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.Regular American passports are strictly prohibited.Dad pats my shoulder.“I’m proud of you for taking on this project.It will help so many people.”I nod, not ready to look him in the face.I can’t tell him the truth, or he’d flip out.He was against everything with Haemosu.I can’t blame him, because for so long, he had accused Haraboji of inventing Haemosu’s existence as an explanation for my other aunt’s disappearance.But if I hadn’t listened to Grandfather and Komo, I know I would’ve been one of the kidnapped souls myself.Grandfather comes up to our group and waves us together.A man trails behind him, lugging a compact suitcase and wearing khaki pants and a dark-brown shirt.A crisp white name tag is stitched into his navy-colored Windbreaker.Park Chu-won is written in Korean across it.His dark hair is neatly combed to the side, and there’s an easy, carefree grin stretched over his face.From the man’s slight build and relaxed shoulders, I’d bet he’s never been trapped in a room with mythical creatures before.I rub my wrist, hoping Grandfather knows what he’s doing by bringing a clueless tour guide with us.Or maybe I’m completely paranoid and this trip will be smooth as a bamboo shoot.Marc, Michelle, Kang-dae, and I move toward him while Marc’s parents and my dad crowd around us.Michelle’s mom is pacing by the line of plastic seats, yelling at someone in Japanese, then switching to Korean and then back again.“Your mom okay?” I ask Michelle.“I don’t want to get into it.” Michelle crosses her arms and looks away with a shake of her head.The only person who doesn’t have family here is Kang-dae.“Welcome,” Grandfather says.“This is our guide, Chu-won.He’ll review the procedures with you one final time before we leave.”“I am very excited to be your guide this weekend,” Chu-won says, grinning and making the wrinkles edging out from his smiling eyes even more pronounced.“I will be traveling with you to the clinic and escorting you to the presentation ceremony.I also serve as the clinic’s mechanic and fix their equipment when I make my yearly visit.They will be pleased to see me twice this year.Now if you’ll bear with me as I review all the policies.” He takes out a clipboard and starts reading through it.“No laptops, cell phones, cameras with 160 millimeters, or binoculars with 10x zoom.Oh, and definitely no video cameras.”Kang-dae makes a disgruntled noise and mutters under his breath, “Is there anything we are allowed to bring?”“I feel like I’m going on detox,” mutters Michelle.“I’ve only been parted with my phone for five minutes, and I’m already going into withdrawal.”“I have all of your reentry permits already,” Chu-won continues.Then he hands each of us a small booklet with our passport information in it and two other cards.“This you will keep as your temporary passport.You also have your debit card to use in the tourist zone.This will pay for any of your needs.The final card will be your embarkation card.Put all three of those in this plastic sheath, and make sure you wear it at all times when in the tourist zone.”“What if we lose this?” I ask.“Don’t.” Chu-won’s smile drops into a frown.“Uncanny how quickly our happy tour guide can turn on us,” Marc jokes into my ear.The twinkle in Marc’s eyes sends a flicker of optimism through me.Maybe he’s not mad anymore.Maybe we can get back to the way things used to be.But then my eyes fall on Kang-dae leaning against one of the plastic terminal chairs, methodically rubbing the stubble on his chin as if in deep thought.With Kang-dae on the trip, I doubt anything will be normal.The whole process is a bit daunting.I arrange my cards in the exact way Chu-won tells us to.Once my plastic pouch passes our guide’s approval, I hang it over my head, the strap already scratching against the skin on the back of my neck.Next we are each given a tag for our bags.Dad helps secure mine, pulling apart the plastic and then sticking the ends together so they line up perfectly.Ms.Myong, Michelle’s mom, joins us; her black leather boots that stretch up her thin legs practically make music as she moves.From her sleek navy rain jacket to a slicked-back ponytail, she has the air of someone who gets what she wants.She flashes me a polite, distant smile and tugs on Michelle’s arm.“What?” Michelle mumbles under her breath.“I need to pay attention.”I’ve never actually held a conversation longer than two minutes with Ms.Myong.As a traveling journalist, she’s rarely at home, and I always get the distinct feeling that she believes I’m not to the standard her daughter should be hanging out with.“Just take the damn pictures,” Ms.Myong whispers, and then passes Michelle a tiny black box that settles easily in her palm.“It’s hardly complicated.”Michelle lifts her eyebrows as if daring her mom to change her mind.They stare at each other for a half second before Michelle tucks what I’m guessing is a camera into her pocket.“Time to say your good-byes,” Chu-won announces to our group.“In order to make it to the border on time, we must follow a strict schedule.”“I guess this is it,” Dad says.A pained look crosses his face.He unbuttons his black suit jacket, only to button it again, but now the buttons are off by one.“Follow the rules.Do not go into unsupervised places.They shoot people who do, remember that.”“Don’t worry, Dad,” I say, fixing his buttons so they are even.“I’ll be fine.I’ll bring you back a souvenir or something.”He takes both my hands in his and clasps them, squeezing once.“Yes.A souvenir.That would be nice.”He kisses my forehead and lets go [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]