Codename Anastasia Novel (End) - Chapter 40

In the end, Zhenya had saved Kwon Taekjoo—no, Sakamoto Hiro—because he was the third son of the Bogdanov family. He had come to the hotel to ‘clean up’ at the request of his father, the head of Gazprom, or his older brother, and had simply reunited with Kwon Taekjoo himself there by chance.

He had been pushed into coming and unexpectedly found something interesting. Sakamoto Hiro, who had been looking at his photo with a profound expression. As a member of the ‘FSB’, he must have understood that it was not an ordinary situation. That was why the Gazprom representative had ultimately not appeared at the luncheon that day.

The pieces of the puzzle, which had never quite fit, now fell into place. Even Zhenya’s strange behavior, which he had observed from time to time, was all explained. As Zhenya had said, Kwon Taekjoo himself had simply been lucky. There had been countless moments when his life was threatened by him.

As he collected his thoughts, Kwon Taekjoo suddenly let out a long sigh. Raising his head to face the man, his expression had regained its inherent composure.

“So, what’s your name?”

“What’s the point of exchanging names now?”

“Kwon Taekjoo.”

Ignoring the man’s chiding, he extended his hand for a handshake. The man slapped Kwon Taekjoo’s hand with an annoyed expression.

“Salman. Salman Basaev.”

Even just shifting slightly to shake hands made all his muscles scream. Especially below his waist, the throbbing was unbearable. As he groaned and grimaced, Salman shook his head.

What more could be said to a patient who had just woken up from the brink of death? Getting up, he said, “Then rest.” Kwon Taekjoo looked puzzled.

“Are you just leaving?”

“What if I don’t?”

“We need to plan how we’re going to move from now on.”

Salman’s face became incredulous. He finally let out a chuckle. In such a zombie-like state, he dared to talk about planning. Even if he were in peak condition, nothing would change. After barely surviving Psikh Bogdanov, would he even think of fighting him again? Perhaps he had hit his head and was unable to think clearly.

Salman openly clicked his tongue.

“You still don’t get it? This operation is a failure.”

“No…”

“You want to deny it, I know. You also want to make up for your mistakes. But we have no more chances left. Headquarters’ support will also cease after the medical expenses. So just quietly get treatment and go back to your home country.”

He was about to argue, but Salman raised a hand as if he wouldn’t listen anymore. Then, limping, he headed for the door. He paused after opening the door to leave. Recalling something, he turned back to Kwon Taekjoo and gave a mischievous grin.

“He seemed to really like your butt, didn’t he? To get a laceration there.”

What?

Before he could even ask, the door closed. He stared blankly at the closed door. It was clearly a laugh mixed with derision and mockery. What on earth was ‘there’?

He chewed over Salman’s words, then stopped. Instantly, his face turned pale. A humiliating, forgotten memory quickly resurfaced. He slammed his fist onto the bed. His mood didn’t improve at all. A furious roar echoed throughout the hospital.

“You crazy bastard, I’ll kill you…!”

“Why?”

Vladimir Vissarionovich looked bewildered. The next owner of Gazprom had visited the FSB headquarters early in the morning. It was to meet his kin, whose face was almost a yearly event. The main character, who had been making a name for himself by being reclusive, was casually picking his ear.

“Someone sounded like they were talking about me.”

He usually brushed off whatever was said, but then he suddenly blurted out something silly. Vladimir massaged his throbbing head. His perpetually furrowed brow deepened further.

“Father is greatly disappointed.”

“Is it a one-day thing?”

He giggled childishly, as if he knew he was being scolded. Moreover, it wasn’t wrong. How many years had passed since he had to clean up Zhenya’s messes? He had optimistically endured for over a decade, thinking, He’ll be fine after puberty, he’ll get better as an adult, he’ll mature someday. It didn’t matter what kind of reckless behavior he engaged in outside. As long as he didn’t bring the problems into the family. But Zhenya knew no bounds.

Vladimir vividly remembered the first time Zhenya had smiled. It was quite a long time ago. The youngest had lost his cherished white peacock. It was a bird carefully raised by creating an artificial growth environment in the garden. Before long, the bird was found in the backyard. All its feathers had been plucked, leaving it bare. Zhenya was beside the peacock, which was weakly staggering and then collapsing, surrounded by white feathers.

‘Look at him, hyung-nim. He acted all elegant, but he’s completely worthless now.’

He was less than ten years old. Zhenya smiled brightly. As if he was truly happy, as if he couldn’t contain his amusement. Whenever he found something interesting, he would meticulously dedicate himself to destroying it. And once it was completely broken, he would quickly turn his attention elsewhere.

When Zhenya’s destructive instincts manifested in people, Father Vissarion made a decision. He pulled strings with the FSB and confined him there. In that place, his violent tendencies weren’t much of a problem. Although, sometimes, there were incidents that even his profession couldn’t cover.

This incident was one such case. As Gazprom became the biggest beneficiary of the Russia-Japan contract, disgruntled forces emerged. There had been frequent business obstruction tactics before, so they were worried about damage spreading to the Japanese dignitaries. That was why Vladimir had his direct secretary greet the Japanese staff who arrived a day before the delegation.

Only upon arriving at the hotel did he realize that the man he had escorted was someone bribed by hostile forces. He immediately sent Zhenya to the airport. That was a mistake. Even if that one time was unavoidable, he shouldn’t have called Zhenya to the luncheon. Unfortunately, on that very morning, Vissarion had collapsed due to a chronic illness, causing things to go awry.

After much coaxing, he finally sent him, only for him to skip the luncheon and engage in spy games with a South Korean intelligence agent. He brazenly brought him to a gathering attended only by key figures, and even leaked secrets about ‘SS-29’. What’s more, he caused an untimely shootout and hostage situation at the party.

Just thinking about it made Vladimir dizzy. A deep sigh escaped him.

“The disturbance you caused has put Vadim in a difficult position. What were you thinking, doing that in a place where the President and ministers were gathered? What on earth is going on in your mind? The one who was kidnapped by you that night and died…”

“Ah, speaking of which, how did you handle that person?”

“…They said that a South Korean agent was killed while trying to escape, taking you and that person hostage.”

Zhenya suddenly burst into laughter. He asked the bewildered Vladimir, “Who took whom hostage?”

Anyone who knew Zhenya wouldn’t easily believe such an obvious lie. They were simply letting it slide. In today’s Russia, money is power, and power is law. The Bogdanov family was living proof of that.

“Why didn’t you eliminate the South Korean agent immediately when you found out he was a spy?”

Vladimir asked directly, cutting to the chase. He was curious personally. He had a hunting target fall into his hands, one he could hunt to his heart’s content, so why did he keep him alive? Even if the spy, Kwon Taekjoo, were found dismembered, no one would raise an objection. Even South Korea, which dispatched him, wouldn’t be able to make an issue of it. That was the fate of a spy, and the customary practice of intelligence agencies.

Zhenya casually shrugged.

“I thought about it, but he trusted me so blindly? I thought it wouldn’t be bad to play along.”

“Just for such a trivial reason, you caused such a commotion…”

“It’s more fun to watch those kinds of people desperately struggling to survive. It’s a waste to kill them with one blow. And it’s boring.”

“…Alright. Let’s say that’s true. I heard he’s recovering in a small hospital in Irkutsk. If you’ve played with him enough, you should clean it up neatly. Why did you leave him alive?”

“I didn’t specially leave him alive. If he had been found later, he would have surely died.”

“Anyway, he must have still been breathing when he left your hands, right? Isn’t it your style to brand and mutilate him, his fingers or body, and then abandon him, as if showing off? Wasn’t it always like that?”

He gave Vladimir, who was persistently nagging, a strange smile.

“What are you so worried about? Are you afraid that a guy who barely has a breath left will counterattack? Don’t worry about it. He won’t be able to do anything so cute.”

He drew a decisive line. Vladimir tried to say something more, then closed his mouth. It was already over. There was no changing anything by arguing now. Some secrets might have been leaked to South Korea, but their operation was already incapacitated. He must know that security would be even tighter now.

Zhenya said with a bored expression, “Is that all you came to say?” In truth, there were several reasons he wanted to meet him. One was to admonish his troublesome third brother as the eldest son of the Bogdanov family. But his real purpose was elsewhere.

“Has ‘Anastasia’ not been completed yet?”

At the blunt question, Zhenya grinned. Derision was clearly evident in his narrowed eyes. This was their relationship, inherently. Even after a long time apart, they were more curious about each other’s work progress than their well-being. It was nothing new.

Zhenya didn’t answer the question, merely twirling.

“Who’s so curious about that? Father? The President? Or other big shot clients?”

Vladimir didn’t answer. In fact, everyone was watching. The ‘Second Anastasia’ to be created based on the failed blueprint of ‘Anastasia’.

Several months ago, North Korea and Russia agreed to destroy all evidence related to the ‘Anastasia’ research. The blueprint, created by renowned weapons developers over several years, was the top priority for destruction. All personnel involved were massacred, and the weapon system under development, the arsenal, and the blueprint were blown up. Of course, even amidst that brutal evidence destruction, only the Bogdanov family remained intact. It was the price for completing the disposal work and forever remaining silent about all of it.

Rumors circulated that, like the unpurged Bogdanov family, the blueprint also remained somewhere, in some form. The Bogdanov family maintained their silence. Ironically, their ambiguous stance heightened the external awe.

Vladimir was also secretly curious. Not so much about the existence of the blueprint, but whether it could be re-engineered to create the true ‘Anastasia’. Only one person knew the answer: Zhenya. That was because the Anastasia blueprint currently existed in a form that only he could interpret.

Whenever he had the chance, he would ask Zhenya when he would finally reveal the completed ‘Anastasia’. Zhenya would take a reserved stance, saying he’d consider it if he felt like it. Vladimir reminded Zhenya of their previous conversation and reconfirmed his intention.

“Still not inclined?”

“I thought about playing with it once this whole thing was over.”

“And?”

“Seeing things today, maybe it’s better to leave it neglected for longer? Everyone’s so impatient, like a dog needing to pee, it’s quite amusing to watch. A while ago, some guy came at me, saying he’d avenge his father. He didn’t even realize his limbs were being torn off one by one, just barking about killing me, thrashing his remaining neck… You should have seen that, Volodya.”

Vladimir turned away from Zhenya, who was genuinely enjoying himself. He sighed, pressing his throbbing temples.

“…So you killed Hong Yewook?”

Zhenya didn’t reply. He merely gave an ambiguous smile. Beyond his cheerful expression, an intense gaze reached him. For some reason, it felt as if his clothes were being stripped off one by one. The feeling of the pretenses surrounding Vladimir as a person being thoroughly exposed. It was unpleasant.

Vladimir idly stroked his collar. Zhenya, who had been leisurely observing, suddenly asked, “Regret?”

“Regret what, all of a sudden?”

“If I regret sending you there, back then.”

It was a profound question, but he answered without difficulty.

“I regret trusting you. I regret being optimistic that you would just meekly do as you were told. Both me and Father.”

Despite his family expressing disappointment and resignation, his playful smile remained.

“Regret all you want, but don’t drool over other people’s stuff. That’s mine now. I have no intention of using it for someone else’s benefit. I’ll keep it until I’m bored with it, then I’ll break it with my own hands. So stop letting your little minnows hover around. I’ve let it slide so far out of brotherly affection, but if this continues, I won’t stand by.”

“……”

Vladimir silently watched Zhenya. Indifferent gazes passed between the two brothers. A vast silence followed.

How long has it been? Vladimir’s phone rang. Soon after, another vibration was detected somewhere else. Vladimir, who was about to casually answer the call, paused and looked around. Before long, Zhenya’s vibrating phone came into his sight. An ominous premonition struck him. He fixed his gaze on it and pressed the call button. Incredibly, both phones simultaneously fell silent.

Convinced, Vladimir went to Zhenya’s desk and snatched his phone. The phone, which he hadn’t touched, was connected to a call. The caller ID on the screen was the same as his own.

“Are you even spying on your family now?”

It was absurd. Zhenya didn’t offer an excuse. He merely got up from his seat and calmly opened the door.

“Have a safe trip.”

Vladimir left the office, throwing an empty threat that he would sue him if he didn’t stop hacking. As he exited, the door closed.