The First Assignment
The moment permission to enter was granted, I stepped into the office. I was now fully dressed in uniform, and while I hadn't signed a contract yet, I was effectively appointed—or rather, commissioned—so I snapped to attention and saluted as soon as I crossed the threshold.
It was my first time inside the Ministry of Security. Unlike the Ministry of Military Affairs, which had been utterly devoid of staff, this department held several officials in Western suits who looked like they carried actual titles of their own. Among them, I saw no one else wearing a police uniform.
Kim Hong-il, the Minister of Security, seated in the place of honor by the corner window, rose from his seat and walked out into the center of the office.
"Ah, I see. You've made up your mind, then?"
"Ah, Your Excellency. When you say I've made up my mind..."
At that moment, Hui-yeong cut into my words and called out brightly.
"Yes! Mizuko Unni has agreed to serve as Investigation Squad Leader of the Police Bureau! As you can see, she's starting work today!"
Kim Hong-il himself didn't seem to mind, but the gazes of the other staff members around him felt distinctly sharp against my skin. I couldn't tell whether they were actually glaring, or whether it was simply my own persecution complex acting up over my Japanese nationality.
"You'll have heard the explanation already, but the post of Police Bureau Director is vacant at the moment. Ah, and since you're joining as a subordinate for now, feel free to speak comfortably."
"I'll do that, Your Excellency."
"Good. With the director's seat empty, the Jongno Police Chief currently oversees public order in Gyeongseong. Which means the hastily created position of Investigation Squad Leader is, for the time being, the highest post within the Police Bureau. Even so, I'd like you to respect the authority of the Jongno station as much as possible."
"Of course. I have no intention of overstepping."
"I think we'll get along well. If only there were more young people like you—gender, age... perhaps even where you were born shouldn't matter. The more, the better."
"You flatter me, Your Excellency."
At least the conversation flowed smoothly. I supposed I should soon be shown to my desk and begin work, but even as Kim Hong-il pointed toward the desk assigned to me, he didn't invite me to sit.
"You'll be working from that desk as Squad Leader going forward... though explanations will be difficult today. Deputy Minister of Military Affairs—what time does the express train depart?"
"One in the afternoon. I contacted the station, but even my personal request couldn't get a dedicated express assigned. So I've arranged for a passenger car to be attached to the Gyeongbu Line freight train instead."
"As long as we can reach Busan somehow, that will do. It's... rather hard to avoid eyes here, isn't it. Have the officers who'll be working under the Ministry of Military Affairs already arrived?"
"The officers from Manchuria? Not yet. They'll all have matters to settle, so it'll be another month at least before the ones I've summoned arrive. My office is empty right now—shall we go there?"
"Let's do that. Squad Leader, you come along as well."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
And so the three of us left the Ministry of Security we had only just arrived at and moved to the Ministry of Military Affairs. The office where Hui-yeong and I had thrown down yesterday remained neatly in order, barely disheveled at all. Hui-yeong yielded the Minister of Military Affairs' desk to Kim Hong-il, then stood beside me with our hands folded at our waists. The Minister of Security gestured that we could stand at ease.
"The reason I deliberately avoided the Security Ministry and came all the way here is that Squad Leader Ajisai seemed uncomfortable with the eyes around her."
"If I've made things awkward by showing it, I apologize."
"It's not a matter of that. Adaptation will come with time. The reason I can't even show you to your desk on your very first day of work is because the Squad Leader has somewhere urgent to be before the day is out."
Today was... what day of the week was it again? Right—Friday. Racking my memory: Hong Sa-ik would arrive in Busan on Saturday. We'd just been talking about the Gyeongbu Line, so the assignment was probably to go to Busan, and...
"You want us to go prepare to receive him the night before, then," I said. The general nodded.
"Quick on the uptake. Once you've eaten, you'll depart immediately. Beyond that, there's nothing else that needs doing today. The ship carrying Hong Sa-ik is scheduled to anchor at Busan early tomorrow morning. Of course, it's coming from the Philippines, so the timing could shift with circumstances. At minimum, the preparations at Busan port must be complete sometime between tonight and the small hours of tomorrow."
"I understand the situation. Are there any anticipated threats?"
"Busan is currently a chaotic jumble of people leaving and people arriving. Koreans entering the country after hearing the news of independence cross paths with Japanese departing to return home. The Gyeongsang People's Committee is surely devoting particular attention to maintaining order."
"I've heard the local police's level of armament leaves something to be desired."
It might have been a touch bold, but I asked anyway. The Minister of Security seemed to take no offense at my remark, conceding it readily.
"Which is exactly why you must be careful. The Japanese government has notified us that they will continue to exercise authority in Busan through the Japanese army and Japanese police until the withdrawal of Japanese citizens who wish to repatriate is fully complete. Of course, we haven't simply stood by either—we've dispatched police of our own—but we'd prefer to avoid friction with Japanese authority wherever possible. It's possible your old colleagues are still there. Make good use of that, and see that it doesn't interfere with the mission."
"Understood. Once we've escorted the Minister of Military Affairs back to Gyeongseong, does the operation conclude?"
"For now, yes. On the return trip, you may not be able to take an express train. The South Manchuria Railway has bought up a portion of the rail shares from the joint administration, and the Republic's government currently can't interfere even with the railway timetables. But two people like you should be more than capable of handling the escort safely."
"Any signs of terrorism, or concrete warnings?"
It was Choi Hui-yeong who answered that question.
"As I mentioned before, Kim Won-bong's faction has already begun a propaganda campaign from China, using the appointments of Hong Sa-ik and Kim Seok-won as Minister of Military Affairs and Chief of Staff as leverage to paint the People's Republic of Korea as an illegitimate pro-Japanese regime. The Security Ministry has plenty of capable staff, but regrettably not many of them, and the people's committees across the country are struggling just to maintain basic public order. The likelihood of a terrorist incident is high, but we haven't gathered any concrete evidence or leads. You'll have to prepare completely empty-handed."
"So there may be no actual terrorist plan in existence at all, and we could return without anything happening," I said.
"That's right. Honestly, that's the more likely outcome. But there's always that one chance in ten thousand, so you mustn't let your guard down, Unni."
"I know. This much should be enough. If anything else comes to mind, there'll be plenty of time on the train, so asking questions en route will be fine. Then, Minister of Security, Your Excellency."
"Ah, go on and get ready. No—actually, I should be getting back to the Security Ministry myself. I've been sitting so comfortably that this feels like my office..."
I bowed my head low from a rigid attention stance, as respectful as I could manage. Hui-yeong made a similar motion beside me.
Get ready, hm—so all I had to do was pack. We'd be staying overnight, at least, so clothes, a toothbrush, soap... I'd gather this and that. All three of us left the Ministry of Military Affairs together, but when the Minister of Security headed for his own office, only Hui-yeong and I were left, walking briskly through the government building corridors.
Sharp glances were raining down on me from every direction. This was unmistakably neither paranoia nor my imagination. The Deputy Minister of Military Affairs, who had caught the low growl slipping out of me without my realizing, asked anxiously, "Are you all right? Shall I go say something to them?"
"No need. I'm the most notorious patrolman of the already infamous Jongno station. They have every right."
"You weren't notorious, Unni. You were famous."
Wasn't that the same thing? Strictly speaking, they were different—but anyone appointed to a key post in the government of an independent Korea was, in most cases, someone who had given a great deal to the independence movement, sometimes even their lives. It was hardly strange for these people, who had never changed their names in surrender, to cast wary looks at me standing before them in the new Korea's army-blue uniform—shoulder boards and all.
"Or it might just be because you're a young woman, so don't fixate too much on your background. Even I, when I first rose to my position on the Chairman's personal recommendation, heard all sorts of things. There were old men who came and openly berated me, telling me not to get above myself."
"I didn't see anyone like that today, though?"
"I shut their mouths."
For a moment, a frightening image flashed through my mind.
"You didn't shut them up by hitting them, did you? With that terrifying strength of yours?"
"What am I, a gangster?"
"No, um... then did you demonstrate by smashing a desk in half right in front of them?"
At my question, she parted her lips slightly and let out a sigh.
"I understand why you think of me that way, Unni, but the only person I'd ever try to force into line by flaunting my strength is you. As for how I shut their mouths—I told you already, didn't I? That I was the one who secured the covert import of antiquated rifles from China. The old men here—mostly the leftists, mind you—kept looking at me with suspicious eyes, but you, Unni, can simply hold your tongue and focus on proving your ability. You can prove it."
"You're certain of that?" I asked, smiling. Hui-yeong nodded, her black eyes gleaming.
"Certain. Because if you were someone incapable of even that much, I would never have fallen so completely the moment my eyes first met yours."
I didn't answer her, and turned my head forward. It was a little past nine o'clock, but perhaps because I hadn't eaten breakfast, my stomach was beginning to growl. If I had to be fully prepared before the train departed, then a late breakfast doubling as an early lunch sounded just fine.
"Shall we get something to eat together? Gyeongseong has plenty of good restaurants."