11:45

I parked, ripping the dress off and putting on the spare clothes I had in the car. A black shirt, jeans, boots, and jacket. I made sure all my weapons were loaded, the safety off, and checked the house. 

It looked too calm. Usually, I'd come home and see the shadows of one of the two men in the windows, but tonight, no lights were on. I jumped out of the car quickly, knowing my limited time. I had 15 minutes till Tuan and a squad possibly showed up here. 

My senses were heightened and the training coming back to me easily. How to kill and get out within a 10 minute period. I opened the door and shut it behind me, my gun up. No one was in the living room or the kitchen. 

"Code 3, inside attack. JB, I know everything about you. There's no use. I know you're holding up till your buddies come and arrest us." I crept slowly in, taking rushed, but quiet footsteps. 

If he was upstairs, I could corner him easier with the only way leading out being the stairs or windows. I don't think he'd be that stupid to jump 2 stories down onto another house or concrete. Downstairs was a different story. 

I skated passed the couch, looking into the kitchen. My foot hit something and I looked down, my heart jumping up. 

"Himchan, god no." I bent down, back to the couch so I could see everything and be semi-covered. My hand rested on his forehead, turning it as my breath caught in my throat. One shot straight through. He had to have been walking front the arm chair to go get food. I looked over to the couch, the TV on mute, the New Years Eve program on. I had 9 minutes. 

My attention was back on Himchan as I checked for any pulse, bile rising to my throat when I found none. 

"Himchan, no..." I spoke out, trying not to show any emotion because the enemy was still here. I put a hand on his heart, still desperately trying to feel even a small beat. 

"I will avenge you, Oppa." The anger grew, almost enveloping me. I stood quickly, gun sights set to kill. 

"Come out, coward! Die honorably." I walked two more steps, till the hallway to the dining room was to my left, and JB in it, gun cocked. I turned swiftly, snarling at the sight of his face. 

"2 years, seems like such a waste since you die right now." He laughed and I cocked my gun, aiming for a head shot. 

"I'm sad I don't get to kill you like my friend here-"

"Don't call Himchan your friend," I growled out taking a step towards him. 

"You have 6 minutes till they come here and interrogate you. Your gig is up, Hye-In."

They kill us, we return the favor. Bring honor to the death. -Officer LIM

"Rot in hell." The adrenaline pumping through my veins made me pull the trigger on him, hitting him right where he hit Himchan. He fell, his blood splattering on the nice table and chairs we had. What a waste of good wood. 

5 minutes and I could almost hear the sirens coming down the highway. 

I think quickly, turning on all of the gas tops on without igniting them. I stuck on of my knives into the microwave, setting the timer for five minutes. Maybe it would go off and kill some of the agents coming in. Kill two birds with one stone. 

I rushed up to my room, taking my laptop with me and surveying it quickly. Nothing I won't mind burning. 

I bid adieu to the house, lighting a match and throwing it in for extra effect. The car was the next thing I had to take care of. Running to it, I took out all of the money and IDs that I needed, before starting the car. I opened the gas valve and slipped three lighted matches in. It started to catch fire right away. 

This is when the red and blue could be seen from the highway. I laughed, running away, as the car exploded.

It was a cynical, maniac laugh, but I knew that Mark Tuan had missed me again. His record would still be 98.8, and I felt accomplished with that. 

A louder boom was heard and fire erupted behind me. I was about a mile away now, and I didn't have time to stop and admire my flames. I just had to run, hide out somewhere, and inform the Regime what happened. 

January 9th, 2018

From: Unknown 

Agent 4728 will be remembered here in North Korea. You have no new orders, keep monitoring Yi-Eun Tuan as you can. We will tell you when we are ready. Agent 2419 is meeting with you and he will help when we are ready. 

I slammed the laptop shut, causing a few in the cafe to look at me in interest. Sipping my coffee, I glared at them and turned to look out the window to the shore. Busan was like Seoul, but with less Hongdae. I liked it better in Busan and questioned why Tuan couldn't have come here. 

"A coffee shop is where you wanted to meet? That's not like you." I looked up to the brown-haired boy and my eyes widened. This isn't how I remembered him being. He had slimmed out and his face was more mature than the last time I saw him. Well, that would be almost 3 years ago. 

He sat down with his coffee, the jokes gone. He looked me up and down and I couldn't tell what emotion was coming from his face, but this meeting had to be professional. 

"What's your cover name?" Youngjae was monotone. Was he not happy to see me? 

"Hye-In." He nodded and took another sip. 

"Is your name still Yoo Youngjae?" 

"Yes." He took a breath and looked me in the eyes. We didn't talk for the next 3 minutes. Then, he remembered why we were here. 

"What did they tell you?" I blinked out of my daze and opened my laptop. He read the email and nodded. 

"I was told the same, I have a house here. You will stay there." The underlying awkwardness of this situation was almost suffocating me. He was almost talking like my father the first time I had met Youngjae. 

"Do you know when our mission starts?" 

"No, and it's your mission. I'm only helping because I stay alive if you stay alive." His eyes softened and I felt the guilt in my stomach. 

"Thank you." He nodded and I looked down at my hands. I harbored no more feelings for him, but I couldn't help feeling like we were strangers again. If we got back home, we'd have to break that feeling. 

"Should we go?" He suggested and I nodded, standing up and putting my laptop in its case. 

The air was thick as we walked down the sidewalk full of people. He walked with his hands in his pockets and mine were to the side. 3 years change things. I wonder if it changed his feelings.

"How have you been over the years?" I tried to start small talk. 

"Fine. You?"

"Fine."  It ended there. 

-If you meet someone you once knew, you have to put aside all personal experience and feelings to finish your mission. -Officer YONG

"Youngjae?"

"Yes?"

"It's good to see you again." He just nodded, like he always does. 

"How many years have you been here?" 

"Two-and-a-half." I was only going to get one-word answers. 

"Do you like it here?" 

"No."

"Is Busan cold in the winter?"

"Yes."

"Is that why?" He stopped answering and turned down a sidewalk that was on a hill leading to other houses. 

He led me down that walkway and to the 5th house at the end. It was small and white and had nothing on the outside of it. It was as if no one lived there. I liked it better than the big house in Seoul. 

"Is has two bedrooms, take the on the left." He opened the door and threw his coat on the coat rack.

The inside was the same as the outside. It had a small couch, a small kitchen, a TV that had a thin layer of dust on it, and a table that probably fit only two people by the window. It seemed too empty for a small house like this. It was too lonely. It fit Youngjae.

"It gets cold at night. There are blankets in a closet near your door." 

"Okay." 

"If you are hungry, I bought food yesterday. Make what you want." I looked out of his window, the sun was still high in the sky. It had to be noon. How was I supposed to be in this house for that long? 

"We keep to each others personal buisness. I won't get involved in the things I wasn't told to be in and vise versa." 

"You like rules." He shrugged and went to turn, "That's why my father liked you." I wanted to get some emotion out of him, to see if he still felt anything. When he froze up for a millisecond, I knew nothing was gone from him. 

"Can we not speak about home here?" 

"You miss it that much?" He turned to face me, much like the stare in the coffee shop.

"I missed home because I had someone to come back to. Now, I don't." He turned quickly on his heels and walked down the opposite hallway. I knew that's the last I'd be seeing him today. 

He just broke a rule, which surprised me. He showed his emotions, something Youngjae never did after he was taken to the Regime. 

Why does South Korea change people so much?