While Bom was being tortured and detained by TOP’s two cohorts, their leader Choi Seung hyun was busy coordinating with the American troops, pretending to be the leader of a South Korean army seeking to aid the US forces into North Korea but was actually a conman with some evil plans of his own.

            “You are a brilliant strategist, sir.” commented Stephen, praising TOP’s plans. TOP bowed as a sign of respect.

            “Thank you, Private.” he replied. “So do you know when I can expect the weapons and the armies?” Stephen crossed his arms on his chest.

            “I will try to get the Commander General to assemble an army and shell out weapons by tomorrow.”

            “We are fighting by your side, Private. This is urgent.” TOP repeated, sensing apprehension in Stephen’s tone.

            “I shall see what I can do.” Stephen replied. TOP rubbed his chin and nodded.

            “Alright. I will come back by tomorrow to see if there is any progress. But then again, I thank you for imparting your knowledge. You have helped our nation.” TOP’s deceitful smile came again as he shook his newfound comrade’s hand.

            “It has been my pleasure. Thank you for enlisting in our help.” Stephen shook his hand back with a sincere, unsuspecting smile.

[IN DAESUNG AND SEUNGRI’S CUSTODY]

            Park Bom awoke in a dark room like she did the first time she was captured. She sat up and looked around her, expecting total darkness. Though she was used to beingbeaten and tortured, this was still frightening for her. Bom tried to feel the floors for a possible weapon she could use to defend herself.

            The door started to creak open and slowly, in came Daesung. Daesung was a short, tan-skinned man with slanted eyes that made him look scarier, coupled with his fierce, brutal nature.

            “What do you want?” Bom asked, her voice quivering in fear. From his faded silhouette, Daesung seemed to be holding something, a weapon. Bom squinted her eyes and tried to make something out of it. It looked long and flowing, something like a bullwhip. Like what Madame used to hit her with.

            “What is that thing?!” she asked him, scared out of her wits. She knew what it was but her nervousness made her go dumb.

            “A little something to straighten out your act.” Daesung replied in a sinister manner. Bom hurried to her feet and tried to run to the corner, blocking Daesung with the wooden chair. Daesung cracked the whip and kicked the chair away, exposing Bom. Bom crawled further away from him like a baby being chased. The relentless Daesung continued to chase Bom around until he was only a few feet away from her.

            “Come here, little girl.” he teased. Bom refused to follow his orders and grabbed the chunk of wood that was lying on the floor.

            “GET AWAY!” she shrieked and threw the wooden plank at Daesung, barely hitting his arm.

            “Ooh, that was feisty of you.” he mocked her. “But it wasn’t enough to stop me.” Wasting no time, Daesung cracked the whip and struck it at Bom, scarring her right leg. Bom yelped in pain.

            Minutes later, Seung ri entered the room and saw the abuse that was taking place. When he saw Daesung’s arm go up for another whip, he grasped it. Bom looked up and thought that Seung ri had turned the other cheek and decided to have mercy on her. But she was wrong.

            “Stop hitting her, you doofus.” Seung ri said. Bom’s thoughts started to revert as she could possibly be right.

            “What?”

            “We’re gonna expose her outside. We’re gonna have some customer bid on her.” Seung ri explained.

            “Good strategy.” Daesung said. “Get her up!”  Seung ri walked over to Bom’s side and forcibly made her stand up. Bom got to her feet out of fear of being hit again.

            “We got something better for you to do!” Daesung said. The two men dragged her out of the dark room and quickly stripped her down to her underwear. Bom could not scream nor ask for help. She was terrified out of her wits and in order to save her life, she just followed what they wanted her to do.

            “We want you to go up there and dance your off.”

            “Huh?” Bom was shocked to hear what they wanted her to do. There was no way she could reveal herself in her underwear and gyrate for a group of dirty men.

            “GO OUT THERE AND SELL YOURSELF, YOU !” Daesung struck her with his hand, making her fall to the ground. Bom’s cheek turned red as she tried to get back up. Seung ri helped her up and pushed her to the crowd where she started to walk through the sea of people. Bom worked her way to the stage where some es were already dancing.

            “Oh! What do we have here?” one of the dancers looked down and noticed Bom in her undergarments, insecurely covering herself up.

            “Please. Help me. “ Bom mouthed. The hooker smirked and raised her eyebrow sultrily.

            “Sorry sweetie, there’s no way out. You’re just gonna have to dance to the tune of the music.” the stripper said. Bom refused to move her body but when she saw Daesung and Seung ri looking at her like they were going to beat her if she did not do what she was ordered to so in order to save her life, she began to gyrate ually like her fellow strippers.

            “YEAH! BRING IT ON!!!!!!” the , drunk male customers cheered on as they watched a sultry show before their very eyes. They started throwing bills and coins at the strippers as tips and some really wild ones got up on stage and started snagging their desired women. Bom had not been chosen yet though she felt that someone was about to snag her. She continued to dance.

[MEANWHILE AT THE ARMY]

            “I promise, the armies and weapons that I have to aid you will be here first thing in the morning.” TOP said. Stephen Jones and the Commander General acknowledged their comrade’s words.

            “We expect your full cooperation first thing in the morning tomorrow.” the Commander General said.

            “As a faithful ally to the United States, I promise to stand by my duties to your nation and to this great country.” Stephen felt his chest swelling with pride. He was happy that TOP was willing to help and was sincere.

            Or was he?

            Later that evening after coordinating with the US Army, TOP went straight to his bar where his henchman Daesung and Seung ri detained Bom as a prisoner and tortured her. The bar was still swarming with customers, namely old men and their es but TOP was in search of Bom.

            “Where is she?” he demanded angrily from his cohorts.

            “She’s in here.”  Daesung led his master to the dungeon where they were keeping Bom. TOP stormed his way inside and turned the lights on. Bom was sitting on the ground, in her underwear and sobbing, hoping to be rescued.

            “YOU MONSTER!” Bom screamed as she tried to get up and lunge forward at TOP. When she nearly got to him, she felt her body  being pulled back. Looking behind her, she discovered that her right ankle was shackled and chained to a post, preventing her from moving. TOP inched closer to her and slapped her face.

            “YOU TRAITOR!!!!” TOP said. “YOU HAVE BEEN GOING OUT WITH THE ENEMY!”

            “What are you talking about??!?!”

            “Don’t pretend you don’t know. You had as much to do with this as I have!” TOP warned her, grabbing her jaw and nearly crushing it in his strong, angry hands. “You have betrayed our country.” Bom slapped his hand away with what remaining strength she had.

            “I no longer wish to serve you or your father!” Bom spat angrily. “I love this country. I love Stephen and the Americans are going to discover your putrid secrets!”

            “The Americans?” TOP asked. He cackled loudly at her statement. “The Americans are under my control, my darling. I have tricked them into believing that I will send weapons and men to help them win the war but, I have other plans.”

            “My job with you and the North is over! It’s done for good!” Bom boldly claimed.

            “You have one more task besides luring the American soldier,” TOP said. “That is to transport military secrets to me through him.”

            “I will not take part in this.” Bom said strongly. “I’m done with you!”

            “Hahaha. Then you had just ended your own life!” TOP said. “Remember, dear Bom Lee, we are Pyongyang spies. You may have just met me but I have known you since the day you were appointed and I had been watching you from the time you set foot here in Seoul, all your undercover activities. You are a fraud!”

            “I don’t care what happened in my past. What’s important is the decision I’m making now. The decision to-“ Daesung had enough of her noise and struck her with a metal pipe. Bom’s face was scarred and wounded from all the beatings she received from her allies.

            “There’s two things you can do, my dear.” he said. “It’s do our leader’s tasks or go to that American soldier and admit to him that you are a North Korean spy.”

            “I never wanted to become a spy!” Bom cried out, tears spilling from her eyes. “The Leader killed my family and forced me to  work for him. I was ing brainwashed!”

            “I don’t care how you were brought into this. What the Leader wants, the Leader gets!” TOP growled at her. Bom could only cry in fear. She wanted to save her life but did not want Stephen to know that she was actually sent by Northern forces to lure him and sell secrets to their forces to ensure victory.

            “I am turning my back on the North!” Bom professed. “I don’t need your power!”  TOP arched his eyebrow and smirked.

            “Your betrayal is subject to public execution.” TOP said. “This will reach the Northern forces and when it does-“

            “I don’t care if they kill me.” Bom tried to say bravely. She was shaking in fear. For a girl who was only 17 years  old, being executed in front of a crowd was not only fearful but sad. She did not want her life to end this way.

            “What? Are you still not coming with us? Are you still going to continue with your rebellion and go with your American lover?” TOP teased. It was a very tough decision for Bom who still wanted to continue living her life and could not picture herself dying at 17 by torture and execution, but she did not want to let Stephen know that she was a spy.

            “Kill me. Tell them to ready their weapons. I am ready to die.” Bom said without thinking. It was her heart, her love for the American soldier that overpowered her will to live.

            “Very well then,” TOP smirked. “Death it is.”  TOP smirked one last time and together with his cohorts, they left her locked up in the dungeon.