Three months after John’s latest stint in prison, he was back on the streets and, unfortunately for me, back in my life.
Brenda had arranged another “welcome home” party, complete with balloons, streamers, and—you guessed it—lasagna. But this time, John didn’t seem interested in his usual plushie schemes. Instead, he seemed… distracted.
“I’ve met someone,” he announced over dinner, twirling a forkful of lasagna with unsettling glee.
“Met someone?” I asked, already dreading where this was going.
“Her name is Eun-Ji,” John said, his face lighting up. “We connected on
ExConsMeet.com. She’s a plushie collector, just like me!”
Brenda gasped, clasping her hands together. “My baby’s found love!”
I groaned. “Let me guess. You want me to host her in
my house.”
“Just for a little while,” John said, giving me his best attempt at puppy-dog eyes. “Until we find our own place.”
Eun-Ji Arrives
A week later, Eun-Ji arrived on my doorstep with two enormous suitcases and a large duffel bag that rattled ominously.
She was a petite Korean woman in her 40s, with jet-black hair and a smile that seemed far too sweet for someone who had supposedly done time. She immediately hugged Brenda and handed John a plushie shaped like a penguin wearing a tiny bow tie.
“I knew we were soulmates,” John whispered, clutching the penguin.
Despite my better judgment, I let her inside.
The Revelation
Over the next few days, Eun-Ji settled in disturbingly well. She and John spent hours in the living room, comparing plushies and making grand plans to start a plushie import-export business. Brenda doted on her like a daughter-in-law, cooking her favorite Korean dishes and asking invasive questions about grandchildren.
It wasn’t until I overheard a heated conversation between Eun-Ji and John that things took a turn.
“You don’t even know who you
really are, do you?” Eun-Ji said, her voice low and intense.
John looked confused. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m your cousin,” she said. “Your
long-lost cousin.”
I froze in the hallway, eavesdropping shamelessly.
“What?” John sputtered.
“Our fathers were brothers,” Eun-Ji continued. “But your father wasn’t just anyone. He’s a high-ranking official in the North Korean government.”
John’s jaw dropped. “Are you telling me I’m… North Korean royalty?”
“Something like that,” Eun-Ji said. “And if you weren’t so obsessed with plushies, you’d already know.”
The Family History
That night, Eun-Ji laid everything out for us in the living room. According to her, John’s father had fled North Korea decades ago, abandoning his family in the process. Brenda, apparently, had no idea about any of this.
“I always wondered why he didn’t look like the other men at the factory,” she said, clutching a tissue.
“Wait,” I said, rubbing my temples. “So you’re telling me John is the estranged son of some North Korean bigwig?”
Eun-Ji nodded. “And it’s time he takes his rightful place in the family.”
John, of course, was thrilled.
“This explains everything,” he said, pacing the room. “My ambition. My genius. My…
greatness.”
“It explains nothing,” I muttered.
The Plushie Heir
Within days, John had fully embraced his new identity. He started referring to himself as “The Plushie Prince” and wore a sash he’d made from old North Korean propaganda posters he found online.
Eun-Ji, meanwhile, started making phone calls to mysterious “contacts” who could supposedly arrange a meeting between John and his father.
Brenda was ecstatic. “I always knew my baby was special,” she said.
“You raised a man who went to prison for stealing plushies,” I snapped.
The Escape Plan
By the time Eun-Ji suggested moving into
my house permanently, I’d had enough.
“No,” I said firmly.
“But it’s for family!” Brenda protested.
“They’re
your family, Brenda. Not mine.”
John, wearing his ridiculous sash, pointed a plushie scepter at me. “You’ll regret this when I’m ruling the plushie empire from Pyongyang.”
I rolled my eyes. “If you’re so important, why don’t you move to North Korea now?”
Eun-Ji shot me a sharp look. “Careful what you say.”
To Be Continued...
As I write this, John is pacing around my backyard, practicing what he calls his “royal wave.” Eun-Ji is in the kitchen, whispering into her phone in Korean. And Brenda is making yet another lasagna.
Part of me wants to call the police, but another part of me is morbidly curious to see how this all plays out.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that with the Price family, the madness is never-ending.