The Masks We Wear

9

"Well, this is slightly awkward," Gu Seung-jun commented, holding onto the towel around his waist (the only thing protecting his modesty at this moment) and eying the two women standing at the doorway.

Seri did, in a way, know Gu Seung-jun. Or if they were to be more accurate, her Seoul cover identity Yoon Jin-ah knew him. They had found themselves constantly orbiting the same social circles in South Korea: well-connected highflyers for Seri, and powerful businesspeople for Gu Seung-jun. Eventually, each of them came to recognise the other as a contemporary, even if they couldn't 100% for sure name the other's occupation. But an undercover agent and a conman's jobs could really only be separated by a few degrees.

"I've made his acquaintance, yes," ignoring Gu Seung-jun, Seri answered Seo Dan's earlier question.

"From where?" Seo Dan asked suspiciously, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at them. The unspoken question: had Seri been to Seoul, where Gu Seung-jun was from?

Gu Seung-jun's clever eyes darted quickly from Seo Dan to Seri. Although he was completely in the dark, he at least caught on that Seri had a different identity here. "Here and there," he answered quickly. "You know me... or perhaps you don't know me that well yet, Seo Dan ssi, but I'm a social butterfly. I'm quite well-connected back in Seoul."

"If you were that well-connected, you wouldn't have ended up here," Seo Dan said without missing a beat. She stepped into the apartment and gestured for Seri to follow her in.

"So this is your secret?" Seri asked, grasping at the opportunity to change the topic before Seo Dan could question them any further.

Seo Dan locked the door behind her, pursing her lips as she turned around to face Gu Seung-jun. Regarding him the way she might a cattle for sale, Seo Dan crossed her arms again. "I'm not sure what to do with him," she admitted.

Seri eyed the man in his state of near undress, second-guessing herself and wondering what kind of advice, exactly, Seo Dan was looking for. "Whatever you two are doing seems to be alright so far..." Seri said doubtfully.

"What?" Seo Dan snapped. "It is not. I cannot be harbouring a fugitive in my apartment."

"Wait, a fugitive? Start from the beginning," Seri demanded.

Gu Seung-jun cleared his throat, slowly inching his way backwards. "Ahem, ladies. If you don't mind, let me just pop into my room and slip on some clothes."

Seo Dan simply gave him a withering glance which he took to be a 'yes'. He gave them a brilliant grin and slipped into what seemed to be a guestroom while Seo Dan, still a gracious host, showed Seri to her sofa and began brewing some tea.

"It's not a complicated story. I simply ran into him a few times. Then, at the department store –"

"Pause," Seri said, munching on the plate of Western butter cookies which Seo Dan had placed on the coffee table in front of her. "Clarify 'ran into'."

Seo Dan had been carrying a tray with a teapot and three cups when she came to a standstill, to better send one of her icy glares Seri's way. Impressive as the woman's glares could be, Seri was beginning to acclimatize to them. She continued to chew at her cookie, giving Seo Dan an innocent, expectant smile as she did so. "You're the one who's asking me for help," she said with a shrug.

Seo Dan took her time lowering the tray onto the coffee table, stretching the silence out long as she could. "I met him for the first time at the airport. By chance, we happened to meet each other again at a hotel bar, once. He came to my department store to look for some clothes that would blend in. Much as you did –" here, she sent another pointed glare Seri's way, a clear reminder that Seri also needed Seo Dan's help to keep Seri's position in Division 11 a secret. "The second time I saw him at the department store, he was being pursued by some unsavoury characters. That's why I offered to shelter him here for the time being."