Putting His Affairs in Order
Yoon Jay studied the man across from him.
His name was John Doe — almost certainly not his real name, given that he belonged to an organization where secrecy was everything and was known only by an unidentified designation. And that face, too, surely wasn't his real face. A meticulously crafted silicone mask, no doubt.
"John, it's been a while. But don't tell me—"
"I haven't quit. I was only back in the country for work. You're heading straight home, I take it? Let me drive you."
"Hmm."
"There's no need to be so tense. This is pure goodwill toward a man to whom I owe my life."
Right. Yoon Jay still clearly remembered the endless wooing he'd endured when this man tried to poach him for his own team. He hesitated for a moment, but a free chauffeur for the ride home was a rather convenient arrangement.
"You're driving yourself?"
"I told you. It's a personal, purely innocent favor. Though I must say, it really has been far too long, Ten."
"Just call me JJ now."
"Understood. Though the old name still rolls off the tongue. I did hear you've taken up acting again in Korea."
Not heard, Yoon Jay thought — investigated. He gave a small shake of his head, a wordless you never change, as the car pulled out of the airport and onto the open road.
"I watched your acting on MyTube. You were really quite good."
"I'd done it before."
"Remarkably polished for a man on a twenty-year hiatus. Of course, I'm well aware of your particular... talents."
The man was circling, and circling, and circling. Yoon Jay turned his head and looked him dead in the eye.
"What is it you actually want to say?"
"When you survived Operation Lion's Shadow."
John dove straight to the point. Operation Lion's Shadow had been the final mission of Yoon Jay's military career.
[He still hasn't woken up?]
[He came to briefly yesterday, but we sedated him again.]
[Why?]
[You know what he went through, sir. Asad Yasin Qadir. Deputy leader of LIS. Their chief interrogation specialist.]
[I know.]
[Coming back from all that... honestly, it terrifies me.]
One of John's teammates had shuddered as he spoke. Weeks earlier, the operatives on that mission had walked into a trap, and the situation had turned dire. Yoon Jay had stayed behind alone to save his comrades — and ended up captured.
Why he hadn't simply been shot on the spot, John didn't know. His best guess was that Yoon Jay's hours of evading them had simply piqued the man's interest.
"Of course, I understand there were circumstances that warranted it."
Yoon Jay had always possessed a truly extraordinary gift — extraordinary enough that John still hadn't given up on him, to the point of playing chauffeur like this.
[Aaargh!]
[Painkillers! Now!]
Everyone had assumed he was dead, but the operatives he'd saved from the trap mounted a rescue operation. They hadn't come back unscathed — but they had come back alive.
[I can no longer perform my duties, sir.]
[Ten, it's too early to make that call.]
[Do I look all right to you?]
For killing the deputy leader, Yoon Jay had received a medal — unofficial, of course — been promoted a rank, and then discharged.
"But... I wonder. Just suppose."
"..."
"When you applied for discharge — was acting part of the reason?"
Yoon Jay had signaled more than once that he wanted out, and naturally, an organization didn't let go of a man that capable without a fight.
The hypothesis — that he'd used that whole ordeal as leverage, escaping through a career that would grind him down anyway — had come to John after watching what Yoon Jay had done on screen in Korea.
The boyhood genius he'd assumed was a flash of brilliance, long since burned out, was still burning bright.
"Who's to say?"
John was a seasoned spy, but Yoon Jay's face gave away nothing at all.
"You're deflecting."
"You've slipped out of tighter corners than this yourself, haven't you?"
Damn it. Fair point. John let out a long sigh.
"Then how about this — I share a piece of information, and in return you satisfy my curiosity?"
"Let's see the goods first."
"You really don't make anything easy. Fine. Your friend Jayden has launched the final operation."
Jayden had been Yoon Jay's comrade and friend during his service. So he's still alive. Good.
"And do you know what they're calling it?"
"What?"
Operation For Ten.
"...That's."
Ten had been another name for Yoon Jay — J being the tenth letter of the alphabet. Even granting that he'd saved his teammates' lives on more than one occasion, an operation named as a tribute to him felt like far too much.
"As if I were dead. It's not even a memorial op."
"Haha! I knew you'd say that."
John pulled the car up in front of Yoon Jay's house and turned to face him.
"There. I've gone first. Now it's your turn to answer."
"My answer... I'll give you before I leave the country."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You were planning to follow me to the airport anyway, weren't you?"
"I can never beat you, can I."
"See you soon."
Yoon Jay stepped out of the car, watched John's vehicle shrink into the distance, and went inside. It was the house he'd lived in back in his firefighting days.
The moment he opened the door, dust sent him into a coughing fit. He cracked the windows to let the air circulate and got to work on his luggage.
Time to clear out this place for good and move into the apartment his agency had arranged. The workshop gifted to him by his father was far too far from the city center for his life going forward.
"Ah."
As he sorted through his things, he came across the letters of encouragement and drawings sent by the many people he had rescued over the years, and stopped. These... these matter. I should keep them somewhere safe.
"JJ?"
"Phoebe. Hey."
Someone had called out to him while he was loading boxes into the car. The landlord's daughter, Phoebe. The landlord's family had always been kind to him, sometimes even sharing meals with the young man living on his own.
"Where have you been? I hadn't seen you around lately, I was worried."
"I had to pop back to Korea for a bit."
"But you're done going now, right?"
"No... I think I'll be staying there for good, actually."
"What?!"
Her eyes went wide with shock. What?! I won't even get to see him anymore?!
"Wh-why?!"
"I found work there. I'll probably keep at it."
"JJ!"
Behind the stunned Phoebe, the landlord herself came hurrying over. Yoon Jay shared a brief hug with her, stepped back, and smiled softly.
"I couldn't believe it when I got your call. Moving to Korea, just like that..."
"Thank you for being so understanding. And for looking after me in every way, all this time."
"That sounds awfully final, you know. Don't be a stranger. Call anytime, come visit whenever you like."
"...I will."
His wandering life had introduced him to a great many people, but he'd never let any of those connections run deep — always shallow, always at arm's length. He rarely spoke about himself, kept everyone at a careful distance.
Maybe I was afraid of having something to lose.
That way, leaving never hurt. But he'd realized, too late, that there was something wrong with a man who decided his present based on calculations about a future that hadn't arrived yet.
Brief, passing connections like Kwon Min-jae or Baek Da-eun could always meet again someday. But keeping his distance was, in effect, ignoring the wishes of people who genuinely wanted to be closer to him.
"Take care of yourself, Phoebe."
"Y-yeah... you too."
Goodbyes said, Yoon Jay climbed into his car and pulled out of the alley.
"Mom! How could you not even tell me JJ was leaving?!"
"And what would telling you have changed?"
"No — no, still—!"
"Wake up, sweetheart. JJ's out of your league."
"Mom! I'm your daughter!"
And so the abandoned landlord and her daughter bickered on.
Packing up the house didn't mean his business here was finished. He stopped at a shop nearby, bought a mountain of donuts, and made a detour to Fire Station 132.
Must be out on a call.
The station was empty. He was sorry not to see his old colleagues' faces, but it wasn't as though he could never come again.
He left the donut boxes somewhere conspicuous, climbed back into his car, and drove off.
Minutes later, red fire engines and ambulances filled the bays of Station 132.
"God. That was one of the worst shifts I've had in years."
"If only our rookie hadn't jinxed us."
"I'm s-sorry."
"Sorry doesn't cut it — drinks are on you."
The returning firefighters, grumbling at the rookie as always, turned their heads at the sound of Chloe's shout.
"JJ?"
"What? Why would you go looking for a guy who left? Look, Chloe, I know you had a thing for him, but—"
"Look at this."
It's not that I don't feel that way at all — I just don't anymore, okay?
Knowing that arguing only invited more teasing, Chloe scowled and held out the note Yoon Jay had left behind.
(Came by. — JJ)
It was short and sweet — but the handwriting was unmistakably that of the friend they all knew.
"What? When was he here? JJ!"
"He's long gone by now."
"Who just shows up and leaves like that?"
"That was always his way, wasn't it?"
"Honestly, does he think he's being cool or something?"
"Well... he is kind of cool, though."
"That's... okay, fair. Still — he could've waited five minutes."
Complaining all the while, they each bit into a donut from the box. Perfect timing, too — they were running on empty.
"JJ stopped by?"
"Yes, Cap. This was on the table."
"Ha. And here I thought I'd never see him again."
The Captain chuckled as he read the note. He'd been a little worried, but seeing the man come back like this set his mind at ease. He'd come around again someday, no doubt.
With every last errand sorted, Yoon Jay slid behind the wheel of the car he'd inherited from his father and finally headed home.
The engine sounds a little off.
It would be nice to spend some time in the garage with his father again, like old times. He'd be swamped soon enough, with no hours to spare.
Back in Korea, it would be the year-end awards season. Having shot to prominence in a single year, Yoon Jay would be dragged from event to event — presenting on stage one moment, appearing as a nominee the next.
"Honey, look over there."
"Jay's here."
From far down the road, his parents spotted his car and abandoned whatever they were doing to come out and greet him.
"Dad."
"My boy!"
Yoon Jay stepped out of the car and embraced his father with a wide grin.
"Mom. How have you been?"
"Oh, you know us — same as ever. Goodness, just look at you. I hardly recognize you!"
Maria Jenkins pulled her son into a fierce hug, let go, and looked him up and down.
The truth was, Yoon Jay had never cared much for fashion. His wandering life meant he owned barely any clothes, and with a build like his, a plain tank top and jeans were enough to make him look handsome — though examined piece by piece, some of his wardrobe was frankly dire.
[Oppa. That plaid shirt needs to go in the trash.]
[Hyung. Are you seriously wearing those pants?]
[Maybe?]
He hadn't gone to university, held no professional certifications — what else was a drifter supposed to do? He'd switched to work that relied mostly on his body.
Cargo pants had been genuinely useful for carpentry and mechanical repairs. But with no more work of that kind ahead, he supposed he wouldn't be needing them.
At his answer, the twins had nodded with grave expressions.
[...So he really is one of those faces that makes anything look good.]
[A man being too perfect does get boring. It's kind of his charm point, though...]
[This, however, is unforgivable. We're throwing it out. You don't mind, right?]
[Go ahead.]
Anyway, he'd worn the same things after arriving in Korea, until the twins' meddling changed a little of it — and then his manager Han Jin-woo and a newly hired stylist had teamed up to overhaul the entire contents of his closet.
[I can pay for it with my own money, you know.]
The money, as it happened, had come out of Lee Seo-won's card.
[No, sir. Mr. Jay, you don't lift a finger. Just take whatever they hand you.]
[Do agency heads normally cover this sort of thing?]
[Consider it a personal favor of mine. Something worked out wonderfully thanks to you, Mr. Jay.]
Something about a heavyweight investor attaching himself to me, was it? Whatever. A good thing is a good thing.
"Something came up, that's all."
"I take it it has to do with this new start of yours?"
"I'll tell you everything over dinner."
"Let's go inside."
Stepping into the house with his parents, he found a familiar, welcome face waiting.
"Oppa, you're here!"
"Serena. How've you been? How's everything going?"
"Same old, same old. Oh — right. Did you see my message? What on earth is going on with you?"
"I'll explain over dinner."
His younger sister by six years — Serena Jenkins.
"Chris is coming by later, too."
"Been a while since we were all together."
"I'm so glad I get to see you, oppa."
Yoon Jay draped an arm lightly around Serena's shoulder and let it fall, then gazed around at the house — unchanged in every way that mattered.
"Me too."