Crossing The East Sea

21 The Warehouse

The minutes ticked past as Shinsou knelt beside Kaneshiro's body. He was aware that Yeonha was next to him, and presently he managed to compose himself. He knew that she must be feeling even more devastated than him, for she had just lost practically everyone in the world whom she cared for – not only her parents but Watanabe as well, who had been like an uncle to her since childhood.

He stood up and looked around at the bodies lying on the floor. How could this have happened, he asked himself. Could the blame fall on Nakajima, who had become involved in his personal affairs during the assignment? But whether or not Nakajima had come to Wonsan, Choe Yong-gon would still have been the one running the smuggling operation. If Imamura had been the one tasked with this mission instead, would he have been able to detect the smuggled goods and find the warehouse? Wouldn't he have encountered Choe here tonight, as well? Might not Choe, who had a gun and little restraint in using it, have killed off Imamura's entire team as well?

Could we have been more vigilant, Shinsou asked himself, glancing at the gunman he had killed. They had let their guard down for just a few seconds, and it had cost them Kaneshiro and Watanabe's lives. Why hadn't they overcome and bound that sentry up instead of bypassing him? But it was easy to ask such questions, in hindsight. Besides, they had left the sentry untouched because if he had been missing, any of the smuggling team coming to the building would have become suspicious immediately.

I should have brainwashed Choe at the beginning, Shinsou said to himself, and made him call his men off. Perhaps Imamura might not have chosen to blow up the warehouse. Was Nakajima wrong to have wanted to do that? And yet Shinsou could hardly blame him for wanting to prevent the North Koreans from using any more of Japan's technology.

As he looked at Nakajima lying on the ground, he thought of Park Soojin, and felt a great sadness for her. She must have found life in North Korea intolerable because, unlike the locals, she had come from Japan and knew how life could be better, elsewhere. She had looked happy that morning when she and Nakajima had returned to the apartment, just after Titus had married them. How short-lived that happiness had been! And now there was no more hope of redemption for her.

In the dim light, Shinsou could see Yeonha looking at him.

"I'll help you, Youngjae," she said resolutely, "whatever you have to do, now. I can make you invisible. This was my father's mission too, and I'll help you complete it for him."

Shinsou didn't speak, but put a hand on her shoulder and nodded soberly. He felt as if a great load was weighing on him, and he was grateful that she was there.

He saw the infra red goggles that Kaneshiro had been using lying on the floor, and picked them up. He then looked at Yeonha.

"How did you end up with Choe Yong-gon?" he asked.

"He placed a surveillance camera in our apartment so that he would know if I returned," she answered, "He warped in shortly after I came back, and told me that lie about Appa and Eomma. Then he warped me to a room in Wonsan Hotel, where he was staying. He said I couldn't stay at the apartment, the inminban leader might find out and report me because I had been missing for too long already."

"Did you know about our mission here?" asked Shinsou abruptly, "what we were supposed to do, tonight?"

"No," said Yeonha, wide-eyed.

Shinsou felt a sense of relief. So Choe had been lying, and Yeonha hadn't betrayed them after all.

"Your father wanted to blow up the smuggled goods, to prevent the North Koreans from using any more of our technology," he explained, "The goods are in this building. We'll have to bring the pipe bombs on the stairs landing up to the thirty-third floor. But there are guards up there whom we'll have to get rid of, first."