Ever After

Desperation

"How about we do this?" Seri had suggested, after he had voiced his concerns. They were lying side-by-side on the bed, facing each other. "I'll set up a meeting with Agent Ko for us tomorrow morning. He'll be in a better position than I am to make plans."

"He won't do it."

"Trust me, Jeong-hyeok-a." Her eyes, they would always convince him where words could not. "You're not on your own now."

That was how Jeong-hyeok came to be sitting in a safehouse owned by the National Intelligence Service of South Korea in the middle of Shanghai at 8 in the morning.

Agent Ko looked equally unsettled, sitting opposite him. The safehouse was a small apartment in a nondescript complex, barely furnished with a folding table and two chairs.

"Do you drink coffee?" Agent Ko asked. His chair made a loud scraping sound as he stood. "We only have canned coffee in the fridge."

"No, thank you."

Agent Ko sat down again. Jeong-hyeok stared resolutely at his fingers on the table. They would begin their discussion once Seri arrived. Yet, he felt the weight of Agent Ko's perusal, even without looking up to check. The other man wanted to talk; he could feel the words gathering in the silence.

"You know..." Agent Ko started. Jeong-hyeok suppressed a sigh. "I've been assigned to Yoon Seri's case since you two parted at the 38th parallel three years ago. She's a woman who deserves the respect that she gets. I've grown to admire her." He paused, as if internally debating whether it would be a good idea to continue. "In another life... I might have let that admiration develop into something more."

When Jeong-hyeok snapped his head up, Agent Ko put up a pacifying hand, as if to say wait. "But," he said, placing an emphasis on the word. "Her dedication is so obvious it's just out of the question. Her dedication to you, I mean."

What point was the agent making? Jeong-hyeok narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher the micro-expressions on Agent Ko's face. He seemed sincere enough. Catching Jeong-hyeok's suspicious look, Agent Ko gave a little huff of amusement. "You know, I couldn't understand what she saw in you that inspired such dedication. There are enough handsome faces in Seoul that she doesn't have to waste her life on a relationship which has all the odds stacked against it. But I can see some of it now. This –" he swept a hand around to indicate the saferoom they were sitting in. "Your single-minded commitment shows. I know how difficult it must be for someone in your position to be sitting here right now. That's dedication. You two are quite a pair."

Jeong-hyeok guessed that Agent Ko was trying to put him at ease. He was still suspicious but made an effort to relax his posture and ease his frown as a show of goodwill. "I don't know whether to take that as approval or not."

Agent Ko smiled and shrugged. "I don't know if I meant it as approval either." He stood again and took two canned coffees from the fridge this time, sliding one across the table to Jeong-hyeok. "Save it for later if you don't want it now."

The clink of the can opening sounded loud in the small apartment.

"We can just start without her first," Agent Ko suggested after some silence.

"She's usually never late," Jeong-hyeok said, checking his watch. Half an hour late.

"That's true," Agent Ko said, putting his can down. They thought for a minute, then looked at each other and stood at the same time.

"I'll go check her room," Agent Ko said, gesturing for Jeong-hyeok to sit down again. "They'll be watching – it wouldn't be smart for you to be seen there."