Codename Anastasia Novel (End) - Chapter 3

Terrified, Yoon Jongwoo hurled curses at his superior, Kwon Taekjoo. Kwon Taekjoo paid no mind and continued to speed forward. At this rate, they were headed for a head-on collision with the wooden boat. Yoon Jongwoo’s eyes squeezed shut. Suddenly, his parents in the countryside came to mind. His eyes welled up involuntarily. Two months ago, he hadn’t even sent them the money for kimchi his mother had sent. His mother’s message, “You rotten scoundrel,” which he’d checked just before the operation, weighed heavily on his mind. Oh, Mother.

The wooden boat’s crew also sensed their impending doom. Seeing the motorboat charging at them, seemingly intent on a mutual demise, they panicked and almost simultaneously leaped into the water. Now, the collision with the wooden boat was less than 5 meters away. It was inevitable. Resignation and despair stretched the fleeting moments into an eternity.

That’s when it happened. Kwon Taekjoo wrenched the wheel hard once more. With a sudden brake, the boat, unable to handle its speed, violently lurched. The hull sliced through the water, skidding in a long arc. Even so, a collision seemed ultimately unavoidable. Theoretically, at least.

One would expect him to give up and protect himself by now, but Kwon Taekjoo held fast to the wheel. Soon, with a thud, the right side of the wooden boat and the stern of the motorboat collided. The impact caused both vessels to heave violently. A clear spark erupted from the point of friction. For a split second, the entire boat seemed to lift into the air.

“…Ugh?”

After the turbulence subsided, he slowly opened his eyes. All was calm. Yoon Jongwoo was on the boat, not in the cold sea, and Kwon Taekjoo still occupied the driver’s seat, unharmed. Smoke billowed from the back of the boat, and a large hole was gouged into the right side of the wooden boat, but that was all. The tension that had gripped his entire body suddenly released. Simultaneously, he felt so weak he could barely control his limbs.

Eventually, the engine died. The surging waves drew the stopped boat toward the wooden fishing vessel. The two quickly approaching vessels intermittently bumped against each other with dull thuds. Kwon Taekjoo stood up and effortlessly crossed over to the wooden boat. Only then did Yoon Jongwoo, regaining his senses, grope on the floor and pick up his Colt. It wasn’t over yet.

Once on the fishing boat, Kwon Taekjoo illuminated the surroundings with his flashlight. He spotted two figures swimming desperately in the deep sea, with nowhere to escape. He quietly watched their frantic movements, then picked up a fishing net lying nearby. Holding it carefully to prevent tangling, he flung it toward the fleeing men. The fishing net unfurled widely in the air as it flew. The two men, scrambling to escape, became entangled in the suddenly airborne net. The more they struggled to break free, the tighter the restraint became.

Kwon Taekjoo watched their desperate struggle for a while, then turned the winch connected to the fishing net. The manual winch, befitting a fishing boat, groaned with a rusty metallic sound. It was surprisingly more strenuous than it looked.

“……”

He suddenly turned around. Yoon Jongwoo, who had been idly observing under the guise of providing cover, had subtly crossed over. Perhaps feeling embarrassed, he turned the winch with even greater fervor than Kwon Taekjoo. Soon, Lee Cheoljin and his accomplice were hauled onto the deck with the net.

“Hah, what should we do now?” Yoon Jongwoo asked, wiping sweat from his brow. Kwon Taekjoo gave no reply. When Yoon Jongwoo looked at him in confusion, he realized Kwon Taekjoo had already moved back to the motorboat, busily searching for something.

“What are you doing?”

“What I told you to prepare?”

“Oh, that’s under the driver’s seat.”

He immediately pushed aside the driver’s seat. Just as Yoon Jongwoo had said, a briefcase was visible underneath. Kwon Taekjoo opened the zipper and confirmed its contents before abruptly instructing Yoon Jongwoo.

“Contact headquarters and tell them we’ve secured Lee Cheoljin, his accomplice, and the USB. Kim Younghee, the contact, is tied up on the Bu Kwan Ferry, so the maritime police should have found her by now. Contact them and tell them to take custody of her.”

“What? S-senior, that sounds like you’re telling me to do all that by myself…”

“Of course, I am.”

“What about you, senior?”

“This crazy bastard is busy. I have a family event. Well then, good luck.”

Yoon Jongwoo silently replayed the words he had babbled in a moment of lost reason at the crossroads of life and death. He kept repeating “What?” in disbelief. As if confirming his ominous premonition, the motorboat started. Yoon Jongwoo was still left on the wooden boat with the two men caught in the net. Kwon Taekjoo started the boat without looking back.

The boat, boasting a powerful engine, sped away rapidly. It all happened so fast that Yoon Jongwoo couldn’t even contemplate transferring. As he stared blankly, his shoes gradually became soaked. It was due to the seawater seeping into the hull. Even if it didn’t sink immediately, it was a holed wooden boat. Could he truly abandon a subordinate in such a place without a shred of guilt or hesitation?

From behind, Yoon Jongwoo screamed that he was going to die. But Kwon Taekjoo merely dismissed it as the sound of the wind or waves. Today, the wind’s cry sounded particularly like “Noooooooo!” They say that the most precious children should be raised strictly. So, it must have been a misunderstanding.

He docked the boat in a corner of the pier. There were no restrictions on the unauthorized landing. It had been pre-registered for official use. No separate notification was required.

He took the briefcase and entered a nearby warehouse. When he emerged shortly after, he was impeccably dressed in a suit.

He passed through the darkened terminal. As he walked to the main road, he spotted the taxi he had called in advance. He got in and headed for Busan Station.

Upon arriving at the station, an announcement for the KTX train to Seoul was playing. He followed the considerable crowd down to the platform. The train was already waiting. He entered through the nearest door, found his seat number, and sat down. Being late at night, the interior of the car was utterly silent.

Drrrr… drrrr….

No sooner had he sat down than his phone vibrated inside his jacket. It was his personal phone, used outside of work. As expected, the caller was his mother. He cleared his throat once, then answered the phone as usual.

“Yes, Mom. I just got on the train. Cleaning up after the event took longer than I thought, so it was the last train left. Even if it goes without delays, I probably won’t get there until dawn, so get some sleep.”

He recited the familiar script. His mother’s barrage of questions began: what time did it depart, exactly when would he arrive, how would he get home from the station, and so on. For a son she saw only once or twice a year, she became even more particular on days he visited home. Only after promising emphatically that he wouldn’t stray elsewhere and would go straight home could he finally end the call.

As soon as he hung up, a forgotten fatigue washed over him. A sigh escaped him involuntarily. Around that time, the train doors closed and departed for Seoul. He leaned his still-damp head back, feeling the vibrations of the train throughout his body.

An announcement for a stopover station echoed through the quiet car. After the final announcement for ‘Seoul,’ the conductor’s voice faded, and no movement stirred in the space. The lighting also seemed to have dimmed further.

The heater’s warmth quickly made him drowsy. His water-soaked eyelids fluttered. His eyelashes felt unusually heavy from the lingering salt. He had nearly three hours until he reached his destination. Should he try to get some sleep? He was about to compromise with himself and close his eyes when 

Drrrr… drrrr….

Suddenly, he felt a vibration in his pocket. The phone he’d used to talk to his mother was still in his hand. So, the one ringing now must be his work phone. He tried to ignore it and get some sleep, but the phone vibrated relentlessly, clearly determined to keep ringing until he answered. Other passengers grumbled at the subtly irritating noise.

“Ugh…”

Finally, he sat up and pressed the call button.

“Where are you?”

It was Director Im, asking straight to the point. He never failed to be predictably annoying. If Yoon Jongwoo hadn’t drowned in the sea, Director Im would have received the operation report directly from him. So why the call now? Director Im’s calls were never welcome.

“What do you care where I am?”

“I was hoping to see your face for a moment.”

A summons, then. What now?

The only thing he could guess was the just-finished operation to neutralize the agents. It was supposed to be handled quietly, but it had generated numerous witnesses. An innocent civilian was even taken hostage. It was enough to make the higher-ups furious. On top of that, a report had been filed with the maritime police. Cleaning up the mess wouldn’t be easy. Reporters might have already caught wind of it. He could easily imagine Director Im’s lecture about how a secret organization was called a secret organization for a reason.

Knowing it was useless, he still tried to explain.

“That was the best option for this operation, sir. You know that.”

“Yes. So come here and let’s talk about it.”

Of course. That’s exactly what Director Im would say.