Chapter 210.2

Chapter 210.2

“Hyun was actually Lee Wooshin…”

It was a sound he hadn’t heard in a long time; her rare, precious laughter. Seoryeong laughed out loud, her eyes curling beautifully, and Wooshin just stood there, stunned, before finally exhaling the breath he’d been holding.

Maybe it was the guilt lodged in his throat, something that would never fade in this lifetime, but he let go of all pride and lunged forward again.

He covered her face with kisses, pressing his lips everywhere, and she burst into laughter once more, melting against him. Wooshin studied her radiant expression as if memorizing every detail before claiming her lips again in a deep, tender kiss.

“I still can’t believe you,” he murmured.

Under the shower of stars, their lips met once more.

*

— …
— …

Wooshin sighed, weary of the silence blasting into both ears like artillery fire. What the hell were these idiots thinking? He had expected them to start shouting any second, their nagging loud enough to burst his eardrums, but instead, they were terrifyingly quiet.

Since he had vowed never to keep secrets from Seoryeong again, he had decided to turn the earpiece back on and reconnect his cane communicator, which he’d kept powered off all this time.

“Why the hell is this backup so bad?”

Just as he wondered if the signal was cutting out, he heard shaky breathing, someone trembling with anger. Wooshin realized immediately that this silence was their way of protesting.

“Did you lose your rookie nerves again? Stop getting emotional and focus.”

At that rebuke, someone on the left channel ground their teeth audibly. Judging by the half-hearted sound, the one brimming with resentment was probably Na Wonchang.

Even without words, Wooshin could feel his disapproval pressing through the silence and rubbed his forehead.

“I was going to tell you anyway.”

— I knew it!

— Don’t make any statements yet! Be quiet and let me talk!

The moment he started speaking, both voices exploded at once. Wooshin winced at the noise.

“Listen carefully. Here’s what happened.”

— No, I don’t need excuses. I can’t do this anymore. I really can’t! Team Leader, do you remember what you told me? You said being ‘Owl’s husband’ was my calling! That’s why you quit the NIS! You said the second marriage wasn’t a cover, that it was real! And now you’re saying one thing and doing another? How could you, how could you have two women at once? Was it Natalia’s chest? Was that it? You just couldn’t resist her chest, huh?

“…”

— And do you know how shocked He Channa was? The girl who’s supposed to grow up seeing only the good side of South Korea! The moment the line cut off, she just kept laughing! Do you understand what kind of trauma that is?!

―You stubborn old fool, that’s…!

Ugh, can’t you tell just by looking, can’t you?! The sound of He Channa pounding her chest came clearly through the line. Wooshin slowly turned his cane toward himself, glaring into the camera with a cold, menacing stare.

“Shut up before I come there myself.”

Silence fell immediately, like the calm after a storm. Pressing his aching temple, he checked the time.

He was going insane just leaving Seoryeong asleep in the bedroom for a few minutes. Even with the door locked and security cameras lining the hallway, he felt as if he’d left his heart behind in that room and couldn’t rest easy. Gripping his forehead, he finally spoke.

“I found Owl.”

— Excuse me?

“She was wearing Natalia’s face. I meant to tell you earlier, but I haven’t exactly had a spare moment.”

Na Wonchang gasped sharply and started coughing.

“Enough of that. Drink some water, clear your throat, and come back. I’m going to tell Seoryeong about this earpiece soon, so be ready to introduce yourselves.”

— Wait, wait, what? Introduce ourselves?

“My wife’s been really anxious, so keep your mouth shut, don’t spout nonsense, and if you want to live, know when to stop talking. Don’t mention anything about breasts, and only say decent, respectable things. I’ve got plenty of those, don’t I?”

— You mean… I’m supposed to introduce myself to Owl?

“Drop that clueless tone and sound trustworthy, Wonchang. Trustworthy.”

— What, do I look like some leaky bucket to you?

“You didn’t know? You’re a cracked gourd.”

— S-so this is like… an unofficial meeting with my sister-in-law, right? Okay, then I’ll look up the dictionary definition of ‘respectable’ first–

His voice wavered with nervous determination. Wooshin sighed hard and raked a hand through his hair in frustration before getting up from his seat. For a moment, he was tempted to just hide the earpiece again.

But he stopped himself.

Lying, even in small ways, one by one, they piled up until they grew out of control and cut into her heart. He couldn’t do that to her again.

He had spent his entire life concealing things, making secrecy his trade, but with the woman he was about to start anew with, he needed to change from the roots up.

If he could strip away the professional veil and introduce the subordinates he had never mentioned before, maybe her vague anxiety would ease, even just a little.

—But, Team Leader, we’ve got a problem. The dictionary says “respectable” means sound and sincere.

“Right, something like that.”

—Something like that… uh… You sincerely played the role of Kim Hyun… soundly got a tattoo on your cr*tch… sincerely ordered background checks on Owl… and soundly kissed that brown-haired foreign woman…

Wooshin slammed his forehead against the window and clenched his fist.

“You stupid son of a bitch who can’t tell day from night.”

—Why are you yelling? You did kiss her! You did! You kissed a woman who said no!

“Enough, shut it. Just shut it!”

Then, through the window, he caught sight of a black sedan stopping at the heavy front gate. He lifted his head, the heat in his face cooling instantly, and his eyes narrowed to slits.

“Check who’s visiting,” he ordered in a low voice.

The chaotic chatter in his earpiece immediately shifted into work mode, and the only sound left was the rapid clatter of typing.

—Uh!

Na Wonchang’s sharp intake of breath came the moment the car door opened.

Why is he here… He Channa muttered, confused but rigid.

A long leg stepped out from the driver’s seat first. A man in a neat suit looked up at the Solzhenitsyn estate with quiet curiosity.

His long hair was tied back neatly into a half-knot.

“It’s Yoo Dawit from the Blast Agency… upper field operative, sir.”