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"Didn't I say not to disturb me right now?!" Eugene shouted at the door.
The knocking stopped.
Then it started again, louder and more forceful.
"F***!" Eugene stormed over and yanked the door open. "Don't you understand- You know, I'm- I'm a man for all seasons, and-"
"...Hello, Director."
Brown stood outside, his face dark.
Eugene's anger froze.
Then it instantly reshaped itself into a smile.
"You're very arrogant, Director Eugene," Brown said after a long pause.
Although the whole thing had been a misunderstanding, Brown couldn't just leave without doing anything since he was already here.
So he decided to conduct a round of inspections and casually mention the "friendly exchange" with the IRS to the relevant departments.
The CIA's elite agent division, the IMF, naturally couldn't be skipped.
After making his rounds, Brown arrived at Eugene's office.
And then, what just happened, happened.
"Director... I... it's just a small issue..." Eugene desperately searched for an explanation using the last scraps of his brainpower.
It really was a small issue.
...
"Thank you."
London.
Ethan thanked Morin once more.
"You're welcome," Morin replied with a smile. "I already told you. This was just the foundation of our partnership."
"We don't know each other well yet. We needed some assurance. If this works out, we won't need to do this next time."
"Isn't ten million dollars enough for you?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by Morin's appetite.
"You can never have too much money," Morin said calmly.
"Besides, when I get the money, I'll give some to my director, keep some for myself, and give some to you."
"To me?" Ethan shook his head. "I don't need it."
"That won't do," Morin said, looking at the rain streaking down the window. "You have to take it."
"...I see." Ethan understood and smiled bitterly.
"So those money laundering methods I mentioned earlier will be useful very soon?"
"See?" Morin laughed. "It's always good to have more skills."
"I think you can show your director what real money laundering looks like."
"Real money laundering?" Ethan smiled. "Isn't that when he doesn't even know it happened?"
Morin laughed.
Then Ethan suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right. In that case, I have a question."
"What?" Morin leaned forward slightly.
"This money..." Ethan asked. "Do I have to pay taxes on it?"
"Hahaha..."
Both of them burst out laughing.
"What decent person pays taxes?" Morin said casually.
"As an IRS employee, do you want me to explain the hundred legal ways to evade them?"
"Interesting," Ethan said. "I thought you'd just abuse your position."
"No, no," Morin shook his head. "That's low-level."
"As a dedicated IRS employee, I've thoroughly mastered tax law. I use it to catch tax evaders. Naturally, in the process, I also learned how to exploit legal loopholes."
"What do you call that?" Ethan's smile faded, his tone sharpening.
He gestured lightly.
"A dragon slayer becoming a dragon?"
He still wasn't used to this gray area and was venting his frustration over Morin's blackmail.
Morin's smile disappeared.
"No," he said slowly.
The tone was serious.
"The people you're talking about did change."
"Their hearts were corrupted by profit. Their eyes were blinded by greed."
"They forgot their principles. They flattered the powerful and trampled the weak."
"That's how heroes become dragons."
"But I'm different."
"I admit I've used my position to obtain gray income. But every cent I took came from drug dealers, gamblers, smugglers, and people who deserved punishment."
"As for everyone else-if they haven't done anything illegal or unforgivable, and they haven't deliberately crossed me-I've never taken a single cent."
"I'm not a good person," Morin continued. "But I'm not a bad one either."
"I'm just a normal person. I have sympathy, anger, greed, desire. And I have my own principles."
"Ethan, there's money that can be taken."
"And there's money that, even if it's right in front of me, I'll never touch."
"Likewise, there are things I'll do."
"And things you shouldn't even mention in front of me."
"Those are my principles."
"My bottom line."
"My original intention."
"I will never become a dragon."
"Because my original intention will never be forgotten."
...
After Ethan left, deep in thought, Morin stood by the window for a long time, staring at the London night.
That sudden, heartfelt confession stirred an emotion he had avoided for years.
Homesickness.
Morin knew he was ordinary.
Not especially noble.
Not bad either.
"Moderation" described him well.
And now, this ordinary person had suddenly gained immense power and crossed into another world.
No restraints.
No limits.
He worried about becoming the very "dragon" Ethan spoke of.
One day, he still wanted to return home.
To see his parents.
His sister.
His family and friends.
So he couldn't allow himself to fall.
Once you start falling, it's hard to stop.
He didn't want to become the person he despised most.
So he chose to follow his heart.
Extremes were easy.
Balance was hard.
The more he feared falling, the more he had to face it.
Because becoming a saint was just as dangerous as becoming a demon.
One mental collapse was all it took.
"One thought to become a demon. One thought to become a Buddha."
Two extremes.
Equally easy to reach.
So Morin never shackled himself too tightly.
He helped good people.
Punished bad ones.
He got angry.
He felt joy.
He had desires-but chose his targets and never hurt the innocent.
He earned gray income-but only from people like drug dealers.
He followed his heart.
But never crossed the line.
Those were the rules he set for himself.
He was still himself.
He had never changed.
After all-
When he finally returned home someday,
he wanted to go back as himself.