North - South

Send my greetings home

Foreign Ministry, one hour before dawn

"Everything you have to do is to keep tabs on her and make sure she won't go to UK."

"I know. And... there's no risk for her to go there, trust me."

"Good."

The brutal click of the vintage phone signalled the end of the call. Even after that though, it needed some minutes of deep breaths to stop shivering. And after the fear came the rage. And nothing better to steam it off than kicking the couch as hard as he could again and again. Damn!

Cho Cheol Kang stared at the phone he had just hung up. "Idiot," he murmured to no one in particular. In front of him, Jung Man-bok was witnessing that impassive calm that was his most frightening trademark, patiently and silently waiting to know the reason why he had been summoned.

"The notebook. Any progress?"

Oh, that. A part of him sighed with relief. Another part stiffened: he knew he was going to disappoint him. "Still nothing, I'm sorry."

"Ok, we'll have to search more, it can't just be vanished."

While talking, he took a small bankroll out of his pocket, counting about ten dollars that then offered to the friend, "you came back a couple of weeks ago, and I still haven't celebrated you properly. Here, buy some pork for your son, he needs the energy to study, if he wants to be admitted to the Pyongyang University."

"Tha... thank you. And thank you for calling me back."

Jeong Hyeok's place, dawn

"Ooooh... jinjja?" It just needed to put a step out of her room, to notice that the door of the storage room was closed. And she was sure they had left it open on the night before. Se-ri decided to deviate her path to the kitchen to reach it and confirm a suspect, at the same time telling herself that it was absurd, impossible.

It wasn't. He had not only closed but also locked the door.

"What does he think I am, a child? Damn weirdo..."

But soon the thought was paired with a second one. To this point he's worrying for me. Such weirdo... the idea had a small smile curving her lips.

"Oh, you're still here?"

The just mentioned weirdo was apparently busying himself with a huge cooking activity. All around the kitchen, all the surfaces seemed occupied with food. "Bulgogi night again? Will there be soju?"

Eyes down on a dough he was working to, Weird Jeong Hyeok simply kept kneading, the muscles of his back, his biceps, moving under the thin, army green t-shirt. "I'm just letting something in the fridge."

"Oh..."

"For you," he clarified.

For her. It stirred something bittersweet inside. Even though – image was everything! – she had been extra cautious in not showing him anything but her public, successful, independent façade, acting like a brat, showing herself picky, even teasing him from time to time, he always behaved as if she was someone to take care for. For her.

"Wae?" Jeong Hyeok questioned a smile that she didn't realize she was smiling.

"Nothing. You remember me someone who used to be dear to me."