“Jae-yeol… is in Busan.”

I lifted my head at Woo-jin’s words. 

With no way to return home, I had come to Aunt Myungju’s house with Grandma. As quick-witted as ever, Aunt Myungju didn’t ask any questions and simply welcomed Grandma, Woo-jin and me into her home. 

Aunt Myungju had been living alone for several years after all of her children had left home and leaved to places like Gimhae and Masan. 

Aunt Myungju put Grandma in the main room. Promising to take care of her, she gently led me to the bathroom to wash up. 

I showered first, with Woo-jin going in after me. When I returned to the table, a steaming bowl of dried radish soup was already set out. 

“Busan?”

I asked, my mind preoccupied as I stared blankly at the soup. 

“Yes.”

Woo-jin said as he stepped out of the bathroom. 

He pushed the bowl closer to me and motioned for me to eat. 

“And then?” 

A deep sense of despair clawed at me. I had lost the money to the sea while trying to save Grandma, and now I had no idea how to save my brother Jae-yeol. What was the point of knowing where he was? 

“You might end up with a scar on your forehead.” 

I was startled by Woo-jin’s words and instinctively touched my forehead. I had cut it on a shell while diving into the sea to save Grandma. Woo-jin had treated it with medicine and a bandage, but it still throbbed. 

“It’s fine.”

I said. A scar was the least of my concerns at this point. 

“I…”

Woo-jin hesitated, his expression conflicted. Then, as if resolving himself, he lifted his head and looked directly at me. 

“I swear, Kim Soon-young, I’m not a spy. I started a book club at university. That’s where Jae-yeol and I met. What we read, studied and worked for was to create a better world. We never set out to destroy anyone.”

But hadn’t he already ruined Jae-yeol and me? I barely suppressed the urge to lash out. 

“Right now, the priority is saving Jae-yeol. I’m going to Busan tomorrow.” 

“You’re going to save my brother? How do you expect me to believe that? And honestly, this is my brother’s problem, so why do you even care?”

“Soon-young…” 

“Just stop. Leave it alone. I’ll go. Just give me the address. Whether he runs, dies or survives, I’ll take care of it myself.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

“What is there to do but die? I’ll take care of it myself. That’s enough. My brother has his own way.”

Woo-jin looked at me, his body shaking with anger, but he pressed his lips together and said nothing.

I would have preferred to stay with Grandma, drowning in the sea. Why did he even bother to save me? 

Tears began to fill my eyes. 

“Soon-young.”

Woo-jin said with a serious expression.

“Agwi still doesn’t know where Jae-yeol is.” 

“What do you mean? He said, he already caught my brother in the act…”

I stopped mid-sentence. 

That’s right. 

If Agwi had really caught Jae-yeol, why didn’t he just arrest him? Why did he have to come to me? And why would he send detectives to my aunt’s house in Seoul just to confirm if Jong Hyun was really here? And why didn’t he catch him even after mentioning Woo-jin?

He didn’t have any proof. He just had a suspicion. That’s why he came, to shake me up, to see how I reacted, to find out my next move.

Like a fool, I had fallen into his trap and played right into his rabbit-hunting game. I screamed and cursed Woo-jin and wanted to go and find Jae-yeol myself.

If my grandmother hadn’t gone to the shore, I might have gone along with Agwi’s plan and put my brother in danger.

Seeing me frozen and pale, Woo-jin pressed his lips together tightly before continuing.

“I’m planning to send Jae-yeol to America.”

What?

I was startled and looked up at him. America? Did he just say America? 

“With the military regime in control, Jae-yeol can’t be safe here.” 

What? Does that mean he plans to send my brother to such a faraway country? The thought left me slightly overwhelmed, but what mattered most right now was saving my brother’s life. And perhaps… 

I continued to stare silently at the bowl of dried radish soup. 

“What about your fiancée?”

Woo-jin’s expression momentarily stiffened. 

“Where is she now?” 

Why won’t he explain anything? I looked at him intently, hoping for an answer, but as always remained silent. 

It was then. As soon as the curfew was lifted, Aunt Myungju, who had gone to the early morning fish market near the house, returned, looking pale and distressed. 

“Soon-young, something terrible has happened.”

Startled, I opened my eyes and looked at her. What could have happened to make the usually calm Aunt Myungju call for me so urgently? 

“The police have surrounded your house. And… they said they have a wanted notice.” 

“A w-wanted notice?” 

“Yes, for you and for Jong Hyun. What on earth is going on?” 

What’s going on? Things had really got into a terrible mess. 

Not knowing what to do, I turned to look at Woo-jin. He put down the spoon he had been eating with and looked at Aunt Myungju. 

“Do you have any spare clothes here?”

“Spare clothes? Is that really what matters right now?” 

Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, the spare clothes were quickly bundled into a cloth and strapped to my back. Over this I wore a hanbok, which made me look unmistakably like a pregnant woman. To complete the disguise, my long hair was tied up in the traditional style and I wrapped a cloth around my head. 

Woo-jin, meanwhile, put on a loose-fitting suit that had belonged to Aunt Myungju’s late husband and topped it off with a fedora typically worn by older men. He looked almost unrecognisable, his usual polished appearance completely gone. Using Aunt Myungju’s make-up kit, he reshaped his eyebrows and shaded his face, dramatically changing his appearance.