"…What was that?"
"When I cross over to North Korea."
Seoryeong spoke calmly.
"Wait a minute…! Did you just say you're going to escape to North Korea?"
"No, I said cross over."
"…!"
"Not down, but up. I'm going **up**, Channa."
Channa, still shocked, pointed to the sky with a bewildered face. Her long eyes widened as much as they could.
"Up… up? You mean that way?"
"Yes."
"…! This sister must be completely **crazy**!"
Channa immediately stood up from her seat.
Although it attracted a lot of attention from the people around them, she didn't care. Her wide eyes began to tremble.
"Then you'll be shot dead!"
"It's not really crossing over, just pretending like I'm going to cross over."
"Ugh! That's the same thing, you know! You'll become fish bait and your stomach will be riddled with bullets!"
Although they weren't very close, Seoryeong wasn't bothered by the words thrown out with such enthusiasm.
She just looked at Channa, who was shouting cheerfully while sipping her tea. Although Channa was only in her early twenties, her energy felt abundant.
Seeing such enthusiasm was new for Seoryeong.
"Do you remember, you once said the food at the intelligence agency was good?"
"Yes, I said that. But it looks like you'll be eating rice mixed with tears and beans in prison instead!"
"But how can a woman like me, who has no special skills, find a shadow agent who has disappeared?"
Seoryeong's tone sounded low and strained.
"That's why I have to make them catch me."
Seoryeong looked out the window while stroking her wrist.
The marks her husband had left were completely gone, but the pain was still clearly stored in her memory. She rubbed her skin slowly.
Cases like theft or violence wouldn't be enough to interest the authorities. So she had to create something on the scale of **international crime**.
But Seoryeong was just a housewife who had just woken up from a long dream. She had no special skills, and her husband was too far out of reach.
The only thing she could do was face everything herself.
"That's why I have to cross over to North Korea."
That's right. This was a violation of the National Security Act.
With just her body, she could make them suspect her of trying to flee to North Korea. And they would definitely investigate her. Then, if they found the suspicious Kim Hyeon, what would happen?
_Wouldn't they suspect him too?_
"Aaaaargh…!"
Channa held her head and screamed.
"If my husband finds out I'm involved in a plan like this, he'll pull out all my hair!"
The husband she was referring to was Jung Pilgyu, whom Seoryeong had met previously.
Seoryeong nodded slowly, remembering the man who seemed closer to her than she had thought. He was part of her family.
The thought of family made her stomach clench for a moment, but she quickly suppressed her feelings.
"Then what are you going to do after you get caught? Are you really going to ruin your whole life? Where's the romance in all this?"
"My life isn't that valuable."
"..."
"Just being able to meet him one more time would be enough… even if only for a moment."
"And after that?"
Seoryeong only stroked her teacup in silence.
Inside the cafe filled with cheerful pop songs and customer conversations, she was the only one who seemed to be in a different world.
Her long hair flowed down, her neck was slender like a deer's, her appearance elegant and calm, nothing excessive. The cold aura emanating from her drew everyone's attention.
Then her gaze fell on a couple holding a baby.
Seoryeong stared at the warm family without blinking.
Although her mouth was talking about something nonsensical like crossing over to North Korea, what she really wanted was something that even she herself wasn't sure of.
"I don't know… whether to kill him or love him."
Channa's hand, which was about to reach for her glass, paused for a moment.
"If possible, maybe I'll do both at the same time."
"..."
"I want to see his face… but I also want to kill him… Every day feels so sad."
She turned towards the sound of a child crying, then looked back out the window.
Maybe it wasn't just every day. But every second, Seoryeong felt like she was being stabbed, doused with cold water, and hit with a stick.
The feeling that arose from having to live without him every day.
Kim Hyeon not only stole her sight but also stole all the time they had created together. The wounds and regrets made it difficult for her to sleep.
"Not under the bridge, you know—"
Channa suddenly spoke up.
Although she heard that Seoryeong's vision had improved, the woman now looked like a blind person groping for a way in the air. Anger rose in Channa's heart as she looked at her.
"If you really intend to get caught, don't go to all that trouble. Just get in a car."
---
The Tongil Bridge in Paju City, Gyeonggi Province, spanned the Imjin River.
This place was located on the border between North and South Korea, and served as the gateway to the immigration offices of both countries. Therefore, security was very tight.
All forms of inspection had been completed.
"Huh..."
Seoryeong sat in her husband's car and gripped the steering wheel tightly.
Her goal wasn't to actually cross over to North Korea, but just to pretend as if she was going to cross over, so that she would be arrested. After that, she would be interrogated by intelligence officers.
When she first sat in the driver's seat, she felt like she couldn't move.
The seat, adjusted perfectly to Kim Hyeon's body, made her feel sad and uncomfortable. She sat silently for a while, as if she could see Kim Hyeon's shadow more clearly in her heart.
Even though the man had disappeared like a ghost, he still left traces.
Seoryeong pressed the accelerator deeply, as if wanting to vent the emotions that had been building up inside her.
She sped past Tongil Park and Imjingak without thinking.
Then she saw a row of yellow barricades layered upon each other and a large warning sign telling vehicles to turn back if they didn't have an entry permit.
That was the southern checkpoint of the Tongil Bridge, a restricted area for civilians.
From this point on, anyone had to have permission to enter.
Of course, Seoryeong didn't have permission, and she also had no intention of slowing down her car.
The guard waved for her to stop, but Seoryeong didn't lift her foot from the accelerator.
She broke through the checkpoint just like that.
"W-what..."
A soft voice was heard from one of the officers.
**CRASH—!**
When she hit the barricade hard, her body slammed into the steering wheel, making her feel nauseous.
But Seoryeong still shifted gears and pressed the accelerator again.
_Catch me._
_Take me to him._
Seoryeong gritted her teeth.
The barricades still stretched long before her, and she kept trying to avoid the pursuing soldiers while crashing into the barriers again.
**BANG—!**
After her head slammed against the back headrest, she felt numb. Her tongue might have been bitten too, because she could taste the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.
"Ugh...!"
The loud crashing sound made the checkpoint officers rush out.
Feeling that she would be caught soon, Seoryeong became even more reckless, crashing into everything that blocked her way.
The once sturdy bumper of the SUV was now severely damaged.
But all that crossed her mind was:
_"A 27-year-old woman crashes into the Tongil Bridge, arrested for violating the National Security Act."_
Good.
_This is what I wanted._
She alternated between accelerating and reversing, hitting the barricades repeatedly, leaving tire marks on the asphalt.
Suddenly, a gap appeared on the opposite side of the road.
Seoryeong's eyes lit up, and she immediately swerved the steering wheel in that direction.
"Hurry up and catch me!"
Her heart pounded faster. Her lips were dry. She bit her lower lip and glanced at the side mirror.
"…!"
The face that was initially tense instantly turned bewildered.
_Huh...?_
One of the soldiers chasing her fell to the ground and began to convulse violently.
His body seemed to have lost control. Other soldiers tried to hold his hands, feet, and neck. They looked panicked—it wasn't clear whether they were calling for medical help or still intended to capture Seoryeong.
While Seoryeong was still stunned, her car had already traveled more than two kilometers.
There was nothing left to stop her before the Tongil Bridge.
According to the initial plan, she should have been caught during a dramatic chase. But the patrol cars were too slow.
Too slow to the point where it felt **strange**.
Now she was the only one driving against traffic on that long road.
"Damn... Why did it turn out like this..."
_If this keeps up... I'll really end up in North Korea...!_
Panic began to overwhelm her.
She felt like she would actually cross the border. She could be arrested by North Korean soldiers, not South Korean ones.
A cold sensation ran down her spine and made her hairs stand on end.