Chapter 123.1

Chapter 123.1

“Then, one last thing… Foreigners aren’t allowed to join the NIS, right?”

—”The NIS strictly prohibits marrying foreigners, let alone hiring them.”

He Channa responded.

“…”

—”That’s why my brother-in-law got immediately dismissed when he had an affair with a North Korean woman. The NIS is notorious for its rigorous background checks. If you have a criminal record, a history of school violence investigations, a civil lawsuit loss, or anything of the sort, you’re automatically disqualified. Even divorce due to being an at-fault spouse, having a foreign spouse, holding dual citizenship, or having a criminal record among relatives up to the eighth degree will get you eliminated without question. They even dig into 12 years of school records—need I say more?”

“…”

The fat silence from Seoryeong urged Channa to continue,

—”When my niece wrote that she wanted to be Black Widow as her future career, my brother-in-law foamed at the mouth and crushed her dreams without hesitation. Bloodlines tie people down in intelligence agencies.”

“So, if someone’s grandfather was Russian…”

—”What?! Are you trying to cause a scandal? How could you even bring up a Russian in a free democratic country?!”

Seoryeong felt dazed and rubbed her temple as a headache started to creep in.

“Channa, didn’t you once get a proposal from the NIS?”

At her pointed question, Channa clicked her tongue softly.

—”Well, I spread that rumor to raise my market value, but in reality, it was a threat, not an offer. The NIS didn’t want me; they only wanted information from the cyber warfare unit. It was interrogation and negotiation, not recruitment.”

—”And even if they use foreigners, it’s probably just for field agents leveraging local informants. I’ve bumped heads with Chinese agents plenty of times, but South Korea’s ally is the U.S.! Do you think they’d take the risk of hiring someone with family ties to Russia?”

Seoryeong nodded slightly at her impassioned response.

Was Channa’s question merely out of unfounded concern? She neither wanted to see nor know what expression Channa was making at that moment, but strangely, the heavy weight she had been carrying seemed to lift just a little.

In the reflection of the dark window, she saw a face she didn’t recognize.

—”No matter how grand one’s mission may be, it’s human instinct to want to protect one’s family. That’s why they ban international marriages—to guard against such vulnerabilities. Bloodlines, after all, are a more insidious weakness that can’t be erased.”

“…”

Her migraine was unbearable. Now it felt like a knife stabbing her molars. Seoryeong leaned her forehead against the window as if taking a break.

Every time she closed her eyes, she envisioned a man charging at her with unrelenting force, causing her to snap her eyes open again. Sleep was impossible.

How long had it been since she stepped off the helicopter? She still didn’t feel like her feet were firmly on the ground. Should she try to sleep? Would sleep make this feeling go away?

Seoryeong rubbed her face. What was she even trying to confirm?

Her heart raced as if she had committed an irreversible crime.

“Patient Lee Wooshin?”

At the sound of the name, Seoryeong, turning a corner, instinctively froze.

Nurses gathered at the station, sipping their nighttime coffee and chatting. Seoryeong found herself unconsciously tuning in.

“Actually, earlier I made a mistake and missed the vein during the injection.”

“What?!”

A nurse around the same age slapped the speaker’s arm in exaggerated surprise, looking around nervously. However, the first nurse, despite her embarrassment, widened her lively eyes with a defiant energy.

“Then suddenly, the patient found the vein on the back of his own hand and inserted the needle himself. By the end, he should have been under sedation and out of it, but he grabbed my hand, stuck it in one go, and—bam!”

“Is he a doctor?”

“If he were, people would’ve known back in med school.”

The woman stared into the air, as if recalling something, her lips slightly parted.

“For a moment, I thought it was a medical mishap, but then he yanked my hand and said, ‘Not there.’ But seriously, why isn’t his marital status on the chart? There wasn’t even an emergency contact number listed…”

“What’s with you?”

“I’m just curious.”

“Hey, focus on your job and get that dressing done properly. Don’t mess up again.”

“Yes, yes—”

Seoryeong quietly observed the nurses, their banter wrapping up with a mix of awkwardness and humor. One of them, looking as exhausted as she felt, had a strangely flushed face.

She glanced at the blush momentarily before rubbing her stomach as if trying to soothe some discomfort. Her shoulders started to feel stiff too. As she resumed walking, she rolled her shoulders to loosen them.

She had planned to visit the other supervisors, but impulsively changed direction.

When she opened the door to the patient’s room, the cool mist of a humidifier greeted her. The bedside table was meticulously bare, and the wide window framed a breathtaking night view.

In the center of the room, Lee Wooshin lay on the hospital bed, blinking slowly.