Suk-Myeong (A Novel)

III-Bet-III

Avi walked out to see what she had once known as the peaceful town of Poinciana now resembling a military camp. Tents posted left and right, houses seemingly over flowing with soldiers walking in and out, helicopters landed where parking lots used to be, and tanks as well as army vehicles parked in random places.

She stopped walking once she saw her house. The white fence her father had repaired now a pile of rubble, their vegetable garden still intact and the North Korean flag now waving above it. "What are you going to do to us?"

"Morreugeseo. [I don't know]."

She frowned. "What do you mean you don't know? You're the one stationed to be in charge here anyways." Min JinHai paused, then turned around and walked over to where she stood, studying her carefully before he spoke.

"And here I thought you said that you didn't speak Korean."

She looked up to stare him in the eye, the fear she hid inside of her not visible on her face. "There's no point is there? You speak Creole, I speak Korean."

He only smirked before continuing on his way, stopping only to make sure she was following him. Avi thought for a moment before trudging behind him. "Can you keep it a secret?"

"What...that you can understand the language of half the military personal here? Why would I do that?...do you understand Chinese as well?"

She didn't respond, she didn't know how to respond. Avi continued to walk behind the General as he opened the door to what used to be her neighbor's house, motioning with his head for her to come in and waiting for her to do so before he closed the door.

She didn't expect to be pressed up against the same door with a pistol to her head seconds later.

Min JinHai stared at her carefully, no trace of any emotion in his voice. "Who are you?"

She kept herself from trembling and matched his stare. "Avigayil Louise."

"How do you know Korean?"

She swallowed. "I learned I since I was fourteen."

The click of the pistol caused her knees to buckle. "Wae?"

He had been waiting for them to be alone so that he could interrogate her properly...she should have realized as much. "Because I had wanted to."

"Are you planning on being a spy? Or are you one already?"

She couldn't help but scoff at the question, something she knew was a daring act. "If I was a spy...why would I tell you with just a gun to my head?"

He brushed the muzzle of the gun against her temple, pushing back random strands of wildly kept hair as he did so. "No, you wouldn't...you're strong enough not to. But if I put this gun here,"

He pressed it against her collarbone. "Or here,"

Her shoulder. "And here,"

The swell of her chest. "And daringly enough...right here,"

He nudged at the direction between her legs. "You would speak then right?"

Avi bit the inside of her lip but said no response, Min JinHai simply shrugged. "Who cares whether or not you're a spy...by the time we take over the capitol; that'll all be pointless anyways, won't it?"

Her eyes shot up at him. "Who says you're taking over the capital?"

He raised a brow at that. "You're saying that we won't? Here's a little news just for you...we've already reached South Carolina."