Chapter 11.1

Chapter 11.1

She hadn’t eaten for two days.

Kim Hyun’s clothes, the books he read, the cups and bowls that always came in pairs, the towels they used together… The traces he left behind were vivid and simple.

After meeting the doctor, Seoryeong, completely exhausted, spent her time without a single blink in his lingering scent.

He quickly infiltrated her life, destroyed everything, and disappeared like a man on a mission.

The thought crossed her mind that Kim Hyun might indeed be a capable agent, and a dry laugh escaped her.

How could someone as immature and innocent as Kim Hyun commit such deeds? He used to cry at the difficulty of handling fish, let alone preparing chicken.

Seoryeong habitually closed her eyes tightly.

As the familiar darkness approached, someone called out, “Seoryeong, I’m changing clothes now. Seoryeong, I’m checking my phone now. Seoryeong, I’ve opened the refrigerator door.”

He was a man who relayed to her every detail, down to the moment, out of consideration for his blind wife.

Seoryeong, I’m now…

Im now staring at you.

Her eyes opened in haste, only to find she was all alone.

***

Clang― the sound of the cafe door opening and closing brought Seoryeong back from her long reverie.

It was a high, blue sky afternoon in some autumn day. The eyes of the sitting Channa shook as if caught in a strong wind.

She had her mouth agape, staring at her phone, and as soon as the news footage ended, she yanked out her earphones. The look she gave, questioning if he had really done the job, was an added bonus.

“You didn’t get shot!”

“I’m fine, but my bank account has been emptied.”

“What?”

“I got fined 10 million won.”

“Ugh…!”

Channa now looked worried, as if the newly breached bank account concerned her.

Seoryeong was sitting in the same cafe, in the same spot as before. When she opened her mouth to bring up the matter, Channa reflexively raised her head. She fluffed up her fur and displayed a defensive stance.

“Surely… you didn’t call me out today just defect… again…”

“I have no connections in this area.”

Ah, I knew it’d be something like this…! Channa muttered and quickly emptied her ordered drink.

“I want to kidnap someone.”

“…What?”

“After kidnapping, I want to keep them as a hostage for a few days—”

“W-wait…! Are you saying you want to kidnap someone right now?”

“Channa, coffee is dripping from your mouth.”

Seoryeong casually handed her a napkin.

It was in the interrogation room that she decided to kidnap someone.

A call came from the assistant manager, and her little stance was swept under the rug.

“If I could keep someone important as my hostage for just three days, that would be great.” The urge was boiling intensely.

“Do you know that if you become a hostage-taker, the country sends negotiation experts? The higher the social status of the hostage, the more we hold the upper hand.”

“That also increases the likelihood of getting shot!”

Channa shouted with a widened mouth. However, Seoryeong’s eyes showed no fear.

“If I want to catch a shapeless ghost, I have to risk my life too.”

And it would be great if Kim Hyun became my bargaining chip.

Seoryeong hoped that the name ‘Kim Hyun,’ would spread to every nook and cranny of the National Intelligence Service. If she set it on fire, someone would surely come out.

“Wh-where is this crazy unnie trying to go with all this?!”

“I have to go all the way until we catch my runaway husband.”

Channa wiped her mouth with a tissue, trying to sound confident, but Seoryeong, who had just predicted a crime, seemed unperturbed.

Her voice didn’t show the slightest hesitation. Like someone who had been living with that thought dozens, hundreds of times.

“You’re not going to catch him, you’re only going to be caught!”

“Nothing to worry about. Because if I get caught, I’m going to bite him and not let go.”

“….”

Seoryeong chuckled as she added, “And I’ll do anything to meet him first.

The once vacant and indifferent face suddenly showed a bright emotion, and laughter erupted.

It was a much nicer sight than her expressionless face, even if it was fraught with resentment and hatred. Seoryeong looked alive at last.

“So, what exactly do you want?”

“I want to know about the person named Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service.”

“Ha…!”

Channa now grabbed the back of her neck with a face that seemed utterly astonished.

“Even the children of officials don’t know exactly what their parents do…!”

After she sighed and took a breath, she continued.

“It’s more tearful than constipation to dig into the personal information of officials…! Because of the tracking risk, everyone around them is a bodyguard, and even their addresses are all for disguise…! But even if you somehow manage to tail them in a traditional way and find out their location…! After that—”

Channa leaned her elbow on the table and asked.

“Can you, alone, clear away all the bodyguards, properly kidnap someone without getting caught?”

“…”

“You think you can outrun them, stay undetected, and do a proper hostage-taking?”

As Seoryeong silently pondered, Channa took advantage of the opportunity to twist her words.

“If you’re not confident, you might as well learn a skill!”

Channa hoped that her reckless unnie, who only entertained dangerous thoughts, would find a safer path.

Get a normal job, make some money and meet someone else.

Since she was still young and pretty, she could go around charming handsome guys.

Channa wished for Seoryeong to live freely, untethered by anything.

Even if she was filled with uncontrollable longing for her separated family, she hoped she wouldn’t be held back by those feelings and start anew.

She couldn’t just ignore her, this cold and sharp woman like an ice crystal.

“Normally, I shouldn’t say this, but isn’t it true that people get more determined when food is within reach?”