Chapter 184.2

Chapter 184.2

Kia blinked his eyelids blankly, then suddenly hung his head. He pressed his lips together tightly, and when she looked, it seemed like he was shaking his shoulders, trying to hold back laughter. No sound escaped, but the crumpled corners of his mouth gave him away completely.

“Sonya, did you know?”

Kia moved the rocking horse more vigorously, the old wood creaking as it twisted.

“They say that the army ants with degraded vision spin around until they die, and that’s called ‘ant mill.’ It’s a death spiral that doesn’t stop until they collapse from exhaustion.”

As he moved the horse, deep marks were left on the dirt floor.

“Well, it can’t be helped. They communicate with each other using pheromones. But because of all that information, once confusion sets in, they get trapped in a vortex they can’t escape from.”

“….”

Sonya nervously glanced at the dangerously protruding nails of the rocking horse.

“They mindlessly spin around in circles. If you only focus on one thing and move blindly, you become just as foolish as those ants, completely unaware that you’re being misled.”

Eventually, the weight proved too much for the rocking horse, and it broke apart. Kia fell to the ground but was still laughing.

“And then they die from exhaustion.”

***

“What? What’s the owl doing?”

The sharp screech of brakes left skid marks on the road. A nervous shout came from behind, but Lee Wooshin was solely focused on the urgent phone call he had received.

Having spent three months lying in a hospital bed, he had missed all traces of Sonya, but the deep bruise on his foot and the wound on his side had now healed into scars and new flesh.

However, he couldn’t fully regain the lost muscle, and his face still looked gaunt. Yet time always flowed faster than Lee Wooshin could endure, and he found himself unable to withstand even a single second.

That impatience gnawed at his mind and paralyzed his thoughts. He had only to go through basic rehabilitation before he could leave.

Unexpectedly, his mind went blank. His stiff eyelids trembled uncontrollably.

– “The owl has issued a terror warning.”

He gripped the steering wheel tightly.

– “We are currently verifying the authenticity of the voice, but the content is serious enough that the atmosphere at the National Intelligence Service is tense, Team Leader.”

“….”

– “The CIA has already headed to Syria. Assuming that a Korean is indeed involved, we will likely send a few agents there as well. And if… if the owl is correct…”

On the other end of the line, Na Wonchang, who usually showed signs of tension, didn’t let out a single breath at this moment.

– “There may be orders coming down.”

“What kind of orders?”

His cold voice broke off abruptly.

– “An order to eliminate.”

The flesh inside his mouth was chewed roughly. A pungent and sticky scent invaded his nostrils. Why, in this situation, did the memory of the now-deceased Deputy Director Joo Seolheon come to mind?

Some missions were said to require risking one’s life for a lifetime. What needed to be discarded was not guilt, but the excessive desire to be loved. The Deputy Director’s words, which he had spat out while choking, pierced him like a fresh blade.

– “As a friendly nation, this matter is sensitive. At the very least, we must show sincerity.”

“What’s the possibility that it’s false information?”

– “We’re investigating, but… we can’t be certain of anything yet.”

“….”

– “However, if this is the case… we’ll be one step behind, Team Leader. The higher-ups don’t even know whose voice that is, and if they hastily issue an order to eliminate, everything will go awry. If we need to secretly extract the owl, it’s up to you, Team Leader…”

“I know.”

It was the worst news, but it was still a trace of something after a long time. It was like a drop of ambrosia for a thirsty person. Lee Wooshin anxiously rubbed his chin with trembling hands.

“Send me the file.”

‘Let’s me hear the owl’s voice.’

Whether it’s Seoryeong or not, it didn’t matter.

‘As long as it was you, I would gladly become a fool who believes your lies.’

Lee Wooshin put in his in-ear and played the transmitted file. The moment he heard the low, calm voice that accompanied the faint sound of breathing, he collapsed over the steering wheel.

D*mn…. It felt like his ear canal was being crushed. His heart dropped to his toes, and his throat tingled. He wanted to see her so badly. He clenched his teeth.

However, based solely on the pronunciation and speech patterns, the likelihood of it being the owl was low. But that didn’t provide any grounds to assume the owl wouldn’t appear in Syria…

Even if it was a trap, he couldn’t afford to overlook it. Any clue, even a single strand of hair, would be a gain.

“I’ll infiltrate on my own.”

He abruptly turned the steering wheel.

Protecting the owl had always been his mission, unchanged from beginning to end, and it was now the unwavering command of the late Deputy Director Joo Seolheon.

It was a duty he had to uphold until death.

‘As long as you can be safe–’

‘I can suppress and trample my desires as much as needed.’

‘I could endure it time and time again.’