Corrupt Destruction

Discovery

(Angel Hunt's POV)

A man delivered the orders moments before class started; I was the first to see him walking toward our school- Apgujeong High. As he came near, I wondered why he showed up; he didn't have any kids. If I was a boy, I could kick him hard like Dad would.

I’d seen him before. Last fall, he showed up to deliver orders for a few students in another class. They reported them to work in a steel mill somewhere. The next morning, the sun had not yet climbed over the buildings and the morning air was cold when the students said goodbye to me, my older sister Lizzie, and our teacher. I think she cried a little at that time.

I loved those kids. They made me and Lizzie feel welcomed when we came to Seoul to study. I never saw them again after that.

As the man came near, I quickly closed my book to greet him. He stopped at our classroom and pulled ut yellow envelopes from his bag, one for each student.

The man called out. “안녕하세요! 나는 군 사령부에서 명령을 받았습니다 (Hello! I have orders from the military command.)”

I slid open the door and folded my arms across my chest. “"여기에서 당신을 제공합니다? (What brings you here?)”

The man eyed me. “당신과 당신의 여동생, 반 친구의 절반에 대한 명령이 있습니다. (There are orders for you, your sister, and half of your classmates.)” He held out the envelopes.

“그것들을 버려야 합니다. 시간 낭비입니다. (You should throw them out. It’s a waste of time.)” I said, not moving an inch.

The man grinned and leaned against the wall. “당신은 학생. 우리의 명령을 따르지 않으면 결과가 있을 것입니다. (You are a student. If you don’t follow our orders, there will be consequences.)”

“괜찮아 (Okay),” I said. "무엇에 대한 명령입니까? (What are the orders about?)"

He straightened and lifted his chin high. “당신의 교장은 당신 모두에게 높은 기대치를 가지고 있습니다 (Your principal has high expectatons for all of you),” he said, holding out the envelope. “이 명령은 당신이 그에게 보답하는 데 도움이 될 것입니다. (These orders will help you repay him).” With a small bow, I took the orders.

I didn't understand letters well in Korean, so I'll go to a family acquaitance later to translate.

The man looked at me in a way that made me glad I hadn’t told him about the language barrier. “스스로를 잘 돌봐야 합니다. 다가올 것으로부터 도망치는 일은 없습니다. (You had better take care of yourselves. There’s no running away from what’s coming.)” he said. Giving a quick nod, he went to another classroom.

Everyone showed up to class and took their orders from the teachers desk. I kept mine in my bag for later.

The popular and bully girl, So-yi Cho, asked arrogantly. “신문은 무엇을 말합니까? (What do the papers say?)”

Jong-Yul Ru, one of the responsible kids said. “잘은 모르지만 가방에 넣어두세요. 점심시간에 열어보겠습니다. 이제 자리로 돌아가십시오. (I don't know, but keep them in your bag. We'll open them during lunch. Now go back to your seats.)”

He sounded like a teacher at times, and a few of us didn’t like being told what to do. So we took our seats and waited for class to begin. As I focused on a subject, I worried about the orders tucked away in my bag. They might be work orders during the winter.

When me and my older sister, Lizzie, came to Korea, someone had told us students were taken to fight an unknown force. Our parents insisted we'd stay together, but my sis keeps going with her Korean friends late at night and spending money. Our foster family scolded her multiple times to the point of calling our parents.

By the time school ended, I had already started walking to the acquatance while Lizzie went with the students to Hagawon. The air was crisp as I knocked on the door. Ae-ri, a wise elder who knows what's best.

She has connections with my relatives on social media on rare days, usualy for them to check on me and Lizzie. Her house was small, but we manage to eat nappa cabbage and a handful of rice for our evening meal. The house was an average modern apartment.

She was very smart—too smart to work in a fabric store. Her house had many books that she and her late husband were very proud of. They had books in Korean, English, and a few in Hangul -even though I had truble reading them. The couple also owned Disney films in other languages to learn what the actors say. It was wonderful. After a long day of school, I would watch a Kdrama film until I was tired.

However, today was different then my other visits; The orders sent out to us made me terrified. Parents insisted that all of us should go to an unknown location, not knowing if the kids return home or not. Mine, on the other hand, were smarter than most adults. They know what's right and wrong, healthy, and about social media.

“Unnie.” I bowed. “A man came to school with orders for me, Lizzie, and the students.”

“Orders?” Ae-ri said. “What do they say?”

“I didn't look at it at school,” I said. “Since my parents aren't here, I figured we can read it and call them about it.”

I reached inside my bag, pulled out the yellow envelope, and handed it to Ae-ri. She read the orders to herself, and her shoulders sagged.

Ae-ri gave the orders to me. “Here,” she said, “you read Korean, too. Make sure we understand them correctly.”

They signed the orders with the same official who had signed In-su’s orders a year earlier. As I read them, I said aloud, “I am to report to the dock tonight where I'll get sent to work as a Feild Historian. I’ll live in a dormitory. They’ll subtract rent, the cost of the meals from our wages, and anything left over will go to my family's landlord.”

Ae-ri looks in shock and I just looked down in confusion.

“There’s no way I’m going. Lizzie and I are international students.” I put the paper on the table. "Besides, If Lizzie got one, she should've told me her orders before going to Hagawon!"

Instantly, she got up and called my sister. "리지 헌트! 명령을 따르지 마십시오! 당장 내 집으로 와! (Lizzie Hunt! Don't follow the orders! Come to my house immediately!)"

No answer except Lizzie's voicemail. I panicked, Taking a photo of the orders and sending them to my parents.

Ae-ri stared at the order on the table. “You must go after her,” she said, shaking her head. “Stop her from making a big mistake. I'll handle your parents.”

She folded the order into the envelope and gave it to me. “Head out to the location as soon as you can,” she said, gently. "Tonight, I'll pray to our ancestors for protection."

I hug her for what it seems like eternity before grabbing my stuff and running out the door.