Jeong-hyeok and Seri have maintained their love and commitment to each other, despite only being together once a year. But will they ever have the opportunity for more than that? Will Jeong-hyeok ever realise his full potential as a musician? Perhap...
At 11.30 they were all nervously waiting with coats on and bags ready. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Jeong-hyeok let Herr Gisler and a colleague in. He looked at their bags and approved them.
"We're going down the service stairs to the car park. We have officers stationed there and can protect you whilst you get into a waiting van. This will take you to the airport where your plane is waiting."
"Is Kang Sung-ho around?" asked Jeong-hyeok. "Might he try to stop us?"
"We think our escort will be a deterrence," said Herr Gisler. "We also have a decoy van."
Jeong-hyeok felt a little doubtful about this. He hoped that Herr Gisler wasn't underestimating the North Koreans. He knew how dangerous some of Kang's men might be. But there wasn't much he could do apart from staying alert. Since he had left the army he hadn't handled a weapon and he certainly didn't miss carrying a gun, but right now he wished he could be armed.
As they left the room, carrying their single bag each, he was relieved to see a number of Swiss security officers accompany them. Down in the car park, the van was waiting as promised. Officers joined them inside and an escort of cars was ready to accompany them too. They set off.
Inside the van, there were proper seats, but no windows and very low lighting. Jeong-hyeok guessed that it was especially adapted for the Swiss security services. The darkness made him feel very enclosed, almost like being in a prison cell. He wished there was a window so he could see where they were going. Even though he could barely see them in the gloom, he was very aware of the state of tension emanating from both Seri and his mother. He heard his mother murmuring to herself, trying to keep herself calm.
They had no idea what route the van was taking or how long the journey would be, all they could do was to endure it as patiently as they could. He tried to appear calm in an effort to reassure his mother and Seri, but inside he was wound up like a coiled spring.
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They were travelling at a fair pace but suddenly the van braked hard throwing them forwards in their seats. He heard his mother scream out in fear and he braced himself to be ready to respond. Then they felt the van reverse and corner sharply before setting off again. This time they were travelling even faster, cornering at speed, the brakes squealing. The lack of windows and the darkness made it even more frightening. He looked across at his mother and could tell that she was terrified. She had hid herself in Seri's arms and she was trying to comfort her. Seri met his gaze and he could see the fear in her face too. He reached across his arm to her, touching her cheek, wanting to connect her to him, keep her close. His heart was hammering away. Had that been an ambush? Were they being chased? How far away from the airport were they?
One of the security officers with them was talking quietly but rapidly in German into a radio. He strained to hear what was being said, something about a new route.
"What's going on?" he asked in German.
The officer looked up, surprised. He clearly hadn't expected him to speak German.
