That was the most terrifying sentence she had heard since her husband disappeared.
Even if he had said, _"You better go to the hospital, you're completely crazy,"_ it might have sounded kinder than that.
"If you're thinking of staging a solo protest, just forget it. Do you know how many people have stood in front of the intelligence agency? And have you ever seen any news about them?"
"..."
"That's how it is. That's their job. We should probably just leave it at that. Our business also needs permission from the government; we don't want to cause any more trouble. But so far, we feel the effort we put in is proportionate to the payment we received."
Jung Pilgyu slumped back on the sofa as if everything he wanted to say was out.
Even though it was just for a moment, his palms were wet with sweat without him realizing it. He looked at Seoryeong, who was still stiff as a statue, with pity.
Then he tugged on Channa's ear, who was starting to look emotionally affected.
As he got up from his seat, he uttered his last words.
"What ordinary person could possibly find a shadow agent? Their main skills are hiding their identity and leaving no trace. And besides, Kim Yeonmi's son isn't a clue about your husband. He's just like a blade of grass that a lizard passed by."
All the feelings Seoryeong had suppressed until now shattered instantly upon hearing those words.
She tried to understand and accept reality, but her desire to see her husband one more time only gripped her heart tighter.
Her shattered heart felt like it couldn't endure any longer, as her whole being was enveloped in sadness.
"I want to ask you one thing."
As Jung Pilgyu was about to leave, Seoryeong raised her cane and blocked his way.
Her face, which had been like stone, slowly tilted upwards and looked straight at him.
"The person who used to be an agent for the intelligence agency and appeared on that leaflet… that was you, wasn't it?"
"Yes, but—"
Seoryeong nodded slowly.
That was enough important information for her.
Although her mind still felt chaotic from everything she had just heard, at least now she could begin to guess Kim Hyeon's whereabouts.
_But if she really couldn't find him…_
_If that's the case…_
She didn't need long to think.
Ordinary methods wouldn't even let her find a single strand of his hair.
"If he doesn't leave any traces, then I'll do the opposite."
"What…?"
"What if I flaunt my own tail?"
"…What do you mean?"
Seoryeong looked at him questioningly, then changed her question.
"What if I get arrested and taken to the intelligence agency?"
That was easier.
If she couldn't find the man, then it was better to make the man come looking for her.
_If you can't find a clue in the forest, then burn the forest down._
"If I commit a major crime, can I meet an intelligence agent?"
If Hyeon was in a place so high that she couldn't reach him, then she just needed to start from the bottom. Catch those people one by one, ask them one by one, until she finally met him.
Seoryeong was ready to do anything to meet Kim Hyeon, no matter the method.
A long and heavy silence enveloped the three of them.
Seoryeong remained with her calm face, while the two Blast employees stared in disbelief at what they had just heard.
As Jung Pilgyu tried to think of something to say, Channa instead exclaimed—
"The food at the intelligence agency must be really good!"
—and immediately received a kick to her leg.
"Miss Seoryeong, please don't think strange thoughts…"
She didn't answer.
She just turned around and walked away.
The cane she had been holding, she now threw into the trash can.
The further she walked, the stronger her conviction became.
"So my eyes were also your doing, weren't they? Kim Hyeon."
_You're the ones who made me blind._
The more the light returned to her eyes, the colder her heart became.
Seoryeong laughed loudly.
Her shrill voice echoed off the walls of the empty hallway, bouncing back like an echo. The lopsided smile on her face didn't disappear either.
_Kim Hyeon, we will definitely meet again._
_Because this time, you yourself will come to arrest me._
---
## — The Man Behind the Mask —
With each step he took down the stairs, his gait changed little by little.
From a diligent office worker who seemed honest and friendly, he now began to rotate his neck and loosen his tie. The steps that were once firm became slow and tilted to one side. The eyes that were once full of affection now looked dry and dead.
He began to unbutton his shirt one by one, then peeled off the layer of silicone skin from his collarbone.
As he did so, the face that originally had a square jaw, long narrow eyes, thin eyebrows, and an unremarkable nose—all **disappeared**.
His real face became clear.
The skin that had looked dark and rough now appeared clean white as if he were a foreigner. His eyebrows were thick and clearly arched, his nasal bridge high, connecting from between his eyebrows to the tip.
His face was **completely different** from before.
Especially his sharp chin, his beautifully curved nose, and the depth in his eyes—made him look like he wasn't purely Asian.
He wasn't just handsome.
Every element of his face blended like a sparkling clear light.
He also peeled off a hydrogel sheet from his neck.
"Ugh... Just looking at it makes me sick. This is even worse than a snake shedding its skin. Even though I'm seeing it myself, it's still hard to believe. If a former CIA agent uploaded this disguise technique to YouTube, no one would believe it."
A hacker from the National Intelligence Service's field support team said this while watching CCTV footage they had obtained last month.
At that moment, the man descending the stairs glanced at the ceiling camera.
His sharp eyes with thin double eyelids turned into a smile in an instant.
Even though there were still traces of silicone on his face, he looked very relaxed. He twirled the silicone mask on his fingertip as if twirling pizza dough.
_Damn it..._
The only ones who have to be annoyed and suffer are the field support team who have to keep backing up this madman. Especially the hacker himself.
Fortunately, this mission was over.
"Hmm…"
_How had he managed to endure such a terrifying mission for two years?_
Or rather, it had been two and a half years since he approached the target and started a relationship.
Every time the man in the video met the target, he always wore a silicone mask, attached a chip to change his voice vibrations, and convincingly played the role of **"Kim Hyeon."**
Every time he saw him approach the target with sincerity and a shy demeanor, the hacker couldn't help but wonder—was it just acting, or was he genuinely shy?
But as soon as the withdrawal order was given, the man changed instantly.
He shed the identity of "Kim Hyeon" without the slightest hesitation, exactly as in the CCTV footage just now.
Even though he knew his extraordinary background, it still felt like a new employee being amazed for the first time.
The hacker answered an incoming call.
"Team leader, the escape mission was successful, right?"
A soft laugh was heard in his ear.
"Yes. I didn't look back at all. Escaped half-dead with fear of being caught."
That gentle voice flowed naturally, accompanied by words of half-joking complaint.
**The spy with a thousand faces.**
**Code name: Maska Maska.**
Member of the elite team of the international intelligence division. An undercover agent specializing in disguise who has **never** been caught.
Lee Ushin, a senior officer who works directly under the first deputy director in secret.
He was a true actor—if he had the support of a military science research institute, he could disguise himself as an old man, a foreigner, a drug addict, even a woman.
The young hacker who had accompanied and observed Lee Ushin for the past two and a half years now truly believed it.
_Because he played the role of a devoted husband so perfectly._
"But… the news that you submitted your resignation is true, right? The deputy head of the division almost had a heart attack, you know?"
"And what's that got to do with you?"
"If I don't follow the team leader, then who will?!"
The tone of disappointment surged uncontrollably.
The young man who grew up with his grandfather—a national war hero—was fascinated by the job and even swore allegiance until the end. He wanted to be part of a new history. Not just simply manipulating public opinion online.
"―Wonchang, you want me to clean you up too, going that far?"