Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1.1

Plink— plink.

Raindrops fell onto Haewon’s hand. She stopped gathering dirt and piling it up, looking up at the sky.

A heavy downpour was coming. She stared for a moment, then lowered her gaze to continue building up the earth. Soon, a small, humble grave was complete.

She closed her eyes quietly before it. In her mind’s eye, she saw a tail wagging excitedly at her.

The tail of a scruffy, ash-gray puppy, neglected by everyone in this vast factory, covered in grime.

“Be more selective about people there.”

She told it to learn to distinguish between those who would beat it and those who would feed it before acting so friendly.

After a brief goodbye to the nameless creature, Haewon stood up. The rain was steadily intensifying. The ground beneath her feet was already soaked and muddy.

Despite the continuous downpour, the heat didn’t let up, leaving her thin short-sleeved t-shirt feeling clammy. Thailand’s rainy season was impossible to get used to.

The silver lining was that this tiresome rain would finally end today. It had been exactly one year since she’d been deployed in Chiang Rai.

Thinking of her homeland, where cool autumn breezes would be blowing, she climbed into the old convertible truck. Before starting the engine, she glanced at the sprawling, devastated factory.

Just yesterday morning, this place had been swarming with workers diligently transporting marijuana and opium, and syndicate members who’d swaggered in front of her.

Now, it was nothing short of a ruin. Blood splattered across the crumbling walls revealed yesterday’s carnage. Haewon looked at the bloodstains with indifferent eyes. She didn’t feel particularly sorry.

This was a den of a criminal organization that used Korean women as mules to distribute large quantities of drugs across Asia. Ha Gyuho, a fellow Black Agent, had infiltrated as a syndicate member two years ago to assess the situation, and Haewon had followed, disguised as a broker.

The mission, which had taken a considerable amount of time, had fortunately ended successfully. It had been just about ten hours since they completed the sweep operation in cooperation with the Thai police.

Unlike Gyuho, who had left the moment the operation was over, Haewon had stayed in Chiang Rai for another day. It wasn’t regret, but the ash-gray puppy had somehow tugged at her heart.

It was greedy to hope it was still alive. She knew it, but her mouth tasted bitter all the same.

She gazed at the rain pouring against the car window before starting the engine. The old truck began to vibrate and shake. Her phone rang at the same instant.

“……”

Haewon’s eyes flickered with surprise as she checked the screen. An familiar number had appeared.

“Yes.”

“Where are you?”

It was Min Hyunseok, her team leader, directly under the National Intelligence Service. His voice carried urgency.

“Chiang Rai.”

“Thank goodness. You need to go to Myawaddy right away.”

“What?”

Usually, after a long-term mission, it was customary to take at least a month’s rest. But she was being deployed again less than twenty-four hours after the operation ended?

“Echo One has been abducted. You’re the closest Black Agent. Depart immediately.”

It was hard to believe even after hearing it. Echo One kidnapped? If this was true, it was a serious diplomatic incident.

But that was one thing, and Haewon wasn’t keen.

“Do I really have to go?”

It was her first day off after a long-term mission.

She omitted the rest of the sentence, but Hyunseok seemed to understand perfectly.

“If you complete it, I’ll give you two months off.”

“And?”

“Plus a special bonus?”

Not bad. Haewon added one more thing.

“And the Glock prototype.”

“Ah, seriously, Lee Haewon, how do you even know about that?”

She’d heard from Jung-in that Glock, the firearms company, had secretly sent a prototype a few days ago. She couldn’t pass up that up.

“Alright, alright.”

Haewon pretended not to hear the gritted teeth in Hyunseok’s tone, turned the steering wheel, and pressed hard on the accelerator.

“Deal. I’ll head to the airport.”

“Gyuho will join you soon. Report the situation when you arrive.”

Hearing her colleague’s name, Haewon chuckled inwardly. She remembered Ha Gyuho had immediately flown off to Phuket to play the moment the mission was over.

She could already picture how much he’d complain when they meet.

Myawaddy, located in the southern region of Myanmar, borders Thailand. Haewon took a domestic flight to Mae Sot, Thailand, then crossed the border by land to enter Myawaddy.

However, the first sight of Myawaddy was somewhat different from what she had imagined. She reconfirmed the location Jung-in, a White Agent on the same team, had sent her, and scanned her surroundings.

She couldn’t believe such a city was hidden amidst vast cornfields.

Moreover, the luxurious villas, hotels, and casino buildings lining the streets were modern yet subtly imbued with a Chinese feel. Indeed, Chinese signboards were visible here and there.

‘Senior! That place is called Shwe Kokko. It’s a city built by some Chinese group. But it’s all glitz and glamour only on the outside. A total crime den! So you have to be careful!’