"Seoryeong!"
"Channa, that North Korean defector, please help me."
"Shut your mouth!"
"And also, Channa's brother-in-law... he's actually a former intelligence agency officer, isn't he?"
Seoryeong smiled, while Jung Pilgyu's face turned pale and then red up to his neck, and he glared at her angrily.
"What exactly are you planning?!"
"Mr. Jung Pilgyu, you are truly a man full of affection and seriousness, aren't you?"
She smiled thinly and asked calmly.
"Did you quit your job to take care of your sister-in-law, a North Korean defector, until she gets married?"
"I have no reason to listen to this any further."
He stood up angrily and turned to leave.
"If Channa is suspected, your wife will also be implicated. Don't you know that? Don't turn around. Sit down. I'm not finished talking."
Jung Pilgyu gasped in anger, clenching his fists.
Hatred and suspicion were clearly visible in his eyes, but Seoryeong calmly met his furious gaze.
"What do you want?"
"I want a job."
"What?"
His previously furrowed eyebrows suddenly relaxed.
"I heard that Blast Company provides the most security services for VIP clients in this country."
"...!"
"I read a news article about the CEO of that company. It said that a deputy director from the intelligence agency once presented an award at a cybersecurity competition, and Blast handled the security for that event."
Seoryeong smiled faintly.
"I also read articles about national defense and know that the intelligence agency also hires Blast for some jobs. They use private companies when they have a shortage of manpower."
"Why did you look all that up?"
Jung Pilgyu's face now began to regain its composure as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"What exactly do you want from me?"
"I told you, I want a job."
Whether as a security guard or getting close to an important figure, she wanted a job that would allow her to infiltrate the system.
"You think I'll believe these words of yours?"
"If you don't believe me, that's your right."
Jung Pilgyu clenched his jaw tightly until the lines on his cheeks became visible.
The pride in his eyes made his fists clench even tighter. Images of his wife, his young daughter, and his stubborn sister-in-law flashed through his mind.
_If Seoryeong really dragged Channa into the North Korean escape attempt case..._
Just imagining it was enough to give him a headache.
But he had to face reality.
"Blast Company only recruits people with military skills. Whether they are former soldiers, former intelligence agents, or special forces. But Han Seoryeong... you have **no** such skills."
Jung Pilgyu said with a weary tone while looking directly into her eyes.
Blast Company was a subsidiary of the Sehwa Group, one of the top three companies in the market. They started as a security service provider for businessmen traveling abroad and then grew rapidly after merging with a foreign PMC—a Private Military Company.
In an era when even warfare could be sold, they had sent personnel to conflict zones such as Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and Nigeria for the past 20 years. This had earned them a strong reputation, making them the leading military company in East Asia.
In addition to direct military operations, they also provided security, transportation, and investigation services on a wide scale. The value of the contracts they received from various governments reached billions of won.
"Seoryeong, what are you an expert at?"
His question contained doubt, and only one answer came to Seoryeong's mind...
"Killing..."
"Please, stop. Don't talk about killing. The matter of escaping to North Korea is more than enough."
As he raised his hand and touched his forehead, Seoryeong shook her head slowly and calmly.
"That's not what I meant. I meant... guarding the house."
---
## — Somewhere in Cambodia —
The sturdy iron gate of the prison rattled violently as the guards walked past.
The prisoners behind the bars screamed obscenities and banged on the bars angrily. This private prison in Cambodia held hundreds of people in cramped spaces barely enough to move.
The prisoners lived in filth and never bathed. Some of them fought, killed each other, and even resorted to cannibalism in a place with no hygiene or order.
But amidst the chaos, a man lay relaxed, indifferent to what was happening around him.
He simply stared out from behind the bars.
"Clouds... they look like big-eyed owls."
Even with the commotion around him, he yawned widely as if he didn't care.
His hands were covered in dried blood that had become the color of his own skin. He had been through many battles, so sights like this were common for him.
Every time he completed a mission, he would return to this place to rest.
This was a kind of annual routine for him—spending time sleeping, eating, and watching uneducated people fight each other was the only thing he chose to do.
The Deputy Director of Intelligence often complained about his strange habits, but he actually felt comfortable in such chaos.
Perhaps it was because he had nowhere else to go.
A normal life didn't suit him.
Being an office worker with fixed hours, or a faithful and loving husband, sleeping in a soft bed and having breakfast every morning... just imagining it made him laugh inwardly.
Even routines like his wife washing his clothes felt like a challenge, even though he had worked as an agent for over ten years.
And the thing that lingered most in his mind was his wife's excessive and unnatural affection.
That feeling made him frown in annoyance.
_He couldn't stand having to hold someone's hand and walk together._
He pressed his fingernails into his own skin to relieve the itching caused by wearing the silicone mask for too long.
_"How many days have I been wearing this?"_ he thought, blinking slowly.
At that moment, his jaw began to ache.
"I should have destroyed this from the beginning."
The source of the toothache was a small device implanted in his jaw. The device sent small electrical currents as a signal to the agency that he was still alive.
When the button on his jaw was pressed, a signal would be sent to headquarters.
But now, the pain was occurring because...
_Beep... Beep... Beep..._
The pain was a signal for him to return immediately.
He handed the folded dollar bills to the guard, gave a brief greeting, and walked out of the prison he had known for years.
The guard smiled before releasing him.
As soon as he got out and into the car, he immediately removed the silicone mask.
His skin was starting to break out in a rash from wearing it for too long, but he had endured it for weeks.
He poured cold water on his face and then put on wireless earphones.
As soon as he started the car engine, a familiar voice was heard.
"Lee Ushin, return immediately."
She was known by various titles—the youngest Deputy Director of the intelligence agency, the only woman in the leadership ranks, and the strongest candidate to become the next Director.
In addition, she was also the one who recruited Lee Ushin, a former UDT special forces soldier, ten years ago.
"I just wanted to talk about approving my resignation."
> "Two of our agents overseas have just died."
"So because I didn't send condolence money, you have to dig into the lives of those who are still alive, is that it?"
Lee Ushin replied coldly while pressing the gas pedal.
Hearing news of someone's death was no longer unusual for him.
He turned the steering wheel with one hand while massaging his tense neck.
> "Come in first. We can talk later."
"Going in there is boring. Talking is annoying too."
> "I said wait! Do you think training someone like you was easy? And now two senior agents with ten years of experience are dead! And I'm supposed to just let you write 'resigned for personal reasons' and run away?"
"Didn't I already give an explanation?"
> "Yes, of course... just the word 'crazy', right?"
A long sigh was heard through the earphones, and Lee Ushin smiled wryly.
"And you thought I've been sane all this time?"