Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Gyuho gritted his teeth and snarled. Yeonwoo lifted one corner of his mouth, a look of dumbfounded amusement on his face.

“You’re one to talk. Who the hell are you to grab a protected target by the collar?”

“What did you do to Yeonwoo?”

Haewon, who had been listening nearby, felt her eyes tremble violently. Could Gyuho have seen Kwon Yeonwoo kiss her just moments ago?

However, Yeonwoo replied with a nonchalant expression.

“You saw it? Then why are you asking? It’s exactly what you saw.”

“You pervert! Do you think female agents are a joke? How dare you shove your filthy mouth at her?”

“Is there any need to get this angry? I only did it to show my gratitude for her protection. Why? Are you just upset because I did something you couldn’t?”

“What? You son of a bitch!”

Gyuho raised his fist as if to strike Yeonwoo’s face at any moment. Unable to watch any longer, Haewon yelled at both of them.

“Stop! Oh, just stop it!”

At Haewon’s voice, Gyuho barely managed to stop his fist, but his expression as he glared at Yeonwoo remained murderous. Conversely, only a disdainful smile floated on Yeonwoo’s face as he looked down at Gyuho.

Then, a booming male voice came from behind them.

“Hey, Ha Gyohu! Let go of him, now!”

Haewon recognized the voice and was more than a little surprised. It was Choi Munhyeok, the First Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service. To think Deputy Director Choi had come, leapfrogging Team Leader Min and Director Kim.

His rank was far too high for him to be on site, so Haewon stared at him as if she had seen a ghost.

As soon as Munhyeok arrived, he pulled Gyuho away from Yeonwoo and scolded him.

“Has this punk gone mad? What kind of disrespect is this toward Yeonwoo?”

“Deputy Director, he did something to our Haewon…!”

Gyuho burst out in indignation but couldn’t bring himself to utter the rest of his words. Haewon quietly went to his side, grabbed his arm, and spoke.

“I’m fine, so stop it.”

“Ha, damn it.”

Gyuho irritably ruffled his hair haphazardly before stepping back. Munhyeok gave Gyuho a cold glance, then turned to greet Yeonwoo warmly.

“Yeonwoo, you’ve truly been through a lot. Are you all right?”

“Yes, more or less.”

“Please head to the embassy immediately. The First Lady is here.”

“My mother, all the way here?”

It was a strangely peculiar answer. Yet, despite Yeonwoo’s unenthusiastic attitude, Deputy Director Choi Munhyeok chuckled good-naturedly and gently pushed his back.

“She’s been so worried about you. Come on, let’s go show her your face and put her at ease. We also need to contact the President.”

Deputy Director Choi walked a few steps with Yeonwoo, then turned back to Haewon as if remembering something belatedly.

“Agent Lee, you’ve worked hard. I’ll see you when you return.”

“Yes, Deputy Director.”

Yeonwoo stood still, gazing at Haewon, then turned to Munhyeok.

“I thought I might die out there, but Agent Lee Haewon saved me. Her skills are impressive.”

“Blacks aren’t ‘Black’ for nothing. Still, it’s best not to encounter a Black in your life. You shouldn’t have to go through something like this again.”

Gyuho, who was listening from behind, scoffed and raised his voice.

“Exactly. Please, stop recklessly traveling abroad. The country nearly buckles trying to protect a precious VVIP like you.”

“Ha Gyohu, you! Aren’t you going to be quiet?”

Gyuho didn’t give in and grumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Did I say anything wrong? Hiring a crazy mercenary group like Yenad just proves my point.”

“Good grief, look at him.”

Deputy Director Choi clucked his tongue, then led Yeonwoo to the helicopter. Just before turning away, Yeonwoo met Haewon’s gaze. No greetings were exchanged, but a rather lingering look settled on her before finally moving away.

Haewon pressed her lips together.

Now… she would never see Kwon Yeonwoo again.

She couldn’t possibly feel regret, yet after spending three days sharing life and death, her emotions felt strange.

It might have been because of the trace he left on her lips just moments ago. Haewon watched Yeonwoo’s retreating back, then wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

Suddenly, his voice echoed in her mind.

He’d said he was smitten with her, with the woman whose name and age he didn’t even know.

…That couldn’t possibly be true.

Haewon turned her gaze away from Yeonwoo.

On the way to the embassy, Gyuho trailed beside Haewon, recounting everything that had happened.

He explained that when Gyuho had acted as a decoy in the cornfield a few days prior, the rebel forces who had followed for a while quickly realized Kwon Yeonwoo wasn’t with him.

They left Gyuho and went in a different direction. Gyuho, worried that Yeonwoo and Haewon would be in danger, chased after the rebel forces alone and soon realized they were preparing a large-scale attack.

A skirmish broke out not long after. Gyuho had no choice but to hide within the rebel camp, and he only moved to the safe house the next day.

“Do you know how surprised I was when I arrived at the safe house and you weren’t there?”

“Shh. Quiet.”

Haewon, who had just entered the embassy building, brought her index finger to her lips, quieting Gyuho.

“Why?”

Haewon gestured with her eyes toward the end of the first-floor corridor. A middle-aged woman and Kwon Yeonwoo were standing there. Gyuho lowered his voice.

“Deputy Director Choi is here because of Madam Kang Hyunhwa, isn’t he? Ugh, this is so uncomfortable.”

Madam Kang Hyunhwa, looking much less made up than usual, stood and tightly embraced Yeonwoo in front of her.

“My goodness, Yeonwoo!”

With a tearful expression, she checked Yeonwoo’s face and body, repeatedly saying, “Thank God.” It was clearly gratitude for his safe return.

“You must have been surprised. I’m fine, Mother.”

Kwon Yeonwoo’s voice, as he comforted the tearful Madam Kang, was calmer than expected. From where Haewon stood, his face wasn’t clearly visible, but she somehow felt she knew exactly what expression he was making.

It was Deputy Director Choi Munhyeok, standing beside them, who tidied up the chaotic situation.

“Our National Intelligence Service did our absolute best to find Yeonwoo. We can’t express how relieved we are that he’s safe.”

“Thank you, Deputy Director. You’ve truly gone through a lot of trouble.”

Haewon gazed at Madam Kang, who was bowing to Deputy Director Choi Munhyeok. It was undoubtedly a touching mother-son reunion, yet Haewon felt a strange sense of incongruity.

What was it? There was clearly nothing out of the ordinary.

“Haewon, stop looking. That guy’s bad news. Let’s go get you treated quickly.”

“Yeah.”

Haewon gazed at Yeonwoo, who wasn’t smiling at all. That, she realized, was likely the source of her unease.

“Alright, let’s go. I’m tired.”

“Want me to carry you?”

“What are you talking about?”

But now, he was someone who had nothing to do with her. The mission was over.

Thud. The heavy door closed.

It was the most elaborately decorated reception room in the Korean Embassy in Myanmar, but to Madam Kang, it was a space filled with nothing but displeasing furniture.

“Why is it so hot in here?”

Hyunhwa fanned herself a few times. Secretary Kim, who was standing behind her, hastily lowered the air conditioner’s temperature. Yeonwoo, watching impassively, walked past Hyunhwa and headed for the sofa.

Yeonwoo flopped onto the sofa, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he spoke.

“Your acting has improved, I see. I didn’t expect you to shed tears.”

At Yeonwoo’s words, Hyunhwa frowned deeply and sat on the opposite sofa.

“Hah, what is all this chaos because of you? Can’t you handle things quietly? Do you know how much trouble I went through to control the media?”

The mother who had just shed tears of joy at her son’s return was no longer there. She glared at Yeonwoo with cold, sharp eyes.

“Things got a bit tangled. That’s why I hate dealing with corrupt people.”

Yeonwoo leaned deep into the sofa and propped his long legs onto the table. Escaping the Myanmar government forces hadn’t been easy, and fatigue washed over him.

He could have really died, and with the disgraceful end of being bitten by a poisonous snake and abandoned in the forest, no less.

Yeonwoo covered his eyes with the back of his hand. Right now, he truly wanted to do nothing.

Hyunhwa looked at Yeonwoo, clucked her tongue disapprovingly, and then spoke to the Chief Secretary standing behind her.

“Who was that Black agent with him again?”

“It’s Agent Lee Haewon. She’s part of the Overseas Intelligence Bureau and has been on overseas missions for five years. She’s twenty-seven, with no family.”

“…”

Yeonwoo quietly thought of Haewon—the woman who disliked and suspected him, yet tried to save him until the very end.

The past three days he’d spent with Haewon had been, honestly, fun. Fun enough to make him feel truly alive again for the first time in a long while.

That’s why Yeonwoo didn’t want Haewon to become Hyunhwa’s prey. He spoke with a deliberately indifferent tone.

“Don’t create trouble. That woman knows nothing. She was genuinely busy protecting me.”

“Protect you? A passing dog would laugh at that.”

“It’s true. So don’t needlessly mess with a Black agent and cause trouble.”

“…”

Hyunhwa didn’t answer and quietly stared at Yeonwoo. She gazed at him for a long time, as if trying to see through his intentions, then finally opened her mouth.

“You’re acting strange, aren’t you? Did you conspire with her?”