[Hey.]
He opened his eyes dimly at the sound of someone calling him. A figure loomed in his hazy vision. His body, which had been alert and alert for the presence of others, was still completely relaxed. He didn't even avoid the hand that was coming towards him. He just obediently handed his face over to him.The hand on his head tickled his hair. The slightly higher body temperature than usual felt good.
[Hey, Zhenya.]
When there was no response, he called his name sweetly. His tone had also become much softer. It was the same. He secretly rubbed his forehead with the hand that was sweeping his hair. It was an instinctive gesture.
[I think I should go soon. Are you going?]
He said goodbye for a moment in an ambiguous tone, whether he was informing or asking for understanding. He smiled faintly and moved his lips weakly. He couldn't tell if the words that were swirling around in his mouth were coming out clearly. Only the feeling of the shadow that had been hovering over his face becoming a little darker and his soft lips gently squeezing down on his forehead was clear.
[Don't cause trouble and wait quietly.]
The other person got up after giving a request that only a child would be given. At the same time, the body temperature, body odour, and breath that had been familiar to him as if they were a part of him suddenly disappeared. He flinched and absentmindedly reached out his hand, and the other person's arm was grabbed. A strong frame that didn't seem like it would break easily came into his hand. Then the other person ruffled his hair again. The grip that had been restraining him slowly loosened as he repeatedly tried to soothe him. The other person's name leaked out from his lips as if he was moaning. The staring gaze fell for a moment, then quickly disappeared. Soon, the presence that had been detected nearby also faded. The sound of a door opening and closing was heard from afar. His eyelids rolled up, but it was still too late. [....] A familiar ceiling filled his vision. In the large house, he couldn't even hear the usual ticking of the clock. He sat up straight.
[...Taekjoo?]
He looked around his room, but he didn't detect any human presence other than Zhenya. He stared blankly down at his body. There was no noticeable change. His limbs were sagging like water-soaked cotton. On the other hand, his head felt strangely refreshed. Now that he thinks about it, when and how did he fall asleep? It didn't come to mind clearly. He just sat there and searched through his hazy mind. In the evening, Kwon Taekjoo came to his house. He had a lot of stuff in both hands. Most of it was used to fill the empty refrigerator and cupboards. After that, it was no different than any other time. After eating together and roughly clearing away the dishes, they sat in the living room and drank. The excuse was to watch a movie, but neither of them were interested in the movie. For some reason, Kwon Taekjoo was very ticklish, saying that since it was hot these days, let's go to Ajinoki or that there was a nice Russian restaurant nearby, let's go there too. He asked if there was anything he wanted to do. It was a sign that he would soon say something regretful.
It was about time that Kwon Taekjoo was given a new mission. He had been called to headquarters several times recently. So he decided to enjoy his flattery or advance consolation.
He leaned his whole body against Kwon Taekjoo, who was rarely shy. He had been arguing that it was heavy, but when he made a pitiful expression, saying, "You're going to leave me alone again," he quietly calmed down.
He pushed the mood and laid him down on the sofa and kissed him until he was satisfied. Kwon Taekjoo obediently accepted the persistent kiss that seemed to take away his breath. Occasionally, as if trying to control his pace, Zhenya would pat his ear or chin and tap his cheek, but that was all. Even if he completely squeezed his tongue with his own and tightly blocked his throat, it was the same. Even though he was suffering from shortness of breath, and because of that, his smooth forehead was bloodshot, he would faintly wiggle his tongue and flicker his tongue.
While they were licking their tongues for a while, his collar was suddenly pulled. As a result, they were tangled together and rolled down the sofa. Naturally, the positions were reversed and Kwon Taekjoo rose on top. Kwon Taekjoo, who was quietly looking down at Zhenya while holding his hand on the floor, slowly drank the whiskey in his glass. He watched him silently, but for no reason, his throat was rumbling. His groyne was also tingling.
Soon, Kwon Taekjoo twisted his head and kissed him again. Their lips completely covered each other, and some of the whiskey he was holding seeped into his mouth. As the lukewarm, fragrant alcohol passed through his mouth, a small drop of water remained on his tongue. It was like a pill.
He stared at Kwon Taek Joo with a questioning look. Kwon Taekjoo calmly blew air on his face and made him swallow the pill. He didn't resist, but tightened his neck. With that, the pill that was melting on his tongue slowly went down his oesophagus. Kwon Taekjoo's eyes were like that. He slid along the movement. He drew his gaze back to him with a smirk.
[Taekjoo. What was that just now?] [Sleeping pills. They're mild.]
That's comforting. He burst out laughing. It was ridiculous to openly give medicine to his lover, and now he can't believe he confessed that the medicine was a sleeping pill. The shocking situation didn't end there. Kwon Taekjoo stuck out his tongue as if he was proud and placed a white pill on it. The contrast of the red tongue soaked in whiskey and the white pill made his mouth water.
Kwon Taekjoo slowly lowered his head and licked his own lips with the tip of his tongue. Unable to watch, he swallowed his tongue. The small pill melted without a trace between the two tongues that were densely mixed. And then he fixed Kwon Taekjoo's tongue with his lips and sucked it until it was gone. As the root of his tongue started to tingle, Kwon Taekjoo's eyebrows furrowed. He wrapped his arms around his body that was struggling to get away and rubbed his tongues against each other as if he was venting his anger. He let him go only when the taste of blood mixed with the saliva that was boiling hot. Kwon Taekjoo wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, panting. Then he roughly wiped Zhenya's lips, which were covered in saliva, with the hem of his clothes.
[You little brat, you've already been kicked. If that's poison, why are you taking it so easily?]
[If that was poison, it would have been obvious a long time ago. It would have been enough to twist your neck in a few seconds.]
[You said you'd let me go first and die too, but were you serious? How romantic.]
Kwon Taekjoo grumbled in disbelief and then got up. His arm went up halfway to grab him but fell. Maybe the medicine was taking effect, but his body lost its strength.
[Get up. You should sleep in bed.]
Kwon Taekjoo sat up Zhenya with difficulty. He put his arm, which felt heavier because it was sagging, around his shoulder and supported him. They headed to the bedroom, seemingly about to collapse. While walking, he nuzzled the tip of his nose into Kwon Taekjoo's ear, who was groaning. He pressed his lips against the veins in his neck, which had become taut from exertion. In the midst of all this, he was scolded, asking if he wanted to do that. He didn't care. Kwon Taekjoo threw Zhenya on the bed and collapsed next to him, exhausted. He slowly turned his body to him, who was panting heavily, and hugged him tightly. He also placed one leg on his two legs, making it impossible for him to move. Kwon Taekjoo, who was in his arms, struggled to escape, but all attempts were in vain. His entire body was soaked in sweat, and only his body odour remained.
[Fuck... Is the weak point? Why does he still have so much strength left?]
Kwon Taekjoo stretched out again and groaned. Following the body odour that had become much stronger, he lightly brushed his cheek against his jet-black hair. He also rubbed his stiff centre against his thigh while tying him up.
[Taekjoo. Taekjoo....]
[He really feels good. Let go, kid. I'll make you feel good.]
Kwon Taekjoo patted his arm, saying, "Yes."
He silently released the restraints. Kwon Taekjoo, who raised his upper body, kissed him. Then, his lips landed all over his face. At the same time, the clothes he was wearing were taken off one by one. Maybe it was because he had never completely left himself in the hands of another person.
The whole situation was strange and interesting. Looking back, the only time he had unconsciously fallen into someone else's hands like that was a long time ago, when he was staying with Kwon Taekjoo at a shabby motel. Kwon Taekjoo, who had climbed on top of his naked body, lifted his knees and untied himself. He pulled out Zhenya's stiffly erect penis and rubbed it against his own.
The pleasure from the centre spread throughout his entire body. His breath caught in his throat from the languid yet sweet sensation. His body also relaxed pleasantly.
[Um... Taekjoo....]
He moaned sweetly while calling Kwon Taekjoo over and over again. By then, all the energy in his body had disappeared, and his eyes slowly closed and opened repeatedly. Kwon Taekjoo occasionally leaned over and kissed him affectionately. When his lower body was eager for more pleasure and jerked off on its own, Kwon Taekjoo straightened his genitals and slowly sat down on top of them.
[...uegh, ah.]
[Haa, ha... ugh, Taekjoo.]
Even in the midst of his hazy consciousness, the sensation of insertion was clear. For a moment, the pain that felt like his genitals were being cut off passed, and then a sweet sensation came rushing in like compensation. As he moaned earnestly, Kwon Taekjoo, who had been trembling, began to move his body little by little.
[Haa, ha... ugh, ugh, ah....]
[Eum, Taekjoo... Taekjoo, ugh, good.]
He exhaled repeatedly and enjoyed the sweet pleasure. His consciousness kept fading away, as if he was about to pass over. To Zhenya, sex was no different from hunting. He had to completely subdue his partner and the act of binge eating without any steam. The excitement during sex was not much different from when you chase down your prey and cut off its breath.
However, he was not uncomfortable even when he was helplessly crushed and eaten by the other person. Rather, he felt like the hair on his head and the fluff on his whole body stood on end due to the new stimulation. It was not as intense as sparks flying, but the warmth that spread like a bonfire and spread gently was somehow affectionate and kind, and his stomach felt warm and ticklish.
He groaned softly with the corners of his mouth twitching, and then slowly closed his eyelids. His consciousness remained hazy, but his limbs were stretched out and he couldn't do anything. His last memory was Kwon Taekjoo, who had been shaking his body above, suddenly tilted his head back and was doing a new waist thrust in the air. Then, sticky semen splashed onto his face.
[....]
He suddenly scanned his face. There was nothing particularly noticeable. If last night's events had not been a dream, Kwon Taekjoo must have cleaned it up. He chuckled and got out of bed. His mind was clear because he had had a good night's sleep. He felt extremely refreshed from the aftermath of sex.
When he went to the kitchen, he noticed something on the table. He approached it and saw a microwave. Instant pelmeni was placed on a special plate. Should he consider this as a meal? It looked extremely bleak at first glance, but it must have been a very thoughtful action on Kwon Taekjoo's part, so he chuckled.
He opened the refrigerator to get some food. Inside were the side dishes that Kwon Taekjoo's mother had prepared. It seemed to be a selection of the Korean foods that were edible among those that caused terrible pain. Of course, Zhenya had no way of knowing that most of them were considered children's side dishes.
[My mother made this with you in mind, so don't throw anything away and eat everything. I'm going to barge in and inspect it. Got it?]
Whenever he brought side dishes, Kwon Taekjoo would always yell at him like that. He thought it was a strange threat, but for some reason he ended up following him obediently. Whenever Kwon Taekjoo saw the empty lunch box, he felt secretly happy, and he liked the fact that he would come to his house again under the pretext of delivering side dishes.
In fact, to Zhenya, food was nothing more than food. A source of energy for survival. That's why he didn't eat every meal, but only ate when he needed to. His body, trained to that eating habit, didn't feel hungry unless it was really bad. He didn't gain or lose much weight.
However, during the two years he lived in Korea, his body gained nearly 10kg. It turns into muscle as soon as he eats it, so there is no significant change in body shape, but the problem is that now he feels hungry if he skips a meal.
[... First, wash up.]
He was about to close the refrigerator door. A frying pan caught his eye. He was going to take it out and check the contents, but he saw a note on the lid that said, 'Eat or not.' It was written by Kwon Taekjoo. He opened the lid with a suspicious look. There were scrambled eggs inside that were so well-cooked that they were brown.
Kwon Taekjoo, who had prepared a meal for his lover who would wake up late but had failed miserably, had taken out instant pelmeni, which was clearly visible. Laughter erupted again. This way, there's no time to get bored.
[Taekjoo. You do some pretty cute things.]
He sat down at the table, humming to himself as if singing. Then, he pushed the instant pelmeni aside and ate it on the cold scrambled eggs. As expected, it was dry and hard instead of soft. He even chewed the eggshells a few times. The carrots and onions were chopped so much that they only gave off a scent and there was nothing to chew on.
While continuing the poor breakfast, he thought about what to do today. Normally, he would have tracked Kwon Teakjoo's location first, but this time, he decided not to do that, so he chose a different destination to try. Only one place came to mind.
He rang the doorbell again. The other person didn't come out right away. If it were any other time, the intercom would have notified him that the vehicle had arrived, and they would have come out to the elevator to greet him. But he hesitated as he rang the doorbell again.
[Ah....]
Suddenly, Kwon Taekjoo's words came to mind. Kwon Taekjoo whispered as he put the side dishes his mother had made into the refrigerator.
[My mother will be staying at my aunt's house for the time being.]
At first glance, he heard that that aunt lived in Canada, that she had surgery because she was sick, that Kwon Taekjoo's mother was going to Canada to take care of her, and that she could stay for a long time depending on the situation. He heard it clearly, but he forgot about it. It became a habit to visit Kwon Taekjoo's house whenever he was not around.
Kwon Taekjoo's mother didn't have much in common with Kwon Taekjoo. However, whenever she saw Zhenya, she smiled brightly, so he would play along appropriately. He doesn't know if the cooking skills that Kwon Taekjoo boasts about are that great. But thanks to her, he was able to adapt to Korean food quite well. She was quick-witted and took care of everything he needed, so it was convenient in many ways.
In addition, he was quite happy that Kwon Taekjoo told him all the little details about his past that he would never reveal to him.
It wasn't just because she was Kwon Taekjoo's mother, but she was a fun woman. She liked to laugh and chatter so much that he never got bored when he was with her. He guessed he could change his mood just by watching her. The more he watched, the more he wondered how a son like Kwon Taekjoo could come from such a small woman.
He visited today, expecting just that kind of small fun. But right in front of his nose it was so frustrating to have to wait in vain.
Kwon Taekjoo had left for work, and the little woman who had been giving him free time had also left the house.
[Hmm.]
Zhenya wandered around the front door meaninglessly. The heart that had been feeling good since morning had suddenly become dull.
He took his phone out of his pocket. He hesitated as if it were his habit to run the location tracking app.
[Don't follow me.]
Kwon Taekjoo has told him that many times. The warning not to come was ringing in his ears, but this time, the weight was completely different. Whether it was the way Kwon Taekjoo was unknowingly watching him or the way he acted so affectionately before leaving, it was like that. What on earth was he trying to do without him knowing?
All his curiosity would be resolved if he just logged into the app. Nevertheless, Zhenya just stared at the icon for a long time. In the end, he put his phone back in his pocket.
[Let's keep our promise for now.]
He had never been tied down by a personal promise. No, no one had ever dared to ask such a thing of him. So he made a promise. He didn't know what would happen if he kept it safely, or what benefits he would gain from it. He didn't care.
However, if it was a promise with Kwon Taekjoo, it had a different meaning. He thought, "Should I try being a good dog for once?" He wondered what kind of reward Kwon Taekjoo would give him. As he continued to think about it, his mood seemed to improve.
He got on the elevator and went back down to the underground parking lot. Zhenya's steps toward his Bugatti were incredibly refreshing.
The Russian Embassy in Korea. The roar of an engine from afar was getting closer. The employees working raised their heads one after another with puzzled expressions. They exchanged curious glances and all turned their heads toward the window. Some of those who had their desks by the window stood up and looked out the window. Soon, a Bugatti was seen boldly entering the main entrance.
[What's all this noise?]
Pavel, who was just finishing a video conference, scolded the chaotic atmosphere. The employee who was glancing out the window explained the situation.
[The ambassador is here.] [What? The ambassador?]
Pavel's eyes widened. He didn't even ask Zhenya to come out, so how could he go to work on his own? Pavel hurried out without even having time to figure out what had happened. The staff members followed him.
He just stomped his feet in front of the elevator and turned toward the stairs. The employees who had been following Pavel also hurriedly went down the stairs.
They looked so confused that anyone who saw them would think they were being chased by a murderer.
When the group arrived at the lobby, Zhenya was just about to board the elevator that had just arrived. The group, including Pavel, quickly approached him.
[Ambassador. What happened....]
Pavel hurriedly picked up the words that had slipped out of his mind. Then he greeted him again formally.
[You came. If you had told me in advance, I would have sent you an official car.] [What are you doing?]
A look of annoyance appeared on Zhenya's face.
That was why he was curious. Zhenya, despite being an ambassador, did not even try to go to work when there were big events. Even when Pavel begged, he ignored him, and it was often reported to the Kremlin, and only then did he reluctantly show up. Even then, he would often show his murderous intent, turning the entire embassy into a rink of ice or killing time like a barley sack.
It was strange that such a person, Zhenya, came to the embassy without any earnest request to come out at this time when there was no event. He began to watch nervously, wondering if there was some problem or if he was planning to cause some trouble.
Of course, there were times when Zhenya showed up without notice like this. The problem was that he gave off a cold air that was comparable to the bitter cold of Siberia in the middle of winter. He didn't respond when he spoke to him, and he didn't respond when he shoved the approval documents in his hands. All day long, he just sat in one place and stared at a blank wall. It was as if he was trying to calm his dizzy mind after a serious fight with someone. It was like that.
But today, the wind wasn't so cold. On the contrary, he seemed to be in a good mood. He couldn't understand English.
Zhenya tilted his head at Pavel's long gaze.
[Are you going to get on?]
No matter what he heard, it seemed like he was telling him not to get on. Pavel and his group awkwardly laughed and took a step back.
[Oh, no. You should go up first.]
Zhenya closed the elevator door without hesitation and disappeared from the group. Pavel and the staff members just kept looking at each other with bewildered expressions.
Zhenya, who entered the office, sat down completely leaning back on the office chair. There were piles of documents waiting for him on the desk.
[Hmm....]
Pavel had not urged Zhenya to come to work during that time. Therefore, the documents lying there meant that they were not urgent matters.
Still, he picked one up and looked through the contents. As expected, he was hosting a useless event. It was a plan and budget. It was the same even when he opened the next file.
The Russian embassy was known for being slow in processing work. That notoriety became even more famous when Zhenya took office as ambassador. However, Zhenya did not care at all as if it had nothing to do with him. No, he had never paid attention to public opinion in his life.
That was why it was difficult to understand Kwon Taekjoo. What if he neglected his official duties, his national affairs?
[...]
Zhenya, who had been continuing the approval process with a calm face, suddenly took out his cell phone. He immediately recognized the door and launched the secret app. A map soon appeared on the screen. He told him not to follow him, he didn't tell him not to spy on where he was or what he was doing, so it didn't matter. He touched the location icon without hesitation. A message saying that he was looking for a target appeared for a moment.
Kwon Taekjoo would always ask him how he knew where he was. It seemed that he suspected that Zhenya was monitoring his every move. It wasn't a completely off-base guess. However, it was difficult to track him in time with just wiretapping, as he was running around. To chase him, he needed more detailed and immediate information.
So, one day in the past, Kwon Taekjoo got hurt and while he was unconscious, a chip was implanted inside his dermis while disinfecting and suturing his wounds. Since it was so tiny and recognized as skin tissue by most machines, it was not detected by any inspection or examination. The chip was a system that identified Kwon Taekjoo's location in real time and sent related information to the tracking app.
The search was soon completed and Kwon Taekjoo's current location was displayed. Zhenya, who was absentmindedly checking the location, raised his eyebrows.
[...Vladivostok?]
He never thought he would go to Russia. Kwon Taekjoo's operational site It was always difficult to catch the public, but this time it was really unexpected. Other than the two of them, this was the first time Kwon Taekjoo had visited Russia for business since they developed into lovers.
He leaned back and thought for a moment.
What could possibly get Russia and Korea dirty? There was a high possibility that North Korea was involved in some way. In the past, Kwon Taekjoo had come to Russia to find out the truth of the intelligence report that North Korea had participated in the development of 'Anastasia'.
Was there any new cooperation between Russia and North Korea? Zhenya didn't know anything about it. There was no particular corner that he could guess.
[Hmm....]
He silently thought back. Before leaving for this mission, Kwon Taekjoo had been more gentle than ever. He accepted whatever he did. At the time, he just assumed that he was being cautious because he had to go to work again before his lover's birthday. Or maybe not.
[Do you want anything from me?]
[Nothing. Other than you not doing anything.]
[You keep cracking down on me, so I'm starting to get curious?]
Even then.
[Don't listen to me. I said it was for my own good. I told you not to put yourself in danger.]
[Danger? Me?]
And even then.
It wasn't like he was annoyed that he interfered with his work like usual. If he had worried about his own safety, then maybe. Why did he care about his own family relationships? Did he plan to stir up Russia from now on? He must have been worried that his lover might be involved in it, but he couldn't ask openly, so he must have been nervous.
Strangely, even though he had asked him to do it several times and accepted it, he broke his promise and even took medicine to keep himself from chasing him. In that case, it was a plan to completely shun Zhenya himself. He didn't want to become his enemy again even if he died soon.
[Ha, Taekjoo. You're so precious to me.]
After sighing, he laughed. He can't believe how cute he is. Thinking of Kwon Taekjoo, who had been anxious all this time, wondering if he would ever have to face Zhenya himself, made him
feel strangely excited. He, who used to prioritise work over his mother, was now struggling between work and Zhenya himself. The corners of his mouth kept twitching in joy.
At that moment, a knock suddenly rang out. Zhenya's face, which had been soaked in sweet satisfaction, suddenly froze. His eyes, staring at the closed door, had also become cold. When there was no response, he called out from outside, "Ambassador." It seemed like Pavel had come to see him.
[If you're busy, would you like for me to come back later?]
The tone of his question was extremely cautious. It was obvious that he was hesitating, fearing that he might offend Zhenya.
[Come in.]
[Yes! Then excuse me for a moment.]
Pavel opened the door after a moment. As he came inside, he was holding another bundle of payment documents in his hand.
[Nothing else, since you took the difficult step, could you please also look at these documents....]
It seemed that he had swept up all the documents to be approved, not knowing when his boss would commit the next outrageous act of coming to work. However, Pavel's positive circuit froze as soon as he met Zhenya. It was because his two new blue eyes were glaring at him as if they would pierce him. His whole body trembled as if a gun was pointed at his forehead. He couldn't take another step.
[Maybe I'm interfering....]
He barely opened his mouth, but Zhenya wiggled his pale and straight fingers. Pavel, who flinched, swallowed dry saliva and barely took a step or two as if he was stuck to the floor. Zhenya in front of the door as he walked to his desk, a thousand distracting thoughts filled his mind. For example, what kind of fate had befallen those who had offended him when he was in his home country. The gaze that quietly pierced his eyes felt like a sharp nail flying in and stabbing him.
[It was slow.]
[I'm sorry!]
He quickly stood in front of Zhenya's desk.
Zhenya glanced at Pavel with a discontented look and slowly opened his mouth. In reality, it only took a moment for him to open his mouth, but in Pavel's eyes, it seemed as if the moment had been in slow motion.
[What is the situation in my home country these days?]
[...Huh?]
Pavel made an expression as if he had heard something strange. An ambassador is a diplomat representing a country, so he should have a detailed understanding of the situation in his home country as well as the host country. However, the obvious question felt unusual because the person he was talking to was Zhenya. He was a great man who wouldn't blink an eye even if Russia disappeared from the face of the earth.
Zhenya added as if he hadn't misheard.
[When I returned home a while ago, I was taking care of personal business. I didn't get to look properly because I was busy. But when I thought about it carefully, the Kremlin seemed quite busy? Are they planning something else?]
[Well, I don't know...] [You don't know?]
Zhenya tilted his head, cutting off the end of his words. His blue eyes, which looked like ice crystals, were sharply squinted. Pavel quietly bit his lips and swallowed his breath.
He tried to hide the trembling coming from inside his body by tightening his limbs. If Zhenya had stretched out his hand, his neck would have been easily broken. Even if such an unfortunate event had occurred, the Kremlin would not have known, as it had always been. They'll pretend.
The Kremlin's disregard. Complete indifference. That too was a factor in strengthening the power of 'Psikh Bogdanov'.
[I'll ask you again. Do you really not know anything?]
It sounded like he was being asked to choose between confessing completely or dying. Pavel hesitated, staring dangerously into the blue eyes that never left him. He wasn't sure if what he knew was the information Zhenya wanted.
[I haven't been to the home country myself, so I'm not sure, but Vladivostok has been undergoing maintenance for the past month.]
[Vladivostok?]
Zhenya showed interest. Pavel nodded quickly.
[Yes. At first glance, I heard that North Korea is sending research personnel to 'Parumza Sita'? For a field trip. Since we have had a technical cooperation relationship with North Korea for a long time, I thought it might be part of that.]
[Hmm... They're just going to reorganise the entire city with a few researchers?] [Oh, there's talk that a high-ranking North Korean official is accompanying them.] [What, are they having a summit or something?]
[If it was a visit from a leader, we would have already received a response manual, so that can't be the case. The diplomatic missions and intelligence agencies of other countries wouldn't be as quiet as they are now.]
[That's why it's even stranger. The fact that someone is suddenly coming to 'Parum Jashita' for a tour, and that such a thing is being prepared at the national level.]
[I guess North Korea is a closed country, so it feels burdened by the world's attention. It seems that the home country is also preparing protocol accordingly.]
[Even so, there's no way Busan would be shaken up just because they're welcoming a single diplomatic envoy, the Kremlin. I don't know, but I guess that North Korean researcher brought a great gift?]
[Well. I don't know the details...]
[Vladivostok.]
He muttered to himself and fell into thought.
A curious smile appeared on his face that had no expression.
[Okay, so go out.]
[Oh, yes.]
Pavel put the documents he had brought aside and hurriedly went out. On the way, his legs gave out and he staggered once.The quiet closed door suddenly became noisy. It seemed like other employees were rushing to check on Pavel's safety.
Regardless, Zhenya continued his deductions quietly in his head. His long fingers tapped the desk steadily. It became clear why Kwon Taekjoo had gone to Vladivostok. And why Zhenya had tried so hard to keep himself away. It seemed like Russia and North Korea were plotting something, and it seemed like the Kremlin and the Bogdanov family were deeply involved in it.
[What are you hiding, Taekjoo.]
[There's nothing like that.]
[No. Something definitely happened to you. Right?]
[I said nothing happened. That's because I didn't tell you. Actually, I've been thinking about it for quite some time. I've been a bit lax, but I've finally come to my senses again.]
[Ha, Taekjoo. Do you think I wouldn't know if you hid it....]
[Don't try to find a reason. Don't even try to find out where I was or what I did while you were gone. That's what it was all about.]
Kwon Taekjoo always cared about the relationship between Zhenya and his family. No matter how much he was inferior to others, it was no use explaining that they were just a couple. Kwon Taekjoo's work had to prioritise the interests of the Republic of Korea, and if that were to happen, there would be frequent situations where he would be at odds with his own country. Even if that happened, it didn't seem like much of a deal to him.
[From now on, just be my lover, you brat.]
Maybe those blunt words were Kwon Taekjoo's true intentions. Don't be an enemy because you're afraid, and don't try to be a comrade rashly, just stay by his side as a lover.
[Taekjoo....]
Zhenya smiled and leaned back in his chair. A sweet laugh mixed with his exhalation. The chair, which had been pushed back to the max, swayed gently for a long time.
***
Vladivostok Airport transfer area. A line of empty trucks were moving to the logistics warehouse. The driver, who was obviously Russian, turned the steering wheel with one hand and waved to a passing colleague. A fast-beat dance song was playing from the earphones in his ears, but his face was a little dull. There was no change.
The man who finished parking in the warehouse got off the tug and looked at the deserted airport. Only a few aeroplanes were standing here and there on the apron where the darkness had fallen as the night deepened. Even those had all their lights turned off. The plane that had just arrived carrying cargo was the last flight of the day. That was according to the official records.
He turned his gaze to the pitch-black sky. His blue eyes buried in his droopy eyelids shone sharply. However, his awkward standing on one leg and his infinitely slow movements were just like his usual self.
Soon, he turned his head at the sound of someone approaching. The colleague he had worked with until the end. He raised his hand and greeted them.
[I'll go in first. Good work, Igor.] [Oh, see you tomorrow.]
He responded in his characteristically slow tone. As his colleague left and even his presence died down, the warehouse became as quiet as a mouse. The music playing on his earphones was leaking outside. Even though the melody was exciting enough to make his body sway involuntarily, Igor's eyes were filled with boredom.
How much time had passed? The music that had been flowing smoothly until now suddenly buffered. Igor absentmindedly tapped his earphones. Then the noise disappeared and a person's voice flowed out.
- Hunting.
"Two Tigers. Radio Check."
He answered without hesitation. The voice was no longer that of 'Igor', the cargo transporter. A solid voice without a hint of nasality. It was Kwon Taekjoo. The other party, who confirmed the radio code, said, "Roger." and reported the situation on the scene.
- This is Foxtrot. Pyongyang Special Train 0677, just arrived at Hasan Station.
He heard that the train had passed Najin earlier. Now that it has arrived at Hassan, it is moving along the existing route and at the usual speed. It seemed to be going. The train was scheduled to stay at Hasan Station for about half a day. The gauge of the train changed from Hasan, which is Russian territory, so separate work was needed for passage. In such cases, the cargo was transferred to another train or the entire upper part of the car was lifted and replaced, with only the wheels removed. This was a perfect opportunity to spy on the inside and outside of the train and identify the cargo being transported.
[Target?]
- I can't see it. The only confirmed passengers so far are armed soldiers. I don't know what they're carrying, but the security is pretty tight. Currently, the bogie exchange is in progress without a separate inspection.
When exchanging trains, the rule was that all passengers had to get off for safety reasons. In the past, when a North Korean leader visited Vladivostok by land, he got off at Khasan Station while the train was being exchanged and rested for a day in a nearby town. This time, no such movement was seen, so it seemed that the main targets, including Park Jeong-ho, did not board the train. If he was not the leader of North Korea, there was no need to endure such trouble.
The questionable part was that if Flight 0677 was simply a regular freight train, there was no reason to bring armed soldiers along. Moreover, since it was goods being transported across the border, at least a simple inspection should have been conducted. The fact that even that was omitted is a matter that had already been discussed between the two countries, North Korea and Russia. It meant that they were transporting goods. Seriously it smelled bad.
[Nothing else unusual?]
- It's dark so it's hard to tell, but all the soldiers who got off the train are wearing masks.
[Masks? Are you sure?]
- Um... No, I'll correct you. I can see a hose connected to the mask. It looks like a gas mask.
[Gas mask? What about the outfit?]
- They're all black from head to toe... I can't tell if they're just wearing armour or gas masks.
[Okay, I got it. Keep observing and report any unusual points. And from now on, set the designated radio time well.]
- There was nothing special to report.
[If there is nothing, report it as it is. That way, we can figure out how things are going on here.] -You're acting like a boss.
[Do you think I'm doing this for fun? If you want to play around with ranks, just go back to the military. I'm warning you, even if you don't like it, follow the rules. Don't act alone. If you're exposed to the enemy, it's not just you who's in danger.]
The radio was cut off in the middle of talking. Earphones in the same place, the song that had been playing as if nothing had happened continued. He was seething inside because of the guy who ignored even the basic principles of radio.
"Ha, this fucking idiot...."
He stared into the air and chewed out a curse. The American agent, 'Foxtrot', had been uncooperative from the beginning. He seemed to be dissatisfied with the situation where he was leading the operation in Korea and they were assisting him. He would often complain whenever they contacted him, and this time was no exception.
He let out a big exhale to suppress his boiling anger. He guessed he should say it was fortunate that we didn't directly collide. If not, he would keep thinking about his face and mess things up.
By the way, were the soldiers on the freight train from Pyongyang armed with gas masks and gas suits? It was not certain, but it was something to think about.
What on earth were they transporting on the train?
If it was a chemical substance with a high risk of explosion, there was no way they would have gone ahead with the car swap. There would have been an unavoidable shock when lifting the train car. It might have been safer to move the items to another train.
The fact that they did not do that suggested two possibilities. First, the items being transported were not the type that were sensitive to shock. Second, the method of moving the entire train was not possible by human hands. It is safer than borrowing.
In other words, it means that even if the substance is not sensitive to shock, it can harm people. That must be why the transport of goods and the movement of major personnel were divided into trains and aeroplanes. The gas masks and gas masks of soldiers protecting the goods at close range also strongly supported this inference. It is too cautious to say that it is simply a movement for technology sharing and research cooperation in the pharmaceutical field.
Park Jeong-ho, a biologist who has been studying the ecosystem of Mt. Baekdu. Russia's state-run pharmaceutical company Parmzashta and the largest defence company Rostak, who invited him out of the blue. Pyongyang, moving at the right time. A special train. North Korean soldiers wearing gas masks. And even secret hospitality from Russia. Each unusual fact intertwined one by one to lead to a conclusion.
The emergence of a new biochemical weapon.
Of course, it could be a vain delusion. It was highly likely that it was a hasty prediction. But perhaps, what North Korea and Russia were planning was much more dangerous than he had vaguely guessed.
While he was seriously contemplating, a strong light suddenly shone from behind him. He frowned and turned around to see two airport police officers looking inside the warehouse. They approached him with suspicious eyes after spotting Kwon Taekjoo. The gun's muzzle also slowly pointed at Kwon Taek Joo.
[Hey, there.]
[Yes.]
[Slowly look this way and turn around.]
He obediently turned his body toward the police. He raised both hands and showed an obedient attitude.
However, the police's vigilance did not easily disappear. They exchanged glances with each other while still aiming their rifles at Kwon Taek Joo. Soon, one of them approached and checked the ID card hanging around his neck. He thoroughly compared the photo of Igor printed there with Kwon Taekjoo's face. As if that wasn't enough, he held the ID card up to the terminal to check if it was real. That's how strict they were. There was no need to hide. Unless he was trying to do something secretly at an airport where all official takeoffs and landings had ended.
[Igor Mussorgsky. What are you doing here? Didn't you hear me telling you to leave work before midnight?]
They were telling them to leave work before midnight at an international airport where hundreds of planes came and went every day.
It was impossible. But this was Russia, where such 'impossible things' happened a lot. Kwon Taekjoo apologised profusely and responded with a sly smile.
[Oh, I'm sorry. It's already too late. I didn't know it would turn out like this. I have a lot to think about with family matters.]
[Don't you know that you shouldn't let household matters leak out of the house? Stop yapping and get out.]
[Oh, yes. That's right.]
He bowed and left the warehouse. The police continued to follow Kwon Taekjoo as he finished locking the door and went to the parking lot. They glared at him sharply until he got in the car and started the engine. At first glance, it seemed like they were checking the licence plate number. They must have been thoroughly preparing for possible spying or intrusion, but this only made him feel certain that something would happen there. Kwon Taekjoo drove straight out and greeted the police officers.
[Then, take care.]
At that moment, a thud sound came from the trunk. It seemed that the real Igor, who had been put to sleep with sleeping pills, had woken up. He nervously watched the police officers, wondering if they had heard him. When their eyes met, they scowled fiercely and shouted at him, asking what he was doing instead of turning off quickly.
He nodded again and drove out of the airport. As he drove around the building, he saw police cars and luxury sedans gathering one after another. Barricades began to be set up here and there to control access. No matter how you looked at it, it was not an ordinary scene.
After a while, Kwon Taekjoo's car stopped in an empty lot on a hill far from the airport. The bushes were thick and there were few people even on normal days, but it was especially quiet late at night. He got out of the driver's seat and walked to the back of the car. Even then, there was a loud noise coming from the trunk.
When he opened the trunk, Igor flinched and froze, his arms and legs tied tightly. His face was covered in tears and sweat. The tape on his mouth was half-off and dangling, as if he had been persistently pushing it with his tongue.
[Eh!]
Igor shouted in surprise when he saw Kwon Taekjoo, who looked exactly like him. Clicking his tongue he covered his mouth with his hand.
[Shh. You woke up too early. Sleep a little longer.] [Hic! Sa, save me..!]
[Yes. I will save you. It stings.]
He injected sleeping pills into Igor's neck without hesitation. Igor screamed and struggled against his tied body before slowly falling asleep. He slept soundly, sniffling, perhaps because the tension had been relieved. When he opened his eyes again, everything would have returned to its original place as if it had been a nightmare.
He threw a bottle of water into the trunk and closed the door. Kwon Taekjoo returned to the driver's seat. Swept the dark night sky. There were still no noticeable lights.
He took out his work cell phone. When he unlocked the screen, he saw a message from the backup team. He entered the designated password to unlock the access rights and checked the contents of the message.
Korean Air Special Flight JS 265. Antonov An-148 aircraft. Departed Pyongyang Airport at 11:50 PM.
He looked at the sky around the airport with his telescope. There was nothing particularly unusual. The airport was just dimmed and deep in silence as if all work had been completed.
If he goes straight from Pyongyang to Vladivostok without going through China, it takes a little more than an hour. It was about time to show up. He waited a little longer with his chin on the steering wheel. Soon, another message arrived.
Korea Air JS 265. Entering Russian airspace. Control frequency 111.98
It was not a previously known control frequency. It seemed that they were trying to communicate secretly on a separate frequency to prepare for spying and terrorism. He turned on the special radio and tuned it to that frequency. When he put on the earphones, there was a peculiar crackling noise along with the Koryo Air and Vladivostok control towers. The following transmission was heard.
- Koryo Air 265. Approaching Vladivostok. Hello?
- Koryo Air 265, turn left to 340 degrees and grab the runway 7L localizer. Hello.
- Turn left to 340 degrees, align the 7L localizer. Koryo Air 265.
He looked up through his telescope at the direction mentioned in the transmission. The aircraft lights were blinking faintly in the clouds.
- Koryo Air 265, slow down to 210 knots, descend and maintain 4,000 feet. Runway 7, ILS approach cleared.
- Decelerate to 210 knots, descend to 4,000 feet and hold. Koryo Air 265.
- Koryo Air 265, decelerated to 180 knots.
- Koryo Air 265, decelerated to 180 knots. Approaching runway 7 ILS.
- Koryo Air 265, clearance to land on runway 7. Wind 360, 5 knots.
- Clearance for landing on runway 7. Koryo Air 265.
Kwon Taekjoo immediately turned his phone sideways and held it with both hands. Then he took out the micro drone he had secretly left in the airport storage. It was launched and remotely controlled. It was a drone that could fly at high speeds of 300 km/h and had a special lens on the bottom to clearly capture even fast-moving objects. It was so small that it was hard to see, but it was even harder in the middle of the night.
After landing, the drone approached Koryo Air Flight 265, which was moving to the apron. When the aircraft stopped, official vehicles waiting on one side lined up next to it. Soon, a mobile staircase was connected to the aircraft and the door opened.
The drone landed on the wing of the aircraft and photographs were taken of the faces of the people getting off the aircraft. As written in the confidential document, the North Korean General Staff chief of operations, Sim Yeong-il, his secretary, Saradan Kim Gil-ha, and the key figure in this meeting, biologist Park Jeong-ho, got into the vehicle one by one. Their group quietly moved along a controlled route without any separate immigration inspection.
"Okay."
As soon as Kwon Taekjoo confirmed the entry of the key figures, he retrieved the drone first. Then he took Igor out of the trunk, pushed him into the driver's seat, and untied the rope that had bound him. He then sprayed vodka inside and outside the car and roughly threw the empty bottle into the back seat. Anyone could tell that the driver was seriously drunk and had fallen asleep somewhere. Even if Igor Even if he woke up and reported it, the Russian police would surely dismiss it as the nonsense of a drunkard.
After finishing all the treatment, Kwon Taekjoo pushed through the thick bushes behind the empty lot. Soon, a motorcycle that had been prepared in advance appeared inside. He quickly climbed onto the motorcycle.
"Then shall we go?"
Kwon Taekjoo started the engine and quickly went down the slope in pursuit of the North Korean delegation.
Zhenya leaned against the chair in his office and he just looked up at the ceiling. He was bored so he finished all the work that had piled up, and there was nothing left to do. If it were any other time, he would have chased after Kwon Taekjoo and left for somewhere, but since he was trying to restrain himself for once, he felt bored and suffocated as if he was being held back. Since even Kwon Taekjoo's mother was away, there was nowhere to kill time. Even he looked at himself and saw that he had no talent for waiting quietly.
[Hmm....]
He wondered if there was anything he could do to have some fun. Zhenya, who had been thinking deeply, suddenly picked up his phone. Then he launched the secret tracking app from before. This time, the target was not Kwon Taekjoo, but his second older brother. How could it be like this now? When he had time to spare, he often looked around to see where his blood relatives were and what they were doing. In particular, Basim's movements were almost always directly connected to the Kremlin's intentions, so he ended up looking at them more often.
After waiting for a while, Basim's current location was marked on one side of the Russian map. Zhenya's eyes widened slightly as he checked the coordinates.
[This is also Vladivostok. Interesting.]
Basim, the president's confidant, left Moscow and went to Vladivostok. What on earth could he be doing? Basim rarely leaves his position for any reason. Given the nature of power, a vacancy can be filled by someone else at any time. It was because it contained the risk of being caught.
The fact that a cautious and suspicious central official had travelled to Vladivostok, a remote area, meant that something important was planned. For example, he was supposed to receive a diplomatic envoy from North Korea on behalf of the president. If that were true, it would be safe to assume that the Kremlin was quite interested in the gift of cutting off North Korea.
[What else are you coveting?]
After a moment of doubt, he started hacking all of Basim's accounts. Not only his personal emails, but also multiple accounts used strictly for official purposes, transmission and reception records from five mobile phones, and personal data stored in a secret folder on his personal computer. He opened up all the files and displayed them on the monitor.
All of them were highly encrypted information, but they were easy to decrypt. At least for Zhenya.
Among the data that was displayed on the monitor one after another, there were also confidential documents from the Russian government.
Zhenya easily deciphered the double encryption set for each document. He already had a good grasp of Russia's security system, and with the access rights of Basim, who had absolute support from the Kremlin, it wouldn't be difficult.
He searched for 'Vladivostok' in the hundreds of confidential documents. He then sorted the related documents in order of their most recent and looked through them one by one.
In 2016, a deer carcass was exposed in the permafrost of northern Siberia. One child died from anthrax and seven adults were infected. This was the first time anthrax had been reported in the region since 1941.
In 2019, a wolf carcass that had died 27,000 years ago was discovered in the Siberian permafrost. A highly infectious virus was identified in the carcass' intestines.
In 2022, a 48,000-year-old carcass of a dwarf deer was discovered buried under a lake in the permafrost of the Yakutsk region of Siberia. 13 new viruses were detected.
Permafrost. Permafrost refers to frozen ground that is always below freezing in polar regions or alpine areas. It can be as deep as tens of centimetres at the shallow end or as deep as hundreds of metres at the deep end, and is commonly distributed in polar regions known as cold regions, Siberia, Greenland, Alaska, and northern Canada.
The reason why this permafrost has recently begun to receive attention is because of global warming. As the permafrost layer has become shallow due to atmospheric changes, the corpses of plants and animals buried underneath have been revealed, and some of them have become a problem because they carry pathogens or viruses that are fatal to the human body. This is because if humans cannot overcome such viruses, a pandemic could occur.
However, ecologists and meteorologists have already warned of this danger many times.
Why was such open information included in a secret document? The basis for this can be inferred from the following sentence.
A new microorganism was collected from the crater of Baekdu Mountain in North Korea. It is presumed to be an obligate aerobic microorganism that causes acute sepsis when inhaled.
The human immune system has a high response rate, and existing antibiotics or vaccines have little therapeutic effect. If infected, symptoms such as headache, fever, vomiting, confusion, hallucinations, and respiratory distress appear within 24 hours, and the mortality rate to date is
98%.
A microorganism that is fatal to the human body was found on Baekdu Mountain. It was discovered in the West. And that fact was mentioned along with the viruses discovered in the permafrost. Each piece of information was reduced to a single word in hid head.
Biochemical weapons.
In this day and age, would they develop something like that? He burst out laughing, but it quickly died down. It was not impossible for the Kremlin to be so ambitious. Not long ago, an RNA virus swept the world. The virus, which had an unprecedented transmission power and fatality rate, caused a panic in all aspects of politics, economy, society, and culture. In return, some forces accumulated enormous wealth and power. The chaos and chaos caused by the tiny virus considering the Kremlin's dominance, it was not surprising that the Kremlin was interested in a new microorganism.
A pathogenic microorganism newly discovered on Mt. Baekdu in North Korea. Since it becomes active in the presence of more oxygen, it will be difficult to prevent its spread, and existing antibiotics cannot treat it when infected.
This information is being secretly shared only between Russia and North Korea. The way things are going is not simple. It will probably be a long time before humanity learns of the existence of this microorganism. When weaponized microorganisms threaten our peaceful daily lives, belatedly.
[You're getting more and more childish. I'll be the tsar. [If you say so, I'll give you the dignity of the empire, this is it.]
Zhenya, who had been sticking his tongue out, finished looking through Basim's personal communication records. They were full of messages reporting to someone, such as arriving in Vladivostok, going to greet the delegation, the goods are being transported safely, and air traffic control communications have begun. The recipient was obviously the Kremlin.
[How long are you going to lick that idiotic pig's rear end?]
He shook his head and put the earphones in his ears. It was to eavesdrop on Basim's calls. Judging from the interval between reports, it was likely that Basim and the President were communicating. He thought it was time.
As expected, soon after, the message 'call' appeared in the hacking window. He held his breath and waited for the call to connect. Soon, he heard Bajim's voice on the other end of the earphones.
- Yes, Your Majesty. The North Korean delegation just arrived at the airport. - Yes, what about the goods?
- The goods will probably arrive tomorrow morning.
- You're managing it thoroughly, right?
- Is there any possibility?
- Before a full-scale conversation, make sure it's the right item.
- Yes, I understand.
The call ended quickly. There was no detailed mention of whether it was for possible wiretapping or why the items were brought in. However, by combining various circumstances and information confirmed from confidential documents, it was possible to easily guess what the Kremlin was planning.
The Kremlin heard news that a new microorganism had been discovered in North Korea. They also knew very well how lethal the microorganism was to the human body. The Kremlin must have proposed cooperation in microorganism research and the development of a treatment, citing North Korea's lack of pharmaceutical facilities.
The problem was that it was unclear whether the Kremlin would really use the microbe only for developing a cure, or whether it would simply disclose and distribute the results of the related research to the world. No, he was certain that it would never do that. In the phone call with Ba Jim, the order to 'check if it is a proper product before a full-scale conversation' seemed far from humane. That would mean conducting human experiments to see if the microbe is really that lethal, as North Korea claims.
By the way, is Kwon Taekjoo aware of all this? What are the two countries trying to trade, and how dangerous is it?
Running the hacking program again to find the target changed. He was going to check where Kwon Taekjoo was, what he was doing, and what instructions he had received. However, both his personal line and the lines he normally used for work were down. This time, it seemed he had decided to thoroughly evade himself. For now, he could only barely grasp the location information of the biochip that Kwon Taekjoo had secretly implanted in his body.
He knocked on the table. The sudden, strong desire inside him and the reason he was trying to hold on to were noisily competing. He quietly stared at the red dot blinking on the location tracker.
The red dot that had been wandering around the Vladivostok Airport began to move little by little toward the city. In the direction of the hotel run by his family. Unless there was a major change, the accommodation of the North Korean delegation that Bajim was carrying out would have been assigned there.
[...Taekjoo.]
Zhenya, who had been mumbling softly, finally got up from his seat.
***
Kwon Taekjoo was spying on the Bogdanov family's hotel with his eyes wide open. The North Korean delegation, including Park Jeong-ho, had entered the hotel around 2 a.m. and had not made any significant movements since then. Russian police patrolled the hotel in shifts all night. However, they did not go inside. In fact, not a single person had come or gone from the hotel since the North Korean delegation arrived.
The surveillance inside seemed to be tighter than outside.
The goal of this operation was to find out what North Korea and Russia were secretly discussing. It would have been icing on the cake if they could secure the items transported from North Korea in time for the meeting, but that was something to think about later. Greed ruins things. Kwon Taekjoo was not the only one moving. Therefore, they decided not to force their way in.
As they began the joint operation, the American agent 'Foxtrot' chased the special train from Pyongyang from Hasan, and the Japanese agent 'Sierra' decided to investigate the situation on Russky Island. Kwon Taekjoo was monitoring the North Korean delegation from a hideout where he could see the Bogdanov Hotel through the gaps in the buildings in front.
As of now, there was no way to infiltrate the hotel. He could not install cameras or wiretapping devices in advance. So he infiltrated the hotel with bug-sized cameras through narrow ventilation holes and sewer pipes. The cameras looked very similar to cockroaches, so they were not very noticeable.
After linking two laptops with each camera, one was connected to the North Korean General Staff Department Operations Bureau Director Shim, one was moved to Young-il's room, and the other was moved to the room of North Korean biologist Park Jeong-ho. Since the radio waves controlling the camera had to pass through several walls, it was difficult to make fine adjustments. They had no choice but to hide the camera in the most remote place possible and collect limited information.
After observing for a full day, they discovered one peculiarity. In Sim Yeong-il's room, people came and went frequently and freely used communication devices. On the other hand, Park Jeong-ho stayed in his room the whole time and just sat there blankly. He almost always stayed in the same place except when he was eating or going to the bathroom.
No one came to see him specifically. The guards guarding the hallway would often come in and ask him if he was he just checked to see if they were safe, looked around the room, and left. Even then, Park Jeong-ho stepped aside and watched the guards stirring his luggage and bed. For the time being, he couldn't tell if he was being protected or being watched. It was a sight that would make him believe it even if Park Jeong-ho was locked up in a prison without bars.
"...What the hell."
Wasn't Park Jeong-ho the key figure in this meeting? Why did he seem to have been dragged there by force?
It was full of strange things. At that moment, the alarm that had been set in advance rang. He looked at his wristwatch. It was time for the agents from other countries to report on the status of their respective areas. However, the communicator was strange. It was quiet.
If they think about it, no agent had reported on time until now. The information they had received was also vague. It seemed like they were planning to escape safely in case they had to fight over responsibility in the future. They might have been late because they had to report to their superiors first before contacting Kwon Taekjoo. That was why they didn't want to get involved with guys of different nationalities.
He sighed and put the communicator to his ear.
It was to contact them first. At that moment, the communicator rang.
- Hunting.
"Two Tigers."
- Foxtrot. Special train from Pyongyang
0677, arriving in Vladivostok. Only some of the passengers disembarked, and the train entered the maintenance yard without any separate logistics transport.
[Hmm. Then the goods must have been loaded onto the train and stored in the maintenance yard. How is the surrounding surveillance level?]
- Tango 4. Guard the car right next to the locomotive. All four are armed. [Okay. Watch a little longer until further instructions.]
- What? Just watch stupidly? This is the perfect opportunity to check the goods. The car stopped and the surveillance personnel were reduced. Let's take advantage of the gap in security....
[Are you sure there's something there? Do you know what it is?] - So we should check it out more.
[Hey, Foxtrot. The top priority of this operation is to find out what kind of collusion North Korea and Russia have had, and what they're dealing with, not to steal the stuff. Don't move rashly and ruin things.]
- Ha... You're being hostile just like I heard. I don't know if Asians are cautious or timid.
Foxtrot's expression turned to Via with a displeased expression. He snickered. It was clearly a racist remark, but he didn't say anything. He had been tracking the goods being secretly transported from North Korea to Russia, so he wanted to know what it was right away. Even if he were Kwon Taekjoo himself, he would have been on edge like 'Foxtrot'.
However, since this was a case involving many interests, he had to be very careful. If he acted rashly in a situation where nothing was certain, he would ruin everything. He might have made a big fuss.
Kwon Taekjoo suppressed his anger and warned 'Foxtrot'.
[Look before you leap. That's East Asia isn't this a proverb that only applies in ? Being suffocatingly cautious is less dangerous than doing something without thinking. You can't bet everything on a stroke of luck that may or may not come? I'm warning you, never act alone.]
- E&. Roger.
Foxtrot' ended the communication unilaterally, still not pleased with it until the very end.
"Ah."
He pulled the communicator out of his ear and threw his head back. It felt like the bubbling in the bow was suddenly rising to his mind.
That's why he hates all the partners in the joint condition. It's hard to control each agent, and if the line is off, all the operations will fall like dominoes. If 'Foxtrot' had ever worked with 'Sierra' in the past, it would have been different, but since they were all complete strangers and had different nationalities, there was bound to be discord. It was nice to call it a joint team, but it felt like a two-person triangle match between players of different physiques.
He glared at his poor laptop with a dissatisfied expression. Soon after, there was a knock on the door of Sim Yeong-il's room. He immediately put on my earphones.
- Come in.
Sim Yeong-il's voice was heard. Then his secretary, Kim Gil-ha, appeared. - Kirae, what happened?
- I left it at the train maintenance yard as instructed.
I'll find out tomorrow and transport it from Russia.
- Did you get away?
- I gave you a strict warning, so you're going to hang up?
- You're on your way. Okay, then you should go out.
- Yes.
Shim Yeong-il waited for Kim Gil-ha to leave and then made a phone call. As soon as the call was connected, he nodded, so he could clearly guess who the other person was. Shim Yeong-il, who had been looking around at his son-in-law, got up from his seat and walked closer to the window. He went. Then, a noise that interfered with the radio waves came through the earphones. It seemed that they had installed special equipment near the window or door to prepare for the salt. It was difficult to read what was being said because Sim Yeong-il covered his mouth the whole time on the phone.
He sighed softly and took out the earphones. He thought things would be resolved easily, but he must have underestimated the other person too much.
Sim Yeong-il's call ended without any significant results. Immediately after, Sim Yeong-il left the room with a relieved expression. It seemed that things were going smoothly as they had hoped.
He felt unnecessarily anxious. They say that enemies come after a long period of patience, but Lee wasn't the only one who could do it. In order not to miss an opportunity, he had to constantly watch and watch again. But sitting like this, just observing the enemy's movements made him anxious that he might be missing something.
That's when the communicator rang again. He flinched and quickly put the communicator to his ear.
- Hunting.
"Two Tigers."
- This is Sierra. Alpha, can you hear me?
It was a radio message from the Japanese agent, 'Sierra.' Had they detected any movement at the Far East Federal University where he was waiting?
[Listen carefully. Report.]
- The atmosphere here is ominous around midnight. Black trucks are arriving one after another, and the Natural Sciences Building has been completely cordoned off since the evening under the pretext of a fire inspection. The area around it is also barricaded, making it impossible to approach.
[According to Foxtrot, the train that departed from Pyongyang must have brought something. It seems like they're moving the cargo there overnight. Do you see anyone wearing a gas mask or gas suit there?]
- No. Not at all.
[What's on the truck?]
- They're all top cars, so it's hard to tell them apart.
[Can't you check a little closer?]
- Isn't it too dangerous?
[...Yeah. If you're not sure, leave it alone. If you see someone wearing a gas mask or gas suit, or if you catch sight of any quarantine equipment, report it immediately.]
- Do you have any guesses?
[It's not certain yet. I'll share it with you when I get more information, so don't be impatient.
If everything goes as planned, the items will be moved tonight. If that's the final destination, then from now on, it's going to be busy, so don't let your guard down, and prepare your gas mask in advance just in case.]
- Roger, that.
As soon as he finished communicating with 'Sierra', he sighed. He couldn't gather good information because he was hiding in a safe place and just spying. One side was acting on their own and the other side was being too passive, so he was worried. He thought it would be better if Kwon Taekjoo himself was in charge of all three places. Even long-time partners often get along, so how much great results could be expected from a hastily put together team?
He suppressed his growing discontent and checked Park Jeong-ho on the monitor. He was sitting quietly the whole time. Park Jung-ho suddenly got up. Then he strode towards the camera.
"Huh...?"
Before he could even respond, the monitor was filled with Park Jung-ho's face.
- What a cockroach...
Park Jung-ho reached out to the insect-shaped camera without hesitation. The lens was quickly covered by his hand and the screen went black.
"Damn, did I get caught?"
Park Jung-ho, holding the camera in his hand, observed the rest of the coffin for a while. At first glance, it looked like a cockroach, but upon closer inspection, something felt off. There was no choice. Especially since the opponent was a biologist, it was only a matter of time before the identity of the camera was discovered.
Kwon Taekjoo sighed while holding his hair. In the meantime, Park Jeong-ho, who had grabbed the camera, went into the bathroom. He then threw the camera into the toilet and flushed it without hesitation.
The camera was swept away helplessly by the strong current. The video cut off abruptly after capturing Park Jeong-ho watching the scene indifferently.
"Ah!"'
Kwon Taekjoo quickly grabbed his telescope and headed to the window. It was to check the hotel's activities. He could also use the communication device to inform 'Foxtrot' and 'Sierra' that the operation had been exposed. He turned it on.
However, no matter how long he waited, the hotel area was quiet. If Park Jeong-ho had informed his superiors of the existence of the surveillance camera, there should have been some kind of noticeable change.
However, even after watching for a long time, nothing happened. The area around the hotel was quiet, almost peaceful. He couldn't even see the security personnel exchanging radio messages.
"...What?"
Could it be that Park Jeong-ho didn't report anything? Why? If that was the case, he would have definitely realised that what he caught wasn't a real bug. It must have been.
Thinking about it, Park Jeong-ho's act of throwing the surveillance camera in the toilet was also somewhat unsatisfactory. If someone were to claim that he was spying on them, they would need evidence, so wouldn't it have been better to hand it over to the guard rather than just disposing of the camera arbitrarily like before?
No way.
A gut feeling flashed through his mind. He immediately went back to his sofa and watched the real-time recorded video.
Park Jeong-ho, who had been sitting blankly in one spot all day, suddenly stared at the camera. He zoomed in on the video to take a closer look. Park Jeong-ho just rolled his eyes without moving at all and stared at the camera. It was as if he was aware of someone else's gaze.
Then, he suddenly got up and approached the camera.
"What the cockroach..."
Park Jeong-ho, holding the camera as if he was catching a bug, observed its appearance for a while. Then, like he had seen before, he went to the bathroom and threw the camera into the toilet.
With a strange sense of discomfort, he rewinded the video and played it at 0.5x speed. Park Jeong-ho suddenly noticed the camera and slowly approached it. He grabbed the camera without hesitation. He stared intently at the unfamiliar object that might have been sent by someone.
"Hmm? What is it?"
Kwon Taek-joo, who had discovered something, pressed the pause button. He then rewinded the video 10 seconds back.
"What's that cockroach...."
Park Jeong-ho's appearance in the slowly playing video was no different than before. However, right after mentioning the cockroach, his lips moved a little more. He didn't say anything else. He turned up the video volume to the maximum and checked the voice analysis chart, but still, no sound was picked up. At best, he was breathing. Is it Lee?
Nevertheless, he watched the same part over and over again. Still, there was no sound in his ears, but the shape of Park Jeong-ho's lips became more and more clearly engraved in his eyes.
"What is it that he's saying?"
He played the video again. Park Jeong-ho slightly moved his lips toward the camera. He seemed to be careful not to be caught on the surveillance cameras installed all over the room by the North. Kwon Taekjoo focused all his attention on Park Jeong-ho's lips. He tried to follow what he was trying to say.
"Do... Do-ah....."
He repeatedly read Park Jeong-ho's mouth shape as if he was reading a book. As a result,
"Help me?"
An unexpected message was completed.