PTT - 2

Raon tried to hold back, but a single tear eventually rolled down her cheek.

A clear trail of tears was left on her pale cheek, but it wasn’t due to the bittersweetness of reunion. Rather, it was closer to a more primal and negative emotion.

To define it, yes. It was a deep sense of ‘betrayal.’

A bitter smile played on the man’s lips as he looked at Raon. Even Baek Siheon, who was always nonchalant and affable, couldn’t afford to be relaxed in this situation.

He led her to a blind spot of the CCTV in the corner.

“I thought it was a dream when I first saw your picture in the documents.”

“...What are you talking about?”

“It was definitely a face I knew. But why a different name, and how did you end up joining the National Intelligence Service?”

Yoo Raon, who was clenching her fist so tightly that her fingernails dug into her palm, raised her head. It was rather she who couldn’t distinguish between dream and reality.

She definitely thought he was dead. It was impossible since his resident registration hadn’t been revoked, but she thought it was better to believe so and erase him from her memory. It was much easier on her heart that way.

Siheon, who was gently stroking her face with his large, firm hand, opened his mouth after a moment of silence.

“...I think you have a lot to say, Yeona.”

“Don’t call me by that name. If you saw it in the documents, you should know.”

Yeona. That affectionate word made her feel drained. She tried to glare at him with her teary eyes, but she couldn’t control them as she intended.

Raon let out a cold laugh to suppress the flood of emotions threatening to burst out.

“The Yoo Sayeon Senior knew is no longer here. All that’s left is Yoo Raon. So, don’t ever mention that name again.”

“You’ve changed. Your name, your way of speaking.”

“Five years isn’t a short time. I don’t know how it was for you, Senior.”

What would it feel like to reunite with him? This situation hadn’t existed in any of the dozens or hundreds of scenarios she’d imagined.

“Do you even remember?”

She swallowed a hollow laugh. There were still many unresolved questions. Why did he disappear right before confessing, and how does he know her true identity?

Judging rationally, there was only one possible conclusion. Baek Siheon must also be an NIS agent like her.

Reaching that conclusion, she felt her blood run cold. Raon wiped the tears flowing down her cheeks with the back of her hand.

Her heart ached, but she didn’t want to show any signs of wavering in front of him, who had disappeared without a word.

Above all, the operation wasn’t over yet. She was shaken for a moment, but she had to strictly separate public and private matters. She bit her lower lip as she spoke in a low voice.

“Please move. I’m on a mission.”

“It’s no use. Your mission ended five minutes ago.”

“What are you talking about?”

Siheon reached out to tidy Raon’s disheveled hair. But that tenderness soon slipped through his fingers like tiny grains of sand. He knew that affection unwanted by the other party was tantamount to violence.

He quietly lowered his arm and took out an ear mic from his ear. It was the same kind Raon was wearing.

“Chief Choi is the bait. The real target is Number 8313. They were bribing the director, not the chief.”

“Why are you telling me this now...!”

Raon frowned and urgently checked the location of the elevator. As if anticipating her reaction, Baek Siheon quickly added.

“Hear me out. Your team leader seems to have only realized it ten minutes ago. He’s deploying additional personnel and continuing the operation, so rest assured.”

“...I haven’t received any orders.”

“If you suddenly stop tracking, they’ll know they’ve been exposed. That’s why they sent me.”

“Then... should I return?”

A gritty feeling, as if a small stone was being chewed under my tongue, arose. It was the moment my plan to forget his existence by focusing on the operation fell apart.

The memory of that day, which remained like a trauma, pricked my mind like a needle.

Baek Siheon, who was looking down at Raon with eyes filled with complex emotions, sighed. He also hadn’t imagined in his wildest dreams that he would reunite with her like this.

“You are returning, but there’s someone who’s looking for you before that.”

“...Me?”

Siheon nodded lightly and gestured with his eyes as if to say, ‘Let’s go.’ A small static noise crackled from the earphone in his ear.

“...Are you referring to Special Team 4, Director?”

Raon, who was standing at ease with her hands behind her back, asked back.

Her first love appearing like a lie, a suddenly deviated operation. She thought she had already been troubled by numerous variables, but the Director of the National Intelligence Service’s order confused her even more.

The sound of paper turning was particularly sharp. A middle-aged woman reading Yoo Raon’s resume brought her hand to her eyes.

Thin silver glasses made her look like a more intellectual and charismatic leader. Her short hair was styled back with pomade, not a single strand out of place.

Finally, Director Kwon Jeong-ah opened her mouth. Even though it was a simple question, it carried a strong authority.

“You’ve had excellent shooting skills since you were young. Why did you stop?”

“......”

“Is it a difficult question to answer?”

“No. I stopped due to family circumstances. I judged it was right to focus on my studies.”

She didn’t want to explain in detail the pain she had to endure more than 10 years ago. Therefore, it was best to summarize it with the simple excuse of family circumstances.

Hearing Raon’s answer, the Director raised one eyebrow as if she understood.

“I see. Your excellent shooting skills will be helpful to Special Team 4. Are you acquainted with Team Leader Baek Siheon?”

Team leader? Raon slightly narrowed her brows at the two syllables that suddenly popped out. Baek Siheon, who was standing next to her in the same posture, answered instead.

“It’s our first meeting. However, I heard about her evaluation from Team Leader Jeong.”

“......”

“Well. Team Leader Baek is a few years your senior, so he will lead you well.”

Logically, it was right not to reveal their pre-employment relationship in front of their superior. Raon acknowledged in her head that his answer was a textbook answer, but the throbbing in one side of her heart was beyond her control.

How could she simply explain this feeling of both betrayal and the desire for him not to disregard her? She swallowed a deep sigh inwardly and lowered her gaze.

“You probably know that there was a recent departmental reorganization. Just because you’re assigned to a special team doesn’t mean your work will change. You’ll just carry out the given orders as you have been doing. However.”

Director Kwon tapped the table surface with the tip of her fountain pen.

“Unlike the past when you only handled industrial security cases, you will be deployed in a wide range of operations. Counter-terrorism, counterintelligence, cybercrime... Whenever a small elite team is needed, immediately.”

“......Yes.”

“The other team members are waiting in the conference room, so Team Leader Baek will introduce you. Do you have any questions? Agent Yoo Raon.”

With a snap, the black file cover closed. Raon, who was subtly biting the soft flesh inside her lip, opened her mouth after a moment of silence.

“I have one.”

“Go ahead.”

“It may be a rude question. But why me?”

She raised her head and met Jeong-ah’s gaze with a straight look. Only the name changed each time, but a small elite team had always existed within the NIS. It seemed they were calling it a special team this time.

However, as they were only deployed in highly classified and important operations, they were usually composed of the best agents from each department.

She wasn’t someone with low self-esteem, but even judging objectively, it was unexpected for Raon herself to belong to the special team.

At the rather bold question, Director Kwon’s lips curved into a subtle arc. Light wrinkles appeared around her eyes.

“I chose you personally. I’ve been keeping an eye on you. Do you need any further explanation?”

“......No.”

“Alright. You may both leave now. You’ve worked hard until late.”

It was a direct order to leave. Siheon, who came out of the director’s office and closed the door, turned to Raon.

“Everyone is gathered in the conference room on the 8th floor. Including you and me, there are a total of five people. Today will be about getting to know each other and the first operation briefing.”

Who would have imagined that the first love who gave her deep betrayal would reappear as her superior? It was a coincidence that could only happen in dramas.

Her heart felt tattered and torn for the past two hours. She probably wouldn’t be able to sleep easily tonight.

“......Yes. Let’s go to the conference room.”

10 PM. Because most of the employees had left work, the inside of the building was chilly. Raon took a step towards the elevator.

At that moment, Siheon abruptly grabbed her wrist.

“Just a moment, Yoo Sayeon. Let’s talk.”

Raon, whose wrist was suddenly grabbed, narrowed her brows. It was that name again. It had already been two years since she escaped the tiresome ‘Sayeon.’

“It’s Raon. Yoo Raon.”

“Yes, Yoo Raon.”

Siheon loosened his tightly tied necktie and let out a low breath. Now that he had met her again, there was something he absolutely had to say.

A bitter taste lingered in his mouth. He looked at Raon with a look of undisguised complexity.

“Five years ago, the reason I had to disappear leaving you behind was......”