Monday

“Until the end of time

I'll be there 4 U

U own my heart and mind

I truly adore U

If God one day struck me blind

Your beauty I'd still see

Love is 2 weak 2 define

Just what U mean 2 me”

The chorus to 'Adore' by Prince played for the umpteenth time in the small room that Jodi found herself in. It was a standard interrogation room; table screwed to the floor, overhead lighting, a camera in the corner, no windows, and a one-way mirror so that she could be observed. It wasn’t her first time being in one, she had seen several while visiting her father at work. And a few on the occasions when she had been arrested in the past.

Jodi did not drum her fingers or bounce her leg. She kept her hands clasped in front of her on the table. Not that she had much choice considering that they were handcuffed not just at the wrist, but also to a metal hook on the table. She hummed along with the ringtone every time it played and kept her breathing even and slow. She knew she was being watched, she gave them nothing interesting to see.

“You know,” she said softly, after many silent minutes, to the security officer facing the door, “my husband is a very stubborn man. He won’t stop calling until he speaks to me.” The officer ignored her. “I’d like to offer a deal. You push the phone closer to me, I’ll talk to him on speaker for no more than five minutes. After that, I’ll put it on silent and neither of us have to hear the song again. I love it, but even I’m starting to get tired of it.”

The officer, a young-ish man, turned just enough to look at her over his shoulder. “Two minutes.”

“I can work with that,” Jodi agreed. The officer walked backwards and nudged the phone until it was in reach of her outstretched fingers. As soon as she touched it, it rang again. She answered quickly.

“Hey, baby.”

“Honey!? Are you okay?”

“I love that that’s the first question you asked,” she said with a pleased smile on her lips. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“God, I was so worried! There’s all this on SNS, and I couldn’t reach you. What’s going on?”

“Short version: I’ve been detained. But I swear to you, I didn’t do anything illegal. It’s an issue with my visa.”

“Don’t you have dual citizenship from your adoption?”

“That’s where the story gets longer and I don’t have a lot of time to talk.” She glanced up at the officer and saw him tap his watch. She nodded. “I just wanted you to know that I’m okay and I’m not in any real trouble. As soon as someone gets here from the embassy, I’ll be let go. This, unfortunately, has happened before.”

“Who's coming from the embassy?”

“No idea.”

“I’ll take care of it,” he assured her firmly.

Touched by his 'can do' spirit, but not entirely convinced of his ability to help, she asked, “How do you plan to do that?”

“I know people who know people. Just sit tight and remember how much I love you.”

“To infinity?”

“Even more than that,” he answered sweetly. Jodi could imagine the soft smile on his face.

“I love you and I’m sorr—“

“Time's up,” the officer interrupted. He ended the call, turned the phone face down and moved it away again. He resumed his place and faced the door.

Jodi exhaled deeply and rested her forehead against her hands for a moment. When she sat back up, she shook her hair out of her face and her lips. “Thank you,” she called softly.

It was quiet for a while before the officer said just as softly, “You're welcome.”

* * * * *

An indeterminable amount of time passed after that. Because of the way her phone was resting, she couldn't sneak a look at the time every time a notification came in. She had no way of knowing how long she had been in the room, but her patience at the situation waned steadily as the seconds ticked by.

There was a perfunctory knock on the door before it was pushed open rudely and three people entered. Luna was the first. She walked in wearing a smart pantsuit with her hair in a professional looking bun. It took Jodi a moment to recognize her because she had never seen her in such attire. The jacket of her suit was open and her basketball sized stomach poked out noticeably. If not for the profound look of rage on her face, Jodi would have called her cute.

There was an older gentleman in a suit behind her, and he almost ran into Luna's back when she stopped abruptly. Luna's hazel eyes swept over Jodi briefly before she the immigration agent who brought up the rear. The same one who had been behind the counter. “What was your name again?”

“Agent Kang with The—”

“Why is she handcuffed?” she cut in.

“Well, because—”

“Did she resist or harm anyone?”

“No, she—”

“Take the handcuffs off.” The 'now' was implied. After a tense moment of silence, Luna placed her hands on her hips and gave the agent a hard look. The agent nodded to the officer and the cuffs were unlocked in a matter of seconds. Jodi sighed in relief as she rubbed her wrists and rolled her shoulders. “Make sure that the cameras are off and give us a few minutes to speak privately with Ms. Oh.”

Not liking being ordered about, Agent Kang slowly reached under the table to flip a switch, then motioned for the officer to follow him. Luna covered with her hands and giggled as soon as they heard the door click. The suited man laughed as well as he reached into his inner jacket pocket. He removed his wallet and handed Luna 5000₩. “Fair and square, Luna Rae. I didn't think you'd do it.”

“I’ve always wanted to do that,” she chuckled while stuffing the earned cash into her pocket. She noticed Jodi's confused expression and fought back another round of giggles. “Jodi Oh, allow me to introduce Michael Franklin, U.S Ambassador to Korea.”

Jodi blinked a few times before standing up to shake his proffered hand. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Ambassador.”

“Likewise,” he said with a kind smile before gesturing for the women to sit. Luna sat across from her and pulled her phone out to start texting. “Luna gave me an overview of your situation on the ride here, but would you mind giving me some details?”

“Sure. I was adopted by a Korean family, as you can guess by the last name. The process was started when I was 15, finalized when I was 16. But as you know, Korea does a different age system. So when we came here that year to get me put on the family registry, it was late August, my birthday had passed, so I was 17—but 18 in Korean age. I was 'too old' to be adopted according to their system. Does that make sense?”

“Not really,” he answered with a small laugh, “but keep going.”

Jodi smirked and toyed with her hair. “My application for dual citizenship was never finalized because of the age confusion. When I moved here five years ago, I applied for, and was granted, a 'permanent resident' visa. But the dual citizenship application is still 'pending'. So every year or so, the government audits their records, sees what's going on with me, cancels out both visas, flags my passport and I essentially become an illegal immigrant. I can have one visa or the other, but obviously not both.”

“Which one would you rather have?” Luna asked while still looking at her phone.

“Dual, preferably.”

Ambassador Franklin nodded his head, sat back and crossed his hands over his stomach. “I'll take care of it personally. It's a clerical error on their part and can be fixed with a little pushing, I'm sure. This shouldn't happen again, Ms. Oh.”

Jodi was so relieved, and stunned, that she couldn't fight the splash of tears that rushed into her eyes. She dropped her head into her hands and took a moment to thank the Universe for sending helpful people her way. She smiled at Ambassador Franklin and clasped her hands over her heart. “Thank you. Thank you, so, so, so much.”

He returned her gratitude with an affable grin. “Thank Luna here. She pulled me out of a meeting with the Ambassador to Thailand to come and throw my weight around—figuratively speaking, of course.”

Jodi looked at the other woman and smirked. “Honestly, Luna, I forgot you worked for the State Department.”

“I technically don't right now. I'm on maternity leave.”

“Then how—”

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Agent Kang came back in with Jodi's carryon bag and cleared his throat. “Ms. Oh, I would like to offer an apology on behalf of our government. Our records indicated—”

“That I had conflicting resident statuses and somehow that required me to be handcuffed, detained, left in here under guard for—” Jodi the time on her phone”—three hours, and publicly embarrassed? ”

His cheeks flushed and annoyance flashed across his face. “It is our nations policy to—”

“So I'm to understand that everyone who has an issue with their visa gets handcuffed, manhandled, and detained as a matter of policy?” she challenged further.

“Each case is handled differen—”

“So my case was special for some reason? Care to share what made me so special that I couldn't be asked any routine questions before I was handcuffed and dragged away in front of passengers to an interrogation room?”

Agent Kang's entire face turned red. “It won't happen again.”

“To me? Of course not. But what happens to any other people of color who comes to Korea?” Jodi asked bluntly.

He looked like he wanted to argue, but instead bowed his head defiantly. “You have my apologies, Ms. Oh.”

“We would like that apology in writing,” Luna spoke up and stepped forward. “As I'm sure you're aware by now, Ms. Oh is publicly connected to a prominent musician represented by YG Entertainment. An astounding amount of misinformation is flying around the web about her accidental detainment. An official statement from the Korean Immigration Service should help to stop the wagging tongues. Don't you agree?”

It looked like Agent Kang was about to burst, his face was so tight. He clenched and unclenched his jaw several times before nodding his head. “I'll ask that it be typed up and sent—”

“That's okay. We'll wait,” Luna told him with a sweet smile on her face and a 'try me' look in her eyes. “It would be best if it was released before she was. In the meantime,” she continued as she sat down gracefully, “please ask someone to bring in refreshments.”

Agent Kang gave up all pretense of professionalism and diplomatic behavior at that and stormed out of the interrogation room. Ambassador Franklin laughed when Luna stuck her tongue out at the door childishly. “This is the most fun I've had in weeks,” he confessed after he caught his breath. “I'm glad you called me.”

“I'm glad you came,” Luna returned cheerfully. She stood and shook his hand. “Thank you, Mike. I'll pay you back.”

“Just deliver a healthy baby. Then hurry and come back to work. The department is a mess without you,” he confided. After letting go of Luna, he turned to Jodi and shook her hand as well. “Ms. Oh, expect word by the end of the week that your file has been updated. After that, you see someone about getting your Korean passport issued. Beyond that, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

“And you as well. Thank you very much,” she said sincerely. Ambassador Franklin left after that, leaving Jodi and Luna in the small room together. Jodi sat down heavily and rubbed her hands through her hair. “So, just how bad are the rumors?”

“Oh, girl.” Luna rolled her eyes and laughed. “You’re a drug smuggler by some accounts. A mule for JiYong, of course. You’ve got warrants back in the U.S. that you were running from and they’re going to extradite you. I even read that you were trying to bring in some kind of rare orchid, but the drug trafficking stories are the ones that are sticking.”

“y,” Jodi replied sarcastically and looked at the floor.

Luna reached across the table and held her hand. “Don’t worry, Jodi. Everything's going to be fine. JiYong tweeted, 'visa', and then 'don't tell tales' right after he talked to you. The statement will stop the big stations from talking about it, threats from YG will make sites snatch the articles down.” She shrugged. “It'll blow over by tomorrow evening.”

Jodi nodded, but kept her eyes down. “I hate that this happened. I don't even have to look to know that this gave people an excuse to talk about what happened years ago when Ji was in Japan. I ing hate that it was used to hurt him.”

“Well, those people aren't who you need to be worried about hurting him.” Jodi looked up at her in confusion. “My husband isn't too pleased with him right now,” Luna explained.

“Oh my god. I'm so sorry! I didn't even think—”

“It's okay, Jodi. Really,” Luna said earnestly. “Like Mike said, this is the most fun I've had in weeks. You have no idea how boring it is to just sit around the house all day and 'take it easy.'” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Besides, JiYong never asks for anything. There was no way I could say no, or send someone else when I knew I could get the ambassador to come on short notice.”

Jodi smiled reluctantly and put her hand out to take Luna's again. “Thank you, Luna. I really don't know what else to say.”

“Just tell me you owe me, and I'll file it for later,” she answered with a wink.

With a chuckle, Jodi leaned over the table and kissed Luna quickly. “Anything you need, anytime you need it, it's yours.”

“I'm totally holding you to that because you sealed it with a kiss.”

“Shut up.”

* * * * *

Tuesday

Jodi woke up at her usual time, far ahead of the sun. She dressed for her morning run and stretched before she left her room. Before leaving with Ebah, she checked on the twins, who had been dropped off unceremoniously after school by their mother, who then informed her that they would be staying until Sunday—accompanied by a few pointed comments about Jodi being more stringent in adhering to her responsibilities. It was one of their more pleasant visits, overall.

Back at the house an hour later, Jodi started her cool down exercises on the front steps. Mid bend, a flash of light near the front gate caught her attention. Curious, she jogged up the driveway to investigate.

“Can I help you?” she asked the young man as she approached.

“I have a courier message for Oh Jodi. I tried buzzing, but no one answered.”

“I’m Oh Jodi.” She stepped closer and opened the gate to get closer to the man on the scooter. She signed for the slim manila envelope and opened it as soon as he drove off. Slipping a sheet of paper out, she read the note.

'Hot off the press! First copy is yours. Thank you for being a part of this!'

She moved the letter out of the way and gasped when she saw . . . herself. Her hair flipped out slightly by the wind, her face made up perfectly, a white, form fitting dress molded to her body, a smile on her lips, a sultry and confident look in her eyes.

Blown away by what she was seeing, Jodi screamed and ran into the house with a huge smile on her face. She took pictures of the cover. Her first thought was to share it on social media, but decided to send it to her husband first. Her phone rang a minute later.

“What are you doing up?” she asked, honestly surprised to hear him.

“I haven’t been to sleep yet,” he admitted. Jodi could hear the tiredness in his voice.

“Where are you?”

“The studio with the guys.”

“Still!?”

“Yang wants Japanese versions of three songs for the new Big Bang album done before I come back to Seoul.”

“How many do you have finished?” Jodi inquired softly.

“ . . . one.”

“Oh, baby . . .”, her voice full of sympathy.

“It’s okay. We’re used to this,” he assured her. Then he cleared his throat and coughed. His voice sounded much stronger after that. “Anyway. Enough about me. You. You look gorgeous on that cover.”

A pleased grin spread across Jodi’s lips. “Thank you honey.”

“Really, really beautiful,” he said insistently. “How about the ones on the inside?”

“I haven’t looked at them yet,” she admitted with a laugh. “I was too busy being stunned by the front.”

“Let’s switch to Facetime, and we can look at them together.”

“Sure.” Jodi made the adjustment on her phone and JiYong switched on his iPad to accept the call. Together, the two of them went page by page ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the images. “The photographer did a good job,” she commented at the end.

“The model made his job easy. Just look at her. Poised and y,” he gushed. Jodi took his compliments as best she could. She ended up smiling and ducking her head a lot. “I like the—”

“Sei bellissima, noona!” she heard in the background.

“Thank you, maknae!” she called out affectionately, though she couldn't see him.

“Wah, she looks beautiful,” admired a husky voice. Definitely DaeSung, she thought.

“I like the one on the right. The pose is great,” said a deep voice that Jodi immediately recognized.

“Nice,” was added by a last voice. Jodi knew it had to be YoungBae, the man of few words.

“Oh, you guys are so sw—”

“Yah! Give that back!” yelled her husband. Jodi laughed as she watched the iPad shake in an obvious s