Chapter 166.1

Chapter 166.1

-International News Update. A Korean woman on her honeymoon in Azerbaijan shocked the local community when she shot her husband and fled. Reporter Lee Jisoo has the details.

The screen then switched to the reporter.

-Police received reports of gunfire at a guesthouse in Azerbaijan around midnight on the 7th. Officers who arrived at the scene found the 32-year-old husband, Mr. Lee, collapsed from a gunshot wound. The couple had traveled abroad for a simple ceremony at their honeymoon destination, but their marriage ended in tragedy less than a day after their wedding. Authorities arrested the 28-year-old wife, Ms. Joo, at the scene…

“Pfft!”

He Channa, who had been eating, spat out all the half-chewed food in her mouth.

“Ugh, gross!”

Her brother-in-law, Jeong Pilgyu, shielded his daughter’s face on his lap and snapped in irritation.

Ignoring him, Channa frantically grabbed the remote and turned the volume all the way up. She stared blankly at the familiar face dominating the TV screen, one she knew all too well.

-Witnesses who reported the incident agreed that the couple had seemed perfectly happy, but Interpol launched a manhunt after confirming that Ms. Joo, arrested as the perpetrator, escaped custody.

Channa dropped her utensils, unable to tear her eyes away. Even Jeong Pilgyu, who had been scolding her, glanced at the TV and stammered, “Th-That face…”

“Will you all stop gawking at the TV and shut your mouths?!”

Her sister, feeding the child, yelled sharply. Jeong Pilgyu nudged his wife’s thigh, signaling her to calm down.

His wife, who had been mocking him for making weird faces, reluctantly glanced at Channa.

Channa, who had never looked desperate except when she had once rushed home from the club, now wore a grave expression. Jeong Pilgyu whispered quietly,

“Isn’t that the coworker who helped Channa? The one she got along with…”

“Ah! You mean Channa’s savior?”

Her sister widened her eyes and scrutinized the screen.

It’s her…! But…

-Police investigating the case found no prior domestic violence records or grudges, but they discovered Ms. Joo’s passport was forged, raising suspicions of premeditation…

Channa, frozen, suddenly shot up from her seat. “Mr. Lee… Mr. Lee… Who is this husband, Mr. Lee?” she muttered repeatedly, brushing rice off her lips. She then grabbed only her phone and laptop and bolted for the door.

Jeong Pilgyu shouted after her, “He Channa, wake up! There’s nothing you can do!”

“But unnie isn’t the type to kill someone for no reason!”

“Honestly, I always thought Han Seoryeong would eventually cause a huge scandal.”

“The problem is that Mr. Lee!” Channa cut him off sharply, glaring.

“I’m going to the detention center!”

“Why the hell would you go there?!”

“I’m visiting the special investigation team!”

‘Wasn’t she involved with that Jinho Unit guy? Who the hell is this Mr. Lee that she married in secret without telling anyone?!’

Channa hastily tied her shoelaces.

‘If it’s the team members who worked closely with unnie, maybe they know something.’

‘But my sister only ever lost it over her ex-husband. She wouldn’t change her feelings so easily.’

Channa’s thoughts suddenly halted.

‘Ah… I see now. Mr. Lee. He was that husband.’

So she took him all the way there just to-’

Her hair bristling, Channa flung the front door open. ‘Then I need to see that bastard’s face first.’

***

“We pray for the departed.”

It was a funeral without a chief mourner. Since Chief Joo Seolheon had no immediate family, the NIS oversaw the proceedings.

Longtime colleagues burned incense, and prominent political and business figures paid their respects in a steady stream.

Black agents who left no names in the guestbook were surely among the crowd.

Na Wonchang, his hat pulled low, scanned the faces of the attendees.

‘Team Leader, are you really not coming? There’s something I have to tell you…’

Wonchang’s expression darkened.

The authorities ruled Joo Seolheon’s death as a result of acute cerebral hemorrhage. The body of Rigay Viktor, who died alongside her, was handed over through the Russian embassy, but their attitude remained cold throughout.

Perhaps it was because reports kept surfacing about the NIS director taking Russian bribes.

For days, the news had been ablaze with scandals; black money funneled into Korean politics through the Russian Orthodox Church, and the private company Blast, which had served as their puppet, being exposed to the public.

Chief Joo had always wanted to reach the top of the NIS, and now, in a way, she had.

Na Wonchang cracked open a bottle of soju, a drink he rarely touched. She had been a ruthless, unfeeling superior, but he couldn’t shake the thought of how pointlessly she had gone.

And yet, the last expression he saw on Joo Seolheon’s face had been strangely peaceful.