong Sang Pil was suddenly jolted out of his daze by the news on the car radio that Judge Cha Moon Sook was basking in international limelight, having been interviewed by ‘Asian Times’. Judge Cha Moon Sook promised to work hard to champion law and justice.
The report was unclear about why she had suddenly taken centre stage in the news in Asia. The pertinent question is 'Did Judge Cha Moon Sook finally accept the nomination of Supreme Court Justice? Did she finally break into the male-dominated Supreme Court of South Korea? Although the report about Judge Cha Moon Sook was as hazy as the surrounding fog, it did seem to imply that she had become a Justice of the Supreme Court.           
None could have predicted that Ha Jae Yi would also be on the train heading for Ki Seong. She too learnt of Judge Cha Moon Sook's appointment as Justice from the prestigious magazine, Asian Times.
At that point in time, it seemed that Bong Sang Pil's Chevrolet Camarro was moving in tune with the train along parallel transportation lines.
Is it the music or is it Bong Sang Pil’s expression that tugs at one’s heartstring?
  
Bong Sang Pil and Ha Jae Yi, unaware of each other’s journey, were moving swiftly towards Ki Seong, a place where their fate would be sealed.
One is thrillingly drawn to the journey of two individuals on different modes of transport in the amazing road-rail parallel design system.
    
Upon reaching her destination - the place of her origins, Ha Jae Yi disembarked and headed for the beach with all her paltry belongings.
She was probably hoping that the sea air would clear the fog in her brain.
 Bong Sang Pil drove past her unnoticed. The Red String of Fate was fast unraveling. Fate seemed like a practical joker - a great teaser; their lives just grazed each other at that moment.    *Ki Seong is a fictional city in this tale. |