Adam Johnson - The Orphan Master's Son

“Go below,” the Captain told Jun Do, “and tell me what you hear.”

But it was too late. A moment later, the fog flashing clear, the steady bow of an American frigate was visible. The Junma pitched for all it was worth, but there was barely any motion from the American ship, whose rail was lined with men holding binoculars. Then, an inflatable boarding craft was upon them, and the Americans were throwing lines. Here were the men who wore size fifteen shoes.

For the first few minutes, the Americans were all business, following a procedure that involved the crisp leveling and lifting of their black rifles. They made their way through the pilothouse and galley into the quarters below. From the deck, you could hear them move through the ship, shouting “clear-clear-clear” the whole way.

With them was a South Korean Navy officer who stayed up top while the Americans secured the ship. The ROK officer was crisp in his white uniform, and his name was Pak. His helmet was white with black and light-blue bands, rimmed in polished silver. He demanded a manifest and registration of ship’s origin and the Captain’s license, none of which they had. Where was their flag, Pak wanted to know, and why hadn’t they answered when hailed?

The shrimp swung in the net. The Captain told the First Mate to dump it in the live well.

“No,” Pak said. He pointed at Jun Do. “That one will do it.”

Jun Do looked to the Captain. The Captain nodded. Jun Do went to the net and tried to steady it against the motion of the ship. Though he’d seen it done many times, he’d never actually dumped a haul. He found the release for the trap. He tried to time the swing of the net over the live well, thinking the catch would burst out, but when he pulled the cord, the shrimp came out in a stream that poured into the barrel, and swinging away dumped all along the deck, the gutterboards, and, finally, his boots.

“You didn’t look like a fisherman,” Pak said. “Look at your skin, look at your hands. Take off your shirt,” he demanded.

“I give the orders around here,” the Captain said.

“Take off your shirt, you spy, or I’ll have the Americans take it off for you.”

It only took a couple of buttons for Pak to see that Jun Do’s chest was without a tattoo.

“I’m not married,” Jun Do said.

“You’re not married,” Pak repeated.

“He said he’s not married,” the Captain said.

“The North Koreans would never let you out on the water if you weren’t married. Who would there be to throw in prison if you defected?”

“Look,” the Pilot said. “We’re fishermen and we’re headed back to port. That’s the whole story.”

Pak turned to the Second Mate. “What’s his name?” he asked, indicating Jun Do.

The Second Mate didn’t say anything. He looked at the Captain.

“Don’t look at him,” Pak said, and stepped closer. “What’s his position?”

“His position?”

“On the ship,” Pak said. “Okay, what’s your position?”

“Second mate.”

“Okay, Second Mate,” Pak said. He pointed at Jun Do. “This nameless guy here. What’s his position?”

The Second Mate said, “The third mate.”

Pak started laughing. “Oh, yes, the third mate. That’s great, that’s a good one. I’m going to write a spy novel and call it The Third Mate . You lousy spies, you make me sick. These are free nations you’re spying on, democracies you’re trying to undermine.”

Some of the Americans came up top. They had black smudges on their faces and shoulders from squeezing through tight, half-burned passages. Security sweep over, their rifles were on their backs, and they were relaxed and joking. It was surprising how young they were, this huge battleship in the hands of kids. Only now did they seem to notice all the shoes. One sailor picked up a shoe. “Damn,” he said. “These are the new Air Jordans—you can’t even get these in Okinawa.”

“That’s evidence,” Pak said. “These guys are all spies, and pirates and bandits, and we’re going to arrest them all.”

The sailor with the shoe looked at the fishermen with admiration. He said, “Smokey, smokey?” and offered them all a cigarette. Only Jun Do took him up on it, a Marlboro, very rich. His lighter was emblazoned with a smiling cruise missile whose wing was a flexed biceps. “My man,” the sailor said. “North Koreans gettin’ all bandity.”

Two other sailors were shaking their heads at the condition of the ship, especially the way the bolts for the lifelines had rusted out. “Spies?” one of them asked. “They don’t even have radar. They’re using a fucking compass. There are no charts in the chart room. They’re dead reckoning this bitch around.”

“You don’t know how devious these North Koreas are,” Pak countered. “Their whole society is based on deception. You wait, we’ll tear this boat apart, and you’ll know I’m right.” He bent down and opened the hatch to the forward hold. Inside were thousands of small mackerel, mouths open from being frozen alive.

Jun Do understood suddenly that they’d laugh at his equipment if they found it, that they’d tear it out and drag it into the bright lights and laugh at how he had it all rigged. And then he’d never hear an erotic tale from Dr. Rendezvous again, he wouldn’t know if the Russian prisoners got paroled, it would be an eternal mystery if his rowers made it home, and he had had enough of eternal mysteries.

A sailor came out of the pilot house wearing the DPRK flag as a cape.

“Motherfucker,” another sailor accosted him. “How the fuck did you end up with that? You are the sorriest sailor in the Navy, and I will be taking that from you.”

Another sailor came up from below. His name tag read, “Lieutenant Jervis,” and he had a clipboard. “Do you have any life vests?” he asked the crew.

Jervis tried to mime a vest, but the crew of the Junma shook their heads no. Jervis checked a box on his list. “How about a flare gun?” he asked and mimed shooting in the air.

“Never,” the Captain said. “No guns on my ship.”

Jervis turned to Pak. “Are you a translator or what?” he asked.

“I’m an intelligence officer,” he answered.

“Would you just fucking translate for once?”

“Didn’t you hear me, they’re spies!”

“Spies?” Jervis asked. “Their ship is half-burned. They don’t even have a shitter on this thing. Just ask them if they’ve got a fire extinguisher.”

Jun Do’s eyes lit up.

“Look,” Pak said, “that one completely understood you. They probably all speak English.”

Jervis mimed a fire extinguisher, sound effects and all.

The Machinist clasped his hands as if in prayer.

Even though he had a radio, Jervis yelled up to the ship, “We need a fire extinguisher.”

There was some discussion up there. Then came the response: “Is there a fire?”

“Jesus,” Jervis yelled. “Just send one down.”

Pak said, “They’ll just sell it on the black market. They’re bandits, a whole nation of them.”

When Jun Do saw a red fire extinguisher descend from that battleship on a rope, he suddenly understood that the Americans were going to let them go. He’d barely spoken English before, it had never been part of his training, but he sounded out, “Life raft.”

Jervis looked at him. “You don’t have a life raft?”

Jun Do shook his head no.

“And send down an inflatable,” Jervis yelled up to the ship.

Pak was at the edge of losing it. He took his helmet off and ran his fingers along the surface of his flattop. “Isn’t it obvious why they’re not allowed to have a raft?”

“I got to hand it to you,” Jervis said to Pak. “I think you’re right about that one understanding English.”