It made sense that Zhenya wouldn't answer his calls.
But now, he wasn't even picking up his
mom's?
In the past, no matter how tense things got between them, Zhenya had always kept up a good relationship with her.
They'd fought over some silly thing once before.
Kwon Taekjoo had let his anger get the best of him, had a few drinks, and then snuck over to Zhenya's place to make amends.
But Zhenya wasn't there.
Kwon Taekjoo called him right away, but he didn't pick up—clearly still mad.
Kwon kept calling and texting while waiting for him, but as the night wore on, Zhenya didn't come home.
When Kwon finally gave up and went back to his own place, he found Zhenya
there, casually sipping wine with his mom, his fingers gliding smoothly as he ignored Kwon's calls right in front of him.
Kwon Taekjoo had been left speechless when his mom sided with Zhenya, lecturing him and asking what he'd done to make him so upset.
Was Zhenya so wrapped up in his feelings now that he was ignoring his mom's calls, too?
Or was he in some situation where he couldn't reach anyone?
No, he's the last person I should be worrying about, he thought.
Zhenya wasn't the type to be easily caught if someone was after him.
Even though Kwon Taekjoo tried to shrug off his worries, he couldn't calm his nerves.
"...Oh."
Suddenly, he thought of a way to check on Zhenya.
He quickly put his plan into action,
scrolling through his contacts to make a call.
After a few rings, the line connected.
["Taekjoo?"]
A skeptical voice came through his phone.
It was Olga.
"Yeah, it's me."
["Why are you calling me? Is something wrong?"]
Her questioning tone held a mix of surprise and humor.
Kwon Taekjoo rubbed the back of his
neck uncomfortably.
"I... uh... I was wondering if you'd seen Zhenya lately. Or if you'd heard anything from him."
["Huh? Hmm, I'm not sure. I mean, I barely see him once a year."]
"...Really?"
["Did you two fight again?"]
Olga's unexpected question hit a nerve.
Kwon Taekjoo didn't answer right away, but his silence seemed to confirm her suspicions because she murmured,
"Hmm…"
and guessed his intentions.
["If you're asking if he's gone back home, he hasn't. The mood at home is pretty bleak. Is it because of you again? What did he do this time?"]
"You don't need to know that."
["Aaaah, really? Then there's no reason for you to be calling me, is there?"]
,she replied sarcastically.
As always, like father, like daughter, she wasn't about to help him without getting something in return.
Kwon Taekjoo knew he'd have to explain more to get anything from her.
"It's related to my work, so I can't go into details. Otherwise, I'd be compromising national security. Besides, knowing would do you no good. Honestly, it'd be a relief if I didn't put you in danger."
["But you've already involved me."]
"All I did was ask if you knew how your brother was doing. What's suspicious about that?"
["It might not be suspicious for most siblings, but with us, it is."]
Just as Olga said, the situation with the Bogdanov family was different.
She probably wasn't exaggerating when she mentioned she only saw him once a year.
["If he managed to make our father and brothers angry, doesn't that mean good news for you, Taekjoo?"]
"What are you talking about?"
["He always seemed to get into arguments with my family because of you, Taekjoo. They'd tell him not to meddle in foreign matters, warn him he could cause diplomatic conflicts, threaten to remove him from his ambassador role, and say they wouldn't protect him anymore... Wasn't all that because he was actively getting involved in your missions?"]
"….."
["Do you know what he told them every time?"]
"...No."
["He'd ask our father and brothers if they still wanted to know what Anastasia was like and then dared them to go ahead and do whatever they wanted. He told them if they did, he'd make sure they could meet Anastasia up close."]
Kwon Taekjoo put his hand to his face as a headache began to throb at the back of his skull.
He'd always known Zhenya had a rocky relationship with his family and that he'd repeatedly betrayed them and his country by interfering in Kwon's missions.
But he hadn't expected Zhenya to strike back with an even bigger threat.
"Anyway, things have gotten a bit complicated, so I can't track him right now, and we can't contact each other. It's hard for me to get any news until something happens, so please let me
know if you think he's in danger."
["And what do I get in return?"]
"I'll pay you back however you want later. Please."
["Mph. You'd better not go back on your word."]
"Wow. Have people lied to you your whole life?"
["Well, it's not a hard request, so fine. But if you two fought and he's in a bad mood, I can't just show up on the island anytime. He might shoot my helicopter down."]
"He wouldn't."
["Wouldn't he? You don't know, do you, Taekjoo?"]
"Know what?"
["Remember when you were kidnapped on that island, and government forces showed up, putting us both at risk? Well, after that, I think he set up some kind of defense system. I don't know the details, but it seems it attacks any aircraft or missile approaching the island without
permission. A few have already been shot down."]
Was she saying that Zhenya had set up an anti-aircraft missile defense system on the island?
Kwon Taekjoo suddenly recalled the time he'd left Ajinoki Island not too long ago.
As he was leaving, he'd seen several planes scattered in pieces across the island.
He'd assumed they'd crashed after confronting Zhenya directly, but now he wasn't so sure.
Kwon had always entered and exited the island with Zhenya by his side, so he'd never noticed the existence of a defense system.
Given the current situation, it was almost reassuring.
If Ajinoki Island had become an
impenetrable fortress, then no one would dare attack or threaten Zhenya recklessly.
["Anyway, I'll keep an ear out for any news about him and let you know if I hear anything."]
"Alright. Even the smallest thing would help."
["You two have a pretty chaotic love life. Okay, I'm hanging up,"]
Olga muttered with a slightly annoyed tone, though Kwon Taekjoo could sense a hint of excitement at the prospect of something interesting finally happening.
Once the call ended, the silence in the house felt much heavier.
He glanced at his phone again, but, as expected, there was still no sign of Zhenya.
What was he doing now?
Was he sadly playing his double bass alone again?
He might even be destroying everything around him in a fit of rage.
Honestly, for all Kwon Taekjoo knew, Zhenya could be watching him right now, given that he always managed to find a way to spy on him.
With that ridiculous thought in mind, Kwon Taekjoo shouted into the empty room.
"Hey, Zhenya. Are you listening?"
Of course, there was no way anyone would answer him.
Feeling foolish, Kwon Taekjoo scratched his neck and let himself fall onto the couch.
He felt drained, with no idea where to
even begin addressing the problem in front of him.
Several monotonous days passed.
The 24 hours had always seemed too short.
But now, with nothing to do, a single day felt unbearably long.
During that time, he'd confirmed a few things.
First, his access to the NIS server had been revoked.
He could no longer obtain any documents related to the failed operation or assess the current situation.
He was effectively cut off from any work.
Second, the Vladivostok operation was being kept under tight secrecy.
He combed through press articles from the area around the date of the operation, but nothing mentioned what had happened—only a simple report on a meeting between Russia and North Korea in Vladivostok for tech cooperation.
The only report he could find about Foxtrot was a short article about an American man who died in a car accident involving a truck and a sedan.
It was clear that Russia, the United States, South Korea, and Japan were working hard to bury everything.
Kwon Taekjoo had no way of finding out what happened to Park Jeong-ho, who had returned to North Korea, or whether the microorganism he discovered had been handed over to Russia and was now being researched for weaponization.
Any attempt to dig deeper would only
push these secrets further underground.
"Aah…"
Kwon Taekjoo put down the dumbbells and exhaled heavily.
When his mind was filled with worries, he pushed his body to the limit to drown out the noise.
After all, if his body was sore from the exertion, there was no room left to think of anything else.
Pain and burn shot through him as fibers tore in his already bulging muscles.
He'd spent so much time drenched
in sweat.
Normally, this was enough to clear his mind.
But this time, the thoughts swirling in
his head refused to leave him.
He sat down on the bench, thinking a little more exercise might help, when the doorbell rang.
But there was no one who would visit him at this hour, and it was impossible his mother had suddenly returned home from Canada.
Could it be Zhenya?
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he jumped up and rushed to the door.
But the intercom screen showed another familiar face instead.
"Sunbae."
It was Yoon Jongwoo.
The energy drained from Kwon Taekjoo's body, his frantic excitement fading into sudden exhaustion, though it was completely unexpected for Yoon Jongwoo to visit him at this hour.
"What are you doing here?"
"Wow… I didn't expect a warm welcome, but I didn't think you'd be this unhappy to see me That's new."
"You should be busy working right now. Did you get fired?"
"Are you sure that's not your true feelings talking? I took half a day off."
With a casual
"I'm starving,"
he tried to push open the door, but Kwon Taekjoo didn't budge.
"If you're hungry, why come here? Is my house a restaurant now?"
"Your mom told me to stop by and eat. She made a ton of side dishes before she left."
"My mom?"
"Yeah. She must be worried about you. She called and said she'd be very grateful if I could check on you while she's in Canada."
"Well, you've seen me, so you can leave now."
"There you go, being cold again. I have some news you might be interested in, you know?"
Kwon Taekjoo's guard dropped immediately at those words.
Yoon Jongwoo took advantage of the moment to swing the door open and step inside.
Entering the kitchen, he noticed the dumbbells scattered across the floor and stared in shock.
"Wow! Have you seriously been lifting weights all day while cooped up at home? Why are you working out like you're training for the end of the world? You're going to ruin your joints if you keep this up."
"Looks like you could use some exercise yourself."
"Sunbae, you haven't eaten yet, have you? You'll need some protein to prevent muscle loss."
Ignoring Kwon Taekjoo's comment, Yoon Jongwoo busied himself in the kitchen, pulling out side dishes and reheating soup from the fridge.
He even quickly made an egg roll before
setting the table.
"Come on, sit down,"
he said, taking a seat himself.
Kwon Taekjoo couldn't tell who was the host and who was the guest.
Kwon Taekjoo sat down across from him without a word.
When Yoon Jongwoo was about to take some soup, Kwon blocked his spoon with his own.
As if expecting it, Yoon Jongwoo just switched to serving rice, but again, Kwon stopped him, pushing his forehead back with his spoon.
"Ow, sunbae! You're not supposed to mess with someone while they're eating. What's gotten into you?"
"Tell me. What news do you have?"
"Can't we talk about this after we eat?"
Kwon Taekjoo shook his head, slowly but firmly.
Yoon Jongwoo cast a longing look at the
delicious food in front of him and let out a long sigh.
Suddenly, his gaze scanned the room
with nervousness.
He seemed worried someone might be watching or listening.
"He's not watching. I checked."
"Well, if you say so."
"How much longer are you going to drag this out? Stop beating around the bush and spit it out already."
"I, uh… I got a call from Miss Olga."
"From Olga?"
"Yes. She said you asked her to look into how Mr. Yevgeny's been doing lately."
"Why didn't she call me directly?"
"She's probably being cautious. The first thing she asked was why you and Mr. Yevgeny can't communicate. I told her I couldn't give her details because it might raise suspicions given the current situation."
"Oh, really? Then maybe I should report you for breaching national security."
"Oh, come on, we all know each other. Besides, I didn't tell her what's happening… I just told her exactly what I'm telling you."
"Wow, I don't know if you're optimistic or just plain naive. If talking to Yevgeny is a
problem for me, why would it be any different for you? You're still an NIS agent, and she's the daughter of one of Russia's most notorious families. She's Yevgeny's sister."
"Well, uh… we're not that directly connected, you know? Miss Olga said that if anyone asked, we could just say we were getting to know each other."
Yoon Jongwoo's bashful smile and the slight blush in his cheeks irritated Kwon Taekjoo.
After a disapproving click of his tongue, he casually asked,
"So, what's the situation?"
"With Miss Olga?"
"No. With Yevgeny, that little bastard."
Kwon Taekjoo found himself speaking with more sharpness than intended.
Yoon Jongwoo complained,
"Why are you getting mad?"
before continuing with Olga's message.
"Fortunately, he's not locked up anywhere. According to Miss Olga, he's isolated himself on an island, and no one's been able to get in or out."
"That's what you call news…?"
"Even if she wanted to know more, she couldn't. Mr. Yevgeny has blocked everything. Not only can no one approach the island, but he's cut off all lines of communication, so there's no
way to spy on him."
In the past, when Kwon Taekjoo himself had been trapped on Ajinoki Island, he'd felt utterly helpless, with no way to escape on his own.
When he asked Olga to check on Zhenya, he didn't expect her to infiltrate the island…
he just needed her to find out what was happening within the family.
"Oh! She said you'd feel better if I told you this."
"Told me what?"
"Miss Olga's family doesn't seem too focused on Mr. Yevgeny at the moment. Apparently, they're busy dealing with something else."
"... Something else?"
Could it be the microorganism research from Mount Baekdu?
Were they trying to sell a cure?
Or were they truly planning to start a war?
Both scenarios were equally disturbing, inhumane, and out of place in today's world.
"You. Have you heard anything about that?"
"A-A-About what?"
"Since when does the NIS completely abandon an operation just because it failed once? They have to have a backup plan."
"I don't know… Wow, these stir-fried dried shrimp and chili peppers are really delicious. Sunbae, eat. Your soup's getting cold."
Yoon Jongwoo clumsily changed the subject and continued eating.
But his chopsticks trembled under Kwon Taekjoo's piercing gaze, unable to grasp a single shrimp.
Kwon took a generous serving of shrimp and peppers and dropped them into Jongwoo's rice bowl, his sharp eyes fixed on him the entire time.
Jongwoo swallowed hard, nervously forcing himself to chew.
Suddenly, he grew suspicious of his surroundings again.
Kwon Taekjoo sighed heavily, scolding him for being so paranoid.
"I told you already, there are no listening devices here."
Despite Kwon Taekjoo's repeated reassurances, Yoon Jongwoo couldn't relax.
He leaned in close and whispered, barely audibly,
"Well, the thing is, the chief director has been busy trying to select an agent to send to Turkey and Iran. The executive board's also been holding multiple meetings recently."
"Right now, of all times?"
Yoon Jongwoo nodded several times.
"It'll probably be made public soon, but there's an upcoming trilateral summit."
"A trilateral summit? Who's involved?"
"Apparently, the leaders of Iran, Turkey, and Russia will be meeting in Tehran."
Kwon Taekjoo's mind went blank at the unexpected combination.
For some reason, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that he may have ignited the fuse of a massive ticking time bomb.