CHAPTER ONE

A Hesitation

     There was, in the late hours of the night, a green dot moving steadily on a black screen. It was Friday, or it had just turned Saturday. The green dot flickered as if it hesitated, breathed.

            Then it vanished.

A pile of papers slid across the table, stopping just facing Yoona’s dark and troubled eyes.

‘You have until Monday. Engine failure, pilot suicide, hijacking, terrorism – find me the cause and the airplane.’

            Yoona’s shaking hands emerged from beneath the table, gripping the thick pile of stapled papers. Then her eyes wandered upwards, to the NIS Chief. Beside him sat another man, older and more worried. The tag on his quote read Korean Air.

‘What’s with you, officer?’ bellowed the Chief.

            Yoona tried to control her quivering hands and tame her voice.

‘Nothing… Chief.’

            Xiumin, sitting beside her, patted her shoulder.

‘I want this solved as fast as possible. You have all resources at hand,’ ordered the Chief. ‘Mr. Kim over here is willing to assist us with all the help that Korean Air disposes of.’ Yoona swallowed soundly; then the Chief and his Korean Air guest got up to their feet to leave, closing the door behind them.

            The silence that followed was menacing; it made time seem slow and agonizing.

‘Was he…?’ muttered Xiumin.

            Yoona nodded slowly, looking into the papers she held in her lap.

‘Sehun,’ she said, ‘was on the flight.’

            Xiumin put an arm around her, tapping her arm.

‘I’m sure they’re alright,’ he assured Yoona. ‘They are alive somewhere – we just need to find them.’

            Yoona nodded again, this time more intensely. She put her fears aside, her hands venturing to hold the booklet.

Yoona opened the booklet that held all the information known about Flight 191 when she was alone in her grey and glassy office at NIS. It was Saturday morning already – the sun was about to come out; time was running. She breathed in well – the first page featured the beginning of the passengers list. Would his name be on the first page?

          She felt her eyes sting. The title clearly read ‘Passengers List’, yet to her it seemed more and more a victims list. There were tears in her eyes that she didn’t allow to fall, and a lump in . How will she ever handle this investigation? 

            Just then, a knock on the door startled her. Quickly, she wiped her eyes and cleared .

‘Enter,’ she said in a voice that sounded composed.

            It was the Chief.

‘Good morning, Officer – ahem, or should I say investigator now – investigator Im,’ he greeted her as he came in. He didn’t shut the door behind him; someone else followed the chief.

          The young man that entered then wasn’t from NIS – Yoona had never seen him before. His hair was dyed golden, like tamed waves against his youthful face; his black coat was marked by a red badge.

‘Good morning,’ the young man said with a bow and a slight smile.

          The chief sat down on one of the two chairs before Yoona’s desk, then bid the young man to sit down on the free one.

‘Miss Im, this is Xi Luhan,’ the chief started, holding up his hand towards the young man next to him. Luhan smiled with a slight bow of the head. ‘He works with MSS in China – well, actually, he’s the head of their criminal investigation branch.’

‘Xi Luhan,’ echoed Yoona, ‘I might have heard that name before.’

          Yoona’s eyes were still wedged to the papers on the desk, her hands clinging to the first page, the victims – no, the passengers – list, Sehun.

‘Highly possible, Miss Im. He’s solved some pretty… tough cases,’ the chief laughed, his eyes on Luhan. ‘I myself was impressed reading some of his reports, I must say.’

          Yoona took in the words in a haze – her mind was elsewhere. There was again a knot in .

‘Thank you for your words of praise, sir,’ said Luhan.

          The chief laughed some more – a laugh from deep within the throat. It annoyed Yoona; this was supposed to be a sober occasion.

‘It’s a great luck, I tell you, Miss Im,’ he continued.’ You see, because many of the passengers on Flight 191 were of Chinese nationality, MSS has been so considerate as to lend us Luhan. He will be cooperating with you and your team – as the… Chinese counterpart to this investigation.’

          Yoona looked Luhan in the eyes – they were dark like hers, but more alert.

 ‘I’m sure Mr. Xi and I will work well to the resolution of this case,’ Yoona spoke.

          Another chuckle started in the chief’s throat.

‘Alright,’ the chief said, getting up from his chair with a sigh. ‘Then I suppose I must leave you two to your job.’

          The door shut behind the Chief in no time.

‘Mr. Xi, I – ’

‘Just Luhan,’ interrupted Luhan.

‘I’m so grateful that you’re here.’

          Her voice was wrecked.

‘Don’t be so worried, Miss Im,’ Luhan said serenely. ‘You will be able to find your brother soon.’

          Yoona tilted her head, her brow furrowed.

‘My brother…’

‘Was on the plane, I know,’ continued Luhan.

          A disturbing feeling rose in Yoona’s chest.

‘How …?’

‘He’s on the passengers list,’ he smiled.

          Silence, interrupted belatedly by Luhan’s low chuckle.

‘While the chief was talking,’ Luhan explained, ‘you weren’t paying attention. You were feeling uneasy – your eyes didn’t follow any of us, but a paper.’ He pointed at the paper in front of Yoona – the case’s documents. ‘Your index finger lingered by a name, your hands were trembling and you felt like crying. Im Sehun – he is 18. He couldn’t have been your father.’

          Yoona’s hand travelled all the way to her forehead, she touched it, then closed her eyes shut and massaged it.

‘Are you feeling alright, Miss Im,’ asked Luhan.

          Yoona took a long deep breath.

‘I just need to use the restroom…’ she breathed, slowly getting up from her chair.

          Luhan’s eyes chased her as she made her way around her desk, towards the door. She grabbed onto the handle, then pushed herself into it. The room was turning, her sight darkening so suddenly. Her legs grew weak first, then her knees bent.

          Luhan got to his feet in no time to hold her when she fell. Her thin hand tried to grab his blazer, but it fell by her side. Her eyes were shut, Luhan’s firm hands around her shoulders. The sun rose behind them, its red rays entering through the far window of the office.

          It was one of the few times in his long and unwavering life that Luhan hesitated, that he held his breath.

 Author's Note