Chapter 211.1

Chapter 211.1

Because Lee Wooshin was publicly known as blind, he wrapped his eyes thickly in bandages and waited for his guest. In the meantime, fragments of information about Yoo Dawit flashed through his mind.

A rare case; a man who switched from seminary studies to a military career. Former airborne special forces, deployed overseas as part of an EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) unit.

Over the past six months, Wooshin had ordered an analysis of Yoo Dawit’s activities and physical data through comparison programs. His subordinates had carried out the command in complete silence, like a bowstring drawn tight.

Jaw clenched, Wooshin wondered what reason Yoo Dawit could possibly have for coming all the way to Russia, but no plausible excuse came to mind.

Then, a knock echoed through the drawing room. A moment later, the door opened, and the firm sound of footsteps approached with confidence.

“Team Leader, it’s been a while.”

Wooshin tilted his head toward the direction of the voice.

“What brings you here?”

He tapped the armrest of the sofa lightly, pretending to be relaxed, though his mind was burning with frustration.

With his eyes bound, he couldn’t check on Seoryeong’s bedroom through the monitor, and the anxiety clawing at his chest was unbearable.

The CCTV feed from her room was linked only to his private monitor, shared with no one else, and being cut off from it left him inexplicably uneasy, as if something were happening he couldn’t see.

The sooner he sent Yoo Dawit away and went to her, the better he’d feel.

“You owe me an explanation, Agent Yoo Dawit.”

“I came to apologize.”

His voice was still thick and heavy. Among the temperamental Ki Taemin and the energetic Jin Hojae, Yoo Dawit had always been the quiet, steady force that held the team together.

The creak of the leather sofa told Wooshin he had sat down.

“I think I spoke about Prime Minister Solzhenitsyn too casually in front of you before. I may have been out of line.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“No, it’s been bothering me.”

“.…”

“How could you be the prime minister’s grandson, Team Leader?”

The once-reticent subordinate spoke with a calm but faintly hurt tone. But in one earpiece, He Channa’s sharp whisper cut in.

— Don’t believe him, sir. Agent Yoo Dawit, he’s smiling right now.

Wooshin ran his tongue slowly along the inside of his cheek.

“Even with your face covered, I recognized you right away. You saved my life in that minefield, how could I ever forget?”

If he failed to read the man’s intentions, the disadvantage would be his. Wooshin leaned back deeply in his seat, wearing a mask of indifference.

Just then, Na Wonchang came back on the line, his tone uneasy.

— Team Leader, something’s off about this guy. Agents Ki Taemin and Jin Hojae are serving six-month sentences in prison, but Yoo Dawit was the only one given a suspended sentence. He left for the United States right after.

Had it been a mistake not to keep tabs on Blast Agency? Maybe he’d been too consumed with finding his wife. Even hearing his former team members’ names again after so long felt strangely distant.

To Wooshin, Blast had been nothing more than a cover job. His mission there as an undercover agent had long been completed. The company’s CEO, Kang Taegon, had already been arrested for violating the National Security Act and for illicit lobbying.

But this unexpected piece of information sent a chill through his gut. It wasn’t enough. He needed more intel.

“As you can see, I can’t see a thing,” Wooshin said flatly. “So I can’t tell what your face looks like, Agent Yoo. Tell me, are you still wearing that ‘cross piercing’ today?”

“Sir?”

“It stuck with me, you know. I always wondered what made such a devout man suddenly quit seminary and enlist in the army. At first, I thought it was just vanity or hypocrisy.”

It was a signal to Na Wonchang. Please, just pick up on it.

— Yes, Team Leader! I’ll dig into his seminary years right away!

For once, the idiot actually understood immediately.

“There wasn’t any special reason,” Yoo Dawit said. “I heard the voice of the Lord.”

“What kind of voice?”

“He told me to prepare for a single battle.”

“.…”

“He’s my savior.”

Wooshin rubbed the back of his stiff neck, irritation tightening his shoulders. He knew he had to wait for Wonchang to finish the second background check, but he wanted nothing more than to throw this man out.

Was Seoryeong still asleep? The restless urgency flaring in him made his clenched teeth ache. Still, he kept the conversation going to buy his subordinates more time.

“What have you been doing since Blast Agency fell apart? Do you know what happened to the others?”

“Don’t you know anything, Team Leader?”

“About what?”

Wooshin tilted his foot casually, his tone calm and low.

“You pinned everything on the others, didn’t you? And you’re the only one who walked away with a suspended sentence.”

“…”

“Weren’t you the commander of the Special Operations team?”

“And where did you disappear, Team Leader? Russia, of all places?”

The tension between them thickened into silence.

“During questioning, I said your name dozens of times, yet there wasn’t a single record of you anywhere. It was like yelling at a wall. We crossed life-and-death moments together, and yet nothing remains under the name Lee Wooshin? Not a trace?”

“.…”

“Strange, isn’t it? Unless someone erased you on purpose. It was frustrating, and terrifying. Felt like I’d been haunted by a ghost. So what was it, then? Was Russia your backup?”

“Just tell me why you’re here.”

Wooshin cut him off, his tone cold and final.