Chapter 90.1

Chapter 90.1

“Just support me—I want to capture the deputy chief myself.”

After returning home from training, Seoryeong sat Lee Wooshin down and declared her intentions.

She pulled out a long sheet of paper, already worn and covered with fluorescent pen marks and scribbled notes. It was the draft plan she had been secretly working on, as well as the layout of the event hall she had mentally rehearsed hundreds of times.

Lee Wooshin, who had come home first, had once again prepared tasteless combat rations in a frying pan.

The two of them now sat across from each other, the hotel blueprint and the yellow-tinted rice laid out side by side. Turning her head away from the rice—which looked like it would still crunch in her mouth just from sight alone—she spoke.

“The Quantum-Resistant Cryptography Conference will be held in the Grand Hotel’s fifth-floor hall. Channa already shook down the subcontractor and got the hotel’s blueprints. This is the route I’ve mapped out—”

Suddenly, a spoon entered her line of sight, scooping up a big portion of the combat rations she hadn’t touched. As she frowned and looked up, Lee Wooshin tapped his lips, urging her to eat.

“It’s mealtime.”

“…”

“As you can see, I’m supporting you.”

To proceed according to her plan, they needed to do some preliminary work inside the event hall, and she intended to leave that entirely in Lee Wooshin’s hands.

Seoryeong hesitated for a moment before reluctantly opening her mouth. The spoon scraped against the inside of her teeth as it was pulled out, as if he had been waiting for her to eat.

“We’re doing all this to stay alive, so you should eat properly.”

“Instructor, I’m being serious right now.”

She retorted as she chewed, her voice rising slightly. The food, which had initially tasted like straw, no longer made her grimace—maybe her tongue had finally gotten used to it after a few bites.

“You certainly seem serious.”

Lee Wooshin casually propped his chin in his hand, looking down at the blueprint. Unlike at work, he wasn’t dressed in his muscle-fit training clothes or a suit.

He wore loose-fitting sweatpants and a plain oversized T-shirt, probably a 3XL. His relaxed attire, which comfortably enveloped his large frame, gave off a natural vibe, something she’d only ever seen at home.

With his damp hair hanging neatly just above his eyebrows, he looked different somehow. If that was a skill, it certainly was an impressive one.

Though he seemed to be scanning the blueprint lazily, his eyes never left the lines she’d marked in fluorescent pen. At the same time, he scooped another spoonful of rice and held it out to her.

“Ugh!”

Not wanting to interrupt his concentration, she quietly opened her mouth.

The experience, strategic wisdom, physical capabilities, and combat skills Lee Wooshin possessed were resources she could never hope to gather on her own.

As she mechanically chewed the dry rice, she gazed at him. At that moment, he tapped his finger on the paper with an indifferent flick.

“You really know how to work me hard, Han Seoryeong.”

“We had a deal, didn’t we?”

Lee Wooshin leaned back into his chair, crossing his arms. “Do you want my opinion?”

“I’d appreciate some advice. Anything I might have missed.”

“For now, I have my doubts.”

“…!”

His blunt, negative feedback made her face stiffen for a moment. But this was the cleanest version of the plan she had simulated in her mind. Was there a better way?

“How did you end up tangled with that pathetic Kim Hyun anyway?”

“What?”

“After everything, the best thing you can say to me is this? You let me kiss you, and that’s all you’ve got? Hasn’t marriage made you a bit too dull?”

He flicked the paper again, this time hard enough to puncture it.

“Is kidnapping really the only thing you want to do with me?”

“…!”

“After we kissed that night, do we really need to be talking about whether to stuff someone in a trunk or a sack?”

“You’re the one feeding me combat rations, Instructor, so you’re not exactly innocent either.”

“…”

“…”

They fell silent, their gazes locking in a wordless clash. Lee Wooshin frowned and lowered his head, examining the tiny handwriting on the paper. His eyes narrowed.

“This plan… You’ve got potential kidnapping, blackmail, torture, and even attempted murder here. And what’s this? Where did you get propofol from?”

His stern face turned sharply toward her. Seoryeong quickly darted her eyes around.

The illegal clinic Taemin had warned her to avoid. She went there and asked for propofol.

How many times did she stroke his thigh when the doctor handed her the vial and syringe? Once? Twice? No, maybe three times?

Stealing the syringe was easy. She had learned all the tricks from the man in front of her. When he killed someone, he looked like a harmless old man. When he ran off with the money from a savings pool, he was the friendly neighbor. And when he seduced an old bachelor, he did it through sexual appeal.

“I managed to get it just fine.”