Page 104 of K-Pop Double Life

“She says she’s sorry, but we won’t need her to translate while we’re in Seoul.” Eun-ji continued reading. “She wants me to take her pink suitcase and keep it for her. She’ll arrange to collect it later.”

Jason held out his hand. “Let me see that.”

Eun-ji gave him the phone.

His frown deepened. “Nothing about the restroom.”

“Perhaps she panicked,” Sang-hoon said. “If her father is seriously ill⁠—”

“Then why lie about where she was going?” Jason asked.

Aidan and Liam joined us. Jason showed them the message, and the three of them moved a short distance away to talk.

Eun-ji explained the situation to a customs officer and showed him Grace’s text. There was a brief discussion, followed by more questions and a careful examination of Eun-ji’s passport. Eventually, after recording her information, he allowed her to take responsibility for the suitcase.

We passed through customs and continued to the bus.

Jason waited until we were aboard before turning to Eun-ji. “I want that case opened.”

“She gave me permission to take it, not search it.”

“She lied to us and disappeared while we were responsible for her safety.” He looked toward Aidan and Liam. “Do it carefully.”

Liam used a small tool to release the lock. He handed each item to Aidan, who arranged them neatly on the seat: clothing, toiletries, shoes, a paperback she had bought in São Paulo.

There was nothing unusual.

“I don’t like this,” Sang-hoon said quietly. “All her private things spread out where everyone can see.”

Neither did I, but Grace’s abandoned suitcase and the lie about the restroom had left me uneasy.

After Liam emptied the case, he ran his fingers around the interior. He stopped at one corner and pressed against the lining.

“What is it?” Jason asked.

“Something’s inside.”

Aidan used his pocketknife to open the seam. Liam reached into the lining and removed a tiny black device.

“It’s a voice recorder,” I said. “I use one like that to practice my lines.”

Jason stared at it.

“We believe Grace has been feeding information to Sara Yoon,” he said. “That’s why she disappeared.”

For a moment I thought I had misunderstood him.

Grace had translated for us for more than a year. She had sat through interviews, rehearsals, airport transfers, and endless promotional events. She had taught Min-kyu enough English slang to get himself into trouble and spent most of the European tour pretending not to be exasperated by Tae.

She wasn’t one of my closest friends, but she had become part of the landscape of my life. One of those people who was simply always there.

The idea that she had been helping someone hurt us felt absurd.

“You’re sure?”

“We weren’t certain before,” Jason said. “If we had been, I would never have let her out of my sight. But there’s no innocent explanation for that recorder or the way she ran.”

“How long has she been doing it?”