Mission J

“…K. Hey, we’re here.”

I stirred, slowly forcing myself to pull out from the heavy drowsiness. And then came the pain.
A strained groan escaped me as I sat myself up. My head spun a little as the old headache started its comeback.
“What time is it?” I asked.

Jun looked down at me as he stood to my right, his eyebrows scrunched together in a perplexed expression. He lifted his wrist up and checked his watch.
“It’s almost four.” he replied.
I breathed out through my nose and glanced to the airplane window to my left. The soft lights of early sunset shone into the darker, now almost fully vacated first-class cabin.

I licked my dry lips, my head clearing.
“Four,” I echoed.
I got up from the seat and rolled my stiff shoulders. I suppressed a grimace as my muscles stiffen painfully in protest.
“Where do we go from here?” I asked.

“To headquarters.” Jun replied. He was frowning. “We should probably stop by the doctor’s first, though.”

I fixed the coat and straightened the collar of the turtleneck.
“No need.” I muttered. I reached up toward the overhead luggage compartment to get my small bag. Jun stepped forward and pulled open the compartment, taking the bag out. He slung it over his shoulder without a word.
I went to protest, but Jun gave me a stern look.
“I’ll take the carry-ons.” he said, sounding more like an order than an offer.

At that moment, a flight attendant came out from the back, carrying a few airline magazines in her arms.
“Sir, if you would please make your way out of the plane; we would like to begin cleaning up shortly.” she said respectfully, smiling with charm.
Jun turned to her and flashed her his crooked smile.
“I’m sorry, I was just waking up my fiancée.” he told her. He looked down at me and tucked his arm around my waist, winking. “Let’s go sweetheart, our ride is probably waiting.”

I gave a small smile for appearance and let him tow me down the isle and out of the plane. Another flight attendant stood at the door.
“Thank you for flying with Korea Air.” she spoke calmly, bowing slightly in respect.

We stepped off of the plane and down the connector leading to the terminal. Jun kept his arm around me, keeping me close as we walked into the airport. It wasn’t long before we were merged in with a crowd of travelers. We followed the flow of the foot traffic, heading towards the security checkpoint.
“You must be tired from the long flight,” Jun said, speaking to me in a warm tone. “I’m sure you can sleep on the way to the hotel.”

“I’m pretty sure the flight attendant can’t hear you from here.” I hissed discretely at him through my teeth.

Jun frowned.
“You’re no fun,” he pouted. He leaned in, so his lips were at my temple. “Protocols. I already said you were my fiancée, I would like to keep my cover straight.”

I sighed, put on another happy smile.
“Of course, anything for my future husband.” I said as sweetly as I could.

We reached the security checkpoint shortly, and only then did Jun release me. We went through the procedure, stepped through the metal detectors and moved on. I was still gathering my shoes, accessories and belt from the tray when Jun made his way back to me.
“You wouldn’t believe how that flight attendant flirted with me. Just so you know, it was very one sided.” he said, his tone reflecting only a slight aggravation. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

I fixed my belt and looked at him, raising an eyebrow.
“Why on earth would I be mad?” I asked. I pulled my boots on quickly so I could get out of other people’s way. “I’m not mad at all.”
I brushed past him and started my way down area with the rest of the crowd.

I felt Jun stop, making me come to a halt.
“Oh no, that tone of yours…you’re mad,” he commented. He pulled his brows together in a look of concern as he watched for my reaction.

Of course, leave it to Jun to make this a theatrical number.
“No, I’m not mad.” I sighed. “You didn’t do anything wrong, right?”

“But you won’t even walk with me---” he started to protest.

I walked back to where he was as calmly as I could and press myself against his side once again. Jun’s arms automatically found its way back around my waist.
“Stop being a drama queen.” I groaned, not having to act too much. “You know I’m tired from the flight.”

Someone chuckled from behind, making both of us turn. An elderly couple were watching us, smiling broadly our way. The man then wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders, pulling her close to him. They nodded at us before walking away.
I heard Jun chuckle from right next to me.
“Look, we’re setting an example.” he said.

I looked up at him, too tired to muster up a glare.
“I hope you are enjoying this.” I told him dryly.

My handler peered down at me curiously before he sighed.
“Really, you’re no fun.” he mumbled.
With that, he started to tow me through the crowds and out towards the lobby of Icheon International Airport. We didn’t even stop to pick up out luggage off the belt as Jun towed me straight for the front door.

“What about our bags?” I asked.

“Already loaded into our transport car.” Jun told me. “Apparently due to some time sensitivity, they want us to check back in A.S.A.P.”

We step out through the two double doors and outside. Everyone was dressed for the cold here, but strangely, the air felt warm against my face…
“Seoul has nothing on Yakutsk when it comes to this season…” I sighed.

Jun chuckled in response.
“Miss the bitter cold and frostbites?” he teased.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes.
“Hardly.” I muttered.

A black, sleek company car was parked up front, between a taxi and an airport transport bus. I saw the driver step out as we approached. He was wearing a black suit and tie, with shades to top off the sharp look. The guy came around the car and stopped in front of the back seat door.
“Welcome back, sir.” he said to Jun in a calm tone. He turned to me, not even a shadow of a smile cracked. “Ma’am.”

I raised an eyebrow at him before I glanced at Jun, who had a pleasant smile on his face.
“Thanks.” he said lightly. “You’re right on time, as always. I hope the trip here wasn’t too troublesome.”

The driver nodded once before he turned around and pulled the door open.
“Not at all, sir. The roads were all clear.” he returned. “I have already taken your luggage, and have checked in with your reservations.”

A code; Everything is accounted for, smooth execution, have called in our arrival.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Jun smile.
“Excellent.” he said. He gently pushed me forward into the car.

Wordlessly I slid into the back seat of the transport car, settling into the far corner. Jun followed in after me and let out a sigh as our driver shut the door behind him. He looked at me and gave me a small smile.
“Let’s get going.” he said. “We’re late to work.”

I let out a hum and settled into the seat for the trip to the office.



The heels of my boots clapped loudly against the marble floor as we made our way through the pristine and clean halls of headquarters, the sounds beating off the walls and down the wide passageway. Jun walked beside me, his pace steady and definite.
"We'll get you checked over once we're through with debriefing." he told me.

I nodded in a silent reply and continued on listening to the clapping of my footfalls bouncing off the walls.

---click, click, click, click...

Something about the sound was soothing, the sharp clicking beating softly in my ear. Maybe it was the beat, or how clean each sound was...

We reached a set of metal double-doors, kept locked and secured by a keypad and a retinal scan. I stopped and crossed my arms, waiting. Jun wordlessly stepped up and quickly typed in the nine-digit ID number and leaned in for a scan. There was a subtle humming as the scan moved over his eyes. A moment later, a beep rang out and the red light on the keypad turned green to signal access granted.

Jun straightened up and glanced back at me.
“I think it would be nice if you got the door for once.” he said.
I returned the look before I stepped through the door.

As we entered the security pass, two guards stepped forward. Another two stayed behind the desk area, behind the protection of bulletproof plexi-glass.
“Positions, please.” one of the guards said.

I stretched my arms out to the side and spread my feet to shoulders width apart as I turned towards the inner doors. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jun do the same.
The guards came over and swiped over our bodies with a metal detector wand. A quick pass over each limb and the torso and it was done.
“You’re all set.” the guard told us.
He motioned to the guards behind the plexi-glass, who nodded and reached over to the side. A sharp buzzing rang through the small room and the inner doors smoothly slid apart to reveal the main foyer of CORE… Home-sweet-home.

I let out a quiet breath and straightened out my coat before stepping into the agency.

By the looks of it, today was just another work day at the office; the giant, wide space of the foyer was busy. Workers in office-casual suits bustled around in their efficient way of walking; straight to their intended point and with no more than a glance towards the other moving parts. It was very much like the way everything worked here---quick, sharp and fully operative.
We just fell into the quick pace as we stepped through the zigzagging crowd. After all, we had a job to finish.

Jun quickly regained lead position and I settled to follow him down the halls, even though I knew where we were heading. We didn’t exchange words as we brushed past another set of doors, these glass and not guarded or secured like the ones out in the exterior. It was another short walk through a narrower hallway before we reached out destination.

Jun pulled the glass door open and stepped into the central area of the agency. It was another large space; the place resembled a high-tech call center, with individual desks that were set with thin widescreen monitors and generous desk space. These were grouped in circular groups to form teams. And on the East side wall of the room was a huge display screen that seemed to track every action and keystroke in the room. All of this undoubtedly set of with efficiency in mind.
The techies called this room Database. I called it the cave.
As usual, this was also the busiest section of CORE, from the furious typing to barking at one another for files and yelling into their headsets. Somehow this room was functional without necessarily being too orderly.

“Jun,”

I heard an gruff voice call over the noise, making me look up. A tall, stern looking man of a sturdy build stood at the top of the stairs, located on the North side of the cave.
“Director.” Jun greeted, his tone formal and respectful. I stayed quiet, but I gave him a slight bow in respect.
The Director motioned for us to come up the stairs and we swiftly made our way to him. As we got to the landing, he gazed at us with an even stare.
“How was Russia?” he asked.
“It was fine, sir.” Jun said.
“I assume all business went smoothly.”
“Yes, sir.”

The Director nodded and stepped aside.
“They are waiting for you in debriefing.” he told us.
We gave him our respects and went on towards the room to take care of business. As we approached, the door to the room opened.
“Come in.” the person inside ordered.
The two of us slipped into the room and the person who had opened the door closed it behind us. There was another person in the room; she was seated at the head of the long table in the middle of the otherwise barren room. I recognized her as the Head Executive of the field work.
“We will now be taking in your aliases and any other items pertaining to your cover ID for processing and clearing.” she said, her expression stern.
I reached into my coat and pulled out my wallet from the inner pockets. I pulled out the student ID, credit cards under my alias, and the money from the folds and set them down in an orderly line. I fanned through the fabric to show that it was empty before I set the wallet down along with its contents. The passport was next, being set down on the table along with the other fake alias documentations. And lastly, I set down the phone I was assigned for this trip.
The woman across the table scanned through each items before motioning to her assistant standing in the corner of the room.
“Take them to processing.” she told him.
The assistants quickly gathered the things off the table and stored them onto a tray. He then bowed briefly yet respectfully to the woman, before excusing himself to get on the given task.
“Sit.” she ordered.
I pulled out the chair across from her and sat down as I was told. Jun sat in the seat to my right. The lady pulled out a voice recorder and pressed the red recording button.
“File number 223, debriefing. For the record, please give your identification.” the lady said in a monotone voice.
“Code ID, 100379187.” I recited steadily.
“Code ID, 102468296.” Jun followed.

The Head Executive noted something in her notepad set in front of her. She continued.
“Now, in detail, state the nature of your mission and the events that transpired. Not one detail of any incident should be left out.”

I breathed in silently and kept my expression composed. I was bored already.
“Two weeks prior, I received a mission concerning a string of unsolved kidnaping of female students at University located in Yakutsk, Russia. There were evidence to speculate that one particularly notorious Bratva syndicate was running a human trafficking business in the undergrounds…” I started.



The Head Executive reached over and pressed the stop button on the voice recorder, concluding the debriefing.
“Very well; it seems that all bases were covered and your recapitulations seem to collaborate the given line of events.” she said. “Onto the next order of business.”
She pulled a thin manila folder from underneath her notepad and slid it across the table.
“Your next job involves a protection detail of high-profile subject. Due to content sensitivity, I will be having you meet with your clients tomorrow evening at the location of their choice; the subject’s apartment.”
I frowned, my brows scrunching together in confusion. Content Sensitivity?
“Since confidentiality is at the highest priority in this case, I expect you to coordinate yourself professionally and accordingly.” the lady continue to say sternly. “This is a code we hold for all sanctioned work of CORE, but this job will require you to hold yourself to the utmost diligence to keep the contents of the job classified.”
My eyes bored into the flawless cover of the folder as my eyes flickered down in front of me, almost willing my eyes to suddenly develop x-ray vision.
“Understood.” I said in response.

The Head Executive nodded before standing up.
“I congratulate you on a job well done in your last mission, and I wish you all the best for your upcoming job.” she said. “Jun, I’ll leave it to you to take care of the rest.”
Jun got up from his seat and straightened up tall.
“Yes ma’am.” he said. He picked up the folder on the table and tucked it under his arm. “We’ll be taking our leave then.”
I got up and gave my respects to the Head Executive before following Jun out the door. We made out way down the steps and out of Database. It wasn’t until the door slid closed behind me when I spoke.
“Content Sensitivity?” I questioned, glancing at Jun for answers.
Jun glanced to me but didn’t give me what I wanted.
“That’s right,” he said. “So you better be good for this one. I’m only a supporting role so you won’t be leashed---”
I rolled my eyes and shoved my hands into my pockets.
“I know how to do my job.” I grumbled.

Jun took a left turn from the main hall, deviating from the way we had come from.
“As promised, we’re going to get you looked over.” he said, as we briskly made our way through the narrower hall. “We’ll need you to be in good shape for the job, so whatever needs to be fixed should be dealt with now.”
“I’m meeting the clients tomorrow. I’m no superhuman; I won’t be healing that fast anyhow.” I said.
“Clearly; if you were superhuman I would doubt that you would have anything to heal to begin with.” he muttered dryly.

We came to a stop as Jun stopped at a door.
“I’m going to go run a few errands for tomorrow so I’ll get the full report on your physical status when I come back.” he told me.“So be good…And no biting.”
He opened the door and motioned me to step in. I peered inside to see it a skinny guy in a doctors white coat. He didn’t see us at the door, seeing that he was currently in the middle of arranging things on the shelves.
“Hello?” I said questioningly.
The poor guy nearly jumped at my voice and wheeled around faster than I have ever seen anyone move. I saw his eye grow round at the sight of us.
“Oh, you’re here! I---I’m sorry, I was just rearranging things---”

“She needs a full examination. Maybe even a few x-rays.” Jun told the guy.
I scowled.
“Wait, where’s Doc?” I asked.
“Oh, uh, he’s out currently. I’m his assistant here---I, I mean, I will be taking care of any medical needs while he is away.” the guys stammered.

I heard Jun chuckle.
“Ah, newbie. Don’t be shy; she’s harmless!” he joked. He then leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Seriously, no biting. I don’t think this guy can handle it.”
I damn nearly punched him then but he pushed me into the room.
“Well, please take care of her.” he said politely, smiling.
With that, the door closed, leaving me in here with a nervous looking medical assistant. I turned to him to see him shifting awkwardly where he stood.

I sighed, and started to undo my coat.
“Alright, let’s do this.” I said.