Chapter 217.1

Chapter 217.1

Seoryeong pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment, debating whether to hang up.

She’d swallowed her pride to bring up money, and suddenly some unknown young man on the other end had burst into tears.

Was I too abrupt? Her cold face blurred with awkwardness. The way he went “boo-hoo, boo-hoo” made no sense to her, and she began regretting she’d said anything at all.

She scratched her forehead, but when she asked him to wire the money to the shop first, he started yelling, “How much, how much do you need?!” so loudly she had to hold the phone far away again.

“Uh… about 140 rubles…”

That was roughly 2,000 won in her country. But then he started babbling about how, because of withdrawal limits, he couldn’t send twenty million won immediately but could wire her 150 a day. Clenching her teeth, she cut him off: “No, 2,000 won. Two thousand.”

‘Channa, where are you, who are you working with?’ She felt suffocated in another sense.

—Then, from now on, I’ll guide you to the anja (safe house)…!

With a loud blow of his nose, he exclaimed:

—Please delete the call history from that phone and wait at the location I give you. We need to hide you first. There, you’ll find Ma—no, hy—no, Ma’am’s passport, money, and clothes. It’s originally the safe house assigned to Team Leader Lee Wooshin, but at his request your things were prepared there in advance…

“Wait, what did you just say?”

At the unexpected name, Seoryeong froze white. She frowned and asked again.

“…Who? Lee Wooshin?”

—…Huh?

From there the whole conversation tangled. The once-shy voice suddenly turned cold.

“Did you just say Lee Wooshin?”

—Uh… yes. Yes, I did. I’m sorry. I don’t know the Team Leader’s whereabouts either…

A deep furrow dug between her brows.

“If you lie or dodge, I’ll find you myself.”

—What?

“Answer me. Who are you to know my husband’s name and be holding Channa’s phone?”

—Huh?

“Put Channa on right now. If you don’t, I’m calling the police.”

At her voice turning colder and colder, he audibly panicked on the other end.

—No, no, please, I-I mean, I’m sorry for the late introduction! I’m Backup Agent Na Wonchang. I have been assisting Team Leader Lee Wooshin for about four and a half years, Ma’am! It’s an honor to finally speak with you! I’ve wanted to- no, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you!

Backup… agent? Her eyebrows shot up.

—I’ve been watching over you for a very long time.

“….”

—So please, don’t call the police, and please, don’t be startled! The Team Leader said the time had come to introduce me properly. If it hadn’t been for Agent Yoo Dawit, I’d have greeted you much more smoothly!

Then the young man said, “One moment!” and began clattering at a keyboard, producing a file. He played an audio, consisting of Lee Wooshin’s voice.

—Enough. Drink some water, steady your voice, then talk to Seoryeong. I’ll have you introduce yourself through this earpiece soon… My wife’s very anxious, so don’t spout nonsense. If you don’t want to die, keep your head down. Chest…–

The file cut off abruptly. Seoryeong felt like her heart had stopped at the sudden sound of his voice. She wanted to replay it but it was as if a hot lump had blocked her throat.

Then a tense voice came through stiffly:

—Then… from now on, may I stay by your side?

“Answer me one more thing first.”

The young man answered loudly, “Yes!”

Seoryeong rubbed at the dark rings around her eyes and watched the crowds gather with memorial placards.

She pressed the temple she had tested with the barrel of a gun with her own finger this time.

“What are the chances that Lee Wooshin really died?”

*

After Na Wonchang gave her the safe house location and the password, Seoryeong crossed a dark alley and went inside.

The password was their first wedding anniversary, and the moment the door opened her legs gave out and she sank down.

She forced off the heavy boots and found that her frozen toenails had cracked and split, leaving wounds. She soaked a towel in hot water, wrapped it around her hardened feet, and massaged them repeatedly.

Every time she closed her eyes, Lee Wooshin’s last image kept returning, but when that afterimage choked her, she shook her head to clear it.

A long silence answered the question about whether he could be dead. That was fine. How many times had the world already deceived her?

At first, people had asked where her legal husband was and pointed fingers, saying her schizophrenia had returned. Now, everyone except her stood to mourn Lee Wooshin.