Min JinHai set his gun and coat on the desk before turning to face his old partner. "You're actually here." Qian Jia chuckled silently before glancing around the office. "Yeah, I am," then he nodded towards JinHai. "And it looks like you've gotten an upgrade. Congrats MJ."

"Gomapta."

Min JinHai watched as Qian Jia inspected the office, moving closer to the window where one could see the P.O.Ws working outside. He stopped there for a moment and stared, spiking JinHai's curiosity so that he approached where Qian Jia stood and looked out at the same direction.

She was there, bent down and stabbing at the earth with a metal trowel while her other hand supported her back, most likely giving instructions to the young boy next to her as he watched.

JinHai frowned. "You've been looking at her since outside. Do you know her?

"You want the truth or a lie?"

Confusion marred JinHai's expression as he raised a brow at the man. "Why would I want a lie?"

There was a moment of silence, and just before he opened his mouth to press further, Qian Jia spoke up. "That girl right there...is the key to either winning this war or losing it, and I'm absolutely sure she had no idea."

...

"Simeon Louise?"

Avi froze and glanced up from her work as her father stepped forward to where the soldier stood waiting. Dropping the trowel, she patted Kevin on the head before slowly walking closer to where the interaction was taking place.

"That's me."

"You used to work for your federal government, right?"

Her heart dropped, almost like a rock in her chest as she looked frantically for her mother before turning her attention back to what was happening.

"Yes, I did. Is there a problem?"

Please don't say anything stupid.

"I need you to follow me."

And there was nothing else said, the soldier began walking away with the full expectation that her father would follow. Avi rushed over to her dad and grabbed his arm rather roughly. "Be careful."

Hopefully her would really understand what her words meant. She was begging him not to say anything stupid. She was asking that he wouldn't use his usual remarks that would maybe land him in a graveyard. She was asking him to understand the difference between a police officer pulling him aside for running a red light and a Communist soldier interrogating him about his connection to the US government.

She prayed that he understood it.

"I'll be fine," was all he said before walking after the soldier.

Now she had two choices; go to her mother and tell her what happened, or go to Min JinHai and demand...no, ask, what was going on.

...

"He says you can come in."

Avi gave Qin Bolin a small smile before heading into the office.

Jason was there, Min JinHai was there, and all of a sudden, Avi felt the atmosphere before stiffening. The two of them both turned to stare at her; one with a smile and the other with an impatient frown.

Too bad she was in love with the one frowning at her.

"Mweoya [What]?"

She cleared her throat silently first. "I would like to ask what will be happening to my father...sir."

Min JinHai spared Jason a knowing glance before walking towards the desk. "He'll just be questioned by standard procedure. Nothing much, we called out other government workers around the camp before."

Avi grimaced. "Will the surveillance be as strict as it's been on the ones before?"

She couldn't help it, she was challenging him.

And he knew it. "It will, I'm sure you won't have a problem with that."

"May I speak informally?"

"Banmal haedo dwoe yo [Can I speak informally]?"

He stared at her a while before sighing deeply. "Mweoya hagoshipeo [What do you want]?"

It was then that Jason Qian raised his hand and waved it. "Hey, yeah, not the most fluent Korean speaker here...so should I just step out and give you two a moment?"

Avi would have laughed if she didn't have so many questions, Min JinHai answered instead. "Please."

It didn't escape her how he winked as he passed by, leaving the two alone.

"Say it."

She moved forward angrily. "Was it really necessary?

"What do you think Avi?"

She huffed out loud. "I'm not talking about my dad. I get it, you're being watched, my father was a government official, of course this would happen."

...

He glared at her.

She really was beautiful when she was frustrated, but that didn't stop his own frustration from growing. "Then what Avigayil, what is it?"

She motioned wildly at the space between them. "This? You expect me to actually treat this as a prisoner conqueror type of relationship after all you've done?"

All he'd done? JinHai exhaled loudly and rubbed a hand over his face before glaring at her bewildered. "Isn't this what you asked for? You wanted lines drawn, I drew them for you...whether or not you realize this Avi, you've been calling the shots between us this entire time, so what the heck do you want exactly hmm?"

She froze for a moment and thought about it, her voice coming out as a whisper once she answered. "I don't know..."

JinHai chuckled to himself humorlessly at that. "Well then, until you give the command otherwise 'your highness', the line remains drawn. Is there anything else?"

She gritted her teeth before walking out without another word.

...

She nearly crashed into a chest storming out, looking up angrily until she recognized Jason's face.

He smirked, grabbing her shoulders to keep her from moving as he bent down. "How do you say it in Korean again...eo-eoremaniya? Eh, Hǎojiǔ bújiàn Ga-er['long time no see' in Mandarin. Ga-er is a nickname]"

Avi stared at him in shock, the same initial shock from when she first spotted him as he stepped out of the vehicle while she stood in the line. "You're a soldier..."

He laughed slowly. "I believe we've been through the formalities already Avi."

Despite herself, she frowned. "I believe this must have somehow slipped through those said 'formalities', Qian Jia."

He shook his head. "Nope, definitely told you this before."

She had no chance to respond, spotting from the corner of her eye as her father stepped out from wherever they had taken him. "I'll have to catch up later, Lieutenant, but I have to go."

She gave him no other chance before breaking from his grip and heading for her father.

...

"What did they ask?"

"If I tell you I'd have to kill you."

"Haha, don't think you've got that position anymore...seriously appa [dad], what did they ask?"

"National security questions."

Avi sat down on her mattress and pulled her blanket close to herself, watching as her mother set a plate of rice and fish in front of her father. "Did you answer them?"

They gave fish in the rations now?

"I had to, most of it was just confirming what they already knew anyways...nothing much. There's a mole with higher security clearance than I've ever dreamed of."

Avi leaned forward, grabbing the fork from the plate before her father could react and stealing a mouthful just as he slapped the back of her head. She winced while chewing her food, glaring at him and rubbing the sore spot.

Unneeded to be said, but she was more than relieved that he was alright.

Maybe things wouldn't get worse...

Hopefully they wouldn't.