She heard it before she felt it. The moving water and the clang of metal against metal echoed in her ears well before a bucket full of water was thrown onto her face and filling her airways.

Bora jolted awake and forced air down into her lungs with deep, uncontrolled breaths. It took a while to convince her brain she wasn’t drowning.

She tried to wipe her face, but her hands, she realized with horror, were tightly duct taped to the metallic chair she was sat on. She was barefoot and in a tank top.

“Good morning, sunshine!” A voice resonated in a corner of the room.

A dirty lightbulb weakly basked the room in an orange light. The air felt damp, and she could hear running water somewhere beneath her feet.

She gathered she was underground, probably in a cave or in a sewer crawling with rats. She leaned towards the latter and suspected the water thrown onto her was wastewater.

Ew.

She almost retched at the smell of rotten trash that mixed with the oppressive heat. The air was horribly humid and sweat already glistened on her bare skin.

The man who’d woken her up discarded the metallic bucket in a corner. The metal echoed loudly against the concrete floor and beyond into what she suspected was a maze of conduits, pipes and air ducts. He opened the door and closed it behind him in a racket of rusty hinges.

The man who’d spoken in the shadows treaded slowly towards her. His face came into view, lit by the weak lightbulb but she recognized him.

She shut her eyes. No, no, please, no.

She reopened her eyes but it was still the same man. The one whose head she’d crushed a frying pan on while he was struggling with Jackson.

He smiled a toothy smile and wrinkles appeared at the corner of his eyes.

“You’re quite the elusive one, aren’t you?”

Hoo Seonmin.

***

Jackson didn’t know why but he didn’t leave right after hanging up on Mark. He stayed rooted in his spot for a few more minutes.

Something felt off.

His gut feeling worsened when a large van hurtled down a narrow lane and turned around the parking lot heading for the back of the police station. But not before Jackson picked up the odd plate number.

NIS.  

The National Intelligence Services had come all the way here… Why?

Two men stepped out of the vehicle and disappeared inside the building. Five minutes later, they came back out but they weren’t alone. One of them was carrying something over his shoulder.

No, someone.

Without thinking, Jackson took a step forward.

Bora was hanging limp over the guy’s shoulder. Jackson never saw her face which was covered by a sack but he recognized her clothes from the previous day. He reached to his pocket and pulled out his cellphone.

The other end picked up right away. “Captain.”

“Do we have cars around the Yeongju area? I’ve already broken into three. I left mine in Seoul last night.” Jackson said referring to his cherished white foreign sports car he’d left near the bank.

“Hello, to you too. I’m fine, thank you,” A snarky voice answered. “I totally did not just spend the whole entire day with the monster you call your sister glued to my prodding for updates about what kind of mess you got yourself into. Girl thinks I got a third eye or something.”

“Do you?”

“Well, more like 7500 eyes in Seoul alone.” He replied nonchalantly. “Korea really is a heaven for CCTV cameras, I’m spoon-fed. They just do half if not all the work for me, it’s not even funny anymore.” He said in a whiny voice. “Ah, and to answer your question, yes, we do have cars around Yeongju. I just sent the location to your phone.”

As talkative as he was, Bambam was even more efficient and lived up to his reputation of an IT genius. There was not a single day Jackson regretted taking him under his wing.

“Nice. Do you have eyes on the Yeongju police station?”

“Yeah. That shirt’s boring by the way.”

Jackson held his fist up in a vulgar gesture.

Bambam tsked. “I saw that.”

“I know. See that car about to leave? In that alley I’m facing.”

A silence stretched on the other side as Bambam probably zoomed in on the said spot.

“Ohhh, our national CIA?” Bambam said mockingly and Jackson could almost hear the mischievous smile spread across his face. “You want me to blow something up?”

“What?” Jackson frowned. “No. They took Lee Hyun Suk’s daughter. But I can’t follow them without them noticing. I need you to keep an eye on them. I’ll give them a head start. I’m counting on you to keep track of their location and keep me updated. Clear?”

“Crystal clear.” Bambam replied. “So it really was her who pulled a Korean ambush on you?”

Jackson scratched his head. He knew this episode at the bank would undeniably come back to bite his .

“Tell Rin I’m fine.”

“You tell her.” Bambam said.

“Jax!” Nairin, his 18-year-old sister’s voice screeched and Jackson pulled the phone away with a frown.

“Hello, Rin.”

“What happened? Did you really get lured into a Korean ambush?” She giggled out loud. “Are you serious? It’s like the first step trainees are put through here! I am so telling Dad.”

“Talk to you later.” Jackson growled, getting ready to hang up.

“Wait!” Nairin cried out loud. “Did you get that Seoul homemade tofu I told you about?”

“Do I look like I had time to go shopping?” Jackson growled.

“Jeez, Jax, relax.” She mumbled under her breath and he didn’t catch the rest of her sentence. “Is the girl who ambushed you really Lee Hyun Suk’s daughter? Everyone’s going cray here at HQ. How is she like?” She asked, her voice transpiring curiosity.

Jackson paused to think about his answer.

“Trouble. She’s like trouble. But worse.”

***

Hoo Seonmin grinned. “Do I look familiar?”

Yes, yes, you do, Bora wanted to scream.

He slid something out of his pocket and showed her a picture warped by time.

It showed two familiar-looking men arm in arm and a beer in their hands, smiling brightly for the camera.

 “What about him?” Seonmin pointed to the man on the right. “Does he look familiar to you?”

Yes, yes, he did. But now he’s dead because Jackson snapped his neck barely 24 hours ago.

“Imagine this: The government send me on a simple mission with my brother. Except, only one of us comes back alive.”

She closed her eyes.

Crap. That was his brother? 

Well, he did try to kill you, her inner voice said.

“I’m supposed to feel sorry for that brute?” She said, before she could stop herself.

Seonmin’s fist met her jaw and drew blood.

She coughed and spat. “What does the government want with me, anyways?” She paused, almost wanting to laugh at the prospect. “I didn’t kill your brother. And I don’t know where Jackson Wang is neither.”

That was true. She didn’t know where he was and it unsettled her.

“Oh, I know the Wang boy and where he is. Believe me when I tell you, it’s you and I now. No one’s