Chapter 258.2

Chapter 258.2

Seoryeong would often write brief messages like “Sorry,” “Miss you,” or “Love you” on thin tissue paper, show them to the camera, and then destroy the evidence. When steam fogged the mirror during a shower, she would write with her finger and erase it.

‘….’

But Wooshin clenched his molars because of the sight of his wife’s bare skin and wet hair reflected in the mirror.

Don’t you dare show even a single strand of that wet hair outside the bathroom. He wanted to utter that threat, not a request.

When she adjusted the direction of her necklace, supposedly to show her face, her full chest brushed across the screen.

Wooshin buried his head in his desk. It was a moment where he found it utterly impossible to bear the longing. Such agony visited him constantly.

‘Director, please rest a little. A person needs to sleep, why does your face look so haggard!’

When he came to his senses, the morning sun was rising outside the window. The red sun crossed the office and shone on him, but Wooshin remained motionless.

He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he monitored through the night for fear Tae Mu-kyung might enter his wife’s room.

Thus, clinging to the task day and night, the preparations were soon complete. The Owl, whom He Channa checked on minute by minute, was safe, and everything seemed to be proceeding without issue. He was convinced of it.

“The departure is tonight.”

With squelching steps on the wet tile, Wooshin stood before the mirror.

Droplets flowed between his firm abdominal muscles, drawing lines as they fell. After briefly staring at his reflection, the man brought the disguise mask he was holding up to his face.

The thin, flexible material felt no different from real skin. His long fingers gripped the edges of the mask, while his other hand smoothed it meticulously over his eye sockets and jawline.

The mask continued seamlessly over the still-damp areas of his neck and jaw, completely concealing his original face.

“….”

A completely different person now stood reflected in the mirror. Wooshin slowly turned his head, examining the new face from all angles. Ordinary, and plain. The face of long ago was staring back at him.

A face vividly reproduced with wrinkles, pores, even fine moles. Ah…. I shouldn’t feel this way, so why do I keep feeling like I’m falling in love?

A laugh escaped him suddenly. But the expressionless face showed no agitation, no hesitation.

Twelve hours from South Korea to Moscow. Another eight hours from Moscow to the Kursk region. The Kursk region, where the North Korean POW camp was located, was experiencing frequent armed clashes like drone attacks and artillery fire. Naturally, access was extremely dangerous.

But he had already assembled a security team from Yuz Company agents and sent them ahead locally. Wooshin planned to join them last and infiltrate as the Owl’s neighbor.

On the way to the airport, outside, he pulled his carry-on and finished putting on his winter coat.

All the way to the parking lot, he kept checking Seoryeong’s signals on his tablet. Over the past few days, this had solidified into a habit as natural as breathing.

The sleek car body sped down the long, straight highway. The speedometer needle gradually tilted to the right, and Wooshin gripped the steering wheel even tighter. It was a moment when a relaxed hum was about to flow out unknowingly.

“―!”

An unfamiliar alarm sounded from the tablet. An intense vibration also surged from his linked watch, assaulting his wrist. To make matters worse, his phone began to ring. All systems were failing simultaneously.

Frowning, Wooshin checked the name on the screen and his face hardened further. It was from someone he had deliberately distanced himself from ever since Seoryeong joined the NIS and he started his business…. A relationship that should have no reason for contact.

―Team Leader…. I’m s-sorry…. I’ve left the National Intelligence Service.

A sense of foreboding spread through his entire body. The voice, choked with tears, belonged to Na Wonchang, who still couldn’t change the way he addressed him.

I know you’re NIS. But the fact that you’re formally announcing this to me means….

―Before it hits the media…. I’m contacting you first….