As punishment for causing their usual amount of city-wide chaos, Seulgi and Irene are sent on a long, romantic vacation. What they find when they get back is the last thing they'd expected: A new boss.

Detective Superintendent Kim Taeyeon is there for one thing and one thing only - to make sure Seulgi causes no more trouble, for herself or anyone. And so when a big case, involving an old nemesis of Seulgi and Irene's, suddenly reemerges, they jump at the opportunity to prove themselves once and for all.

But soon, they realise things are not quite as they seem, and as always, nothing is ever straightforward.

Rated M for: Language, Crazy , Violence, Mild y Times, Miami Vice References, Jumping the Shark

▶ Official Spotify Playlist ◀

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a while ;) 💕

Blood Runs Deep

Part I

It was late in the afternoon when the taxi pulled up to the kerb across the street from the precinct. A cool and dim hue ran down the far reaches of the sky like watercolour. The sun had no heat to it at all. They stepped out and Seulgi paid the driver and he complemented her on the colour of her white suit and she said Thank you, Goodbye.

‘Every time,’ Irene said.

‘What?’

‘Nothing.’

‘What.’

‘Just you and those suits.’

‘Don’t start. Not now. I’m not in the mood.’

‘Why not?’

Seulgi gave a sheepish shrug.

‘Why not?’ Irene said. ‘What’s wrong. Go on. Tell me.’

‘Nothing’s wrong. That’s what’s wrong.’

‘Uh huh. Right.’

‘You know what I mean.’

‘Honestly? Not really.’

‘It’s just—’ she looked at Irene stood five feet away on the pavement and smiled a tired smile. In the gentle breeze the wind made a mess of her neatly arranged hair, ruffled the loosely sloped collar of her polo shirt. ‘What?’ Irene said. ‘What is it?’

‘I’ve just had the best six weeks of my life, and I don’t want to ruin it now.’

‘Ruin it how? With me joking about your suits?’

‘I mean, kind of.’

‘I didn’t know you hated it that much.’

‘I don’t,’ Seulgi said, hands stuffed into her pockets. ‘I just meant that…you know. Can’t you hold off on the teasing for a day or two? I’m still riding the high of it all.’

‘You act like we were on our honeymoon or something.’

‘Well.’

‘Well what? Babe? You’re blushing.’

‘Let’s just get this over with, yeah?’

‘Get what over with? I don’t even know what that means. This is our job.’

‘My job,’ Seulgi said. ‘This is my job. You’re just—’

‘The tag-along. Sure. Well, let’s go. Time waits for no man. Or woman. Or whatever other creature.’

They crossed and went on up into the first floor of the precinct. Inside everything was as it had been six weeks ago. In the lobby the reception area was empty as usual and the clock on the wall read a very much incorrect nine fourteen AM through its woeful dustmottled visage. On the end of the desk a yellowing potted plant sat flaccid and unimpressive like a morbidly hilarious frown. They stood a moment taking in everything in the middle of the room. The white of the tiles gleamed in the narrow knives of windowlight. Here dust fell slantwise and was lost like ghost motes of that very same dust, as if they had never been there at all. ‘Well,’ Irene said. ‘Good to see they’ve hired absolutely nobody in the time we’ve been away. Where does all that budget go, anyway?’

‘What budget?’

She thought about it for a second. Then she said, ‘Good point.’

‘We should go.’

‘Hey, that’s something I’ve always wondered, you know.’

‘What is?’

‘Why do you always say that?’

‘Say what?’

‘We should go. Or: We should do this. Like, no offence or anything, babe, but it’s like…yeah. Duh. Of course we should do that, or do this, or go here, or go there. Dunno why you always feel the need to point it out. As if I’m dumb or something.’

‘You’re not dumb.’

‘Oh, I know. I know that very well. Which makes it even weirder.’

‘I guess it’s just a habit,’ Seulgi said.

‘Like putting your hands in your pockets when you’re acting shy and ?’

‘Guess so. We should—’ she stopped and looked at Irene. The smirk on her face reminded her of the very same smirk she’d seen so long ago in an evening waterfront restaurant, the first night they had ever met. How many lifetimes ago that felt like now. They went on up to the office and immediately realised something was different. It was strange how attuned they were about that. Everything looked exactly as they had left it, the empty tables gathering dust and the clock on the rear wall and the blinds covering the murky windows of Hongki’s private lair and Wheein sat wheeling her chair about at her desk as if she had absolutely no work to do whatsoever. And the stacks of paperwork in front of her saying otherwise. She looked at them and pushed her chair into the middle of the aisle with a smile so wide Seulgi thought she might get stuck like that.

‘You look cheerful,’ Irene said.

‘You’re back!’

‘We’re back,’ Seulgi said.

‘I thought I’d never see you again.’

‘Alright, calm down.’

‘No, but seriously, it felt like a million years.’

‘Felt like nothing to us.’

‘That’s because you were having fun.’

‘Is it?’ Irene said.

‘Did you not have fun?’

She made a gesture that said 50-50 and Seulgi shot her a glare. ‘Could’ve done with some better company,’ she said.

‘Like me?’

‘Sure. Next time?’

‘Sounds like a plan.’

‘Are you two going back to this already?’ Seulgi said.

‘Why? You jealous or something?’

‘Very funny.’

Wheein wheeled her chair forward. Seulgi thought she might stand up and hug them but ever the lover of minimal effort she did not. She just sat there wheeling the chair back and forth, chewing on the rubber nub of a pencil eraser. ‘Hey,’ Irene said. ‘You’ve dyed your hair.’

‘Glad you noticed. You like it?’

‘Yeah. Brown suits you.’

‘I think technically it’s chestnut. Is that even a colour? I don’t know. I wasn’t paying much attention. I think I might’ve even fallen asleep.’

‘Looks good.’

‘Thanks. How was the holiday?’

‘Good,’ Seulgi said.

‘Is that it?’

‘What more do you want?’

‘How about, literally anything? Where did you go?’

‘You know where we went.’

‘Not really. You just said you were going to Bali, and that’s it.’

‘Yeah.’

‘You were in Bali for six weeks?’

‘We went to the Maldives,’ Irene said. ‘And then a week in Thailand.’

‘Jesus. Alright for some, I suppose. How the did you afford that?’

‘I still haven’t figured that part out. Seriously, how much do you get paid for this ? It can’t be that much, right? Every day that goes by, I get more and more suspicious.’

‘I’ve told you this before,’ Seulgi said. ‘I’m just frugal, is all.’

‘Uh huh.’

‘Well,’ Wheein said. ‘Are you going to tell me anymore? Or just leave it at that?’

‘Think I might just leave it at that,’ said Seulgi.

‘Classic you.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Nothing. Did you take any pictures?’

‘A couple.’

‘By number?’

‘By estimation.’

‘So, more than two.’

‘Why does it matter?’

‘I was just asking,’ Wheein said. She launched the pencil back across her desk. ‘I’m glad you two had fun, though. Seriously. Can’t believe you were gone for six weeks.’

‘Neither can we.’

‘No, I mean it. I’m genuinely in disbelief. You know we’re only supposed to get twenty-two paid days leave in a year, right?’

‘Are we?’

‘And you go for, what? Double that? Almost. And they ing paid for it! Ridiculous.’

‘Well, they didn’t technically pay for the holiday. They just paid for the days off. But yeah. That’s one of the perks of being the best detectives in the world,’ Irene said. ‘More time off.’

‘You don’t even work here.’

‘Semantics, as always. Where is everyone?’

‘Everyone?’

‘Whoever.’

‘I don’t know,’ Wheein said. ‘Around and about, I suppose. But there’s something you should both know.’

They looked at each other. ‘What is it?’ Seulgi said.

‘It’s about Hongki.’

‘How’s he doing?’

‘I don’t know. He doesn’t work here anymore.’

‘What? What do you mean he doesn’t work here?’

‘Well, I mean he’s out, as of four weeks ago.’

‘Out where?’

‘I don’t know that either,’ Wheein said. She stopped wheeling her chair about and folded her legs and continued. ‘Maybe he got fired, maybe he was forced out. Maybe he quit. I don’t know. He never said. Just upped and said he was leaving and that was the last any of us saw of him. That was a month ago.’

‘So who’s in charge, then? Don’t tell me it’s you.’

‘Me? You serious? You think they’d put me in charge? More chance of, well…you. Or even you.’

‘Thanks,’ Irene said.

‘So,’ said Seulgi, ‘who is it?’

Wheein nodded toward the closed office door. The blinds had been drawn down so that they could see nothing inside it. ‘She’s in there,’ Wheein said.

‘Who is? Who is she?’

‘Detective Superintendent Kim Taeyeon. You heard of her?’

Seulgi and Irene shook their heads.

‘Well, she’s the big cheese. The shark in the pond. The mafioso.’

‘In a language we can understand, please.’

‘Do you seriously not know her?’

‘No,’ Seulgi said.

‘Sometimes I wonder if there’s anything you do actually know.’

‘Just get to the point.’

‘She was the head of Seoul’s entire force for a few years.’

‘Was?’

‘Yes.’

‘As in, is no longer is?’

‘That’s what was means, yes.’

‘Was she fired or something?’

‘Stepped down willingly about five weeks ago. To run this place.’

‘Are you serious?’

Wheein nodded. ‘One day it was Hongki Hongki Hongki, then it was “I’m leaving, Wheein,” then it was her. Like, completely out of the blue.’

‘Why? I don’t understand why anyone would move down like that.’

‘You can say that again.’

‘I’m serious.’

Wheein shrugged nonchalantly. ‘She said something about cleaning this place up, sorting us out. Putting us all in line, you know? Said this place had fallen into disrepair and was making the department look bad. Something like that.’

‘That’s rude.’

‘And completely bull,’ Irene interjected.

‘You don’t even work here. Why are you offended?’

‘Am I not allowed to be? Are you the arbiter of offence now, too?’

‘That’s not what I meant.’

‘Wheein.’

‘Yeah,’ said Wheein.

‘What’s she like?’

‘Too serious. I don’t like it. I mean, Hongki was serious too, of course, but in a sort of mad scientist way, you know? It was sorta endearing. But Taeyeon is completely different. She’s all about getting the job done and getting it done the right way, and on time. I don’t like it. I guess it’s true what they say about not knowing what you have until it’s gone. Sad.’

‘She doesn’t seem to be doing a very good job,’ Seulgi said.

‘What?’

‘Well, you’re still here, doing absolutely nothing, as is tradition.’

‘Rude.’

‘Where are the others?’

‘Out doing things.’

‘What things?’

Wheein pushed her chair back behind the desk and kicked her feet up. ‘Working,’ she said. ‘Actually getting things done on my behalf.’

‘And why are you not with them?’

‘I wasn’t told to be.’

‘How have you not been fired yet?’

‘Jesus, what is this, the Spanish Inquisition? What’s with all the questions?’

‘I’m just curious, is all.’

‘Ignore her,’ Irene said with a smile. ‘She’s grumpy.’

‘Yeah,’ said Wheein. ‘No . You planning on introducing yourself or something?’

‘Yeah,’ Seulgi said.

‘Well. It’s your funeral.’

‘She can’t be any worse than Hongki.’

‘Oh, on the contrary, she’s actually rather competent. Just means you might actually have to start pulling your weight around here.’

‘Really now.’

‘What? Can’t handle the truth?’

‘I’ve been the best cop this department—’ she looked at the grin on Wheein’s face and shook her head. ‘Forget it. I can’t be bothered. Is she in there?’

‘You’ve already asked me that.’

‘Well, I forgot.’

‘Go right ahead.’

Seulgi brushed past Wheein and knocked and waited for an answer. When she looked around again Wheein was sat slouching in her chair filing her nails and whistling quietly. She waited for quite some time. The office was as quiet as it had ever been and the only indication they’d been away at all was the clock that had stopped permanently on the wall above the doors. She knocked again. Waited. It was almost a minute until she heard a voice beckoning her to enter from the other side.

The room was so different to anything she could remember it was almost startling. Like something out of a vague dream. Everything was exactly where it was supposed to be, the desk neat and tidied, the cabinets filled and filed properly and in alphabetical order, no snakes or dartboards or decapitated watermelons and no smell of incense or yoga videotapes playing from busted VCRs in the corner. Even the bin was empty. It smelt of lemon and faintly of lavender air freshener and there was more light pouring into the room from the gaps in the window curtains than Hongki had ever enjoyed in his entire career. The woman that sat behind the desk was blonde and slim and had an aura of quiet authority around her narrow face and wide eyes that Seulgi noticed immediately. She was no taller than Irene but even sitting there felt twice that size. There was something instantly about her that screamed: This is the boss. The big cheese, as Wheein had said. And this cheese was very big indeed.

‘You must be Kang Seulgi,’ she said. Her voice had that same calm command to it that made Seulgi feel very small. She stood and clasped her hands behind her back and nodded for Seulgi to move closer. Seulgi thought about taking a seat and looked at the woman and thought better of it. ‘Yes ma’am,’ she said.

The woman looked at Irene. ‘You must be her plus one.’

‘Something like that,’ Irene said. ‘That’s a decent way to put it.’

‘I’m—’

‘Kim Taeyeon.’

She said nothing for quite some time. As if taking the measure of them. Then she said, ‘I see Wheein’s already told you.’

‘Yes ma’am,’ Seulgi said. ‘She said you’re the new Detective Superintendent.’

‘She would be right. After looking at the station reports, your previous boss wasn’t up to the job, so to speak. So, he had to go. Apologies about not notifying you on your holidays.’

‘It’s fine, ma’am.’

‘There are going to be some changes around here, starting with her.’

‘Me?’ Irene said.

Taeyeon nodded. She had a rich tone that implied everything she said was cardinal and final. ‘I’m afraid you can’t be here any longer.’

‘What? What do you mean?’

‘You can’t be a part of anything to do with this department going forward.’

‘Yeah, I mean, I got that bit. I just dunno why you said it.’

‘Ma’am,’ said Seulgi.

Taeyeon looked at her, hands still clasped behind her back. ‘She’s both a liability and an illegal asset. She has no place or authority here. Your previous boss was told about this quite a few occasions, but apparently let it go for whatever reason.’

‘Ma’am, please.’

‘That’s the first thing. The second is this.’ She unclasped her hands long enough to push a single laminate file across the desk with enough poise to suggest it had all been choreographed ahead of time. Seulgi stood a moment as if unsure what to do. The clock framed neatly on the wall to her right was the only clock in the entire station that was still working to anything more than a broad estimate of the time. She glanced at the first page through the transparent laminate material. It was a photo of a man in his forties or fifties with a thin moustache paperclipped to a file marked confidential. Seulgi turned to Irene stood by the doorway as if unsure of how to proceed.

‘That there is Kim Hongsuk,’ said Taeyeon. ‘You’ll be familiar with him, I expect.’

‘Hongsuk?’

‘He first came onto our radar a few years ago on suspicion of orchestrating a series of armed robberies across the greater Seoul area. Then it came to our attention that he was in charge of much more than that. Gambling dens, illegal casinos, ion rings, from here to Busan. He dropped off the map a while ago, fled to America as far as our intel knows, and then recently resurfaced a few months ago. Two undercover officers were assigned to the case at that time. One was Busan detective Kim Jisoo, and the other—’ she nodded toward Seulgi, ‘was you.’

‘Yes ma’am. I remember him.’

‘Then you’ll also remember that you allowed him to escape after causing considerable damage to public property, along with discharging your weapon in a public place and a handful of counts of grand theft auto. Let’s not include the less serious charges in there, just for brevity’s sake.’

‘Ma’am, I can explain.’

‘No need. The explanation has been made to me many times, by many different people. The point is I don’t care anymore.’ Taeyeon pointed to the file again. ‘The point is we have actionable intel that he’s resurfaced yet again. Seems he can’t keep his nose away from the money trail.’

‘He’s back again?’

‘That he is, according to a number of our undercover reports. And we know where and when.’

‘Ma’am?’

‘Consider this your first official case back on the force, detective.’

Seulgi merely looked at her.

‘It’s all there in the file, everything you have to do. We have information from an inside source that claims Hongsuk is planning on personally overseeing a large arms deal going down in a warehouse in Yangpyeong.’

‘When?’

‘Tomorrow night. So be swift about this, detective.’

‘Yes ma’am.’ Seulgi took the file and thumbed through it briefly and stood to attention. Taeyeon stole a glimpse at Irene over her shoulder, stood fiddling with something on one of the shelves. ‘Seulgi,’ she said.

‘Yes ma’am?’

‘I was serious about not letting her come with you on anything to do with this case. And not just this one. No more.’

‘But ma’am—’

‘Seulgi.’

‘Yes ma’am.’

‘Good. Go on. Dismissed.’

Seulgi saluted and bowed and went on out with Irene trailing behind her. When she closed the door Wheein was still filing her nails behind her desk, only now she had accrued a small collection of plastic biscuit wrappers and an empty coffeecup next to her keyboard. She looked at the scowl on Seulgi’s face and the confusion on Irene’s and heaved her feet off the desk as to sit upright again. ‘You’re looking glum, chum,’ she said. ‘Bad first impressions?’

‘Something like that,’ Seulgi said.

‘What’s up?’

‘She’s about as serious as you said she would be.’

‘Well…yeah. What, you think I’d lie or something?’

‘Don’t know, honestly.’

‘Good to see our trust level is still there.’

‘This is some bull,’ Irene said from behind them. She threw her hands up in exasperation. ‘Some real, Grade-A, no-money-back-guarantee, one-hundred-percent, fresh-out-the-oven, steaming bull.’

‘Not good, then?’

‘Absolute bull.’

‘What’d she say?’

‘Bull, is what she said.’

Wheein looked at Seulgi. ‘She’s not allowed on the force anymore,’ Seulgi said.

‘What? You serious?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Why?’

‘Probably for a host of different reasons. Can’t say I didn’t see this coming eventually. I just didn’t think it’d be so soon.’

‘Well. What are you gonna do about it?’

To this Seulgi had no answer. Wheein nodded to the file in her hands. ‘That something important?’ she asked.

‘Something like that. Our first case back. You know Kim Hongsuk?’

‘Vaguely. I remember you telling me something about your ex-girlfriend or something.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Why? You getting nostalgic or something now?’

She waved the file toward Wheein and said, ‘He’s back.’

‘No .’

‘This is our first job back. Well, mine.’

She turned to Irene and saw the disappointment on her pale face and immediately felt terrible about having said anything at all. Wheein opened the second drawer of her desk and tossed an unopened pack of cookies onto her desk amid the other empty wrappers. ‘Damn,’ she said, tearing into the packet. ‘ to be you. Both of you, really.’

‘What about you?’ Seulgi said. ‘Why do you not seem to have any work you need to be doing?’

‘I do.’ Wheein bit into a cookie and continued with full. ‘I’m just doing it at a much more leisurely pace.’

‘Why do you get time to do it, and I immediately have to report here like this?’

‘Probably because – and I can’t believe I’m admitting this – you’re better at your job than me. You get done when it needs to be done. Ouch, my pride.’

‘I still don’t think it’s fair.’

‘You want a cookie?’

‘No.’

‘They’re double choc chip.’

‘Give me one,’ Irene said, and took two.

‘We should probably go,’ said Seulgi.

Wheein looked at her and threw back another cookie. ‘I’ll be sure to let the rookies know you dropped by. They’ve missed you.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Oh, awfully. You sure you don’t want one of these?’

‘Come on,’ Seulgi said, ignoring her.

‘Damn. Catch you around, buddy.’

‘Yeah. Sometime soon.’

♣  ♣  ♣

When they were sat in the Hyundai rental across from the precinct it took a long time for either of them to speak. They watched the cold of the day. It felt like world’s apart from Bali and Thailand and the Maldives and that’s because it almost was. Like another life entirely, a much sourer and colder and wetter one, with less tall Mai Tais on white beaches and more stabby murderers and drug kingpins. It was Irene that broke the silence when she shifted in her seat and coughed and said, ‘Those cookies were really good.’

‘Uh huh.’

‘Real good.’

Seulgi was silent. It was an awkward silence neither of them liked and neither wanted to hear any longer. ‘I’m sorry,’ Seulgi muttered.

‘For what?’

‘For that. I didn’t know any of that would happen. I thought we’d come back and it’d be like it was before, with Hongki and everything.’

‘Why are you saying sorry? It’s not your fault. Wait. Actually, it kinda is. But whatever. That’s beside the point. It’s not purposely your fault, or something like that. I dunno. Whatever.’

‘I’m really sorry.’

‘Yeah. Guess it’s back to pretending to be a housewife for me, then.’

Seulgi looked at her with a solemn and forced smile and turned back to the street again. A couple kids wandered by in a world of their own and Seulgi thought briefly: Man, if I were in my Testarossa they’d be all over me.

‘Babe,’ said Irene.

‘What?’

‘You know I’m still going to come along with you, right?’

‘Yeah, I do.’

‘Even if it’s illegal and I might get locked away for it. You know nothing she or you says is going to stop me?’

‘Yeah, I know.’

‘So why are you looking so glum?’

Seulgi turned to her and smiled. ‘Because I’m hungry,’ she said. ‘And I’m really regretting not taking one of those cookies.’

‘You should be. They’re amazing. Better than Wendy’s, even.’

‘I wouldn’t know. Never had them.’

‘Typical, missing out as always.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

Irene shrugged. ‘You wanna go for a meal or something?’

‘Sure.’

‘And then we can go shoot some drug dealers again.’

‘Sounds like an ideal Friday night.’

‘But it’s Monday.’

‘Whichever night,’ Seulgi said, laughing. She leant over and kissed Irene gently and then started the engine and pulled out into the street and disappeared.

♣  ♣  ♣

When Seulgi pulled the Hyundai into the parkinglot along the street from the warehouse in Yangpyeong it had just gone seven and was already obscenely dark. She cut the engine and sat waiting in silence. Irene sat in the passenger seat with her eyes closed and her head back. Seulgi took a minute to look at her. She was so unaware of how very attractive she was, how lovely and defined and perfect. So much so that every time Seulgi looked at her it reminded her of the first time they’d met, how pretty she thought Irene was even from that first encounter. How chance sometimes comes together in such a delicate and elegant way. After a moment she found herself smiling involuntarily.

‘Are you going to stare all night or are you going to kiss me?’ Irene said with a smirk.

Seulgi turned away, heat in her cheeks. ‘I thought you were asleep,’ she said.

‘Because I had my eyes closed? You thought I’d fall asleep that easily?’

‘Sorry.’

‘For what? I know I’m hot .’

‘Really now.’

Irene grinned that familiary wicked grin of hers. ‘Confidence is y, no? Wear it like a coat or something.’

‘What?’

‘Dunno. Heard that somewhere. Or something like it. Think it might’ve been on Game of Thrones?’

‘What are you talking about?’

Irene shrugged. ‘What time is it?’ she said.

‘Just gone seven.’

‘What? You kidding? I thought you said the file said half nine.’

‘It did.’

‘So why are we so ing early?’

‘Just in case.’

‘In case what? They’re decidedly super punctual?’

‘Just in case,’ Seulgi said.

Irene sank in her seat with a pout. It was so sudden and unexpected that Seulgi had to stifle a laugh again. ‘Just so you know,’ Irene said, ‘I don’t like that new boss of yours.’

‘I know. You said.’

‘I’ve got a feeling we’re not going to get on very well in the future.’

‘You shouldn’t ever be seeing her again. She’ll put you behind bars. I just know it.’

‘For what? For my massive brain?’

‘For breaking the law on multiple occasions?’

‘So what? You break the law every time you get the chance to.’

‘Yeah, but that’s different.’

‘Why? And how?’

‘I am the law.’

Irene laughed. ‘That probably sounded a lot cooler in your head, didn’t it?’

‘Yeah,’ Seulgi said sheepishly. ‘A bit.’

‘So, what’s the plan, then? Wanna run through it all once more?’

‘We do exactly what the document told us to do. We wait until they arrive, identify Hongsuk and his car, tail him when he leaves, and radio in support on the way.’

‘Why can’t the support just back us up right now?’

‘In case it blows our cover. This is basic stuff.’

‘Wow.’

‘What?’

‘Calling me dumb or something, babe?’

‘I didn’t mean it like—’

‘Uh huh.’

‘You’re very smart,’ Seulgi said.

‘I know. Very very smart. It’s why you love me so much. That and my absurdly good looks. And my wit. And my charm. And many other things aside.’

‘Sure.’

‘Are we gonna be sitting here all night?’

‘Not all night. Just until half nine.’

‘Can we go get something to eat?’

‘No.’

‘Please.’

‘Like what?’

Irene gave a bored shrug again. ‘Dunno,’ she said. ‘But I could go for some fried chicken right about now.’

‘Are you for real?’

‘What’s wrong with that?’

‘I thought you didn’t like chicken.’

‘I didn’t used to, but I do now. I’ve been craving it for ages. I thought about ordering a big bucket from room service when we were in Bali but I thought that would’ve made me look a bit, you know, uncivilised. Or uncultured. Or both, whatever. But I can’t get the thought of it off my mind recently. Maybe dying really did change me.’

‘Are you going to bring that up forever?’

‘What, me dying? Yeah, kinda. How many other people do you know that died and were still ing great at their job afterwards? Jesus, I suppose. But how many others?’

Seulgi ignored her.

‘Babe, please?’

‘As long as you pay,’ Seulgi said with a defeated sigh. ‘I’m not even that hungry.’

‘Sweet. Come on.’

‘Where are we going?’

‘Dunno. Wherever the nearest chicken joint is.’

‘What if we lose sight of the car?’

‘We won’t.’

‘But what if we do?’

‘You’ve got a good memory, no? A scarily good one, actually. Just use that.’

‘Fine,’ Seulgi said. She sighed again. ‘Whatever. But let’s make it quick.’

It was more than half an hour before they returned to the parkinglot, Irene with a half-eaten bucket of chicken in one hand and a drumstick in the other and Seulgi with her peachcoloured suitjacket fluttering lightly in the cool evening breeze. They crossed at the traffic lights opposite and made for the lot where the Hyundai sat near the back so that they could see the warehouse only barely from there.

‘You sure you don’t want any?’ Irene said.

‘I’m sure.’

‘This is good. Real good. Jesus, I’m going to get so fat from this. Babe. Hey, babe.’

‘What?’

‘Would you still love me if I was fat?’

‘What sort of a question is that?’

‘Well?’

‘Of course,’ Seulgi said. ‘I’d love you no matter what.’

‘Good. More chicken for me, then. Hey, I’ve been thinking lately, you know. Well, I mean, I think all the time, but something recently’s been bugging me. Ever since we came back from Thailand, I’ve been wondering about—’

She was stopped by Seulgi putting an arm out and cautioning her back. She looked at the expression of caution and worry on Seulgi’s face and put her chicken drumstick back in the box and the grease from her fingers. ‘What?’ she said. ‘What’s up?’

Seulgi was staring at the Hyundai rental in the corner of the lot.

‘What is it?’

‘Look.’

‘At what?’

‘Just look at it.’

‘Okay. And?’

‘You see that red flashing light under the car?’

‘Yeah. Wait. Wait a minute. Why the is there a red flashing light under the car?’

She made to move a slight and Seulgi grabbed her arm and fully stopped her. The scowl on her face had gone so sour it was beginning to make Irene nervous. ‘Babe,’ Irene said. ‘Babe, what’s wrong?’

To this Seulgi gave no reply. She watched the car for a moment as if it might move of its own accord. They could hear behind them the traffic along the avenue they’d just come from but otherwise the night was silent. ‘Babe,’ Irene said. ‘Seulgi. What’s going on?’

‘We need to go now.’

‘What? Go where?’

Seulgi turned and pulled Irene gently along by the arm until they were almost out of the parkinglot.

‘What are you doing?’ Irene said.

‘We need to leave.’

‘What about Hongsuk?’

‘Forget Hongsuk.’

‘What?’

‘He knows we’re here.’

‘What? What do you mean?’

Seulgi led her as casually as she could back toward the traffic crossing. ‘That light under the car,’ she said. ‘It wasn’t good.’

‘Well, no. I gathered that. I thought it was, like, I dunno. A fuel light, I guess?’

‘It was a remote detonator.’

‘What?’

‘Either that or some sort of trigger device for when we stepped foot in the car.’

‘Hold on a minute. You’ve confused me. A trigger device for what? A bomb?’

Seulgi nodded gravely.

‘Jesus. You kidding me?’

‘Somebody knew we were here. They wanted to make it look less messy. That’s what that was.’

‘But how did they know we were going to leave the car. Unless…’ she stopped and glanced around as it dawned on her. ‘Unless we were being watched the whole time.’

‘Don’t look around. Don’t look at anything. Just eat your chicken.’

‘Don’t need to tell me twice. Where are we going?’

‘We’ll hail a cab or something. We just need to get away from here as fast as possible.’

‘Damn,’ Irene muttered, hand back in her chicken box. ‘Now I really feel like I’m in the Cold War or something. Spies? Covert assassination attempts? Damn, I wish I’d kept that hat I picked up a couple months ago. You know which one I mean, babe?’

Seulgi ignored her.

‘You sure you don’t want some chicken? Damn, what is it with me and chicken? Even in the face of death, all I can think of is chicken. Maybe there’s something psychological in that. Or maybe not, I dunno. Whatever. I just love chicken.’