Last Stop: Pyongyang

A cruel discovery

A slim, middle-aged brunette with a chalk-white face stood on a clearing in front of a huge pile of wood, trying to pull her dog away from something unrecognizable.

She tugged forcefully on the leash, while shouting in a shrill voice. Daniel and Yu-ja couldn’t help but give in to their curiosity. They stepped forward to take a look at the scary thing - and recoiled in horror. Yu-ja vomitted. There was a corpse laying behind the stacked logs!

Although she had only seen the dead body for a few seconds, Yu-ja's stomach cramped. The unnaturally distorted expression on the woman‘s face, the wide-open eyes, her skin color reminiscent of a vampire‘s, the strange spots on her face... this was too much for Yu-ja.

Daniel handed her a handkerchief and gently pulled her away from the spot. He quickly took his phone out of his pocket and called the emergency services while holding Yu-ja in his arms. After giving all the important information, he tried his best to calm down both Yu-ja and the trembling woman. Meanwhile, the latter had sat down on a tree stump and scooped her dog, a Golden Retriever, in her arms. She didn't even notice that he was drooling on her light brown quilted coat. The woman was visibly upset and put her cheek against his fur.

"The police will be here soon. It will only take a few minutes," Daniel told the upset woman in a consoling voice.

This area was located near the motorway, a fact that would hopefully speed up the arrival of the emergency services. Daniel felt a little uneasy. Dissecting corpses at university was one thing, but stumbling over a dead body in a forest... The obvious signs of animal predation made Daniel shudder. He tried to distract himself with rational thoughts. Cold temperatures slowed decomposition; he already knew about that. How long had the woman been out here?

When the police arrived, the existing evidence was secured and the witnesses were questioned. The officers took the personal details of everyone present. Daniel and Yu-ja were still shaken to the core. They overheard a remark about the dead woman being young, and having been in the forest for quite a while. "She must have been dropped off weeks ago," a police officer informed his colleague.

After what felt like ages, Daniel and Yu-ja were allowed to leave. Thick clouds had gathered in the sky, and it quickly became dark. Yu-ja was shaking badly. "I'm so cold," she murmured.

Daniel put his arms around her and gently turned her around, so that she had to look at him. "What should we do? Would you like a drink at my place? My parents are out with Viola and Philip. Or should I take you home?"

Yu-ja didn't have to think for long. She didn't want the day with Daniel to be over, even though their first date had ended in horror. "Let's go to your place." Hand in hand, they walked to the car and got in. Daniel drove off immediately and took the country road to Waldheide.

At home, the very first thing Daniel did was make Yu-ja a large cup of hot chocolate. His girlfriend watched him from the big grey sofa in the living room. An open kitchen like the Nguyens‘ had its upsides. Yu-ja couldn’t take her eyes off Daniel. Even though she felt awfully confused, she noticed how well that red sweater fit him!

Her telephone rang. "Oh, crap! That's my mom," she blurted out. Min-jus number had appeared on the screen. Yu-ja answered the call right away. She knew that she was long overdue. "Hello, Mom."

"Where are you? We're worried! Come home." Yu-ja paused and took a deep breath. She told her mother what had happened and heard a clattering noise on the other end of the line. Apparently, Min-ju had dropped something in shock.

Without a word, Min-ju handed the cell phone to Tak, who had been listening. "Where are you?" he asked his sister. "With Daniel. He was looking after me."

"Why were you in the forest anyway?" Tak interjected. "Didn't you want to go shopping?" Yu-ja bit her lower lip. "Uh... we've... changed our plans." Hopefully, her brother was happy with this excuse!

He wasn't. "We'll talk about that later. I'm coming." Yu-ja hung up, groaning in annoyance.

"Tak is on his way," she said tonelessly. "He must be really worried about you. If my sister had experienced something like that, I would come to pick her up immediately, too," replied Daniel, who had just left the kitchen. He put the cup of hot chocolate on the table in front of Yu-ja and scooped her in his arms. Yu-ja took a few sips from it and snuggled up to him. What a shame that her brother would be here any minute!

"Can we keep it to ourselves for a while? That we're together?" Yu-ja asked quietly and looked up. Daniel didn't let his disappointment show. "If that's what you want."

They snuggled up together in the sofa cushions until the Chos arrived. All three were here! Min-ju immediately ran to her daughter and hugged her. "My poor girl," she murmured over and over. "Thank you for taking care of Yu-ja," Sang-wan said to Daniel. "That's terrible. We've never experienced anything like this before."

"Neither have we, and my family has been living in the municipality for over twenty years. I still can't quite believe it. I thought my nerves were stronger than that, but today‘s experience really drained me. A corpse in a forest!" Tak patted his friend’s shoulder sympathetically.

The news of the dead woman in the forest spread like wildfire. The woman had clearly died as a result of massive violence. The identification was also quick - it was Carola Braun, Yu-ja's missing classmate.

***

"How could I miss this? She was my friend for years, and I don't recognize her when she's dead, lying right in front of me!" Yu-ja exclaimed angrily. Daniel calmed his girlfriend down. They were sitting in his favorite café, which was highly popular among young people because of its delicious food, great service and comfortable interior in warm colors. They wouldn't be going for another walk any time soon...

"You only saw her for a few seconds. The sight made you feel sick, which is completely normal. After all, you're not used to witnessing anything like this. And she had been lying outside for a while. The human body changes after death." Daniel gave a few examples and looked at Yu-ja questioningly. Had he gone too far?

His concern was unfounded. Yu-ja shot him a grateful glance. "Thank you. You really are my salvation." A tender smile flashed across Daniel's face. Immediately, he became serious again. "Does your family know about us by now?" Yu-ja lowered her gaze. That was enough of an answer.

"I'm not sure how to tell them. Not because of you... but they'll be so mad at me." Daniel sighed. The Chos were definitely a lot more old-fashioned than his family. But then, they hadn't been in the country that long. They were probably still following Korean values, whatever that meant.

Daniel leaned back and looked out of the window. He watched the snowflakes falling to the ground. Everyone knew that the Nguyens' and the Chos' children were close friends. As long as he and Yu-ja didn't kiss or hold hands in public, no one would suspect anything. Nevertheless, this game of hide-and-seek was already tedious.

"Okay. But we can't keep our relationship a secret forever. At some point, we'll have to tell them, and they‘ll better hear it from us." Yu-ja just nodded.

After leaving the cozy café, they turned straight onto the forest path. Daniel insisted on taking Yu-ja home. As soon as they had disappeared around the bend, he pulled her towards himself and kissed her. Yu-ja ran her fingers through his black hair, which was constantly catching new snowflakes, and pressed herself against him. The two were so engrossed that they didn't notice Tak approaching.

Tak narrowed his eyes. What the hell? Was he hallucinating? He came closer and gasped in disgust. Daniel and Yu-ja were kissing!

He took a few more steps and was now standing right in front of the couple, who were still kissing each other passionately. When they continued to fail noticing him, Tak lost his patience. "When were you going to tell me?" he asked sharply. Yu-ja and Daniel, who had only just noticed Tak's presence, jumped apart in shock.

"You're my best friend. I entrusted you with my sister. And you're taking advantage of the situation so shamelessly???" Tak burst out. He was extremely upset and gave Daniel a withering look.

"Please, Tak. Let me explain! I'm in love with Yu-ja. We just haven't told you yet!" Daniel stammered pleadingly. "You've got to be joking!" Tak snapped at his best friend. "If you had honest intentions, you would have come out with the truth right away! Why the secrecy?" Daniel lowered his head.

Yu-ja intervened when she had found her voice again. Quickly, she placed her hand on her brother's upper arm and looked at him intently. "I wanted Daniel to keep our relationship a secret. You know dad and mom. First you finish school, then you can get yourself a boyfriend, as they keep telling me. I just wanted to save myself the trouble, because so much bad is happening anyway!"

Tak sighed. Yu-ja wasn't entirely wrong. His anger evaporated as quickly as it had come. He looked at the couple with caution. "Then why didn't you tell me, at least?" he asked suspiciously.

Daniel looked Tak straight in the eye. "I'm sorry. We should have told you, but at that moment I just feared for you to get into an inner conflict with yourself. How you fought with yourself when we skipped school that afternoon! Your conscience was almost killing you!" Daniel looked away and stared at the mossy forest floor, which was not yet completely covered in snow.

Yu-ja, who had been listening in silence, looked at Tak with big eyes. How interesting! "What, you skipped school?" She grinned at her brother. "I would never have expected anything like this!"

"That's not important," Tak tried to fend her off, but his sister insisted. She playfully punched him in the side. "Oh yes, it is! My super-perfect brother skipped school! Tak, who never does anything wrong! Good thing Mom and Dad have no idea!" she laughed.

Tak snorted and ruffled his hair. Blushing and embarrassed, he pulled his collar even higher and tugged at his scarf. He shot Daniel an angry glance. "Well, thank you very much for exposing me. And now - take Yu-ja home. I still have a few things to do."

Yu-ja smiled gratefully at her brother. Daniel also felt relieved. He was really glad that at least to Tak, he didn't have to pretend anymore, although an unpleasant conversation would probably follow because he hadn't told him sooner. He put his arm around Yu-ja and set off with her to Grünau.