Chapter 76.2

Chapter 76.2

Seoryeong closed her eyes tightly, pressing down her frustration, not knowing exactly who she was angry at. And to suffer this embarrassment in front of Kim Hyun, of all people…

She glanced coldly between her phone and Lee Wooshin.

This was a lost cause. In that case, perhaps it would be better to…

Better to sacrifice some flesh and claim his bones instead*. Her calculating gaze locked onto Lee Wooshin, dark with intent.

*Idiom that means allowing temporary defeat for the sake of a more significant victory ahead.

―There’s an old saying: ‘Even the owl’s hoot sounds good to itself.’

“…!”

Lee Wooshin’s expression suddenly hardened.

―It means that even an annoying owl’s cry sounds pleasant to its own ears. It’s used to warn those who overestimate themselves, unaware of their weaknesses. You should be cautious as well.

“….”

―Please put Seoryeong on the line.

The sudden mention of an owl felt strange and out of place, but it seemed to serve as a warning to Lee Wooshin for his reckless talk of affairs.

Seoryeong blinked in the midst of this odd standoff. For some reason, the grip on her wrist tightened even more.

She glanced up at Lee Wooshin. The veins in his jaw bulged like roots, and the corners of his lips curled upward in a chilling smirk. Without thinking, her mouth opened instinctively.

“5632… 2321… 5483—”

Seoryeong quickly recited the 21 digits of her Macau account number, biting her lip afterward.

Retreat is a part of strategy. She momentarily hid her confusion, swallowing the hot anger within.

She knew. From the start, she had sensed that something was off with Kim Hyun today. She could tell ever since he blamed her for what happened.

Even the night before he disappeared, Kim Hyun had acted strangely, rougher than usual during sex. It wasn’t normal.

So, how could she truly judge who Kim Hyun really was?

From now on, she’d have to piece him together like gathering breadcrumbs.

That’s why she stayed silent, unable to respond, just listening. The sweet illusion that Kim Hyun would always be kind in every situation was starting to crack.

He, too, was just an agent who acted cleverly depending on his circumstances. That was today’s painful lesson.

What did I love about Kim Hyun all this time?

Suddenly, an emptiness and fear welled up inside her. Perhaps the price of loving an illusion and a lie was this endless walk through fog.

“Until we meet again.”

Don’t die. Seoryeong’s lips moved a few more times before she hung up abruptly, as if fleeing from the call.

She felt completely drained. She closed her eyes, savoring the vivid memory of her husband’s voice for a moment.

But what mattered was from now on.

She dismissed the agents, who didn’t seem to have a shred of normalcy left in them. Once the chaotic scene cleared, the room became engulfed in silence.

Seoryeong, seizing the moment, slapped Lee Wooshin across the face.

“――!”

One of his eyebrows twitched, but his head didn’t even turn.

“Do you have any idea what you just did, Instructor? I won’t apologize.”

Seoryeong’s face contorted as if something precious had been stolen from her.

“He was my husband! And you, Instructor, what right did you have to interfere there?!”

Only then did Lee Wooshin lick the corner of his lips, as though finally feeling the sting of her slap.

“You’re still going on about your husband after hearing what he said?”

He let out a cold laugh.

“When you met me at Blast Agency, what did you say? Didn’t you ask me to lend a hand when you beat that bastard down? Fine, think of it as a perk of employment. And don’t say another word. Someone here is driving my blood pressure through the roof.”

He shot a sharp look at Seoryeong. Now she noticed—he hadn’t even taken off his shoes when entering her home. Leaving footprints on the floor, Lee Wooshin began striding towards the front door.

After humiliating me like this, you’re just going to walk away? Watching his back as he turned, Seoryeong suddenly grew anxious. Not a chance.

As she rushed after him, Lee Wooshin, halfway through opening the door, suddenly spun back around, cursing under his breath. His throat trembled as he spoke.

“You have a good sense for these things, Seoryeong. Tell me—do you really think that idiot is your husband?”

“…!”

“You put yourself through all that just to find a guy like him?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“I said I don’t know.” Her face was devoid of any expression. Lee Wooshin narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her.

“I have no idea who my husband really is, or what kind of person he is. That’s why I’m like this.”

It was the same story she had reluctantly told to Channa and Jung Pilgyu to get their help, but now it choked her up.

“My husband, he’s a black agent for the National Intelligence Service. The phone call made that clear.”

She felt strangely hurt, having revealed such an intimate secret to Lee Wooshin, but he, too, was a man with a failed marriage. The shame quickly subsided.

Luckily, Lee Wooshin kept his mouth shut, his face only twitching slightly.

“I was deceived into marrying him from the start, and he disappeared in an instant. I went blind for years because of his people. I don’t know why, but either way, I have to find him—whether it’s to interrogate him or whatever.”

Lee Wooshin stood still, towering over her.

“They said no one else would ever be able to find him. They told me to just give up, that it was impossible for someone like me, an ordinary person with no special skills. Black agents don’t leave a trace—not a single hair, not even a tail to follow.”

“…”

“But today, for the first time, I made contact with my husband!”

Seoryeong let out a ragged breath, overwhelmed by the rising tension.

“Do you still not get it? I could have said more, I could have uncovered more, but you ruined a perfect opportunity, Instructor!”

“So—” At that moment, Lee Wooshin flung off the coat he was wearing and asked coldly.

“Did you just sit there and listen to that nonsense about how you can’t even be loved without me?”

“Are you saying that you can’t receive love unless it’s from him, and if I didn’t come, you would have just sat there listening to his nonsense?”

“…!”

“Seoryeong, then you would have sucked d!ck all day if your husband told you to.”