Flowers Are Bait

“Is that so?” Kwon Chae-woo leaned his head back against the headrest.

Lee-yeon turned back to looking out the window. Her heart was pounding fast. The leash of control she had on Kwon was quickly slipping away always and it made her anxious. She could see her worried face in the reflection of the window. After another ten minutes, the van slowed to a stop.

“Lee-yeon, stay in the car,” Kwon Chae-woo instructed.

“What?”

“It’s dangerous.”

“But…!”

“I brought a bento box, you can eat that while you wait.” Kwon chae-woo got out of the car without saying anything further.

He opened the back and let out two of the men from the gang that they had brought with them. He instructed them to drag him out on to the wharf. The two men, who were weak and shaking from the numerous wounds they had obtained from the fight earlier, looked at each other, unsure of what to make of this crazy man standing before them.

“Do you guys think this is a joke?” Kwon Chae-woo asked. “You guys made a mistake in the very beginning. You should’ve shot me as soon as you saw me. Didn’t the middle manager teach you that?”

The two men stood in silence, confused and frightened.

“Buck up and stop shaking,” Kwon Chae-woo scolded. “I’m the one who’s on my way to a quick death right now, but if anyone saw us, they would think you guys are the hostages.”

One of the young men clenched his teeth and looked at Kwon Chae-woo, trying to make out his face under the black cloth. “Are you the manager?” he asked. “Are you here to check on how we’re doing?”

Kwon Chae-woo found it funny that the young man could ask him such a question. He broke into a smile that was hidden beneath his veil.

* * *

The ship was moving away from the land. When the sound of the old motor faded, Lee-yeon got out of the van and walked to the shore. The dark sea swallowed Kwon Chae-woo without a trace. Only the lights of the fishing boat shone like a small lighthouse on the water. She paced around the dark dock in the chilly sea breeze.

‘They cultivate the poppies in the mountains and process them on the sea.’ Kwon chae-woo had said. He had discovered that their base was located on a ship by interrogating the gang members. Kwon Chae-woo had chosen one man to set an example to the others, by breaking all ten of his fingers in front of the rest. This quickly loosened the other men’s tongues. At least he had done this after he had sent Lee-yeon out of the container.

During the interrogations, Lee-yeon went into the greenhouse to collect more photo evidence. She didn’t know whether if her hands were shaking because of the mass amount of red poppies staring back, or because of the desperate screams from the shipping container echoing through the hillside

Now Kwon Chae-woo had disappeared on a boat.

It’s Kwon Chae-woo. It may be pointless to worry like this, she thought. But he went out to sea. He’s never been to sea. What if they throw him in? What if he can’t swim? Is where he’s going considered outside of Hwaido?

***

Is he outside of Hwaido? Is he? As soon as the thought came across her mind, a chill ran down her spine. Her face turned pale, stark white against the backdrop of the dark sea. She pressed her hand to her chest and tried to remain standing, as her legs shook.

The sudden glare of a flashlight blinded Lee-yeon. The light poured over her like molten iron. Lee-yeon covered her eyes. The light shifted downwards to the ground in front of her. As her eyes adjusted back to the darkness she had been standing in, she could make out the figure who stood before her. It was a cop wearing a fluorescent vest.

“Who are you?” the officer asked. “Can you show me some ID?”

“Why?” Lee-yeon asked.

“We have been having an issue with attempted stowaways,” the cop answered as he moved towards her.

Lee-yeon did not have good experiences with policemen and decided at that moment to run instead of asking for help.

How can I trust the police in Hwaido? Lee-yeon thought as she fled. She had begun to suspect everyone of having deceitful motives.

Recalling what the gang members had said about city hall employees and police officers, Lee-yeon had reached the conclusion that city officials have been feeding money to run the drug trade and law enforcement has been protecting them. Therefore, there was no one she could fully trust.

The policeman blew a whistle and ran after her. Lee-yeon felt like her legs were going to give out, but she couldn’t stop running. She made it back to the van that had been parked up the road, hurriedly locked the door, and started the engine.

The cop caught up with her and banged on the window as she began to pull away. Lee-yeon turned the steering wheel, swerving and causing the officer to tumble into the ditch beside the laneway. Lee-yeon stepped on the gas, leaving the officer behind. She was gasping for breath, as she drove away.

The phone she had thrown on to the passenger seat started to ring. Glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure she wasn’t being followed, she reached over and hit the answer button.