"Eh? What is this?"
Yoon Jong Woo was about to log in to the game and suddenly frowned. When you enter your ID and password and click the Log in button, an error message appears indicating that you have previously logged in. He tried to close and reopen the active window, but the result was the same. If it weren't for the faulty server, his ID would have been stolen by someone else.
Yoon Jong Woo felt this a long time ago. Each time he logged in, his level changed subtly and some items were no longer in stock. Yoon Jong Woo simply thought that there might have been some event that he didn't know about, but it seems that he caught that tail today.
Dare to hack national intelligence officers? I don't know what name it is, it's really big.
'Bastard, you hit the wrong person.'
Yoon Jong Woo enters another ID to access the game. It's an ID that you created just to register for the event and just left out of use. So you don't have anything other than basic items.
Yoon Jong Woo finds the old ID in the user search window, the location of the thief is immediately revealed. Entered the server. The thief is there preparing for a game that is about to start. Yoon Jong Woo was talking to him but other users urged him to quickly end the wait. Without hesitation, Yoon Jong Woo pressed the battle button.
Soon the game starts. A vivid wallpaper reminiscent of a truly filling battlefield before your eyes. The gunshots echoed through the ears like the real thing. Where they go crazy killing each other, Yoon Jon Woo just chases the thief. The guy is naturally caught up in the game and only selects the high-level user who is immersed in the massacre of civilians to shoot. It's a miracle that it's a hundred hits.
"Ahhh! I deliberately didn't use it but saved it."
Yoon Jong Woo, who was targeting him, screamed in amazement. The item that the thief just threw out is a rare item that is difficult to obtain even with cash. The treasure he stored carefully without daring to use even once is being proudly wasted by that bastard. You can't sit still anymore.
Yoon Jong Woo registered for a 1:1 match with a very serious face. Forgetting the fact that the ID the other person was using was his own, he decided to sacrifice new cards.
Then the thief replied.
>> Don't play tricks, go out there and play.
Yoon Jong Woo was speechless, so he gasped. He registered to fight again. Rejected again. You re-register. Rejected immediately again.
'...This bastard.'
Yoon Jong Woo kept clinging to him until he accepted. Then the thief also suddenly agreed to the confrontation. Suddenly, he was confused again. As soon as the match started, the two rushed into each other. However, there is one thing that Yoon Jong Woo missed. ID, which you have accumulated experience by splitting the time you have so hard to have, is no longer yours. Yoon Jong Woo is just a mediocre and helpless low-end user.
He used up his pompous skills and launched all kinds of attacks, but the thief didn't get a single wound. On the other hand, as soon as his bullet passed, his blood gauge was drastically reduced. Yoon Jong Woo stood up halfway through, banging the keyboard and mouse angrily.
"Aaaaaaa! Die!"
The opponent is equipped with special armour, so he will not be damaged from most attacks. The problem is that all of Yoon Jong Woo's firepower was included in that attack. Even if he aims straight and pulls the trigger, the opponent doesn't get a thin scratch. He decided to step out of armour but that only affected Yoon Jong Woo's life.
In the dilemma, the thief made a decisive blow. His vision was turned upside down when Yoon Jong Woo was hit in the head with a shot.
'No, aaaa...!'
Yoon Jong Woo grabbed the screen and shouted, but the game was over. Shit. He just found the ID that the thief had stolen while swearing. But he's already logged out. Unable to scream in the middle of the night, Yoon Jong Woo could only grab his hair and kick his angry leg.
It wasn't until a long time later that Yoon Jong Woo discovered that the message had not been read. The sender is the thief earlier. He immediately checked the content. There is only one place and time written on it without any mention. It's ridiculous.
The time he specified was 30 minutes later, and the location was a computer room in Incheon. He also friendly recorded his seat number. If Yoon Jong Woo works diligently from now on, he will be able to arrive on time. Yoon Jong Woo, who was on a rage, took his jacket and left the house.
The light in the designated PC room is quite dim as if to increase focus. Since it's not rush hour, there are a lot of empty seats. Students who work part-time at the counter also doze off and don't notice Yoon Jong Woo's appearance.
He narrowed his eyes and walked through the dark room. Yoon Jong Woo ran for nearly 30 minutes with a fighting spirit, but when he arrived, his heart was pounding. Yoon Jong Woo took a deep breath and moved to the 59th chair that the thief had given. After passing the 30th and 40th row and entering the 50th row, his heart beat violently as if to jump out of his chest. Yoon Jong Woo carefully walked and finally reached seat number 59.
'What is it?'
Yoon Jong Woo's face showed a flash of disappointment, because chair 59 was empty. Damn thief call someone else here and run away? Maybe he's chatting somewhere in the store. Yoon Jong Woo quickly looked around. There is no one in the eye, nor does anyone stand out. Isn't it enough to be beaten in the game, but now you're still played by him so properly?
'Ugh, you motherfucker...!'
Yoon Jong Woo clenched his fists in anger, he gritted his teeth and struggled frantically, causing people who were using other computers to also look at the scream without that sound.
Just like that, Yoon Jong Woo receives everyone's attention and reduces his anger. He accidentally touched a nearby computer screen, power saving mode was turned off and the screen was turned on. It is doubtful that because eye-catching writing overflows the screen.
'Sit down.'
What's wrong with this? Yoon Jong Woo is extremely uncomfortable but also sitting down silently. He pretended to look around calmly and wondered if this was the thief's trick, but on the one hand he was also curious about what he was going to do.
However, even if he waited for a long time, the thief did not appear. Other PC users are just immersed in their games. Playing again? A huge fire burned in Yoon Jong Woo's heart.
Must let him know who he touched. Yoon Jong Woo will find this bastard regardless of the trick or method. He gritted his teeth and got up from his seat.
At that moment someone suddenly cried out.
'An adult is a wise person.'
How did that voice sound so familiar? Yoon Jong Woo flinched and looked at the seat next to him. Immediately the opponent also slowly lifted his back out of the partition. Yoon Jong Woo's eyes are round.
'Hyung!'
'Take it easy, you bastard.'
Kwon Taek Joo panicked and blocked Yoon Jong Woo's mouth and carefully observed the surrounding movements. Yoon Jong Woo also involuntarily looked around after a panic. Kwon Taek Joo only released him after he was definitely safe.
"What happened? 'I thought my hyung was dead!'''
'Why would you expect that?'
"What do you say? I'm worried about my hyung day and night..."
'More like playing games day and night?'
"Yes. Playing games day and night... Ah, that's not true, really!"
Yoon Jong Woo, who was drawn unconsciously, quickly corrected his words. His face almost wanted to cry. Kwon Taek Joo smiled and nodded to tell him to follow and get up first.
Yoon Jong Woo asked in a voice as he descended the narrow and steep stairs.
'But was the thief a senior just now?'
"Cherryboy ID, password pure1004@. Isn't it time to change it?"
Kwon Taek Joo admitted bluntly. It's shameless to publicly steal someone else's ID. Yoon Jong Woo is full of resentment looking at Kwon Taek Joo's back who is walking forward, thinking over and over again what he wants to say if it's not his senior.
'What if it's not a senior?'
'...What?'
Wondering if he accidentally muttered what was thinking in his mind, Yoon Jong Woo was startled as he covered his mouth.
"Don't you know? I know how to read minds."
Yoon Jong Woo innocently asked if it was real. Kwon Taek Joo just smiled without answering. Obviously playing along. Why would Yoon Jong Woo himself meet a gunner like Kwon Taek Joo? How does it have to be him? Today you challenge the will of heaven in vain again.
Kwon Taek Joo's face reflected in the streetlight and could not be described in words. Everywhere you look, you can see bandages or personalised bandages. His physique is still the same, but he seems to have lost 5kg because the contours on his face are sharper. Perhaps he didn't sleep well, so his eyes also seem to have darkened aswell. He was so pitiful that Yoon Jong Woo didn't even feel resentment at him anymore.
Yoon Jong Woo has no way of knowing where Kwon Taek Joo has been and what he is doing, as he has to keep the mission a secret even from his NIS colleagues. It is also common to not be contacted during the battle, but he also wondered what he had done in the past few months without getting a bit of news.
Even so, Kwon Taek Joo is the kind of person who will suddenly appear and invite him to eat, as if he had just met the day before when he had completed his mission safely.
Yoon Jong Woo has never worried about Kwon Taek Joo's safety, but this time it's a little different. After Kwon Taek Joo called back from Russia, he felt uncomfortable. 'Yevgeny Vissarionovich Bogdanov', whom he was travelling with at the time, was a character who could not find any official information. That wasn't a good sign itself, but the more he knew, the more dangerous he became.
He tried to tell that truth to Kwon Taek Joo, but the two had lost contact. He didn't call back either. Yoon Jong Woo reported to head Lim in vain but all he was advised to not to worry, saying Kwon Taek Joo was safe. He then brushed aside his thoughts and shook off his anxiety like an old woman.
However, Kwon Tae Joo, whom he met again after a long time, did not seem to be safe.
'Did you bring the car?'
'Yes, over there.'
Yoon Jong Woo carefully opened the car door. Both in the driver's and passenger seats, respectively.
'Where are you going now?'
'Let's talk here.'
Kwon Taek Joo turns off the car engine and pulls the memory chip out of the black box. He also deleted the location information recorded on the locator. The inside of the car is dark because the headlights and interior lights are both turned off. It seems that from the outside, no one can know the presence of the people sitting inside.
Kwon Taek Joo only opened his mouth after erasing all traces.
"Didn't the head of the room say anything? About me."
"Last time I was talking on the phone with my hyung, the phone was disconnected and then I didn't contact you again. I was very worried at that time, so I told the head of the department about the name who you were travelling with. He told me not to worry because you're fine. Isn't it?"
"I'm fine... I'm not saying it's wrong because I'm not dead. So how is the atmosphere at the headquarters these days?"
"Oh, stop talking. I really don't have time to breathe these days. Until yesterday, I had to work at night for 3 consecutive days. Why? Not long ago there were rumours that there would be a large-scale personnel change. The Blue House decided the next head of intelligence would be one of the current deputy directors at NIS."
Such stories are still spread regularly. Rumour has it that the current head of the NIS has announced his intention to resign for personal reasons. The head of the NIS is appointed by the president and the position is usually held by an outsider. Although he is the highest leader, in order to prevent excessive power, the position is only symbolic. In fact, it is not unrelated that it will be easier to manage if the position is a person who is close to the Blue House.
For that reason, it is an extremely unusual move for one of the deputy directors to become the director of the NIS. If the rumours are true, only the employees below are tired, because each department will have to work harder to accumulate one more achievement.
Yoon Jong Woo's complaint makes proof of that.
'The head of the department is also very active and treats people like slaves.'
'By the way, isn't there anything else?'
"Let's see. Well, there is this one. I was recently transferred to the information support team."
Only then, Kwon Taek Joo, who was looking straight ahead, turned his head towards Yoon Jong Woo. 'Why?', the boy shrugged indifferently.
"I'm not originally suitable for the investigation team. I didn't go in that direction since the beginning. When joining the headquarters, the head of the department promised that if the investigation team had enough people, I would be transferred to the support team. So there is nothing bad either. As I expected, the support team's job is to race against time, not risky like at the scene. Life insurance used to cost 1 million won a month, now there is no need to buy it anymore. Everything is good but..."
'But what?'
Yoon Jong Woo vaguely ignored what he was saying. He was silent for a while wondering whether to continue or not. He waited a bit and then continued.
"I still see something strange. Our team has not yet been adding new staffs and I have not heard that there will be staff from other teams to be transferred. It's not that you made a big mistake or had a big achievement. Whether if it's a penalty or a reward, but there's no reason to move me to the support team right now. Or is this just an act of human resource management?"
Hearing the complaints, it seems that there is no clear reason. Such personnel actions are more likely to be based on the needs of superiors.
"You, what was the last task you took on in the investigative team? 'Destroying Kim Young Hee's group in Busan'. Was it that case?"
'I can't reveal it.'
"Relax. What, do you want to lose your life before you say it?"
'...That's right, that's the case.'
Kwon Taek Joo heard the answer and then sank into thought. Looking back, it all started right there. Immediately after the arrest of Kim Yeong Hee and her accomplices in Busan, the head of the department Lim called him and he immediately set off for Russia. After that, Yoon Jong Woo, a partner in that mission, was suddenly subject to personnel adjustment. There is definitely something that is not clear. It is impossible to transfer the sniper's assistant and not notify the sniper.
'If you take it seriously, you are not eligible for this campaign.'
'How can you feel secure in that remote place from the beginning. So I've found someone to help you.'
In retrospect, there are many strange points. Partners are usually attached before being put into operation. Kwon Taek Joo prefers to work alone and he will definitely refuse to work in a team, so delaying the announcement of a partner must have a reason. Even if he gave in and they have a good reason to do so, it is not a mistake to swap Salman and Zhenya's photos at all.
'Anyways, do you think you're hated there? Did a place called the National Intelligence Agency send my photo by mistake? They will never do that.'
"I have one more mission."
"It's an order from the Korean side. What the hell did you do in your country? What did you do to be sent here and almost be killed?"
Zhenya and Salman's words flashed through Kwon Taek Joo's mind. By this time, it seems that the situation is not simply bad anymore. You definitely need to dig it deep.
'How are you guys arrested in Busan?'
"Ah, probably the senior still doesn't know. It's a bit noisy. It was a strategy to wipe them out on our passenger ship but because there were so many hostages and even witnesses on board, they couldn't let it go quietly. Perhaps they are afraid to take responsibility later, so instead of claiming that those people were arrested by agents, they claim they are armed drug smugglers and arrested by the Coast Guard."
It's normal. Civilians do not know that there are agents in Korea till this today, and the government also wants to avoid social unrest as much as possible.
'And Kim Young Hee drank poison just before his arrest.'
'Poison?'
A wrinkle forms between Kwon Taek Joo's forehead. Yoon Jong Woo nodded and said that she was dead when the police arrived.
Kim Young Hee also intended to commit suicide when she was arrested by Kwon Taek Joo at that time. However, soon he handcuffed her left hand and hung it on the railing, and her right hand was hit by a bullet. He also put a handkerchief in her mouth so that she couldn't bite her tongue, how could Kim Young Hee harm herself?
"Speak more clearly. Why is that?"
'I don't know either. After that, the whole team was quickly mobilised. It seems that the head of the department wrote a report on your behalf because the senior was not there.'
If there is no doubt, there will be no question. Nothing is impossible if you try to understand it by all means. And once the asked was question, Kwon Taek Joo feels that everything is suspicious. He knew the situation was going on quite abnormally, but he didn't know the reason. He felt like he had missed an important clue.
It seems that he has to reconsider from the beginning all over again, if so, it will take time, so Kwon Taek Joo's return to Korea himself and will have to keep it a secret in the near future. Immersed in thought, he softly called out.
"Jong Woo.l
'Yes... Yes?'
'Don't tell anyone you met me.'
'Why can't I?'
"Because there may be a wanted warrant in the future for me. If they knew you met me today, you would be considered an accomplice."
'Alright? What the hell did you do out there?!'
Yoon Jong Woo screamed in shock. The pupils seemed to be about to roll down from wide open eyes. Kwon Taek Joo gently snaps his finger on his forehead. Yoon Jong Woo rubbed the painful area while talking.
'If hyung really caused trouble, you wouldn't come back here, would you? You did ran away.'
"..Yes, right? Criminals cannot appear in front of NIS employees properly. Don't you know what fear is?"
Yoon Jong Woo muttered to himself and quickly understood. Kwon Taek Joo turned his head and laughed. Yoon Jong Woo immediately understood the meaning of that, he smile and blushed and said stop laughing. That's right, if you look at the frenzy in shooters, Yoon Jong Woo really has to be the best agent in this field.
Yoon Jong Woo's phone suddenly rang. He said 'Wait a minute,' then checked the message he had just received. The outside of the window brightened as soon as dawn came out. There are no passers-by but they are still alert.
'Spamming is really tiring.'
Yoon Jong Woo quickly put his phone in his pocket. He tried to pretend to be calm, but his tone seemed to have hardened a little. Kwon Taek Joo just rolled his eyes to sweep him over. He nervously touched the gun on his belt and threw his gaze out the window and warned calmly.
"Don't do stupid tricks anymore. I don't want to knock you down."
'What, I don't understand what hyung means.'
"What, don't you understand? Don't be too obvious, kid."
Yoon Jong Woo sighed profantly after being scolded like a joke. His shoulders stiffened because of his tension that also droped.
"As the senior said, an internal arrest warrant has just been issued. Please report to your superiors as soon as you contact your seniors."
'What is the allegation?'
"Heard you are suspected of being inside with a Russian intelligence officer? Didn't you mention that guy? Is Yevgeny Visarionovich Bogdanov."
Laughter broke out. It's ridiculous. The entanglement with Zhenya is completely the fault of the headquarters and Kwon Taek Joo himself have went through all the difficulties when he was reluctant to stick with him, and he survived back but they embroidered it into this way. Of course, whether you like it or not, it is true that accompanying him to the gathering place of important Russian figures is also true, so with that situation alone, it is easy to be cornered in revealing state secrets.
He even impersonated Lim the head of department with Sergei. Yoon Jong Woo doesn't know what mission Kwon Taek Joo himself did and there is no other way to prove it, because Zhenya had blown away the hotel and all evidence about him is destroyed. So is Zhenya's mistakenly sent photo. If Kwon Taek Joo is arrested by the headquarters, all questions are against him.
Someone is planning all of this. Kwon Taek Joo himself is just a horse playing on it. When was the drama broken out? After Kwon Taek Joo was sent to Russia? Or after he arrested Kim Young Hee and his accomplices in Busan? Perhaps wiping them out was also included in the script.
It is clear that there are two goals in the campaign in Russia. Anastasia and himself, Kwon Taek Joo.
"What's the matter after all? The question is an insider accusation, if it goes like this, it will also involve the crime of disclosing state secrets. Can't believe it... There's no way hyung can go back and forth with that Russian bastard. If so, I wouldn't have called you to find out who the name is. That's like publicly proving that you're in contact with him, isn't it? I also won't come back it up, if I know that the wanted warrant will fall in front of me..."
Yoon Jong Woo is half crying and half laughing. The trembling eyes showed a clear insecurity. As an employee of the NIS, he had to follow the orders of the headquarters, but he seemed confused by the questions about the instructions received.
Kwon Taek Joo has no choice but to briefly tell what happened in Russia. Yoon Jong Woo listened carefully and then shook his head at the truth about what happened to Kwon Taek Joo and the headquarters. If the identity is exposed during normal operations, the NIS will cut off support for the agent to avoid national surveillance. Even so, there are well-thought-out countermeasures inside the headquarters.
However, Yoon Jong Woo has not felt such an atmosphere until now. For him, who is always worried about Kwon Tae Joo's safety, the head of Lim's department still tells him to relax. Something is definitely not normal.
'What do hyung think?'
"I am not sure either. From now on, I have to find out."
'You still don't have any evidence, is it even okay? If you keep moving with this belief, it's too dangerous. If it's true that someone at the headquarters has arranged this, they will definitely not let you travel freely. Assuming that they are not merely insiders but revealing state secrets, they will draw prosecutors in. At that time, them catching you is the end of your life.'
"I don't know if I'll be arrested like that. Someone keeps stepping on me, but I have to try to get to my last breath. I'll investigate again from Kim Young Hee first. No matter what I think, I seem to have missed some things there."
'We're done with that, is there anything else we can investigate now?'
"Maybe we didn't know. We just look at a Kim Young Hee tree and forget that there is also a forest. Maybe they threw Kim Young Hee as bait to distract us. Looking back, I caught her so easily back then."
"The situation is quite similar to now. There are many very suspicious points, but I have no evidence. At that moment Kim Young Hee contacted Lee Cheol Jin."
First of all, it is necessary to doubt that things have been resolved too smoothly. At that time, Kwon Taek Joo could not arrest Lee Cheol Jin and he intended to arrest him as a criminal.
He was going to arrest him first and then conduct a reinforcement investigation later, but Kwon Taek Joo did not have the opportunity to do so. He himself was sent to Russia and Yoon Jong Woo was sent to another team.
"The wanted order itself is enough to make things difficult. If he is negligent, it is natural to be arrested, and he will be imprisoned on all kinds of crimes. However, if you are careful, there is some hope."
Agents often compare their plight as a greyhound. Despite their dedication to the country, they were ruthlessly abandoned when they were in crisis. Kwon Taek Joo knows that there is no other way, which is also what he is ready for when he became an agent. But this is not an inevitable situation, if it is impossible to sacrifice just for someone's needs.
Yoon Jong Woo groaned with his head on the steering wheel. He dreams of becoming the main character in superhero movies, action movies and shooters. Applying to the National Intelligence Agency is also part of that aspiration. However, he didn't know what to do when he encountered a situation like in the movie.
The arrest warrant for Kwon Taek Joo has been dropped. If he helped him even a little, he can be accused of agreeing to help. If he was even more unlucky, it is easy to be convicted of complicity.
The most miserable moment as a civil servant is wondering between finding the truth or silently ignoring it, and because he is human, Yoon Jong Woo has no choice but to feel shaken.
However, when you think about it, it is right to follow the orders of the headquarters. There is no reason for him to jeopardise himself by falling into the trap of love or co-workers. All Yoon Jong Woo has to do is listen to his beliefs to live a long and leisurely life. Living well in the world is already too difficult, after all, others will not be responsible for your life.
Yoon Jong Woo, after constantly rationalising his thoughts, finally spoke up.
'Can I help you hyung?'
Yoon Jong Woo betrayed reason in pursuit of safety when his conscience spoke.