PTT - 20

“...” 

Cheon Sung-won suddenly stopped in his tracks. Standing still, he clenched his fists tightly. Though his expression was hidden by his lowered head, it seemed he had sensed that something was wrong. 

Had he noticed her? 

Raon raised an eyebrow slightly, her senses on high alert. She was ready to grab him the moment he showed any sign of suspicion. As if reading her mind, he abruptly turned around. 

“Cheon Sung-won!” 

It was clear he had caught on. Without looking back, Raon sprinted after him as he bolted away. 

“Damn it!” 

Cursing under his breath, Sung-won ran recklessly forward. The soles of his sneakers scraped harshly against the floor, creating a grating noise. As they moved past the currency exchange booth, airport travelers began to appear in their line of sight. The sudden chase caused people’s eyes to widen in shock. 

“Haa, shit!” 

Sung-won, his fists tightly clenched, headed toward the emergency stairwell. The moment he entered, he slammed the metal door shut with a loud bang, stirring up a gust of wind. Frowning, Raon instinctively opened the door and quickly pursued him. 

Both were gasping for air after running for so long, but Sung-won was no exception. Even as he hurriedly descended two steps at a time, he glanced back over his shoulder. 

“It’s best if you stop right there, Mr. Cheon Sung-won!” 

“Fuck! Would you stop if you were me, you crazy bitch?!” 

Cheap curses trailed behind him with every step. The distance between them gradually narrowed. 

Running at full speed for five minutes straight was exhausting. Sung-won pushed through the weakening sensation in his legs as he sprinted past the lounge area. 

At that moment, Raon lunged forward and grabbed his shoulder from behind. 

“Stop! Haa... Are you really going to ignore me?” 

Gritting her teeth, she tightened her grip and forcefully spun him around. Though he felt cornered, he finally came to a halt. 

Rather than continuing this endless chase, he decided it would be better to finish off the woman in front of him. Besides, he no longer had the strength to keep running. 

‘What’s so hard about taking down a bitch like her?’ 

Recognizing Raon’s face, Sung-won furrowed his brow and swung his fist at her. 

When he had woken up at the hotel, he immediately sensed something was off. And when he realized his phone was missing, it became painfully clear that all of this was part of the woman’s plan. 

He had vowed revenge on the haughty woman who infuriated him, yet here they were meeting again. 

“You dare hit me? Who are you, the police?” 

Though he knew drawing attention wasn’t wise, his voice rose uncontrollably, fueled by anger. Before he could even process it, a scream erupted from his lips. 

“Don’t make me laugh. Am I your friend?” 

“Aaargh! Let go of me, damn it!” 

With her chin slightly raised, Raon gripped his wrist tightly. His clenched fist trembled helplessly in the air. 

No matter how physically imposing he was as an adult male, Yoo Raon was an operative trained in special tactics at the National Intelligence Service. Against an ordinary civilian, she had more than enough skill to subdue him. 

“You crazy bitch…!” 

Realizing his wrist wouldn’t budge no matter how hard he tried, an enraged Sung-won attempted to kick her shin with the tip of his foot. But he was still too slow. The entire process of twisting his arm behind his back and pinning him down was executed with remarkable speed and precision. 

Pressing her knee into the back of his leg, she forced him to buckle with a scream of agony. Pinning his shoulder down firmly, Raon exhaled deeply as he collapsed to his knees. 

“Mr. Cheon Sung-won, you’ll need to accompany me. I advise you not to cause further trouble and come quietly.”

“Let me go, you damn bitch! Shit. Do you even know who I am? How dare you pull this crap as a public official! Hey, let go of me!” 

His loud shouting and resistance drew unwanted attention. Though there were fewer than ten onlookers, it was crucial to resolve the situation without drawing too much attention from civilians. 

With Cheon Sung-won forcibly kneeling, Raon held his shoulder firmly and began her report for backup. 

“This is Yeon. Target Cheon Sung-won secured in front of the lounge at Terminal 1...” 

As she pressed the button on her earpiece to continue reporting, an inexplicable chill ran down her spine. It was an animalistic, instinctive warning. 

Still pinning Sung-won down with her full weight, Raon slightly turned her head backward. What filled her vision in that moment— 

A palm-sized jackknife. The silver blade reflected in her dark eyes. 

“Aaah! Mr. Min-Young, what’s going on here?!” 

“Shouldn’t someone call the police? Hey, over here!” 

The surroundings erupted into chaos in an instant. Civilians, unsure of what to do, raised their voices and fidgeted anxiously. Within a split second, multiple events unfolded faster than the blink of an eye. 

“Ugh, ack! Aaah...!” 

Before she could react, the man holding the knife behind her collapsed. Simultaneously, the sound of the knife clattering to the floor echoed through the air. What just happened? 

Frowning, Raon glanced at the fallen man’s face—it was Ilya, Cheon Sung-won’s Russian friend from the club hours earlier. 

“Yoo Ra... No, Yeon!” 

At the same time, a familiar voice pierced her eardrums, and her gaze locked onto someone. 

It was Baek Siheon. 

Holding a taser in both hands, his face was a complex tapestry of emotions: shock, worry, anger, and affection—all more vivid than usual. 

For three seconds, their eyes met, and in that fleeting moment, it felt as though they were the only two people in the vast airport. As if under a spell, the movements of those around them slowed, and even the sound of breathing seemed amplified. 

“...” 

An unreal, dreamlike sensation settled over her shoulders. But the illusion was shattered by the approaching footsteps of airport security officers. 

“Mr. Cheon Sung-won, please cooperate and come with us. Attempting to escape here won’t do you any good.” 

“What’s going on here? Detaining someone who’s trying to travel? Let me go!” 

“You can explain everything once we move to a different location.” 

At the security team leader’s matter-of-fact tone, Sung-won clenched his teeth in frustration. Even as he was led away by the security officers, he glared at Raon until the very end. 

“You should come along too. Since you’re a foreigner, the procedures will be slightly different.” 

“Sung-won! We’re supposed to be safe, right? We need to get to Vladivostok! Sung-won? Explain this to them!” 

Ilya, trembling and groaning from the taser’s effects, was forcibly pulled to his feet. Had he intended to flee to Russia with Cheon Sung-won? The jackknife he had dropped was promptly confiscated by the security team. 

“We apologize for the disturbance. Please don’t worry; everything’s under control. You may resume your activities.” 

Under the guidance of the security team, the onlooking passengers gradually dispersed. As the area grew quieter, Siheon approached Raon, still holding the taser in his hand. 

He must have fired the taser at Ilya the moment he noticed the man attempting to attack her. If Baek Siheon hadn’t arrived in time, she might have sustained minor injuries—or worse, severe ones. 

After all, Raon only had one body, and subduing Cheon Sung-won while simultaneously defending against a knife attack would have been nearly impossible. 

“Yeon.” 

“…Team Leader.” 

“I’m glad you’re safe.” 

Siheon reached out as if to embrace her but restrained himself, instead placing a firm hand on her shoulder. The simple act of pressing down and then releasing carried layers of unspoken meaning. After staring at her silently for a long moment, he tucked the taser back into his pocket.

“You’ve worked hard. Cheon Sung-won and Ilya Yenin will be transferred to headquarters immediately. Go home and rest. It’s the weekend tomorrow, so get some sleep.” 

“What about you, Team Leader? Aren’t you going home?” 

“I need to head back to the office and spend some ‘quality time’ with those two. Now that we’ve confirmed the facts, the case will be handed over to the international crime team. I’ll brief them while I’m at it.” 

He added that the follow-up would be handled by the international crime division. However, Raon couldn’t shake off an unsettling feeling that the matter wasn’t fully resolved. 

They had found evidence on Cheon Sung-won’s phone of him funneling funds to the mafia, confirmed tax evasion charges, and even arrested him on the spot—but something still gnawed at her. 

She couldn’t explain it logically, but her instincts—a primal sense ingrained in her very blood—were detecting anomalies. 

‘The international crime team will handle it from here… but…’ 

Why did the image of Cheon Sung-won’s tattoo flash through her mind, leaving behind a lingering unease? Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Raon tried to focus. 

‘This is done. Focus on the next mission, Yoo Raon.’ 

She glanced down at the watch on her left wrist. It was well past midnight. She had already warned her grandmother that she’d be late, but she knew the elderly woman would still be waiting for her. 

“…Then I’ll head home first. Please don’t stay too late, Team Leader.” 

“Be careful on your way. I’ll contact you.” 

At his words about contacting her, Raon briefly closed her mouth. Baek Siheon always left room for possibilities, unknowingly prolonging what felt like futile emotional torture. 

“Thank you for earlier.” 

That was all she could offer as a response. She could only hope he wouldn’t notice the bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips.