Chapter 1.2

Chapter 1.2

Jung-in’s worried voice echoed in her mind. Just as she’d said, the streets were flashy, but there were no people outside, making it seem like a ghost town.

A chilling feeling prompted her to quickly head to her destination. She arrived on the rooftop of the building opposite the hotel where Echo One had been abducted.

She opened her bag and pulled out a sniper rifle. With practiced movements, Haewon quickly assembled the weapon and pointed its long barrel toward the opposite building.

‘Echo One went on a solo trip to Thailand and went missing yesterday. Intelligence has come in that he’s been abducted in Myanmar. We’re not sure of the motive, so everyone’s on edge right now. We absolutely have to secure Echo One’s safety first. The VIP is watching.’

The VIP’s unexpected interest was annoying, but she understood. Even for a head of state, it was difficult to remain detached when it came to their child.

As she watched the hotel through her scope, men standing guard on the 8th-floor balcony caught her eye. On closer inspection, they appeared to be Asian. Their build suggested they weren’t ordinary people.

Could the hostage be held there?

Just as she was considering shooting if necessary and watching the men through the scope, a call came through the earpiece in her ear. It was Ha Gyuho.

“Where are you?”

[Almost there. But the atmosphere on the way was crazy, right? The government troops are everywhere nearby.]

Myanmar was a country currently embroiled in a fierce civil war between the military junta, which had seized power in a coup, and rebel forces. She’d heard that the Shwe Kokko area was controlled by rebels, but seeing government troops here meant an engagement could break out at any moment.

“The situation isn’t good.”

[Don’t worry. Your oppa is coming. I’m even abandoning emerald-colored beaches for this.]

“Just get here quickly. Before I shoot you first.”

[Why is our Yeonwoo so foul-mouthed, huh?]

Haewon hung up without a reply. Ha Gyu-ho was always unnecessarily talkative.

They had been working together on the same team for five years now. For the past year, they had been deployed together on an infiltration mission, seeing each other every day, but Haewon wasn’t exactly thrilled to see him.

He always showed excessive interest in Haewon and acted like an older brother despite being born only five months earlier. For Haewon, who believed camaraderie among Black Agents was useless, he was an extremely tiresome counterpart.

She secretly wished she wouldn’t have to see his face for their next mission.

As she silently wished, a long figure passed by on the first floor of the hotel building. It was Ha Gyuho, entering the entrance boldly, not even bothering to conceal his conspicuous gray hair.

“Crazy bastard. What is he thinking?”

She knew his skill, but sometimes when he acted so fearlessly, she couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. Haewon adjusted her grip on the rifle. She let out a soft sigh, and the moment he entered the building, she shot out all the windows of the lower floors.

Crash!

At the sound of glass shattering, the men on the eighth floor were thrown into disarray. As some of them disappeared from the eighth floor, she put down her sniper rifle and threw a grappling hook-equipped wire onto the opposite building’s rooftop.

Clang— The steel hook secured itself on the rooftop of the opposite building. Haewon pulled the wire to check its stability, then leaped to the opposite building without hesitation.

Thump.

After a safe landing, she removed the wire and grabbed her pistol and magazines. From now on, it was a race against time.

Fortunately, she didn’t encounter anyone as she swiftly descended the building’s stairs.

Reaching the eighth floor where the hostage was held, she carefully opened the stairwell door and peeked out. Large, burly men were standing guard in the hotel corridor.

So, they’re in that room.

She immediately aimed her silenced gun at a man and pulled the trigger. With efficient movements, two large men fell to the floor in quick succession.

She scanned her surroundings and hurried to the room they had been guarding. Below, continuous gunshots echoed, indicating Ha Gyuho was doing quite well.

The hostage’s condition had better be alright.

Taking a breath at the door, Haewon quietly opened it, pistol loaded.

“…!”

The first thing she saw was people sprawled on the hotel floor. Their hands and feet were tied, most of them in their underwear, or their clothes were torn beyond recognition.

Moreover, it was doubtful if they were even alive. A foreboding thought flashed through her mind, but she calmly assessed the situation.

Passing through the corridor, she silently stepped inside to find a man talking on the phone in Chinese. Haewon immediately shot at him upon discovery, but the man twisted his body the moment he saw her, dodging the bullet.

The man shouted something agitatedly, then pulled a knife from his clothes and charged at someone. It was obvious who he was going for.

Haewon’s gaze followed the Chinese man’s movements. At the end of his path was a man. Half-naked, his hands and feet bound, he stared at Haewon with bloodshot eyes.

“No!”

Code name Echo One.

He was Kwon Yeonwoo, the youngest son of the current President of the Republic of Korea.