176. Tidal Wave 2

The woman with light brown hair tied high up approached. Yoon Tae-ha firmly gripped her raincoat, which was threatening to blow off in the wind.

“Agent Yeo Soo-min.”

“You call me ‘Agent’ when we first meet?”

Yeo Soo-min stopped in front of Yoon Tae-ha and tilted her umbrella. The umbrella cast a shadow over Yoon Tae-ha’s head, who was only wearing a raincoat. Yeo Soo-min said gently, blocking the rain,

“I don’t really like that title. It feels distant, like drawing a line. I’m probably seven years older than Tae-ha. So I’m more like an older sister, ‘Agent’ is a bit much.”

“Were we acquainted?”

“No. But starting today, we’ll have a lot to get to know about each other.”

“I have no questions for Agent Yeo Soo-min.”

“Are you uncomfortable because I’m from headquarters? Whether you work at the National Office or headquarters, we’re all the same crew. Surely you’re not childish enough to form cliques based on affiliation?”

Yeo Soo-min smiled sweetly, subtly digging at her.

“I don’t like long introductions.”

“Gaia did tell me that.”

Yoon Tae-ha disliked being face-to-face with a Titan in such a confined space. Just then, Yeo Soo-min looked at the tidied camp and sighed.

“Have you never felt cynical?”

She asked, as if with regret.

“Like, do others know what hardships we’re enduring here?”

“Well. I’m more curious why the Agent suddenly wants to discuss professional ethics with me.”

Despite Yoon Tae-ha’s brusque tone, which might have been offensive, Yeo Soo-min maintained an engaging attitude.

“I know you’ve been dragged around various places because of the high risk. You don’t have to hide it from me. I’ve been through it too. I even understand the period when I wandered because I didn’t get along well with my guide.”

“I’m the type to break out in hives if I listen to someone I’m not close with lecture for more than five minutes, so if you’re going to talk about your past, may I leave?”

“Cute. You talk similar to my youngest sibling.”

“My older sisters don’t talk like Agent Yeo Soo-min.”

“Choi Bo-mi and Han Gyeo-wool? Their cases are a bit different from yours, Tae-ha. One has been attached to her guide since she was young, and the other is a low-level esper with minor side effects. At most, a slight fever and a mild headache, perhaps?”

Yoon Tae-ha, who had been consistently indifferent, her face hardened coldly.

“Gaia didn’t tell you all the precautions then. Was there no warning not to bother people around me?”

“There was. It said you were on good terms with the surrounding espers. So I tried to be friendly, but it failed.”

“I’ll be going now.”

She turned to step out from under the umbrella. But Yeo Soo-min moved with the umbrella, blocking her way.

“Live comfortably.”

Before she could ask what that meant, Yeo Soo-min preempted her.

“You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? I know you better than you think, Tae-ha. I’d appreciate it if you thought of me as a senior from the White Room.”

The name of a place with bad memories came from her lips. Yoon Tae-ha’s mood sank even further. What could she gain by leaving such a bad impression on me? She narrowed her eyes.

“And you’re working for the Director-General.”

“I’m not loyal to Geumgang-seop; I’m loyal to the Director-General of Arc. You know there’s a difference, right?”

It sounded like he was chosen as a focal point to unite espers.

“Just work for 7 more years, Tae-ha. You’ll get tired too.”

Yeo Soo-min lowered her head, looking at the raindrops splashing on a puddle.

“My youngest sister died at nineteen. They took that young girl, saying the fishermen’s livelihood was at risk if the monster colony in that area wasn’t dealt with, and the result was an empty coffin. I had to hear the news that she was eaten by a monster while choosing her twentieth birthday present.”

The smell of wet earth grew stronger. The raindrops were thicker than when Yeo Soo-min first held the umbrella over her. Her relaxed smile gradually contorted.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? To have only one option just because you have great innate abilities. The fishermen, after the monster died, didn’t even say thank you; they blamed us. They said their fish farms were destroyed because we didn’t deal with it faster. Back then, I wanted to strangle them with a net.”

“My condolences.”

“Yes. That was truly regrettable. So, I’m not going to live like that anymore.”

“If Agent Yeo Soo-min feels more at ease with that decision, then do it. I have no intention of criticizing you.”

“Are you saying I’m trying to tempt you to live that way too? When it comes to being cursed at, you’re no slouch either, Tae-ha.”

Yoon Tae-ha opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. She didn’t want to argue with a woman who was worse than a stranger and brought back bad memories.

“Think about what I said. Take your time.”

“It seems you’ve finished what you had to say, so I’ll be going.”

Yoon Tae-ha walked out from under the black umbrella. As soon as she stepped out, sharp raindrops hit her face.

“Lee Hae-kyung and Seo Do-jin have their families alive. That’s why they’re different from you. They can’t truly understand someone who has nothing!”

Yeo Soo-min shouted from behind her.

Yoon Tae-ha, arriving quickly at the car, opened the door and stepped into the familiar space.

Cheon Geon-young, who had been boiling water, greeted her. He handed her a towel he had already laid out. Burying her face in the towel, which still held the faint scent of warm sunlight, her damp feeling eased a little.

After showering, Yoon Tae-ha sat closely beside Cheon Geon-young, who was working on his laptop. Two cups of tea he had made were steaming on the desk. Leaning on his shoulder, she peeked at Changcheon’s report, and Cheon Geon-young casually asked,

“Did you hear something bad outside?”

Yoon Tae-ha used her psychic powers to bring a blanket from the opposite chair, then nodded silently.

“Who said that?”

“Just, someone whose thoughts differ from mine.”

“It probably wasn’t Baek Sang-ho. Did Yeo Soo-min approach you?”

“You’re like a ghost.”

“There aren’t many options, you know.”

When the tea had cooled sufficiently, Cheon Geon-young brought the cup to her. Yoon Tae-ha pulled the blanket over herself and sipped the tea. Her body felt weary.

“That woman. She said she’s loyal to the Director-General, not Geumgang-seop.”

“Does that mean she’d obey him even if the Director-General were worse than Geumgang-seop?”

Is that how it works? That makes sense. Cheon Geon-young often hit on unexpected points like this. Yoon Tae-ha blinked blankly.

“I think you might be right.”

Endless streams of silvery-gray water flowed past the window opposite the sofa. Yoon Tae-ha watched the scene aimlessly, squirming under the blanket. Meanwhile, Cheon Geon-young finished writing the report to be sent to Changcheon and closed his laptop.

“I have something to show you.”

He pulled a gleaming black box from a bag on the desk. The box opened. Inside lay a sturdy-looking black watch and a wireless communicator side-by-side.

“Press the first button on the right side of the watch face, and your location will be transmitted. Press the second button, and recording begins. If you press both simultaneously and push them inwards, you can connect to the control room.”

“Is this equipment used at Airfield 72?”

“That’s right. I used to use it, but I think you need it more now. As long as the Director-General has Gaia in his grasp, having only their communication equipment is dangerous.”

“You’re putting a tracker on me?”

“If I had my way, I’d attach a hundred.”

He stretched out his arm and lightly pressed Yoon Tae-ha’s earlobe, like someone wanting to implant a tracker there.

“But you wouldn’t like that. And I don’t want you to hate me.”

“How could I hate you? Never.”

Yoon Tae-ha demonstratively put on the watch he gave her. Then she remembered that Cheon Geon-young also secretly wore the watch she had given him. What a proper gift to each other: a weapon. A self-deprecating laugh escaped her.

Cheon Geon-young had the same thought. He glanced at his own equipment on the shelf beside the bed, then played with the ends of Yoon Tae-ha’s hair.

“Use it as a backup. You don’t have to turn it on if you don’t want to.”

Yoon Tae-ha, having adjusted to the feel of the watch, took it off and put it back in the box.

“I’ll take it with me starting tomorrow.”

“The midnight plan hasn’t changed, has it?”

“No. I don’t think we should delay it. There’s definitely a reason Yeo Soo-min approached me. She’s trying to sound me out. It seems the Director-General’s side hasn’t caught on to Raphael’s intentions yet.”

Cheon Geon-young placed her leg onto his thigh. And, accustomed, he massaged her muscles. His touch was meticulous and caring.

“We have to prevent the information Raphael knows from reaching the Director-General. We need to intervene when they don’t know each other’s objectives. Dealing with one outsider is already overwhelming enough with just a snake.”

“Will she come?”

“With high probability, she will. Because Crow is strong.”

Yoon Tae-ha, resting her leg in his hands, looked down at her right hand, wearing rings. Hesitating, she took off all the rings and placed them on the desk, then held out her hand to Cheon Geon-young.

“Do this one too.”

He took her right hand, stared blankly at it, then kissed the back of her hand. Yoon Tae-ha shook her held hand. Cheon Geon-young asked innocently,

“Not this?”

Yoon Tae-ha let out a helpless laugh at his adorable playfulness. Then he laughed along with her. Outside the window, it was still gray. The sound of the wind and rain rattling the window was loud. Still, it wasn’t bad. She was happy enough.

________________________________________

An outsider stole important material, then set the camp on fire and fled.

This was the first line of the operation scenario set to begin at midnight. Nox would use his crow to lure Raphael. If Raphael left quietly, Kim Du-eon would collect his belongings and then personally set fire to his empty tent.

The appearance of another outsider coveting the Green Feather would not be welcome news to the Director-General. He already had a formidable enemy in Nox. There was a high probability that an order to eliminate Raphael would be issued.

Yoon Tae-ha intended to capture Raphael alive, pretending to follow orders. The state-of-the-art prison to hold him was floating in the airspace of the Green Sea. Changcheon’s agents were also on standby on the ground.

Nox had sent word that he was currently in the process of compressing the material into a smaller form. This was a time-consuming task, so Changcheon and the Black Lion had to deal with Raphael.

Once the material was compressed, Nox was scheduled to leave the Green Sea with Charlton. Charlton had several hideouts in other anarchist zones. He decided to accompany Nox personally as a supervisor.

Kwon Hyuk seemed to be deeply considering Nox’s story. But he also compromised with reality. It seemed he judged that preventing large-scale casualties with Nox’s information was a higher priority than killing one enemy outsider.

The next day, after finishing their scheduled activities, Yoon Tae-ha and Cheon Geon-young began to put on their gear one by one as midnight approached.