Pauline begins to acknowledge her growing romantic feelings for Gus. South Korea destroys a North Korean submarine off the island of Jeju on its southern coast. The North begins cyber-attacks on the South and the US military bases housed in South Korea, which is seen as a dangerous escalation. Cyber-attacks are often a precursor to military attacks. Gus tells Pauline he is willing to wait until she is no longer president to be with her. Pauline shows humility and concern about decisions she may need to make. North Korea launches missiles at the South, but because they are not nuclear, it is seen as retaliatory rather than an act of war. The readiness level of the US is raised to DEFCON 3.

Abdul realizes he is in love with Kiah. He sees North Korea’s attack on the South on television. He also hears Kiah’s son call him “Daddy” (613).

Kai asks his wife, Ting, to leave town, but she refuses to go without him. His boss resigns as he is dying of cancer, and Kai realizes accusations against his wife were aimed to prevent him from promotion. The North Korean dictator is convinced China will save him from the rebels in his country and from a South Korean invasion.