Four women rushed onto the subway just before the doors closed — one curious like a monkey, one young with rosy cheeks like an apple, one smooth like a banana, and one confident like an airplane ready to take off.
The monkey broke the silence and asked the airplane,
“Didn’t we take a national test before we came to study abroad? Was it Korean history and social studies?”
“Of course we did!” the airplane replied proudly, without a hint of doubt. “We came as national representatives. Not just a test — we also had three days of anti-communist training before we left! We used to avoid any Asian-looking people at the JFK airport,” she continued. “We were so afraid they might be North Korean spies trying to make contact. But even now, I’ve never met anyone from the North.”
The banana bowed her head, listening closely and giggling quietly. The apple sipped her coffee, looking uninterested. The monkey laughed loudly, then quickly covered her mouth and looked around. Their conversation continued, but soon got drowned out by the noise of the subway.
The apple took out a mirror and added even more red lipstick to her already rosy lips. After checking her reflection, she leaned in toward the others and placed her index finger on her lips.
“Shh~ Not everyone could be invited to today’s meeting. Keep it a secret,” she whispered. They had just finished talking about spies.
“Oh! Secret agents,” one of them added, as if the idea had just hit her.
They all looked around nervously, as if someone might have overheard. Like secret female freedom fighters disguised as passengers on a flight racing across a snowy Manchurian plain, they exchanged silent glances and said no more.
When the women first boarded the train, an older man wearing dark sunglasses and a hat was already sitting there. He pricked up his ears, secretly listening to their lively chatter.
Suddenly, the women got up in a panic — “This is our stop!” they shouted. Curious about where they were going, the man quickly followed them and got off the train just as the doors were closing.
It was a cloudy day, the kind that makes you feel rain is coming. The temperature had dropped, so people were walking fast with collars turned up against the cold wind. The man did the same, hiding among the crowd, following the women from a short distance. Their footsteps were light, full of energy, like they had escaped from the heavy chains of daily life. It felt like they had transformed — first as national team members, then anti-communists, and now secret agents on a mission.
Luckily, it was easy to spot the apple in her bright red coat. She looked much younger than the monkey, banana, or airplane. Her bare legs peeked through a rip in her coat, fresh and lively. She whispered to the airplane and smiled — the side of her face was full of charm. The red color felt warm and close to him. He decided to follow her — even to a place where he might not belong.
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