Xiangyi Tujia, Hunan Province | September 2025POV: Choi Joo-yeon | 04:00 AM
As the giant trailer truck swayed along the curves, the darkness and the drifting white mist with its cold scent pulled me back to the day I walked through a lonely, silent alley in Dandong. I didn't have a single won on me—not to mention food or a place to sleep.
I had tried to walk upright before collapsing by the trash cans in front of a Korean restaurant, debating who I should ask for help. In ? moment, a gang of thugs brawled past me. While they were busy hacking at each other, one of the pursuers dropped his wallet on the ground.
I’ve endured hiding behind this truck ever since we left the Chenpibao Hotel. My head is full of questions about this man named Loweis. I’ve read the email a hundred times after I sent information regarding my escape from North Korea to a friend who is a scientist at the WHO in Switzerland, and she sent this man to pick me up. Every time I think about it, I feel grateful to Mr. Yi Lang. Besides the money that saved my life, he also left behind an ID card for me to assume his identity on this land.
“Holy shit! A checkpoint!”
Sawn cursed loudly after swinging the head of the trailer truck around the mountain curve. His voice snapped me back to the present immediately. Flashing red and white lights loomed behind barriers blocking the entire road ahead. A group of soldiers in camouflage uniforms brandished flashlights, sweeping them threateningly toward the front of the truck.
“Sawn, what do we do?” Loweis asked, his voice trembling as he glanced frantically between Sawn and me.
“Damn it! I tried to escape through these rural roads and we still hit a checkpoint,” Sawn grabbed the radio and immediately signaled the truck behind them. “Bro, there’s a checkpoint! Get ready. Deal with those two women first.”
My hope of leaving China was now practically zero. A cold shiver ran down my spine at the thought of the prisons in Pyongyang. Loweis turned and ordered in a stern voice.
“Joo-yeon, get back under the blankets like before, quickly!”
I looked at that pile of blankets with a blank stare... Those ragged blankets? Did he really think they could block a thermal scanner from the Chinese military? Even Sawn could tell someone was hiding there. If I don't do something now, my only end will be being sent back to die in North Korea.
Sawn glanced at me as I sat still, stroking the dilapidated laptop in my hands. He cursed irritably, “What’s with that laptop you’re lugging around? Did you pick it up from a trash heap? Toss it and go get under the blankets!”
I didn't answer... Instead, my trembling fingers pressed the power button. The cooling fan whirred like a dying truck engine. The faded screen flickered, and a bright green DOS command prompt appeared in the darkness.
“In the hands of a driver like you, it might be trash... but for me, it’s a passport,” I murmured calmly while my fingers blurred across the worn-out keys.
I tried to steady my shaking hands, tilting the screen of the ancient ThinkPad—which looked like it had literally been through a war.
“This checkpoint is connected to the province’s ‘Skynet’ security network. Sawn, don't you dare look into the CCTV cameras. I’m going to lock the driver's face frames in the system to appear as someone else.”
I muttered to myself, the keyboard clicking and clacking in the familiar rhythm of a cyber-warfare soldier. In Sawn’s eyes, it might just be electronic junk, but for someone like me who has breached the secret databases of the U.S. Marines, this laptop is a loaded gun ready to fire.
I plugged a modified WiFi dongle into the side port. Instantly, the black screen filled with cascading lines of green code.
“Sawn, slow down. Don't touch the brakes unless necessary,” I ordered, my eyes locked onto the checkpoint ahead. Chinese soldiers in camouflage, fully armed, stepped out to block the road.
“What are you doing, Joo-yeon? They’re walking toward the truck right now!” Loweis began to sweat as he saw an officer raise a light baton and signal them.
I didn't have time to answer. My fingertips hammered out the final commands to send a Trojan into the checkpoint's router through a vulnerability in its outdated firmware.
“Give me the license plate numbers of both trucks, now!”
“44-709 and 56-521,” Sawn answered immediately.
“Accessing Hunan Provincial Immigration Database... intercepting status for trailer trucks license plates 44-709 and 56-521... changing status from 'Suspicious' to 'Urgent Medical Supply Transport for the Red Cross'... confirming pre-authorized electronic passcodes...”
A light and signal flashed on the tablet held by the soldier who was about to reach the truck door. He froze, looking down at the screen displaying a dark green bar and the central government seal I had just forged seconds ago.
The soldier shone his light on the trailer truck’s license plate, then stepped back. He quickly waved us through, signaling with urgency.
“Go, move it! We’re clearing the way.”
“Phew!” I slowly folded my laptop screen down. My heart was pounding so hard I felt it might leap right out of my chest.
Loweis, sitting beside me, stared with even more awe than before. As for Sawn, he could only gape with wide eyes, staring at the open road ahead.
The radio crackled to life… “Sawn… what happened? Why the hell did the soldiers let us through?”
“The woman from the Chenpibao brothel worked a miracle, Bro. Let me talk to her first. ” Sawn looked up at the rearview mirror to meet my eyes.
I had been branded as a prostitute ever since they caught me, but what else could I do when that was what Sawn had told them? Throughout my journey, things always seemed to go wrong, as if someone had drawn a line for me to walk. Even the very last time before I reached the Chenpibao Hotel, the driver who brought me there had to flee from the police, leaving me at that hotel by pure coincidence.
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I looked at the face of the man with the large, round eyes. When he smiled, his white teeth, beautiful canines, and prominent dimples felt completely at odds with the demeanor of an assassin holding a weapon. I had heard him singing throughout the entire journey, and it seemed he had a particular fondness for Michael Jackson. In this moment, not a single trace of ruthlessness remained.
He stroked his arm repeatedly before turning to Loweis. “Are you going to tell the story yourself, or should I ask her?”
“I’ll tell it myself. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you from the start.” Loweis shifted to sit upright. It was clear he held a great deal of respect for Sawn, despite Sawn being many years younger.
But before Loweis could speak, Sawn cut in.
“With skills like yours, why were you selling services at a brothel? Ah… well, I’ll try to understand. Sometimes life doesn't give you choices. I’m close with Yang Mei, the madam there. Are you close with her?” What on earth was he talking about? Who was Yang Mei? I felt a nagging sense of suspicion.
“Uh… I don’t know her.” How could I? I had only been staying there for three days.
“How long have you worked there? What tribe are you from? Your face looks Korean, doesn’t it? A beauty like you must have many regular clients. My Yang Mei has clients who offer to take care of her, too. You’re lucky Loweis is taking you in.”
I sat there, forcing myself to keep my mouth shut while being viewed in such a light. His imagination had wandered so far that I couldn't even picture what was in his head, but I believed that silence would be the best passport for now.
Loweis burst into laughter… “It’s not like that. I was ordered to come pick her up.”
“Pick her up why? Who is she?” Sawn turned around, frowning, and rubbed his face with his hand. I suspected he had some skin condition; the scratches from his rubbing and scratching were starting to leave red marks.
“She sent her story to a friend in Switzerland, and that friend forwarded it to a news agency. I was then sent to get her out of China.”
“Complicated, isn't it? Are you already bored of that profession?” Sawn was still insisting on labeling me as a service worker.
I bowed my head respectfully so as not to provoke his irritation… “I just want to get as far away from here as possible.”
“She has information about 'White Silence,' and that is the reason why I had to ask to hitch a ride on your trailer truck.”
“Ah, I see.” Sawn nodding meant they must have discussed this to some extent already.
“Why didn't you take a plane? Why hide in my truck?”
“You know how big the news about White Silence leaking from China is. She’s a target too. I chose this way because you once told me that trailer trucks have stickers for unrestricted passage—that the police never check them anyway.”
“See? We almost got screwed just now. We’re off the designated route, so the stickers can’t help us. But regarding you hiding her on my truck, you’ll have to talk to my boss yourself. I’m not helping you with that.”
“I’ll talk to him. I don’t think he’ll mind. What is wrong with you anyway? Why are you applying balm so often?” Loweis wrinkled his nose, frowning as he watched Sawn rub his arm. I wondered the same thing; he had good looks but lost all his personality because of this constant scratching.
“I’m itchy.”
“Did you catch something? Maybe you picked up an STD from hanging around those brothels?” Loweis chuckled.
“I know how to protect myself. It’s not that.” Sawn stole a glance at me before staring out into the darkness.
“I apologize about Joo-yeon once again. I’ll talk to Jetdoe myself.”
Sawn looked up at the rearview mirror to lock eyes with me… “Who are you?”
I flinched at the question; it felt like a direct punch. I quickly covered it up with a sweet smile and bowed my head, remaining still as I gave a formal introduction…
“Hi! It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please take care of me.”
“Hi! How long have you been working at that brothel?” He made me trip over that prostitute label yet again, but I felt relieved, thinking he might have caught on to the lie.
Didn't he listen to a single word of Loweis’s explanation? … “I don't work that kind of job.”
“Come on, I understand. It’s a shame you don't know Yang Mei. She even went to work in Poland once.”
“And your point is?” I thought Sawn was completely failing to grasp the point of the conversation, which was why he still insisted I was a prostitute.
“Yang Mei has friends abroad just like you do.” He smiled, showing his canines and dimples, which made his face stand out, but I felt like chopping him in the neck until he passed out.
“You’re mistaken. Truly.”
“Did you steal from a client? What did you steal from those bald guys? Is that why they're chasing us—because you stole from them?” This guy was just making things up as he went. Instead of feeling angry, I found myself smiling at his leading way of trying to frame me for an answer.
“I didn't do it, and I don't sell services either.”
He acted as if I were lying about the facts, or perhaps he saw me as a meaningless, errored-out "Bug." Or maybe he was intentionally using a strategy to trick me into talking…
“But those two friends of yours already admitted that you’re the one who swiped something from a client. I’m guessing it was a necklace. If you’re planning to leave China, it’s better not to start a criminal record.”
I was starting to catch on. That sympathetic look in his eyes was a grade-school performance I could see right through. I wasn't angry in the least. I hid a smile behind my hand and answered slowly and clearly… “Read my lips: I don't know them, and I don't sell services. And just who are those two people you're talking about?”
“You really don't know?”
“I confirm it.” I was secretly curious about these fellow fugitives he mentioned.
“Then how do you know how to hack at this level? If you aren't a service worker, then who exactly are you?” Those sharp eyes stared back once more. I couldn't predict his movements or figure out his angle at all—was he brilliant or just a fool?
“I taught myself from the black market. Everyone who opposes the central government knows how to use these things.” The best path was to throw some local context at him; such matters aren't common knowledge.
“Really?” Sawn was stunned for a moment before turning to Loweis. “Is that true?”
“I’m just finding this out myself,” Loweis said with a strained smile.
“Man! If you’re going to take a wife, how can you know so little? Taking a woman like this into your home—watch out, or she’ll hack your bank account dry!”
“Hahaha!” I wasn't angry at him at all; in fact, I found myself liking this man. His eyes were too clear to harbor the malice his words suggested. Within his harshness, there was a hidden kindness.
He frowned, staring at my face through the mirror, and swayed as he fell into thought for a while. Then, he reached back to scratch his back and picked up the radio…
“Bro!... I think we have a lot to talk about,” Sawn spoke into the radio, his tone shifting instantly from mocking to deadly serious. “This woman is more tight-lipped than you’d think... and that story about her stealing from a client? Something feels off about it, Bro.”
“Jetdoe!” A heavy, commanding voice barked back through the radio static. “Sawn, find a place to park that truck. I’m going to drag those two down and settle this once and for all!”
Sawn slammed the radio back into its place. He let out a long sigh while locking eyes with me through the mirror once more. This time, no trace of playfulness remained—only a suspicion that had yet to find its answer.
“Get ready...” he murmured softly.
“My boss isn't as kind as I am. If he catches you playing tricks... I don't care if you're a god-tier hacker from heaven, he’ll hack you to pieces without mercy.”
I could see the faint lights of a small village in the distance ahead. My breath began to hitch once more. The brief moment of peace within this truck was coming to an end, and the next battlefield wouldn't be on a laptop screen—it would be a confrontation with reality... and the mysterious fellow fugitives in the truck behind us who were waiting to tear me apart.
I slowly folded my ThinkPad screen down. The heat from the machine still lingered on my lap... much like the truth I was hiding, which was hot enough to incinerate everyone in this truck if I ever decided to reveal it.
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