PTT - 18

“How is it? Think you can crack the password?” 

“Well, eight digits shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes. I could do it on my laptop, but if we want it faster, I’ll need to head to the data room.” 

“It’s better to find out as soon as possible. Go ahead, Ray.” 

“Roger that. I’ll be back before you know it!” 

After securing Cheon Sung-won’s phone, Raon immediately headed to the command center on the 9th floor of the National Intelligence Service. 

There, Baek Siheon had been monitoring intercepted communications and gathering real-time information throughout the operation, his expression oddly unreadable at times. 

He hadn’t expected her to pull off such a flawless performance—especially since she had once doubted her acting abilities. Occasionally, his straight eyebrows twitched slightly as he listened to the explicit conversations transmitted through the earpiece. 

Though it was all part of the mission, hearing Raon exchange such dialogue with another man wasn’t exactly pleasant for him. 

Still, Yoo Raon had executed the operation perfectly, even if it deviated slightly from the original plan. Ray, who had been typing away at his keyboard, took the phone from her and left the control room. 

Rock and Mabel had also departed shortly after receiving Raon’s transmission, so they would likely arrive at headquarters soon. 

“Yeon.” 

Once the large space was empty except for the two of them, an eerie silence settled in. Raon awkwardly tugged at the leather skirt that barely covered her thighs—she hadn’t had time to change after rushing back. 

She never imagined she’d end up standing like this in front of Baek Siheon. Fidgeting nervously with the back of her neck, she watched as he took a step closer to her. 

“To be honest, I was surprised. That was quite an extreme method.” 

“…You mean cutting my hair?” 

“Yeah. It worked perfectly on Cheon Sung-won, though.” 

He slowly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Though his fingertips didn’t even touch her skin, she felt an inexplicable tingling sensation. Her gaze followed the movement of his fingers. 

“…Does it look strange?” 

Raon couldn’t understand why those words had slipped out instinctively, without a moment’s thought. It wasn’t like her; she knew her hair would grow back eventually, and she hadn’t considered the consequences when she acted impulsively. 

But suddenly, a fleeting worry crept in: what if he didn’t like her new hairstyle? She didn’t want to appear unattractive to Baek Siheon. 

At her question, Siheon tilted his head slightly and chuckled softly. His whisper followed, almost like a murmur. 

“I like it.” 

“…Even though it looks odd?” 

“It doesn’t look odd at all. It reminds me of the past. When we first met, your hair was about this length too.” 

His fingertips lightly brushed against her jawline. At his words, memories of days long gone flashed through her mind like an old film reel. Since the last time she’d seen him, there had only been a handful of occasions when she’d cut her hair. 

For the past three years, she’d kept it long, letting it cascade below her chest. Perhaps she had unconsciously avoided returning to a bob cut because it reminded her too much of the memories she shared with Baek Siheon. 

Turning her head slightly to evade his touch, Yoo Raon exhaled deeply and spoke, her voice blending with her breath. 

“I was innocent back then. Young.” 

“Were you?” 

“A lot has changed since then.” 

She didn’t bother voicing the rest of her thoughts. She didn’t want to remind him—or herself—of how much she had changed over the past five years. 

Staring at her intently, Baek Siheon finally broke the silence. 

“You’re still beautiful.” 

“…”

“At least that hasn’t changed.” 

What was it about a simple compliment like “you’re beautiful” that made her feel so strange? An indescribable wave of emotions washed over her, and Raon bit down on the inside of her lip—a habit she unconsciously fell into whenever her thoughts grew tangled. 

Everything felt confusing. 

“…We’re on duty right now. This isn’t the time for personal reminiscing.” 

“I’ve thought about you. For a long time.” 

“Team Leader.” 

“I shouldn’t have let you go back then. I’ve regretted it.” 

She wasn’t firm enough to cut him off, even though she knew she should have. Yoo Raon, the human being—not Agent Yeon—couldn’t bring herself to be so decisive. She lowered her gaze, her long lashes fluttering slightly. 

“That decision back then—it was tied to something as important to me as my future. That’s why I disappeared so cowardly. Even if I were given the chance to go back, I might make the same choice again.” 

“…” 

“But if I were given another chance, I’d try to make a more mature decision instead of just running away.” 

As he spoke, Siheon wore an expression too complex to put into words. Rubbing his temples and the corners of his eyes with his fingertips, he forced a faint smile. 

“You really won’t see me?” 

“…No.” 

After a prolonged silence, Yoo Raon finally gave her answer. 

“You don’t need to apologize. After all, you and I weren’t in a relationship. We were just… meeting with good feelings toward each other.” 

“Yeon-ah.” 

“If we had been lovers, resentment might have been appropriate. But harboring such heavy emotions over something so trivial feels excessive. I’ve moved on now.” 

Acknowledging the reality she had been denying brought an unexpected sense of relief. To begin with, during their college days, Baek Siheon and she hadn’t even been dating. 

It had been before he confessed. Even if they had spent a night together or gone on a few dates, it would have amounted to nothing more than a fleeting romance. He probably hadn’t held onto those memories at all, while she had clung to them bitterly, feeling foolish in hindsight. 

‘It was my first time liking someone.’ 

First loves were always painful, weren’t they? Her mouth tasted bitter. Sensing her inner turmoil, Siheon cupped her cheek with one hand. 

“You’re right. We’re in the middle of an operation right now.” 

“…” 

“After this is over, I’ll tell you everything. Not too late, I promise.” 

She wanted to say there was no need for explanations, that misunderstandings had never even formed between them. But deep down, Raon knew that would be self-deception. 

Struggling to find her voice, she forced herself to speak. 

“…Fine. I waited five years already. A little longer won’t matter.” 

“Thank you. And I’m sorry.” 

His palm, calloused and rough, pressed against her cheek, yet the touch itself was feather-light and gentle. The silence stretched for what felt like dozens of seconds until the sound of the door swinging open broke it. 

“We’re back.” 

It was Mabel and Rock. Baek Siheon slowly lowered the hand that had been cradling Raon’s cheek and turned his head toward them. 

Mabel, seemingly quite drunk, was leaning against Rock’s back. However, she didn’t appear unconscious. Snapping out of the charged atmosphere, Raon quickly approached them. 

“Are you alright, Mabel? Are you hurt anywhere?” 

“Hey, babe. Why’s my alcohol tolerance so low these days? Rock, put me down. I’m fine. I can walk.” 

“…You don’t look fine to me.”

With a brief sigh, Rock lowered Mabel to the ground and steadied her. She slumped onto the table, her voice dragging as she spoke. 

“Sweetie, get me some water… I’m dying of thirst.” 

“Here you go. Are you still feeling dizzy?” 

“Yeah, a little. I did drink quite a bit. But maybe those hangover pills I took before we left are working somewhat. I feel less drunk than usual.” 

Mabel downed half a 500ml bottle of water in one go, shaking her head from side to side. Raon’s face clouded with concern as she watched her. It was clear that Mabel had pushed herself hard while handling the two men in the club room. 

“Still, those guys didn’t seem like drug users. They seemed sober enough aside from being tipsy. Or maybe they just held back today. From what I overheard, they’re the type to do all sorts of stuff—drugs included.” 

“They kept speaking Russian. What were they talking about?” 

Siheon, seated across from Mabel, met her gaze as he asked the question. Though they had intercepted parts of the conversation through the microphone, intermittent audio cuts made it impossible to grasp everything. Mabel squinted her eyes, pressing her temples repeatedly as if nursing a headache. 

“Yeah, right. Those jerks were badmouthing Cheon Sung-won behind his back. I’m not even sure if they’re really his friends. Anyway, it seems certain that he’s funneling funds to the mafia boss’s daughter. Not only through money laundering schemes but also using accounts under the names of those two guys.” 

“You mean Ilya Yenin and Yakov Vasilyev?” 

“Yeah. You should have the kid look into their accounts. By the way, where’d he go? Isn’t he supposed to be working?” 

Mabel glanced around the room, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. Sensing her gaze, Baek Siheon let out a low sigh and nodded. 

“He went to the data room to check the phone. He’ll be back soon. Rest for now, Mabel. You’ve done well.” 

“Anyway, why is it so hot in here? I always sweat when I drink…” 

“…Could you lift your head for a moment?” 

Mabel pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingertips. Rock, who had been carefully observing her, pulled a white handkerchief from the inner pocket of his jacket. With delicate movements, he wiped the beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead. 

‘…What’s going on between those two?’ 

It could have been nothing more than kindness toward a colleague, but something about the atmosphere felt off. Raon narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing them as if she were a detective. 

At that moment, the tightly closed door of the command center burst open with a loud bang!