Mission J

The lobby of the agency was still lively with people although it was much calmer than what it was this morning. I stepped out of the elevator and started to weave my way through the crowd. Since I was here, I should probably hunt down the President to at least apologize and explain my behavior earlier…If I had the time.
I made a mental note to do so when I get back and started my way across the lobby. I didn’t miss the dirty looks coming from the front desk as I passed by. I ignored them and went straight for the front doors.

The wind was picking up outside and the chill of late fall felt nippy against my face. I hurried across the wide plaza in front of the agency building and merged in with the foot traffic on the sidewalk. There weren’t a whole lot of people roaming around on the street at this time, making it easier for me to walk in a hurried pace. I pulled out my phone and checked the time.



I pocketed the phone, tucked the orange document envelope securely under my arm and picked up my pace.

As I predicted, it didn’t take long to reach my destination. A few turns and crossing a couple streets and I was there. The warm smell of coffee and sweet pastries waved over me as I stepped into the café. The place was still quite busy and most of the seats were occupied. Not that it mattered; I had no intention of sitting around for long.
I walked in, stepping aside and out of the way of leaving customers before getting in line to order.

“Here you are. Thank you and come again!” I heard a familiar warm voice say.

I shifted my weight slightly to my right and looked past the customers in line ahead of me. The guy that had served me this morning was still working behind the counter. He smiled at the next customer in line , but he seemed a bit tired and antsy.
I straightened, a plan formulating in my head. I wasn’t counting on the guy to be here still but this could work out better in my favor.
I shuffled through my pockets briefly for my money, a string of coordinated conversation running in my head. That is all I focused on for the rest of my wait in line.

“Here you go. Have a great day.” I heard the guy say to the customer before me.

The customer hurried on his way as I stepped forward. The guy behind the counter had his back turned, cleaning and wiping down his work station.
“I’ll be with you in a moment,” he called over his shoulder.
“It’s fine.” I replied. I glanced over my own shoulder to see if anyone was behind me. Surprisingly, no one stood in line after me. I was going to use this to the fullest advantage.

“Oh, you’re back.”

I turned back around to find that the guy had returned his attention back to service, in a moment as he had promised. The moment our eyes met, he gave me a kind smile.
“Welcome back,” he said.
I smiled back, accepting his warm charm.
“It’s nice to be back.” I said.
“Back from the interview?” he asked, leaning against the counter.
“Yes.”
“And how was it?”
“Not bad at all.”
The guy grinned and straightened up his posture.
“Good. So what can I get you now?” he asked.
“That chai tea in medium for here would be great again, thanks.” I told him.
“Coming right up,” he said and got straight to work.

I paused a little bit, taking a casual look around.
“It looks like it got busier after I left,” I noted.
The guy glanced over his shoulder as he worked.
“Yea, I guess. It’s been a steady stream of people all day.” he said.
“You look worked to the bone.” I said. “Have you been here since this morning?”
“Uh…yea. I have.” he said. “I got stuck here when one of the workers didn’t show up today.”

He turned around and placed a steaming cup down on the counter. I frowned, and gave him a sympathetic look.
“That’s unfortunate, and completely unfair to you.” I said.
I handed him the money and took the cup.
“Do you get a break anytime soon? You should; you look beat.” I said. I nodded over at the table nearest to the counters. “You can sit with me and vent about inconsiderate coworkers.”
The guy blinked at me, looking slightly startled. But then he gave me a small smile.
“I don’t think she did this intentionally; it’s unlike her to even be late.” he said. “I’ll call her again in a few minutes when I take a break.”
I nodded, curling my fingers around the warm ceramic cup.
“I’ll be over here then.” I said.

I walked over to the far wall of the café where the first booth was and dropped the envelope onto the table. I took the seat facing the counter and waited. Taking a sip of my tea, I let my mind simmer.
If my gut was spot on, that was going to bring on another whole load of unknown I didn’t care to take on. There were plenty of grey areas and unresolved between the fan murder case and the already dismal start to the protection detail I was assigned. I was practically itching to get a grip on anything to start unraveling this case.

My phone let out a notifying ring from my pocket, breaking my train of thought. I reached into my jacket pocket from the cell and flicked it open.
It was a message from Jun.



I deleted the message and returned the phone to my pocket. I knew following the package was going to be a long stretch; it was unmarked after all. But that opened the possibility that someone with direct access to the mailing system at the agency could’ve made the drop. In that case, we could start at the agency and see where the trail goes.

I inhaled and took another sip from my cup. Man, it’s only half way through the day and I’m drained. My back was starting to ache, and for some reason I felt tremors blooming along my ribs. But then again, I spent last night shivering out in the rain instead of resting. The last time I actually slept was on the plane two days ago.
My mind went back to the events of last night and I felt the old irritation creeping again. Suddenly I didn’t feel all too bad about elbowing Seo in the gut.

“Boss, I’m going on break!”

I glanced up at the voice and saw the guy pulling off his waist apron. Immediately he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his cell phone. I watched discretely as he came out from behind the counter and went off the employee’s only area.
I couldn’t help the feeling that the girl wasn’t going to answer his call.

I curled my fingers around the ceramic cup and let the heat seep into my hand. My head filled with negativity and the sinking feeling in my chest grew thicker and heavier. The odds to proving my gut wrong weren’t looking good.
I thought back to the conversation I had overheard this morning. At the time I didn’t even think twice about the gossip between the workers here.

The worker girl, Ga Eul…the slightly clumsy but a hardworking employee. Always on time and responsible, her not being here without notice immediately stirred some concern. Could she have possibly…

Someone stepped up close to the table where I was sitting, making me look up. The employee guy had come back from making his call. From his clouded expression and the way he was staring down at his phone gripped in his hand told me my predictions of the call was right.

“Ya,” I said, standing up. “Genchahn ah yoh?”

He didn’t reply to my question so I reached over and tugged on the elbow of his long sleeves. He blinked and looked over at me, looking slightly confused.
“Ah, yea. Sorry. I’m alright.” he finally replied.
I frowned, his shaky answer nowhere near convincing.
“She didn’t answer, did she?” I said.
The guy gave me a look and there was no ignoring the deep concern he had.
I nodded at the chair across from me pointedly.
“Sit. Let’s relax a bit, even if it’s just for a moment, alright?” I said.
The guy sat down without objection and set the phone down on the table. I didn’t even have to tell him to start talking.
“It’s not like her at all; she’s never late, and if she thinks she is going to be she calls me or boss and tells us ahead of time.” he said. He exhaled slowly, clasping his hands together on the table. “She’s not picking up her phone. I’ve been calling her all day…”

He stopped, and I saw that he was catching himself from speaking any more.
“I’m sorry. You’re a customer here; you shouldn’t have to hear my problems…so sorry.”
He went to get up and I stopped him with a motion of my hand. He looked at me, confused and expectantly.

I took a moment to consider everything before I spoke.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
The guy looked at me, confused but replied.
“I’m Yi Jung.” he said.
I nodded and took a look around the café. The number of people here were engaged in a conversation of their own or eating. None of them were close enough to listen in.
I turned back to Yi Jung.
“The girl, I’m assuming she’s named Ga Eul, right?” I asked in a calm and quiet tone. I saw a bewildered look on his face so I quickly added. “I overheard you guys talking about her earlier today about the incident that happened yesterday.”
This didn’t seem to calm him any better because his eyes widened bigger.
“You guys weren’t exactly quiet about it,” I said dryly. I cleared my throat and went on. “Did you notice anything or anybody odd yesterday, hanging around the café?” I asked.
Yi Jung looked horrified, my god, it was like reading an open book.
“Do you think someone could’ve done something to Ga Eul?” he asked. He blanched slightly, going stiff.
I winced and leaned over the table to force him to look at me straight in the eye.
“Listen, I don’t know anything for sure.” I told him. “I’m just covering all the grounds.”

I sighed and thought hard. This conversation wasn’t going anywhere and all I was doing was scaring the guy. Time for a different approach.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and set it down five inches across from Yi Jung’s cell phone. I pushed a button on the side, making the time flash on the small screen on the cover.

“Yi Jung-sii, do you know where Ga Eul lives?” I asked.

Yi Jung still looked confused but nodded.
“Good,” I said. “Have someone called in and cover the rest of your shift. You are clearly too worried to focus on working.”
Yi Jung just nodded, listening without arguing. He was still holding my even gaze. So I went on.
“You should go directly to her place to check on her yourself.”

He blinked, his eyes widening again. A light bulb seemed to have gone off in his head with the way he just perked up from doom-and-gloom.
“You’re right…okay, Alright,” he said, talking more to himself. He started to get up again.
I stopped him again and gave him a look.
“Relax. You shouldn’t be this anxious, alright?” I said. “Stay calm.”

I felt what I just said was definitely easier said than done so I reached over to a stray paper napkin on the table.
“Do you have a pen?” I asked him.
Yi Jung paused uncertainly for a minute before shuffling through his pockets for a pen. He actually had a marker on him and handed it to me.
Wordlessly I flipped my phone open and looked up Detective Paek’s cellphone number before jotting it down onto the napkin.
“If you go there and something is definitely wrong, call this number.” I told him. “A man named Paek should answer.”
“Paek-ssi?” he echoed.
I capped the marker and pushed it and the napkin across the table to him.
“He’s a detective for the city.” I told him. When I saw the bewildered look again, I added. “He’s a friend, and he may be able to help.”
I paused, studying Yi Jung’s expression.
“But call only if there really is a problem.”

Yi Jung stared at the napkin and then looked up at me. His expression was one conflicted with confusion and questions. I simply gave him a pointed nod towards the café doors.
“Better get going then.” I said.

The guy nodded and got up, and this time I let him.
“Boss, I need to leave. Something came up…” I heard him say.

I finished off my chai tea with a final gulp, grabbed the envelope and my phone up and left the café.

The cold chill of the icy wind hit me like a truck. I had come to the café to prove my gut wrong but was instead leaving the place with this sinking feeling.
I looked down at the phone in my hand as I walked and flicked it open. A notifying message blinked up at me from the small screen.



I sighed out quietly and pocketed the phone in my jacket.
“Prove me wrong,” I muttered under my breath.