Codename Anastasia Novel (End) - Chapter 24

The train, departing from Beijing, headed towards Moscow. In the quiet night, the scenery outside the window was shrouded in deep darkness. The chaotic atmosphere that had lingered right after boarding was nowhere to be found.

It was a long journey, taking a little over six days from Beijing to Moscow. Although the destination was the same for all, the atmosphere in each cabin was strikingly different. Passengers in third class were engaged in a silent battle to secure even the smallest comfort first. They rustled about, trying to get some sleep somehow in cramped spaces that barely offered seats, let alone proper bunk partitions. If first and second class were brimming with anticipation for an adventure into a new world, third class was permeated with the scent of life.

Stale air circulated within the poorly ventilated car. A mysterious musty smell also wafted. A baby, squirming uncomfortably, finally burst into tears. The tired parents merely soothed the whining infant perfunctorily. At the incessant wailing, other passengers grimaced and tossed and turned. A gang of soldiers, oblivious to the night, guffawed endlessly as they shared cheap vodka. Merchants, who had crammed their bundles into others’ spaces, blocked out all the commotion with earplugs. They seemed to have learned how to endure long journeys through extensive experience.

Travelers in second class, regardless of nationality, gender, or age, gathered in small groups. They spent the night in lively conversation, sharing experiences from their travels, useful information, future plans, or even small snacks. It seemed they were tireless, considering it all part of the journey.

The special compartment, the only one on the train with a private bathroom, remained consistently quiet. Whether day or night, few people walked its corridor. At night, they slept soundly in comfortable beds and visited the dining car whenever they were hungry. The exorbitantly expensive food prices were no issue for them.

The only satisfactory aspect of headquarters’ support was their generous provision for transportation and accommodation costs. That was what he thought even as he lay on the special compartment bed after surveying all the other cabins. But it wasn’t long before complaints erupted.

“Aah-eung… haang… eung… eung.”

Kwon Taekjoo’s brow furrowed little by little. He closed his eyes and tried to force himself to sleep, but it was no use. The heated moans intensified, piercing his eardrums.

“Aah… eung, ha-eung! Ah! Aah-eung! Ang… aaah!”

He buried his face deep in the pillow. He pulled the blanket over his head to the very top. Still, he couldn’t ignore the presence so close by. As the different bodies violently clashed, the woman’s moans grew sharper and sharper. The sounds of their bodies slapping were so juicy, it felt like his eardrums were getting chewy.

Ignore it. Just ignore it.

He composed himself as if chanting a spell. A madman was doing mad things; it was nothing surprising. If he had to blame someone, it wasn’t Zhenya, but headquarters for assigning such a man as his partner.

He normally lived without knowing about insomnia. After finishing an operation, he would often sleep like a corpse for days, and even if he slept in fragments during a mission, he slept soundly. There was no more basic self-care than eating and sleeping properly, so to be deprived of sleep was unacceptable. It was classic, but he decided to count sheep.

One sheep. Two sheep. Three sheep. Four sheep….

“…Haa-eut, haaaaaaang!”

Sheep haaaaang… Damn it.

He shot upright and sat up. The cabin was dark, but the intertwined silhouettes were visible without filter, lit by the faint light from the corridor. He could see Zhenya’s eyes, shining vividly in the darkness. Their eyes seemed to meet for a moment, but the man showed no embarrassment whatsoever.

The skirt of the woman riding on him, which had been caught on her thighs, was now hiked up to her waist. Her uniform top was undisturbed, so her identity was immediately clear. She was the blonde flight attendant who had guided them to their seats upon boarding. He glared openly, but Zhenya merely thrust his hips unconcernedly. Each time, the woman let out a tearing moan and slumped her upper body.

With each heave of the woman’s body, Zhenya’s ‘thing’ revealed its might. The glistening flesh, thoroughly soaked in arousal fluid, twitched ceaselessly. It was a considerably burdensome mass. Watching the woman swallow it whole and sink down, his brows instinctively furrowed. His innocent perineum seemed to throb. How could she possibly accommodate such a hideous and impossibly large object? He was once again astonished by the mysteries of the human body.

Kwon Taekjoo even folded his arms and sat. He planned to watch how shameless the man could get. Was it his imagination, or did a sudden smile spread across Zhenya’s lips?

“Haa… you, too… Hiii! Aaah… eung, haaaang!”

The woman’s swaying upper body began to lean back. Each time her body was slammed down by him, her white thighs convulsed. From her agape lips, thick saliva and cries of agony poured out.

Zhenya showed the woman no mercy. He steadily thrust his hips, fixing her soft body that tried to rub against him to find a more pleasurable sensation. Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack. Violent friction sounds echoed repeatedly, like fists striking leather. The woman’s face contorted in painful pleasure. Her once pale skin flushed red.

The woman’s head tilted completely back and swayed limply. Her widely spread knees trembled uncontrollably, unable to withstand the searing sensation that pierced her entire body. The purring breaths in her throat seemed about to cease at any moment.

“Haang, haaaang… Aaaah-aaah-aaah!”

Before long, the woman thrashed her limbs and let out a shrill scream. Simultaneously, Zhenya’s massive body swelled, and his brows furrowed sharply. Kwon Taekjoo’s gaze fixed on Zhenya’s face. It wasn’t intentional. But it was strange how the man, who was usually so composed in any situation, so utterly crumbled before primal instinct. His heart seemed to pound like a seizure, indicating he might have been a little surprised.

His thick penis, having ejaculated, slipped out with a squelch. From its tip, thick semen dripped continuously. His face hardened involuntarily as he watched the white viscous fluid soak the bed and drip, drip onto the floor. No male would happily accept a fellow creature blatantly marking his territory in his space.

He opened the window to ventilate. A fierce wind, as strong as the train’s speed, rushed in. As he endured the chilling, bone-cutting wind, Zhenya emerged from the shower. He had somehow managed to put on his clothes in the bathroom, which seemed barely big enough to squeeze into. At this point, it was less an obsession and more a feat.

Seeing Kwon Taekjoo hunched against the cold, Zhenya made a puzzled expression.

“With a face like you’re freezing to death, what foolish thing are you doing?”

He knew perfectly well who was responsible for it, yet he pretended not to know. Glaring at the detestable face, Kwon Taekjoo abruptly closed the window. Only then did the metallic smell seem to dissipate.

He hadn’t slept well, so his condition was poor from the morning. He had no appetite and didn’t even feel like eating. Zhenya grinned thoughtlessly even after seeing Kwon Taekjoo’s haggard face.

“To stare so openly. Usually, people would step aside, wouldn’t they?”

He laughed in absurdity. Wasn’t sex ‘usually’ enjoyed intimately between two people? His stomach twisted at the sight of the man talking about feeling awkward with an expression that was anything but. Clearly intending to tease, Kwon Taekjoo shamelessly retorted.

“Why should I? When quality porn is being screened for free.”

“Hmm… it was good quality, indeed.”

Zhenya nodded as if understanding. It wasn’t a compliment. To anyone, it was a clear insult. Yet, the man needlessly puffed out his chest and raised his chin. Was that really something to be so triumphant about?

“You can even say surprisingly pleasant things?”

No matter how he looked at it, Zhenya’s thought process and social skills seemed severely flawed. He took sarcasm as flattery and felt so proud. Kwon Taekjoo gave up on responding, as if to say, ‘think what you want.’ There was no need to deliberately disappoint someone who was positively minded in strange ways. Moreover, if he kept being sarcastic, it would only hurt his own mouth if the other person wasn’t affected.

The two had moved to Beijing yesterday morning. They had received information from Boris of ‘Sontsev’ that Hong Yeowook, a North Korean engineer, would board the Trans-Siberian Railway disguised as a Chinese tourist. Bogdanov’s side was scheduled to contact Hong Yeowook before reaching Moscow, but Boris still didn’t know the timing or method. ‘SS-29’ was also being moved to a safe location, so its final storage place was unknown. Although it was information with many uncertainties, it didn’t matter. By following Hong Yeowook, they would naturally be led to the location of ‘SS-29’.

Last night, they confirmed Hong Yeowook’s boarding. As Boris had said, he had entered the second-class carriage, disguised as a Chinese national. He didn’t seem to have any companions, but that remained to be seen. Bogdanov’s people might already be watching him inside the train. That was why they didn’t immediately apprehend Hong Yeowook.

If Hong Yeowook realized he was being followed, Bogdanov’s side might abandon contact with him altogether. Then all plans would be ruined. They had to be extremely cautious.

“Speaking of which, Boris, what happened to him? You said you’d take care of him.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“‘Take care of’ doesn’t mean kill him, does it?”

“I thought about it for a moment, but…”

Zhenya trailed off, smiling. Kwon Taekjoo immediately urged him to continue, saying, “Go on, then.” His gaze at Zhenya was not just displeased but fierce. Whether on purpose or not, Zhenya twirled for a while longer before replying.

“I just locked him up, thinking he might be useful later.”

“What if he escapes?”

“So you wanted me to finish him off too? How cruel.”

“That’s not what I meant. It’s just that if he spills anything, everything will be ruined.”

“That won’t happen, so don’t worry.”

“Can I trust that?”

“Of course. He won’t be able to get out until I give the command.”

Somehow, despite his suspicion, he was implicitly convinced. It was paradoxical, but it was true. So, did that mean he only needed to focus on Hong Yeowook?

He gazed out the window absentmindedly, as vast plains passed by. The winter scenery was bleak no matter what country or where he went. Occasionally, he saw grazing quadrupeds. From their solitary figures on the endless land, he felt an inexplicable loneliness.

The scenery remained similar, no matter how far they traveled. The long ridges stretched on, seemingly endless. Watching in silence, he quickly grew bored. The drowsiness he had barely shaken off seemed to return.

He yawned widely and suddenly checked his watch. Then he flinched and quickly retrieved his bag from the overhead rack. At first glance, it looked like a briefcase, but its true nature was equipment that temporarily pulled in satellite communication networks. If necessary, it could even be disguised as a call from Korea.

Kwon Taekjoo turned on the power and typed a specific command on the keyboard. The wireless antenna inside the communicator then activated, pulling in satellite signals. He plugged a mobile phone earphone into the side jack and dialed a phone number.

Zhenya stood for a moment, arms crossed, watching. He was about to go for breakfast. While he was at it, it wouldn’t hurt to check on Hong Yeowook. He hadn’t specifically intended to go with Kwon Taekjoo, but seeing him fuss uncharacteristically, curiosity held him back. He was quite curious who the tree-trunk-like man was so urgently trying to call.

“Yes, Mother. It’s me.”

Kwon Taekjoo’s mother answered the phone as if she had been waiting. He diligently calmed her down as she poured out all sorts of worries, even though he was only a little late. He had no time to worry about Zhenya clearly listening in.

Unfamiliar words flowed from Kwon Taekjoo. He had met North Koreans a few times for work. The language sounded similar to theirs, so it seemed to be Korean. However, he wasn’t fluent in Korean, so he couldn’t tell who was on the other end of the line or what conversation was taking place. He could only guess the identity of the person based on Kwon Taekjoo’s unusually gentle tone and his soft voice trying to appease the other party. The voice occasionally leaking from the earphones was certainly a woman’s voice. Not just a one-night stand, but a woman with whom he had cultivated a deep relationship over a long time.

Zhenya suddenly pulled out his phone and launched a translation application. As expected, the language Kwon Taekjoo was speaking was Korean, and a repeatedly distinctive word meant ‘mother.’ Zhenya, after intently observing the translation, snorted openly. He thought it was uncharacteristically gentle, but the person on the other end wasn’t a young woman, but his mother.

Kwon Taekjoo’s call ended quickly. As soon as he pressed the call end button, he let out a long sigh. He was packing up the communication equipment with a tired look when he suddenly looked up. His eyes immediately met Zhenya’s. Zhenya was looking down at Kwon Taekjoo, sneering. It was too obvious what he wanted to say. Kwon Taekjoo pretended not to know, putting his bag away and sitting back down. Zhenya immediately started to quip.

“I wondered what a mama’s boy looked like, and here he was right in front of me.”

“Only those who know nothing blabber on as if they know everything, don’t they?”

“Are you flustered because I hit a nerve?”

“I’d be less tired if I were a mama’s boy, too.”

Kwon Taekjoo shook his head and grumbled. He didn’t care about others’ family matters. He wasn’t interested. But seeing the wooden man suddenly become affectionate, then turn stoic again as if nothing had happened, made him curious about the underlying circumstances. Why would he claim to be a ‘tired’ mama’s boy.

“Keep going.”

“How would someone like you know how exhausting it is to survive alone? You have to bear the worries, anxieties, trepidation, and expectations of the family left behind, multiplied many times over, even for the sake of the dead. Because I know they’d be constantly worried, I can only deceive them completely and pretend to be endlessly cheerful. If my mother knew where I am right now or what I’m about to do, she’d be bedridden instantly. Even now, she thinks I’m just getting civil documents from a local office…”

Kwon Taekjoo, who had been muttering unreservedly, suddenly fell silent. Zhenya, who had apparently been listening intently, made an unconvincing expression.

“Why did you stop talking mid-sentence?”

“Because it’s unnecessary.”

Kwon Taekjoo leaned back deeply in his seat and shut his mouth. He picked up a thick book, as if he had no intention of talking further. Zhenya stretched out a long arm and closed the cover he had just flipped open. Their gazes intertwined once more.

“We have more than enough time to talk.”

“I don’t know. I’m not bored enough to dig into uninteresting family matters, am I? I brought plenty of books too.”

Kwon Taekjoo gestured with his chin towards the inside of his bag. Indeed, there seemed to be enough to last a good six days.

Zhenya snorted and openly scrutinized Kwon Taekjoo. His gaze was intrigued, as if he had received a fresh stimulus. Kwon Taekjoo pretended to be oblivious to his scrutiny. Going a step further, he picked up a book and offered to lend it.

“No, thank you. I’m not interested in someone prattling on unilaterally. If you’re bored, just bring a woman.”

Of course, you would.

He shook his head and fixed his eyes on the book. At that point, Zhenya no longer pestered him. He simply went outside without a word. Yet, despite being partners, he never revealed where or why he was going.

The open door closed again. Kwon Taekjoo’s gaze, which had been fixed on the book, turned towards the doorway. His stiff shoulders relaxed. He still found himself involuntarily tensing up whenever Zhenya looked at him intently.

It couldn’t be helped; every now and then, he saw in the man a sinister destroyer floating on the surface, with a vicious and brutal true nature hidden deep within his gut. The man seemed like a skilled predator who knew how to let his prey roam free to enjoy a final feast. His instincts rejected the man. No matter how many times he tried to indoctrinate himself that they were a team, he couldn’t lower his guard against him.

The train reached the border region between China and Mongolia after precisely twelve hours. A restless atmosphere flowed through the cabins even before the stop. This was due to the impending immigration inspection.

Though said to be milder than the Russian border, the inspection was reported to take an average of three hours. In emergencies, it could extend longer, during which passengers had to remain confined within the train.

As the train came to a complete halt, waiting inspectors entered. Each group, consisting of immigration officers, customs officials, and a couple of public security officers, meticulously scrutinized their assigned areas. They carefully compared passport photos with passengers’ faces, as well as various declaration forms. Luggage inspection and body searches followed. Most passed simply and routinely, but occasionally there were meticulous inspectors. They would take down luggage and go through each item, thoroughly searching under beds, shelves, and even trash cans. During this time, entry and exit from the cabin was strictly prohibited. One couldn’t even calmly sleep before the inspection.