Chapter 136.1

Chapter 136.1

“Ugh!”

I can’t see anything. It’s pitch black.

No matter how much she blinked, there was no trace of light.

Seoryeong’s heart dropped, and a familiar fear settled in her bones.

She tried to move her stiff body, desperate to assess her situation. The clinking of handcuffs echoed as she shifted, and pain flared from her shoulders down to her wrists. Her limbs were bound tightly to what felt like a hard wooden chair.

“Haah…”

Liar. He said he’d be next to me when I opened my eyes.

As she fluttered her eyelids rapidly, her stiff lashes brushed against something. It wasn’t blindness, it was just a blindfold. A rush of relief flooded through her.

“Damn scam artist…”

“Are you talking about me?”

Her head snapped up. A low voice echoed closer than expected, surrounded by the sharp scent of fresh paint.

“You are here?”

“Stop moving your arms. You’ll hurt yourself.”

“Then take off this blindfold!”

She shouted in frustration. Maybe she should have shot him on sight. But when she saw Kim Hyun, something inside her cracked open.

The grueling journey at sea, the even harsher training had all led to this moment.

The instant she faced him, a strange sense of liberation washed over her.

Finally, she was free from the pain of finding him unsuccessfully. A bittersweet relief settled in, though it didn’t mean she was ready to surrender.

“You said you’d stay by my side, but instead, you’re playing games with me? What is this, some old-school blindfold game?”

“I’ll take it off.”

With a creak of the chair, he moved closer. She felt him gently brushing his hand over the back of hers.

“If you listen to your husband.”

In that instant, Seoryeong slammed her forehead into his.

A loud crack echoed as their skulls collided.

Without hesitation, she twisted her entire body, swinging the chair to hit him.

“――!”

The flimsy chair shattered on impact. Seoryeong freed her bound legs and immediately kicked him in the gut.

But before she could gain her balance, he grabbed her ankle and slammed her onto the table.

“Ugh…!”

Pain rippled across her back.

She had always known Kim Hyun was a National Intelligence Service agent, but actually fighting him felt bizarre.

Clicking his tongue, he moved to steady her but she didn’t waste the opportunity. She rolled her body, tumbling off the table and onto the floor.

The chair fragments scattered, and her limbs were finally free.

She reached up to rip off the blindfold—

Thud!

A heavy weight crashed onto her.

A strong hand pressed against her face, and his body pinned her down by the hips.

“Baby, do you not understand the situation you’re in?”

“Mmgh!”

“You’ve caused more trouble than you realize, Seoryeong.”

She couldn’t move. His iron-like thighs trapped her lower body, and his massive hands clamped tightly around her wrists.

But that wasn’t what froze her in place.

It was the way he called her that. That intimate name.

And she hated how her body still reacted to it.

While she was still frozen in shock, Kim Hyun shoved a broken chair leg between her teeth like a gag.

“The Chinese soldiers you wiped out—”

“Mmph!”

“There’s a long list of things to clean up. Keeping it quiet, covering medical costs, and handling the damages. Worst-case scenario? They might request your extradition.”

“…”

“If I hadn’t gotten you out in time, you’d either be executed on the spot or injected with a lethal dose of something nasty in China. Their laws aren’t exactly forgiving. You almost died a miserable death. Do you get it now?”

Somehow, her legs had squeezed tightly together.

“How much longer are you going to thrash around like a wild mare in heat?”

“Ugh!”

Saliva trickled from the corner of her mouth. She couldn’t see, couldn’t fully close her lips, and her entire body was restrained. Humiliation burned hot up her neck. Yet, Kim Hyun’s voice remained unnervingly calm.

“Once the interrogation is over, I’ll send you home early.”

“…!”

“Depending on how you answer, you could be officially charged with violating the National Security Act or I could cover for you. So cooperate. The NIS is busy cleaning up the mess you left behind.”

“Mmph!”

A dull ache pulsed at the back of her head. As she tried to shift with muffled protests, he pressed down harder. Only then did she fully grasp her situation.

She was here to be interrogated—by her own husband.

A firm hand slipped under her arms, pulling her upright. He dragged her to a new chair, double-checked the handcuffs, then lifted the entire chair and slammed it down in front of the table.