Chapter 2

The building they entered was made almost entirely of what looked like mirrors, but once they were inside, Taehyung saw the view out was unobstructed.

They headed down a short hallway and entered a room that held a long table surrounded by chairs. Another table stood against the nearest wall, on it was vast amounts of food, all laid out on trays and platters.

The ambassador indicated the food. “Because we weren’t sure what you would like of our food, I had the kitchen prepare what we call a buffet meal. It means that they have provided a variety of foods and you can help yourselves to whatever you wish to eat. Plates and bowls are at one end with eating utensils; all you have to do is start there and make your way along.”

The minister nodded and led the way. Taehyung was third in line; after picking up a plate and fork, he started studying the food on offer. Someone had put signs on the plates saying what they were. There was seolleongtang, rice, origogi, chicken, pork, bulgogi, and much more.

Taehyung chose something called sundubujjigae, some kimchi jjigae, and some kamjatang. He chose them because they at least partially resembled food he would eat at home.

The juk didn’t have a lot of taste, but it wasn’t bad; the sundubujjigae was nice, but lacked a little bit of salt; and the kamjatang was very plain. As a first meal, it wasn’t bad, but he didn’t think he would be asking for any recipes for his mother just yet.

Seokjin, of course, ate a bit of everything and kept enticing Namjoon into trying things he found to his liking. For such a skinny male, Seokjin could really pack away the food, and as he loved to prepare food, he was always looking for new things to taste. He was asking the ambassador endless questions, but when he realized that Mrs. Lee liked to cook, he turned his attention to her. By the end of the meal, they were firm friends, and Lee Miju was promising to visit again the next afternoon to tell Seokjin more.

When the food was finished, the group were shown to their rooms and given time to freshen up before they met the ambassador by the entrance.

“Miju and Changhyun send their apologies, but they had prior engagements they couldn’t cancel. Shall we start the tour?”

After the minister had nodded, the ambassador led the way out the door.

As they entered the main compound building, the ambassador kept up a running commentary. He told them the building was over three hundred years old and had been used as many things to do with the military. For the last hundred years, it had been used as a training and research facility. Military personnel were sent to be trained before being deployed and were also sent for regular refresher training. New techniques were always being developed, and they wanted their military people to be up to date.

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“This is our tactical research center,” the ambassador was saying as they entered a large room. “We’re developing a lot of different technologies at the moment. But the main project is a transporter. We’re working on breaking down someone’s molecular structure and then putting them back together again in a different location. Unfortunately early tests haven’t been successful so far.

“My son Changhyun is the head researcher here and will be pleased to give you a more detailed rundown on our research during your stay.

“We are also working on various devices to make homelife easier on people. Some of these include: a food