Codename Anastasia Novel (End) - Chapter 4

Before being deployed for the operation, he had repeatedly emphasized to Director Im that tomorrow was his mother’s birthday, the birthday of a mother who lost sleep worrying about her only son. He had to go home no matter what. What had Director Im said then? Hadn’t he promised to send him back to his mother’s embrace, even if the Second Korean War broke out?

Kwon Taekjoo reminded him of their conversation, asking if he had already forgotten.

“Please, Director. Tomorrow’s my mother’s birthday, you know?”

“I won’t keep you long.”

It was no use. Director Im was both brazen and persistent. Kwon Taekjoo irritably ruffled his damp hair. Then, looking at the rapidly passing scenery outside the train window, he made his final plea.

“I’ve already departed; how am I supposed to go back?”

Just then, the KTX, which had been running smoothly, suddenly came to a halt. Passengers, who had been listening to music or engrossed in mobile games, looked around in surprise.

For a while, the KTX remained stopped inside a tunnel. No announcements played inside the train, and no crew members passed by. It wasn’t unusual for the KTX to experience minor malfunctions. Because of this, no passengers were particularly flustered. Even those who had poked their heads into the aisle to see what was happening quickly lost interest and settled down to sleep.

Yes, it would be nothing. He wanted to believe that. But ominous premonitions always came true like ghosts.

“Get off, now.”

Director Im’s unctuous voice gave the order. Just as Kwon Taekjoo was about to demand what this was all about, an announcement came over the speakers.

It stated that the train had temporarily stopped due to an issue on the tracks and would depart as soon as the problem was resolved, asking for understanding. “As soon as the problem is resolved,” it said. It meant that if Kwon Taekjoo didn’t comply with the summons, the train wouldn’t move.

“Aren’t you going to get off?”

A low urge followed. His voice was light, as if he was enjoying the current situation. That made Kwon Taekjoo even less inclined to obey. He didn’t care about the other passengers’ circumstances.

However, as long as the train didn’t move, Kwon Taekjoo himself had no way to go home. He irritably threw his head back. In his frustration, he hung up the call. The phone didn’t ring again. Of course, the KTX showed no signs of departing either.

He stubbornly sat there for a long time before letting out a sigh and standing up. He strode down the aisle and stepped outside, and as if on cue, the train door opened. He shook his head, descending the steps. The gravel of the tracks crunched under his shoe soles.

Walking toward the rear of the train, he made a call. Just as he emerged from the tunnel, the stopped KTX began to move again. Around that time, he heard a “Hello?” from the other end of the phone. It was his mother. Her voice was more subdued than before, as if she worried her son, who had promised to come, might cancel on the pretext of urgent work.

“Mom. It’s me. The train had a problem, so I might be a little late. No, I really am coming this time. I’ll just be a bit late.”

He started walking again, urging her.

“So, don’t light the candles on the cake yet. Wait for me.”

The helicopter he boarded brought him to the National Intelligence Service (NIS). A staff member waiting at the helipad escorted Kwon Taekjoo to the First Deputy Director’s office. He followed silently, yet his head tilted in confusion. Director Im had only asked to see him for a moment, so why was the meeting not in Director Im’s office but the First Deputy Director’s?

The three deputy directors, the highest-ranking executives of the NIS, each handle independent tasks. Each deputy director does not interfere in matters outside their authority. It was an unwritten rule that dozens of specialized subordinate departments also operated under their direct deputy director. Therefore, there was no reason for Kwon Taekjoo and Director Im, who worked under the Third Deputy Director for counterintelligence and intelligence activities, to meet in the First Deputy Director’s office.

Has there been some kind of mistake? As he pondered this question, the staff member knocked on the Deputy Director’s office door. Soon, permission to enter was granted from within. It wasn’t Director Im’s voice. The staff member personally opened the door and ushered Kwon Taekjoo inside.

Kwon Taekjoo forgot to salute and instead stared at the First Deputy Director seated opposite him. What could be more natural than the First Deputy Director occupying the First Deputy Director’s office? Yet, the current situation of facing him was ironic. Director Im, the very person who had summoned Kwon Taekjoo, was sitting beside him. Kwon Taekjoo gazed at him, seeking an explanation. Director Im merely offered a strange smile.

The atmosphere was unusual. Kwon Taekjoo silently shifted his gaze between the First Deputy Director and Director Im, scrutinizing them. As if to ease his apprehension, the First Deputy Director began in a gentle tone,

“I hear you’ve just completed a mission in Busan.”

“Yes. I did my best.”

Kwon Taekjoo immediately retorted as soon as the First Deputy Director finished speaking. Even if there had been some commotion, it would be a clear abuse of power for the First Deputy Director to reprimand him. Seeing Kwon Taekjoo’s somewhat defensive stance, the First Deputy Director and Director Im exchanged peculiar smiles. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

“We didn’t call you here for that, so there’s no need to passionately defend yourself. While there was more commotion than necessary during the operation, it’s minor compared to the leakage of national secrets, isn’t that right, Director Im?”

The subtle sarcasm was typical of an experienced executive. Kwon Taekjoo kept his suspicious gaze fixed on Director Im. Director Im simply nodded, a smile still on his face. Kwon Taekjoo only grew more bewildered. If it wasn’t about the incident in Busan, why was he being summoned at this late hour? He had been pondering it the entire time but hadn’t reached any conclusion.

Director Im didn’t keep Kwon Taekjoo in suspense any longer. He placed the tablet he was holding onto the table.

“What is it?”

“Just take a look.”

Kwon Taekjoo shrugged and dutifully picked up the tablet. He turned the first page with a bored expression. His eyes, initially scanning the lines indifferently, gradually quickened. He scrolled down, silently but breathlessly reading the text, then quickly checked the next page. Director Im, who had been watching him, spoke.

“This is top-secret intelligence we’ve recently acquired. Rumors have been circulating for a long time, but this is the first time we’ve secured concrete evidence to ascertain the truth. As you’ve just seen, the main content is that North Korea and Russia have joined forces and embarked on the development of a new weapon three years ago. This weapon is said to boast firepower unseen in any country in the world, ever. They say if completed, it could shift the global balance of power. It’s codenamed ‘Anastasia.’ We don’t know if that accurately refers to the weapon’s name, or if it signifies a secret agreement between North Korea and Russia for its production, or if it means the weapon’s blueprint or its designer. We also don’t know whether the weapon has been completed yet.”

Only then did the implications of the First Deputy Director and Director Im’s joint presence become clear. If North Korea and Russia had collaborated to create an unprecedented weapon of mass destruction, who would be in trouble? Without much thought, it would be South Korea and the United States.

“We need to know the true nature of this weapon. A lack of information always leads to an imbalance of power. If ‘Anastasia’ isn’t complete yet, and if possible, we must prevent it from ever seeing the light of day.”

“What wouldn’t we do for world peace and humanity? If a minor evil can prevent a greater one, then even theft isn’t entirely bad.”

So, they wanted him to uncover the truth about the weapon North Korea and Russia had jointly developed. If possible, he was to steal the blueprints or related classified information. If that wasn’t feasible, he was to destroy it so it would never see the light of day. And who was to do this? Kwon Taekjoo himself.

Since he joined the NIS and began his career as an agent, overseas assignments were commonplace. In fact, he spent more days abroad than in Korea. Therefore, the travel order itself wasn’t surprising. What gave him pause, however, was that the mission area was Russia. It was a land he had never set foot on, either personally or during an operation.

Of course, the conditions were not a major issue. Kwon Taekjoo had received consistent training in Chinese, Persian, and Russian since joining the agency. Even if he were dropped in Moscow right now, he wouldn’t struggle with language.

However, that was all. Kwon Taekjoo completely lacked the most crucial element: on-site experience. What could be more important than practical experience for an agent? This mission was tantamount to telling Kwon Taekjoo to charge into the middle of a battlefield without a gun. He also found it incomprehensible why this mission had been assigned to him in the first place.

He gazed at Director Im with a dissatisfied expression. Director Im nodded as if he understood everything.

“Strictly speaking, you are not the right person for this operation.”

“Then you should find the right person.”

“Of course, I found one. And send them.”

“And?”

“…”

Director Im merely scratched his eyebrow silently. The First Deputy Director also offered an awkward smile. It was impossible not to know the answer they had swallowed without uttering.

“It didn’t go well, so I took it.”

Director Im nodded again and then spread three photographs on the table. The first photo showed someone’s hand, the tips of all ten fingers bluntly severed. The bloodless skin was swollen from being in water.

Another photo showed the forehead of a corpse covered in a white sheet. An unknown symbol was etched precisely in its center. He soon realized it was a tattoo. Judging by the condition of the skin, it didn’t seem to have been etched long ago.

The last was a neat identification photo. Given the circumstances, he presumed it was the original appearance of the mutilated corpse. He knew the person in the photo.

“Dominic Morgan. An elite agent the US intelligence agency dispatched to Russia. He was found dead four days ago by the Nara River. At the time, he was on a solo mission to uncover the true nature of ‘Anastasia.’ He was a friend with a knack for collecting Russian intelligence, and it’s a regrettable loss. Russia reportedly treated him as an unidentified individual. That’s a natural measure since he entered under a false identity. Though whether they truly saw him as merely an unidentified individual is questionable.”

“So, because that incident led to heightened Russian surveillance, you’re telling us to clean up their mess?”

“You certainly have a knack for understanding nuances,” Director Im said. “But let’s not call it ‘cleaning up.’ Since North Korea is involved, our country is also a party to this, wouldn’t you say? We can’t just stand by and watch. And, you knew the deceased Agent Morgan since the last joint South Korea-US training, didn’t you?”

“To be precise, that was the only time we knew each other. About a month, at most. We were coincidentally assigned to the same room.”

Kwon Taekjoo drew a clear line. Director Im smiled faintly. He cleverly targeted Kwon Taekjoo, who was trying not to show any weaknesses.

“That’s why we chose you. Emotions that cloud reason often ruin operations.”

He was as cunning as they come. Just as Kwon Taekjoo was about to protest indignantly, a sudden vibration echoed. It was the First Deputy Director’s phone. He excused himself for a moment and then stepped out, brushing past Kwon Taekjoo. The opened door closed behind him. As if on cue, Director Im commanded:

“Find ‘Anastasia’ in Agent Morgan’s stead.”