Chapter Text
She didn’t know why she was there; she should have been in the studio recording her album, which was due to be released in a month. Now, she was in a meeting room sitting across a big table from her manager, a middle-aged man, who was staring at her with an unreadable expression. He took a deep breath, turned his head towards the big TV the room had, and turned it on with a remote he took from the table.
A woman, well known in the gossip and celebrity drama news industry, appeared on the screen, “Idol Astra Yao has been seen going constantly to Random Play, a small business of video rentals owned by two siblings on Sixth Street. Rumor has it that she has a romance with the oldest brother, but some other sources point towards the younger sister as a romantic interest. People on Inter-Knot are going wild with theories. We are sure that this love story will keep developing in the coming months, so stay tuned to learn more about Astra Yao’s possible heart owner. In other news, Monica recently revealed her next movie about…”
The TV was abruptly turned off by her manager after the segment dedicated to her ended. Even though he had a good eye for a lot of things that could be pointed out as the main reason Astra Yao was becoming the number one star in South Eridu, he was also very conservative in what kind of image an idol should give to the public. Astra now understood why she was there in that meeting room. It was not good.
Astra loved music, and she loved sharing her feelings and experiences through all the pieces she recorded in the studio and during her concerts. She also loved her fans and the events that were centered around them. But on the other side of all of these, her contract was very restrictive about everything else she does, who she sees, who she likes, and who she dates. Her career was both a blessing and a cage.
“I need an explanation on why on earth they are linking you romantically with some random people on Sixth Street.” He was massaging his temple as he talked, as if he were tired of dealing with her. Astra was not feeling bad at all. She hated that ever since she became famous, her life had been completely controlled by corporate people who only saw her as a source of money. A product to sell, the pretty face on a screen with nothing else going on for her.
“Their business is called Random Play, but Belle and Wise are not random people; they are my friends.” She knew her contract was clear on the fact that she should avoid creating speculation regarding her personal life, but she would try to fight and keep the only real relationship she currently had, even if it meant confronting all the people who bet on her career first.
“Are you romantically involved with one or the two of them?” his voice made her feel a shiver run down her spine, but she was not going to back down from her relationship with the siblings.
“No, I’m not romantically involved with any of them, and the second option in that question is just gross.” She was sure she was making a face of pure disgust when thinking about how a romantic relationship with two siblings could ever possibly work.
“If you have seen what I have seen in this industry, then you would know that question would just come out naturally.” Her manager let out a long sigh as he turned the TV on again with the remote. He rewound the news program towards the same segment that covered her secret visits to Random Play over and over again, as he wrote in his notebook.
Astra looked at him, feeling uneasy. She didn't know what the big deal was. Yes, she had run away from some of her responsibilities, and she had ended up going to see her friends at their video store to spend some time with them. But she always tried to gain back the work she had neglected, and her love life rumors were such a common occurrence that she never considered them a big issue. Yes, this time she created it herself, but it should not have been a big deal.
“We need to deflect the love rumors, and we need to quiet down the doubts about your career. I think I also need to search for someone who would keep you in place and not let you wander off, maybe a bodyguard with extra functions…” He continued to write down things in his notebook. Astra was growing impatient with this meeting; she was sure she had done nothing wrong, and the idea of someone following her around, controlling her every move, just made her hate the situation a little more.
“I don't want and will not accept having a bodyguard during my professional career. I have made that pretty clear ever since I started working here.” She declared again, this was almost a weekly thing by now, if it was not her wandering off her responsibilities from time to time, the excuse would be some nonexistent stalkers or the inaccurate possibility of a crazy fan going off the rails.
“Astra…” He let out her name in a loud sigh, holding the bridge of his nose between thumb and finger. “Don’t make things more difficult. You wanted to be a singer, you wanted to be a star, and we are achieving that. Stars are in constant danger; it could be crazy fans, rival companies, or rival singers acting alone. You are not safe wandering off, and even less safe if you go to some nobodies that only own a video store in some low-class commercial alley.”
“Please stop calling my friends in that rude way,” Astra raised her voice. She was getting more and more tired of the situation; she saw no issue with whatever was happening. This was getting more and more ridiculous as time went by, and she was annoyed at the way her manager was talking about her friends. Her only friends now since she cannot be publicly friends with Monica. Yet another thing fame has taken from her... “ I just wanted the people to listen to my songs, my feelings, and my voice… I wanted to connect with their hearts, not be a corporate slave.”
“You know the moment you signed with Odeum, your public image belongs completely to us, and you have to do what both Hobson and I command you to do.” He also raised his voice. Astra hated that they thought she belonged entirely to them, not only her career, but the person behind the talent. She wanted to run away, she wanted to start anew, maybe try to gain fame by herself, but she was tied to that stupid ten-year contract, and all the money needed to break it was not going to appear out of thin air either.
“Has Hobson even said anything about any of this?” She asked, her voice still risen. Desperation was winning over her patience, and this man in front of her was giving her all the wrong statements to calm her down.
“Hobson is the one who saw this live! He was fuming and demanding I fix this as soon as possible.” He also raised his voice a few decibels over what she was used to. “He even suggested we find a famous actor to pretend to be your real love interest, but I had to talk to him out of that idea because fans don't like their idols to have a love life, and you don't want a bodyguard, so a famous love interest could be even worse for your image right now. Maybe if we tease it, just a little…” Astra noticed how his eyes were seriously considering the idea, as well as how his voice was toning down, like trying to convince himself that Hobson's plan might be a good idea. Her stomach twisted in disgust.
“I also don’t want a love interest, if that's even something you care about,” Astra finished the conversation as she walked out of the conference room where they were holding that meeting. She was done talking with that man for the day; the issues that arose could be addressed tomorrow. Now, Astra only wanted to go back to her home and her music.
She didn't exactly go back to her home immediately. She tricked the Odeum driver into leaving her a few blocks away from her home, and she took a small detour to the famous video rental store on Sixth Street run by two siblings.
“I can’t believe they are wondering if we are your love interest!” Belle seemed excited after Astra told them about the annoying meeting she had just run away from. She didn’t seem pissed off by the fact that her manager called them random and nobodies; she even joked that Random was part of their brand since their video store was called Random Play, and she found the prospect of being part of a big celebrity love drama amusing.
“The media wonder about my love life every two to three days. I’m surprised you didn’t know about that.” Astra said calmly as she got herself more comfortable on the sofa they had at the back of the store.
“And does that annoy you?” Wise asked calmly as he sat next to her, a cup of coffee in one of his hands and their electricity bill in the other. Astra smiled at the boy; he really was obsessed with their monthly electricity consumption, just like Belle had told her at the beginning of their online friendship.
“No, I think if some of them were true, I would be more annoyed, but I’ve never even dated!” Astra said with a small laugh, but even the siblings noticed the sadness that clouded her eyes for a moment. She was happy with her single status, but she feared she would never find someone who would see her for what she truly is, someone who would see her as a human being and not the famous South Eridu idol Astra Yao.
She considered love to be a powerful source of inspiration, and deep down, she feared she would never find an honest love interest that would enhance her writing skills to the point she would create something that could resonate with millions of hearts.
“Maybe you could try and fall in love with a person from North Eridu defectors, it's illegal to consume our pop culture there, according to Nicole.” Belle wasn’t even looking at her when she said that; her gaze was completely focused on the screen in front of them, and the movie they were previously watching was showing the credits. Astra let out a loud laugh. Now that was an interesting idea, probably powered by the fact that they told her that they just watched Monica’s recent movie, where the main plot is that her character falls in love with a North Eridu spy.
“Defectors get a class about our pop culture at the adaptation center; so they will probably know her, too,” Wise said matter-of-factly as he took a sip from his coffee.
“Now, how do you know that? Nerd.” Belle never looked away from the screen, the credits still rolling, Astra recognized several of the names that worked in the movie; she had worked with them too over the years.
“I saw it in one of the documentaries we brought last week, pretty interesting, it’s not easy to defect from the north, and most of them risk their lives trusting blindly in smugglers from both sides.” He continued, his gaze still focused on the electricity bill. “Belle, you will have to cut short the use of the AC this month.”
“But the weather is getting hotter every day!” The younger sibling complained as her gaze finally moved away from the screen; now the credits only showed sponsors and thanks to the different places and organizations that allowed them to record the movie. Apparently, it was partially recorded on the border between the Waifei Peninsula and North Eridu. “Did you know that Nicole knows a smuggler from the North?”
“She probably knows more than one,” Wise said with a small smile.
“How did my love life turn into a talk about some shady business Nicole has?” Astra asked, getting back to the conversation. She knew that her friends knew so many people, and some had shady business, and some others with high ranks in the army and the security forces. Astra had never met Nicole personally, but she was sure she was more on the shady business side of the siblings' contacts.
“Oh yes, sorry,” Belle said with a small smile. The three of them started laughing at her response. And this was one of the reasons why Astra felt truly happy with them, they would discuss their hottest gossip about her, and then move on just to talk like normal people about movies they recently watched, their other friends' business (shady or not), and the electricity bill. Astra loved that normalcy.
“Well then, I guess I would have to rely on my childish dream that destiny will make me find someone who will love me for being myself and not idol Astra Yao.” Astra used the voice she used to sound dramatic in her movies, and Belle and Wise laughed at her little joke. She was in no rush to find someone, nor was she searching for them. She just wanted to keep doing what she loved and hanging out with the people she loved. This was fine for the time being.
After watching with them couple of movies, Astra said goodbye to the siblings at Random Play. She walked a few blocks away from Sixth Street before taking a cab to her place. As she rode in the back of the car, she got lost in the lights of the city, her mind making up some lyrics about love before becoming famous. A song that could transmit feelings of nostalgia and the loss of innocence from the famous person's point of view. People will speculate about that too, but the reality is that she never had that, and now she doubts if she could ever have a romantic relationship that would not rely on interest or her career.
She took a deep breath. She'd better stop thinking about that for the time being; she knew that her head was filled with this because of the rumor and the gossip that was going around her love life every time she even looked in someone’s direction, and that stupid clause on her contract that specified that she should try and avoid and not encourage any kind of speculation in regards that.
Astra arrived at her apartment, even though that place was not completely hers. When she debuted, Odeum bought it for her; they claimed a lot of their talents lived in the same building and that it had reinforced security. The security team at the entrance would not let anyone who didn’t live there enter. Only authorized personnel from the building, Odeum, managers, previously authorized family, and official bodyguards of the residents were allowed.
The apartment itself wasn’t that bad; it was spacious, and Astra once asked why it had a spare room if she lived alone. Odeum explained that sometimes the talents preferred to have their assistants and bodyguards stationed with them. When she received that answer, Astra just let out a long sigh.
She was grateful for her life, but she was getting tired of all the things surrounding her career, and the fact that now that she had finally gotten a real relationship with the siblings, the rest of the world was just left wondering if her interactions with them were romantic or not, and her manager was almost prohibiting her from seeing them that regularly.
Her phone's ringtone snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked at the device and saw her manager’s number calling. She took a deep breath, thinking he would probably tell her what solution he had found to fix the rumors about her love life. She picked up the phone and greeted her manager using her voice to let him know she was in her best attitude.
“Astra, I’m glad I caught you awake. If you’re still against the idea of a fake love interest and no bodyguard…” He began talking, and Astra felt a small twist in her stomach, knowing that he was still considering the idea of using her to fake a relationship with one of Odeum’s other talents.
“Yes, I’m still against.” She interrupted him with fake eagerness; she didn’t want to come out as rude, but she was not looking forward to the possibility of having yet another part of her life decided by someone else.
“Then we will have to take the political side to deflect the attention.” Her manager mentioned calmly, as if he was expecting Astra’s answer to the other possibilities. The red-eyed woman remembered that when she initially signed up with Odeum, they gave her a small course about PR and public image. Some of the strategies they had included diverting attention towards another controversial topic.
“What are we going to do?” Astra was not ignorant of politics in South Eridu; she was also not a big fan of publicly expressing her opinion on those matters, especially since she sometimes had to attend some of TOPS' galas and parties, as well as, on some rare occasions, Odeum had arranged private performances for them.
“What do you know about the people from North Eridu?” When she heard the question, Astra tried to search at the top of her mind for something that she had heard about them. Everyone in the South was aware of the political and social situation between the two different nations, but regular people would not think much about it since it was a delicate matter, not something that someone would dwell on regularly.
“I… I know very little about them.” She decided to be honest; it would be no gain to her to lie and pretend to have a solid opinion on that matter. To be completely honest with herself, she actually never thought about the North or its people. She knew that the movie Monica had recently started in was about a Southern woman and a Northern spy drama, and Monica had to do some interviews stating her political stance, but she had not watched those interviews or the movie yet. And even if she had watched them, Monica's interviews might be scripted, and the movie, either way, was just fiction.
“Well, you'd better study because you are going to participate in a charity event to raise funds for the adaptation center for defectors in a month, after your album comes out, to boost it up and generate commentary on your political stances.” Her manager explained calmly. Astra tried to remember if she knew something about the adaptation center, but only the basics came to her mind. She remembered Wise talking about it earlier that afternoon, and that made her make a mental note to ask him to lend her that documentary he was talking about or to ask him to watch it again with her. She knew it was a place where defectors from the North were sent to learn about the culture, customs, and way of life in the South, so their integration into southern society would not be that shocking.
“What do I have to do?” She asked, even though she was aware of the basics that an appearance at a charity event could include.
“Sing a couple of songs in a concert that’s going to be on a temporary ocean platform built at Port Elpis, the place where some North defectors enter the South, and our closest non-land connection to the North.”
“Oh? I didn’t know that.” Astra liked going to Port Elpis to clear her mind, and she often would look towards the horizon for hours while at the top of the lighthouse. It was a place that brought her peace of mind when she felt overwhelmed by everything that surrounded her current life. Looking at the horizon was hypnotic for her, and she felt an unexplainable magnetism towards the place, like something was pulling her to whatever was on the other side. She liked that unknown feeling. If not for the adaptation center, she would do it for the place itself, which not only held meaning to her, but also for the people she was going to help raise funds for. “I’ll do it.”
“Study about the North, there is a chance they will try to interview you and ask your opinion about the country and the political implications of this event. We will also script possible answers to the interviews, but you'd better be prepared for the unexpected.” Her manager was unfazed as ever. She was sure he didn’t care about the political or social implications of her participation in the event, but the fact that the rumors would diminish in favor of discussion about her political standings.
“Of course, thanks.”
“I hope this will take Hobson off my neck.” There it was, the real reason behind everything her manager did. Only to please his boss, not because he cared about her career or her as a person. She was just an asset, something they would change in an instant. Astra Yao, the biggest idol of South Eridu, would lose all her value sooner or later, and all she would end up alone.
“I hope so, too.” She said before hanging up the phone.
All alone in her apartment, Astra let out a sigh. The very next day, she should start reading about defectors from the North and trying to think of different neutral statements that would keep both Odeum and people at TOPS happy with her, so she could continue doing what she loved: music.
She had a month to prepare for the concert, and then she would keep on going with her life, almost completely controlled by Odeum, but that’s what she signed up for when she decided to share her music with the people. A small price to pay, she always told herself. But she secretly wished she had someone on her side in all those businesses. An accomplice who would make all of this easier.
“I will get to sing to people and avoid more rumors, I guess this was the best possible result out of something so insignificant as my love life rumors escalating out of nowhere,” Astra said out loud to herself, tomorrow she will ask Wise to lend her all the documentaries they have at their store about the North, and she will ask Belle about all the fictional movies that use the North as inspiration for their stories. Maybe this would open an opportunity where she could star in a movie about it later. Yes, she was sure that her manager would try to find a movie that talks about the North later just to keep her rivalry with Monica as a hot topic.
Notes:
It’s been like 8 - 9 years since I last wrote a fanfiction (I used to write Orphan Black and Arrowverse fanfiction in Spanish back in the day), but when Zenless Zone Zero became available for Xbox this year, my husband and I decided to try it. Now we are completely hooked. We love this game. (I actually managed to get Astra Yao on the last day of her banner, and I am already saving to get Evelyn!)
We both just recently reached the special episode with these two, and we both fell in love with the relationship between Astra and Evelyn! I even got my inspiration to write fanfiction back!
I have finished writing the first three chapters and have drafted the last three. I don’t know how many chapters I’ll write in between, but I have a lot of ideas and plot points I want to explore, so it’ll probably be a long fic. I’ll update weekly or so…
Please let me know what you think!
Chapter 2: Evelyn
Notes:
This chapter will make it obvious, but if you have watched the original K-drama "Crash Landing on You" and you are wondering: No, Evelyn will not have a fiancée in this fic.
Also, I hated that plot point in the original K drama; they had a world of possibilities and things to explore with the relationship between the two main characters, and they chose to explore that… so stupid. So obviously, I am not going in that direction here.
As I have mentioned before, I am using names of places in the game as countries for the sake of my sanity.
Hope you enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
In front of her, there was a man who looked closer to a body with just bones and skin than an actual human being. His face and hands were covered in scars, dirt, and mud. He was trembling, but it was not because he was cold. The weather was hot and humid since it was in the middle of the northern summer. Evelyn could see the fear in his eyes and the loss of hope as she walked towards him with her rifle in front of her body.
“You’ve tried to defect for the third time, are you aware of that?” The warmth of the weather made her feel uncomfortable in her uniform. But she could not wear an incomplete uniform during an execution. It was part of the rules she had to follow as a soldier of the regime. She had never broken any of them.
“I am hungry, I am tired, my daughter died a couple of years ago of starvation, and my wife left for the South. I have no hope.” He fell to his knees, his voice broke as his hands travelled to cover his face. “Be merciful, please…” He whispered before he broke into an ugly noise, as if he could not breathe anymore. Maybe he couldn't; the officials who arrested him might have broken a few of his ribs before bringing him to the base.
Evelyn didn’t say anything. Her eyes were as dead as the man in front of her. She has done this thousands of times during her years serving in the military. She knew what it was to see family and friends die of starvation; she knew what it was to have nothing and rely on what little you found on the street. She knew she was being unfair, but she could do nothing about it.
An orphan from the war, that’s what she was. A girl whose parents died when the war between the South and the North was still in its open fire stage. She was lucky initially since her parents were diplomats in Waifei, but they were called back to serve when the troops diminished during the war. After their death, she was sent to an orphanage where she and a few other kids survived with whatever they could find. She got lucky that in her early teens, the military opened a general recruitment, and thankfully, she managed to enter. In the privacy of her mind, she was not fond of the regime; she was critical and hated what she had to do. She hated what she was going to do.
But she didn't know any better; she doesn’t have any better. The military helped her survive, so now she had devoted herself to the regime and its rules. Her job was to arrest all possible defectors and send them to labor camps, but repeat offenders were condemned to a harsher punishment: execution.
“Please, don’t…” He whispered again, his face now on the ground, begging her to keep him alive, to let him go for the third time. She had been merciful the second time, but a third would turn the heads of the regime towards her. She wasn’t sure why she appreciated her life so much if she, as well, might be as tired as the man in front of her. But just like him, she wanted to live another day, to have another chance to look at the sunset in the coastline.
She lifted the rifle, wondering why she had to use such a big gun to dispose of a tiny man who could barely walk by himself. A man who, even without the use of any weapons, would not survive another six months in a forced labor camp. He looked severely malnourished, and her colleagues probably tortured him. How much time he had left was unknown to her, but she was sure it would not be much.
“This is true mercy,” She whispered, not wanting anyone to hear her. Everyone residing in the small town next to that military facility probably heard the gunshot. Executions were not public, but the government made the entire village aware of what was happening. Evelyn hated all of this, but no other life was possible for her. The walk back to her office felt heavy; it was always like this. Her blood-stained hands taunted her every day she had to execute a traitor to the regime.
She removed the heavy gear as soon as she arrived at her office. The protocol for executions was strict about wearing the complete field uniform with tactical equipment, and she liked to wear it. The uniform reminded her that she was just a tool, not a person, which always eased her heavy conscience.
She sat at her desk and began drafting the report regarding the man she had just killed. She detailed the two times she had previously apprehended him by the coast when he was attempting to defect to the South, as well as his past sentences for manual labor before he tried to defect a third time.
They are going to question again why I didn’t sentence him to execution the second time. She thought to herself as she reread her report for the tenth time that afternoon. Words were starting to look like a blur, and sentences were losing meaning, just like the life of a soldier who’s spent more than ten years in the service of the regime.
She put down the report and started massaging the bridge of her nose with her hand. Her head was beginning to hurt, and her eyes were feeling heavy. Doing this always drained her completely, for her, all that was left after an execution was an empty shell of a woman who once had innocence, but no longer remembered her humanity.
“Every execution looks heavier and heavier on you.” The voice of a woman made her jump slightly from her seat. She smiled. At least she had a little bit of humanity left in her, if her friend and colleague visiting her could still take her off guard. She knew a part of her was still human if she still considered that person in front of her her friend. Maybe all hope would not be lost.
“Rain… I didn’t hear you coming in,” She said calmly, looking up at the pink-haired woman. She was the only person from her past in the orphanage who also managed to enter the military. However, contrary to Evelyn, she was assigned for intelligence and espionage purposes; she was one of the few people in the North with legal access to information from the South, and she was under Evelyn's command.
“You know, your neighbor's daughter devours you with her eyes every time she sees you… Maybe you can blow off some steam with her.” Rain mentioned as she sat on the chair before Evelyn's desk.
“I’m not interested,” Evelyn said coldly, looking at one of the reports from her team that was on her desk, and taking it to check on it. “Also, I’m onto her because I suspect she is watching some southern dramas; I would feel bad using her body to make me feel human again just to arrest her later.” She was being half serious; she usually turned a blind eye to people consuming southern media, but if someone reports on someone else, she can’t feign ignorance for long.
“When was the last time you fell in love?” Rain asked seemingly out of nowhere, maybe to make fun of her cold response to her previous suggestion. Evelyn looked her in the eyes and noticed how she was trying to hold her laughter.
“Same time as yours,” Evelyn answered, rolling her eyes. Rain knew that well since they’ve been together since they were kids, and she knew her question was just to get a few laughs out of the situation.
“So never. Such a disappointing answer.” Rain let out a loud, exaggerated sigh.
“You already knew that,” Evelyn answered with a small smile. Love in the North was a rare concept; people got married and got together, but it was rarely out of love. Due to the social system in the country, the parents would get their kids engaged almost as soon as they were born, just to ensure the stability of their social scores. Marrying someone who could potentially become prosecuted by the regime was a huge risk most would avoid.
They were both born in a land with no love for or from other people. Only love towards the country and the regime. So any talk about it was fruitless. Even the northern novels, movies, and TV shows always shared the message that love for one’s homeland must always be bigger than love for someone else.
Evelyn, as an orphan, had no arranged marriage from birth, nor parents who would pressure her into it. Even in a place like the North, she had a little more freedom than the regular citizen. Yet, she knew she would eventually have to marry someone, to keep up appearances for the regime, since married people were considered less likely to defect. She had discussed that topic with Rain, and both had agreed to it, just like someone would agree on what to eat on a regular Tuesday; as both shared the same past, their marriage would not raise any suspicion. They didn't make it official, though, just in case one of them wanted to opt out.
“Yeah, people here don’t tend to show their love for someone else, but you can never be so sure. And since we are not officially engaged, I need to be sure that I still can marry my general, ensure my future, avoid any suspicion, and whatnot,” Rain said half jokingly and absent-mindedly as she walked towards Evelyn’s office window. “Your office also has such a nice view.”
“Are you here on official business, or did you just want a report on my life?” Evelyn asked when she felt the silence become too prolonged for the pink-haired girl to just be there looking out the window.
“Official business, but on a personal note, I want to give my report as we walk on the shore.” That request was not rare at all. Soldiers could only walk near the shore if they had surveillance duties or if they were on a special request from their superior. Evelyn was the superior on this case, and both Evelyn and Rain adored the beach; she would always request to give her insights by the coastline, and Evelyn would always calmly concede to them. There was no harm in indulging that silly request from her friend. It made them human, flawed. Evelyn will always welcome that feeling,
“Sure, I could use some fresh air too.” She said as she stood up and put on her military jacket. This time of the year, the weather was warm, but it was also protocol to wear the complete uniform while on patrol.
The walk to the shore was not as short as it might seem, and entering the place was also not friendly to non-soldiers. The government has put several mines to eliminate possible defectors even before they reach the beach. The sea was not friendly either; waves would crash against the land with heavy force, and if you looked closer, you could see several whirlpools that could drown even the most avid swimmer.
“A little over thirty kilometers in that direction, and you eventually reach the South. On very clear days, you can actually see their side and they can see ours. That's why we have that huge flag on our base.” Rain mentioned a few seconds after they stopped to look at the horizon. “People would risk their lives, or pay all their life savings to pirates and smugglers, just for a chance to reach that place.”
“It’s a high-stakes bet, if you ask me.” With all the lives she has taken from people trying to escape and people helping them, Evelyn never understood why someone would take such a bet.
“That could’ve been us if this military thing failed us.” Rain eyes were also lost in the horizon, but Evelyn might beg to differ from that statement; she preferred not thinking too much about what would’ve happened if the military had not worked for them and they ended up dying of starvation in the orphanage where they grew up.
“In the North, death is always closer than in the South, but trying to escape is just rushing to reach that end,” Evelyn whispered more to herself than to answer her friend, but Rain chuckled at her statement.
“Sometimes, hoping for a better life is stronger than the fear of death.”
“Not for me. This is all I know.” Evelyn stated as she looked away from the horizon. If she ever tried to rationalize the thought process of the defectors, it would make her job more difficult; it would rip away the carefully built walls between herself and the people she arrested and killed. If she empathized completely with them, just to execute them in the name of the regime, her remaining small and fragile humanity would be tainted forever. “And it’s my duty to ensure no one goes out there searching to speed up their death.”
“That’s why I am here.” Rain stated, looking towards her. Her tone of voice changed, letting Evelyn know that she was about to give her a report regarding her work as an intelligence officer.
“Go on.” Evelyn looked back at her, the horizon of the beach behind her silhouette.
“In a month, the South is organizing a concert to benefit an organization that favors our defectors who reach their country.” Rain turned around and looked back at the sea. Her eyes were focused on an invisible point far away from them.
“Why should I care?” Evelyn was wondering why this information should be part of a report. Yes, they were a unit specialized in neutralizing possible defectors at the shore, but whether they reached or not the South, and what happened after that, was not something Evelyn cared about or even interested her in personal or professional purposes.
“It will be held on the beach that’s only thirty kilometers in that direction.” Rain lifted her chin in the direction where the south was supposed to be, her hands remained inside her jacket for the entire walk, and her eyes were still focused on the vastness of the sea. “The event will be held on an ocean platform, and it will have the Southern military as its main security provider.”
“Possible defectors might know about it and try to escape, and smugglers might try to take advantage of this, too. So I will need to increase the patrols and personnel here on the day of that concert. Noted.” Evelyn quickly concluded with the information she had just received. What was the South thinking with that concert? Were they just as naive as the regime has always said? Even if they had both signed a ceasefire a little over 15 years ago, the lingering possibility that the North might try to sabotage the concert if they found out about it was still there. But then again, did other intelligence officers also have the information Rain just told her?
“Are you not interested in knowing who’s going to participate in that concert?” Rain asked with a small smile, taking Evelyn out of her thoughts. She always did that when she noticed her overthinking.
“Do I have to remind you that’s a capital offense to consume any cultural product that comes from the South? You are the only one allowed because you are my intelligence officer.” Evelyn answered with a full-on smile as she patted Rain on the shoulder. Her thoughts went back to wondering if the other factions of the military knew about this event.
Rain was just extremely good at her job, and Evelyn had been surprised time and time again when she would come to her with pieces of information that the regime would not know about until months later. Some intelligence and espionage officers would not consume southern pop news and culture, so they would remain ignorant of this kind of intel out of fear that their superiors would start suspecting them.
Rain was not like that, she would openly tell Evelyn about the things she would see and hear in regards the South from southern sources. She would tell her about movies and dramas that she watched, just to be better informed, and tell her about a rising pop star with a promising career. Evelyn would just ignore the irrelevant information and focus on the intel that might influence her work.
This event seemed like it would be well-known to people who would illegally consume Southern pop culture, but maybe not that well-known for global news sources, so there was a high chance that upper intelligence officers would prefer to remain silent until the news reached other nations outside the South. That means, after the event ended.
“This concert will have one of the biggest South Eridu stars of the moment. People who consume southern pop culture will know for sure about it, and that could make some people want to leave.” Rain said, as if she were reading her thoughts, or maybe just predicting them.
“Cultural consumption is more dangerous; some of the people that try to defect that we capture do it because they saw a movie or a drama, or are huge fans of some artist, and they wished for that kind of life,” Evelyn said more to herself than to Rain. Then again, that’s the reason why even intelligence officers were afraid to dive deep into that topic. “I just hope it doesn’t bring me more executions.” She said once again. Her eyes were now also focused on the sea in front of them.
“Have you ever thought about leaving?” Rain asked, and Evelyn instantly looked around, hoping no other soldier was in their vicinity. That question alone could constitute a crime, and they both knew it so well, but just like Evelyn valued Rain’s work as her intelligence officer, she also valued her honest views on the regime, whenever they could talk about them.
“Don’t ask questions that could get you killed,” Evelyn answered, her heart beating hard on her chest as she still wondered if there was a small chance that someone else might have heard them.
“But?”
“This is all I have and all I know.” She answered, almost definitely, trying to kill the conversation with that answer.
“Yeah… I know.” Rain let out a small laugh as she started walking back towards the military base. “Let’s go, you still have all that paperwork, and after you are done with that, we can have dinner at your house.”
“Sure, let’s go,” Evelyn said, her eyes still fixated on the sea horizon.
She took a deep breath as she thought about one deep secret that she had hidden from everyone. She has never thought about defecting; she has never considered that possibility, but whenever she stood in front of the beach, she felt something pulling her towards the South, an invisible magnet that was calling her to that mysterious place. She liked that feeling, but she will never tell anyone about it. “Only a little over thirty kilometers… it can’t be that easy.” She said out loud, before turning around and walking in the same direction as Rain.
Notes:
Please let me know what you think! And good luck with your Seed and Trigger pulls! I'm saving for Evelyn, so I will pass.
Anon (Guest) on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Aug 2025 08:57PM UTC
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