Chapter 94.2

Chapter 94.2

Screech— The car suddenly came to a stop, causing them to lurch forward. The front car must have cut them off, and Lee Wooshin muttered, “Shit!”

But Seoryeong had no attention left for the driver. She felt utterly bound by the sinister gleam in Joo Seolheon’s eyes.

“I’ll give you credit for making it this far on your own, but the piece that stabbed you is just one of many. The truth is like a shattered mirror with countless fragments, and you thought Kim Hyun was the only truth.”

“…”

“Then just go ahead and chase after that useless love.”

She sneered, her face full of disdain, motioning arrogantly with her chin.

“Take only that and leave the rest.”

The underlying message was clear.  She didn’t want her to know anything except for Kim Hyun.

This was a transaction.

Seoryeong stared at her with trembling eyes, but the condescending tone grated on her.

To think that people like her had Kim Hyun… Just people like this… Seoryeong swallowed the emotions surging within her and lifted her gaze.

“Aren’t you giving away your agent a bit too easily?”

“…!”

“Kim Hyun isn’t some disposable object. Why are you treating him like this?”

An inexplicable anger welled up inside. What were a few broken nails compared to this? It wasn’t the pain that bothered her; it was the way they were using and discarding Kim Hyun that made her furious.

And the fact that he had chosen them over her…

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have said a word even if my organs were ripped out.”

As she bit her lip and reached for the defibrillator, her eyes met Lee Woo-shin’s through the rearview mirror.

He had been watching her for who knows how long, his eyes stubbornly glued to her, visibly shaken. His furrowed brow was stiff, and even in that brief moment, his pale complexion showed his discomfort. Yet, the gaze that wrapped around her was scorching.

Seoryeong barely turned her head back to focus on what was in front of her. She was too busy, and the heat rising to her head was too overwhelming.

“So, now that you’ve put Kim Hyun on the table for cheap.”

She quickly pulled out the needle embedded beneath Chief Joo’s fingernail, as if retreating a step. Then, she switched on the defibrillator, pressed the charged paddles to the chief’s shoulder, and muttered menacingly, “I’ll make sure to take him for a high price.”

“Turn it off!”

“Ngghh!”

Chief Joo convulsed as the electric shock coursed through her body, her eyes rolling back.

Seoryeong adjusted the voltage again and pressed down on various parts of Joo Seolheon’s arm. Each time she did, the emergency bed rattled noisily.

“When you hand over something precious to me so easily, it makes me angry.”

“Ugh!”

“I didn’t expect this to be easy from the start.”

“Ugh!”

“I haven’t given up, so why did you give up first?”

“…”

“You’re even less loyal than someone like me, who’s been playing along this whole time.”

Joo Seolheon glared at her, breathing heavily, “And what difference does it make if you find Kim Hyun?”

“…!”

Despite her trembling lips, her face was unwavering and cold, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

Her subtle expression exuded a calm confidence, like someone who was always one step ahead. It was the confidence of someone with an ace up their sleeve.

“No matter what you do, you won’t learn anything. Do you think an agent who follows the National Intelligence Service’s principles and code of conduct would betray their country just to tell you everything? Kim Hyun is a skilled agent, and that’s exactly why he won’t reveal any mission details to someone like you. The same goes for his identity—his real name, his age—you won’t hear a single thing from him.”

“…”

“So take Kim Hyun with you all you want.”

Her pulse thudded in her temples. She was talking too much. Even though they were giving Kim Hyun to her, Seoryeong had never felt so disgusted.

“Let’s see if someone like you, with no means other than this crude torture, can get him to open his mouth.”

“…”

“Kim Hyun is the kind of person who could withstand having his organs torn out.”

The unyielding tone pierced her heart like a sharp blade.

“Or do you think, by any chance, that Kim Hyun is in love with you?”

“…!”

“Are you counting on his feelings for you?”

Chief Joo’s face twisted, as if she were staring at something pitiable—or contemptible.

“Those who go on about love always have that same pathetic shine on their faces.”

“…”

Seoryeong felt trapped, as if the walls were closing in. She tossed the defibrillator paddles aside and sank back, leaning against the wall. No matter which way she turned, she found herself staring into a pitch-black swamp that wanted to swallow her whole.

It was an awful sensation, like having her nose buried in a thick pool of sticky words. Distrust, anxiety, and self-loathing surged within her.

She buried her forehead against her knees, her breath growing ragged. Despite the burning anger inside her, she couldn’t think of any sharp retort. She hated how pathetic she felt, unable to say anything.

“Han Seoryeong.”

Suddenly, the car swerved sharply, throwing her body off balance. Her head and elbow slammed into the floor, snapping her out of the mental abyss.

Shaking her head, she pushed herself up. At the same time, a calm voice came from the driver’s seat.

“It’s not as easy as you think, is it?”

In the rearview mirror, she met a pair of slanted eyes.

“Switch seats with the instructor.”