Chapter 262.1

Chapter 262.1

Where am I?

Seoryeong wetted her dry lips and muttered. Pain throbbed through her body as if someone had beaten her senseless.

She forced her eyes open. The blurred haze slowly cleared. She tried to scan her surroundings, but a chilling clank rang out, and her gaze dropped at once.

She lay inside a bathtub filled with cold water. Each time she struggled, water sloshed over the rim in heavy waves.

A silicone belly that looked nine months pregnant floated on the surface. Chains bound her arms and legs. Unknown wires coiled tightly around her wrists.

This is… dangerous…

The instant she opened her eyes, every fine hair on her body stood on end. Instinct warned her.

“Ha…”

How long have I been like this?

She found herself in a narrow, dark abandoned building. Before she could properly take in her surroundings, her pulse spiked. Something brushed against her toes. She swallowed a groan and hardened her already stiff expression.

An old, battered generator sat shoved against the tub, looking ready to roar to life at any second.

One flip of a switch would probably electrocute her. Yet with water rising to her collarbones, escape seemed impossible.

“Instructor…”

‘I have to get back somehow…’

The thought of Lee Wooshin made her throat tighten. A sharp sting pricked behind her nose.

By now, he must have noticed. When she imagined her husband worrying, no, raging, her mouth went dry.

This was the first mission he finally allowed me to take… and I messed it up like this… Instructor, right now… he must be in chaos…

“Ugh…!”

She grimaced, and the gash on her forehead throbbed. Breathe. Stay calm…

Strangely, what unsettled her even more than the sudden kidnapping was the thought of Lee Wooshin using today as leverage.

‘Han Seoryeong, you have nothing left to say now, right? Let us resign peacefully while I am still asking nicely.’ The image of him claiming the upper hand made her chest tighten with impatience.

‘I have to move before he steps in.’

She squeezed her eyes shut and searched for her last memory.

She had been heading home after finishing an interview at the detention center. Emergency orders to return home had flooded every device from the center, freezing everyone in place.

Her first mission, and her first emergency recall. She had thought everything must have gone terribly wrong as she hurried into the vehicle.

Had it been just before the underpass?

After that, her memory turned strangely blank. Inside the car… Director Tae Mu-kyung had said something, she thought…

“Mm…”

She shifted her body and let out a low groan. Kidnapping… then what about the rest of the team…?

Footsteps echoed in the distance.

Seoryeong instinctively closed her eyes again and pretended to lose consciousness.

She let her body go limp. Cold water surged up to her chin. Damn it, if you are going to dunk me in water, at least make it warm…

She ground her teeth quietly.

Creeeak.

A sudden scrape made her body stiffen. Someone dragged out a chair and sat down.

“If you are awake, why not sit up?”

At the familiar voice, she snapped her eyes open.

Tae Mu-kyung stood there without a single scratch. No, he sat in a chair, staring down at the bathtub with darkened eyes.

His gaze looked dry and composed. Something about it felt wrong.

Seoryeong’s face hardened. A cold chill crept down her spine.

“Director, what is going on?”

She felt no relief at seeing her superior. Her pupils, which had loosened, contracted sharply. Her eyes lifted at the corners as if she were facing an enemy.

Tae Mu-kyung did not miss the subtle shift. A threadlike smile tugged at his lips.

He slowly stretched out one leg and dipped the sole of his shoe into the tub, washing off the clumps of dirt. Murky water spread outward in dark swirls.

“Agent Joo Seoryeong certainly has a talent for this line of work.”

“….”

“You have sharp instincts.”

Tae Mu-kyung’s smile slowly deepened. He seemed to be enjoying the situation.

“Even if I tortured you here, I doubt you would feel any fear.”

He used the loose end of his untucked shirt to wipe his glasses. His expression remained unreadable. Seoryeong held his gaze without flinching.

“Director, what about the recall order from headquarters?”

“Let’s just wait.”

“Wait for what?”

“.…”

“What exactly are you planning?”

A headache pounded behind her eyes.

Of all people… Director Tae Mu-kyung. Instead of pulling his subordinate out of the tub with her limbs bound, he dipped his own shoes in the water and washed off the grime.

Anyone would think he was the one who kidnapped her. So what if he had a stellar performance and became the youngest director? He was rotten underneath. Seoryeong let out a hollow breath.

“They said identities were exposed outside, that everything is in chaos!” said Seoryeong, bewildered at the situation she was in.

“Which makes this perfect timing.”

“…!”

“If a few bodies turn up, no one will suspect a thing.”