Chapter 139.1

Chapter 139.1

“Seoryeong will be fine from now on.”

Leaving Deputy Director Joo Seolheon in silence, Lee Wooshin hung up first. Their last report ended in a dry and uncomfortable atmosphere.

Since the day she had learned a fragment of “Bird Box,” her words had noticeably dwindled.

Lee Wooshin tossed his phone aside and leaned his head against the bedside. His complexion, drained by exhaustion, looked pale, and his weary eyes appeared lifeless.

He had left the documents bearing Owl’s signature in Deputy Director Joo’s second office. He had made an appearance before the operatives who had feigned transfer to another hospital for a second surgery. To manipulate the hospital’s CCTV footage and timestamps, he had deliberately taken a walk around the hospital park.

After that, he peeled off the leather that covered his still-healing scars—his hands, feet, and back still bore the remnants of past wounds.

While he had been away from Korea for over three weeks, Codename “Masca” had his resignation approved, Owl remained safe, and Kim Hyun had experienced an unexpected farewell.

“It’s all over. Finally…”

Owl had given up on Kim Hyun. Even so, the words “Let’s break up” had never been spoken. They had said “I love you” so many times, yet when it came to this one simple lie, they had hesitated.

He thought he had grown numb to such declarations, yet strangely, his lips felt as heavy as iron.

“…”

They had said they were grateful. They had said they had been happy.

Recalling that moment, his entire body tensed again. With a face more like a wife’s than ever, they had uttered those words…

He knew how to dodge bullets, but he had no idea how to remain unmoved by his wife’s confession. It felt as if his chest were caving in, melting away.

From that moment on, he had sunk into an endless abyss. Even he couldn’t understand what state he was in.

Perhaps he had felt something similar while killing time in a private detention center in Cambodia after completing the Bird Box operation. Silent and limp, he stared blankly at the ceiling.

“――”

Was it even possible to feel this unmotivated? A bowl of untouched rice sat on the desk, hardened with time, while an unquenchable thirst clawed at him.

He had cherished Owl more than anything… and now, it truly felt like they had broken up. No matter how much water he gulped down, it did nothing to ease the dryness in his throat.

The moment Kim Hyun had mentioned a new man, a sharp ringing had pierced his mind. But when he realized that it was none other than himself who had pushed Kim Hyun away, a fierce possessiveness flared within him—he couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else taking his place.

“…Ha.”

Lee Wooshin ran a heavy hand over his flushed face.

Joo Seolheon had been wrong. The fears that the deputy director had were never going to come true. Seoryeong would no longer engage in dangerous acts. No matter how Rigay tried to tempt her, she wouldn’t waver.

This time, for real… he wanted to live with her as his true self. He wanted to settle down in this land, for a long, long time just to chase an ordinary dream. And with that thought, Lee Woo-shin drifted off to sleep.

“――!”

Waking from sleep paralysis, he found himself staring at a nurse who was glaring at his feet with a severe expression. The moment their eyes met, the nurse, who had been swiftly wrapping his foot with bandages, scowled even more.

“Mr. Lee Wooshin! Weren’t you supposed to have had surgery at another hospital? Why is your foot in this condition? Why are the stitches completely torn and the wound festering? Have you been walking around without crutches?”

“…”

Breathing heavily without offering a response, he watched as the nurse shouted in frustration.

“This isn’t why we sent you to another hospital!”

Despite her anger, she carefully secured the final bandage with precise hands.

His neck was drenched in cold sweat—what kind of dream had he just had? Lee Wooshin clutched his throbbing temple, trying to steady his trembling vision.

The lenses provided by the Defense Research Institute had never felt uncomfortable before, but at this moment, they felt like they had slipped behind his eyeballs, causing an unbearable foreign sensation.

“At least your bone scan results were fine, so please, just take care of yourself!”

Something felt off, deeply and fundamentally wrong. After the nagging nurse left, his phone vibrated. Who had he seen in that dream? Someone had been crying. Someone had been standing in the flames… Lee Wooshin gripped his phone tightly, his face rigid like stone.

“If this call is about something pointless, Wonchang, you’re dead.”

—“Boss, Owl stole a police car!”

“What?”

His face instantly twisted. He had signed off just a few hours ago, convinced there would be no trouble. Lee Wooshin pulled up the collar of his hospital gown, ready to rip it off and get moving.

—“But she drove it to Sehwa Hospital!”

“…”

—“I think she just really wanted to see you. Anyway, we’ve already handled the situation.”

“…Ha.”

A thick sigh slipped out. The unsettling nightmare faded into the background, pushed aside by the weight of the three syllables that made up her name—Owl. But stealing a police car? Where the hell was she hiding?

Pacing the hospital room, he fixed his gaze on the door, waiting for it to open. The moment she returned, he would pull her into his arms, desperate to make up for the time they had spent apart.

Now that she was back in his grasp, he would never let her go again.

‘We will be okay. No. I will make sure of it.’

Never again would he let her wait alone.

But his nerves had been on edge all day, making it impossible to sit still. Lee Woo-shin reached for his wheelchair, repeating the thought like a mantra.

‘Seoryeong, we’ll be okay now. We really will.’