Last Stop: Pyongyang

Rude awakening

Walter and Sabine Traunberger were more than surprised that their daughter's dress had turned up in the forest. So far, they had assumed that she had taken it with her to Guatemala. Apart from the occasional text message, Amelie had not contacted her family ever since her departure - she had not called home once, which was odd, but the network seemed to be particularly prone to disruption in the area where Amelie was staying.

Tak let his gaze wander around the living room. With the dark wood paneling, it looked small and cramped. He liked his parents‘ style, who preferred large, bright rooms and warm light, much more.

The whole issue seemed rather weird to him. In this day and age, communication was possible almost everywhere! Even in North Korea, people were able to call those living abroad, if they really wanted to. Those who had enough money got themselves a cell phone with a Chinese SIM card and traveled to the Northern border, where they were able to access the Chinese mobile network.

Relatives in Japan, China or South Korea could be contacted that way. The fact that Amelie couldn't find a way to get in touch with her family made Tak feel extremely suspicious.

On the surface, the Traunbergers appeared to be sympathetic and caring. However, Tak didn't buy what Amelie's parents - an architect and an artist - were saying. Soon, he got a bad feeling that their display of kindness was just an act.

Amelie's younger sister Monika had been openly in love with Tak for some time and was constantly waylaying him. Even Daniel's permanent grin and her parents' admonitions couldn't stop her. In stark contrast to her parents, Monika seemed friendly and sincere. She was very nice, but at fifteen she was much too young for him, Tak thought.

***

A week later, Yu-ja came home from school, upset. Carola had disappeared! In the last few months, the girls had grown apart because Carola had turned into an increasingly unreliable and selfish person. She seemed absent-minded and picked up a different guy every weekend. She no longer kept appointments with Yu-ja; she either showed up late or not at all. When Yu-ja asked questions, Carola reacted indifferently or brusquely.

Her parents probably didn't notice, or they didn't care. The Chos were relieved that Yu-ja's friendship with Carola was gradually fading away. They didn't want any kind of bad influence for their daughter. The girls were in the same class, but that was about all they still had in common.

As Carola's former best friend, Yu-ja was questioned by the police. The investigators hoped to get some important information from her. However, Yu-ja couldn't tell them much about Carola's current relationships. Lately, she had often appeared at 3Nights in the company of men that Yu-ja and her classmates did not know. Yu-ja told the police that these guys did not exactly inspire confidence in her. They seemed rather creepy, so she stayed away from them.

Now, Yu-ja went out with Daniel more often. When Tak was busy, Daniel took her to the disco on Friday nights and dropped her off at home afterwards. Yu-ja was very happy about this. Not only because she had felt uncomfortable walking through the forest at night ever since the attack.

She liked Daniel. His smile was attractive and his caring nature made her feel completely safe. If only he would make the first move! She racked her brains about how to encourage him to do so.

But today, her thoughts were elsewhere. Carola’s disappearance simply didn't make sense. She wouldn't be running off just like that. On the other hand, her friend had changed so much in just a few months that it was hard to digest. Yu-ja had barely recognized Carola anymore. She didn't know what to believe.

None of Carola's belongings were missing, as her parents stated. They couldn't explain where their daughter went and felt extremely worried. They had had lots of arguments with Carola lately, but she had never stayed away for several days!

Tak didn't find the whole thing surprising. As erratic as Carola had become over the last few months... at least she hadn't dragged Yu-ja into her problems. Carola would show up again. At the latest when she ran out of money... or had something bad happened to her? A small voice in his head told Tak that this couldn't be ruled out entirely.

Amelie's parents hadn't heard from their daughter either, as Monika told Tak when she met him at the supermarket. They were now seriously worried because they had received a strangely detached response to their text message that her dress had been found in the forest - as if the sender didn't even know what they were talking about. The family was now trying to track Amelie down through the aid organization she had gone abroad with. Someone had to know about her whereabouts!

"You were there. Did you see someone? Or something?” Monika asked pleadingly, nervously tugging at her red-blonde curls. Unfortunately, Tak couldn’t help her.

Tak was starting to feel uneasy. Two women had gone missing in such a short period of time?

Tak found it rather late, especially in Amelie’s case, that her parents started to worry. Their daughter had already left in June! Under no circumstances would the Chos wait months before looking for their children if they failed to get in touch.

However, Amelie’s parents had a childishly naive world view that repelled the Chos and often made even the Nguyens shake their heads in disbelief – for example, the Traunbergers believed that every criminal was basically a good person and that every problem could be solved through conversation. Many people in town laughed at the two of them behind their backs. And yet, hardly anyone confronted the couple directly, as they immediately felt insulted and threatened legal action.

In the evening, Tak spoke to his parents about Amelie and Carola's disappearance. This strange accumulation of missing persons cases bothered him more than he was willing to admit. Sang-wan found the whole thing suspicious, too. "In North Korea, I would have said they were taken to a labor camp, but no such thing exists here. There must be other reasons. Let's hope that no one else gets missing."

Min-ju, who knew Amelie from the sports club, was just as worried. Such a nice, helpful girl! She could hardly sleep the following night. She tossed and turned restlessly in bed.

What if Yu-ja was next? It was easy to disappear unnoticed on the path through the forest... This shortcut worried Min-ju enormously. Using it saved too much time.

Min-ju decided to rely on Tak even more from now on, to drive Yu-ja to her appointments. Or Daniel. He was Tak's best friend and highly reliable. They would surely find ways to keep Yu-ja safe.

Bavarian-Thuringian borderland. Five weeks later.

The forest was almost bare and the last leaves were falling to the ground. The temperatures had also dropped significantly. Winter was just around the corner.

Daniel, who felt more and more attracted to Yu-ja, had gathered up all his courage and invited her for an autumn walk. His heart leapt with joy when she agreed. Today, on a Saturday afternoon, the time had finally come!

He had been excited all day. Great that the weather was playing along!

Daniel had been with a classmate for a year, but hadn't had a girlfriend since. He styled his hair with plenty of gel and put on a pair of tight jeans, his new sweater in a bright red and the light blue anorak that he had bought with his savings at the beginning of October. One last look into the mirror, and Daniel set off.

He picked up Yu-ja from home in his mother's Seat as agreed. Her parents and Tak thought nothing of it when she mentioned that Daniel was taking her shopping. She would tell them later, if anything became of it.

Yu-ja had also dressed up. She was wearing black skinny jeans, a dark green cashmere sweater and her knee-length wine-red wool coat. She also had her white cozy hat on. She waved to Daniel and got into the car with him.

It was a cold, sunny day and the colorful leaves rustled under their feet. A beautiful turquoise sky stretched out above the almost bare trees.

Time flew by. They had been walking in the forest for almost three hours! The two of them had just observed a few deer from a distance and were now walking along a trail when Yu-ja almost slipped on the hilly terrain. Luckily, Daniel held her with a gentle grip. She looked deep into his eyes. She liked everything about him. His looks. His smell. The way he held her.

Seconds passed. Why couldn't this moment last forever? Daniel threw all his reservations aside and kissed Yu-ja. She immediately returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around him.

Their idyll was abruptly interrupted. "Luca! Luca, out! Ugh!" shouted a woman. Daniel and Yu-ja laughed. Apparently, some dog was not as obedient as his mistress would have liked.

Relieved that the first step had been taken, Yu-ja took Daniel's hand and led him back to the main path. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. For weeks he had doubted whether it was a good idea to reveal his feelings to Yu-ja. It would take him many years to finish his studies. In the meantime, he had little to offer to her. And Tak was his best friend! How would he react if he found out that Daniel was hitting on his younger sister?

Nevertheless, Daniel felt overjoyed. Yu-ja shot him another quick kiss. "We have to do that more often," she whispered to him. "Always," Daniel replied and kissed her again.

A big smile appeared on Yu-ja’s face. "I was actually talking about our walk. But we can combine the two."

A shrill scream rang out from nearby. Almost simultaneously, a dog barked. Daniel and Yu-ja looked at each other questioningly and walked hand in hand into the direction the scream had come from.