Chapter Thirteen

Even with my eyes closed, I would have known I was back in Korea. That hot, heavy breeze, full of salt. Humid. Sticky.

Glorious.

I missed it here, terribly, and that wasn’t something I ever admitted to myself since escaping the country. Don’t get me wrong, horrible things happened to me there. Revolting.

Yet, this was also where I found my true strength. And where I made and lost some of the best friends of my life.

A lot of memories.

A lot of pain.

But a lot of power.

I closed my eyes and let it all sink in, wishing that delicious breeze would pick me up and sail me over the city so I could float like a cloud over the bright evening filled with temptations.

While I was still passed out on the plane, Gavin had snuck off and found a car to transport us into Mokpo. Royce was happy with how I’d healed over the past several hours, but he wanted to see more bone fusion before moving me around again. That meant more time sleeping, which didn’t sound as appealing as I thought it would.

Maybe it was all the drugs, or maybe it was just adrenaline, but as soon as I stepped out onto the waterfront and saw all that neon, smelled that thick, hot wind in my face, I felt electric. It had been days since I’d done any gambling. I wanted to throw some cards or roll some dice. I wanted some action.

Bad.

And we were short on cash. If I could find a local scene to slip into, I could make us some quick, extra scratch. I could start small, no huge bets, nothing big lost if anything went wrong with the mesh. More pocket money would be nice. We were staying at a love hotel, which is just what it sounds like— couples use them as a clandestine place to have a fun night away from home. They tended to be cheaper than normal hotels. My toes curled. Cheap hotels. Consequences of the new economy.

Gavin had driven off in the car already. Checking into the hotel at the same time would be too distinctive, and Gavin said he needed to check on a few other things first. So the plan was for me and Royce to get the hotel room, and then Gavin would sneak up a back stairwell later. I was still sore as hell and groggy from the pain meds, but I thought I could keep it together long enough to check into the hotel without attracting suspicion.

Actually, it was Royce that was going to attract the most attention, not me. Not a lot of non-Asians in this neck of the woods. Tourists were probably still something of an oddity down here. So we had two options: hide him, or pretend that he was my boyfriend.

And he was just too big and loud to hide.

Pretending to be Royce’s girlfriend—just what I needed after having my sternum ripped open and suffering through the plane ride from hell.

Meanwhile, I was still thinking of how I could slip away. It would be tough, but the thought of being back in Mokpo and not getting to check out the scene, taste the soju, flip some cards under the neon, felt unbearable.

Unfortunately, even if I escaped, I was stuck wearing these absolutely ridiculous clothes.

Thanks, Caramel.

“You look simply stunning, actually,” Royce said.

“You would like this dress, you pervert,” I said.

Beyond the fact that the fabric was a horrible fake satin blend, the garment was totally hideous. Worse than what Caramel herself had been wearing. I stood in the street, trying to enjoy the gorgeous waves lapping at the seashore walkway, but it was impossible when I was wearing a bright pink, frilly Lolita dress. I was drowning in ruffles, and I almost would have rather drowned myself in the ocean.

“Too bad I had to take a hacksaw to your collarbones, but those adorable bows cover them up nicely,” Royce said with a chuckle.

“There are so many thing wrong with that statement.”

“Ah, come on, it could be worse. Cheer up,” he said.

“No Royce, I really don’t see how it could be worse. I’m broke. I’ve been sliced open from neck to ankle. I’ve got failing implants frying all my circuits. And, I’m standing in a country where both the police and an evil company are potentially looking for me. Tell me, how, exactly, could it be worse.”

Royce shrugged. “You're not dead. Come on, we need to move. One of us is attracting too much attention already.”

I snickered. “It’s you, you big ugly thug. Look around. I’m not the only one wearing clothes like this, but you’re the only white dude.”

“Better stay under cover then. Start getting snuggly with me.”

“In your dreams, buddy. I have absolutely no desire to get snuggly with you.”

“Fine, but try to pretend like you don’t hate me or something,” he said and put his huge arm around me.

I squeaked. “Watch it! Do you or do you not remember cracking open my chest less than two days ago?”

Royce actually looked embarrassed, so that was something. “Sorry, you’re just so resilient. I’m impressed at how quickly you’re bouncing back.”

“I still hurt. Tons. I just hate admitting defeat. To anyone or anything.” Now that I was standing, my feet were throbbing. Shoved into loose-fitting boots, I still worried my ankles might swell and get stuck.

“Those high-powered drugs probably don’t hurt, either,” he said. “Remind me to give you some more later, if you need them. Once we’re all settled, you should sleep for another solid twelve hours or more before we travel again. Gavin said it would take that long for him finalize the plans. May as well use that time to heal before the next leg of the trip.”

“Don’t remind me. I’d rather pretend the next part of this trip doesn’t exist.”

Royce shook the big heavy black bag he was carrying. “I’m fully stocked. I should be able to take care of almost anything with this equipment.”

A couple on the wharf stared at us before quickly shuffling away.

“Crap,” I said. “We should stop speaking in English, at least out on the street. It’s not that common here.”

“Well, I don’t speak Korean, so I don’t know what you want me to do.”

“I have a great idea. Why don’t we just make this a time for quiet reflection. You keep silent until I get us checked in and up to the hotel. Just pretend to be my big, dumb, silent, white boyfriend. Shouldn’t be too hard for you.”

“Very funny,” he said.

“Oh, that was English. What I’m looking for here is silence.”

“Maybe you should teach me some Korean then.”

“I’ll put it on the list of things to do later when I’m not busy dying,” I said.

“At least hold my hand or something, make it look legit.”

“Fine. Give me your hand. It better not be sweaty.”

He wiped it on his pants. He was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Low quality, of course, but I wondered if Gavin had helped him pack or something because they didn’t look all that bad on him for once.

I rolled my eyes, but took his hand, and carefully, trying not to wobble, I walked down the boardwalk with him, heading towards the love hotel across the street.

***

The inside of the hotel lobby was surprisingly clean. Given our current budget situation, I was expecting a total flophouse. While sparsely decorated with cheap grey-veined tiles and just a few sad looking plants, it still smelled okay and was noticeably absent of any bugs or obvious grime. It was also a nice temperature, even in the lobby, which was unusual. That extra A/C cost money, and Gavin had me paranoid that we couldn’t afford something this nice.

Royce walked stiffly beside me, still holding my hand, and doing what appeared to be his best at being silent and innocuous. Meaning, he walked awkwardly and looked like he wanted blurt out something stupid at literally any second.

I was walking just as stiffly, but it was because of being sore and annoyed at having to pretend to be a couple. His huge hand just enveloped my tiny fist, and I felt like I was dragging around a giant. Beauty and the beast, if you asked me, although a lot of women (and men) might disagree.

I’d stepped through the hotel’s scanner when we first crossed the threshold, and so far so good, no alarms ringing or police coming to get me. That meant that Royce, Caramel, and Gideon all did their jobs, and there I was, in Korea, not rotting in a jail cell. Amazing.

Royce’s fist was getting sweaty, and I resisted the urge to jerk my hand away. The front desk clerk didn’t look like she’d care —I bet she’d seen it all. Bored and totally frumpy, she wore no makeup, and her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her white uniform was baggy, but clean. Maybe management made her wear that bland outfit so that she wouldn’t distract the guests. Wandering eyes at a love motel was bad business.

I cleared my throat and addressed her in Korean, “We have a room reserved.”

She stared at me. Hard.

Damn.

I thought about all the things she could be looking at. Was it my bizarre dress? Was the facial prosthetic noticeable? Could she tell I was a little bit high on pain medication? Did she notice my limp? Was she disgusted at my beast of a “boyfriend?”

“What room number?” she asked coldly.

Safer not to ask for names. Nice. “Room 117,” I said and she winced. Just a little with one eye. I barely caught it, but it was there.

Crap. It was my accent. In Seoul, no one would have cared, but down here they had different accents. My accent was somewhere between Seoul and Los Angeles. I may have just put a big blinking sign over our heads that said We Don’t Belong Here.

Lingering in the lobby was not a smart idea.

We exchanged keys and money, and I thanked her hastily before pulling Royce towards the elevator. I punched the button three times quickly, and Royce squeezed my hand. I looked at him, and he shook his head. He was right. Looking panicky wasn’t going to help the situation.

When the elevator doors opened, I forced myself to stroll inside, slowly.

After the doors closed Royce said, “Really smooth. Nice work.”

I breathed out. “That clerk was definitely suspicious. She was giving me all kinds of shade about my accent.”

“You have an accent in Korean too?” he said.

I glared at him. “You saying I talk funny in English?”

He shrugged. “A little, yeah, you didn’t know?”

“I know, but you don’t have to call attention to it.”

“It’s not a bad thing. It’s just another thing that makes you special.”

I took a step back. “Whoa there. You keep saying nice things to me and people are really going to think we’re dating.”

He smirked. “I’m sure you’ll piss me off again in a minute. Take the compliments while they last.”