Chapter 137.1

Chapter 137.1

The blocked view finally cleared. A square iron desk, a crude light hanging above it, and a tiny window covered with iron bars.

Kim Hyun was kneeling on one knee at her feet. It was the situation she had longed for, yet facing him like this felt strangely unsettling.

The part she had bitten was flawlessly repaired, leaving his face smooth and unblemished. He was merely a shell, capable of having meaningless s*x with a woman if ordered by the state.

The thought that he was something made up only by the NIS sent a slight chill down her spine.

“If I speak will Hyun find out?”

His eyebrow moved ever so slightly. His face was unbelievably delicate, almost too real.

“Kim Hyun is close to you.”

Then why, in this moment, did Kia’s words resurface in her mind?

“You have no intention of looking for me anymore?” He asked, puzzled.

“Would it be a problem for the NIS if I started a new life?”

“…”

“Oh, would that make surveillance more difficult?”

A ridiculous thought crossed her mind. What if Kim Hyun had always been circling around her?

Even after witnessing the scene where every joint of the Chinese soldiers had been twisted, he showed no sign of surprise at her capabilities. He met her as a demure and harmless woman.

A strange sense of possessiveness began to coil within her.

She wanted no one to know about Lee Wooshin.

She didn’t want the NIS, or Kim Hyun, to evaluate, dissect, and return another precious person to her like a case file.

But they must have already dug into everything. She felt as if she had been dragged through the mud.

“It’s time to leave this place.”

She gestured with her chin toward the documents on the table, shaking her wrist slightly.

“You really won’t look for Kim Hyun?”

“…”

“You?”

The way he asked, as if it were impossible, was laughable. His gaze remained fixed as if staring at a puzzle with misplaced pieces. The way he referred to himself in such an unfamiliar tone only deepened her sense of estrangement.

But looking down at him from such a high vantage point made her nerves prickle with irritation.

On impulse, she suddenly pressed down hard on the top of his foot. It was purely an instinctive reaction, impossible to explain.

“――”

Her observant gaze clung to his face, from his eyebrows to the bridge of his nose, and finally to his eyes. Her gleaming pupils refused to move away from his composed expression, as if searching for the slightest tremor.

She had no idea what she was doing. But Kim Hyun, without a single change in expression, simply unlocked her handcuffs and placed a pen in her hand.

Seoryeong forced herself to relax, suppressing her tension. But the moment something sharp landed in her palm, her body moved on its own.

“――!”

The tip of the pen sliced through the air, aimed at his throat.

But before she could reach him, his hand was already around the nape of her neck.

“Ugh!”

The once-gentle grip now slammed her head straight onto the table.

“Urgh!” She swallowed a groan and gritted her teeth. It was far too late to feel hurt or disappointed in Kim Hyun now.

“Whoever trained you did a damn good job, sweetheart.”

“Ugh!”

Without hesitation, he pulled her up and rubbed her reddened forehead. Even if he were to offer medicine after the blow, nothing could be more absurd than this.

Kim Hyun’s reflexes were incredibly fast. He could read a move ahead just by looking at her expression.

He was meticulous, but now he felt even sharper than before.

In the end, the sound of rustling paper filled the air as she quietly turned the pages and began signing. She reviewed each document, leaving a somewhat awkward signature in the bottom field of each page.

They had lived as husband and wife for years, yet their final moment together was in this bleak, grim interrogation room.

Just as she reached the last signature field, her pen suddenly stopped. She remained completely still, prompting Kim Hyun to tap the table lightly as if knocking. Seoryeong lifted her head, her empty eyes locking onto his.

“That day, at our front door.”

Her freshly washed face was void of emotion.

“The day you left for work and never came back. Sometimes, I feel like I’m still stuck there.”

“…”

“I really want to move on now. I finally have the will and the reason to, but my feet won’t move. Maybe I could’ve done it sooner. But even recognizing my own emotions wasn’t easy.”

“…”

“Did you know? I still live in our newlywed home.”

She let out a weak smile.

“Every night, like a patient, I worry. What if someone precious to me disappears again without a word? I hesitate, afraid of suffering the same wound. I’ve become stronger than ever, physically… but in strange ways, I’ve turned into a coward.”

“…”

“You left without hesitation, but I’m still stuck at that front door. I think I kept waiting for you to be the one to ring the bell first.”

And then, Lee Wooshin barged into that house and pulled her out. Now, just thinking about her instructor made her smile helplessly. She gripped the pen tighter.