Chapter 214.1

Chapter 214.1

The train rattled, jolting side to side. The haze that had dulled her mind shattered like thin ice as Seoryeong’s eyes flew open.

Endless plains stretched outside the window, and beyond them, jagged mountains pierced the sky.

Wow!

Her dazed reflection flickered across the fast-moving glass.

She was on a train. Right, she must have been moved here. Seoryeong secretly clenched and unclenched her fists, focusing on regaining control over her body.

What had happened to the mansion? To the soldiers in brown uniforms who had tried to protect her until the end?

And her instructor, was he hurt? He couldn’t be hurt.

A wave of nervousness rushed through her chest. Thinking of Lee Wooshin made her nose sting and her heart melt in helplessness. But then, a cold voice struck the back of her mind.

Do you know why people usually die at the very end? Because they don’t have the strength to take that one more step. That’s why we train until we’re half-dead on someone else’s dime. To learn how to move even when it feels like you’re dying. So, what are you going to do here?

The words from her training flashed through her mind. Seoryeong looked down at the handcuffs cutting into her wrists and the electronic shackle fastened around her ankles. She forced herself to shake off the weakness.

He had always said that saving one’s own life was a habit an agent must develop. But Wooshin would come for her; of that, she was certain. So she had to be ready to escape when he did.

She turned her head. Aside from the rhythmic clatter of the train, the silence around her felt unnatural. There wasn’t another passenger in sight.

“Finally awake, huh.”

The voice came from the doorway. Someone stepped in and dropped heavily into the seat across from her. Seoryeong’s eyes widened in disbelief. She blinked slowly, unable to speak.

“Why are you here, Senior?”

Yoo Dawit wiped his slick face with a towel, a mix of blood and grease smeared across his skin. His head was wrapped in bandages, his thigh bound tight with a black compression strap, and yet he moved casually, as if he were just freshening up. Every time their eyes met, an unsettling feeling rippled through her.

“Is Blast Agency involved in this mission? Or maybe, no, that can’t be right.”

The Blast Agency had fallen. The CEO had been arrested, and the special operations team disbanded long ago. That was six months ago. So why was Agent Yoo Dawit sitting right in front of her now?

“When we get to America, you’ll become one of the faithful, too.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

A sharp pain pulsed at her temple. None of it made sense.

“The one I serve said that once we bring you in and run some tests, everything will be clear. You’ll be working for America from now on.”

“I can barely speak English, and you expect me to work there?”

“You can learn the language. No, that’s not what I meant.”

“What era do you think this is? Who kidnaps people for job placement these days?”

Her face twisted in disgust. He had always been blunt but knowledgeable, the kind of mentor she turned to whenever she hit a wall. Now, she only felt betrayal.

Yoo Dawit stared intently at her forehead, then tapped his own head.

“I’ve been thinking maybe you’ve got something in yours, too.”

“What?”

“Something in your head. Something you heard.”

“…!”

“For example, a chip.”

At that moment, a huge blast rocked the train, and Seoryeong slammed forward, hitting her forehead against the window.

Oof!

She squinted through the swollen lids and peered out to see orange sparks snapping along the tracks. Against the darkened glass, the ominous sparks stood out all the more.

“You asked me when we returned from Sakhalin, remember. What is the sign of the beast.”

Seoryeong’s face hardened like stone. She already knew, from what she had heard through Wooshin, what the Sakhalin monastery and Winter Castle had done together, and what the heavy knot in her head had been.

There was no need to pretend she didn’t.

“For the record, I have something inside me. Most of the people I worked with are similar. They may not be saints, but we were miraculously given new lives, and you’ll be one of them soon.”

Now his intent became clear. She realized he was an American stooge, and her lips twisted.

Joo Seolheon had warned them to be wary of both the Americans and the Russians. Lying in Wooshin’s arms that long night, she had heard many stories. At the time she hadn’t felt much, but facing a real, threatening attack now, she began to understand how long he had fought alone.

“There is something inside my head.”

Seoryeong glared at the traitor across from her.

“It’s all Wooshin anyway.”

Her clear eyes flashed dangerously as she lifted a corner of her mouth.

“There is nothing in my head but him.”

“Han Seoryeong, don’t joke around.”

“Even if you cut my head open, you’d find nothing but Wooshin.”

She kicked Yoo Dawit’s seat hard, then continued in a cold voice.

“So go ahead and try. You’ll gain nothing.”

Hearing her firm words, Yoo Dawit sighed.

“Think carefully. If you don’t come with us now, this chase will never end. Over time, your family will suffer. Your husband, maybe even the children you might have one day.”

Her expression stiffened for a moment.

“If you don’t come now, I’ll appear in your life like a curse when you’re happiest. Do you want to spend your life running in fear?”

The baseless threat made Seoryeong clench her fist.