MY ENEMY

CHAPTER 16: JOURNEY

Six months later.

Jennie drops the anchor, letting it sink until the line goes slack before making a few turns around the bitt. She's on her father's boat (technically it belongs to her now) in the middle of the ocean and preparing for another day on the water. This is what she does on her days off from the hospital, except it's less about the catch and more about the memories.

The surroundings instantly take her back to her fondest paternal memories, and to a time before she knew what war was—what humanity was capable of. And of course, the memories of the separation.

About a month ago, the US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, one on Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki three days later, killing over a hundred thousand, which forced an unconditional surrender. Now, Jennie understands why General denied her request to go to Japan, even if she weren't in ground-zero, she would have been affected by the radiation.

It's early fall and the trees are just starting to turn, a multi-colored spectrum from red to green adorn the shoreline. There's a slight morning bite to the air, but it'll warm as the sun comes up. After casting a few lines out into the water, Jennie settles down in the cabin with a book.

She often thinks of Jisoo and what she's doing, if her wound has completely healed, and if Jisoo ever thinks of her.

There's been no word from General, though Jennie knows he hasn't forgotten about her. He was undoubtedly busy leading up to the bombings, and she expects a letter from him soon.

At sunset, Jennie navigates her way home with three striped-bass to show for the day. It's incredibly peaceful and unlike the emergency room, no one on the water is in a hurry. A tugboat passes by and the captain aboard gives her a friendly boating wave. Jennie waves back.

Pulling in, Jennie ties up the boat and settles in her cabin. She begins to navigate through maps and talk to the sailor who will take her to South Korea.

Dr. Kim was going through the secret route she is going to take when she saw the general knocked on her door.

"Doctor Kim."

Jennie freezes.

"General." Slowly, she sets the compass down and makes her way towards him.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting you in person."

"No need to apologize," he replies. "How have you been?"

"Alright," Jennie says, her response is generic and automatic. "Yourself?"

"Very well, especially now since the war is over."

Jennie nods, imaging his relief when the end of the war was officially declared.

"The information you had asked for," General begins, "it wasn't easy to come by, but I did manage the name of a contact. Kang Seulgi with the IUSS."

"IUSS?" Jennie had heard the name in the news when they issued the policy of active shooting but acted as if she didn't know about it so that she can get more information about the agency.

"International Union of Strategic Services, an organization that runs parallel to the military and conducts covert missions and intelligence operations. You'll find her in Seoul."

"Thank you, General, thank you so much."

That evening, Jennie packs her bags and gets ready to leave the night. Finally after 6 months she is got a lead.

A heartfelt goodbye takes place as she hugs Rosé and Hyun and tries her best to not cry when she takes Ella in her arms.

She didn't look back when Ella cried because she knew she would have left everything she has planned for months in a second for her daughter.

For one last time she visited her father's grave and cried and apologized again and again.

A man of such pride and patriotism he was.

If he was alive today, Jennie thinks, he would have not been happy with what Jennie was about to do. So she apologized till her throat gave up.

Jennie steps onto the boat with a clear mind. She looked back to her house she spent her whole life in and thinks of her family and Jisoo.

"Please be alive, Jisoo" She whispers to herself.

And the journey begins!