Chapter 10

Chapter 10

“What? Are you crazy?!”

Haewon ripped her wrist from Yeonwoo’s grasp and shoved him with all her might.

“Don’t pull that crap on me!”

“Ha ha.”

Yeonwoo, pushed back, burst into laughter and raised his hands as if in surrender. A light smile once again graced his face.

“You didn’t fall for it. I fell for it, you know.”

Haewon glared at him in disbelief, then warned him in a clear voice.

“I won’t fall for it in the future either. Don’t cross the line. This is the last time I’ll tolerate it.”

Yeonwoo stared intently at Haewon, then stretched his lips into a smile.

“Alright. I’ll be careful.”

Looking at his sleek face, she felt a wave of exasperation, as if she was the only one who had gotten riled up. She let out a sigh, then went inside the bunker and retrieved some duct tape. She then pulled the armchair close to the bed.

“Why that?”

He looked puzzled. Haewon pulled one of Yeonwoo’s hands, overlapped it with her own, and tightly wrapped the two clasped hands with duct tape.

“This should do it, right? You won’t be able to secretly untie yourself.”

“…Well, not bad.”

Haewon pulled the connected arm and lay down on the bed. Yeonwoo chuckled, then slumped into the armchair. He used his other, unbound hand to switch off the indirect lamp on the side table and said,

“I’m turning off the light.”

His low voice was followed by complete darkness. Since no light entered the space, perfect blackness descended. She felt as though her eyes were closed even when they were open, so she blinked slowly.

All she felt was the warmth of Kwon Yeonwoo’s hand against hers. It struck her as funny somehow. She had come to rescue the kidnapped Kwon Yeonwoo, yet now she was the one caught by him.

She was replaying how the situation had come to this when Kwon Yeonwoo’s voice broke the silence in the darkness. It was softer than usual but still gentle.

“Are you going to report on me?”

“…Of course I have to report.”

She was still debating how much to report.

In the heavy silence, Yeonwoo’s fingers could be heard tapping the armrest of the chair. He finally continued after a long pause.

“Say we evaded the rebels, entered the forest, got lost, and barely survived in an old cabin we stumbled upon. Otherwise, saving you would have been pointless for me.”

Haewon blinked in the darkness.

Did he mean he’d kill her if she spoke out of turn? Or that she would be in danger?

She looked towards the chair where Yeonwoo sat. She didn’t know what expression he wore, but somehow, she felt he must be showing his true face right now.

The real Kwon Yeonwoo. His unadorned face, free from forced smiles or excessive swagger.

“If we get out of here safely, I’ll think about it.”

A low chuckle vibrated from his throat. Haewon ignored the laughter tickling her ears and closed her eyes.

She hadn’t thought she’d be able to sleep, but as soon as her eyes closed, sleep overwhelmed her. Perhaps it was due to the medicine.

As her consciousness drifted further away, a soft murmur broke the silence.

“But you… really… me…”

But she couldn’t make it out properly. Haewon was already crossing the boundary between dream and reality.

Scratch, scratch. The sound of a pencil tip against paper vibrated sharply in her ears. Awakened by the noise, Haewon lifted her heavy eyelids.

Then, Yeonwoo came into view, looking down at her from close proximity. Also, the white object in his hand.

“… What are you doing?”

She sat up, looking at Yeonwoo. She quickly realized what he had been doing.

“Why are you drawing my face while I’m sleeping?”

“Just… I felt like drawing after a long time.”

He tapped the notebook with his pencil, then quietly closed it.

“You have quite a drawable face.”

Haewon was speechless at his unnecessarily serious remark. She zipped up her jacket, responding casually.

“I don’t like it. I hate being observed.”

“You observe me all the time.”

Yeonwoo chuckled, then stood up and brought something over. It was the clothes Haewon had been wearing before they were isolated in the bunker.

“They’re all dry.”

“That’s a relief.”

She finally felt like she’d be able to wear proper clothes again. She glanced at Yeonwoo; he had already showered and looked neat, she wondered when he had woken up. Did she oversleep? There was no clock in the bunker to check the time.

“I’m going to wash up.”

“Okay. Go wash up. I’ll get breakfast ready.”

“Ha.”

What an odd conversation this was. Haewon shivered slightly at the kind of talk a couple might have, then headed for the bathroom.

After washing up, she sat across from Yeonwoo and ate. It was all emergency rations, so it wasn’t delicious, but it was edible. In fact, Haewon had eaten worse things just fine. For a Black agent, constantly on the move, a well-set meal was a luxury.

“What’s the plan for today?”

“Hm. Get to know Haewon better?”

“That’s an impossible goal.”

Just as she was giving Yeonwoo a similarly frivolous answer to his idle remark, an alarm suddenly blared from the laptop behind him. At the same time, the ground beneath their feet began to vibrate.

“…!”

“What is it?”

Yeonwoo’s smile vanished, and he sprang to his feet. Rushing to check the laptop, he opened his phone and called someone.

Haewon, scanning her surroundings due to the ominous vibration, slowly rose from her chair. Thump, thump. The vibrations were growing stronger.

The consistent shaking didn’t feel like an earthquake.

“Shit.”

The call wasn’t connecting. Yeonwoo snapped his flip phone shut and bit out a curse. The usual ease had faded from his face. Had something terribly gone wrong?

As Haewon stared, Yeonwoo gazed into the air for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts, then, as if making a decision, he retrieved something from the inner room.

Thud. A rifle and a pistol were tossed onto the bed. Immediately, magazines of ammunition clattered from his hand.

She didn’t need an explanation to understand the situation. Haewon loaded the rifle, tucked the pistol into her back pocket, and gripped the rifle firmly with both hands.

“Is this an attack?”

Kwon Yeonwoo nodded. The playfulness was gone from his eyes, replaced by a deep, sharp gaze. Haewon moved to shield him, asking,

“Should we go out the way we came in?”

“That way is probably already blocked.”

“Is there another way?”

Kwon Yeonwoo turned and went to the laptop. After checking something, he entered a few commands, and all the computer’s information began to wipe itself.

“A bomb will explode at the cabin entrance in three minutes.”

“…!”

“After the explosion, we’ll exit through another escape route.”

So fortunately, there seemed to be a way out. Haewon scanned the bunker, not letting down her guard. The vibrations grew louder, and distant shouts of men seemed to carry through.

Who were they this time?

The question arose, but she quickly cleared her mind. She didn’t need to know who they were. Right now, they were simply enemies.

“Two minutes left.”

Kwon Yeonwoo checked his phone. But then, bang! A loud roar echoed, and the entrance of the bunker became chaotic.

Someone had infiltrated. Haewon held her breath and aimed her rifle at the entrance.

“Should I kill them?”

“Yeah. They’re all bastards.”

Click-clack. From behind, she heard Yeonwoo chamber a round. Soon after, the sound of military boots followed.

“Be careful.”

Kwon Yeonwoo uttered a brief warning, then stepped in front of Haewon, who was blocking him. Simultaneously, a gunshot rang out. One man entering the bunker entrance collapsed, hit by Yeonwoo’s shot. Irregular gunshots immediately followed.

The bunker entrance was very narrow, so intruders were shot down as soon as they entered. Haewon’s nerves were on high alert. She didn’t know who they were, but they had to eliminate all of them to get out of here.

Tatata-dang! Bang! Ta-ang!

The bunker’s few pieces of furniture were being riddled with holes. The intruders, seemingly panicked, were also unleashing a full-scale attack. Haewon and Yeonwoo instinctively hid behind a pillar, waiting for their moment.

“Your arm?”

When their eyes briefly met, Kwon Yeonwoo mouthed the question. Haewon thought it was an inappropriate question for the current situation. If her arm wasn’t okay, what, was she not going to hold the gun?

Instead of answering, she aimed at a man entering the entrance. Ta-ang— Her finger on the trigger held no hesitation. It was also Haewon’s answer that her arm injury was nothing.

“There’s no time left. We have to go.”

As the intruders seemed to be holding back and no longer descending, Kwon Yeonwoo took the lead. With an explosion imminent, they had to escape here somehow.

“This way.”

Kwon Yeonwoo said in a low voice. He headed not for the entrance they had used, but for the inner room; the one with the shower, makeshift kitchen, and emergency rations.

Kwon Yeonwoo touched the corner of a bookshelf containing supplies a few times, then entered a password into a hidden keypad. Immediately, the bookshelf opened with a clear metallic sound. It seemed to be an emergency escape route.

It was indeed a secret bunker, she thought. Kwon Yeonwoo turned around and grinned. His eyes seemed to say, ‘How about that? Pretty cool, huh?’ Haewon frowned, gesturing forward with her chin as if to tell him not to let his guard down.

A ladder led upwards from the escape route. Kwon Yeonwoo climbed the ladder first, and Haewon followed him. Soon, the door above their heads opened, and sunlight poured in.

How long had it been since she’d seen sunlight? Haewon blinked, eyes closing and opening against the dazzling sensation, as she diligently climbed the ladder. Her injured arm throbbed, but she could endure it.

Just as she poked her head out of the bunker, Haewon’s body froze.

Armed soldiers were surrounding them, as if they had known they would come out here.