The flying boat was taxing through the calm, majestic blue water of Java bay like a white little toy plane leaving two parallel waves behind its floats.
Arya was checking on the readings carefully. Last night, she sneaked into her apartment, took whatever was necessary in a backpack, and here they were now, in the latest model twin otter amphibian plane.

She didn't know how Jin managed, but general Jeon Jae su indeed secured a flying permit and let Jin take his plane. They stopped in Thailand, Guam, and Java island for refueling in the middle.

"Care to explain where we are setting to?"
Arya finally asked. She slept almost the whole way through the whole day.

"It's an island near Marshal archipelagos."

"What is the name?"

"Local name is Petlas. Chamorro for Pearl. Chamorros are indigenous people living there for eons. It's a small island with a very insignificant coral atoll belt around it. It is far from the shipping route, so tourists or outsiders go there rarely."

"Which country owns this island?" Arya asked curiously, "normally these are occupied by the American and the French, right?"

"The bigger ones, yes. But tiny ones like Petlas which are far from the archipelago are just spared and given to the sole ownership." Jin said from the pilot seat.

"Don't tell me..." Arya frowned and seeing Jin not defending or saying anything otherwise, her eyes widened, "hell no! Your father owns this?"

"It was purchased for a project, he bought it under his name by the instruction of the government. But the project was declared abolished a few years after it started. And he took the opportunity to cut the government tie with the island, refunded them, and became a sole owner."

"You are saying it like it's a piece of cake!" Arya was still dumbfounded,
"Hell, man! How rich you are? Why didn't I get this much money when I was in force? I remember I was almost broke!"

"Well, You weren't a high-end general during the colonial period or you didn't establish a shipping company across the world back then, did you?"

"Whoa! Who the hell in your family did that? Which grandpa?" Arya's eyes were already almost popping out of her socket.

"Someone in the past. Where did all the fortunes come from you think?"

"I thought probably you guys go incognito at night and come around doing bank robbery." Arya shrugged and looked at Jin and realized a slight, very slight curve in the corner of his lips.

"Oh my God!"

Jin instantly frowned with her loud gasp and quickly looked around,
"What happened?"

"You just smiled!"

"No, I didn't." Jin's face was again straight.

"You did." Arya dismissed him, "but I need to see it once more. Can you do it again?"

"No."

"Jin...can I ask something?"
Arya suddenly changed the topic.

Jin quietly took a glance at her face and nodded a little.

"You never went to the vacations during our time in the academy, always participated in the additional courses, because...you felt you have to do it?"

Jin remained silent.

"Is it because of your father...his expectations over you?"

"Uncle." Jin corrected her quietly.

"But they did adopt you, didn't they?"

Jin again was silent. Casual quiet Jin was back unlike the little laid-back one a few minutes ago.

"You never actually liked in there?"

"They showed me mercy and care. The least I could do was try my best for what they expect from me."

"I can't believe you never liked that. I always thought it was your passion. How come someone is so good at what they not into?" Arya frowned heavily.

"I never said I didn't like it." Jin reminded her.

"But you didn't agree either."

"I didn't like it at first. But someone taught me that flying is a beautiful thing. It is like..."

"Meditation." Arya sighed softly, "It's like growing a pair of wings that takes you so high up that no earthly filth can touch you anymore. It's like magic. It's like snatching back the powers taken from us. Like a..."

"Complex symphony of freedom and spirituality." Jin completed her sentence.

"Who taught you that?"

"Someone." Jin shrugged a little, "she was Obsessed with flying."

That must be Soojin. Arya thought. He was her wingman, right?

"Then why did you resign, Jin?" Arya looked at him straight away.

Jin again was silent.

"And why didn't you leave NIS either, Jin?" Arya's voice was becoming more precise this time.

Jin was about to start but restrained himself and held back.

"Speak it out, Jin. You know what am I wanting to know. I have read your file, remember?"

"Let it be, Arya. It's in the past." Jin slowly dismissed the conversation.

"For you, maybe." Arya agreed instantly, "for me, it's all-new. Very new. And that's why I need to know why I did everything I did back then."

Jin was silent.

"Look Jin, NIS treated you terribly. Your juniors were promoted before you, they got the higher position, you got the most dangerous field operations. After all these years, you are still a field agent. "

"Things have changed."

"Yes, after cheif took you into NIS special branch. You are mentoring others now, you are even the legendary honourary trainer at The Pit. Things have changed, I know. But why didn't you quit before when you were in NIS as if in the general branch? Working in humility seemed fun to you?" Arya's voice was rising.

"Calm down." Jin stopped her.

"You know I have read your file. I know that I caused all these. I ruined your whole career for you. You are stuck there in a normal position where a person like you deserves to fly!"

"Arya..."

"What happened, Jin?" The pleadings in Arya's voice were prominent.

"Nothing." Jin dismissed her.

"What happened that I filed a harassment report against you to HR?"

Jin was again quiet.

"I have read it all, Jin. Before my complaints, You were chosen as the head of the espionage and agents. It is the most prestigious position any agent can ever get at such an age. But..."

"I told you not to bother." Jin's voice was a bit strict this time.

"Jin, I filed a sexual harassment complaint against you damn it!" Arya almost yelled at him, "I know I wouldn't do anything without a cause, but if an angel comes out of the ocean right now and tells me that you sexually harassed me back then, I'd still refuse to believe. You never can do this. Never."

"Trust me this much?" Jin's voice was again, calm.

"More than myself." Arya didn't hesitate to reply.

Jin looked at her eyes for a few short seconds and he knew she meant what she said.

"Jin? Why the hell I did this?" Arya inquired.

"Who said you did something wrong?" Jin frowned a little.

"You are saying I did right by reporting you? That means you...?"

"Please, Arya. I don't want to talk about it." This time Jin's voice held something that Arya decided to stop. But she refused to believe with all her existence that Jin did something inappropriate back then. Then why did she do this?

"I am dropping this." Arya sighed,
"For now."

Jin nodded a little in acknowledgment.

"Now let's talk about what happened in that restaurant yesterday."

Jin was silent again.

"Why did you say that?"

"Why do you think?" Jin questioned her back.

"You tell me. You can't possibly mean that right?" Arya looked at him eagerly.

"What will happen if I say I did?" Jin calmly looked at Arya's eyes.

Arya broke into a nervous chuckle thinking the absurdity of it, "you are joking, right?"

Jin didn't answer.

"Right?" she again insisted for the confirmation.

Jin just casually avoided one wave and glided the flying boat above the water for a bit.

"Why am I being nervous about it though?" Arya suddenly giggled seeing Jin's little stunt right there, "I know it's not right. It's not possible."

"Why?" Jin was still calm.

"You see," Arya looked at him, "we have been friends for so long, it's not possible for changing things just like that."

Jin was silent once again.

"Why did you say things like that so suddenly?" Arya sighed, "you know you don't mean it like that."

Jin looked at Arya.

"Come on, Jin. Just tell me you didn't mean it."

"Will it put you at ease?" Jin asked.

"Well, definitely!" Arya stall, "I am banging my head mentally already. I don't know how to handle this thing so out of blue."

"Then think whatever you want." Jin dismissed her.

"Moreover, you had a date. You'd never go out with her if you didn't like her in the first place." Arya suddenly widened her eyes, "well, you never denied that you like her no matter how many times I teased you about her. Oh my!"

'I didn't admit it either."

"Well, that too." Arya sighed defeatedly and looked at him, "You are so complex, Jin. Can't you just say what is true?"

Jin shrugged defeatedly and exhaled a little breath and looked at her, "I met her during an assignment. And she asked me out for dinner. There."

"Ah! So it was her interest all along? Well, she is quite bold to ask you out I'll give her that." Arya admired.
"Most girls are just intimidated by you. It's so difficult to have a conversation with you."

"You never had a problem with that," Jin remarked nonchalantly.

Arya smiled. It was indeed true. She never felt intimidated by Jin, nor did she ever felt like not talking to him. It was the opposite. Though Jin was irritated by her endless talking, she was always the one who ended up talking to him all by herself.

"You like her or not, you had a date. You ruined that."

"Well, it was you who ruined it first." Jin accused her nonchalantly.

"Sorry for that." Arya made puppy eyes and smiled.

"We're here." Jin indicated her in front.

Arya looked to the far end of the horizon through the front glass of the cockpit. There were no signs of land, but a greenish glow on the horizon. The emerald glow was unstably increasing and decreasing with time.
Arya knew sunlight entering the shallow water and reflecting and dispersing on the colorful corals underneath caused this glow. It can be seen from miles away even. Means there is an island there.
The scene was beautiful in the afternoon sun. He who is ignorant of the beauty around him can't even avert his gaze from this type of unreal beauty.

It took another ten minutes to reach the coral atoll. After docking the twin otter amphibian on the dock to the west side of the island, Jin got out of the aircraft and stepped on the pier. Arya followed him and a native Chamorro was waiting for them.

"Who is he?"
Arya indicated the man standing at the end of the pier.

"Chamiyu. Our foreman."

"For what?" Arya eyed him waiting for them at the end of the pier.

"For the pearl farms."

"What?" Arya widened her eyes thousands of times this day, "you have a pearl farm here?"

"Two."

"I think I am going nuts now!" Arya mumbled, "I need time to process."

"What is the benefit of having an island if you don't use it?"

"So your father grows pearl?"

"Uncle. And yes, heard the name Tahitian pearl? These grow in this water naturally. Refined quality."

"Tahitian pearl? That means...?" Arya tried to think.

"Black Pearl."

"Right." Arya just shut her mouth.

When they both reached the end of the pier, Chamiyu was waiting for them. He was a native guy, quite old though the well-built body tried to hide it but the grey in his long hair gave it up.
The man was short in stature, a bit buff, and had slick, long, and curly hair.

Jin bowed, "Hafa Adai, Chamiyu."

Chamiyu bowed back with hands clasping together and greeted Arya as well. With her utter surprise, Arya discovered that she knew the language and she was understanding what was the man saying to Jin.

They got off the pier. Curious natives were huddling together seeing the foreign curious thing that came from the sea with two wings. This flying boat was not new to them, every harvest season at the pearl farm, this plane or a schooner regularly comes, usually two times a year. But this time, the timing was off. The harvesting season was still far to come.

The island was indeed small like Jin said.
Not more than two miles in width in maximum and two and a half miles in length which turned out to be a crescent shape enclosing a lagoon in it surrounded by coral reefs and atolls. To the far east, a mountain was standing up high.

The population wasn't too many either. From what Jin said, more or less three hundred indigenous people live here. The number was high before.
But as the colonization started and people started visiting, the ships not only brought invaders, but also cholera, measles, chickenpox, and tuberculosis types of diseases with them.
The pure immune system collapsed and the population decreased like an epidemic spread.

The most common story of the native people of the Polynesian archipelagos.

Arya came out of her trance and concentrated on what Chamiyu saying.

"24 years. You took a long time to come back."

Jin didn't answer, just nodded a little.

"My father is going to be very happy to see you again. Master has contacted me before, said that you were coming, I have arranged whatever I can at this time. If you need anything more, tell me, we send schooner to Marshal islands every two weeks."

"Umm...excuse me?" Arya said in broken Chamorro, "why he was here 24 years ago?" she didn't try to ask Jin, cause she knew which source is bad for information exchange.

"Why wouldn't he?" Chamiyu frowned, "He was born here and he grew up here!"