Morning, Ganghwa, 22nd March, 1636

"We rescue abused girls and women," there was a lilting sadness in her soft voice.

As promised, Kim Minjae presented herself at the first light of the daybreak. Seung had dozed off to a fitful nod on his bed after his investigative sojourn on Minjae that had lasted until the pre-dawn hours.

Despite that, even before the first crow of the morning rooster split the air, he was up and had rushed to change into something presentable to meet her.

The allusions to his handsomeness had been quite common while growing up and in adulthood, with one rare exception of his bride, who had found him lacking in both looks and achievements and quite vocally so. While that one irregularity had rankled, he wasn't naive enough to believe it. He had always been aware of the power of his attractiveness, the doors it often opened, but he had never been vain about it or had taken undue advantage of it. All right, maybe that was an exaggeration. He allowed himself a little vanity from time to time. After all, he had never felt the need to take special care of himself for a woman, not even for his marriage to that very critical, very absent bride. Yet, this morning, he found himself spending a few extra minutes rubbing his teeth with bamboo salt and perfumed straw and then peered into the mirror, making sure his skin shone, his purple hanbok with silver woven buds fit snug on his shoulders, and his gat sat just right on his head, the onyx beads swaying gently around his temple down to his chest.

He could still feel the pressure on the back of his eyes that usually came with a lack of proper sleep, but one look at Minjae's dewy, captivating face had all his fatigued winks flying out of the window.

His observant eyes didn't miss the faint shadows under her eyes. Her hanbok of dark blue jeogori and grey chima reflected the pensive mood she seemed to be in.

Half an hour later, a servant entered, placing a tray of morning snacks and tea on a long table by the wall. Seung contemplated Minjae and her companion. It was possible they could be lying to him, but what they were telling him was so fantastic that it would be hard for even the best writers to make up something like that as a cover-up for anything, including a treasonous activity like spying.

She leaned back in a chair, her injured feet resting on a stool that Ko Yoon had procured from somewhere in his well-appointed Commander's dwelling unit, the light grey skirt of her hanbok flowing between both the pieces of furniture, anchored by her stretched limb.

"How do you account for their disappearance?"

"That is the easiest part, Dari. No one in Joseon keeps a record of girls, or even women for that matter. Men steal young girls from their beds. Loan sharks drag them out of their houses as interest payments. Poor men sell their daughters for a sack of rice. Rich ones starve their daughters and even kill them if they displease their fathers. Husbands lock their wives up, starve them, beat them until the women wish they were dead, force them -" Minjae's breath caught in her throat, "and there is no record. Once lost, they are just - gone. Few look them up. Most cut them off like bad losses. However, a few of them escape and their luck saves some. But most either die or wait for the day."

Nothing she said was new to him. He had seen worse. He had seen women poked, beaten, burned, and whipped for the slightest of transgressions, stripped naked and sold for pennies, gang-raped as a part of a loot - images that still haunted him at night and made him wake up drenched in sweat, nauseous, his hands clammy, filled with tremors from the feelings of helplessness.

A haunting memory of a very young girl escaping into the woods, clutching a dirty, soiled cloth to her chest, invaded his memory suddenly. Seung swallowed, closing his eyes. The girl he had saved. He had clung to that image all these years. It had saved his sanity.

He opened them to find Minjae watching him intently. His eyes met hers, and an inexplicable feeling of knowing connected them, a semaphore of understanding that spoke volumes without them uttering a word.

She was the first to break contact, a slight blush staining her graceful swan-like neck and the peaks of her high cheekbones.

His heart strummed. Needing to take a breather from his strangely agitated senses, he turned to Ko Yoon. "What do you do once you bring them away from their unfortunate circumstances? There must still be some records, someone tracking them," he asked.

"We place them in safe homes, sir."

"And how do you do that?"

Silence.

Seung sighed. He would need a lot of patience with these two.

"What about the slaves? The owners would never relinquish them easily. The state often intervenes for runaway slaves. You possibly have slave hunters after them."

"You are right, Dari. They are the hardest to rescue. We try to save the ones who are severely abused. Unfortunately, we often don't even learn about them until it's too late."

Seung stroked his chin, deep in thought. "When did you start this?"

"My first rescue was a six-year-old slave child who was being brutalised by her master and mistress. They used to burn her hands and legs as punishment." Minjae could still recall her heart ceasing every time there was a mention of the lost child for months. It had been her bravest act of rebellion at a time when she herself had been a little more than a chip for bargaining to be bartered away when the time came. Yet it was from there that the idea had germinated years later.

"When was this?"

"Ten years ago."

"Ten? How old are you?" Seung asked Minjae and told himself he only asked it as a part of his investigation. He was not curious and dying to know. Not at all.

Minjae's gaze dropped to her hands that loosely overlapped each other in her lap. "I am twenty-three."

Seung was startled to learn they were of same age. Even though what he had learned about her last night indicated she was not as young as she looked, he had been so sure she was younger than him.

"You have been doing this for ten years?"

The math did not add up. Not if she herself had been so severely abused at her husband's hand.

"No. It was my first one and the only one for a long time, but I actively started it only a few years ago."

After her father rescued her from her abusive husband.

Seung looked at Ko Yoon. "When did you start helping her?"

"I joined three years ago when I was posted here, Sir."

"Why did you join her?"

There was a long pause.

"My sister was kidnapped," a slaking of grief still palpable in Ko Yoon's young voice, "Our father is ill, bedridden. Our mother died a few years ago. My brother is still young. To save money, we moved out of a good neighbourhood and got a house in a more secluded place. I had just been posted here. She had stepped out to fetch my father's medicine, and they got her. These thugs set their targets and follow them for an opportunity. I went crazy trying to find and save her. I was beside myself with rage - " he left it unfinished, swiping a hand over his eyes.

Gil-ae's face floated before Seung's eyes, a pang hitting his solar plexus. He would kill anyone who would so much as lay a finger on his sister.

"They wanted to sell her to a rich old commoner who wanted a young yangban bride. She was only eleven years old, Dari," Ko Yoon's voice dropped. "My Uncle's son had been visiting home when this happened. He rode all the way here to tell me. Noonim helped me locate and rescue her before the unthinkable happened."

"We were fortunate; the kidnappers postponed the deal due to a disagreement between the buyer and themselves over the price," Minjae said softly.

Seung felt an unanticipated jolt of pride at the woman sitting in front of him. She was so delicate and demure, yet he knew somewhere underneath that ethereal exterior was a plate of iron armour that she used as a shield, both to protect others and keep people from getting too close to her. People like himself.

"Why did you not go to the Magistrate or the Governor?" he asked, bringing his frustratingly errant attention back to the topic.

Ko Yoon bowed his head, his silence speaking volumes.

"They refused to help?"

"They decided my sister had run away. She was too unimportant to waste precious resources on."

"Where was this?"

"Wonsanjin."

Seung straightened in surprise. "That is at least four days' ride for a good horseman from Hanyang, if not more and further from Ganghwa. It must already have been at least ten days before you reached your village. How did you communicate and organise a rescue from here?"

Minjae and Ko Yoon fell quiet. The annoying calmness that both would revert to whenever the time came to drop a name or anything that might throw light on the insights of their operation had started getting to him.

"I guess you have a lot of help?" Seung persisted.

"We have some good men and women all over the country who help, Sir."

"You said you give these women a new life. How do you do that?"

The irksome silence again.

"So, what exactly is your role, Soldier Ko?"

"Every month, I have people I connect to on certain days of the month who carry messages outside. Sometimes, rescuing them from a dangerous situation is not enough, Dari. Even though we saved my sister from the kidnappers, she was still ruined. No man would accept her after that. She is doomed either way. The only consolation is she is safe and loved. I will take care of her."

Involuntarily, Seung's nails pressed into his palm, his sister's tear-drenched in the prison face jumping at him. A surge of concord rippled through Seung for the young man. Who knew it better than him....."There are good men out there, Soldier Ko."

Ko Yoon gave him a lost look. "How do we find them, Dari? We try to make such women independent. My sister makes beautiful bamboo fans. We also try to set up channels so they can earn without the family name getting compromised. And it gives the women a purpose in life."

Lee Seung understood more than Ko Yoon or Kim Minjae would ever know.

"And you, Physician Kim?"

"I am a part of the group that secures the girls and works as a conduit between those who secure them and the ones who place them.

"This kind of operation needs money, a lot of it. How do you get that?"

A shadow crossed Minjae's face. "When I left my husband, I had some money. I used that to start the network."

"Some?" Seung arched his brows.

"It was substantial, and I did not need it," she replied.

"No matter how substantial, it won't last these many years."

"We have people supporting us generously," Minjae said, her words carefully weighed. Not all money came through legal channels. Seung could read the unsaid. She was adept at saying a lot without giving anything away.

The diffused early morning light had started filtering through the windows, penetrating through the mesh of hanji curtains with their colourful pull ropes in the chamber.

"Coming back to these women - how do you make them disappear from their previous life and place them in their new lives?"

Ko Yoon shifted uncomfortably. Minjae raised her leg from the stool, her stockinged foot touching the floor gracefully as she stood up. Seung moved without thinking, finding himself beside her in a flash to help her and then wanting to die of embarrassment as Minjae, ignoring him, turned and slowly walked to the table where the servant had placed the hot teapot and cups. At least she was not limping as severely as before. In fact, it was barely noticeable.

"That is not for us to tell, Dari. We are just messengers and not directly involved in the process," she said over her shoulder.

"I would like to know, Physician Kim."

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She picked up the tray and turned. Seung clamped down on his instinct to help her, knowing she would not appreciate it.

"I promised we would tell you the part that concerns us. You will need to launch an official investigation for the rest."

Seung folded his hands across his chest and leaned against the pillar close to him.

"Would you really want me to go that route?"

Minjae paused for a brief moment, her facial muscles arranged in neutral lines, only a slight compression of her lips suggesting she was giving it a thought - or maybe she was simply focussing on carrying the tray to its destination? She was a hard one to read. Minjae cautiously walked to where his work table sat by his official seat in the chamber. Bending on a squat, she transferred the tray to the large but modestly crafted table and lowered herself to the floor, resting herself on the guest cushion. She placed the pots and cups on the table one by one and slid the tray under the table.

Expertly pouring the tea, she placed one of the steaming cups on his side of the table, wordlessly indicating him to take his seat. She then turned her head just a tad bit toward Ko Yoon over her shoulder, who bowed and accepted his cup from her and then went and stood by the side. Minjae settled comfortably on knees folded sideways, resting on the floor, angling her injured ankle away from the pressure of her body, with the third cup in front of her.

Both Ko Yoon and Minjae waited.

An unexpected admiration lit Seung's eyes. Minjae was dealing with two Yangban men senior to her in both class and rank, yet the confidence with which she dictated them around without appearing to step out of line, all while maintaining respect for their station, was stunning.

Kim Minjae was a class act.

Hiding a smile, he took his seat. Yoon sat down behind Minjae. Kim Minjae bowed and waited until Seung lifted his tea before reaching for her cup.

Ko Yoon opened his mouth to say something and then changed his mind, looking down into his tiny cup with an uncertain expression.

For the next few minutes, they sipped their tea in silence.

"Temples. We have temples and monks around the country who help us rescue and place these girls. And our network depends on their generous participation for the most part," Minjae broke the silence.

"So I presume the 'targets' you secured in Tosan are two rescued girls? The younger one will be shifted to Cheongju, and the older one will be brought here?"

Minjae nodded.

Ko Yoon fidgeted again.

"And there are already quite a few inhabiting the island, judging by soldier Ko's worry that there is 'no more' space for them? Why is she not being taken to the temple then?"

Ko Yoon shifted in his seat restlessly.

"Is something wrong, Soldier Ko?" Seung asked, not attempting to hide his irritation.

Ko Yoon rose, placed his empty cup on the tray, and bowed deeply.

"Commander Lee Sir, please forgive my impertinence, but I must report to the morning marching band soon. Can I....am I... allowed to leave?"

Lee Seung studied the young man thoughtfully. They both had whetted the appetite of his curiosity, and he was just getting started, but he knew he would not be making any arrests and keeping Ko Yoon captive did not serve any purpose and would only raise more questions if he did not report to duty.

It also gave him opportunities to spend time with Minjae.

"I will let you go for now, but you are not off the hook. You will report to me every evening and every morning until I decide what to do next."

Ko Yoon nodded, his face relaxing in relief.

Reading her intent correctly, before Minjae could jump onto the bandwagon and excuse herself, Seung quickly added, "Physician Kim, I am not done with the questions yet, so you will stay."

A fleeting look of dismay crossed her exquisite features before she schooled it. But he could see the faint whiteness around her knuckles.

"Noonim -?" Ko Yoon let his concern hang. Kim Minjae nodded to him silently.

Ko Yoon hastened to his exit and closed the door softly behind him.

She was nervous about being alone with him, Seung thought with a pang and decided he would be at his formal best to make her feel at ease.

"So, as I was asking, why are you not sending this other girl to the temple?" He kept his voice brisk and businesslike.

Minjae took her time keeping the cup back on the table. Subconsciously, his gaze drew to her graceful fingers before he caught himself and forced his eyes to level at her face, or rather, her bowed head.

Minjae looked down; her lips compressed. No matter how hard she tried to control it, her heart rocked painfully in his presence. She did not want to be here, alone with Lee Seung. He upset the tranquil waves of her routine life. Her safe life.

Her lonely life.

"The younger one will stay in a temple until she is old enough to ascertain if she could qualify for a place in the royal court as a court lady. However, it's difficult for older girls and women to find new identities and safe places."

She recalled how much suspicion and backlash Nam Dami faced when she first arrived almost four years ago.

Nam Dami. She had been the first one Minjae had opened her home and heart to. "Older women have fewer choices than the younger ones. And many of them are inherently mistrustful of men. Some men would be happy to accept a wife regardless of their circumstances, but I, too, worry the women might find themselves in the same quandary they escaped from in the first place."

A strange knot of disquiet gripped Seung's insides as he looked at her, his expression serious. "Not all men are the same, Kim Minjae."

The chamber was suddenly hot, too small for the two of them. She could feel the tremor in her hands, but she forced them to be steady while keeping the tiny cup on its tiny plate. She was infinitely glad he could not hear the galloping of her heart.

She raised her incredible eyes to his face. "I know, Dari. I have met more honourable men than I can count, and they have far outnumbered the bad ones." She took a deep breath, a gentle crease interrupting the smooth flow of the space between her curved eyebrows. "But the damage those few bad ones do ruins not just the women but many good men, too."

Seung acknowledged it with a nod, wondering if she saw him as one of the honourable men. He could not bear it if she considered him a 'bad one', especially after what he had learned yesterday. A sudden vision of that strange, unpleasant look she had given him in the evening at the inn intruded on his overwrought mind.

Shaking off the morose thoughts plaguing him, he changed the topic. "What did you mean when you said they were 'eliminated?"

Her large eyes grew larger for a second before they turned downwards.

"They were declared dead," she answered truthfully.

"So they would not be hunted or tracked?" He asked the obvious.

"A lot of effort goes in so they cannot be tracked, Dari," Minjae said.

"You find them new identities," he stated perceptively, looking at Minjae.

Her head moved ever so slightly as she concurred.

"How do you procure those identities?"

"Neither Yoonah nor I know how it is done." Minjae was nothing if not efficient with her words.

Seung knew it wasn't the truth but didn't pursue it. Compressing his lips, he thought back to thousands of people who were abused every day without anyone knowing their plight or ever coming to their rescue. Many died, their bodies unclaimed. It was not difficult for him to follow the logic of the operation.

"Let me guess. This is where this becomes illegal?"

"I cannot answer that, Dari."

Seung kept himself from rolling his eyes. Minjae wanted to save the branches after the tree had fallen.

"Who are the captain and the monk?"

The tea in her cup seemed to arrest Minjae's interest infinitely. With her head bowed, she was a picture of elegance from the shape of her forehead to the linear curve of her shoulders to the fluid movements of her hands flowing into those graceful fingers...a far-off memory suddenly jogged his brain....a garish headdress, the painted face, the bowed head, graceful hands...Seung felt disconcerted at the sudden, uninvited, unwelcome image.

"Don't do that!"

Minjae eyes snapped up to meet his in surprise at his harsh tone. "Don't do what, Dari?"

Seung felt bewildered by his own vehemence. What just happened? Embarrassed, he tried to dissemble his gaffe away.

"I mean, don't try to hide anything. I want to know who else on this island is involved. Any operation supported by illegal money can turn dangerous, not just for you but for others on the island as well. Moreover, don't forget you are still under investigation."

"I have nothing more to tell.

"Look, I can launch an investigation and unearth everything within the week."

"But you won't," Minjae said softly, with what felt like a faint smile underlining her voice.

Seung narrowed his eyes. She was getting under his skin and into a few more uncomfortable places she had no right to venture.

"What makes you so sure?" he asked.

She raised her eyes over the rim of her cup, meeting his challenging gaze with her deliberative one, her eyes softened in an unmistakable smile.

They were locked in a strangely seductive duel of wits that went beyond his queries and her responses.

Just as his heart was madly warring with his mind and winning. His pulse raced.

A knock interrupted their silent exchange.

"What is it?"

His faithful servant Se-Dong's voice rang.

"Dari, Officer Wang Jung is here. Should I send him in?"

An involuntary gasp left Seung. He all but jumped from his seat on the floor, the soft mattress indenting under his weight, a look of pure dismay flooding his face.

"No, I am busy. Ask him to wait." Seung looked down at Minjae. "It is best if he does not see you here," he whispered.

Kim Minjae blinked at his reaction. Furrows of perplexion spread on her forehead.

'Is something wrong, Dari?" She wasn't sure why they were whispering, but she followed suit.

Flustered, Seung looked at her.

"He - you - it will be hard to explain your presence."

"I am a Physician; I often visit people at home."

"Tch! We have garrison physician -"

"I am licensed to treat soldiers."

"Can you please stop arguing? He can't see you here." Frustrated, he went around the desk. His ears were crimson.

A look of understanding dawned on her face. A mischievous look transformed her features, making her captivating eyes sparkle. "Is he going to tease you because you are seeing a physician first thing in the morning, perhaps?" She whispered cheekily.

His eyes widened, a telltale flush spreading across his face. "It's nothing like that!" He whispered back fiercely.

If only she knew!

He frowned at her. "Want to give him an update on what we discussed?"

Seung swore he saw her smile but didn't have time to ponder.

"What do you need me to do?" she whispered in a serious tone.

"Can you please stand behind the byeoldang?"

Minjae looked at the impressive folding screen framing the elongated side of the mattress by the wall, painted with sweeping green, blue and pink orchids. Seung went and folded the edge of the screen.

"Can I come in, Commander Lee?" Wang Jung's cheerful voice drifted in.

"No, wait! Give me a minute," Seung gave Minjae a pleading look.

Sighing, she looked back at the chair, the stool and her medicine bag resting against the back of the chair.

Biting back a curse, Seung ran. Within seconds, he moved the offending pieces of furniture to the side of the room, picked up her bag and came back to extend his hand, motioning her to hold it so she could have the support to get up.

Minjae bit her lip. Seung sent her a peculiar glance that was part pleading and part threatening, holding his hand out to her in urgency.

Giving up, Minjae caught hold of the large bell sleeve and rose. But the fabric started to slip from her hand. Losing patience, Seung grabbed her extended arm and pulled her up, holding her with a "Forgive me, I mean no disrespect" as she hobbled the distance to the screen before stepping behind it. Giving her an apologetic look, he handed her the backpack. He turned, and something caught his sleeve at his upper arm.

He turned to see Minjae tugging at him, her eyes warm brown with laughter, gesturing at something behind him.

The three teacups on the table!

"Aish!" Seung swooped down and, picking up the two extra used cups, pushed them under the table on the mattress side just as Minjae pulled the screen door close.

Giving a once over to the room, he took a deep, calming breath and bellowed, "Come in."

Wang Jung sauntered in as if he owned the place, his slight belly preceding him.

Seung gave a loud yawn. "What brings you so early, Wang?"

Wang Jung presented a flourishing bow. "Good Morning to you too, Sir."

"I am still trying to wake up," Seung complained.

"That is what happens when you skip sleeping at night, Sir. We have a meeting at the Governor's office, and you still need to tell me what took you away from us yesterday."

"That is not for another two hours, and there is nothing to tell. It was a false call," Seung snapped, trying to think of ways to send Wang Jung on his way.

"In other words, you don't want to tell me," he gave a long, suffering sigh. "Anyway, we have to stop by the garrison field to test the kite-flying skills of our soldiers."

Seung groaned. He had completely forgotten about that. The soldiers had a bad start in the competition the previous day and were now taking it very seriously.

"Don't tell me you forgot that! Where is your attention, Sir? I have never seen you this distracted." Although much lower in rank, Wang Jung didn't hesitate to rebuke Seung if the need arose.

"I told you, I am still sleepy," Seung fibbed.

"Why did you not go to Kisaeng Han So Ye earlier in the evening when I told you? Trying to con us, acting like you didn't want to go."

Seung's stomach plummeted.

"Aish! You almost had us fooled with the looks you gave Kim Minjae."

Seung's heart hammered in alarm, acutely aware of the keen pair of ears behind the byeoldang. "What are you talking about? Don't you have to get the papers in order or something before the meeting with the Governor?"

"You have the papers. Distracted, are we? I knew Kisaeng Han had you reeled in the night before," Wang Jung laughed fiendishly as he nonchalantly angled over and poured a cup of tea for himself in the one unused cup still sitting on the table.

Seung's ears rang in embarrassment and worry. Giving a panicked look towards the screen, he moved closer to Wang Jung intimidatingly and tried to stare him down to shut him up. Unfortunately, these topics were always idle chatter between men, a release for stress, a reason to slap each other's back when comparing notes, and, in short, no reason why Wang Jung would stop.

"Seeing that you could not keep away, Kiseang Han must be terrific. Mmnn, this tea is good," Wang Jung slurped offensively.

Acutely aware of Minjae listening to every word, Seung felt himself go hot and cold. He wanted to sink into the ground, disappear, never to reappear again. And he desperately wanted to stitch Wang Jung's mouth, or better still, throttle him.

"Wang Jung?"

"Yes, Dari?"

"Shut up."

"Did I say anything wrong? You are not the kind to listen to poetry or music. Not you, never you. Always liked a good romp. Is she as creative in bed as rumoured? Must be, if she didn't let you sleep," Wang Jung chortled. "No wonder you are distracted. Does she not remind you of that lass in Ula in the north -"

Seung's ears bled in mortification as waves of despair sliced through his body. He seized an arm of his hapless horseman and hauled the protesting man, who hung onto his cup of tea like a sailor on a tattered mast, towards the door. Pushing him out unceremoniously, Seung barked, "I am not ready yet. I will meet you at the garrison field."

"You look just fine -" Seung slammed the door shut in Wang Jung's face, cutting him off. He barely held himself from doing bodily harm to the dratted loudmouth.

Seung slumped against the wall, his hand covering his eyes. Kim Minjae had heard every damned word.

What must she think of him!

He listened for the footsteps that would confirm Wang Jung had left. He did not put it past the man to loiter around still. A few minutes later, Seung cracked the door and whispered to his servant to ensure Wang Jung had made the exit. Thankfully, the servant quickly confirmed he had.

He should have changed the topic. He should have clamped Wang's mouth with his hand. He should have done sometihing!

Seung stared gloomily at the byeoldang, dreading opening it.

Minjae solved the problem for him. The last panel of the screen folded, and Minjae stepped out. He dared a glance at her.

Her face was white, with two crimson patches glowing like coins on her cheeks.

"Physician Kim..." Words stuck in his throat. He cleared it, but it sounded like he was being choked.

Minjae didn't look at him. She gently treaded the bed and stepped off it, her limp barely noticeable. She slung the bag, the straps neatly placed over each shoulder, their ends attached to the backpack centred on her slim back, disappearing between her elbow and waist.

Seung tried again. "I apologise. That conversation was not meant for gentle ears. I am sorry if it caused you discomfort."

Minjae gave him a curt nod, her expression neutral, only the redness in her cheeks indicative of how uncomfortable it had made her.

And the stony silence more than conveyed how awful her thoughts were about him. Gone were her gentle demeanour and the laughing eyes. She must think of him as a deviant, a fiend, a debauchee. All of a sudden, it became crucial to him that she didn't misinterpret the intentions of his visit to the Kisaeng house.

"Physician Kim, it's not what you think. It's...it's not why I went to Kisaeng Han last night. My friend misunderstood the purpose of my visit -"

"Why are you telling me, Dari?" She finally raised her eyes to look at him. They reminded him of the icy peaks of the glaciers blanketing the barren mountains of the north.

Indeed. Why was he explaining himself to her? Unable to give one good reason, he looked away.

"You do not need to explain. Neither you are my patient nor a relative or a friend. You are a stranger, and your actions are none of my business, Dari. I will take your leave now." The curt tone ended their meeting without ceremony.

Her cold words cut to the quick. Seung had never felt this delinquent ever before. Seung wasn't sure who the accuser or accused was anymore. But he did know he could not let her go! Not yet.

"I-er - we are not done with the questioning yet," he tried to make his voice authoritative, but to his utter mortification, it came out strangled.

"I have told you everything I could. There is nothing more that I can add to it." She was holding the straps of her backpack in a punishing grip.

"Who are the Catpain and the Monk?" Seung was glad that this time, he managed a much firmer tone.

Colour rushed to her face, and her magnificent eyes blazed. "Arrest me."