Over the next two weeks, I made preparations for my escape. Sunny found someone who was willing to take me back to Hong Kong on his boat. I got into contact with him and met up with him whenever I could without being suspicious. The plan was to leave around 2AM. I knew Zelo would be out late on another job that night.

Today would be my last day in Korea. I couldn’t help but feel a little sad about leaving. I actually liked living here more than I originally thought I would. But I had to leave before it was too late I reminded myself as I made sandwiches for me and Zelo.

“Here’s your lunch.”, I said as I handed him a plate.

“Thanks.” I sat down next to him and Mochii jumped into my lap.

“Hey! I’m trying to eat here Mochii.” Mochii feigned ignorance and stayed in my lap.

“Mochii is sticking really close to you today.”, Zelo commented. It was true. Mochii followed me everywhere today, never letting me out of sight. Dogs are actually really smart. Mochi probably had a feeling I would be leaving soon.

“Yeah. It’s kind of weird. Maybe Mochii has realized I would be a way better owner than you.”, I said.

“Yeah right. Oh by the way it’s supposed to rain a lot for the next few days. I picked up an extra umbrella from the convenience store for you.”, he said handing me a little black umbrella.

“Oh thanks.”, I said trying not to sound guilty. We ate while watching Return of Superman. The kids were so cute.

After the episode and washing the plates, I headed upstairs with the umbrella. Of course, Mochii trotted along after me. I flopped onto my bed and fiddled around with the umbrella. It was surprisingly sturdy for a cheap umbrella. I clicked a button on the side and the umbrella opened up. On the underside of the umbrella was a copy of Lotuses in Five Colors one of my favorite ink  paintings by Zhang Daqian. I remember mentioning it once to Zelo a week before. So definitely not an average convenience store umbrella. But why?

My phone started to ring before I could think about it too long. It was Sunny. We went over the plan once more and I was about to hang up when Sunny hesitated.

“What is it?”, I asked.

“It’s just...are you sure you want to do this? Zelo treats you well and you seem sort of, well happy.”

“That’s why I’m doing this. I have to leave before I fall in love with him anymore than I already have. This life brings nothing but pain. I can’t watch another person close to me die. You know that better than almost anyone.” Sunny let out a sigh.

“I know. I just want you to be happy.”

“I know, Sunny. I will be.” I said and hung up.

Soon it was time for me to leave. I only carried a medium sized backpack and a couple concealed weapons just in case. Ba could send for the rest of my things after I make it back to Hong Kong. At the door, Mochii whined and looked at me sadly.

“I’ll miss you too, Mochii. Take care of that giant, okay?”, I said as I petted the furball for the last time. I headed out into the night. Just like Zelo said it was raining. I pulled out the umbrella and headed to the harbor. The boat was a modest size and was definitely not new but it looked sturdy and reliable. After going over the plans with the captain, I headed down to the lower deck. On my way down my umbrella snagged on something and ripped a little.

“Oh no. Zelo’s umbrella.”, I murmured to myself. Maybe I can fix it in Hong Kong. I hoped that I could.

Twenty minutes later we still hadn’t moved. I went up to see what was going on. It had stopped raining and I couldn’t see the captain anywhere. Instead, I found Zelo leaning against the side of the boat with his arms crossed. Dammit.

“Z-zelo what are you doing here?”

“I thought it was strange Mochii was so attached to you today. It was almost as if he thought you would disappear like smoke. So I asked Youngjae to run a search on any vessels leaving Korea tonight or tomorrow. He found an unregistered boat in Incheon Harbor. And so here I am. I gotta say you covered your tracks well. I see you picked up a few tricks.”

“What happened to the captain?” I asked ignoring the jab.

“I let him go. He was only doing his job after all. But now it’s my turn to ask a question. Did you really hate being here with me that much?” The hurt in his eyes made me feel even guiltier.

“It’s not that. I never meant to hurt you. But please understand I never wanted this life. I wanted to get out before it was too late.”, I said half hoping he would ask what I meant by too late and half hoping he wouldn’t.

“The intention was nice but what’s done is done.” The hurt in his eyes before was replaced by a look colder than the Arctic tundra.

“Let’s go.”, he said turning around to head home. I hesitated.

“Don’t even think about running. I’ll catch you for sure. Grab your stuff and let’s go.” With a defeated sigh I headed back down below deck to grab my bag. The umbrella wasn’t the only thing that tore tonight. I wasn’t sure if Zelo would ever trust me again.