The Plane Incident, Part 3
For about ten minutes, I sat there in a daze before two men and women in suits came in.
"Who are you?"
"Special Agent Eddie Garrel, Department of Homeland Security."
"Teresa Miller."
I greeted them both.
"I'm Han Miru. I'm Korean."
The two of them sat down across from me.
"We have a few questions we'd like to ask."
I said flatly, "I won't say a single word without a lawyer and an interpreter."
At that, the two of them exchanged a glance.
Then I smiled and said, "That was a light joke. You don't need a lawyer or an interpreter, so ask away."
Apparently the joke wasn't very funny, because Agent Garrel frowned.
Agent Miller asked, "What was the purpose of your trip to Atlanta?"
"I came to sightsee."
"And what business did you have going to Orlando?"
"I was going to have a birthday party at Disney World."
"A birthday party?"
"Yes. If you checked my passport, you'd see today is my birthday."
"Isn't your birthday tomorrow?"
"It’s today in Korea."
"Who were you planning to celebrate with?"
"By myself."
"Pardon?"
"What? Is there some rule against having a birthday party alone?"
"......"
Judging by their expressions, neither of them had ever done that before.
Are they both social butterflies?
The questions continued.
"What religion do you follow?"
"None."
"You mean you've never followed any religion at all?"
"Are you asking if I’m Muslim? Sunni or Shia, or something like that?"
"Please answer the question."
I answered the question.
"I was baptized as a Christian."
"Then are you a Christian?"
"I told you, I don't have a religion."
"Then why were you baptized?"
"They gave out Choco Pies and Coca-Cola."
Thinking I was joking, the two of them frowned.
"You were baptized for that?"
"That’s how it works in the Korean military. Doesn't the U.S. military hand out Choco Pies?"
"......"
Do they give out hamburgers instead, maybe?
Agent Miller asked, "Would you tell us about your activities in the United States?"
"First I boarded a plane at Incheon Airport, then after fourteen hours I arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. I went straight to the hotel, unpacked my bags..."
I went on to explain everything in detail, all the way down to where I'd gone and what I'd eaten over the last two days, while Agent Garrel typed it up on his laptop.
When the questions were finally over, Agent Miller asked again, "Could you repeat everything you just told us, but in reverse?"
"Pardon?"
"Is that difficult?"
"No. Why would it be?"
If you'd made the whole thing up, being asked to say it backwards would be enough to rattle you. But if you'd actually lived it, there was nothing difficult about it.
I calmly recited the itinerary I'd just given them, in reverse order.
"If you check my phone, you'll find card statements and photos."
Agent Miller held out my smartphone.
"Could you unlock it?"
"Sure."
I unlocked the phone with my fingerprint.
She scrolled through the photo album. It contained all the pictures I'd taken while sightseeing.
I was curious why they were asking so carefully about my schedule.
I asked them directly, "You don't think I'm some kind of terrorist, do you?"
"We don't think that."
"Then why are you asking all this?"
"We're simply considering a variety of possibilities."
"Does that variety of possibilities include me being a terrorist?"
The two of them didn't answer.
Come on, why can't you just say no?
Honestly, one reason I hadn't put money into this incident was exactly that. If it ever came out later, I didn't want people suspecting it had been staged.
Best not to do anything that invites suspicion.
I let out a sigh. "Think about it. If I were a terrorist, why would I have blown up a bomb and then told them to turn the plane around?"
"You might have panicked at the last moment and changed your mind."
"Looks like terrorists these days don't have much backbone."
Agent Miller said, "You may not know this, but that plane had Senator Mark Phillips and his family on board."
I asked, playing dumb, "Who?"
"Senator Mark Phillips of Georgia."
"Oh! That must have been the guy earlier. No wonder everyone was shocked."
Unlike Korea, where there was only one legislative chamber, the United States had both a Senate and a House of Representatives.
Unlike House seats, which were allocated based on each state's population, each state was assigned two senators regardless of population.
That made for a total of one hundred senators.
Among them, Mark Phillips was a politician famous enough that his name was already known in Korea. If he had died in that plane crash, the whole United States would have been thrown into turmoil.
"An engine explosion happened on a flight carrying a senator and his family. By sheer luck, a passenger on that plane insisted on getting off, and thanks to that, everyone survived."
I nodded.
"Ah, so that's why you're suspecting terrorism. I understand. I'll cooperate fully with the investigation. Ask me anything you want."
Agent Garrel kept questioning me.
"How did you know something was wrong with the engine?"
"Because it made an odd noise, different from normal."
"Do you have any experience working with aircraft?"
"None at all."
"And yet you recognized it just from the sound?"
"I have pretty sharp ears."
"You were certain there was a problem with the engine after only hearing it for a moment?"
"At first I wasn't sure either, but the person sitting next to me said it sounded strange too, so I could be sure. He said he was an Air Force mechanic. You can ask him."
From their expressions, it looked like they already had.
The questions and answers kept going when someone knocked on the door.
A woman who peeked her head in said, "We need you to step outside for a moment."
The two of them got to their feet.
"If there are no problems, you'll be able to leave soon. Don't worry too much."
I nodded.
"Sure. Take your time."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The engine of the plane carrying the senator had exploded.
Since Bridge World Airlines had its headquarters inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the investigation moved faster and more accurately than ever.
"We examined the engine, but found no trace of explosives. It appears the explosion was caused by internal overheating."
Teresa Miller asked, "What does Bridge World Airlines have to say?"
"According to the mechanic's testimony, the engine had been having problems for some time. They were supposed to repair it before the flight, but they delayed the work because they didn't have the parts. There also seems to have been an issue with the engine sensor, so the warning light never came on."
"So this was an aircraft defect?"
The investigator in charge of the accident said carefully, "We'll need the full results of the investigation before we can say for certain, but for now it does seem to have been a maintenance failure leading to an aircraft defect. The Air Force mechanic sitting next to him also testified that he heard an odd sound."
Eddie Garrel flipped through the documents.
Han Miru had come to Atlanta two days earlier.
Security camera footage confirmed that he had arrived at the airport two hours before the flight, which meant he obviously had no access to the plane itself.
No matter how hard they looked, they couldn't find a single suspicious point.
He was really lucky.
If that young man hadn't been on the plane, what would have happened? Just imagining it was enough to make his skin crawl.
As he thought that, Senator Phillips came in with the Atlanta airport director.
"Senator!"
Teresa Miller asked, "Are your family members all right?"
"My daughters were shaken up, but they're fine. More importantly, how is the investigation going?"
The investigator explained the results so far.
Senator Phillips asked, "If the plane had taken off as scheduled, what do you think would have happened?"
"The engine would likely have blown shortly after takeoff."
"And then?"
"With one engine lost before altitude was established, an emergency landing would have been difficult. Based on the simulation, we estimate seventy percent of the passengers would have died."
He felt a chill run down his spine.
That included him and his family. A happy family trip had nearly turned into a horrific disaster.
Senator Phillips looked at the Asian man sitting beyond the glass and said in a trembling voice, "That young man saved all of us."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The investigators returned my phone, passport, and wallet.
"So the investigation is over?"
Agent Miller said, "Yes. We've confirmed that it was an aircraft defect caused by maintenance negligence. If anything about the process offended you, I apologize."
"Not at all. I should naturally cooperate for the sake of national security. You've had a hard day."
"Ah, and happy birthday, truly."
"Thank you."
I shook hands with both investigators one by one.
An official led me to the lounge. The passengers who had been on the plane earlier were gathered there.
When I appeared, they all broke into applause.
Clap, clap, clap.
The people who had earlier criticized and cursed me now cheered even more enthusiastically, as if making up for it.
And rightly so, because if that plane had taken off as it was, all of them would have died.
Senator Phillips stepped forward.
"Thank you so much. You saved me, my family, and everyone else."
I said modestly, "I only did what had to be done. It's a tremendous relief that no one was hurt."
Behind him stood his wife and their two daughters.
His wife had been a Russian-born model, tall and elegant with striking beauty. And that beauty had been passed down to his daughters as well.
The sisters, both in their early to mid-twenties, were stunningly attractive and looked so alike that anyone could tell at a glance they were related.
The elder daughter was named Elena, and the younger one Liana. Both of them would later become almost as famous as their father.
Senator Phillips asked me, "You are a hero to all of us. Is there anything you want?"
"Nothing in particular, but I'd prefer for my identity not to be revealed to the press."
The reason I said that was simple: at this point in time, fame would do me no real good down the road.
"Why is that? There are countless reporters waiting to interview the hero who saved the passengers."
I deliberately gave an awkward smile.
"I'm a little shy, I guess. If anyone took my picture, I'd appreciate it if you didn't post it on the media or social media."
Senator Phillips said, "That will never happen. I'll make sure your identity isn't released to the press."
The passengers all nodded as if they agreed. They probably thought I'd saved their lives, so this little request was nothing they'd refuse.
Then I pointed to Chris.
"The one who first noticed something was wrong with the engine noise was this man. The true hero who saved you all wasn't me, but Chris."
At my words, Chris looked flustered.
"Ah, no. I didn't really do anything."
That was true; he hadn't actually done anything this time. Because I had gotten there first.
Clap, clap, clap.
The passengers all applauded him at once, and he scratched at his bald head with an awkward look on his face.
Senator Phillips looked at me again, genuinely surprised, and Elena and Liana did the same.
Truth be told, I had no interest in media spotlights or commendations.
What mattered was the fact that I had saved Mark Phillips and his family.
I looked at the white man in his mid-forties standing before me.
Mark Phillips, senator from Georgia.
He was still unfamiliar in Korea for now, but before long everyone would know his name.
Because in the next presidential election, he would run as the Democratic candidate and be elected President of the United States.