Codename Anastasia Novel (End) - Chapter 13

Just then, his phone vibrated from inside his discarded jacket. He put down the empty bottle and took out his phone. This time too, a photo had been sent from headquarters. After a brief wait, a Russian man with a stern expression filled the screen. Was this the “Psykh Bogdanov” he was warned about? He vaguely wondered, when Zhenya, who had approached unnoticed, snatched his phone.

“They said to be careful of him, do you know him?”

Zhenya, who was checking the photo with narrowed eyes, nodded.

“Of course. I know him well. Very well.”

“What’s he like?”

“It’s better not to touch him. I’ve never seen anyone come to a good end after touching him.”

“Is Morgan’s death also connected to this bastard?”

“Morgan? You mean that American from before? Well, it might be a madman’s doing, or it might not. Don’t worry about it. You’re not here for revenge, are you? Let him play by his own rules, and let’s just focus on our work.”

“To hear you call someone a madman. He must be an inscrutable character.”

He shook his head, utterly bewildered. Zhenya merely chuckled. He felt as though he’d readily believe it if the man were that crazy Bogdanoff right now. A person who could casually call even such a lunatic ‘crazy’—it was utterly unimaginable.

Anyway, if getting entangled was not a good idea, then avoiding a confrontation was the best course of action. There was no need to worry about someone they hadn’t even encountered yet. For now, he had to focus on the given mission.

“I hear you’re well-versed in the political structure and financial flows around here?”

“Of course. If you want, I can set you up with anyone, any way you like.”

His confident demeanor didn’t seem like mere bravado. Since he was stuck with an unwanted partner, he figured it would be best to extract as much as he could. What started as a completely botched day seemed to finally be turning smooth.

Kwon Taekjoo, looking lighthearted for a change, gave his instructions.

“First, I’d like you to filter out anyone well-versed in the illicit arms trade. Don’t discriminate, whether they’re financiers, actual developers, or merchants who buy and sell them—everyone. Because to meet ‘Anastasia,’ we first need to get into the palace.”

At the mention of ‘Anastasia,’ Zhenya’s eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. It wasn’t a blatant enough change to notice immediately.

But that was only for a moment; the man nodded docilely, saying he understood. He promptly gathered his coat and stood up.

“Then, tomorrow, let’s talk again after I’ve prepared.”

Kwon Taekjoo stood up, following Zhenya. Why did the words “I’ll be going now” sound so joyous? Kwon Taekjoo practically chased him out, eager to dispel Zhenya and his distinctive scent. He even reached out to open the door for him.

Zhenya obediently stepped outside. Instead of saying “Get lost,” he said, “See you tomorrow.” Then he pulled the door shut, but it stopped before closing completely. Kwon Taekjoo looked down quizzically, and saw the pointed toe of a shoe peeking through the crack. He looked up at Zhenya with disapproval. The man then narrowed his eyes slightly and leaned his upper body forward. Their gazes finally met.

“Let’s slowly peel back that outer skin and see your real face too.”

His voice, laced with laughter, sounded ominous. Kwon Taekjoo frowned, glaring at Zhenya. The man chuckled again, straightened his posture, and walked down the hallway. He watched until he was out of sight before closing the door.

Upon reaching the elevator, the doors opened quickly. His eyes met those of a man already inside. Zhenya stood with his back to him, facing the front. Inside the rapidly descending elevator, the man behind him suddenly spoke.

“What should we do?”

Zhenya idly watched the floor numbers decrease. For some reason, his normally impassive lips twisted slightly. He then muttered in a languid tone,

“Blow it up. We shouldn’t leave any burrows for him to escape into.”

“……?”

The bell rang first thing in the morning. He paused while attaching his artificial skin and checked the time. The bedside clock showed 8 AM. Housekeeping wasn’t scheduled for a long time. There were no official delegation events today either. Could it be Zhenya? If so, he was surprisingly diligent for his appearance.

He finished adjusting the skin and headed for the door. He was about to ask who it was, but a voice from outside revealed their identity first.

“Room service.”

He opened the door with a puzzled expression. As if he hadn’t heard correctly, a dedicated cart was parked in the hallway outside the room. A server in a hotel uniform bowed respectfully.

He craned his neck and looked down the hallway. It was an early hour, so the surroundings were simply quiet. Meanwhile, he blocked the server, who was about to ask, “May I come in?”

“I think you have the wrong room.”

“Room 911, sir, that’s correct.”

“I didn’t order room service.”

“Ah, someone else sent it.”

Someone else? Could it be Zhenya, that bastard?

“The Gazprom representative.”

“Ah,” he chuckled, dumbfounded. Even though he was a colleague, he was practically a murderer. What kind of acknowledgment could he expect from such a man?

If it was sent by the Gazprom representative, perhaps it was an apology for yesterday. He hadn’t been able to attend the luncheon he arranged, and even his proxy hadn’t appeared. If he declined, they would contact him again. There was no need to cause unnecessary trouble and draw unwanted attention.

He gestured with his head towards the inside of the room, inviting him in. The server gave a slight bow and expertly wheeled the cart in. The food was set on the table by the window. After meticulously placing the silverware, the server retreated, saying to call if anything else was needed. He couldn’t understand why they were living in such luxury during an operation.

All the dishes were covered with silver cloches. Yet, the subtle aroma indicated that Russian borscht, toast, egg dishes, fruit, and coffee had been prepared.

He slowly scanned the table, and his eyes caught a card tucked into a note holder. It would surely contain typical greetings. With a bored expression, he checked the contents. Only a single word was written there. Four clear alphabets were etched into his eyeballs.

BOOM

He immediately threw the card and sprinted towards the door. There was no time to assess the situation. Kwon Taekjoo gritted his teeth and launched himself forward, his fingertips touching the doorknob just as an enormous explosion expanded the air. His body was thrown against the side wall against his will. Immediately after, the floor beneath him collapsed. The force of the blast shattered the windows across the room, and the furniture was pulverized. The ceiling vibrated, and a sharp alarm began to blare throughout the entire hotel.

Everyone in the hotel instantly froze. They looked around, their eyes darting, trying to figure out what had happened.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Uwaaaah!”

Everyone almost simultaneously thought of ‘terrorism.’ Immediately after, without a moment’s hesitation, they ran away in utter panic. The voices of the staff trying to calm the guests were completely drowned out by the screams erupting everywhere. As they all stampeded towards the narrow exits, minor and major collisions occurred. They didn’t hesitate to push and trip others to get out first. Someone hurrying down the stairs stumbled, and those behind them either jumped over or trampled him. If there was a living hell, where extreme fear paralyzed reason, this was it.

The situation only calmed down after the fire department arrived. After the fire was extinguished, a fully armed bomb squad was deployed. Reporters who rushed to the scene conveyed the atmosphere with heightened voices. Compared to the scale of the explosion, there were many casualties. Most of the injuries were from the evacuation rather than direct trauma. Ambulances arrived in a continuous stream, tirelessly transporting patients.

Amidst the chaos, a man was confronting a paramedic. The most severely injured man at a glance was none other than Kwon Taekjoo.

“You’re just too shocked to feel the pain right now. You’ll regret it later when you come to your senses. You hit your head, so it’s best to go to the hospital immediately for a CT scan. Please lie down.”

The rescuer repeatedly gestured to the stretcher, raising his voice. It was useless no matter how many times he declined, saying he was fine. Kwon Taekjoo sighed, looking exhausted.

“Seriously, I’ll take care of my own business. You should go attend to other patients instead.”

“I’d like to leave stubborn people like you alone, too, but I can’t because of protocol. In plain terms, if something happens to you and I get a pay cut, will you take responsibility?”

“I’m bleeding, but it’s not a serious injury, really.”

“That’s for a medical professional to decide.”

It was driving him crazy. Saying he was fine wasn’t an empty boast. His forehead was just slightly cut and bleeding. This much could be solved with disinfectant and a bandage. He might need stitches to stop the bleeding, but at most, it would be a few sutures. There was no way delaying treatment would cause problems. Yet, the paramedic in front of him was relentlessly stubborn. Who was being stubborn, anyway?

With a frustrated expression, he ruffled his hair. His left jaw was unnaturally covered. The artificial skin in that area had peeled off due to the force of the explosion. The paramedic didn’t overlook that sight either.

“Did you hurt that side too? Let me see.”

He slapped away the approaching paramedic’s hand. The paramedic’s eyes widened at his agitated reaction. He didn’t immediately get angry about his hand being struck. Instead, his face grew even more serious. It now looked as though he was convinced that Kwon Taekjoo’s mental state had been affected by the shock of the accident. He nodded as if he understood everything, gently stroking Kwon Taekjoo’s back. Then he lightly gestured, calling over his colleague. The colleague, who had been watching their long struggle, rushed over. Now, both of them grabbed Kwon Taekjoo’s arms, urging him to lie down on the stretcher. Curses automatically slipped out. Receiving a bomb as a gift first thing in the morning was annoying enough, but this was getting worse and worse.

If he was dragged away like this, he would be exposed as not being Sakamoto Hiro. The hospital would surely be filled with police. If his disguise was discovered there… The mere thought made him dizzy. He absolutely couldn’t let that happen.

“I’m really fine. Look. I’m perfectly alright.”

Kwon Taekjoo demonstrated a vigorous march in place. However, the paramedics didn’t seem to hear him. They just smiled and said, “Alright, let’s walk like that in front of the doctor too.” It was infuriating. There were too many eyes watching; he couldn’t just beat them all down.

As Kwon Taekjoo was being dragged away without a plan, he suddenly looked at the onlookers. In the throng of people gathered like clouds, he fleetingly saw a familiar face. As Kwon Taekjoo’s gaze unexpectedly landed on him, the person who had been watching quickly vanished. It was a highly suspicious movement.

Kwon Taekjoo changed his mind and obediently complied with the paramedics’ demands. As he walked towards the ambulance, he again sensed a familiar gaze. He suddenly turned in that direction. And again, that same figure disappeared behind the crowd. His heart pounded heavily from the face he had only glimpsed.

It was him. Psikh Bogdanoff. The notorious figure known as the nation’s biggest lunatic, the man he had been repeatedly warned to avoid at all costs.

His surprise lasted only a moment before a deep question sprouted in his mind. Why was he here? Why on earth? At this exact time, was he just coincidentally passing by? No, that was too far-fetched. The established theory that the culprit always appears at the crime scene was more convincing. It wouldn’t be strange if he had pulled off such a stunt. He was just puzzled as to why. Has his identity already been exposed?

After various conjectures, he concluded that he needed to leave immediately. His Colt and all his belongings had been blown away in the explosion. If he was going to clash with Psikh, it couldn’t be now, when he was unarmed. Even if the man was a madman, he wouldn’t cause trouble in broad daylight, so it seemed best to go to the hospital obediently and then escape when the time was right. Having finished his calculations, he was just about to get into the ambulance.