Devil's Fork

by Spencer Adams

CHAPTER 14

  WEDNESDAY

  Seoul, South Korea

  Jiyeon walked quickly through the streets. The chill early morning air was the only company she had in the quiet city. The previous night, she and Tom agreed to meet at a local hotel for breakfast, and Jiyeon was afraid she would be late. She found the hotel on which they agreed and entered the warm lobby.

  She was ushered into the dining room in the back. She saw Tom sitting alone at a table with two coffees and a few small plates of breakfast. He was peacefully watching BBC World News on a screen in front of him.

  “Good morning,” she said as she walked over.

  Tom looked up and smiled. He was sitting comfortably for someone who had a mission today, she thought.

  “Hey. I got us some coffee,” he said.

  Jiyeon sat down next to him. She could not stop herself from asking, “how do you feel?”

  Tom nodded. His face had no expression, “Good. I’m ready.”

  “I’ll be there to see you off this afternoon.”

  “That’s nice. You can see what I look like in my full gear. Quite different than a suit.” He let out a small smile. Just then, BBC World News moved to a different news item. It was about the Korean peninsula:

  “Tensions continued in the Korean peninsula as North Korea released a video of a military parade in the capital Pyongyang. Thousands of soldiers were seen marching. They were accompanied by tanks, several of which appeared to be a new version experts have never seen before. Regime leaders made speeches to the military and the hundred-thousand strong crowd saying that they must be ready for war. The regime announced its artillery and short-range missile regiments are now on highest alert as they prepare for war with South Korea.”

  Jiyeon shifted in her chair. She put her coffee on the table and slowly set her head into her hand.

  “I just wish we didn’t have to do this.”

  “What?”

  “This mission. I don’t want you to go in there.”

  Tom paused before speaking. “It will be OK. This is a quick one. I’ll be back by tomorrow morning.”

  Jiyeon heard his voice, but his reasoning did not seep through. She had spent eight years managing the NIS’s illegals in North Korea. She never met most of them. She had a very limited personal interaction with them. For all these years, she looked at them as weapons. They were Mr. Park’s eyes and ears in that country. She did not want any harm to come to them, and she often thought about their families. But there was always a barrier between them and her. She was not connected to their fates.

  “I wish none of this ever happened.” She said. She was not crying but her voice was calling out for help. “I wish 1414 didn’t get compromised. I wish he never found out about this strange base. Who knows what you’re going to find there. It will be dangerous whatever it is. And they might catch you.”

  Tom put his arm around her and pulled her closer. “Hey. Come on. You realize if 1414 never found that compound, we never would have met?” She looked up at him as he said that. A mind confused by paradox can be cured of anything.

  “I just can’t believe that when the sun goes down today, you will be there. You will be breathing their air. You will be walking on their grass.”

  “It’s easier not to think about it. Here, have some food.” Tom pushed a small plate towards her. They continued watching TV.

  BBC World News then turned to another story:

  “Chinese leaders were back in Beijing today after a trip to Washington. China’s President Wang Wei was said to have held a meeting with the Politburo Standing Committee to discuss possible nuclear conflict on the neighboring Korean peninsula. Lo Jie, a PLA General who was on the Washington trip, made a speech at an event in Beijing saying that despite potential war on their border, the government is taking action to ensure China’s economy maintains its stability.”

  That reminded Jiyeon of what she told Tom last night.

  “By the way, so what do you think about that guy, Li?”

  “I still think it’s just one big misinterpretation.”

  The two people they had met the previous night were a curiosity that Jiyeon thought about on occasion. The girl, Hyun-Joo, went to university with Jiyeon. They were not close friends, but they were acquaintances who would acknowledge each other and chat if they ran into each other. Hyun-Joo, with her outgoing personality, had developed many friends and acquaintances. She came from a moderately wealthy family. She had the name and means to go out and meet interesting people from different circles. She knew people who worked at various companies and in various government organizations. Li – the young man with her – was from China. He had attended their university for one year because he was studying the Korean language. Jiyeon did not know him well. Even Hyun-Joo did not know him well at university, because he generally kept to himself. On the few times they did speak, Li had told Jiyeon that when he went back he wanted to join the army. But several years ago, he came to Seoul to work at China’s embassy as a tourism attaché. He struck up a more serious relationship with Hyun-Joo. Jiyeon saw this and thought it was odd. Her gut told her immediately he was a spy with diplomatic cover, given his phony-sounding title and his friendship with a social butterfly. Hyun-Joo might unknowingly be his asset, she thought. He could be extracting information out of her, under the pretext that they were two friends catching up. When she told Tom this the previous night, he shrugged it off, saying that a real intelligence officer would not want to appear as cold as Li did yesterday. Their job is to meet people and make friends, not quietly hang around one friend. Tom thought it was just paranoia. But Jiyeon had developed this sense after years working with the illegals. Her gut still told her something was off. Either way, Hyun-Joo did not know Jiyeon worked at the NIS. Jiyeon had said she left eight years ago when she just switched groups. They did not see each other often enough or speak long enough for the truth to come out. So if Li was an officer, he probably did not take any interest, Jiyeon thought. Tom to him was probably just a hulking American executive.

  Jiyeon and Tom got up to leave. They walked through the serene hotel. Outside, the air was still cool but now the entire city seemed to be making its way to work. Jiyeon turned to Tom.

  “What was that secret you had? What were you escaping when you joined the Navy?” At this point, she just wanted to know. This might be her last chance to figure it out, she thought.

  Tom looked at her with piercing eyes for a moment before speaking. “Tell you what. When this is over, we’ll take a weekend vacation somewhere not far from here. We’ll get up together to see the early morning sun. I’ll tell you my story then.”

  “I can do that.”

  They hugged, said goodbye once more, and parted ways. Jiyeon started off towards NIS headquarters. After half a minute she turned around and saw Tom walking away. He was headed to Yongsan Garrison.