The place was physically buzzing once news of Oh Sehun’s apprehension spread.  Miran wouldn’t really have called it an apprehension, though: Oh Sehun had quite clearly turned himself in rather than anybody actually apprehending him, even though it was going to look great on Changmin’s books.  And the TV screens in the morning.  As the agents were dispersed, she overheard one division leader telling a subordinate to prepare a press release, but beyond that not to say anything at all to the media.

Miran and Yeri got a little way up the stairs towards the first floor when they came across Woohyun, who was absolutely gaping, and a man of a similar height wearing a similar expression with a vibrant streak of pink in his hair.  Fighting back the urge to demand what on earth had possessed him to put it in, Miran concluded that the newcomer must be Key.

“I just saw Oh Sehun let himself get arrested,” Woohyun said in a small voice.  “I must be high.”

“I saw it too,” Key told him.  “It must have been the dessert at lunch.  We both had the same one.”

All four of them got whacked on the back of the head by a passing Kyungsoo.

“Back to work,” he ordered before disappearing into the throng.  Yeri stuck her tongue out at his vanishing back.

“They knew what he looked like because of me,” Woohyun added, now sounding proud.  “I’m the reason anybody recognised him.”

“You’re a brilliant hacker,” Key told him in a placating tone as he turned him around and began ushering him up the stairs, “but Kyungsoo will eat us alive if we don’t get back to work.”

Kyungsoo wasn’t actually there (again) when they got back to the office, and Yeri and Woohyun immediately voiced complaints that they could just b*gger off and he’d never know.  Most of the building was still raucous with the unexpected news, and after ten minutes of trying to work, Miran concluded it was futile.  Yeri and Woohyun clearly had, too, because they were busy playing a game of three-way tennis across the top of the partitions with Key, who had hijacked Kyungsoo’s place, using folders to bat a crumpled piece of paper back and forth.  Miran came to the conclusion it was likely she was the only person in the office who’d even tried to work.

Half an hour later, Kyungsoo returned.  Key wisely didn’t offer him his seat back to play, but he barely got a chance to speak before Kyungsoo dragged Woohyun and Miran away, starting off down the corridor towards the stairs.

“Sir, what—?” Woohyun began, though he got no further when Kyungsoo scowled at him.  Miran just watched silently and allowed herself to be hauled along.

Rather than taking the stairs, they went down in the lift, Kyungsoo using a special key to be able to access another panel of buttons so that they could go down below the first basement level.  As the lift doors opened at the end of the descent, Woohyun decided it would be appropriate to speak again.

“Sir,” he said, “exactly what is going on?”

Kyungsoo left the lift without a response.  After exchanging a glance with Miran, Woohyun followed him, and Miran tailed close behind.  She took note of the thick metal doors they were passing, wondering what was behind each one.  The answer to that for at least one of them was revealed when she followed Kyungsoo and Woohyun through one of them and into a room that looked very like a police interrogation room.  Miran only knew what that looked like due to being arrested (mistakenly) for aggressive student activism.

Oh Sehun was sitting in a chair, apparently at ease.  It was only when Miran went further into the room that she realised his hands had been bound tightly to the back of it.  Shin Hyesung was standing in the corner, talking to Kyuhyun and another man Miran didn’t recognise, and Changmin was staring impassively at the captive.  Various other people were also busying themselves with different things.

“I’ve already told you,” Oh Sehun was repeating patiently.  “I quit.  You don’t need to get me to speak under duress because I’ll happily tell you everything.”

Kyungsoo interrupted whatever Changmin was about to say in return by tapping him on the shoulder and murmuring in his ear.  Changmin straightened up and looked around before catching sight of Miran and Woohyun and giving a grim smile.  He beckoned Woohyun forward and Kyungsoo retreated.

Miran had no idea what Woohyun and Changmin spoke about, since she didn’t feel it appropriate to approach and pry, but it was all of about five minutes before Woohyun was smiling again and Oh Sehun had laughed quietly at some joke.  With a quick bow and handshake to Changmin, Woohyun was allowed to leave the room.

At that point, Miran was beckoned forward.

Kyungsoo came to join her as she stood hesitantly in front of Changmin, wondering what she was supposed to do.

Oh Sehun recognised her.  “You’re the new recruit,” he said with surprise.

“That’s irrelevant,” Changmin snapped, ears flushing a little red.  Miran thought she understood why: if the enemy had even been aware of their recruitment intake, then they knew far, far too much.

“I heard there was quite a fight over you,” Sehun went on, giving a crooked smile.  “You’ve been hailed as something of a prodigy.”

“Thank you,” said Miran as calmly as possible, but Kyungsoo laid a hand on her shoulder before she could go on.

“You’ve seen the case files on Yerim,” he murmured, “so see if you can get anything out of him on what was going on there or Jaesup’s status.  He turned himself in; he’s probably going to cooperate.”

Miran swallowed and nodded, just as Changmin gestured to her.

“Kyungsoo said you had questions to ask,” he said.

“What?”  Sehun looked up.  “Aren’t you going to let me explain why I’m here and give a proper testimony first?”

“You’ve already done that—”

“Half an hour isn’t nearly enough for me to fully—”

Miran coughed.  Oh Sehun fell silent and looked expectantly towards her as she sat on the table, wondering if she really was being entrusted to lead an interrogation by herself on her second day.

“Okay,” she began simply.  “Why are you here?”

Sehun looked distinctly relieved at being asked such a question.  “I can’t take it any longer,” he said.  “The stuff going on across the border – it’s horrendous.  I know you already know about this, but there are wide-scale cullings for anybody less than…” he took in a deep breath, “less than perfect in the eyes of our government, and—”

“And it took you seven years to realise that?” Miran demanded.

“And it took me a mentally ill wife and a disabled son to realise that.”

Miran nodded slowly, trying not to give away her shock.  Changmin and Kyungsoo looked u