Chapter Thirty-Three

The town was nothing but a tiny stopover, just a little collection of shops along a dirt road, likely fueled by the bullet train and the small highway that crossed through the area. Even if we could, taking a taxi still wouldn’t be safe.

We strolled through the dark, looking for the nearest business. The first thing we found was a restaurant, and through the front windows I saw tableside grills cooking meat, hot clay pots filled with boiling tofu stew, and endless side dishes scattered across big tables. With all my heart, I wished Etienne and I could go inside and have a slow, traditional meal together.

But that definitely wasn’t in the cards.

Instead, we slunk around to the back, where a handful of cars sat parked in a dirt lot.

“Do you still remember how to hotwire a car?” Etienne said.

Absolutely drained, I still grinned. “Can’t say I’ve had to use that skill in a long time, but there’s no way I’ve forgotten. Pick a car?” I said, like we were just a normal couple shopping at a dealership.

She pointed at a little red passenger car—new enough that it wouldn’t break, but cheap enough that it wouldn’t attract attention.

“That one. I want that one,” she said.

“Anything you wish. One car, coming up,” I said. Even before the mesh, I’d been good at breaking into things. The streets were my playground, and that included having my pick of cars when I wanted them.

Still had it.

In minutes, I’d broken into the car and started the ignition.

Grand theft auto had never felt so good.

***

I had all these tough plans to stay awake while we drove, make sure no one was following us, do my part for our team, but that didn’t happen.

As soon as we were safely in the car, I fell asleep, Etienne’s warm hand on my leg, telling me it was okay to relax.

Seemed like I’d just fallen asleep when she put her hand on my arm, shaking me.

“We’re almost there,” she said. “Where do I go? You said you knew someone here that could help you.”

Mokpo looked so strange in the daylight—none of the neon lights, none of the crowds, like it was a ghost town just waiting to be filled with nightlife. All those big apartment buildings, bland concrete reaching into air, probably filled with business workers preparing for their morning commute.

I would have tried to warn Alice that we were coming, but the only cell phone we had was Etienne’s, and it was company issued—she was smart enough to leave it behind. Something like that would have been instantly tracked.

I curled forward, shivering, clutching my stomach, trying to speak but struggling for words.

“Jinny? What's happening?” she said.

“Cold. So cold,” I said.

She put a hand on my forehead. “You’re burning up. It’s not cold in here at all. You’ve got to tell me where to go. You need a doctor, but I’m afraid to take you to a regular hospital. Tae-min will come for you.”

“Alice. Find Alice, go to Wonderland,” I said, hoping she wouldn’t think I was just babbling about white rabbits and Cheshire cats, I whispered the name of the hotel before I lost consciousness again.