Thera took out the pack of cigarettes, pulled two out, then pointed one in the direction of the North Korean soldier. The man—he looked more like a teenager, with dark peach fuzz above his lip—blinked his eyes, then looked left and right before taking it. Thera smiled and gave him her matches; he lit up furtively, turning from the wind.
In the six or seven seconds it took him to get the cigarette lit, Thera slipped the last tab into the slot between the metal panels of the reception building.
She was done. It had been easier to plant the devices here than in South Korea.
Her relief lasted about as long as it took her to light her own cigarette; she saw Tak Ch’o approaching from across the complex. The scientist had a big smile on his face, nodding and laughing as he caught her glance.
The young soldier stiffened and started to move away. Ch’o told him something Thera couldn’t understand. Though it was meant to put the young man at ease, the guard barely relaxed.
“You like our cigarettes then?” Ch’o told her in English. He immediately translated into Korean for the soldier.
“Oh, yes,” said Thera. “Very good.”
“And interesting?”
“Very interesting.” Thera stared into his eyes. If there had been any doubt that Ch’o had given her the message, his gaze erased it.
“So, you are Greek?” he asked in English.
“Yes.”
“From where?”
Thera described the town, adding that it was near Athens. Ch’o nodded, then turned to the soldier and told him what she had said. He clamped the young man on the shoulder and turned to her.
“My young friend comes from Hamhun, in the east,” Ch’o told her. “His father is an important and brilliant general.”
Before Thera could respond, the scientist continued, “It’s good to see two young people getting along. Scientists are not blind to matters of the heart.”
The soldier looked on quizzically, clearly not understanding what was going on.
“I—I’m probably too old for him,” said Thera.
“Old? You are so beautiful I couldn’t guess how old you are,” said Ch’o.
He turned to the soldier and told him enough of what he had said that the young man turned beet red. This made the scientist laugh.
“Well, then, I will see you both at lunch,” said Ch’o. He started away, then turned back quickly, pulling a cigarette pack from his jacket pocket. “I almost forgot . . . another present for you. I see you are low.”
Thera took the package.
“Save some for your trip. You will want to share with friends, no doubt,” said Ch’o. He laughed again, turned toward the soldier, then with a sideways glance as if he suspected someone were watching, took another pack from his pants pocket and pressed it into the young man’s hand.
“Haeng-uneul bireoyo,” he told the soldier, glancing at Thera. “Good luck.”