Chapter 183.1

Chapter 183.1

The director’s voice no longer reached his ears.

In the room where they secretly met, the familiar belongings of his parents lingered. The curious and cautious child would often wander, touching or tossing anything within reach. It was in those moments that the memories came flooding back, striking deeply at the core of his heart.

Had he truly remembered all of that without realizing? He had only shown the child how to live as a child, feeding her chocolate, playing music, giving her colored pencils.

It had been nothing more than a whirlwind of noise and restless anxiety.

Lee Wooshin couldn’t lift his head while looking at a childhood photo of Seoryeong.

He knew from Jo Seolheon’s records that Sonya’s memories were locked away, but it was clear that some things floating like air had shaped the current Han Seoryeong.

“….”

‘Seoryeong, where on earth are you, and what are you doing?’

The hot light coming through the window made his eyes sting.

– “Team Leader, where on earth are you…!”

Na Wonchang’s voice echoed urgently through the receiver. However, Lee Wooshin had no time to respond as he returned to the burned honeymoon house to quietly sort out his thoughts.

– “You need to get here quickly since the departure is just around the corner!”

Yes, staying in Korea wouldn’t help him find Seoryeong. For now, he planned to infiltrate the most suspicious place and confront it directly. No matter how many months, years, or even decades it took, he would not stop.

Lee Wooshin unwrapped a piece of candy and crumpled the crinkly wrapper.

However, the current situation in Russia was not favorable.

Recently, the head of a Russian private military company had died in a plane crash after initiating a military rebellion. Although it was called an accident, it was more accurate to view it as a purge.

Not only this incident, but several major corporations, chaebols, billionaires, and high-ranking military officials in Russia had also met with suspicious deaths.

The Deputy Prime Minister, who also served as Minister of Trade and Industry, was publicly purged. The head of the national telecom company was replaced by the president’s spokesperson. The vice president of a state bank was was found dead in his Moscow home, shot alongside his wife and daughter.

The chairman of the oil company’s board died of acute heart failure, and reports of executives who had signed anti-war statements dying surfaced almost monthly. It was, by any measure, a dangerous time to cross into Russia.

– “Team Leader, are you listening? I’ve come across some information that might be useful.”

Lee Wooshin stared out the dark window, noisily rolling a candy in his mouth.

– “You know Sergey Kovarchuk, the steel tycoon in Russia? He’s known to be close to the president and a devout Orthodox Christian. Apparently, his daughter recently got divorced. Word is, she had a complicated romantic history before marriage… So, I was thinking…”

The speaker, who had been talking quickly, suddenly hesitated. Wooshin nudged him.

– “What is it, Wonchang?”

– “…What if you approached Sergey Kovarchuk’s daughter? Infiltration and disguise are your specialties…”

“……”

– “She’s our only lead on ‘Kia’ right now. To catch him, we’ll need access to Russia’s upper circles. If you pose as her lover and start frequenting Orthodox circles, we might eventually reach Kia, or even Owl.”

“….”

– “But there’s a catch… She’s known for sponsoring young, poor waiters. Still, you’re a great actor, Chief. If you play it like you did with Owl, she might fall for it.”

– “Enough.”

Lee Wooshin cut him off coldly.

He didn’t dismiss Wonchang’s effort, he knew the man was trying to help. But his blood pressure spiked, and he rubbed the back of his neck hard.

The pain, like a rubber band snapping against his skull, lingered. Frowning, he added slowly:

“Do I look like someone who drops his pants and uses his d*ck for anyone?”

– “No, no… That’s not what I meant!”

“What do you mean, ‘not what you meant’? What exactly do you think being someone’s ‘lover’ entails? Say it, Wonchang.”

– “Uh…”

“If I go undercover as her boyfriend, do you really think I’ll just politely wipe her sweat and behave like a gentleman?”

A bitter laugh escaped. Lee Wooshin spat out the candy he’d been rolling around in his mouth like a loose tooth.

“Who taught you that a black ops agent should throw their d*cks around like that? That’s street punk behavior.”

– “…!”

“You think I’ve got nothing better to do than play some sleazy role for a married man?”

From the other end of the line came the pathetic sound of hiccups. Lee Wooshin’s face hardened.

“Don’t give orders like that. You’re not in a position to.”

– ”I- I’m sorry…! But during the Bird Box operation–”

Na Wonchang’s voice trembled, still clearly unconvinced.

Growing up in a conservative household, Lee Wooshin hadn’t even had a proper chance to msturabare.  Just because he’d done a few undercover missions, being treated like some kind of a slt felt unfair and absurd.

Lee Wooshin responded slowly, dragging out his words.

“Right. And that’s why, Wonchang…”

“After that mission, I got a damn tattoo on my genitals. Didn’t the deputy director tell you that?”

Wonchang gasped audibly, his breathing suddenly erratic.

“You know how they do tattoos down there? They jab a needle into your- yeah.”

Lee Wooshin ran his tongue slowly over his dry lips.

“They went too deep. I had an erection that lasted all day. You know what went through my head?”

– “I- I don’t…”

“One thought was that Owl had tortured me. The other? That it might actually be useful.”

– “Team leader, please calm down…”

“You want to walk around with a b*ner ke me all day too?”