March 1st, 2015

The house was big, annoyingly so. Back home, our house was like this. Or it was once. It brought back memories of my parents. No good ones could arise. It was annoying because it did that. 

I looked at the papers in the folder, given to me on my flight out from China. 

Name: Kim Hye-In

Age: 21

Birthday: December 5th, 1993

Story: Came back from studying abroad in America. University of California Los Angles. 

Mission: Graduate - Find Yi-Eun Tuan - Monitor him - Get into government internship - Take down from inside (Time allowed: 3 1/2 years) 

I have 3 1/2 years to get this done. To win for my nation. To win and get Junhong out. 

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the one photo I was allowed. We were young, he couldn't have been older than 14 and I, 16. It was the week before I left for Pyongyang training. Before I left him all alone. 

I flipped over the photo to see the note, written in his messy handwriting. 

Noona, 

We will see each other soon. Do your best! I love you. Don't worry about me, I will be fine. Fighting!

-Junnie 

A single tear went down my cheek and I wiped it away quickly. I had no room for emotion, just get the mission done and let him be free.

The doorbell rang, and I walked to the front. I looked through the peep hole and saw a girl, my age, standing there. I groaned. My first kill was going to be useless. 

"Hello, are you Kim Hye-In?" She looked me up and down, her smile not faltering. I nodded and her smile got bigger. 

"I was assigned to show you around our campus and to our dorm room. Your things got delivered there today. I'm Park Ha-eun, your roommate." She stuck her hand out and I took it, shaking, and letting it drop. 

"You understand me right?" I nodded and her smile went back on her face. God, it was annoying. My hand went to feel the dagger concealed in my pocket.

Do not kill unless you need to. If your mission is not threatened, you do not have permission. - Officer IM 

"I have my car, if you want to ride with me." She's my roommate right? I should study her. I nodded again and put my shoes on, locking the door. 

"How old are you? They said you studied abroad in America."

"21." 

"So I'm your Dongsaeng! How was America, Unnie?" Unnie sounded foreign to my ears, I was never called that, only Noona. 

"California was hot, it didn't snow."

"Are the boys cute?" It seemed like a weird question to me. I hadn't talked to another female who had a free mouth like this in a very long time. No one asked me if they boys in the training camp were cute. I wouldn't have even thought. 

"Not to me." 

"Really? Unnie are you..." I shook my head and glared at her. 

"No, I just wanted to study. No boys there were my...type." made an 'oh' shape and she pointed to the car in front of us. I didn't know why she did this, it was the only car on the street. 

I got in and looked around. These cars were the same as home, yet hers was more...girly? 

"By the way, the parade for Independence Movement is today. Want to go to it together?" I nodded, remembering them showing us how the South celebrated Samil. At home, we just read about it. No parades. 

The car ride was boring, as she asked me questions about America and myself. I gave her stupid answers, and kept looking out of the window at the flags hanging everywhere. No red star, but a Taeguk. 

"Wow, there's so many new kids." I stopped looking to my right and looked forward. 

The building was huge, along with the others on the campus. It had a similar architecture to the Arch of Triumph. 

She parked and we got out, walking through the entrance and the two pillars. People were everywhere, putting up banners, carrying boxes. There was never a sight like this back home. 

"The freshman get really annoying when they're moving in, but it's nice to see the new prospects. Oh, Kyung-Il!" I jumped at the name and she waved at someone who was putting up a banner. He stood up and dusted his hands off, walking over. 

It was him. 

He walked over and smiled at Ha-eun before turning to me, his eyes widening for a millisecond. 

"Who's this Ha?" 

"Oppa, this is Hye-In Unnie. She's your age. Unnie this is Kyung-Il, he got in on a soccer scholarship and he's really good." My gaze was hard at him and I let out one huff of air in laughter and annoyance. Ha-eun was still smiling. 

"Ha-eun-ah!" She turned at perfect timing to someone who called her. 

"I'll be right back."

"Hye-In and I will go to the cafe. Meet us there?" Ha-eun nodded and gave me a wink. Her reasons were far beyond the real answer. 

When she was far enough away he grabbed my wrist, hard. To anyone looking, it was like he was leading me to the cafe.

"People are staring." I hissed. 

"Good." He pulled me down a brick alleyway, not letting go of my arm. I could break it right now. 

When you meet a rouge, you must kill them, but not right away. Show them how horrible it is to betray us. -Officer YONG

We snuck past some freshman boys who were taking empty boxes out, and we passed through the door. Kyung-Il opened the first door with 001 on the gold plaque, shut it behind him, and locked it, throwing me to the ground. 

"This isn't a cafe." 

"This isn't your mission." I stood up, only reaching his chest. He didn't intimidate me one bit. 

"Don't play me. We know about you, 3016." His jaw clenched. He had no reason to lie to me now. 

"Why are you here?"

"Soccer, huh? Do you use the same feet that broke my brother's nose? His leg?" He chuckled.

"This is why they shouldn't let women in. Too many sentimental things in their head." 

"This is why they should let weak men who get beat up by women in. They see how the south is and want to live that way."

"Why don't you stop pretending to like our nation when they have your brother at gun point? When they took you away from your family! When they made our father kill your mother. When I became the illegitimate child, born out of wedlock." I clenched my fist and put my other hand on the dagger. I could tell he had some on his body as well.

Do not let the enemy intimidate you. Show them no weakness. -Officer IM

"South Korea is better. I can help you, we can get Jun back and live out our lives." 

"You were never apart of our lives. You always bullied us because you were never allowed in our family. I bet you loved the day they beheaded my father."

"I still consider you my Dongsaeng." 

"I still consider you dead." 

"Hye-In is a nice new name."

"Tell Ha-eun that I had to go to the dorm. If you want to die quickly, find me alone." I unlocked the door and walked out, slamming the door against the outer wall. The guys in the hall turned, like they had seen a ghost. I glared at them and walked out of the glass doors, to the opposite dorm building.

"Excuse me!" I turned violently to a smiling face with red hair. 

"You dropped this." He picked up the picture of Jun and I and I quickly took it from his hands, bowing. 

"Thank you." 

"Why did you come out of Kyung-Il's dorm room?" I glared at the window, the one he was looking out of. 

"He's just an old town friend." 

"Kyung-Il has friends? That's new. What's your name?"

"Hye-In?" I wasn't even looking at the guys face. 

"Hi, Hye-In. I'm Mark." He held out his hand and I didn't see it, as I turned back around to walk to my dorm. 

I wish I had stopped to listen, then it would've made my ordeal 10 times better.