North - South

North Korean SPA

There was no trace of Weird Jeong Hyeok when she woke up. The man had probably left the house early, without warning nor greeting her. Se-ri repented to have felt moved for the way he had rescued her the night before. He was the usual Weird Jeong Hyeok, with his feigned stern tone and his rough manners.

And he had left a bag on the table. Filled with beauty products, warm sweaters - these latter a little too North Korean for her liking but ok - and... OMO... he had definitely overestimated her.

"Oooh, it will fit," Se-ri said to no one in particular, without realizing that she was giggling.

Far from reconsidering her opinion about him, the bag had the woman even more convinced that he was a weirdo. Treating her so roughly and then buying her clothes? Even weirder than she had originally thought.

Besides... there was something in that man. His books were all gloomy, yes, yet also neat, with a kind of order she knew and could recognize. Plus, he was different from what she remembered. There was a veil in his eyes. As a teen, he had been exceedingly obnoxious but like every teen could be. Now he was kind of obnoxious and dead inside at the same time.

Bah. Useless to think about it. Also, the books and the eyes of Weird Jeong Hyeok weren't her business.

If she thought about it, Se-ri told to herself, it only was because there was nothing to do in that place if not aimlessly roving around and peeping his stuff.

She opened the main cabinet of the kitchen, and then the fridge. There were snacks, vegetables, noodles, and everything needed.
No duties and a house filled with food.
Bringing the fuming cup to the big window in the living room, Pyongyang appeared in front of her eyes looking more modern, but also the same ever, so grey and coloured at the same time. 

And Jeong Hyeok's house, with its furniture so similar to the ones she had seen in her friends' places, had her remembering of her schoolmates, and the school days, and the boys - she knew she couldn't contact them, but being there and not being able to see them really was a shame -, and her happiest year. And Mu Hyeok... so kind.

Mu Huyeok, of course! The watch, that afternoon in downtown Pyongyang. On second thought, wasn't it odd that the one who was helping her was Jeong Hyeok and not Mu Hyeok? But maybe he still was in that village where his dad wanted for him to make some experience, or maybe he was married, or both. 

Or he had simply forgotten about her. Maybe all of them had. It would have made sense. While they had been the first and only time for her to have friends to spend the days with, their lives had always been rather full. Why bothering to remember the stranger who had spent just one year there?

But why Mu Hyeok's watch on Jeong Hyeok's wrist? She hoped for it to not be a bad sign.

"Kwang-beong dong-mu, do you have the information I asked you?" Sitting around Jeong Hyeok's desk during the mid-morning pause, the four guys were all eager to know about Se-ri, unaware of how disturbed and eager to switch to other topics he was.

"Yes, there is a way. Her family has to present a formal request to the Ministry for urgent and undelayble reasons. With that, they'll escort her to the Russian border."

"Good," Jeong Hyeok nodded, an imperceptible and relieved sigh escaping off his lips, "if so, they're probably already doing it."

Kwang-beom looked at Ju-meok who looked him back before turning his eyes to the other two, all sharing a silent glance Jeong Hyeok didn't detect.

"Maybe..." he decided to be the brave one, "maybe is better for her to contact them and explain the procedure, the information could have not reached London yet. But the problem is that the strangers' calls are bugged, they won't give her the permission if they'll hear her arranging it."